Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-02-27

power, closing oil the ports Of ina south, save
with our consent, unless by stealth OF accident
This power, which the Sonth has little to meet,
is almost exclusively the growth Of the year,
and on our own coasts. aud in the ports, har-
bors and rivers of the South, It cannot but be in
the future a most efficient means Of attack or
defense.
There are two other elements Of strength
which specially require considsratioa-men aud
money. The armies Of the South have been
large beyond exsmple, as compared with the
extent Of population from which they have been
drawn To raise tbsm to their present stand
ard, the eonscription law Of the South hiss en-
braced sll from the sge Of eighteen 10 fory-tve
years Their armies, ike cur own, waste away
by the casualties Of war, and there can Be little
force in reserve to supply the draia. An exam
ination of the preliminary report Of the census
of 1850, of which I have bad the honor to trans
nit yoG copy, viii show on page l3I that tho
body Of the population upon which the so1th
must draw for the supply Of the drain, is less
than / suggested in cur recent communications.
The aggteea,e free population Of all the slave
States, including Maryland, Delaware, Viz
ginis Kentucky and Missouri, is only $3.50 i63i
but from this must be deducted the population
of those slave States in the United States
where ne conscriplion law Of the South could
possibly be enforced, aud likewise the free
not place arms. The free population Of these
States shown by the census of 1850 IS IS fell
lows: Delaware, 1l0,4l5i Mlryland, 599,S50
Kentucky, $50 201 Missouri, 1867 ,O5I; Ka-
nawha OF Western Virginia, with Jefferson,
Accomsc aud Northampton counties, estimated
at 379,7 IA free blacks Of the South to be dc.
Quoted, 3507S7 - making an aggregate Of
1888 III, which, when deducted from the
aggregates free population Of the South leaves
only 4 ,951,6l2, including, men, women and
children. The general accuracy Of these ig
ures can readily be tested by references to pages
l3I aud 296, PSI, 288 and 289 of the census
report before referred 10. 1t is true that TO some
slight extsnt troops may voluntarily 90 into the
Southern army from portions of the cSuntry not
in their possessions but these would probably be
at least balanced by those Withholding them
selves along the coasts, in the towns and cities
of the South subject to our control, and for
which no allowance is made in the above calcu-
lation. I need not recspitulste the population
of the free States and of the border Stlte IN onr
possession. The aggregate, By reference 70 the
same census report, viii be seen to bs within
fraction of % 100000 (2l ,996 345). During the
last summer in addition to the army then in the
field. they raised within the space Of two
months, by voluntary enlistment, 600 600 men,
and there is yet another, and still another army
in the reserve, as am instructed, to take their
places, in whole or 10 part should that unhap-
PLY become necessary.
La the foregoing estimate I have taken no sc
csunt of the slaves of tte South as a source
either of strength or weakness. As they have
been used heretUre they have certainly added
strength to their masters They have ia fact fed
the army Some have been forced to labor with
it in trenches, while the great mass have
toiled IL the field at home, thus leaving almost
the entire population of the South free to fight
its battles Emancipation, should it occur,
while it hberates the slave, would cut off this
source of strength from their masters. Their
supplies in the rear must be kept up or their
army cannot be held together The Que is es-
sentisl TO the maintenance of the other. A time
may soon come, therefore, when. aside from the
spprehensiOns incident to emancipation, the
slaves of the South viii be to their masters a
source of weakness and not of strength. Per
nit me, however. here to add, that whoever may
have entertained spprehensions Of a servile war.
such do not suppose for q m6ment to have
been contemplated By the President in fore
shadoWing his policy of emancipation. The
slaves Of the South, scattered over vast extent
of country, have no arms, and no means of
procuring them They have little intelligence.
no means of distant inter-cOmmunicalion, and
can have no general concert of action They
may refuse to labor for their masters, aud their
masters cannot maintain them.
The msp left with your eXeeliency showing
the per centage of slaves 10 each county of the
South, will prove this beyond q question. Ia
certain largo sections of country along the Mis-
sissippi more especially, there is about twenty
eight per cent only of white population. an
the rest are slaves OF this population the able
bodied are now almost entirely away with the
army. Could attempts be made here or in other
Ella I H.
dience they may resist, or they may leave their
plantations as many have already done, and
seek the friendly shelter of the U0ion ag Bat
neither principle nor policy will induce the
United States to encourage q servile war, or
prompt the slave to cut the throat of his master
OF his masters family. The government will
not even permit, as l have already said to you
its own soldiers, or the soldiers of the enemy,
sciing as guerillas or maraUders, belonging to
no organized force and under no regular flag 70
make war OF attack even an armed enemy with
out punishment; still less would it encourage or
permit slaves to offend against humanity by a.
tacks upon the feeble aud helpless That an
isolated Gaze or cases of wrong may occur in the
course Of establishing q great change, if such
shall be established in the social organization Oi
the South, is not improbable, but in every such
case doubt not that the arm of the governm ant
would promptly interfere to protect and TO pun
isb This, however, is matter incidental only
to the subject Of my communication
Leaving the question Of population, I pass
for moment to the other great element of the
strength in war, and that's money. I have al
ready said that the resources of the South in
men would seem to be practically exhausted
and their resources in money, / think, must be
equally so. / am instructed, that with 3 float
ing debt Of $500 600 600, represented by paper
at discount of ssventy-6ve per cent, they have
neither raised, nor have they the means OF rails
ling a revenue squal TO 9i000Q,000 in any form,
for sny purpose Want and distress are already
disclosing themselves in painful forms through
out the entire region occupied by the insurgents
On the other hand, the government OF the Uni-
ted States has, IS l am instructed, revenue
available in the preeious metals of more than
100000 600, while its mines are yielding gold
more rapidly than foreign trade W,tbdraws 1t
from the country In this vital matter Of finance
therefore, there does not seem to exist between
the parties al equality Of strength. So far; In
deed, as / can see, such equality has existed no
where, except on certain battle-felds, especially
/ l'between the two armies in Virginia Here thf
| insurgents have advanced and retfeated. They
have gained battles and rst hem. / do no
mean to deprecats THAR valor; they are yet M
connirymen. Here at least they have showi
equality of strength; but everywhere else To
permanent gain has been wi b the aTraes OF th'
| Union.
I avail myself Of this occasion to renew q
your Excelleney assurances of the faost distin
/ euished consideration, with which ] bave tn
honor to be your Excelsney' very obedient SCI
want. WM L DAYTON
Stampede OF ARMED COnsrabands.
Correspondence Of the Hartford Conn Times
HILTON HEAD, February 2.-The negro e
! pedition from ST. Mary's has just returned
was composed of four companies of the negr
regiments. They went after negro recruits an
4 lumber.
They got together lot Of negroes, but the
refused to come away, and were left behind.
They did not succeed in getting any lumbe
The transports were fred st from the shore
Captain Jack Clifton. Of the steamer job
Adams, was killed by ball through the hea
He was we'll known all over New York. He vi
the brother of the celebrated actress, Josepbii
Clifton, and was very much liked for his soei
and cheerful qualites His wife and daught
are st Beaufort. His loss is regretted By sll.
o~,--.1-t.,-, 1ad hrfucsif7l- nif flf