Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-01-28

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r~Noahago hDom senssss ~ 49, essees-
fore proved Trustworthy ; rsport tnas hlf9y
Saith, the rebel ssessA!s ceecsse.ns 'as
Trans Mississippi department, - gong 20
Mexico with his army. proposing 20 JOIN
r.nt .nd er.d;1od snoae IL St Louio rebels
40 Aavo Underground nnss Il communica-
IN vim. Ana know what il eoine on n.
south. western rebeldom, just O. the Balti.
nors secesh have private intelligence from
Richmond.
Exactly the amount Of truth that may be
covered BY this report, it ID difficult 70 cal.
culste. But It may be obssr red that indi.
cations have long been apparent Of sons
peculiarities in Kirby Smiths department.
Il h Whispered lstterly, and the whisper
comes from the direction Of Mexico. and the
French people Of Louisiana, that On inde-
pendent movement to ask assistance from
France, and take refuge under The protec.
torate Of Napoleon, has been insugureted in
the for southwest. The story is. that the
proposition amounts TO giving to the French
Texas Tor . cotton COLONY, q tho price Of
recognition OF the southern c~onfederacy, or
Of the right Of state secession. NAPOLEON
recoGnises The right Of = state to secede from
the United States, he will have no difRculty
% recognizing the right of the same state TO
!eavs the confedsssey end put itself under
hiS protection.
It i shown by some Of the correspon.
dencc Of J. p. Benjamin (rebel secretary Of
state), captured off Charleston lin . dispstch
bag instructed TO Reid N. Sanders. son Of
Geo. n. Sanders), that agents Of the French
~governmcnt did broach hst subiecf nearly
two years ago. The emperor OF France Is
TOO astute 70 have authorized such . pro-
cceding directly; but there is no doubt he
was then putting forth = fecler. He may
have been al this while bidding his time
and ne may have found Kirby Smith iuclin.
ed more favorably to listen to his schemes.
aid to SC ;ond them, than the governor OF
Texas or the rebel authorities at Richmond.
In emperor is not %scrupu,ous; and 4 field
marshars baton, a dukedom, might prove
the reward Of Kirby Smith, for doing the
work Of turning his department over to
France.
That there has been something strange in
Kirby Smiths conduct, well. informed per-
sons have long been aware. That he was
engaged in cotton speculations, and allowed
cotton to be passed through his lines. in
large quantities, we think some of our cot
ton-traders could prove, If they should find
1t in their line Of business to tell all thew
know.
An opinion, believed 70 be reasonable. is
entertained, that the disastrous Red river
campaign Of Gen. Banks, and Admiral Por.
tcr's experience in that river, with his grrs
boats, grew out Of a cotton speculation. Re.
garding which they had a perfect under.
standing, with Kirby Smith. Every thinr.
IN the advance Of Gen. Banks indicated that
nc was alter cotton, and not in search Of the
onemy. There was . rivalry between the
military and naval expeditions, as to which
should have the cotton, and men were out
with marking pots ahead of the skirmish
lino-if, indeed, any skirmishers were put
out. Gen. Banks had an immense train to
haul cotton with, ahead Of the main bodies
Of his troops.
The attack upon our lines, winch proved
80 disastrous, was made by Dick Taylor,
without orders from his superior officer, and
against orders.
Kirby Smiths story was that he propos-
I'd to draw Banks further on, and destroy
him altogether, but there were many who
did not believe him. That he is a person
susceptible to outside influence is tolerably
clear, and ~ his character must have be.
come known to the emperor Of France, it is
by no means impossible that he may be
employed AS an instrument for the further
ance Of the ambitious designs Of that mon-
arch upon this contineM And whether he
y actually moving his troops 10 Mexico, or
Is concentrating them in Texas, to take the
part assigned him in the imperial pro-
gramme, or there is no truth at al in the
story, are questions wide open for conjec-
ture and discussion.
1t Is certain that he has not, since the de-
ieat OF the Shreveport expedition, under
Banks and Steele, used his force with any
effect.