The New York Herald Newspaper, August 12, 1861, Page 4

4 NEW YORK HERALD. JAMES GORDON BENNETT, EDITOR AND PROPRIELOR, OFFICE N. W. CORNER OF FULTON AND NASSAU 878. Volume XXV! .No,222 AMUSEMBNTS THIS EVENING, WINTER GARDEN, Bioadway.—Inisu Hussan—Mis- OMIKVOUS ANNIE. NEW BOWERY THEATRE, Bowery.—Joux Pavupia— Woman's Love—Dovoine rok & Wie, MUSEUM, Broadway.—Day G6LK—LWO BUZBARDS—Beans, sit BARNUM'S AMERI and Kvening—A linn, Baa Lion anv Orne Ci BRYANTS' MINSTRELS, Mechantos’ Hall, 472 Broad- way.—LTmorian SonGs, Dances, &0.—Rival. Daauies. MELODEON CONCERT HALL, No. 689 Broadway. Bonas, Dances, BuRLESQUES, AC. CANTERBURY MUSIC HALL, 685 Broadway.—Sonas, Danoxs, BuRLEsquas, 4c. GAIETIES CONCERT ROOM, 616 Broadway.—Drawixa Room Evrentawaents Baltes, Pantowinns, Faucns, &0. AMERICAN MUSIC HALL, 4 uta, Pantonmmxs, &¢.—UNcie J) Broadway.—Songs, Bau- CRYSTAL PALACE CONCERT HALL, No. 45 Bowes Buxcesques, Songs, Danors, PANTOMINES- THE SITUATION. We publish to-day a carefully compiled alpha- betical list of Union troops captured by the rebels at the battle of Bull run on the 21st ult, This list has been gathered from letters received by friends of the prisoners and statements of those who have effected their escape. General McDowell, in his Official report, places the figures of missing at 1,216. The total number of prisoners in the hands of the rebels is ascertained to be 640— leaving a balance of 576 to be accounted for. Many of these are supposed to have returned to « their homes; some may be working on farms in Virginia or Maryland, and many of them may yet turn up, or will be shortly published as deserters. Onr list of names, as far as we have been able to complete it, numbers 240. ‘The Secretary of War has addressed an impor- tant letter to General Butler respecting the dispo- sition of fugitive slaves seeking protection at his hands. He states that it is the desire of the Presi- dent that all existing rights in all the States be fully respected and maintained. The war now prosecuted on the part of the federal government is a war for the Union, for the preservation of all Constitutional rights of States, and the citizens of the States in the Union. Hence no question can arise as to fugitives from service within the States and Territories in which the authorities of the Union is fully acknowledged. Buthe says that in the States wholly or in part under insurrec- tionary control, where the laws of the United States are so far opposed and resisted thut they cannot be effectually enforced, it is obvious that the rights dependent upon the execution of those Jaws must temporarily fail, nnd it is equally obvious thit the rights dependent on the laws of the State within which military operations are conducted must be necessarily subordinate to the exigencies created by the in, surrection, if not wholly forfeited by the treason- able conduct of parties claiming thom. To this the general rule of right to services forms an ex- ception. The act of Congress approved Angust 6, 1861, declares that if persons held to service shall be employed in hostility to the United States, the right to their services shall be forfeited, and Buch persons shall be discharged therefrom. It follows, he adds, of necessity, that no claim can be recognized by the military authority of the Union for the services of such per- sons when fugitives. With respect to the slaves of loyal masters, Mr. Cameron says that a carcful record should be kept of the name and description of such fugitives, in order that Congress may pro- vide for a just compensation for their services when peace is restored. Gen. Butler is instructed not to permit any interference by his troops with the slaves of peaceful citizens, nor encourage them to leave the service of their masters, nor prevent the voluntary return of any fugitives to those from whom they may have escaped. Our blockading squadron have suececded in re- capturing another vessel seized by the tebels, and at the same time reducing the list of privateers by the destruction of one of them. The Quaker City brought up to Fortress Monroe yesterday the schooner George G. Baker, of Galveston, Texas, with a rebel prize crew of four men on board in irons. The history of this schooncr is somewhat curious. It ap- Pears that she was captured some time ago by one of the United States blockading squadron off Gal- veston, and sent to New York with a prize crew of United States sailors on board. On Saturday morn- ing, while offCape Hatteras, the privateer York fell in with her, captured her, and put a prize crew on board. Soon after, the United States gun- boat Union overhauled the privateer York, fired into her and burned her. The crew, however, after scuttling her, made their escape in boats, and the Union puraned and took possession of the schooner Baker, which she soon after transferred to the care of the Quaker City, who brought her to Fortress Monroe. ‘he crew of United States seamen originally put on board the Baker remain in the hands of the privateer’s crew, and we are as yet unacquainted with their names. ‘The Spanish Minister waited upon the Secretary of State yesterday, and gave him official informa- tion that the seven American vessels captured by the rebel privateer Sumter, and sent as prizes into Cienfuegos, Cuba, had been discharged from that port, by order of the Spanish government. The houses remaining from the conflagration at Hampton have not since been destroyed by Gen. Magruder's troops. The rebel forces are said to be located in numbers in the vicinity of Big Bethel. We publish on our first page to-day a correct map of those interesting points around Cairo and in southeastern Missouri which have been the soenes of many stirring exploits by General Lyon and the officers under him, and which are destined yet to prove a highly important portion of the theatre of war in the West. It will be seen by the description accompanying the map that there are 18,000 rebels now posted at different points within fifty miles of Cairo. ob- The main ject of theve forces is to get posscasion of the fron, ¢ llead regions—for the South needs lead probably te advance on Jetlerson sion of the lead mines, however, is manifestly all important to the rebels, for their store must be nearly run out. We give to-day a highly graphic account in de. tail of the battle at Dug Spring, Missouri, where Lieutenant M. J. Kelly, of the First cavalry, with only twenty men, made his desperate ‘Balaklava’ charge upon the whole of the enemy’s infantry in the face of bayonets and bullets and cut his way through them, putting them all to fight. One of the wounded rebels asked Lieutenant Kelly, with great earnestness, after the terrific charge was over, whether his cavalry were men or devils. To which Kelly naively replied, that it was quite possible they might be a composition of both. Our correspondent’s description of the affair will be found intensely interesting. i THE NEWS. We published a despatch from Washington yes- terday stating that the troops on re-erfllsting for the war individually receive thirty dollars bounty; when they re-eulist by companies of not less than sixty-four men they each receive fifty dollars, and when an entire regiment re-enlists every man re- ceives seventy-five dollars bounty. Inrelation to the pay of volunteers, we find that the recent laws of Congress expressly declare that all non-com- missioned officers and privates shall receive two dollars a month additional to the former pay; that in lieu of clothing they shall be paid three dollars and fifty cents a month additional; that they shall receive rations computed at nine dollara a month; that if wounded in battle they will be awarded the same pension as is given a disabled soldier of tho regular army; and if death ensues from wounds received, the widow, or if there be none, the legal heirs, shall receive in addition to all arrearages of pay and allowances, the sum of one hundred dol- lars. According to our interpretation of the Direct Tax law of Congress, all dwellings, lots, gardens and farms upon which the owners thereof reside, if they exceed in value the sum of five hundred dol- jars, are exempt from the goverment tax. The law reads as follows:—‘‘ Property belonging to any individual who actually resides thereon, as shall be worth the sum of five hundred dollars, shall be ex- empted from the aforesaid enumeration and valua- tion and from the direct tax aforesaid.’ The number of rebel troops in Virginia is given and stationed as follows:— fanassas. amped envelopes have been at the Post Office since the 7th inst., and the public are al” lowed but two more days to exchange the old ones. No more of the old stamped envelopes will be al- lowed to pass through the Post Office. The follow- ing is a list of the prices of the three, six and ten cent envelopes:— Phge. of 25 . OF ie No. 1—Note size. cs 9 Ze Per 100. $3 16 318 10 18 6 24 112 for at the following rates:— Pkge. of 2. Per 100. No. 1—Note size. «- 80 $318 No, 2—Letter size. 80 3 20 2—Letter size. 29 115 No. 2—Letter size. . - -$1 06 421 Besides the above thare are twelve, twenty, twenty-four and forty cent envelopes. The New Orleans papers say that there were found one morning placards posted about the streets of that city on which were printed these words:—‘Abraham Lincoln and plenty to eat; Jeff. Davis and starvation.” Gov. Moore, of Alabama, by proclamation, re- quests each one of the ladies of that State to knit one pair of substantial woollen socks for the sol- diers in the rebel army. The Boston Advertiser (republican) and the Boston Zranscript (neutral) are advocating the abandonment of all party lines and distinctions during the continuance of the war. The propeller tugboat Enoch Train, formerly belonging to Boston, has been plated with iron in New Orleans for the purpose of running down the blockading vessels. She is now called the Ram, and the New Orleans papers say she can run twenty miles an hour. Before she left Boston har- bor her rate of speed was less than ten miles an hour. By the arrival of the brig Laura, Captain Lang- thorne, we have advices from St. Domingo city to July 25. The war between Hayti and Spain is at anend. The difficulty with the two countries be- ing amicably arranged, the Dominican armies have returned to the frontiers. A decree has been is- sued by the Spanish authorities, declaring slavery forever abolished there, and any person interfering with it will be considered liable, under the conspira- tors’ act. Emigration from the United States is particularly desired, the government offering as an inducement tracts of land, and insuring all emi- grants so accepting the terms protection. Even the American residents there favor the project and desire emigration. The health of the country is good. ‘The cotton market continued very strong on Saturday with some speculative demand and sales of 2,800 a 3,000 Wales ona basis of 177¢c. a 18c. for middling uplands. Flour was firm and moderately active. ‘The scarcity of wheat checked operations; the better qualities were 1c. a 2c. doarcr. Free purchases were made of corn at a further improvement. There wag a light movement in provisions; mess pork declined to'$15 3734 a$15 50, and prime to$10 25a $10 3734. Rice was steady, but quiet. Sugars were in request, aud 1,100 hhds. and 257 boxes wore disposed of at full quotations. Tho Rio coffee sales amounted to 1,500 bags at 1334c. a 16. Whiskey was in better demand and aghade higher. Freights were rather dull, ag usual, at the close of the week. Tae Battie or Burt Ruy—A Ccriors Co- INCIDENCE.—It appears from the published statements of the battle of Bull run that Gen Tyler, who commanded the advance division of the army, made an attack or reconnoissance, with the greater part of his forces, on Thursday, the 18th of July, and that he did so without authority from the commanding officer, Gen. McDowell, who did not know of the affair till it was all over. He was repulsed on that occasion, or, at best, he failed to obtain any advantage and retired. It may be somewhat remarkable, then, to find that in the battle of the following Sunday, the 21st, Gen. Tyler is still found in command of the advance division, occupying the post of honor. It was not usual with the great captains of old—such as Napoleon, Wellington, Frederick the Great or Peter the Great—to assign the post of honor to an officer who was guilty of such a breach of discipline as it is said Gen. Tyler committed. However, it is evident now that, whatever might have been the instructions given to Gen. Tyler, if his reconnoissance towards Manassas on Thursday, the 18th, had becn supported by the rest of the army. the great battle would been fought before Johnston could have effected a junction with Beauregard, because the troops of the latter did not begin to leave Winchester till that day, 2 NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1861. a ee cr 1m NNRIPOTPUNNRRPREREAEPCETRO-S TEN, agp MUNN (p78 NG ue eS ARR ai ae si ler lg NPRM IAAT I Pb FWA A RR SII, | STONE 2 0 a Ne City—the capital—and reoaptaro it. The posses | The Blockade—Its IneMiciengy and the cacnd ale HT concealed to a chump of amma pines, Consequences. On the 15th of April the President issued his proclamation calling outthe militia to putdown the insurrection, and on the 19th of April he proclaimed a blockade of the Southern coast: Thongh four months have since elapsed the Southern coast is not yet blockaded, for what is, by way of courtesy, called the blockade is but “a mockery, a delusion and a snare,” and the consequence is that it will very soon be broken, as invalid, by the British and French fleets which have arrived on the coast for the purpose, We learn by a telegraphic despatch that the Richmond papers contain a semi-oflicial an- nouncement that “Admiral Dundas, of the Eng- lish navy, intends to take his fleet into Charles- ton, regardless of Lincoln’s blockade.” And we see in the Montreal Herald of the 9th inst. that:—“There is a rumor that the British fleet has left Halifax for the purpose of breaking the Southern block- ade. It is probable that the purpose is only the general one of protecting British interests, which demand that free access shall be had to the important Southern ports, so long as they are not blockaded in a manner deemed legal according to the international law.” Bearing on the same point is another statement in the Quebec Chronicle of the 6th inst., which says:-— “Mr. C. Johnson, a Queen’s messenger, has ar- rived in town from: Europe, via Washington, bringing despatches for his Excellency, which rumor says are of an important chiracter, re- lating to the recognition of the Southern con- federacy and the efficiency of the blockade.” Now all this intelligence may be true or false at present; but if it be not exactly true, it is because it is a little premature, and it will only prove too true hereafter. These rumors are undoubt- edly indications of British policy, as similar announcements preceded British recognition of the belligerent rights of the Southern confede- racy: Many would regard Prince Napoleon's visit to Manassas and his sleeping in Beaure- gard’s bed as a matter of little or no conse- quence; but even straws on the surface of a river show the force of its current. The tone of the French and English papers is significant. Take, for example, the London Post, Lord Pal- merston’s organ. In its issue of the 24th of July that journal denies that the blockade is effi- cient, and refers to the fact of Charleston having been left for some time without any blockading vessels. It then quotes the deciara- tion of the Treaty of Paris, in 1856, to which our government did not object at the time, that “blockades, in order to be binding, must be ef- fective—that is to say, maintained by a force sufficient really to prevent access to the coast of the enemy,” which is in accordance with the doctrine laid down by all the great jurists and enforced by the decisions of the Admiralty Courts in England. In the case of the Stert Lord Stowell delivered judgment in the follow- ing words:—“The very notion of a complete blockade includes that the besieging force can | apply its power to every point of the blockaded State. If it cannot, it isgno blockade at that point where its power cannot be brought to bear.” In conformity with these views, and in obedi- ence to the orders of his government, the Bri- tish Admiral, Milne, a short time ago issued in- structions toa frigate under his command to the effect that “no port is to be considered efi- ciently blockaded if any vessel can enter or de- part from it unknown to or in spite of the block- ading squadron—that an efficient blockade ne- cessitates the complete cutting off of all mavi- time ingress or egress, and the cscape of the third vessel from the blockading squadron sig- nalizes the invalidity of the blockade.” Tried by this test, the blockade of the Southern coast is found wanting; and that the British fleet have not already broken it is owing to an unwilling- ness to have an open rupture with the United States and the policy of waiting to see what might turn up—whether our government would defeat the rebels in a decisive battle, and thus get cotton for England, or whether the rebeis would defeat our government and thus impose on England the necessity of getting cotton for herself. The battle of Bull run and the pro- tracted inefficiency of the blockade will proba- bably precipitate the action of the British go- vernment. It is now less than two months till the cotton crop will be ready for shipment, and of course it will be necessary for the English government to give previous notice to British merchants and shipowners that the blockade will not be respected by England, and that they can safely send their vessels for the Southern staple. We may, therefore, at any moment hear of a royal proclamation in Great Britain and Ireland declaring: the blockade in- efficient, invalid and void. We have only our own government to blame if England should pursue this course. In the history of the world, perhaps, there is no parallel to the | imbecility of the Navy Department ina great commercial country like this, and no example of such utter neglect of vast national interests | clearly imperiled. There is plenty of money, ships, arms and munitions of war; but the vigor which characterizes the rebel chiefs is wanting at Washington. The Southern privateers are cutting up our commerce in the absence or in the very teeth of our ships of war. Only three of them have been captured, and three of their prizes retaken by our armed vessels, The con- sequence is that English bottoms are doing the principal carrying trade, and even our own merchants are giving them cargoes, because there is no security for any ship bearing the American flag. Charleston and some of the other principal ports have been deserted by the blockading squadron on several occasions, and equally in the Gulf and on the coast of North Carolina do the corsairs pursue their vocation with impunity. The privateer Sumter ran the blockade under the very nose of the Brooklyn, and every day we are receiving ac- counts of pirates running the blockade at some point or making prizes of our ships. In view of this state of things, the magnificent steam fleet of Vanderbilt, offered to the gov- ernment, have been rejected, while nothing ap- pears to be doing by the Navy Department for the protection of our merchant marine or ren- dering the blockade effectual. In trath, there is now no time to do anything. The duty of protection to loyal men and the maintenance of the dignity of the republic have been delayed too long. Even the most vigorous administra- tion would hardly have time in the space of six weeks (when the cotton crop will be on hand for export) to render efficient a blockade for two thousand miles which is now go entirely deficient. But under so imbecile a Seeretary of the Navy there is no hope of such a consum- mation. Nor is there the slightest prospect of any adequate protection to the shipping interest. The question now is, what is best to be done? The merchants and shipowners of New York ought to hold a meeting immediately, for the purpose of getting up an armed fleet of private ships on their own account. There are sailors in abundance, there is gold enough in Wall street, and there are numerous ships rotting idly at their docks. Let every steamer be en- gaged, and every fast sailing clipper, and let thom be armed, equipped and manned for active service. Let commissions be de- manded for them from the government, and let them scour the coast from Maine to Texas, and ina very short time every privateer will be swept from the seas,and American commeroe will again resume its supremacy. The expense of such an expedition would be heayy, ‘it the interests at gtake are immepsé, and no one can doubt that Congress will refund the mv. on seeing the important results achieved. The people will insist upon it. The safety of the re. public is the supreme law. The Oficial Reports of the Battle of Bull Run Reviewed. In reviewing the reports of the battle of Bull run, that of General McDowell first claims our attention, both from the position of the writer and the clear and dispassionate manner in which he has treated a subject in itself abound- ing in obscurity and disorder. It necessarily partakes more of the character of a panorama than the reports of his subordinate officers, and presents to us comprehensive and succinct statement of an event which is invested with more tragic interest:than any other produced by the war. While the reports ofhis officers occa- sionally ander into weak and personal narra- tive, General McDowell, with soldier like sim- plicity and terseness, confines himself to the point which it became his serious duty to illus- trate to the best of his ability for the satisfaction of the country at large. His ownreputation de- manded that he should dispel the confusion and doubt that lingered in the public mind with re- spect to the conduct of this engagement, which, although in itself disastrous, is made to appear in a much more satisfactory light by the plainy unvarnished tale he has supplied. That General McDowell is not only a charitable but a generous man, is evident from the obvious leniency with which he refers to the faults and shortcomings of others. Yet, at the same time that he almost entirely screens his subordinates from blame, he does not act similarly towards himself. Without parading or justifying his errors, he makes no effort to conceal them. They can be detected as we peruse his report, and only tend to convince us of his candor, whatever we may think of his generalship on the memorable occasion to which he refers. But although a man may blunder once, it by no means follows that he should repeat the mis- take. That the battle was an unfortunate mistake we are too welkaware, but the penalty, al- though bitter, has been without profit. In future we shull know better what to do: Casting a critical eye over the details of the report, we at once perceive one great cause of the disaster. The Union army, we are told, started from its en- campments along the Potomac on Tuesday, the 16th of July, and marched towards Centreville, but halted unexpectedly at Fairfax Court House. Yet no engagement took place till the 21st, by which time the rebels, who had of course been cognizant of the plans of our gene- rals, had been enabled to concentrate their forces from the surrounding country. Delay is always dangerous, but in this case it was to us fatal. It turned what would have been a vic- tory into a defeat. Of the advance and condi- tion of the troops the report thus speaks:— ‘A set out, on the 16th, 1 was still deficient in subsistence. But went forward trusting to ing procurod in time to follow me. ‘Tho trains rriedly gathered together, with horses, wagons, and wagon managers, all new and unused to cach other, moved with difficulty and disorder, and was the cause of a day's delay in getting the provisions forward, ng it necssary to meke anday the attack we Thayo made an Saturday. not, with every forward with tho troops earlier than we did. 0 to Centreville the second day, which would ‘8 there on the U7th, and enabled us, so far as re concerned, togo into actionon the 19th instead st; but when T went forward from Fairfax Court ifouse, beyond Germantown, to urge thom forward, I was told it was impossible for the men to march furthor, They had enly come from Vienna, about six miles, and it was han six and a half miles further to Centreville— arch of twelve and a half miles; but the men ot so much, I was told, by the distance time they had becn on foot, caused ns in the road, and the slow pace we had fades. "Tho men were, moreover, unaccustomed to marching, their bodies not in condition for (hat kine of work, and not used to carrying even the loa of ght marching order. The impression that the soldiers were not fur- nished with rations is corrected. If, therefore: the men were without supplies, the fault was that of the regimental officers. That the absence of proper reconnoissances and unfamiliarity with the roads tended greatly to impede the march is evident. Hence the ir- regularity which marked the arrival of the va- rious divisions at the field of battle. Our en- tire attacking force, it appears, amounted to only eighteen thousand men, while that of the enemy is estimated to have been much greater. Our joss included nineteen officers and 462 non-com- missioned officers and privates killed, and sixty- four officers and 947 non-commissioned officers and privates wounded. This is the best contra- diction we can have of the exaggerated accounts of the federal loss in this engagement, which were at first published, although there is much to deplore in the bare facts. The darkest spot in the whole report is that where the Fourth Pennsylvania regiment and Varian’s battery of artillery attached to the New York Eighth arethus alluded to: On the eve of the battle the Fourth Pennsylvania regi- ment of Volunteers and the battery of volunteer artillery of the New York Eighth militia, whose term of service expired, insisted on their discharge. I wrote to the regi- ment expressing a request for them to remain a short time, and the Hon. Secremry of War, who was at the time on the ground, tried to induce the battery to remain at least five days. ‘But in vain. They insisted on their discharge that hight. It was granted, and the next morn- ing, when the army moved forward into battle, these troops moved to the rear to the sound of the enemy's can- non. . Comment upon this would be superfluous, Turning to the report of General Tyler, of the First division, we find it an exceedingly lucid document, but calling for no extended re- marks, The bravery of Colonel Keyes, who commanded a brigade, elicits honorable men- tion, and that officer himself warmly eulogiaes the gallantry with which the Second Maine and Third Connecticut regiments charged up a hill upon the enemy’s artillery and infantry. Col. Burnside, of the Second division, says:— It was nearly four o’clock P. M., and the battle had con" tinued for almost six hours since the time when tho Se- cond bgigade bad been engaged, with everything in favor of our troops and promising a decisive victory, when some of the regiments engaging the enemy upon the ex- treme righ¥of onr line broke. and large numbers passed isorderly by my brigade, then drawn up in th which they lasteld, es aa The report of Colonel Heintzelman, of the Third division, contains the following relative to the Ellsworth Zonaves:— Tu the meantime I sent orders for the Zounves to move forward to support Rickett's battery on its right. As goon as they camo up T led thom (orward against au Alabama ? moment they were charged by a oman Bees- sion cavairy on thelr rear, who came ry shraneh two strips of woods on our extreme right. The fire of Zouaves killed four and wounded one, ing them. from Captain Call's eatery of United Sates cavalry, from in lum 's com} ‘ni which killed and wounded several. tea, | Fara ham, with some of his officers and men, bebaved gal- Jantly; but the regiment of Zouaves,ag a regiment, did not appear again on the fleld. Many of the men joined other regiments and did good service as skirmishers, The report of Colonel Miles, of the Fifth divi- sion, discloses the circumstances of his being sick from fatigue on the day of the battle, yet he appears to have good ground for complaining of being superseded by Colonel Richardson in the command of the brigade. Colonel Keyes, of the First brigade (First division), in his report, States that half an hour before the retreat he imagined the victory to be ours. In the report of Colonel Sherman we find this reference to the death of Colonel Haggerty:— Lioutenant Colonel Haggorty, of the Sixty-ninth Bae ment, without orders, rode over and endeavored to Pe tercopt their retreat. ‘One of the enemy, in full view ae short range, shot Haggerty, and be fell doad from bi horse. ve This officer gives an intensely graphic de- scription of the fight between the Sixty-ninth and Seventy-ninth regiments of the Union army and the rebels, Captain Griffin, of the Fifth artillery, in describing the operations of the battery under his command, which was ulti- mately charged upon by rebel infantry, thus speaks:~= ‘This infantry was mistaken for our own forces, an officer on the field having stated that it was a regiment sent by Colonel. Heintzelman to support the battery. In this charge of the enomy every cannonier was cut down, anda large number of horses killed, leaving the battery (which was without support except in name) porfectly helpless. On the whole, the official reports of this battle display a high order of critical acumen and mi- litary intelligence, and are eminently distin- guished with respect to accuracy of details and candor of design. And the conclusions to be drawn from the evidence which they have pre- sented to us is that our troops were, when evenly matched against the rebels, more than their equals in battle, and in nowise deficient in courage or stamina, but that by being led, in an exhausted condition, against the far su- perior numbers of the enemy, they ul- timately yielded to a panic. The best disciplined troops in the world have acted similarly, and it would have been unreasonable, under such circumstances, to suppose that novices would have showed themselves more selfpossessed than veterans. The result of the battle has, however, taught us a grand lesson, which, like adversity, will not be without its uses. Our army has yet to put forward its full strength, and under skilful guidance it will be the finest in the world, and conquer all be- fore it in the accomplishment of its glorious mission for preserving the integrity of this great Union. Tue Cavses anp Consequences oF THE De- crease oF PoroLation in Insuanp—The Irish census, just published, discloses to us the stari= ling fact that during the last ten years the popu- lation of Ireland has Jecpensed to the nitinber of 787,842, or 12.02 per cent upoh the gross amount: In order to account for this it is only necessary to take into consideration the one item of emi- gration. Within the period mentioned, no fewer than 1,230,986 Irishmen sailed from ports of the United Kingdom, 1,174,179 of whom were represented as permanent emigrants. The causes of this exodus are obvious—peverty at home and the prospect of a good labor market and comparative wealth abroad. Emigration to this country has recently received a check, ow- ing to the intelligence of the war and general stagnation of trade; but when things resume their normal condition the tide will again set in, and the exodus will still continue in advance of the natural increase, and gradually the popula- tion of Erin will decline. The disposition of the Irish to seek fortune in a foreign land is owing to so few of them having a proprietary interest in their native soil. Ac- cording toa statistical table, published some years ago, the number of landed proprietors in Ireland was 10,000, in Scotland 3,000, and in England 20,000, while in France the number was 3,000,000. Scotland, although showing only 3,000, was formerly divided among an immense number of lairds, or small land owners. But with the progress of society the habits of these underwent a change and the Iairds, in the majority of cases. found that their estates no longer yielded them in- comes sufficient to maintain them as gentlemen, a consequence of which was that they sold them to their richer neighbors; and so, in the course of time, the entire number of landed proprietors in all Scotland became reduced to the number stated. We quote this to show that a similar movement is in progress in Ireland, and that it has been rather assisted than retarded by the operation of the Encumbered Estates Court, The same is the case all over the United King- dom, and now property is daily falling into the hands of great.monopolists. The result of this is to increase individual wealth, but to make the mass of the population dissatisfied. This was the case in France prior to the Revolution of 1787, and to the revolutionary condition of France at that time England, Ireland and Scot- land are now approaching. The causes may be swept away and the disaster averted, but the probabikity of such occurring is in the highest degree remote. Tae Dcration or THe War.—When Louis Napoleon decided upon entering upon the Italian war he foreshadowed the event by de- claring, in somewhat ambiguous but prophetic language, which all Europe understood, that war between Austria and France was imminent. This was on the Ist of January. Before the month of September of the same year was closed he had concluded the terrific campaign, in which over three hundred thousand men were engaged, had driven back the Austrians across the Mincio, and dictated peace to Francis Joseph in the village of Villa Franca. Thus, in nine months from the very incipiency of that great war, peace was restored to Europe. Why cannot we do likewise with our war? Why cannot our rebellion be crushed out before next May? If it is possible to be done at all— and who doubts it?—it may be done within that time by proper management and a judicious employment of the power in the hands of the government. If the people were convinced that such would be the result of the present campaign, that rebellion would be annihilated and the Union restored to its pristine grandeur and prosperity by the Ist of May, 1862, they would cheerfully furnish an amount of men and money sufficient to carry out awork of double the labor. While, then, the people are so rendy to do their duty, let us hope that the government | will not fail in theirs, even to the minutest | detail. Twontase ow Taxarion Tue PENALTY PArD BY Parriorisa.—As our readers have seen, the fede- ral taxes for the support of the government and for putting down rebellion become a serious matter. We have; now taxes on most of the necessaries of life—tea, sugar and other commodities—together with the income tax, the most obnoxious of all, But in addition to these there are State and city taxes arising out of the war which must be paid. The State has appro- priated three millions of dollars. The city has appropriated a million, and now calls for a loan of half a million more to support the families of the volunteers, The interest on these loans, with other expenses yet to be incurred, will make the whole debt about two million dollars, This will of course increase the city taxes upon & people already overburthened beyond any free people in the world; and, what is worst of all, from the destruction of business the ability to pay taxes is diminished in the same ratio as taxation is increased. . This is 4 severe test of patriotism, but it is thé penalty which it must pay if true to itself and to the national cause; and we have no hesitation in saying that the people will willingly bear all these burthens if the war is only prosecuted with vigor and brought to a speedy termination. But if it languishes, and there are other disasters like that at Bull ran, and in the continued capture of our ships by rebel privateers, there will be revolt against such heavy taxation with- out any adequate results, and the President, Cabinet, and Commander-in-Chief will be held personally responsible for the failure. The American people are generous to a fault in money matters, and they are willing to pay well when they receive a valuable consideration. But they will not tolerate shams. If the govern. ment will do its duty, and rise to the heifht of the lofty position it seems to aim at, there is no danger that the country will not sustain it. Om the contrary, there are no sacrifices which a loyal people will not make to restore the con- federation to harmony, and to vindicate the con- stitution as understood and expounded by our fathers—to overthrow secession on tne one hand and abolitionism on the other—the two extremes which are equally inimical to the integrity of the Union. But the people will not long con: sent to have the national treasury made the prey of harpies, while the great object for which the money of the people is levied is either lost sight of, or the war so mismanaged aa to become worse than a nullity—a national disgrace. Congress has done its duty. The people will do theirs. The responsibility now rests entirely upon the shoulders of the admin- istration, and they will be held to a strict ac- count of their stewardship. Apunpance or Sators.—When the President issued his proclamation for eighteen thousand sailors for service in the war, it was thought that considerable difficulty would be experi- enced in procuring that large number. It hap- pens, howeyer, that there js no scarcity of sail- ora, ae ae tae ey in commcrée, cou sequent upon the war, has thrown so much of our merchant marine out of service that our seamen are willing enough to enter the navy for want of other employment. The receiving ship North Carolina, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, has almost always a com- plement of a thousand men on board, and the influx of seamen at the different recruiting de- pots is at the present time very large. There is another cause besides the depression of com- merce which militates against the employment of our seamen at the present time, and that is the discovery of the oil springs in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, which, together with the fami- liar use of gas and the various inflammable fluids, have rendered the whale fisheries of the Eastern States less profitable, and have thus thrown unemployed upon the world hundreds of seamen, well trained and admirably fitted for our naval service. It is manifest, then, that it is not the want of sailors which renders the blockade inefficient. Ovr Crasstc Battie Fisnps.—iIn the history of this country we have had three wars and one rebellion—the present still existing conflict, Many and glorious have been the battles, and chivalrous the deeds that marked the war of the Revolution, the war of 1812, and the conquest of Mexico, and it may be curious to contrast the narnes by which the battles of these three epochs are known with the names of the principal con- flicts in the present war. The euphony of the former contrasts strongly with the unpleasant sound of the latter. In the Revolution we had such battles as those of Lexington, Yorktown and Saratoga. In 1812 we read of the contests at Chippewa, Queenstown, Bladensburg and New Orleans. In the Mexican war the liquid Spauish tongue furnishes such names as Molino del Rey, Eucna Vista, Chepultepec, Cherubusce and Resaca de la Palma, as the scenes of our greal bu But in the present war we cannot soar any higher in the realms of euphony than Bull Run, big Bethel, Scary Creek, Dug Spring, Hoke Run, Bull Town and Pig Point. Alas, for our present classic battle fields! Tuk INgrriCIENCY OF THE BriockapE.—Many instances have been recently developed going to show that the blockade of the Southern porte is miserably inefficient, and it is not at all un- likely that the evil effects of the neglect on the part ef those who are responsible will be more severely felt at no distant day. We saw not along ago the rebel privateer Sumter escaping from New Orleans, which is nominally in a state of blockade, and we are familiar with the depredations she has since committed on our merchant marine. Then, we find the Niagara leaving Charleston exposed for two days; and again, we sce the Wabash leaving the same port unprotected for fifty hours at time, and then the necessity of the Niagara deserting the waters of Pensacola for two or three days in search of the privateer Sumter, because the Brooklyn let her slip by at New Orleans. And yet we have not heard that any court of inquiry has been established, or any investigation ordered into the cause of these apparent derelictions of duty. What is the blockade worth, thus Managed? Trovsies or ARMY OrFicers.—Why is Lieu- tenant Colonel Smith, one of the most intrepid heroes of the Mexican war, who was brevetted twice for gallant conduct in the battles of Con- treras and Cherubusco, left at Governor’s Island to rust away his most vigorous years, while ignorant civilians are put at the heads of brigades nd regiments? Why are so many other of the officers whose chivalric spirit is known throughout the country also excluded from participation in the gloriesand hazards of