Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-02-05
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Special Correspondence OF the Kemphis Appeal
RICHMOND, Janury %, 1863
a gigantic rumor strides ever the city. Il
Increases in magnitude as it goes along, as the
Latin poet said. some two thousand years ago,
Fama, Common Report For in those days,
also, they had their sensaton-makers Yea, tho
6 reliable gentleman lived before Augustus or
Asamemnon. No doubt, during the campaigns
Of Cesag, there were gatherings st the corners
Of the streets Of Rome in which tho last news
from Gaul was discussed, and the loungers in
the ga Sacra crowded around the latest eomey
from the lines Of the army, to hear what he had
to say Of Caesars movements, The rumor to-
day has nothing to do with warlike operations
but relates to peace. Il runs to the effect that
commissioners kave arrived in Richmond, hay
ing come by the underground railroad, bearing
letters TO cur government from Bright, Of Indi
ana. and Richardson, of Illinois, which are sup
posed to relate to plan Of adjustmant on the
basis Of the admission Of the Northwestern
States into the southern Confederacy, and that
these commissioners have been in conference
with the President throughout the day. What
this magnificent report has for its origin, your
| correspondent pretends not to know. lie has
made diuigent inquiry into the matter aud can
learn nothing beyond the foregoing, neither the
names Of the commissioners, nor the hotel az
which they lodged. and be is therefore disposed
to set the whole thug down as e eanard, and a
very lame duck IS that. Bat as a ehronicler Of
| The dsilv talk of the capital, he feels bound to
mention il.
DR.. Holland, Of Texas, who bore 5 useful and
distinguished part in the recent capture Of the
Harriet Lane, at Galveston, arrived in town the
day before yesterday, bringing with him the sig
nal book which was taken by the gallant Leon
Smith in that splendid engagement This book
Is worth, perhaps, more 10 The Confederacy thsn
all the prizes that were secured, even more pos
sibly than the prestige Of the victory. 1t was
found upon the dead body Of Commander VAIN
wright, and was worn by him in the breast
pocket Of his coat, where it was pierced by the
bullet Of a navy revolver, discharged by Capt.
! Smith. whose second Ere killed his antagonist.
Dr. Holland was one of the boarding party that
cleared the decks of the Harriet Lane. Some
of the scenes and incidents he describes tran
sesnd in strange interest the narratives of Alex
ander Dumas. Some years ago when the famous
steamer Msrrintac, aferward changed into a
ram By the Confederate government, and for
ever memorable from Der engagement with the
Congress, Cumberland and Monitor, in Hamp-
ton Roads. made her trial THO across the At
lantic, she entered, as we all remember, South
ampton waters, and her officers were received
with great hozpitality by the authorities ofSOuth-
ampton. Commander Wainwright was then the
Merrimac's lst lieut. and on going up to London
was entertained by Dr. Holland, who was then
living in the great metropolis. The Doctor
never saw him again alive, and recognised with
a feeling Of establishment in the dead body of
the commander Of the Harriet Lane, lying upon
her decks, his guest Of some years ago in Leadoni
The ssddest Of al the terrible tragedies Of this
~infernal war was enacted upon the same Grim
soned and slippery stage when Msjor Lea, Of
the Confederate sTny, encountered in the dying
Lieutenant of the Federal steamer his own son!
Can history or fiction afford any parallel TO
this It is a curious fact, too, which has not
been stated, that Captain Leon Smith, to whose
skill and galantry General Magruder attributes
the entire success Of the attack on the ensmy's
fsetin Galveston Bay, is the brother Of Caleb
B. Smith, until very recently the Secretary Of
the Interior in Lincoln's cabinet. A gentle
man, who only succeeded in making his escape
from New orleans two weeks $50, told Dr.. Hol-
land that he was in tie same room with Ferra-
gut when the unwelcome intelligence Of TIE loss
of the Harriet Lane was announced to him, and
that this functionary tore his hair with rage,
declaring that Is was the eevsrest blow the Fed
eral navy could have possibly received. Farra-
gut Immediately dispatched feur frst-class
steamers to retske the vesseIif possible, otherwise
to keep her shut up IN Galveston harbour,
but they arrived inst q Esle too late. Captain
Leon Smith, with a volunteer crew, had taken
tbs Harriet Lane safely out to sea, and Dr.. Hol-
land thinks it almost certain that it was this
ship and not the alabama or the Florida that
sunk the Hattsras and gave the Brooklyn her
heels. BY c singular coincidence, simultaRe-
ously with the departure Of Fsrragut's feet Mr.
Mallory had dispatched q commsudant and
other officers for the prizs, but they also were
a tnRs behind time. Leon Smith ought at once
to be msde a captain in the Confederate navy,
and 1t will be an outrage if a commission is not
sent to him At once.
Congress has been dull these two days. Mr..
| Lyons, Of Virgins, has entered into COMPETE
ton with the currency doctors and has intro
duced his own little metk0dus msdendi in the
shape Of q bill for funding the outstanding
treasury notes The senate having fixed the
salaries of the justices of the supreme court at
/ s.. 500. has now under discussion the ap-
perste jurisdiction Of the tribunal. Mr.. Phe-
Ian, Of Mississippi, addressed the aepate on this
point to-day ia aa elaborate speech
There has been another raid upon the gam
bler's establishments by the provost msrshals
police, but as usual the great temple of
play has been left undisturbed. The hequentevs
Of THE elegant place of resort cot their part
ridges and bet their money in serene confidence
that the apartments will not be p~rofaned by the
presence Of a detective.
Burnside did attempt a movement upon
FrederieksbuTg and got begged in the mud
An investigation of the bridge ease
established the gratifying fact that only three
Yankee prisoners were drowned. Col
Alexander CP. W, A. Of the Savannah Re
p~uJtican) who has been confined to his room for
some time By illness, is convalescent.
Yesterday We had a heavy snow-storm-tod day
the weather is bright and clear. DIXIE.
LETTERS FROM vECKsBu gG.
era.,l co-asnoaserea Of the Memphis Appeal