Year: 1862



 LETTER FROM COMMODORE M. F.

 MAURY.

 We take pleasure in publishing the fol- lowing letter, from a distinguished American to distinguished citizen of France:

 RICHMOND, VA, July 1, 1862.

 My Coop FRIEND: Your excellent letter of August last has reached me only now. Not withstanding its long tarrying by the way, hasten to thank you for 1t with all my heart and to assure yon that its kind words and generous sentiments have lost none of their force by the lapse ot tune.

 I hope you will not think me insensibe to the honors with which, you tell me, would be wei comed in Europe, if, at present, l appear deaf to your assurances of their high import.

 It IS true that the rOlte which, up to this time I have been permitted to play in the great drama which my country is enacting before the world is humble; still our causeis just; to me the blood of my children has consecrated it-it is precious to my heart. All have and all owe are in it., therefore. prefer to tarry here-a refugee from my home and my little ones-watching and waiting.

 That we have no navy is also true. Never theless something may turn up. Chance may throw opportunity in my way. fso, here 1 am in place and here prefer to tarry, content to wait upon events and patiently to bide my time.

 It has now been but little more than year since this war was forced upon us. We on our part, had to commence it without an army, with out navy, and even without governmental organization.

 On the other hand, the enemy, surrounded with all the appliances of war and complete in his organization, arranged his legions for battle and rejoiced in his strength.

 We found ourselves purely an agricultural people, cut off from the world and suddenly thrown upon our own resources, while he was backed by all the appliances that the workshops of Europe could supply or that commerce could furnish. Notwithstanding this our people brave lv and deliberately resolved to withdraw from all political association with the North and to accept the consequences be what they may.

 There was no hate, coercion, or intimidation about this move. Never was the popular will more fairly expressed that when the southern people uttered their voice for secession.

 Our enemies have sought to make the impres- sion abroad that the reverse was the case; that this so-caled rebellion was matched by fac ton, and is led by few ireeaters." No such thing. We were pushed into it, all unprepared as we were, by the tyranny and usurpations and the inaction of the North.

  Iarly consulted on the question of separation from the North. They expressed their opinion freely, and after full deiberation; and never were people more unanimous at any ballot box than were ours for instant, complete and eter nal separation from the North and that, too, at the instant, all unprepared as they were. There is now no union feeling in the South, but the Yankees would fain have you believe that there Is.

 It is a fact not generally known abroad, but I may state it now, that when this war com> mencad, and even after we had assembled an army in the field, such was the want of prepa- ration and such>the lack of munitions of war on our part. that there was not only not a per cussion cap machine n the Confectionery, but when the army of Manassas took up it's position it had but four rounds to the man. Had the enemy joined battle with us there a few weeks sooner than he did, we should, for the want of percussion caps, have had to quit the field or fight him entirely with the bayoaet.

 But see what we have accomplished in the way of preparations: At this moment the GRAND ARMY ofthe North, said to be the most superb with equipments that the world ever saw-an army which we have stood still and permitted the enemy to raise and discipline and to bring against us at leisure-that grand army before which our capital was to fall and our people suc cumb--is now driven from its trenches, routed and flying before our braves, armed, some with flint locks, some with fowling pieces some with percussions, and all of divers patterns, just as we could fabricate, or rake and scrape them to- gether. This fighting and fleeing has been go ing on since yesterday week.

 In all probability you and the whole of Eu- rope will first hear of it as great Yankee vic tory for your first intelligence of it will be from the North.

 Happily, for the cause of truth, you, in Flu rope, are beginning to find the Yankees out, and to understand their mendacious procyties. They know it, and have recently resorted to 6 |" new dodge" You have ceased to believe their newspapers, and have begun to find odt that their representations of the southern cause, of southern. proweSs, snetiments and feelings are not to be depended on, so they now send you what purports to be southern papers; but they are couterfets printed in the North.

 They will take one of our Richmond papers, for instance, duplicate its form and type, copy its advertisements, fill it's reading columns with their own inventions, give 1t the Richmond in- print, and send 1t abroad as bona fde southern paper which you will be sure to believe From this counterfeit their own papers are filled with extracts credited to the Richmond papers. Thus the designing men there still seek to de- ceive their own people and the world.

 They boast of this as one of their" cute Yan- kee tricks They are curious set.

 The Yankees, in this war; have equalled the Chinese in fasehoods. Their generals lie to their soldiers, to one another, and to their gov ernment, and their government to the world.

 About a month ago the heart of all Yankee dom was made by Gen. Haleck to rejoice over the reported capture, by Pope, of l0,OOO men and l5, 900 stand of arms from Beauregard's s rear: when these 10000 prisoners with the l5,- GOO stand of arms had no more existence in re- ality than Falstaffs men in buckram. friend of mine brought up Beauregards rear. He waited and offered Pope battle, but Pope made no attack except upon 2 train ot cars with a few sick.

 You recolect that Mr. Lincoln reported to his Congress last December that he had an ar my of 667 900 men already raised to "crush out the rebeion;'' and that France and Eng land were asked to wait ninety days, when they should have plenty of cotton.