The New York Herald Newspaper, August 24, 1863, Page 4

4 NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 1863. newspapers. On the subject of Charleston the rebel papers are ominously quiet, and what they do say is to be taken inferentially that the fall of Fort Sumter is at hand. The Richmond papers are filled with labored articles on conscription and currency matters, urging the necessity of the former and the return of deserters, in case of the accomplishment of which an early forward movement is promised. On the subject of currency there is great dissatisfaction on the semi-reproduction by the rebel government of portions of the shinplasters that are in circulation. The steamship Beauregard, Captain Thomas Logan, has successfully run the blockade into a Confederate port. Major Devereaux, recently ap- pointed “ Chief Tithing Man"’ of North Carolina, will not accept the appointment. General Roger A. Pryor has resigned his position in the rebel ar- my. The Richmond Hngtirer recommends the immediate inauguration of energetic steps to in- crease their fleet of piratical vessels on the ocean by purchasing additional vessels in Europe. The fearful story of the massacre at Lawrence, Kansas, by rebel guerillas, is given in detail in our columns to-day, together with an account of the town of Lawrence and its previous history. MISCELLANEOUS NEWS. The Monitor Lehigh was towed to sea on Satur- day evening by the United States steamer Home, and returned again Sunday morning, in conse- quence of a disarrangement of the machinery of the Home, and anchored in Quarantine. The Home proceeded to the Navy Yard. The candidates for Speaker of the next United States House of Representatives, thus far noticed, are Hon. Fernando Wood, of New York, and Hon. Francis P. Blair, of Missouri, opposition; and Hon. Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, and Hon. Elihu B. Washburne, of Illinois, administration. The number of tons of coal transported over the Philadelphia and Reading Raiload up to Au- gust 20, this year, compared with the amount carried last year to the same date, is as follows:— This year... 02,042,697 Last year.. 1,463,856 eceere steeeecreesees 578,841 Thomas D'Arcy McGee denies that he received his information about the invasion of Canada from Mr. Vallandigham. He says that Mr. Hol- ton, who is a a en of the Canadian govern- ment, told him (McGee) that Theodore Hart told him (Holton) that Secretary Seward told him (Hart) that when Canada was invaded it would be with an army the number of which he did not re- collect, Judge Sanford, of the Superior Court of Con- necticut, has issued an injunction against the town of Washington, in that State, restraining the authorities from paying a bounty to drafted men who were accepted by the Board of Enrolment. There was more activity and buoyancy in the stock market Saturday then on Friday, and the rush to buy all the prominent fancies was very great, and continued till late in the afternoon. Gold was about 124%, and exchange 137%. ‘The cotton market on Saturday was very dull, and the tendency of prices decidedly dowaward, The transactions in breadstuffs were limjted, and most articles were do- pressed, corn, which was scarce and firmer, having been she only exception. The provision market was not ac- tive; but prices were generally well supported. Thete was lees dotng in groceries and whiskey; but there was ‘no material alteration in value. Hay, hides and leather were selling rather freely. Tallow was in less demand. ‘The freight market was dull, with insignificant engagé- ments reported. In other branches of trade the move- tents were unimportant. NEW YORK HERALD. JAMES GORDON BENNETT, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR OFFICE H.W. CORNER OF FULTON AND NASSAU @TS. ‘TERMS cash tn advance. Money seat by mali will bo atthe risk of the sender. None but bank bills current in New York taken. ‘HE DAILY HERALD, Tunez conte er copy THE WEEKLY BERALD, every Saturday, at Five coat Percopy. Apunual subscription price:— $2 Postage five cents per capy for three months. Any largor number, addreased to names of subscribers, $1 SOcach An extra copy will be sent to every club of ton. Twenty copies, to ove address, one year, $35, and any larger Dumper at same price. An extra copy will be sont to clubs of twenty, These ratcsmake the Waser HIRRALD fhe cheapest publication tm the country, ‘The Eunoraaz Evmon, every Wednesday, at Five cents per copy; $4 per annum to any part of Great Britain, er @6 to auy part Of the Continent, both to include Postage Tho Canons Eprrioy, on yhe Sd, 13th and 284 of each month, at Sx conts per copy, or @3 per annum. Abvern=eaunts,to a limited number, will be inserted ip tne Weexty Hamatp, apd ia the European and Cilifor- AMUSEMENTS THIS EVENING. NIBLO'S GARDEN, Broadway.—Tax Duxa’s Morro. WALLACE'S THEATRE, Brosdway.—Tave to THE WINTER GARDEN, Broadway.—Natatiz. NEW BOWERY THEATRE. Bowery.—Taxrix or DeatTu—La Tour ve Nesiv—Versy Bake. BOWERY THRATRE, Bowery.—Guost or Aurexsuza— Srrtstey—Wanpering Sremxiz, BARNUM'S AMERICAN MUGEUM, Broadway —Tox Pronon—iNDIAN Curers, WARRIORS aNp Syuaws, &0.. at all hours “Haunrep Cuamaxn—Quire at Honx—Aiter- moon and Evening. BRYANT'S MINSTR! Mechanics’ 4. yay.-Bmiorax Bowes, Danoe Bouuasevia: ke tus HOST. WOOD'S MINSTREL HALL. 544 Bisedway.<Ermoruax fence, Dances, dc. —SUx G4 Ost. AMERICAN THEATRE, No. 44 Brosdway.—Barezre, ‘aR1OMINES, BURLEsUBS, £6.—Onx THOUSAND MILLINKES NEW YORE MUSEUM OF ANATOMY, 618 Broadway.— Cumoatias anp Lectonss, from 9a. M. till 10 P. 1 aah New York, Mo THE SITUATION. The news from Charleston is most important. By the arrival of the steamer Star of tho South at this port yestet-day—an ominous name for the mes- senger of such intelligence—and by the arrival of the Arkansasat Philadelphia, we have information that Fort Sumter has been fearfully damaged by the fire of our guns; its walls scarred, broken up gud breached in several places, and the safety of the city of Charleston placed in {mminent peril. The bombardment of Fort commenced on Monday, the 17th inst., from the shore and naval batteries, while the Moniter fleet kept forts Wagner and Gregg omployed, and silenced both of them. The iton-clads Patapsco and Passaic plicd their guns on Sumter, While fighting the batteries of Wagner we regret to say that Commodore Rodgers and Paymaster Woodbury, who were on the fron-clid Catskill, were both instantly killed by a shell. The.flect, however, is uninjured. We give a sketch of Com- moiore Rodgers in another column. The Con- federate flag on Fort Sumter was shot away seve- ral times, but was again and again hoisted amid the most tefrific fire. So torn are the walls that the shots from our guns pass clear through the openings and strike the opposite wall of the fort. The parapets are nearly all knocked off, and the walls literally honeycombed. The bombardment of Thursday, the 20th, it was which completed the terrible destruction on the fort which the cannon- ade of Monday commenced. At that time (Thurs- day) the gorge wall still stood, although it was being cut away piece by piece. It is evident that Sumter is prepared to make a desperate defence, and will hold out to the last. So with the other defences of Charleston. Although the fight has been val- jantiy begun, and the result can hardly be doubt- Tal, yet there is much severe work to be donaby our military and navy forces before we can call Charleston our own. ‘The special despatches of our correspondents which we publish to-day contain a most interest- ing account of the whole proceedings in front of Charleston since Monday last. We would call special attention to the map of Charleston and vicinity which we give in another part of the paper. From the Army of the Potomac the news is that General Lee is receiving large reinforce- ments, and is supposed to be preparing for an- other raid into Maryland similar to the movement of last August, which preceded the battle of Antietam, Refugees from Richmond state that the conscription is being rigidly enforced. All classes, between “the ages of sixteen and sixty, fare taken wherever found, except those employed by the government or who are exempted from having heretofore furnished substitutes under pre- ‘Wonderful Financial and Commercial Prosperity of the Country. The recent upward movement in various rail- road stocks, the steady, moderate price of gold, and the prosperity of our commerce, indicate a good and healthy condition of our finances at a moment when the Southern confederacy is bankropt and its monetary affairs are involved in utter ruin. The advance in the price of stocks since the beginning of the war isthe most wonderful fact in the history of finance, and still the prices continue to rise. These stocks have advanced on an average fully three hundred per cent. For example, the Erie for- merly sold for five; it is now one hundred -and twenty. The Galena and other roads of the same kind; which were down to thirty and forty, are now up to one hundred and thirty and one hundred and forty. The Harlem Rail- road, that nobody would take at six, has risen to one hundred and seventy. Why have these stocks been thus raised from the dead? One reason is that the enormous circulation and abundance of money, owing to the vast expen- ditures of the war, have inflated prices of all kinds. But another reason is the tremendously increased earnings of the roads. Formerly the average receipts of the Erie Railroad were five millions; now they are eleven millions. The receipts of the New York Central formerly ave- raged seven millions; now they average eleven and a half millions. Formerly the Hudson River never cotld pay its debts; thie year itis making thirty per cent. The Fort Wayne road formerly received two anda half millions an- nually; its receipts this year are five millions. The Central Lilinois increased its receipts last week by fifty thotsand dollarsind it will earn this month four hundred thousand dollars— double as much as it ever received in the month of August at any former time. This extraordinary prosperity in raflroads* springs, of course, from the increase of business. But whence the increase of business? From the great abundaiice of money, enabling men tq. em- bark in ewry kind of enterprise, and to ey it on-with abundance of capital. Whence the increase of money? It has arisen from the gigantic expenditures of war. Before the rebellion the paper money o! whole country, North and South, was two hundred and twelve millions; the gold and silver, say one hundred and fifty millions—total circulation three hun- dred and sixty-two millions. What is it now in the North alone, with only two-thirds the popu- lation? In the first place, there are one hundred and-eighty millions of bank paper, and then four hundred millions legal tender notes, with about twenty-five millions in postal currency — total, six hundred and five millions. Nor is this vious calla. The draft will commence to-day in the Fourth and Seventh districts of this city. military force is concentrated here, and shows itself in almost every quarter of the city, it is not likely that any disturbance will ocour. By a despatch from Memphis we learn that Gen, As an immense Hurlbut has made a most successful raid into | all. Congress, at its last session, gave authority a i " to Mr. Chase to issue three huudred mill er Yentral M i to seize upon some valuable paren of irredeemable bank paper, besides five hun railroad material which the rebels were running off South from Granada. The expedition started from Lagrange, Tennessee, on the 13th, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Phil- lips, of the Nineteenth Illinois mounted infantry, and reached Granada on the 17th, driving General Slimmer, with two thousand men and three pieces of artillery, from the place. They then destroyed fifty-seven locomotives, upwards of four hundred cars, the depot buildings, machine and blacksmith shops, and a large quantity of ordnance and com- missary stores. They captured about fifty railroad and fifty millions more of legal tender money. There are now two hundred new banks being organized to issue Treasuryypaper, and there is no limit to the amount that may be issued. The expansion, therefore, of paper will be enormous, greater far than it ever reached be- fore, and the commercial activity will be equally great, owing to the increased facilities and the temp Mi? aa of making money as well by legi énterprises as by all kinds of speculations. The price of gold has now sfftied down to the natural point, and will pro- bably keep there. United States securities are men and a number of other prisoners. now at their highest figure, and will not depre- We have reteived another interesting col. | ciate much in the future, unless im the event of ection of Southern news from late rebel | excessive iganan and an unnecessary vrolonga- tion of the war, in which event paper money, and war, and all, would go down together in one tremendous crash. What eaves the country now from financial revulsion is its commerce, and the natural process of “converatons” in a great commercial community in which capital seeks investment. What has brought the finances of the South to speedy destruction is the fact that it is an agricultural country, and all its commerce with foreign countries is cut off by the block- ade. Hence its expanded currency has no scope for profitable employment, and is be- coming as worthless as the assignats of the old French republic in its war with the crowned heads of Europe. France was then, like the South, an agricultural country, and all commercial intercourse was shut out by “the wooden walls of England.” On the other hand, England, being a commercial nation, and having command of the sea, was enabled to make im- mense issues of paper without excessive de- preciation. It was thus owing to the fact of the United States being a commercial republic, and its great metropolis, New York, being cen- teed in it, the commercial capital of the coun- try, that the government was enabled prompt- ly toembark in so vast a war. The bank- ers and merchants of New York, in the critical moment, supplied the adminiatra- tion with $150,000,000, which enabled it to enter upon the conflict at once on @ scale commengurate with the magnitude of the struggle and the stake at issue, though, unfortunately, it failed till it was too late to realize the arduous nature of the task it had assumed. Commercial New York gave its credit to the government; otherwise it would have broken down in the very beginning of the war. It isthe same credit that now sustains the securities issued by the federal Treasury. Mr. Chase may imagine that he is the genius who has done it-all. But it is plain he has not the slightest merit in the business. He simply drifted into it without design or contrivance on his part. Our finances and our commerce will continue toflourish. Qur commercial intercourse is open ‘with the whole wortd, and our shipping whitens every sea. But our own internal trade is im- mease, borne over immense lines of railroad and navigable waters. The manufacturers of New England and Pennsylvania are making fortunes, owing to the monopoly given them by the tariff, which shuts out foreign competition. The dry goods merchants are doing a vest-busi- ness, because money is plenty and everyhody can buy. Speculators in stocks bave tusde their millions. And all this prosperity & tikety to continue to the end of the war, provided the: war is ended in a reasonablé® thine: .~ But when the war is over, and the'time for settie- ment arrives, thon there willbe s general: smash, both financial and commercial. The people are only now beginning to~ pay tke direct taxes; but when they have borne the ‘burthen fortwo or three years they will think it is time to get rid of it altogether or to great- ly lessen the load of interest. In fact they will refuse to pay it, and then down will go the federal paper, and with it the paper of the banks, and every kind of commercial paper, and the wealthy who hold the government seou- rities will then be the chief sufferers. This Anan- celal and commercial crisis would be brought about by the natural reaction in every Kind of business consequent upon the cessation of the war, and the rapid depreciation of the enor- mous amount of paper currency in circulation, which would be then without employment. But it is the tax which will precipitate the catastrophe. Let every one therefore now make hay while the sun shines. But when the war is ended, and the reckoning comes to be paid, then let our prudent men stand from under the falling ruins. Even that revuleion,. however, like every other in the United Statos, can only be of temporary duration, and the nation soon, recuperating by its elastic energy and its boundless resources, will go on its way rejoicing, as if no calamity had ever befallen it Napoicon Stanto: Campaigns. The Hon. Henry J. Raymond is entitled to a patent right for the wonderful discovery of those brilliant qualities which constitute Secre- tary Stanton the real, bona fide, Simon Pure, unadulterated American Napoleon. Ail the other aspirants for the title are quacks and humbugs. Stanton’s the man. We confess it. Where is the military genius, either in ancient or modern days, who has brought to naught 60 many campaigns and ruined so many generals in the same space of time as the director of the War Departmentfat Washington? We can think of none, and we are pretty confident that history records none. Let us glance over his achievements in that line. The first gen who fell a victim to the superior military Strategy of the War Depart- ment was, we believe, poor Fremont; but the credit of that act does not properly belong to Napoleon Stanton, but to his predecessor, the unselfish, patriotic and immaculate .Pennsyl- vanta statesman, Mr. Simon Camerpn. It was also during the same adwinistration of the War Department that Scott, the conqueror of Mexi- co, and McDowell, the conquered at Buli run, lost their commands. : Cameron fell far shortf Stanton in the science of organizing victory. The one had proved too dble for Scott, Fremont and Me- Dowell; but a greater than either had grown up, and it was for Stanton to dispose of him. He did it effectually. By his grand master stroke of preventing the junction of McDowell’s forces with McOlellan’s “Little Mac” was driveg, through seven days’ fighting, from the swamps of the Chickahominy to the high banks of the James river. Who canclaim the credit of defeating McClellan? Who but the great general lately discovered, the American Napo- leon, Stanton. Flushed with this success, i appeared an easy matter for him to dispose of Pope, who came next on hand; and he managed it so well that that modest officer immediately betook himself to the far West, and has only been heard of since in connection with a campaign against afew hundred naked Indians under Little Grow. Once again Napoleon Stanton was called upon to defeat the movements of McClellan, who, having gained the battle of Antietam, was moving with resistless force upon ‘my. But, though McClellan whs able to b , he had to succumb before the talents of Stanton and surrender at discretion. His successors—Burn- side and Hooker—met the samo fate, and it is only by the skin of his teeth that Meade has been thus far able to hold his ground. There are three generals in the West who have hitherto escaped the power of this re- doubtable military genius, and they owe their tafety to their distance from him. He could crans have, therefore, been successful in all their movements. But they must not trust too much to their lucky stars. If Stanton should happen to turn his attention towards them, we would not give much for their laurels. Little chance would they have before one who has made such short work with the commanders of the Army of the Potomac. The discovery, therefore, is not to be dis- puted. Stanton must be, Stanton is, the veri- table American Napoleon. All former aspirants to that title were mere charlatans, and, in com- parison to him, were simple apprentices to the art of war. All hail, Napoleon Stanton! The Bombard: of Fort Sumter—The Effect of Our Modern Sieges. Our advices received yesterday by the Star of the South, from Charleston, are very in- tereating. According to these accounts and rebel telegraphs of the 20th inst., our two hun- dred-pounder Parrott guns, directed by the skilful hand of General Gillmore, were trans- forming Fort Sumter into a mass of ruins, and probably ere this that work has been made un- tenable to the enemy, and perhaps is now in the occupancy of our troops. Events thus far have proven what has hitherto been theory, that the heavy ordnance now used in our army and navy will destroy any masonry fortifica- tion, even at a distance of three thousand yards. The ingenuity of the present day is fairly taxed to its utmost to produce new engines of war, and almost every day brings to notice some new invention of this description. The present rebellion has done more to develop these ma- chines and prove their practicability than a thousand years of theorizing and speculation. Not only have we developed the best war ma- chines, but have introduced new and important systems of managing great armies, strategy, tactics, and the manner of conducting modero sieges. Writing of sieges reminds us of their indispensable concomitant, big gums. Since ie year 1854, when Sir Wm. Armstrong, in England, commenced the construction of the first piece of his great rifled ordnance that was to revolutionize the use of those of anterior fabric, to the present Yay, scarcely a month passes that the leading English papers have not something to say about the Armstrong guns. The English people, for a score of years or more, having found themselves outwitted by their cousins across the water in many depart- ments of the arts and sciences, thought, as a set-off, when Sir William Armstrong in- vented his rifled ordnance, ‘that this branch wouid counterbalance all thelr deficiencies and lack of inventive genius.¥@olumns upon -columns of the English journals have been de- }-¥oted to the publication of statistlobepd tabu- ‘larized statements of experime “with the as ig gun, from the first experiment against a wooden target with small calibres, and:then | with iroa ones, until the present day, when the inventofhss reached the maximum of his genius by making asix hundred-pounder gun of inmense range, which he asserts bas power sufficient to throw a shot that will penetrate any iron ship now afloat, or destroy any fortification now ex- tant. But the power of this gun is yet to be roved. With all this blow and bluster incident to the John Bull family, a wide margin must be made between the promise and the perform- ance. Before we pin our faith to any system or theorem we would rather see it practi- cally tested. Tho Armstrong gun is a very good machine; but, notwithetanding its inventor bas been knighted, and dined and wined from one end of the British kingdom to the other, the only practical result he has given of the efficiency of his guns was during the Anglo-French war with China, where a battery or moreof Armstrong field guns were arrayed Against the enemy, who had a few old, ineffec- tive guns.’ ‘The acoounte of the wonderful per- forinance of these guus were sounfted throughout England in Engitsbetyle: This is all that is prac- tically knoWa of the great Armstrong guu. Then, again, there’ ig, the great Whitworth gun, also Englishinvention. It is the rival of the Arm- strong gun. Both of these weepems have their frienfis, both their relative merits, amd, a!though the Whitworth gun, in a trial of efficiency, ex- ceeded the Armstrong gun, Whitworth has net yet been knighted. We do not propose, however, to discuss the merits of either, except to dismias the subject by saying that the Whitworth field pieces have been tried in our army in this re- beilion, a battery having been sent on here by loyal Americans in London. After a fair test of them in the field they were condemned as inferior to guns of our own manufacture. The rebels in their late defence of Vicksburg had several of these guns, which were furnished them by neutral Joby Bull. These were also condemned by the rebels as not being equal to eit own manufacture and the guns taken from at Norfolk. : While the English people were crying “Eu- reka” over their great guns, Sir William Arm- strong’s transatlantic cousin, in the person of Captain R. P. Parrott, was devoting ina quiet way his genius to the perfection of rifled ord- nance which was to be in all its easential fea- tures American, and designed to surpass—as Dahlgren had surpassed Paixhan—in efficiency all modern ordnance, not éxcepting the great Armstrong and Whitworth guns. The efforts of our countryman were first devoted to field ar- tillery. The gun is made of cast iron, bored and rifled in the ordinary way. Its chief origi- nal peculiarity is the addition of a sleeve of wrought iron at the breech of the gun. This sleeve is made by twisting bar iron spirally around the breech, and welding it under the hammer elie cs nfiss. It furnishes an absolute protection against explosion at the point of the gun most exposed to that accident. In all its essential features it is radically.differ- ent from the Armstrong or Whitworth un, has proved itself in actual combat more service- able than anything claimed by the English public for theirs, and they are furnished at one- tenth of the cost of English guns. The great utility of the Parrott gun, contrary to the gene- ral rule, early attracted the attention of the Washington authorities; it was adopted by them forthwith, and its working merits repeat- edly tested by severe and special experi- ments, In the year 1861 our goverument had three hundred of these guns—ten, twenty, and thirty pounders—in the field. Since that time this number has been greatly increased, and improved calibres, in the shape of fifty, one hundred, two and three hundred pounders made. The two latter have not yet had a fair trial. The two hundred-pounder has recently been tried against the walls of Fort Sumter, and proved ® great success, every shot dis- placing a cartioad or more of the masonry of that work. From the three bundred-pounders not well get at them. Grant. Ranks and Base. |! we expect still greater results, The Yankee nation having taught the world how to construct masonry fortifications and superior war vessels, wooden and iron-clad, we are now going to teach them how to de- stroy the former. The first great test of big Guns against masonry fortifications is furnished in the case of the siege of Fort Pulaski, in the months of February, March and April, 1862, which affair was conducted on ‘our side by General Quincy A. Gillmore, the present effi- cient commander of our forces conducting the siege of Charleston. The labors of preparation by our army occupied, day and night, a period of nearly eight weeks. During this time @ herculean task was performed in getting big guns into position, among which were quite a number of the Parrott and James pat- terns. The history of this siege, embraced in the report of General Gillmore, gives the whole history of that affair. The rebel fort suc- cumbed to our forces on the 11th of April, 1862. The rebels did not surrender until the walls of the fort—seven and one-half feet in thickness— bad been breached in several places and the fort was becoming a monster heap of ruins. General Gillmore says that “with heavy James or Parrott guns the practicability of reduc- ing the best brick scarp at two thousand three hundred to two thousand five hundred yards, with satisfactory rapidity, admits of very little doubt. Had we possessed our present knowledge of their powér previous to the bombardment of Fort Pulaski, the eight weeks of laborious preparation could have been cur- tailed to one week, as heavy mortars and colum- biads would have been omitted from the arma- ment of the batteries.” The result of the siege of Fort Pulaski estab- lished the fact that for the reduction of masonry fortifications there is no better arm than our Parrott and James guns, fired at high elevations. Ifathis assertion needs additional proof we will refer those skeptical on the aubject to the siege of Charleston and the effect of our new two huadred-pounder Parrotts against its walls. At the last accounts that fort had been materially damaged by our shot, was rapidly crumbling to pieces, was apparently untenable by the enemy, and ere this no doubt has suc- cumbed to our superior guns. “We do not forget, while speaking of these im- provements in native ordnance, the valuable inventions of Admiral Dahlgren, of our navy, who is opportunely now in command of the iron naval fleet at Charleston, and Colonel Rodman, of the United States Ordnance Department. Every artillerist knows that to Admiral Dahl- gren the best: form of naval guns is due, aid to Colonel Rodman the present admirable plan of casting hollow and cooling from the iaterior of the gun. To the genius of this latter officer is due the development of guns of large cali- bre. The great fifteen-inch gun was made under his direction, and has been practically tested with success on our iron-dlads. He is now emiployed in casting a number of twenty-inch guns for naval and land purposes, that are expect- edto:putthe Armstrong six hundred-poundersin theahade. ;They will throw a round shot of one thousand and minety pounds in weight, whiob, whon it stri id crush in the side ef the Warrior, La Gi or any iron-clad of Euro- pean construction. In this war we have demon- strated that the great masonry fortifica- tions, such a6 at Portsmouth, Cherbourg, Ant- werp, Cronstadt, Sebastopol and elsewhere, are useless for military defences when our modern ordnance is arrayed against them. We have demonstrated that well con- structed earth, sand or turf works are infinitely superior to masonry forts, and indeed very formidable to our improved ordaance. Warren and Prescott introduced earthworks on Bunker Hill, and Washington at Dorchester Heights, which commanded the city of Boston; also at Fort Washington, on this island,’ the latter visible at this day. ‘And While on the subject of fortifications we have aother Yankee idea to promul- gate to the'world. It is the construction of cotton bale forts. Modern invention has increased the peculiar properties of this royal plant, and practical tests of its value as a means of fortification have placed it high in the opinion of our military men. The steam cot- “ton press bas augmented vastly its resistance. We suppose that the size of the cotton bale is reduced by compression from one-fourth to one-third. After having been subject to this tremendous pressure it approaches in resisting power more the palmetto than anything else. Another invention of one of our countrymen is the plan of fring guns under wator to blow up ships. This has been practically tested, and, with some minor improvements, can be made & success. ‘The names ofParrott, James, Dahlgren and Rodman will occupy prominent pages in the history of this war as the inventors of the best ordnance and ‘big guns for siege and other pur- poses, and in conjunction and side by side with their honored names will be those of Brigadier General Quincy A. Gillmore and Captain James L. Worden, who gave the first practical test of their inventions against formidable stone fortifications and iron-clads. D’Aroy Maorr’s Last Mane’s NestgAs we anticipated, this ex-Irish rebel’s sto#y about the contemplated federal invasion of Canada has received a prompt exposure. On being forced into an explanationgf the facts in the Canadian Assembly, it out that his state- ment was based entirely on an after dinner joke of Mr. Seward, who, meeting with a Mr. Theodore Hart, of Montreal (Magee’s inform- ant), at Mr. Moses H. Grinnell’s, in New York, took it into his htad to play upon the credulity of that simple-minded individual, and to cram him with declarations of the big things which the federal government intended to do in the event of a difloulty with England. This was no doubt very improper and very undignified | on the part of our Secretary of State; but it | has served, nevertheless, to cover Magee with | ridicule, the House receiving the explanation | with shouts of laughter. ; thing, , until The fun of the however, did’, not reach its climax the Hon. John A. Macdonald, en- deavored to throw the shield of his pro- | tection over Magee, and expressed his con- | viction of the seriousness of the declarations attributed to the American Secretary of State. Of course the House went into fits over this, and its satisfaction wase still further increaséd when the Attorney General, in a sharp and telling reply, demolished the whole statement, ees asaociate and cols, against federal aggt. from the debate comp. cbopfallen. Tae Mayor anv Tat Draw racter of the proceedings ot ", meeting on Saturday night, we th ok mg wh manifest where the difficulty lies \™ - arisen between the Mayor and Conrme.* tien cil relative to the “three million ordinan’*’ There can be very little doubt that the whold trouble lies with our very conscientious @biel Magistrate. i It appears from his own letter, as well as from the remarks of Mr. Waterbury, that Mr. Opdyke had abundant oppor- tunity of obtaining an ordinance which he might have signed without the least scruple, had he been pleased to do so. Mr. Waterbury atates that when the ordinance was drawn by himself, in lieu of an imperfect one previously passed, he took it to the Mayor and submitted it to him. But his Honor, being a careful poli- tician, said that he “would not commit him- self.” Again, he had frequent opportunities to suggest such amendments in the document as he required before it passed both boards. He had several interviews with Aldermen and Councilmen. A fow days elapsed between the time of its passage in each Board; but all this while Mr. Opdyke is a8 dumb as an oyster. It is only after it is passed and awaits his signa- ture to become law that his objections are presented. He wants a new clause relative to the firemen. He wants that drafted men shall be mustered in beyond all hope of release, before they receive the relief which the ordi- nance provides. Now, why were not these al- terations suggested when the bill was before him, and had not been acted upon by the Com- mon Council ? The probability now is that the Commoa Council will pass the ordinance in spite of him, if he should veto it. Or if he should simply refuse to sign it within the ten days, which will expire, we believe, to-morrow, it will then be a law without his approval. Meantime we have no doubt that money enough will be raised to relieve those in immediate need, until the ten days required after the veto is an- nounced have elapsed, when the Common Council will come together, re-enact the ordi- nance, and furnish relief to the drafted men, whether Mr. Opdyke likes or not. horer in the sensation wat ession, and he withdrew letely extinguished and ‘t.—From the cha- * the firemen’s Resources or Our Susipyarps.—This week Mr. Webb will launch from his yard the wooden hull of the iron-clad frigate which he is build- ing for the Italian navy. This week also there will be launched over in Jersey another of the powerful gunboats which are being constructed for our own fleet of iron-clads. Scarcely a week passes, as we stated the other day, that it does not receive an addition of some vessels of this class, presenting features of improvement on those already built. What do these facts prove? That our shipyards and iron works possess not only resources sufficient to make all the additions to the federal navy that may be required, but to supply other governments with vessels-of-war. England and Franee had better take note of this fact. They will see from it that, while we are in a position to confront them with as large a fleet of iron-clads as they can, singly or combined, bring against us, we can at the same time furnish other Powers with whom they may have difficulties with all the war veasels or privateers they stand In need of. The example of England removes all scrapleson this head, and our shipbuilders are too enterpris- ing not to make the most of it. ‘ The Contest im the Next United States House of Representatives, ‘The reprblican papers, followimg the lead of the Tribune, of this city, and the albany Journal, are attacking the accuracy of our political classification of the members elect to the next United States House of Representatives. They do not show wherein we err, but mereiy give théir own ideas of what the republican strength in the next House ought to be, while we have given the name of every member elected, and classified them as belonging te the party to which they owe their election. Our esti mate of the members yet to he chasen they seom willing to allow is aa correct as can be made. The Tribune of Thursday pretends to discover that we ave made a gross blunder in classifying Hon, Francis P. Blair, Jr., with the opposition. In our table giving the mames of the members, we stated that Mr. Blair ‘was nominated and elected by the democrats of St. Louts, in oppesition to Samuel Knox, the republican candidate, and that we claimed him for the opposition on precisely the ame ground tbat we classed Gen. Loan, a war demo- crat, who will represent the Seventh district of Missouri, agafciénd of the administration, To more fully ascer- tain the present sentiments of Mr. Blair, wé would rofer the Tribune for information to the St. Louls Democrat, the Joading republican organ of the State. In ite issue of the 17th inst. it says that ‘“Blatr is conservative and practi. cally copperhead.” ‘The Democrat claims only the four members in Missouri that we have given to the adminis tration—to wit: Messrs, Biow, Loan, MeClurg and Boyd. ‘The Tridwne discovers algo that we class Mr H. M Tracy, the member elect in the Thirteonth district of Pennsylvania, with the opposition. We havo not space to go largoly into the inquiry regarding Mr. Tracy’s present political sentiments, but we will nevertheless state for the information of the public that Mr, Tracy was elected by ‘the democratic party in opposition to the reguiar repub lican nominee by the following vote:—Tracy, 9,520; Clark, 7,706—majority for Tracy,1,817. The Tribun- die- covers another error in our table; and that is, that Mary- ives. If our wise white. the census of App: rtionmert tatives, which loves at the laws of the in 1862, he will find: @ Maryland lost one of her now but five: and, by look der Legislature of that State, passed new districts. This iniormation may useful for bis Almanac, and we offer it to him. with In regard.to ne eaee, oer aclear radicwt republican majority is acknowledged, nobody cares @ button whether that major: De terge or omnall Ther 43 another piece of infor: @hich may be pr fitade to the 7ritune; and that is, that will be repre sented in the next House nine members, instead of it, which last is the num! ‘iven in ite tabie. , claim all the conservative demo hich they will find, when & great error. “ the vote is tak en tor Speaker, The Park Yesterday. ‘Tho heat yesterday was intense, find the visitors w the Park were comparatively few. The majority of those who wore present paid a visit to THE NEW FOUNTAIN, This fountain is located near the Conservatory Pond, Having entered the Park by the Fifth avenue cate at Seventy second street, the visitor turns to the right after water by a very pret; fi the hillside without @ perceptible origin otherwise than the natural springs of the earth. ie ence ved. ANOTHER FINE PIROB OF ART. ‘A short distance from the fountain, and easily reached by maaan ot Cp ep FO Splendid arch under