Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-02-13
TELEc:RAPHIC.
No Rebels North Of the Rappa-
p ssa.a hammock. llo ass
Arrival Of the prize Springbok.
Unsuccessful attempt by the Sonora
to Capture the Alabama.
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.

.,.-. ...e, WASHINGTON, Feb. II.
There is no foundation for the sensation re
port that Secretary Seward has rejected thu
French proposal for the meeting of commits
sioners from the North and South, to arrange
terms of peace. A French proposition, if such
a thing there be, has not yet reached GU,
government. a-g # 1s.
New YORK, Feb. -.
The morning report contain hardly an item
of news.
New York, Feb. IL.
The TINES dispatch says reconnois-
sance made by Col. Wyndham as far as Man
assas and Smoker Gaps and to the Kappa
hammock shows that there are no armed reb-
els this side of the stream with the exception
a few of Whites guerillas who hover about
Leesburg. l9 i'1 Ea.le4 SO -s.5.1
The newspaper publishers here, including
the proprietors of some of the leading New
York, Philadelphia, Boston and western pa
pers, had an interview with the Committee
on Ways and Means, to-day, with regard to
the repeal of the paper duty. No definite
results were reached, but prospects are more
favorable.
"" New York, Feb. II.
The British bark Springbok, from London,
for Nassau, arrived this evening in charge of
a prize crew from the United States gunboat,
Sonora. She was captured off the Bahamas
in consequence of having some articles on the
manifest which the Captain could not account
for. Officers from the Sonora report that when
ofthe Bahamas on the Isl, they saw steamer
to windward, apparently waiting for her to
come up, she proved to be the pirate Alabama.
As soon as she made out what the Sonora
was she turned tail, the Sonora chased her
36 hours, but the superior speed of the pirate
enabled her to escape.
additional House Proceedings.1
The debate on the naval appropriation bill
was resumed, the question being on Mr. Cal
vert's amendment that no part Of the appro-
.priation should be expended for the pay or
maintenance of the IL acting midshipmen ap-
pointed during the recess of Congress by the
Secretary of the Navy, in violation Of law ,and
they should be discharged from the Naval
Academy in consequence Of their illegal ap-
pointment.
Mr.. Calvert, Wadsworth and Washburn
strongly denounced the action of the Secre-
tary of the Navy as a gross outrage on the
rights of members, who were authorized to
make the nominations. H l.f --
Mr.. Sedgwick and W. A. Conklin defended
the Secretary of the Navy, and the latter call
ed attention to the statement of the Secretary
that appointments were made with the full
authority of law, and that the condition of
the country would not permit compliance
previous wages. s.5 M
Various other gentlemen participatedin the
debate, when the amendment was agreed to
40 against 46. =
Mr.. Stevens offered an amendment that
hereafter, while this rebellion lasts, each
Congressional District in the loyal States
shall have an additional midshipman, to be
appointed as heretofore, on nomination of a
member of the House, the delegates in the
present House each to be entitled to one ad-
ditional midshipman. ......
Amendment agreed to-. Without conclud-
ing, the House adjourned.