New-York tribune., 1870-12-05

Treasury Department has just returned HoH hhoA'hO'
Tenn where he has been business connected with the
building OF the Court-House and PostOfce at that
place. After careful personal examination OK the
various building materials be found in that vicinity,
he has selected beautiful gray marble, obtained on the
French Broad River, about four miles above Knoxv1e
Mr.. Mullett considers It one OF the finest ana most
durable building materials in the country, and the
quarryng OF the marble for the Post0hce WILL II Is be-
lieyed develop important industry in East Ten
nessee The material has not hhertolbeen used except
on /. small scale and for local purposes.
ADMIRAL PORTER'S LETTER TO EX-SECRE-
TARY WELLES.
THE ADMIRAL ADMITS ITS AUTHENTIClTY-EX-
PLANTATION OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER
WHICH IT WAS WRlTTEN-PORfERS CON
FIRMATION AS ADMIRAL CONSIDERED DOUBT
FUL.
10y TELEGRAPH TO THB TRIBUNRl
| WASHINGTON, Dec. At is not true, as has
been repOrted that Admiral Porter has denied the au
horsp OF the letter purpOrtng to have been wrttenby
him to Secretary Wees in January 1865. On reading
the letter in the newspapers he says his first impulse
was to denounce it forgery as neither he nor his
private secretary remembered anything about 1t. On
further reflection however, he concluded that it must be
genuine or Mr. Wees would not have printed il, and he
| accounts for il az follows:
The responsibilities, hardships, and exposures OF the
expedition in the Cape Fear River were at times almost
nendable and, he says in the letter. he was wheh
yexed sometimes little too impoltic. He diseaims,
however, having entertained the opinions OF ueh
| Grant expressed in the letter.
After reading the letter, Admiral Porter called on the
President and expressed TO him his regret that such
letter should have appeared, and denied all recollection
OF the natter says that the President received hm
very kindly and, indeed, treated him with much more
courtesy than he had right to expect under the crcum
stances Admiral Porter attributes the publication OF
d
He SAYS that when Andrew johnson became traitor to
the Republican party and Mr.. Weles followed in his
footsteps the latter dspeased because the Adnha
would not Join in the movement He also claims 70 nave
thwared some OF the plans by which Mr. Weles was at
tempting to control the Navy in the interest OF the john
son administration and thinks that the exSecretary mas
made this letter public much TO create division
amone the Republicans as TO niure him personally.
This matter has greatly increased interest from the
fact that Gen Grant had temporarily promoted Porter
TO the Admiralty made vacant by the death OF tarragu
and was intending TO send his nameito the Senate Tor
confirmation early in the session. There has been very
strong feeling the Senate in favor OF the aboUOn OF
this Office after the death Of Farragut and had POrters
name been in there would have been considerable
opposition TO it on this ground Grave dOuDts are e4-
pressed here tonight 10 the President now nomlnat
ing Porter at all A member Of the Senate Naval Com
mtee in conversation on the subject remarked that,
Judging frol GEN Grants past history he will now prob
abIy reconsider the appointment OF Admiral Porter and
take no action the matter until after he has consulted
he does MT believe that the will take any action
affecting the matter preferring to throw the respons
bity the President. who has, during the past Two
! years. shown great partality for Porter
! The following is the letter referred to:
tCoDNl
| MALyERN, CAPE FEAR.RIyER, Jan. n, 1865.
MY DEAR SIR: received your kind letter Of the 18th
p0scd i'm my good opinion that this place could be taken
! To the Navy Department alone is the country
| hold: for had it not been for your perseverance
! in keeping the feet here, and your constant propo-
tions made To the army nothing would have been done
As after the proposition had Detn fectleu anu
Gen. Grant promised that troops should .e sent u vas
not done until Gen Butler consented 10 let the matter 20
on and when he hoped to reap some niue credt Io Ie
eXpOson OF the powder boat. Now, the country gives
GEN Grant the credit OF naugurating the expedition,
when ON both occasions, be permlttedtto 20 improperly
uroied In the first place il had neither head nOrta as
far a the army concerned In the second place he
& tbat The rebels wouid have more strongly defended
the works after seeing what narrow escape they mad
/ Nothing but the most desperate hghung ana "A
! determination ~ win on the part Of the army
! %,ye ms the victory The gallant band Of sailors
Who fearlessly went into the works amidst shower
! of canister ana bullets. drew the enemys attention
away from the assault the land side, and enabled the
troops 10 obtain footing. don't say TINS 10 de-
tract the anry OF the soldiers for never dld men
fight harder handsomely than did our troops tat
day Now that the most important fort ON the coast h.
been gained as usual VIII near put niue Oh Wnat te
navy did and doubt efforts will be made again TO show
that the work " not substantially injured as = de-
fensiye work 10 Gen. GraHL Nso IS d'1ays mg WHmHg
! 10 tukc me credit WheH anything IS done ana equally
ready to lay the blame OF the lall4re on tDe
navy, when a failure taxes place ieel uluer
/ no obligations for receiving aud allowing "a
report 10 be spread from , his hradglarters
that there were three days when the navy mght nave
operated and did not He knows az much about u as ne
did when he wrote 10 ne say ing HS w., Wy m "o t
the batteries showing evidently that he had not studied
she photography of Cape Fear River and did not kno"
the virtue there was ID our WOODEN Walls WITH tiley
went in for fair standup fight Any fort IN rebrldon
can be taken il We can only get IN reach oI II.
have served with the LeuteuantGeneral before,
where | never worked 50 hard Ih my nfc TO make
man succeed did for HIM. You will scarcely
notice in his reports that the navy did him any ser
vice. When without the help u mas gwen nm an the
way through, he Herer roud hdre been Ltentendht-
GeHcraL He raHis mGgHdHiHity, like most officers of
the army and Is dcdrcouS as regards ainr mat he
will never, II he can help IT, do justice TO our Depart
ment when the rebels write the history OF this war,
then, and only then viii the country be made To feel
Tdo not fce at alt Kindly toard general Grant for the
Indifference he displayed in this matter until he found
his own reputation az stake; then be was glad
10 throw the elephant overheard that had weighed
him down 80 heavily, He could not help but know
that Gen. Butler going in command OF this
Win him. ne knew that ne had placed himself and
all OF his numerous staff board the flagship Ben de
Ford and body spoke OF him as commander OF the
In a conversation cih GEN grant expressly told him
that Canbd nothing 10 do rih GEN. Butler, and he
promised me JaihJaiy nat he should mol hare any coz
HeciiOn pih me expedition. Two months waited,
the fleet ready 10 sail at an hours notice ana
l acqniesced IN the GeneTals decision Ihat ne
defenses in his front. said, Then the expedition VIII
20 until Butler has finger in the pie; and sure
enough when Butler said we went The fear OF weak
ening the defenses disappeared on Buffers present.
ing his plan for blowing the forts down, and
an army was shipped quick 0lnpreparedl
the transports, that they almost sailed
in the middle Of a heavy gale Gen. Grant knew that
did not hg for The pow'erhOai, though was very
willing 20 try il as experiment hut not disposed to
trust il altogether. IGhiHk IL most uHhGHds0me m hin, TO
listen for moment TO the idle alk of Buffers saf and
his tmid, calculating engineer who wanted some excuse
for not doing their duty. The LentenantGeneT and
together months before Vicksburg-
never had wait me- nor did any OF his Generals
(but have had 10 wait for them, and he should have
supposed from the past, and my anxiety To 20 10
work. that ! had not become any slower In my
movements than was On the Mississippi Hs
eOurse prOres 10 hat he tc0Hid Sderifee
his besf friend rather than ht any odiuD,
raH on Lieuf.-6et. Grant He rW take 20 his.
seiC al The credit Of iris that "a IS
suecessfHi, leheR he des,rres al me 6iGB,e for
he Grsi failure 10 take Me place All this Is