The New York herald., 1863-09-04
THE SITUATION.

LII H STU UATxoN.
The only important news from the Potomac
army is, that on Wednesday General Fitzpatrick,
with field battery, supported by cavalry, sunk
the steamers Satellite and Reliance, which had
recently been captured by the rebels at the mouth
of the Rappahannock. at point on the river
twelve miles below Fredericksburg.
The recent affair in Greenbriar, Va, between
General Averill's forces and the rebel troops OF
General Jones. which was originally reported by
Cooper as great victory, turns out to be
quite the reverse. 1t was General Averll
who was victorious, who drove the rebels
out of Pocahontas county, pursued them into
Greenbrar, near White Sulphur Springs, des-
troyed the saltpetre works at Pendeton, and the
enemy's Camp Northwest with its stores and equi-
whole expedition which extended through five
counties Of Western yirginia-only one hundred
men in killed and wounded. This puts a very
different face upon the report of the rebel general
There is nothing later from Charleston to-day.
The steamer Warrior, Captain Henry Wolf, was
captured sixty miles north Of Tortugas. She was
rebel steamer, and run the blockade from Mobile
to Havana, loaded with cotton. She had on
board, when captured, an assorted cargo, valued
at about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
She is sidewheel steamer, formerly Of Mobile.
She is capable Of carrying two thousand five hun
dred bales of cotton. She had on board three
passengers, in addition to her crew Of thirtynine
men.
We publish to-day the important intelligence
that the French army in Mexico has been ordered
to occupy and hold Matamoros, ION account of the
important cotton trade which might be carried on
shere.'' Should this step be taken by Napoleon
the issue between our government and his Ma
jesty may be brought to trial sooner than he anti
cipates,
The probability of the formation Of an alliance
offensive and defensive, between Russia and the
United States is creating alarm in the European
Cab,.,ets, The Vienna P,esse says it will "afect
the bearings of the Mexican and Polish questions. y
person on board the privateer Florida, off
Cork, has given an account Of the cruise Of
that vessel from the time of her departure from
Mobile to her arrival at Bermuda period of six
months. The work performed by her is also emu
merated. 1t appears that on the sth Of July she
was within sixty miles of New York, and chased
the steamship Ericsson (Which had been sent out
to catch her), in towards Sandy Hook.
The ship Kent. at Portsmouth, England, from
Melbourne spoke the privateer Georgia on the
llth of August, in latitude % south, longitude 80
west. The ship Messina, in the Mersey, was in
company with the Alabama on the sth of July.
Pope Plus the Ninth has addressed an apostolic
letter to Archbishop Hughes the subject Of
the rebellion and war in America. He advocates
peace, and calls on the Archbishop to use his
most strenuous endeavors to bring about that
result. The Pope advises conference with the
associate bishops of the Archbishop, and an
nounces that he had forwarded similar circular
TO the Archbishop Of New Orleans, counsellng
him to confer with Archbishop Hughes on the