The New York Herald Newspaper, January 20, 1862, Page 8

eter Graroes or TH, vy. OUR NAVAL CP/gRESPONDENCE. Nee The Passage ‘of the Pensacela Deva the Potomac. The, Late Engagement at Fort Pickens. A VISIT TO OUR BLOCKADING FLEET. VAL AFFAIRS AT EY WEST, dow &e., &e. OUR NAVAL CORR’ ENCE. ‘Umiesp Star, ‘PRNBACOLA, ‘FoaTaaas Menton Jan. 15, 1962. os Passage of the Pensacola ‘The United States stoatmer Pensacola left her anchorage ‘Of Alexandria, Ya. ,0n Yueimorning of the 11th of January, Bho had deen delayed ju few days by « dense fog, and it ‘was feared that the plans for passing the bat- teries of the would be frustrated. The weather ‘Wecame fine on ‘@Sternoon of the 11th, and theship ‘was anchored off‘the White House, about seven miles wbove Indian Heg.d,end out of sight of the enemy. She ‘ead already bequ painted black, even to the inside of he™ ports. Her gilt werk, outside, was -covered with black. ‘The air porta.were entirely closed upon the inside, and wot a ray of light was allowed to be seen. Even the lights of the binnacles-were completely covered, merely allow- ‘ing the smallest place for the man at the wheel to read ‘the compass. At midnight of the 11th she weighed anchor and headed for the batteries down the river. The speed of the ship ‘was eo well ‘timed that, when she neared the first bat- ‘tery on Codkpit Point, the moon went down and it was thigh water. She had not a fect of water under her keel @t this pomt of the river. Two small tugs were lashed Pe eee was been trained upon the supposed of tho was the. devil of coolness itself, countermanded the ‘ear fird, in order to reveal our position. "The men, lock- ring lo hand, obeyed the counter order. ‘Then eame “thell from the same nem over Ths magne were tow put 10 heir, bess, and the ship ‘woved, ee ene as “a Me og “tpt and Cockpit Point battery was passed ‘The great — of en Shipping Point were neared. the biuf he land opeld be diay i | i iE fF i i u 4 j E f E : ti | . i i] if i: i HY i i il 5 = i 4 i 3 Be i E 3356 # A i Ht I t ‘With the exception of a terrific gale during the 12th nd 18th inst., of Port Royal, of which mention will be made below, nothing could exceed the pleasantness of eur cruise thus far. I bave noted the principal events of @ur voyage up to this date, that they may be duly chron - led in your journal. We steamed out of the harbor of ‘Mew York at noon Wednesday, 4th inst., having on board Smmense quantities of fresh beef, provisions, letters» (papers, packages, and several Parrott cannon, each and ll to be distributed at their respective destinations by our officers and crew. ‘We made Hampton Roads late in the afternoon of the Oth, steaming direct to the side of the storesbip Brandy- ‘wine, where we remained at anchor all night. We de- ber officers large quanti(y of government the use of the vessels rendezvousing there. arrangements observable throughout the Brandywine are very creditable to her officers. is supplied with an effective battery, and is at pre” te if i Jecation is euch that her gune are readily Gewall’s Point, the thundering o hear the first demonstration of an character they make. During the morning of ‘Tth we discharged several cannon at the wharf near Wortress Monroe, and at ten minutes past two P. M. same day loft there ip fine style, to continue our voyage uf Cristian mission, in relieving tho immediate necessities Of thore connected with the blockade, and cheering thei" earts by the many letters we bad in store for them. a Sewpar, Deo. §, 1861. ‘We reached Hatteras Inlet this morning at ten o'clock, finding several of our vessels tying quietly st anchor gnside, We ascertained that Col. Hawkins, Ninth New ‘York State Volunteers, had gone North to transact im- rt ‘Tey are as follows:—Length on dock, 150 feet; breadth @f beam, 94 feet 6 inches; depth of hold, 6 feet; draft of ‘water with armament and stores, 9 fect 4 inches; ton- Mage, 407 tone; ber bull is of white oak, chestnut, &., end is equare fastened with copper, iron and treenaiis, ber floors are moulded 13 inches; sided 8 inches, and her frames are 24 inches apart from centres; she is fitted ‘with vertical direct acting engines, baving two Cylinders 28 inches in diameter, and a stroke of piston of 2 feet @ inches; she is also supplied with one tubular beiler, aad her bunkers are of wood; hor propeller is nine feet fin diameter, with ® pitch of 16 feet, and the blades, which are four im aumber, are all of east iron; her arma. ‘ment consists of five guns of large calibre. Tho hull of the Stare and Stripes was built by M. C. Mallory, of Mys ic, Conn. , in 1961, amd her machinery was constructed @t the Delamater Iren Works, New York city. The gun. ‘Boat Cores came out to us for beef and provisions, and ‘we at once relieved ber wants. At one P. M. we left Hatteras, and at seven P. M. Overlauled the Englich Schooner Phantom, from Cuba, bound to New York, so - ber captain reports, with a valuable cargo of molasses ‘and sugar. This Iatitude being very suspicious for her to be in, Captsin ‘Trenchard took her in tow for the purpose of handing her over to the seuior officer st Beaufort. Many wore tho oaths and execra- ‘shone heaped upon our devoted heads for this action; but our captain knew his duty in the premisos, and por- formed it. Mowpat, Dec. 9, 1861, ‘Wo anchored off Beaufort at thirty-five minutes past @oven this morning, finding the steamers Mount Vernon and State of Georgia, and the barks Braziliora and Gems. bok, whose various wishes we immediately attended to Bevoral contrabands have ately reachod the Gemsbok by fmeane of smal! boatefrom the shore. The Mownt Vernon bas done oxcelient service since she was purchased by Yew YORK HERALD, MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1862. Hi Li pie cet if ri if air I i tl 4 bt f i BB H af Pai H f i fits HH Ha tie | |: e E z i Hampton Roads, with troops Royal. We anchored off Charleston, that doomed city of the Seuth, at half four P. M., fmding the steamers Augusta, Florida and Alabama, and the bark Roebuck, on duty there. A few: ‘eam, 35 feet 4 inches; depth of epth of hold to spar deck, 21 feet 10 inches; frames iron straps are nal and double laid, four and a half by three-quarter inches, thus rendering them very secure. She is fitted with an engine of the oscil de- scription, having one cylinder eighty-five inches in diame- ter and a'stroke of piston of eight feet. She is also sup- plied with twoordinary return fiue boilers, built in 1859, her water wheels, which are of iron, are thirty feet im diameter. This vessel was built in New York in the year 1852, by Mr. Wm. H. Webb, and her machinery was constructed at the Novelty Iron Works, in the same city. By repeated inquiries and subjecting convenience, I have been enabled to col lars of dimensions ef a ‘ity of the vessels we have met. I deem it a matter, of importance to have.them re- corded, as many of them may play a very conspiqyous part in the war in which we are . The Florida is, . breadth of beam, thirty-five feet six inches; depth of hold, fourteen feet; depth of hold to spar deck, twenty-two feet; di ht of water with arma- ment, provisions, 310 to much in- t the particu- &o., twelve feet six inches; tonnage, Her ‘hull ‘ie of white oak, locust and cedar, is fitted with aside lever engine, having one cylinder seventy-five inches in diameter, and a stroke of piston of eight She is also lied with two return flue boilers, and her water wheels are twenty-nine a inches in diameter. is that fa masted schooner, and iat i § i i : i : the and efficiency of our worthy engineers, this was accomplished in the incredibly,shert of thirtee> minutes, and pushing our nose sea- ‘ward we soon found ourselves in deep water again, where we considered ourselves comparatively safe. has settiod into a heavy gals, coe te The squall has settled into a heavy: wi ly cross seas. Our engines are bebaving oenaadiy and ‘we trust to weather it without further loss. 7, Dec. 14, 1861. ‘Sarcrpa’ Last night was perfectly terrific. All hands were on duty and ail eyes watchful. Sea after sea mae complete Dreaches aver us, and one of terrible size auc force struck the vessel at eight o'clock, clearing the decks, and caus- ing many to think their time had come to bid farewell to terrestrial matters; but our gallant craft withstood the shock, and went manfully on. At the pericd of my writ- ing (nine o'clock A. M.) the clouds are breaking, and the god of day again begining to shine, indicative of a Abatement. That it may be ¢o is the earsest prayer of ail on board. Sunpay, Dec. 15, 1861. The storm ceased last night, aud the sun rose in un- clouded splendor this morning. A fairer day never dawned upon the deep, and with a fair wind we are again on our course, bowling along xt the rate of thirteen knots an hour. We anticipate reaching Key West in the morning, where we shail remain two or three days. Monpar, Dec. 16, 1561. Wo arrived at Key Wost this morning at daylight. The yacht Wanderer is here, boy o guard boat. In this duty she is asmited by the wuregard, a prize to the Cuited States ship Anderson. The Sant: de Cuba is in port. She lately took two prizes, viz: the sc r Vietoria, with an assorted cargo of wool and several pasrengert and the sohooner Eugenia. They are both here, will be taken care of. is place is under martial law, and con- sequently very quiet. Hajor Hill is in command, and wo to him who is caught my Sd of the ;, his desti- nation will certainiy be Fort Taylor. Tho work on this fort is progressing admirably under the supervision of Captain Hunt, of the Engineer corps, United Army. Weoxespar, Dec. 18, 1861. Hor Majesty's steamer Plover arrived here to-day. The schooner E. Ghurcbill, Gray, has been chartered to convey Captain Burgess’ company, Wilson's Zovave, from here i to Tor . The river Jobn Hart, designed for service the coast of Central America, arrived here to-day. Her dimensions are:—| on deck, 160 ‘feet; ‘Length breadth of beam, 23 feet 6 inches; depth of hold, 10 feet 8 inches; dept of water, 5 feet. Her frame is of white oak and ch@tnut, and her is 220 tons. She hag ae crosshead engine, with one cylinder of 36 inches in di- and a stroke of piston of 9 feet. She has one fine boiler, and her water wheels are 26 Set in diameter. Hor hull was built by Mr. Samuel Sneden, of New York, ee ea wee eaaienees in the same city by the Neptune Iron Works. I Lad day been om ot, eons oon 5 uantity of limes, oranges, &c., to give some yal boys will find sweltering in the heat far down the const, there doing blockading duty for the national go vernment. Tho weather here pt! Dhaene terially from what you are now exper! , [ presume. ‘Weshall visit all our vessels along the Galveston, and will return to the North January. The Rhode Island will then go into Philadel- phia, there to be converted into a ot at all in unison with my degtroy forever the beauty and craft ag over breasted the waves of the old Atlantic. Ker Wasr, Jan. 3, 1662. Arrivals and Departures of Government Vesels—Nava; Officers at Key West, dec. ‘Tho United States ship Nightingale, Lieutenant Delano commanding, arrived off this harbor on the 26th ult., and anchored near the outer buoy, coming up to the town on the 26th. Sho has @ full cargo of stores for the navy, which she is now discharging at the naval wharf. ‘Tho store transport ship George Green, Captain Griffin, having procured » full supply of water, &c., sailed on the 27th ult. for Ship Island. Seventeen of the horses had died before her departure. ‘The United States steamship Santiago, Captain Ridge- yey commanding, arrived on Che 28th ult. from a cruise. The United States gunboat Mercedita, Lieutenant Steel. wagon, from New York, arrived on the 28th. ‘The United States steamer Sctota (new gunboat) arrived on the 28th from Philadelphia, having in tow the Spanish steamer Primera, She had falien in with the P. off Bahia Bates distress, and gave her assistance an towage 19 : The United States gunboat Itaska, Licutenant Caldwell, from Philadelphia, arrived on the 20th. United States gunbont Sagamore arrived on the 20th from Boston; also three masted gouboat Kittatinny, Captain Weigh, from Philadetphia, ‘Unreep Staras “irr Poarmours, Veasdsin Harbor at Key W a)—sirength of the Secession Hlenentm Large Numle of Mechanics on Board the “ raament of Officers and Men in Naval Dril— Sea Sickwias— French Vessels for Mexico, dic., cc. We arrived hére on the 6th inst, after a quick and p&asant passage, and found in port the gun- dons, (waiting for the return of some of her ma. C4simery from Havana, where it had been sent for re. aire), the quondam slaver Nightingale, and the famed yacht Wanderer. The steamer Rhode Island arrived ‘about three hours after us, and will take our mails North to-day. The steamer Flambeau came in yesterday morning from Nassau, and brings the intelligence that the Gladiator, loaded with arms and munitions of war, is mow lying there, waiting for an opportunity to run the blockade. The secession feeling is strong in Nassau, and when the officers of the Flambeau first went ashore they were insulted by boys running before them waving secession flags. The Flambeau also states that there were two privateers at Nassau, and that one of them went tosea, in hopes that they would give chase and enable the Gladiator to leayp. The Flambeau remained ‘until her coal was nearly all gone, and had barely enough to last her here, and when she returns inall probability there will be nothing there. We have been very fortunate in having had pleasant weather our entire passage; for ifwehad had any heavy storm I think extremely doubtful ‘whether 7 should be writing this letter, unless there are accommodations for doing so at the bottom of the briny deep, and a submarine mail ran- ning to New York. Our crew is very much like the Massachusetts ,regiment in which were to be found me- chanics of evéry description, with only this slight difference between the two—tho Massachusetts men were good workmen, and made better soldiers, while ours are miserable my apd make worse sailors. Owing, however, to the untiring and unceasing efforts of our First Lieutenant (than whom no better officer or more perfect gentleman ever trod a ship’s quarter deck), our crew now begin to act more like sailors than they @id; so that before long this unmpromising material will be moulded into some sort of order, and I hope if we have an opportunity to participate in the festivities of bombardment none of them will be found to have an antipathy to gunpowder. Our officers {with the exception of the captain, first lieu- tenant, master and one midshipman, have never been in a @ man-of-war before, and are consequently green in the ‘ways of the service. I, myself, although I hed madeit my especial study to become perfectiy conversant with naval etiquette, and congratulgted myself on my proficiency, was guilty of the heinots offence of appearing on the qvarter deck ina straw hat, instead of a cap, and was requested to remove it, and array myself in the regulation head covering, the inventor of which regulation cap may congratulate himself on having made the ugliest and most uncomfortable skull protector possible; and it is weil for him that the prayers of the wicked avail little, or our auathemas would consign him toa place-consi- derably warmer than Key West. I in vain pleaded the excessive heat and the necessity of keeping ay bead per- fectly cool,'as I had a strong ition to brain fever; 801 was obliged with a Fogreiful tear to consign my obnoxious straw hat to eblivion. Nothing {worthy of note occured on eur passage down, except the frequent visits of that never welcome guest, sea sickness. Only those who haye been tosea canappreciate the intense gratification afforded to an old stager by seeing the agonizing stroggies of some poor unfortunate not to ap- pear sick, until, finding the task too Herculean for him to accomplizh, in au agony of despair be wishes himself dead, and can fully enter into the feelings of the person who wrote:— A life on the ocean wave: te ‘The man who wrote it was green; The author had never been to sea, And a storm he never had seen. Almost all of our crew, and Iam sorry to say some of the officers, o far forgot themselves a8 to indulge in this amusement; but now they are all sailors, and when they get home will talk about the poor devils that were sea sick, asif they had never been troubled with the affection themselves. Ov the 3d instant we passed pod of-the-line, four frigates and twe gunboats, ft which showed French colors, and proved to :be part of the fleet for Vera Cruz to have a little conversation with the icang. They were all steam vessels and carried pewerful batteries, so that if the Mexicans are not very agreeable the visit may lead to unpleasant resulis. We will remain here only Jong to take in water, and then go immediately to to report to. the Com- modore. I cannot see what possible use a ailing vesecl can be on this station, as vessels should bave a calm we could do nothing. I hope when next I write to be able to have something intorosting to.tell you about; but as yet we have done and seen pothing, and each day ;is but arepetition of the former. ‘The weather is uncomfortably hot, and .as my sheet is full I shall not spin my yarn any longer—till next time. Usirep Stargs S1sAMER ateen’ } Orr Cuanistoy, 8. C., Jan. 12, 1862. three Months’ Experience as @ Blockader— Specimen of Southern Shoet—Arrival of Contrabands—Tainall’s Mos- quito Fleet—New Orders—The Irreqularity.of the Mails— Treasury Notes in Demand—An Unsuccessful Ruse, &c. It would seem as if Flag Officer Dupent's seport to.the department, eulogizing the services and efficiency of the Alabama, and other steamers of the same class, is.well deserved; for during three months tbat she has been in commission she bas assisted in blockading the different ports and harbors between Charleston and Fernandina, besides capturing two and destroying one valuable vessel and cargo, not to mention ‘‘toteing’’ stone frigates from port to port. We have, in fact, been®kept upon the can- stant go, and, were it not for bright anticipations can- cerning prospective prize money , blockading upon such @ cheerless, dead-and-alive looking coast as this would prowe excessively humdrum and§monotonous. As it is, we would like to have an occasional band in some of the more exciting expeditions that are now and then fitted out; bat (hat work is generally entrusted to the new con- tract gunboats, whose light draft of water and long range guns render them peculiarly adapted to the opera- tions upap the Southern coast. Mails very seldom come direct, and when a steamer is expected to go North we have our lettere already written, often several days in advance, ready to cend away at ® moment's warning. Hence the abrupt termination and closing up of some of my communications. Another disagreeable feature counected with the block- ding service is the fact that iaundregees, tailors and shoemakers are not at present indigenous to our cruising grounds, and the gradual dimivution in the supply of clean linen has caused the practice of many ingenious de- ceptive little artifices (known opiy to the initiated) to remedy and conceal the want. T wish that some of the people who imagine that ‘‘se- cosh’ furnish their troops with good, comfortable cioth- ing could seo the soldiers’ shoes taker from a schooner burned near Cumberland by the Alabama. They were a very coarse, ungainly arrangement, manufactured from common half tauned yeilow Spanish leather, with singio thin sole, and neither lining, binding nor heels, evidently ceeting uot more than twenty ceute a pair. On Sunday, the 5th instant, while lying in Warsaw Inlet, we observed a number of contrabands making signais on the beach abreast of us;anc,aithough it was raining at the time, two boats put of from the Seminole and took them off to that vessel, together with four canoes ix which they (eight in al!) bad paddied alithe way up from Brunswick, Ga., a distance of about seventy miles. The next day we picked up a very intelligent yellow fellow who bad made his es- eape from Savannah professed to be the servant of acaptain inane of the forts. The stories that he told differed from those of some of the others; for he stated that Tainall was at Savannah, with the mosquito fleet of soven steamers, among which were the Everglade,Samp- son, Columbus, Huntress and Uncle Bam, the former being one of those that came down Augustine river every day, to commuviente with the fort at the head of War- saw Sound. Free negroes are made to work on the forti- fications, bat slaves are hired from their masters, and if they attempt to leave and caught, death is their in- evitable portion. Rebel officers and slaveholders will not allow either soldiers or servants to gain correct informa- tion or news with regard to their battles or other ‘a tions, but stuff them up with stories that although the foderals are tov much for them afloat, when they come into-collision on shore the Yaukees are invariably beaten. On the 7th the gunboat Pembina came in with orders for the Alabama t> proceed to Port Royal for stores; but be- fore leaving the harbor we came to abreast an abandoned rebel br.astwork near its entrance, and sent our boats on shore to raft off some secesh timber left behind by them in their baste to get out of the range of Uncle Sam's cruisers. + oe y Renken Ae oy we ee very pretty target practice with our battery upen the wee ofa schooner half buried in asand bank ust out. side, and, in company with the captain of the Pemnbina, I observed an army re, doubtless to ex- tho sand battery as to the feasibility of mounting nl OCeN; ying i. riving at Port Royal, we filled up with clothing and other stores from the }teloase, with the expectation of returning to our former eruising ground; but on the fol- y we got orders to sail, and accordingly just immer (1¢ anchor was hove up and the Alabama |t Of the bay, steering to the northward and east- ii o In the evening we anchored in the line with the Seminole, Penguin, Pocahontas and Roebuck, off Charles- ton; but now that the stone fleet is sunk in the southern with Jing with @ roving commission up and from them we learn that packages snpposed to aceompany them, but that “gomebody”’ will pertinaciousiy persist in asserting his prior claim to them. It is next to an imponsibility to procure notes down here, either for love or money, and the want is severely felt by those who have families at home to pro- vide for, bat have not the facilities for transmitving specie to them Co schooner came out from Charleston and ran down Morris Island, firing guns to entice some of the ey L contanes under the fire of shore batterien; vat the dodge wae, classically speaking, ‘ played out,’ and only eteled lenghter on Gur oe’ 7 ‘ ie One Trauma, Ge. , Jan. 1, 1862. The Caidretion of the New Year at Fort Fybee—Rener dance of Home, Sweet Home—Drill oS Colonel Of the Seventh Cor sna ney Neus, do.) de Tee new Year es heralded by the Forty- Sixt) New York regiment, Colfnel Resa, after the man- peculiar to the brave fellows that compose it, clearly evidencing that they claimed the faderland as their birth place, although battling bravely for the country of their adoption. Just before midnight of yesterday the horizon was lighted up by the glare of a hundred fires, which somewhat puzzled us, until we remembered that the bu- rial of the old year was about to take place, while the echo of men’s voices broke the stillness of the hour and carried us back to the happy firesides where good cheer and pleasant interchanges of feeling were filling up the ‘time. The commemoration of the day was in no wise abated after daylight, for the booming of guns im rapid succession caused many on board to turn out, and gave the impression that the enemy had actually opened fire from Pulaski. But little has transpired of any moment during the past ten days. A portion of the squadron, composed of the Pawnee (flagship), Commander Drayton; the Vandalia, sloop-of-war, and the Wyandot, are holding hig! eg while the the Seminole, the Alabama and Henry Andrews are blockading Warsaw . On Monday evening, under inatructions from the commanding officer on this station, both cutters were despatched, with volunteer crews, to board all strange ‘vessels in the offing and report the result, The first cut- ter did not return unti) this morning, having been carried out by the wind and tide, and her crew taken on board the Alabama, off Warsaw passage. In company with a number of my brother officers, 1 this morning went on shore, witnessing a very efficient regimental drill of Colo- nel Rosa's regiment, who invited us to his quarters (the lightkeeper’s former residence), where we were cor- dially welcomed by his staff and handsomely entertained. Major Zimmer, who has seen much service in Continental Europe, was particularly kind, and afforded us much in- teresting informatien. The yy-sixth deserves much praise {for its proficiency in drill, and reflects great credit upon its commanding officer. It numbers about seven hundred and fifty men, who have all the energy and de- termination which characterize their countrymen. The Seventh Connecticut are also encamped here, and cannot fail to attract attention from their soldier-like bearing ‘and efficiency on parade. General Wright is in command of the brigade, to which the two regiments are at . Officers and men alike complain of the masterly of inactivity to which they are obliged te submit. The feeling attains to a great extent in the squadron, nor can J Jearn that any atrategic movement is contemplated by the government. Vessels of light draught are much needed im the service; they are more effective than those carrying heavier batteries and drawing more water, and are of immense advant in a reconnoissance or in ferreting out the enemy’s ws im bays and inlets wherc the water is shoal. Yateili was received here this morning that Prince ASbert had deceased, and that the British ernment was on the point of declaring war against the United States. 1 ‘wait for news more reliabie to confirm the latter state- . I have seen but one newspaper, and that the Heratp, since we have been on the station, now over a fortnight. Mail matter comes to hand but rarely, as its transmission is entirely by United States vessels to Port Royal. ‘The vessels belonging to the Quarter- partment of the army carry the army mail only. It would be well if some arrangement could be made by which the two arms of the service would ac- commodate each other in this respect. More anon. Umrsp Srares Srzaakh Mount ‘on’} Orr Wnaaneton, N. €., Jan. 1, 1862. Burning of a Light Vessel Under the Guns of Fort Cas- well, NV. C., by the Boats of the United States Steamer Mount Vernon, Commander O. 8. Glisson—Details of the Operation—Gallantry of the Men Engaged—Bold- ness of the Plan of Atiack—Successful Movements, de. ‘We have been blockading off this port since the 11th of December last, having come here from Beaufort, N.C. On our arrival here, we saw that the rebels had taken the light vessel which was formerly on the Frying Pan shoals, and anchored her close to Fort Caswell, where she served ap & beacon for vessels going in and out of the harbor; they also used to hoist lights on board of her at night to annoy us. ‘Coptain Glisson determined to destroy her, if possible, to provent the rebels making use of her for any purposc. He accordingly planned an expedition to go in and set fire to her. Every officer and man being @ volunteer for tits service, the only difficulty was to determine who should remain op board. He selected Acting Masters Aleck ‘Allen and H. L. Sturgess, Mr. J. P. Foote, coast pilot; one Doatswain’s mate, one quartermaster and nine men to perform this hazardous duty; and at midnight on Decem- ber 30 the party left the sbip in two boats, divided as follows:—The cutter, umder command of Acting Master Aleck Allen, with Mr. J. P. Foote; David H. Thayer, chief Doatewain’s mate; William Bental, Quartermaster, and three men. The gig, under commhand of Acting Master H. L. Stargees, with six men. The cutter was provided with combustible materials, and the crew were well armed, as were also the orew of the gig, which boat, having s compass, led the way into the lurbor, and on the cutter going alongside of the light vesse) lald off on ber cars, ready to support her in the event of an attack being made. Tne boats pulled quietly into the entrazce of barbor, where the cutter took the lead, and when she bad got the light vessel between her and Fort Cas well ehe pulled gently down for her'with two oars, and got on her starboard quarter without discovery. Luckily a was found hanging over the quarter, by the aid of whieh Acting Master climbed on board. He was ‘ickly followed by Mr. Foote; the boatsewain’s mate and ter A. Hanling were then sent down for the combustible materials. After a careful it was discovered that there was no une on ; but there were evidences of carpenters having been recently employed in putting up berths and cutting gun ports. vensel was pierced for ight gups,and the fighting Dolte were in the deck and everything was nearly ready for mounting her battery. ‘The rebels doubtless intended to use her for harbor de- fence. There being no ladders shipped, the Quartermaster was lowered down the after hatchway, where he soon collected a fine es boards, to which were added the combustibles brought in the boat. After well saturating the whole with turpentine he set fire to it. The party then retreated to their boat, which shoved oif directly. Both boats pulled their bardest in the directfon of the ship. Nor were they any too soon in doing so; for, owing to there being side lights in tho vessel a light could be distinetly seen on shore, and just before the pile was fired we heard the sentries on shore giving the ularm, by calling out “Watch.” They were too late. A little bet- ter watch on their part woula have saved the embryo Conjederaic war verse! ; (or she was anchored only a short distance from the ramparis of the fort. The fort com- menced firing her heavy guns in the direction of the boats; but they were out of harm's way. Imsnediately on eeoing the fire Captain Gitsson hoisted position lights and made the Mount Vernon’s number by Coston's colored signal lights. The burning vessel, the guus from the fort, the boats, with their crews straining every verve, and the colored niguale of the Mount Vernon, formed ® most magnificent spectacle. The work was most effectually done. Whether the rebels ever attompted to stop the flames or not we can- not learn; but this we do know, that after burning for over thiriy hours not a vestige of her remained. ‘Tho vory boldness of the plan insured ite success. The rebels never for one instant imagined that the “Yankeo penne (as they politely style the federal navy) would ave the audacity to come between the wind aud their nobility, and burn a vessel lying in one of their ports, within hail of a fort mounting sixty guns; therefore they thought it quite superfluous to place any guard on board. Had they done #0, I am afraid that I should have another account to give, as not one of the littie band would ever have lived to tell the tale. It is to be hoped that the Navy Department will recog- nise the important service rendered by Captain Gliseon, and give him # largor vousel, which hia zeal, his patriot: ism and his standing in the navy so well entitle him to. ‘Univer States Steam@rn Ruope Istaxp, ) Hpurron Roans, Jan. 16, 1962. f Lengthy Cruise of the Rhode Island-—Rejoicings in Charles. ton to Commemorate the Secession of South Carolina—Ez- perience of Rough Weather—Caplure of a PritemThe Ceiebration of New Year's Day—Security of Pickent— Vessels Spoken at Sea, dc. , Bc. Owing to various circumstances we have this time ‘been out rather longer than usual. We left Hampton Roads on the 7th December for Port Royal, stopping at Hatteras Inlet, Beaufort, Wilmington and Charleston. ‘We reached the last named place on the 10th, and as we approached we heard the reports of heavy guns and could see the smoke from Fort Sumter; and as severa; vessels were off the bar we thought from appear- ‘ances that the ball had opened, and made preparations for entering the lists should such prove to be the case; ‘but no such glory awaited us, as the fring was by way of salutation to an English man-of-war, and had been going on all day to commemor: Carolina, and keep it before the people that the Palmetto State had, by the voice of her sovereign people, one year since, shaken off the tyrannical yoke of United States despotism, &c.,&c. A small steamer, bearing the Eng” the secession of South \ish flag at the peak and a flag of truce forward, had come out from Charleston with the English Consul, to communicate with the man-of-war, and was about re- turning as we arrived. We reached Port Royal next morning, and remained ‘until five P. M., when we stood out; but being overtalen by darkness before we could get outside, we anchored for the night and banked fires. About midnight a gale from the northeast came up suddenly, parting the starboard cable as s06n as the squall strock the ship. The fires were at onee spread and the port anchor let go; but after dragging that anchor for a few minutes, chain parted, leaving vs helpless until steam could be raised, which Was, however, accomplished in an aansually short time, and we headed for sea, trusting to Providence to keep us in the channel, a8 we could not see the buoys. ‘We cleared the bar, and were soon fafely ont, Camp] the loes of both our bower anchors. During the next day experienced a beayyale and a very rough ‘sea, mach to the disguat of a cortain diseipie of Esculapius, who is emplaticaily not a seafaring man, and whose nervous P- AE the symmetry of her wheels, but was not jured. On the Slet an expedition for Biloxi, consisting of the Water Witch, gunboat New Lon- don and steamer Lewis. had not learned full: P. M.,and they had just commenced. The rebels sent a steamer down tothe Navy Yard,and Col. Brown upon her as soon as she was within reach, to which the rebel batteries replied, and the firing was up on sides until seven P. M., when Col. Brown ga’ order to cease firing and Fort Pickens shut up shop for the night. ‘The other batteries did not cease, however. ‘Fort Bar- rancas,the Navy Yard batteries and the battery near Fort McRae all played upon Pickens, but without doing 4 damage, although the shells fell fast and thick in the The naval vessels present were the South Carolina, R. R. Cuyler and Rhode Island. None of them having & sufficient armament to attack Fort McRae ourselves with standing by to prevent any landing on the island, should it be attempted, Two shots only were fired at us; but they did not reach. We were within range of their guns; but by 0 could better employ their energies on Colonel Wilson's attery, which kept up @ vigorous fire. The officers in Fort Pickens feel per- fectly seoure against any force the enemy can bring ‘against them, and could, with the assistance of afew war vossels, drive them out, if they had force enough to hold the points after taking them. No shots were fired from Fort MeRas, but from the battery alongside, which made good shots, throwing a shell into Piskens about every time, the only trouble being that they did no essen- tial damage. McRae would be a guod fort if it hada good foundation; but the sand washing away, it bas set- tied somewhat, and the walls are said to bo cracked. we contented One shell fell into the culinary department of Fort Pickens, disarranging matters there to some extent. Another struck the wall, and, glancing off, struck 2 man obliquely on the back. ‘He was considered dead far a few minutes, but was soon bimseif again. Tho firing, with the exception of Fort Pickens, was kept up pretty steadily all night, and at eleven o’clock the entertainment was varied 7, the addition of a fire. The officers’ quarters and several buildings in War- rington were burued. The firing was not renewed in the morning, the rebels doubtless considering it a waste of ammunition. The gunboat Mercedits arrived on the morping of the 2d. pt. Alden, whose energy has made the South Carolina a notorious vessel in the Gulf, came on board to take passage home with us. ‘Arrived at Key West on the 5th, and left again on the 8th, speaking steamer Philadelphia, from New York. Spoke Unit States steamer Bienvil'e, off St. Johns. January 11, met United States steamer Connecticut, at Port Royal; January 13, passed steamer Ericsson, bound South: January 14, experienced a heavy gale from the northeast. Affairs in Missouri. MOVEMENTS OF THE REBEL GENERAL PRICE—HIS AP- POINTMENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ARKANSAS AND MISSOURI. {Special Rolla (Mo.) correspondence mocrat, Jan12.) I gathered the following facts in a conversation with the prieeners:—Sterling Price assumed the command as Major General in the service January 1. His department embraces Missouri, Arkansas and the In- dians of the Indian Nation. A ‘The Generals have also been trans- ferred to the te service, with the same rank:— McBride, Steene, Clark, Harris, McIntosh, Parsons and Slack. General Rains dppases the idea of being transfor: red to the Canfederate service. have been transferred, except a portion gade Parsons kes: eon was a heavy train of supplies from hontas to |, via Fayetteville. His route passes through the nort of in which » ‘The Arkansas “ne have grossly traduced the Missou- rians, and the jing between the two factions is any- thing but cordial; but the superseding of McCulloch by McIntosh will tend 4o harmonize matters. On New Year's day General Price moved all his stock southward from Springfield. This circumstance gave Pasta tke capers Cie tees packing up to k D- tain Steigleman says that Price’s force num! it} thou: He left Osceola with seven thousand five bed dred, and since his arrival at Springfield bis force has been’ swelled by an secession of recruits, and parties from the North, which have been called in, together with thirteen thousand Confederates under McIntosh. The se- cession runnors exaggerate the amount of Price’s force to about twenty thousand. COOL IMTUDENCE OF A FEMALE REBEL. Louis Demecrat states that a Mrs. Letchworth, of Lexington, hae presented States Commissioners of claims in that city for » wagon and a pair of mules which she presented last summer to General Sterling Price, and which were afterwards cap- tured by General Lane's forces. Work Before the Legislature. BILLS IN TRE ASSEMBLY. ‘Mr. Pruxcie’s bill in relation to the wrongful conver. sion of public money provides:— Seetion 1. Any person who shall wrongtully and corraptly convert to bis own use any public money or 4 ‘any sheriff, constable, collector, % , Coun elerk, or clerk of any court, of any public officer not’ herein- betore mentioned, or any depury, Of auy such office’, who shall ry of ajmisdemeanor, if the amount converted ‘not exceed twenty-five dollars, and of a felony if it does exceed twenty-five dollars, and may, upon conviction, be punt to the same extent as if guilty of stealing a like amount, The provisions not to app'y to any offences committed prior to the passage of t. rsonal Intelligence. Governor wood and lady, of Vermont; W. L. Richmond, United States Army; Lieutenant J.@. Bon United States Navy; R. H, Dana, Jr.,of Boston; C. Rux- ton and lady, of lilinois, and W. Chester, of Philadelphia, are etopping at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Dr. N. A, Hammond, Captain M. ©. Clark, Captain ', H. Higginbotham, and Captain Wilkes, all of’ the United States Army; George A. Nolan, of St. Louis; M. M. For- syth, of Minuesota; C. H. and lady,and W. H. Clements, of Cincinnati; Judge J. L. Jewett, of New York, F. Hommedieu, of Cincinnati, are among the arrivais at the Metropolitan Hotel. Colonel D. W. Saaediens Fortress Monroe; Captain Jowett, of the steamship City of New York; J. L.Smiley, of San’ Francisco, M. J. Farrell, of Washington; J. ¥. Fargo, of Buffalo; J. Brooks, of Connecticut; W. King, of Rhode Island; J. H. Rathbone, of Albany; Hon. L. B.'Marsh, of Boston: J. B. Turner and ©. G. Davison, of Chicago; H. Stillwell, of Rochester; Hon. J. M. Jaycox, of Syracuse, and A. Stager, President American Company, have arrived at the St. Nicholas Hotel. Court Cal r=This Day. a1 1UTds 1076, 1070, 106], 1065, 1080 1087, i000 1 931, 19° a 5 n 1 991 100i, 1006 2001, 2006, 2067, 3600, 2011, Pare Now 1688, 1764, 1814, 1826, 1834, 1806,'1838, 1844, 1846, 1848, 1860, 1862, 1866, 1868, 1870, 1872, 1874. Scranion Covet.—Part 1.—Nos. 863, 1283, 1939. 28024, 1913, 3047, 3049, 1918, 3170, 3181, 3183, 3185, 3180, $101, . . 3195, 3197. Part 2.—Nos, 2164,'2072, 208%, 422, 3204, 3442) 3444, 8466, 3458, 9460, 2462, 3464, 3408, 3470, 2472° Part $—Nos. 2867, 2869, 8201, 3203, 5205, 2001, 5900, 11, 001d, Sai5, alt, S9l0, Pare a Nos. '3134,'8260,'8210, 3474, 3476, 9478, 3480, 3496, 8489, 3494, 3406, 3408 Markets. OmGaco, Jan. 18, 1962. Flour dull, Wheat advanced \gc: at 720. for No.1, 66 icc. a 67c. for 2. Corn dull but easier, at 22\¢c. Mess por firm, at $0123, a $0 25. Hogs—Dressed aul, and . lower, at $2.60 $270; live Se, lower, at $2 35. Receipts—6,000 wbis. flour, 38, wheat, 11,000 bushels corn, 5,000 live hogs, 3,200 dressed hogs. Exchange unchanged. Ixavavnation or Govanwon Top, or Omto.—Governor Tod was inaugurated at Columbus on the 13th inet. message is brief. The Governor has confidence in purity and patriotism of President Lineoln, and commends the President's determination to restore the government to its former harmony and vigor, irrespective of the re. sult upon the domestic inatitutione of any of the States. He recommends the reduction of the salaries of all rer; of volunteers, and advises that the Soemersso anes ‘suspend 6 payment. Finall = a thorough organization of thowmititia of A Tart Sqvseze.—Humphrey Marshall, ona straight wake for Cumberlaud Gap, meets a ham Hemrnesr (alarmodly )—Do you think [ can get through the Gap? RANGER (measuring him with his cye)—Why, &n 1 onend tink you might; but 1v-will be ae all-ared tight aqneere. Marshall woighs three hundred and forty-five pounds Averdupois. Arrivals and Departares, ARRIVALS. Kineeton, Ja—Steamship Cleator=J Solomen, Capt W Wil- fon, Dr W Becket, Jas Minot, HC Kiing and lady, 1 ORDON=Ship JubanucA Pacusiik, Port of New York, January 19, 1062 ARRIVED. oS ee aed with red letter Z tn it, 5 vel ah core: Pao emacs at as saw ship Lincoln, x. ep one Hopes. ‘passage. Ship Johanne (Prus), Lovdon, 57 in wank piaderen wee ety a cee of sete us West, Page, Dunkirk, 40 days, 10 ballast, 10 Wim r to siete Carver's Chinse, Hs Ad gates; epi and lost elle; Deo 25, Thos Wales, of & ry weanip ‘Ano Fscamide (of Kennebunk ) Mulliken, oo to master. Had heavy A iiliiemntaiys 82 }, lon 81 ea Br byigig Ym it; 25th, lat 31 21 8. lon Eeetereinaincs eos een neiro for New York; 10th inst, lat 34 ion 3a npoke Amelia, of Halifax, for Porto Rico, xu winds in lat WNW "i and eet git inet, about 20. miles NNW (rom the lands, was 8) aan & pilot—we answ poken by ‘pilot boat No 17 astern of butsce they did not offer to come alongside we filled a ao ee ae aid y Flouk, after an hour we fell i with anal engaged a ateamtug, and subsequently took a pilot from boas seek Jobn Fyfe, Luther, Dublin, 24 days, in ballast, to wate Ela, ad |, Bonglovant, Limerick, 61 days, in bale to Holm 0. f Orphan, Smith, Dunkirk, 81 days, tn toWn. myaon'k CO, 10d inst, iat al, ton ‘eh passed hip wera, from for New Yor fear Hamund (Rrem}, Wehmen, Havre, 42 days, in balay fennings & Goa Je-siemunde (Hano), Ki 40 days, wits pasoans 3 fausepge a iach, Mainake Went Bark Heorlcita Biisabeth Susatine (Hol), Maybooue, Rot eMart Now Orleane. (Been), Sand.rs, Antwerp, 46 days. tm apast, to R nat ni ty ton Of, passed Bren irom Hiner for Sion are to go. to these are and leave us, wehad tacked the ‘malnyard to receive thelr pilot. (Bre Bros, 16th ina NS), ——, Dublin, 89. fig samuel 8 Jobason. (Br, of Yarmouth, NB), Shaw, St rs LO. 4 (Br, of ), Hartigan, St Marc,.. rey, sche 213 Latha, Ber ain for Deal'eTland. 6 stone, molds, Providence, 2 days. Siam er Ospray, Kenney, Frovidence “ Bark Helvetia (Brem), Brandorff, from Bremerhaven, . Nig Rose (Br), Hal, from Shields, 88 days. Steamshins Australasian (ir), Liverpool; Bremen, of and < Te eee rig WR Kibby, Santa Martha. ‘Wind at sunset NE, American Shipmasters’ Association, Nos 87 axp 86 Mzncuants’ Excuance. The following approved officers have received cerificates < wwii shi Al jams, ip Foner, St: Ang F Ba ; Hi H Ba Victoria; M Bens vege noe Seu Foam ; Chas A Corneliee + B abi femry. fenry ¢ ship New York; Henry C Palmer, late of ‘ship: ‘ los Recany, one if bart Newburyport. ara mn, au burg. fnto St Ti it to refit, and remained ee ers eteen tah etd Br Scur Parapise—Brig Nere ecg from nam, 8234, rochr Faraday, Wemry from Halas i aiecoue ae Dimekiuans her crew. The Nereus was blowp off 3 times by heavy gales. ~ Br ship Th A ‘ole, rng Brahe a nn Cole, abandoned at sea, bad op tr stows ta wunsber fost 20 be 1a. Sener Pemeenrsenaae® Mating. Bect since ast talie-the schra Clate Le Speke, and whaling Bee e schrs Abbie 4i"Brown. “hey are fine vessels, of abort 190 tone Gchr Westover, of Boston, has been by gre, t $700 the ‘gers to mao Ber She will'prossed to Port Bayal ina few daye. Bedi Several vessels at New ford were ready for sea the apprehended dificulties with Emgland prevented bome: trom taking risks, and ‘without insurance. A number are ready for sea. The following table gives a summary of the vessels in the nba of ey ork Bogie, Belue Gpaveetan, Se oft wy wt glee alzs Elae BLES 7 Gook, from, Honolulu, 2348 ju ‘00d, from do, 20) eke wh 826 Ibs bone. s w DW. es > }, hence for ation ners ae B jene-ae rate Ship Mohawk, Faller, JERNoDs, Jan in ee Br wi 5 Caraiit tor ‘sort, ding? barks Elizabeth Leavitt, from New York for Dublin 10 days; ), LODKs from Mansaniila for Palmouth, repg; sehr Lone way, from NY¥ork for Ji re In port 1th, Br bark th ‘ork, in distress; brige Magnet (Br). $4, ‘and ‘shified; Penguin (Br), Uon= were art Nitork Tor Barbalos: f M Mayhew (ir). Frith, from NYork; Ocean Travelier, from Fi 3 ochre lot's Bride, Coker, from do; R G Whilden, and Geo © Esoee ig distremn. ‘Aaa CT enterlatnapenccscecnea a See Hee pert ee Pl ort, tom Bon arr . oe te Secrest momen 20 ty Port Perrx, Guad, Dec 20—No ard ‘Bollze, Hon, Jan 2, lot ", Colles Port au Pauw NYork 15 days; from few days, refitting; Talluiah, mer, fork few Nrhtanket, ‘Dunbar, for ‘came day; eoler, Wheeler, diag, une; Af sohre Houston, i, from Philadelphia arr for cht; sen Canon, from NYork for Coast of Ali 5 Sr sours, B jan In port sche Peerless, for erlean Porte. Arita Create, ai all, Phos Woodward, Wel do yin, Holmes ; Enchantress, Besa waa aley, do; GLOUCEETER, Jan 18—Arr brig Nereus, Homans, Surt- pawn, MOLMES' HOLE, Jan i7—Are bark Lady Sufolk, Allen, Por PONT, Jan it—-No arr this morning; wind AW, fresh, Bid 16th, sehr. Hine, sigh, Whaley, for C Bed fe ee Rae Kelw, coors WD Mangr'n, Toipocance, Teens nad other WV IDENCE tan 17—Arr steamers Pelican, Baker, ang Orpen, Kenney, Yorks sche Caroline, Rogers, do} soe wen, Brotherton, N York