The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-04-16

ERIcssoN's DEvIL.-The New Haven Jour
nal gives the following description of the
Devil, which was used by the weehawken at
Charleston:
1T is large raft of timber, securely bolted
together; in width about the same as one of
the Monitor batteries, and extending some 80
feet forward of the battery's bow, which fits
| into it, and is then secured to the rngbolts on
deck. AL the extreme forward part of this
raft, and under water, strong iron stanchions
point downwards TO few inches below the
bottom of the battery.
These stanchions are secured by iron braces
| which run back at an angle to the after under
side OF the raft. At the bottom OF this net
work of braces and stanchions are placed two
rods, on which rest several torpedoes, together
containing nearly thousand pounds of gun
powder. In connection with this are ham
mers, which, when acted upon, strike percus-
sion caps, exploding the several torpedoes in
stantly, and, OF course, causing rupture of
anything they may come in contact with"
IA special dispatch to the Journal from
| New York, 18th, says, 'the fleet at Charleston
bar has been ordered to Port Royal, and the
army also, and the expedition Abandoned.
Admiral On Pont assumes the responsibility.
| THE Monitors are as good as ever. The
crews are greatly dissatisfied. Some of the
| officers coincide with Admiral Du Point, while
others are confident that another days siege
would demolish Fort Sumter, the eastern wall
of which has been badly shattered, three port,
holes being knocken into one.'
ANOTHER CANAL.-It is reported, we OBJ
serve, that another canal is to be opened at
Il. Il. =.
direction of Col. Bissell, who carried through
the admirable and successful work opposite
Island Number Ten, and is to lead from point
on the Mississippi, about mile above Youngs
Point, into bayou which runs into the river
below Warrenton, so as to facilitate an attack
on the enemy's works from below, and per-
haps open the Big Black river in the rear of
vicksburg.
- The Manchester IN. H. Union Demo-
crat is probably printed in some dark cellar,
where the light of the sun seldom penetrates,
and where spring opens about the middle of
dog-days: "least wise," as Artemas Ward
would say, we so judge from the following,
clipped from its issue of the 14th inst:
The Portland Press, like other abolition pa
pers, has been calling every conservative trait
or. But its noisy mouth will be stopped for the
present bya libel suit and an attachment of
$4,000.
B-Mr. Jordan p. Wiggin, of Scarboro'
has receiving the appointment OF Acting Mas
ter's Mate in the Naval service. A brother of
his, Alexander S. wiggin, executive officer on
board one of our gunboats, was killed In an
encounter with the rebels in Berwick Bay
last February, while George Wiggin an elder
brother, was Lieut.. Commander OF the vessel
at the time.
gB-T The Louisville Democrat SAYS that Gen.
Rosecrans is placing the whole Cumberland
in strong state of defense. A correspondent
says that the general seems to have a vision
OF the future, when Tennessee will be the the
atre for the grand and final struggle of the re-
bellion, and, accordingly, he is preparing to
meet the shock.
~ In California recently piece of sound
wood was taken from the centre of one of the
immense trees OF that country, in which is em-
beded an acorn in all respects. From the
layers of WOOD, the conclusion is that the acorn
must have been in us snug retreat from $500
to 5000 years. The timber on all sides is
sound, and without any sign of fracture or
flaw.
SgThe Portsmouth Chronicle pays de-
served compliment to the Boston Commercial
Bulletin, and regards it as the best paper of its
kind in the country. Since the Bulletin un-
shackled from the "fast Train"-the "gay and
festive" Geo. Francis--its course has been gen.
orally unexceptionable.
sBThe official returns of the British Reg
istrar General of ships built in the United
States, registered in England, show that in
1850 there were 1l,7l6 tons; in 1861, 6e.757
tons; in 1862, SO, lab tons; in 1868 to March
9th, 24,745 tons; making 1924 tons Ameri-
can shipping sold in England since 1850.