The New York herald., 1863-04-11

Nh HEkALD, SATURDAY.
bill being received from the Senate, motion was
made 10 refer il 10 the Committee on Cities; but
this was defeated, and it referred to the Rail
road Committee. The bill TO regulate the Staten
Island ferries was reported complete to the House.
The Senate bill 70 encourage volunteering and re-
enlistments was ordered TO third reading. A
Grinding Committee.
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.
The Constitutional Union League'held q meeting
last evening. at the corner of Broadway and Eighth
street, Mr.. J. L. Noyes in the chair, when resolu.
tlons were adopted advocating vigorous prosecu-
ton of the war. and denying any connection what
ever with the recent peace meeting which took
place at the Cooper Institute. Committees were
appointed and steps taken to organize leagues in
the different wards of the city. Speeches were
made by Messrs Il. +. Stevens, DIR. Deey, George
Kelsey, ]. G. Ham and others.
In the Court of General Sessions yesterday, be-
fore Recorder Hoffman. the Grand Jury handed in
large number of indictments for minor offences.
The calendar was then called; but in consequence
of the non-attendance of witnesses the Court was
Tho gold market was agltated yesterday by the war
ruuaors and after selling at lag. closed a about l4s
Stocks were unsettled-some higher some lower Money
was very easy II dncalt give quotations for ex
change In tho morning sold ct lsl; later in the day
1884 was about the price. th
Tho market for cotton continued dull ana unsettled
yesterday. There was more doing In -four, at steady
rates, ana IN corn at shade lower prices while wheat
was quiet The demand for groceries mainly conhn
cd to Rio coffee. 500 bags Of which changed hands
uniform quotations. East India rice was in more re-
quest. Firecrackers brisker fair business was
reported in hay and talow whskey was dull and heavy
The movements in dry goods in private trade were OK
tremey limited throughout the week. owing partly to the
violent fluctuations in gold which had tho effect Of in
midatng buyers, who have been anticipating further
reduction in prces and have consequently been doing
very little In tho regular way. The auctoneers have
been kept quito busy selling both domestic and foreign
fabrics to large companies, whose competition however
was without much SPIRIT especially 10 tho early part of
the week. asd consequently prices seriously de-
peesedess yesterday than previously The changes
in other branches Of trade not remarkable The
imports Of foreign dry goods during the were
valuo only 1851 1924.
The Attack ON Charleston-RebeI Ac-
counts Of . Repulse to Our Fleet.
We receive by way Of Richmond a brief ac-
count of the results of the first days operations
of our iron-clads against the forts in Charles
ton harbor. At first view they would appear
to be rather unfavorable to us. According to
the rebel statement the attack commenced on
the morning of the 7th, when four of the Moni-
tors opened fire; in the afternoon sight of our
Monitors, with the Ironsides, opened fire on Fort
Sumter. AT halfpast two the firing became in
ccssant on both sides, the three principal forts
concentrating their guns upon our feet, and
about five o'clock it gradually diminished, and
soon after ceased. 1t is stated that two of our
vessels--the Keokuk and the Ironsides-
disabled in the fight, and that the former lies
sunk on the beach Off Morris Island The Iron
sides was got off and taken out of range There
was no renewal of the attack on the following
day, at least up to the period Of the transmits
sion Of the despatch. 1t is added, however,
that seven Of our turreted iron-clads and the
Ironsides we're still within the bar, while a
blockading force of twenty-five more of our
vessels lay outside.
| This statement of the affair, taken without
the accompanying facts, would lead to the infer
ence that our feet had met with serious check.
We are satisfied, however, that it will be found
that the result OF, the demonstration of the 7th
does not deserve this character, and that it was
intended merely as feeler Of the enemy 'sbat-
teries. There are two circumstances that
would 60 to establish this assumption. Il is
mentioned that the distance at which our ves-
sells opened fire was three thousand yards, and
that it was continued emily for three hours.
Now, as there was nothing to prevent our IRON
clads approaching within three thousand
yards Of Fort SUMTER and as three hours
firing could not possibly exhaust their supplies
of ammunition, it is clear that the object of the
attack could only have been to draw the fire OF
the enemy and to try the preaching power of our
own guns. The injuries received by the Iron
sides and the Keokuk are NO doubt exag.
gerated; but in any case they would not have
furnished a sufficient reason for the suspension
of the assault after 80 brief a duration At no
time has any great dependence been placed by
naval men on either OF these vessels.
But, taking the news in its worst possible as
pect it ought not to surprise or discourage any
one. The ostensibly formidable preparations
which the government has been making for the
| reduction of Charleston have had the effect OF
stimulating the rebels to strain every effort ior
their defeat, and for the last year and hall
the best engineers and artillery officers in theil
service have been expending all the resources
which they could Command for the defence Of
both the city and harbor. The result is thai
whilst on our side we have only brought the thir
ty-two guns of our iron-cads to the assault, they
have between three and four hundred pieces in
position on the different forts and floating bate.
ries, including number Of the famous whitworth
and Armstrong cannon, imported from Eng.