The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-01-03
THE WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT

- OOtCUu is ~ uCoI III L TUvlu6uC6
Rhode Island, (says the Joarma1) that some
Of the waggish brokers quote the price per
ounce. 1t has been selling at two and half
cents an ounce.
- It is stated that there is a British
schooner called the Spitfre at Porterstown,
Nova Scotia, which makes a regular bus
mess of running the blockade of the south
ern ports. Every man on board is armed
"A young woman, bearing several mas
culine and feminine aliases, such as Hattie
Robinson, Antoinnette Robinson, Ed. Ham
ilton and Charley Miller, was detected the
other day at Rochester, New York, in at
tempting to personate the character of a
drummer boy, for the purpose Of enlisting in
the Thirteenth regiment.
"A Connecticut soldier writes home
that the Commissary at Annapolis has Civ
en- the boys so much mule meat that the
ears of the whole regiment have grown
three and half inches since their arrival at
the Maryland capital.
"A hotel on the European plan is to be
built in Washington by Boston man.
"A negro, one hundred and ten years
old, has just died in Baltimore. His name
was Jack Murray. He was born in Balti-
more when the city contained but six
houses. ..... .-....-.
Col. Tom Taylor, commanding the
Kentucky Rebel Rifles, was killed, in the
Drainsville fight, and bis saddle brought
away by Col. Easton. Col. Taylor it will
be recollected, occasioned much excitement
at the commencement of the war, by un.
expectedly appearing at Arlington with a
flag OF truce, and by afterwards being
brought to headquarters here blindfolded,
and subsequently conveyed outside our lines
the object of his mission, an exchange of
prisoners being unaccomplisbed
The Secretary of the Navy is authorized
to cause two hundred medals of honor to be
presented, with suitable emblematic devices,
which shall be bestowed upon such petty
officers, seamen, landsmen and marines as
shall most distinguish themselves by their
gallantry in action and other seamanlike
qualities during the present war, and that
the sum of one thousand dollars is appropri-
ated for the purpose of carrying this sec-
ton into effect. $780,.
"A comet, seen at sea on the lst inst,
is thus described by Captain Hill, of the
bark Villafranca, who arrived at Boston
from Palermo:
On the LIST of December, being in 26a north
latitude, COZ west longitude, I observed a
comet. Could see it distinctly with the naked
eye, its altitude then being about 83s north of
the zenith, and passed the meridian at 9 o'clock
in the evening. Have seen the same until
within few days of my arrival here.
The Sons of England in New York, cele-
brated Forefathers' Day on Monday the
23d in the usual manner. Among the let>
tiers read we find the following from Sec
tary Seward:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, Dec. IL, 1861.
To G. A. STEIsoN, Esq, Astor House.
DEAR SIR: Pray present my apology to the
Sons of New England for declining their inv.
tation to the annual New England dinner. NV
duties here allow me little enjoyment of holi-
days. If it were an Old England dinner in.
stead of New England feast l would certain.
ly strain point to attend. l would like so
good an opportunity to attempt to show to our
cousins across the seas that there is no mate.
rial benefit or moral influence that can accrue
to US that will not also increase the prospect.
ty and greatness of Great Britain, and that
every disaster that befalls the United States is
also pregnant with suffering and sorrow, soon
er or later to be borne by Great Britain. Elk.
press my warmest Acknowledgements to the
committee, and believe me, ever faithfully,
your friend. WIN. H. SEWARD.
The Hartford (Connecticut) Courant
of Saturday week, says:
Yesterday, at noon, the time for closing the
subscription to the State loan of 81 200 900 eX.
pired, and the whole amount had been sub.
scribed for at from par to two per cent. pre-.
MUM. When We consider that the national
loan has offered such temptations to capital
seeking investment, that our State loan of
$4,000, 900 had been taken within short time,
and that the news from England was of a
squally description, we may also consider that
Connecticut has done great thing at this time.
Of this last loan 81, 100000 were taken by the
people of this State.
-Ex-Minister Jones, now in Fort La
fayette, for reasonable correspondence with
JEFF. Davis, Is Missourian by birth. He
was the first prominently known as delegate
to Congress from the Territory of Michigan
and Wisconsin. After Michigan was set
off as State, he was chosen delegate to
Congress from the Territory of Wisconsin.
He was next Clerk of the Supreme Court
of the same Territory, under Chief Justice
Dunn, and subsequently was appointed Sur
veyor General of the Territory of Iowa,
very lucrative position. He was then elect'
ed United States Senator from the State of
Iowa, to fill vacancy, and was afterwards
reelected and occupied the position of
United States Senator until the winter Of
1853, when President Buchanan appointed
him Minister Resident at Bogota.
The estimates to be submitted to Con.
gress for the fiscal year give the military ex~