The Sun. — 1865-06-24 (London, England)

TILE UNITED STATES.  (From the Times' Correspondent.)  PHILADELPHIA, June 9  The great question of the manner of Mr. Davis's capture has not yet been settled,.and probably never will be. It is the object of the Government to depreciate Mr. Davis as much as possible, and therefore they give currency to the petticoat story, and all their newspapers repeat with variations the reports of his being manacled. Mr. Davis is still confined at Fortress Monroe, but the manacle story has been so often contradicted that scarcely any one believes it. Colonel Pritchard, Mr. Davis's captor, has been in Philadelphia for some time. The question of how the capture was made was put to him very pointedly while here, and he pronounced the petticoat story a falsehood. The latest version of the events preceding the capture comes to us from New Orleans. It is vouched for by several citizens of that place, who were in Georgia at the time of Mr. Davis's capture. Mr. Davis was escorted from North Carolina to Georgia by two brigades of cavalry. When he arrived at the Georgia line he heard of the surrender of Gen. Taylor, and at once disbanded his escort, giving them a small sum of gold that he had saved from an allowance made him by Congress, and directing them to go home. He then mounted his horse, and accompanied by a few personal friends proceeded to Ervingsville, Georgia. No disguise or evasion was used. lie was everywhere known and recognised as the President of the Confederate States. At Ervingsville Mr. Davis first saw the proclamation of President Johnson, charging him with complicity in the assassination of Mr. Lincoln. Ile at once sent to the nearest Federal post and informed the commander of his purpose to surrender and meet the charge against him. A detachment of General Wilson's Federal cavalry came to Ervingsville, and Mr. Davis and his party surrendered. No further developments have been made of Mr. Davis's trial, but it is said it will be postponed until September. The report that Charles O'Conor, of New York, will defend him is correct.  meeting of the citizens of seven counties of Virginia, between Richmond and Lynchburg, has been held, at which the rate of wages to be hereafter given the negroes was fixed. The farm hands are to have $5 a month, and $1 a day during harvest time. The employer boards the negro, but the negro will have to clothe himself, and pay for his medical attendance. • This arrangement will rule in Virginia, and probably throughout the South. The system was adopted in North Carolina before it was in Virginia, and is said to be working successfully. The amnesty proclamation is still a subject of discussion. It is reported that many of the wealthy Southerners who signed Mr. Lincoln's proclamation of amnesty are congratulating themselves that they escaped the proviso in President Johnson's which exempts from pardon all persons who arc worth more than $20,000. This proviso is considered superlatively foolish. Considerable difficulty is anticipated in carrying out the provision that exempts from pardon all persons who left this country for the purpose of aiding the South in foreign lands. The more prominent of •these are of course well known, but the difficulty is to ascertain the thousands who went abroad and kept their movements in the dark. The exemption will give rise to unending false swearing and fraud.  The assassination trial has continued all this week, but, as nearly every witness called has been Merely asked questions concerning Dr. Mudd's or Mrs. Surratt's character, or Payne's insanity, or Atzeroth's cowardice, the trial has been almost devoid of interest. One of the witnesses on June 8 testified that the Union Leagues had a secret branch, the members knowing eoch other by a system of Freemason signs. This public development of a secret political body extending all over the country has startled the people. The days of " Know Nothing" clubs are revived.  The Federal armies are being rapidly disbanded. Eighty thousand soldiers have already left the camps at Washington for home. The Texas expedition has all left Fortress Monroe, the last transports sailing on June 8. Texas and Western Louisiana are to be held by military occupation. The garrisons in other parts of the South, except in the large cities, will be gradually removed. It is reported that Trenholm, the Confederate Secretary of the Treasury, is at Abbeville, South Carolina ; that Robert Toombs has committed suicide in Georgia; and that John C. Breckinridge has escaped from the Florida coast. All Confederate prisoners of less rank than major are to be released at once. Six thousand imprisoned Confederate officers have asked for pardon under the provisions of the amnesty proclamation. Ten guerillas were hung last week by the people of Cass county, Georgia. Vessels are now at City Point, Virginia, taking on board the French tobacco so long stored in Richmond. It is to be shipped to France.  The United States Government has demanded from Spain the surrender of the Stonewall, now lying at Havannah. Sufficient time has not yet elapsed for the receipt of a reply. It is reported at Washington that the claims for damages inflicted by the Alabama will be pressed by this Government ; but the indications are that they will not be.pressed so far as to cause a rupture between the two countries. Two hundred thousand people in Virginia, white and black, are daily fed by the Government. Eleven thousand of them are in Richmond. In Georgia it is stated that small change is so scarce that eggs are used as currency.  It is stated that the Mexican Liberals have issued letters of marque against French commerce, both on the Atlantic-and Pacific oceans.