The New York herald., 1864-07-12

ana VI more than occurred during the corresponding
| week last year.
Progress or the Raid.
! By the destruction of the telegraphic COM
munication between Baltimore and the North
the curtain has been suddenly drawn, hiding
from the view of the Northern people the pro-
gress Of the intensely interesting events now
doubtless transpiring in Maryland. We have
had but little satisfactory knowledge of the
raid at ALL and the position Of affairs when
communication was destroyed leaves us in o
state of the most disagreeable uncertainty IS
to what the intentions of the raiders were.
They had accumulated vast amount of plum
der and stores at Martinsburg, had laid Hagers
| town and Middletown under contribution,
beaten General Wallace on the Monocacy, and
were supposed to be advancing on Baltimore.
General Hunter is stated to have reoaptured
the plunder at Martnsburg, and, with Sigel at
Harper's Ferry and Couch at Hagerstown,
| ought to be able to cut of the enemy's retreat
If they attempt to retreat as they came. We
hear Of their depredations now, not in the
western part of the State, but on the railroads
to Harrisburg and Philadelphia from Balti-
more, and we hear that they are concentrating
! in the northeastern part of the State. This can
| not be for an advance against Philadelphia-
for they must know that that is hopeless now
nor can it be for an attempt to SO around the
national capital, and escape in that way, since
it is not credible that the enemy could have
accumulated the means to put such . column
across the Lower Potomac.
Meanwhile, by their operations on the
Northern Central and the Philadelphia and
Wilmington Railroads, the enemy have COM
pletely isolated Washington from the North, as
far as railroad connection goes and could
strike it effectually now if it had not defenders
elsewhere than at the North. All the actions
of the enemy have been well planned and we'll
carried out to compel General Grant to divert
part OF his army from his operations on the
James, and thus give little respite to the
| hard pressed capital Of the rebellion. Lees
| plan will have proved perfect if he can compel
Grant to send away to Washington SO many
men that Lee, assaulting his lines, can drive him
| from his position in front Of Petersburg.
THE FLORIDA AND THE Navy DEPARTMENT
| The rebel privateer Florida is again on our
coast, and again the Navy Department is in
stew. Mr.. welles was notified nearly
month ago that the Alabama and Flo
rids would attempt to 60 into Charleston,
and but for the interference Of the
Kearsarge the former would no doubt have
been in there by this time, despite the soealled
blockade Of that port by the iron.clads. The
last time the rebels raided into Pennsylvania
the Florida made her appearance in the same
place she is now said to be in, and she was not
disturbed in her movements until she had de-
stroyed several Of our merchantmen. and broken
up eur fishing feet for the season.
At that time and on former occasions, and
even since, we have urged upon Mr.. Welles and
his sly associate the necessity Of keeping at all
| times q reserve squadron of fast and well
armed vessels-if he has any Of the first
named-at our principal seaports, which
could be despatched instantly upon receiving
| intelligence Of the approach Of the rebel craft.
| He has disregarded our recommendations and
utterly ignored the same desire on the part Of
some Of the best officers OF the naval service,
and to-day he has no vessels at his command Of
the proper class to send out and rid the sea
| Of this mischievous privateer.
| There are several vessels here which can 60
to sea; but they have neither the speed nor bat
teries ct to cope with those OF the Florida One
respectable vessel has been sent from Portland.
| There are none in Boston, Philadelphia or New
York fit 10 60, and st lie more than probable
that those, in Rear Admiral Lees inac-
tive fotilla which are it for such SER
vice have been ordered up to Washin gton
to protect the scared imbeciles Of the capital
1t is . crying shame that our commerce should
be left thus unprotected, and that Rip Var
winkle welles should have nothing but lot
Of washtubs which he is afraid to send out
lest they be sunk or captured.
The yEw TARFF.-Ws publish this morn
ing an alphabetical table Of the fates OF duty
imposed by the new tariff, together with the
general provisions Of the law. The table, j
will be seen, is similarly arranged to tha
Of the internal taxes, published in the
HERALD Of Sunday. Congress acted on th'
principle that heavy importations at the pre-
! sent time tended to impoverisb the country
and hence imposed very heavy rates Of duty oI
, almost every imported article. Our. reader
> will find the table perfectly correct and reli
able. Much time and labor have been be
slowed to render il so, and we doubt not the,
: will appreciate our endeavors to supply then
d with Trustworthy information on these two i'm