The New York herald., 1865-03-28

NEW YORK HERALD, II
Beaarsgard and Hardce against the enveloping
wings OF Sherman anywhere in South Carolina.
General Lee, on ihe other hand, in bis rash
experiments of Saturday last, has doubtless
made the important discovery that General
Grant has moi essentially weakened General
Meade in strengthening the army of Sherman.
II appears that General Lee Lid permitted him
self to be n.lsel by information that the Union
lines in his front were, in consequence of rein
fo-cemenis to Sherman, left invitngly open to
a dashing surprise. lie must, therefore, be
now convinced that his situation is extremely
perilous. He has found that while Johnston
cannot hold any position in North Carolina O
single day vita the approach Of the overwhelm-
ing legions Of Sherman, the army holding the
dcfences of Richmond is as much in need of
reinforce me men.s as Johnston
IN this extremity what is General Lee to do?
Richmond is now IN reality all that is e. leis Of
his confederacy. To await the arrival Of
Johnston and his thirty or forty thousand men,
is only to await the addition Of Sherman's
army to the lines of General Grant To
evacuate Richmond now is to give up the ship,
and place both Lee and Johnston between the
upper and the neither millstones. In this dilem-
mo General Lee will probably resign himselfto
his fate, by awaiting in Richmond the hour and
the necessity for capituiation, involving his
army, the city and his Southern confederacy.
An evacuation in search Of supplies may be
precipitated upon Lee at any moment by some
new movement Of Sheridan's cavalry-other-
wise, with the resistless approach of Sherman,
capitulation is inevitable. General Grant is
fisher ofarmies. With one end Of his mighty
seine fixed at Richmond, he sweeps around with
the other end from the Mississippi river to the
Atlantic coast, and up the coast to the Rich
mond landing. There, where the two ends Of
the seine meet, we shall have grand haul of
all sorts Of fish-shad and herring, surgeons
and suckers, catfish and cells, crabs, drumfsh,
swordfish, gudgeons and porpoises, and the
draft may possibly include that regular old
hammer-headed shark JEFF. Davis The seine
is coming ashore, and we can see from the
futtering on the surface inside that the haul
will exhaust "the confederacy."
Jacob Thompson and tho Rebel
Raids.
We give, in another column, paper with
which we have been furnished by Major Gene
raj Dix. 1t dscloses, in connection with the
circumstances under which it came into his
hands, the fact, never for moment doubted by
us, that the attempt to burn this city was made
with the knowledge and appreciation of MIR.
Thompson and other leading rebels in Canada,
Davis, and sent there to embroil the United
States with Canada, by setting on foot preda-
tory and mlrderons expeditions from the terri
tory of the latter against cities and villages.
Immediately after tho attempt to fro this city
twas ascertained, through an intercepted letter
to B. A. Mcdonald, a resident here, that he had
been in communication with some of the par
and that the baggage Of one of them had been
left at his room. 1t was found that Mr. Nc
Donald was a brother of Mr. VIM. L. McDon- |
aid, rebel agent, and Mr.. Thompson's right |
hand man in Toronto. Hearing of his bro
theirs arrest, and knowing that he was innocent |
of the alleged connection with the incendiarics,
whose plans had been carefully concealed, he
sent for the principal actors in that diabolical
enterprise, who had returned to Canada, and
appealed to them to give him statement
which would exonerate his brother from the
charge Of completely with them. The paper, Of
which we give copy, was prepared by them,
and signed by Lieutenant Colonel Martin, alias
MAXWELL; Captain Robert G. Kennedy, alias
Stanton, and Lieutenant Headley, alias Will
liams. When the paper was shown to Thomp-
son he insisted that it should not be SENT as 1t
would furnish conclusive evidence Of the guilt
of tho signers, and would consign them to the
gallows If they should fall into our hands.
Mr.. Thompson, George N. Sanders, and other
leading rebels in Montreal, professed to be
very indignant when they were informed that
they were suspected by General Dix Of having
city. And yet Mr.. Thompson refused to allow
q paper to be used for the exculpation Of an
innocent man, the brother Of his chief agent in
Canada, because it might in q contingency
bring the real perpetrators to punish
ment No higher evidence of his completely
with them Is needed. Kennedy was, not long
afterwards, arrested; and when Mr.. Thompson
was again solicited to allow the paper to be used,
after the execution Of Kennedy, in order to
save Mcdonald, he refused to part with il; but,
he added, in letter to Mcdonald, II am will
ling at any time to write letter to General
Dix, in which will state that Williams and
Maxwell, who seem 10 have been the persons
with whom you are charged to have been con-
nected1 came to me of their own accord, and
stated that you knew nothing whatever Of
their purposes in New York or what business
they were engaged in" He added, in sub
sequent part Of the letter, "If q letter Of such