The New York herald., 1862-02-02

ACTIVITY IN THE WAR AND NAVY DEPART
MENrs.-Under the new Secretary of War the
work of preparing for active operations against
the rebels is progressing finely. In every
branch of the department, and in every corps of
the army, new spirit of activity prevails.
The Navy Department, too, has caught the con-
tagion, Notwithstanding the cloud cast over
the venerable Secretary by the Morgan jobs,
and by various swindling operations in the
articles Of ships, and boats, and water casks,
&C., of the Burnside expedition. In spite of all
these drawbacks, General Burnside has pushed
his way into Pamlico Sound, and he will soon
make its usually silent and melancholy
shores ring with the music of Union
thunder. In Missouri, General Halleck is
moving onward for final settlement with
Price. The floating ice Of the Mississippi,
the great food in the Ohio, and the impassable
condition OF the muddy roads Of Western Ken
tucky, have delayed the combined movement by
land and water upon the rebels at Columbus;
but when it is made it will only be the more de-
cisive from the more perfect arming and or
ganization Of our land and river forces.
In Southeastern Kentucky, meantime, General
Schoepf has followed up the late Somerset
victory of his superior officer, General Thomas
in a mastery enterprise. Realizing the import
ance of an immediate advance southwark to
the strong position of Monticello, and finding
the ordinary roads absolutely impossible, the
indefatigable corps under General Schoepff
went to work, and, cutting down trees and cut
ting them up into proper lengths, bridged con-
siderable portion of the muddy route Of twenty
miles to Monticello, and then moved forward
and occupied the place With men Of this
stamp there is no such word as fail.
But, again. We are confident that we
have not yet heard one-half the good news
of the late advance Of our gunboats to a
position between the United States fort
Pulaski, occupied by rebels, and the city of
Savannah; for we have every reason to be-
lieve that this movement will shortly give us
both the fort and the city. In a word, consider
ing this seasons unexampled embargo of mud
against all land operations in the South, we are
content to know that our land forces in every
quarter are busy with their preparations for an
advance with the first freeze, and that our water
forces, from Hampton Roads to Louisiana, are
keeping the whole rebellous South in con-
slant state of alarm, with their steady advances
upon the str ongholds Of King Cotton.
IaoN-CLAD SHIPs-THE BILL BEFORE THE
SENATE.-In Congress, the House bill providing
fof the building of twenty-one iron-clad war
vessels has not been heard of for some time
When last before the Senate, on motion of Mr.
Hale, an amendment was adopted providing
that the President, and not the Secretary of the
Navy, shall superintend the construction Of
said ships. This was intended as notification
to the President that, since the disclosures of
those Morgan jobs in the purchase of vessels for
the navy, the Senate has no confidence in the
head of the department. Upon this difficulty,
we presume, the bill hangs fire. Let the matter
be settled one way or the other, but let us have
the ships. The warnings of England and France
demand the instant attention Of Congress to the
important work of strengthening our navy,
and no secondary questions, such as this be-
tween the Senate and Secretary Wclles, should
be permitted to stand in the way. The most
imperative duty of Congress now, Mr.. Hale,
next to q comprehensive financial system, is to
provide us powerful navy, with all the modern
improvements.
THE REBEL CAPTAIN SEMMEs, OF THE SUMrEn.-
In his late impudent letter to the London Tines,
the rebel Captain Semmes, of the rebel priva.
teer Sumter, INDUCES in ding at his former
associate in the United States Navy, the 10y a
Commodore Dupont Semmes broadly ins mu
ates that Dupont, in the burning OF United .state
guppowder, ,nakes good thing Of 1t, i'lasmuc
as another Of the Duponts sells il to tAe govern