Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1862-10-10 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

FOREIGN NEWS.  AMERICA.  The Australasian, steamer, has arrived. She left New York on the 24th ult., but brings telegraphic news by way of Cape Race as late as the 26th. At that date the Federals had not crossed the Potomac. They had made several efforts to do so but were always beaten back by the Confederates. The stores captured at Harper's Ferry seem to have been very great; the Southern papers say that Jackson secured there 46 pieces of cannon, and other stores would be in proportion. The statement that the Confederates had evacuated this important point is not repeated ; and from the fact that General Stuart, with his dashing brigade of cavalry had made a road into Maryland and returned in safety, we infer that the Confederates must hold some ford or bridge across the river in their possession. In other parts the Confederates are active. They threaten Louisville, in Kentucky, on the Ohio, and though it is given out that the city is safe from attack, it is plain from other accounts that they are drawing perilously near it. On the East coast, too, they show a disposition to seize Norfolk and Suffolk, which if they could get into their possession the whole of Virginian soil would be purged from the occupation of intruders.  A letter from New York says :—Upon one point it is material that the European public should not be deceived, though it were idle to hope that this truth could be brought to the knowledge of the American nation itself. The North has no such armies now in the field as are pretended in the Northern journals. It is doubtful whether 200,000' soldiers of the old army, which existed before the President's last call for 600,000 men, are now under arms. What proportion of the 600 000 men are actually under arms it is hard to say ; but I doubt if their numbers are more than 200,000 now. Within the last few days it has been openly stated by high authorities at Washington, that it was absurd to expect General M•Clellan to do more than fight a level battle, or to crush the enemy, *hen all the recent levies that have reached Washington have not done more than supply the losses in the various battles from Cedar Mountain down to Antietam Creek. It is absurd and ridiculous to talk of another onslaught upon Richmond, unless very large reinforcements of troops are gained by M'Clel I an. The Tunes says, the commercial advices from New York this week show a strong impression among the leading merchants that a period of political anarchy is at hand, and that the termination of the war will ultimately take place from a crisis of confusion in the Northern States. They anticipated revolutionary struggles both in the North and West. The same criticises Mr Lincoln's abolition proclamation, and says that it does not pretend to attack slavery as slavery it launches the threat of a servile rebellion as a means of war against certain states. Where he has no power, Mr Lincoln will set the negroes free ; where he retains' power, he will consider them as slaves. He proposes to excite the negroes of the Southern plantations to murder the families of their masters while they are engaged in war. He will run up the rivers in his gunboats, he will seek out the places where the women and children have been trusted to the fidelity of coloured domestics. The Times, does not think that even now, when Mr Lincoln has played his last card, it will prove to be a trump. Pennsylvania desires to sell her manufactures in the South; New York wishes to be again banker, broker, and merchant to the South. This is what the Union means to them. It would not answer the purpose of any of the cities of the North to have the South made a howling wilderness. They want the haildlMg of the millioni produced by the labour of the black matt,