The New York Herald Newspaper, December 7, 1864, Page 4

NEW YORK HERALD. SANZS GORDON BENNETBR Ke't0R AND PROPRTESOR, ©YyICe WK. W. CORNER OF FULTON AND NASSAU STS, ——— Volume XNIX z H E sit UATION. We beve to-day zome additioual tiems from rebe! sources Showing how the fright at Eherman’s approach to the seacoast is epresding im Georgia and South Caro- diva, All the officiais, civil and military, have issved Merce acd feverish proclamations, calling oa every male, old, aud young, able to shoulder a musket, to immedi- ately report for duty. The Mayors of Savannah end Charleston, as weil as tho robel army officers commanding in those places, bave rushed before thoir Olready terrified communities in documents of this ebar- acter, probably by this means adding considerably to the panic. Governor Brown, of Georgia, has issued three more proclamations on the crisis, Butiu Charleston, coording to the Republican of that city, even these stirriyg papers do not bring ovt the citizens; for 1 sppeare a military guard bas to go around the town and drag them out of their hiding Places. General Dick Taylor has been assigned to the Command of ali the Alabama and Georgia reserves, with hebdquarters at Savanpab, iho Saraunah Repudlican of ‘the lat jst, gives some furiber particulars of the Nght with General Foster’s force, on the 30th ult., near Gra- amsvilie, South Carolina. General Gustayus Smith commanded tiie *rebsls on the occasion, and the engage ment is admitted to have been a drawn baitic. On the nigbi of the SOth seven or ciybt Union transports loaded ‘with troops were reported golug up Broad river, 8. C., aud apoiher fight thoewext day was expected, Thore is littie new of importance to report from the armies on James river, A heavy exchange of shots, which, however, was of sbort duration, and did but trifling damage on the Union aide, oocurred in front of the Army of the Potomac, in the vicinity of the Jerusa. Id road, on last Sunday evening, between the opposing fotoes, The rebels have consit2radly moderated their battery and picket firing within the past few days. Goneral Meade has been brevetied @ major general in the régutar army, Geveral Buford, commanding at Helena, Arkansas, Teoeutly arrested at the mouth of White river forty-five PRreons for attempting to purchase cotton under permits fom the Treasury agent at Memphis, Tho agevt re- monstrated against the summary proccediog?; but his Spptication for an imvestigation was refused by Geseral’ Buford, who has closed his iines agavmst the entranoe of all straggling civilians, As soon as dis- covered they are required to leave immediately. Large quantities of clothing for Union soldiers ow held as Prisoners by the rebels were tately sent to them from Memphis, via Mobile. ‘The: steam transport California, which arrived here Yesterday from Folly Isiavd.S. C.,0n Saturday last, re- ports the sinking in Charieston harbor, om the night of ‘the ist inst., by our gunboats, of 8 side-wheel steamer which was attempting to run the blockade, Hor name fs not given, All ber crow were captared; but her @aptain and pilot escaped. New Orleans advices of the 26th ult. state that Gene- Faluanby was then sufficiently recovered to atteud daily to his official business. The Mississippi river, in the violoity of Morgapsia, Louisiana, bad risen eighteen feet Te one week, CONGRESS. ‘Soon after the regular hour for the assembling of Con- Qtees yesterday the President’s annual Message was re- @rived and read in both bouses, The annual reports of the Secretaries of the Treasury and the Navy and of the Postmaster General were alco presented. We publish in the Hxnap this morning— ‘The annual Message of the President: The Report of the Secretary of the Treasury; ‘The Report of the Postmaster Geveral, aud , Aeynopesis of the Report of the Secretary of the Navy. ‘In the Senate, after the President's Mcssnge bad been Fead, It was ordered that the usual number of copies be Printed. The reports of the Treasury and Navy secreta- ries were laid on the table. A resolution was adopted Tequesting the President to farvish any tnformation in Possession of the State Department regarding ang propo sition or overture recently made by British edbjects io id of the reboliion, when the Senate went into executive Beesion, and confirmed the President's nomiaation of Hon. Falmon P. Chase, of Ohio, ex-Secretary of the Treasury, 8 Chief Justice of the Sup eme Court of the United States, 40 fill the vaceacy caused by the death of Judge Taney. On the opening of the doors an adjournment took piace, In the House of Representatives, besides the reading of ‘the President's Message and the appropriate disposition Of the otber official documents, several other matters yarere brought to the attention of the members. Bills ‘were introduced. and referred to proper committees, to probibit the exportation of gold and silver coin, to pre ‘vent gold and silver being paid or received for more than their real value, to prevent government notes Deing pasted for tess than their Treasury value, Providing for the administration of sn oath of ley ulty to persons practising law within States in rebellien, ‘and for the forfeiture of the fees of disloyal land. Dholders. A resolution to print forty thousand extra copies of the President's Message was referred to the Priating Committee. Resotutions were adoptod instract- ing the Ways and Means Commities to inquire into the expediency of a provision to exempt from taxation on foheritances the interesta of widows in the eatates of their deceased busbanda; directing the Gommittee on the Lon- uct of the War to report on the causes of the reverses to our arma.on the Red river, Louisiana, under Generat Pankd, and instructing the Military Commitiee to @onsider the propriety of reporting a bill to prohibit the Sransportation of mercbandise to any portion of our ter- ritory a possession of rebels, and to regulate the pur- hase, by persona not conuected with the army or navy, Of the products of the soil of such territory. A joint Fesolvtion in relation to the tobacco tax was introduced. ‘Without transscting other business of importance, the Blouse adjourned. MISCELLANEOUS NEWS. The election im this city yesterday for Aldermen, Councilmen apd school officers passed off very quietly. ‘We give (ull reporta of the results in another portion of thie morning's Ammatn. The rteamship Conta Rica afrived at this port last evening, ‘rom Aspinwall on the 28tb ult, bringing the fan Francisco mails of the 19th, passengers and over three bundred and eighty thousand dollars io specie. ‘The following is her specie list — 40 rr 000 Perez, Pinoas & Ubar- +126 407 Downe Kittle & Co yole, ‘argo & Co ‘The news from oath America vy ‘Vhie arrival shows that the diMenity between Spain aod Peru hor vot yet approached any nearef a fetilement. A commissioner bad been sent by the Obilean government to represent to Admiral Vinzow, commanding the Spanish Seat Chinona feinnds, that if bostilities were © Qgainet Pero ali the South American republics Pider it m common cause and anite for her assistance, The necessity of restoring the captured islands to (be Perovian authorities wae also urged, The Ad firal replied that be bad vo power to negotiate in the matior, and that all such representations, to receive Aitention, must be made directly to bis government. The Oxcitement at Panama regarding the seiznre by United Bioves officers on board the steamer Galvador of rebel pirates bad wubsided, ana it wae pot publicly known whether or not (he prisoners bad been yet sent to the ‘Waited States, In New Granade a disturbance bail oo- Gurred between some soldiers and civilians et Cartnagens, Mut it Cid Hot parlake of a revolutionary character. Gen- 4m! Mosquera was ju tog julerior of Cause pushing on con: NHW YORK HRRALS, WEDNESDAY, DaCEMBERL7) 1864; 1 railroad. works. From other portions ef South and Central America there is littie of interest, ‘A Washington despatch says tbat extensive evasions of the requiremouts of the Jnterual Revenue law on ihe pert of the proprietora of popular patent medicines in the Sixth Congressional district, in this city, bave re- cently been bronght to Nght. It fe said that these men, } Who are amoug the heaviest menufactorers of this clase fp the country, bave been for gome time selling theit medicines without haying the mecessary stamps afixed. Their establishment bas been closed wnti! an examination of the charges can be made, Our readers will rewember the late temporary closing of breweries in this cily ona similar allegation. ‘The military headquarters in Bleecker street are now daily thronged by persons from the Southern States de- siriug to register thelr names, fa accordance with the orders of General Dix, Eight bundred altogether had registered up to lest evening. ‘Phe transmission of the President's Message from Wash- ington to this city yesterday was commenced over the American Telegraph Company's wires at twenty-seven mioutes past ove o’cleck in the afternoon, aud Suished at twenty-five minutes past two, * Mr. Goldwin Smith, Regius Professor of Modern History i the University of Oxford, England, addressed a larze audience, among whom were many ladies, ut the rooms of the New York Historical Society, last evening. His subject was a bistory of the university with which he is connected, including nineteen colleges, many of which date back to an early period in thé British empire, ‘The Professor was warmly applauded, and at the close of his discourse received a vole of thanks from the meeting, ‘Two passenger trains collided about three o'clock yes- terday afternoon on the Baltimore and Obio Raiiroxd, five miles east of Martineburg. The conductor aud baggage master of one of the trains were kil’ed and five other persons were seriously injured. The engines, tenders, baggage cars and two or tbreo passenger cars were completely smashed. The Navy Department have taken the prize steamer Annie for the use of the goverpment at the appraised value of sisty-fve thousand dollars. The cargo, consleting of over flye hundred bales of cotton, wil! be sold under the decree of the court, by the Mursbal, this day, at Pinto’s Btores, Atlantic dock, Brooklyn Two partes of young boys, one etyling themselves the “Macs,” and belonging to the Twentieth ward, and the other being desiguated the “Minutes,’’ eomposed of youngsters living in the Twenty-second ward, met last evening at thecorper of Eleventh avenue und Forty- second street, and engaged in a street fight, during which stones and other miseiles were thrown and pistols fired. One of them, named Edward Watson, was shot in tho Dreast by Joseph May, and died iu a few minutes after, May was arrested and locked up, During a quarrel yesterday afternoon in Washington Market, a French cook, named Joseph Kentalla, as al- eged, ussaulied and severely cut with a cleaver two other men, named Gabe and Brady, and fired a pistol at Joseph Decker. Kentalla was locked up for examination, and the others were detained as witnesses, The entire net proceeds of the Motropolitan Fatr ia this sity for the benefit of the Sanitary Commission were 51;180,001 27, a8 reported by the chairman of the Fi aance Committee, Tbe excitement in Toronto, Canada, relative to the Fenian Protherhood bas been revived by an attack by members of that order, on Monday night, on the reome of au Orange lodge, in which cousidcrable damage was fone. including the mutilation of « fine portrait of Queen Victoria, ‘Ihe municipal elections wére held in Cambridge, Cheisea, Springfleld, Lawrence, New Bedforé, Taunton and Fall River, Massachusetts, on Monday. The stock market improved yesterday. Gold was digher, Government securities were strong at a large advance, There was not “much change in commercial matters yesterday, though the bieber rates for gold imparted a Grmer feelimg, particuiarly io imported merchandise, Domestic prodace was somewhat trregniar. The pro posed Tax and Tariff bills have the effect to restrict sales. Oa ’Change the flour market advanced Sc. a 100, with « moderate demand, Wheat opened le, a 2c. higher, but plosed dull and drooping. Corn was unsettled, while oats opened firm, but closed dull, with » downward tendency. Pork was firmer, with rather more doing, white Beer we @ull end heavy. Tard was astade firmer, with amo- derate demand. Whiskey was firmer. Freights were quiet. ‘There was no marked change tm the merket for beef oasee Luis week; but It was ovideus tuat UNe limited Te- ceipts stone prevented @ decided decline, -As itiwas everything was in favor of the buyer, and there was some setiling ia prices, which ranged all the way from ‘TiO. to 18c. & 183¢0., wito the bulk of the sales at from 1036c. to 160, Milch cows sold at $35 « $60 2 $75. Vexis were sold at 9igc. a 186, a 14c. Sheep and lambs were trifle firmer, The sales were at from $4 to $6 a $7 50. Hogs were a shade easier; The sales were at 100. a 12. The receipts were 5.777 beeves, 98 cows, 1,275 veals , 19,.74 sheep and lambs and 26 436 hogs. The President's Messace—The Stace of the Natton, The last annual message of the first term of President Lincoln is before our readers. As usval with all his State papers, it a plain, un- pretending document; and in this respect, and in the matter of brevity, Lincoln is an immense improvement upon Buchanan and poor Pierce, with their heavy and dismal electionering pamphiets. It is an encouraging report on the state of the nation, and einbodies various timely and practical recommendations to the two honses, altbough in some things of great mo- ment it falls short of the mark. For example, Mr. Lincoln, setting out with the declaration that “the condition of our foreign affairs is reasonably satisfactory,” fol- lows directly after with the statement that “we have strictly maintained neutrality be- tween the belligerents in Mexico,” and there stops. He has nothing to suggest upon that subject. Has he forgotten that the Monroe doctrine was a plank of the Baltimore platform, and that it was expected he would face the music? He intimates that the affair of the rebel buc- caneer Florida will require delicate handling; but he fails to tell us whether this case has been left fn the hands of the Chevalier Webb or bas been taken up by the Secretary of State; so that we cannot determine whether we are to have a speedy rupture or an exhausting diplomatic discussion with Brazil. His pre. cautions in reference to the public safety along” the Canadian border, including certain hinta to the Canadian authorities, will meet the ap- proval ef the country, and serve, we hope, as a wholesome warning to our rebel sympathiz- ing neighbors. , With regard to the Treasury, “it is as well as could be expected.” Our national debt is by no means so large as exhibited in the sta- tistics of Thurlow Weed; but still it is accu- mulating. Consequently more taxes will be necessary, and more loans. In this connection the President’s suggestions in favor of exempt- ing limited amounts of public securities held by ind viduals from taxation and seizure for debt, and his views touching the national bank- ing system are of the highest importance, whether judicious or inexpedient, in view of the general welfare. Touching the operations of our armies during the past year the two houses are referred to the report of the Secretary of War, without any poffing of Mr. Stanton. Not so with the Sec- retary of the Navy; for, according to the Mes- ange, old Grandfather Welles has acoomplisbed the most wonderfal things in the way of “efficien- cy and success.” We conclude that whatever changes may be made in the Cabluet, Wellos is ® fixture, and will go on squandering his mil- lions upon experimental Monitors and steam boilers and engines to the end of the war. The blockade runners at Nasseu will chuckle over “Old Abe's” glorification of Weiles. The rapid settlement of our new Territories, and their development into new States, and the universal increase ‘of the population, wealth, resources, forces aad prosperity of ell the lovel States and Territories, reoel of the President's attention, “His array of facts, too, and bia figures of the Jute natiopal election, may well be to the world as proving that, instead of being weakened, the loyal section of the Union is vastty stronger pow in men, means, materials and resources of every description than at the beginuing of this gigantic war. We have this extraor- dinary and most gratifying fact established on the retiros of the late Presidential election a8 compared with those of 1860. We are posi- tively assured from these returns that our losses in men from’ the war bave been much exaggerated in. the general estimaws made from time to time, and that our accessions of able-bodied refugees from the South and immi- grants from Europe have beea much under valued. The message refers to General Sherman’s expedition as exhibiting our increased relative military streagth over that of the rebellion, from the opinion of the General-iv-Chief of his ability to try this grand experiment. Next the free State movements in Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana are deemed worthy of congratulation, while Maryland is exultingly beld up as “an ex- ample of complete success.” She bas cast out the devil by which she was tormented, and though it “may soek jto tear her, it will woo her no more.” In brief, emancipation bas fixed the business for “Maryland, my Maryland.” In conclusion, being entirely satisfied that Jeff. Davis will have nothing but independence or subjugation, Mr. Lincoln declares that he must and will be subdued. The door of am- nesty to repenting rebels, however, still re- mains open, though there is no telling how soon the dire necessities of war may close it. When the rebels lay down their arms there will be‘peace; but at the same time they are admonished that Abraham Lincoln adheres to his emancipation proclamations. He adve- cates immediate action upon the proposed constitutional amendment forever abolishing and interdicting slavery within tue limits of the United States, but he holds, nevertheless,” that slavery is already abolished in the rebel- lous States by his proclamations. This recog’ nition must come with the submission of those States, whatever may be set down in the Bal- timore plat/orm, Thus the slaveholders of Rebeldom are placed between two consuming, fires. If they ‘still adhere to Jeff. Davis they must give up slavery in giving up their negroes, and « farm te boot of fifty acres to each negro soldier; and if toey abandon Davis they must subscribe to Old Abe’s emancipation proclamations. This, we think, is one of the weak points of tbe message, and tHe other most prominéit fs’ Gideos, Welles. And so we turn it over to the diges- tion of the two houses of Congress’ and our readers. Our Navy—Its Creation, Achievements and Presemt Condition. We defer the publication ef the annual te, port of the Secretary of the Navy til! to-mor row or next day. This ‘document’ gives tis a minute view of this great’ division of the ‘national power, and, lays: before us the Present’ condition of the service. It. goes, with some detail, into almost every point that hes any interest in -¢onnection with our navy, whether the interest’ be practical or his Wwrical. Wa are shown hosy entirely our pre- sent navy has beea produced vy tnis war. At the commencement of the rebellion we were a people with a.good naval history, with proud traditions of achievements on tbe sea, but sub- stantially without ships. Our navy was fe- duced. to the. minimum peace establishment, and the better part of it was on foreign bervicd. Small as eur navy was, only a small propor- | tion of it was comprised of steam vessels, and all others were useless. Thus apparently help- less, we were suddenly precipitated into a war) that required the enforcement of a more exten sive blockade than was ever before attempted; and that required also the presence of cruisers on foreign seas to protect our commerce, and the possession of powerful vessels able to cope at once with other armed vessels and with the best built forts, Our national energy was equal to the occasion, and we created: a navy. No other national navy in the world now equals.in power the one that the United States bas thus put on the sea in four years. Two bundred ard three ships, with an aggre- gate of one thousand six bundred and thirty- ofie guns, have been builé for our navy in that time, or are now oear completion; but unfor- tunately very few of these vessels are fast sailers. Sixty-two of thésé are iron-clad, and of these the Roanoke, New Ironsides, Dunderberg, Puritan aad Dictator are fit for sea service and able to cope with the most powerful vessels of the same class that England and France have yet attempted to build. Men for this great navy are now had in abundance, though expert sea- men are still scarce. And this immense power has been, in the four years of the war, an ave rage annual expense of seventy millions repre sented in currency. In this expense is to be counted the construction of all the vessels. Subtracting the amount properly chargeable to that account and charging, as the real expense of the navy, only the remainder, it is found that this immense navy coscs us lees in a time of war than the navies of England and France cost those countries in times of peace. Among the achievements of our navy is the alleged enforcement of the blockade of three thousand miles of sea coast. The Secretary glances in this connection at the commercial morality of English merchants, and very justly classes their present efforts in. the blockade business with their efforts in the Chinese opium trade. He glances alao at the ports of Halifax, Bermuda and Nassau, as “ports that ‘will al- ways be in sympathy with the enemies of this country,” apd in that phrase gives the real reason why they onght to be ours. But the suceess of the blockade is shown in the fact that there is now only one port that blockade runners can get into, although, we see by the English papers, that the” blockade runners succeed in getting in ‘and ‘out of Charleston. But the exceptional port is Wilmington. The blockade, says Mr. Welles, is not violated with impunity even there, since the aggrogate of captures at that place is thirteen millions of dollars. Half of this sum bas been divided as prize money and the rewainder is a general benelt to the service and the conntry, since it has established « fand that, by investment, pays the entire pen- sion roll and relieves the national Treasury to that oxtent. Itis the concluston of the Secretary that Wilmington, owing to the peculiarity of ite situation, cannot be absolately closed without the co-operation of the army to enable us to carry forts that are in euch shoal water that unable to close this por dir, Welles satis to the Alabama, Florida and Georgia, and pdys Nis respects tg Captain Semines as a “Cishongred and beaten corsair,” who “cannot relieve bimself of bis obligations 4s.a prisoner uatil he shall be regularly ex- changed.” In regpect to the Florida we aro given enly a naked statement of the facts as already known. It is given as probable that “no velid trapsfer of ownership bas ever taken place” in the case of the Tallahassee, and that sbe is now, as she was when @ blockade run- ner, “registered in Liverpool as s British ship.” If this sball prove to be true it will only make ® little more clear the fact that all the mari- time resistance our government bas met with has been English in every particular. Atten- tion is called to the fact that throughout their several careers these “English built and Eng- lish manned rovers” have never sent in for ad- judication and condemnation a single ship or cargo. Very graceful recognition is made of the varied brilliant services of our naval heroes, and especially of the brilliant achievement of Lieu- tenant Cushing in the dostruction of the Albe- marie, The Secretary evidently appreciated how inadequate would be any merely verbal recognition of the services of Admiral Farragut, and so, for the reward of the Old Salamander he recommends the creation of the rank .of vice admiral—a rank evalagous in the navy to that of lieu- tenant general in the army. Let this act of simple justice be urged upon Coxgress. An view of the present character of the navy, another recommendation made by the Secre- tary is worthy of notice. his is the establish- ment of a navy yard for iron-clads, at which such vessels can be repaired and built. Our navy yards are shown to be at best quite un- eqnal to the demands of the navy; “while the, government has not an (establishment where a shaft can be made for our steamers or plate for our iron-clads.” It is re- commended that such an establishment: be located in the Delaware, near Philadelphia, as. thefe every requisite is found—fresh water, ex- tensive river front, proximity to a great city, and distance from the sea, and consequently capability for defence in case of foreign war. The actual expenditure of the last fiscal year was $85,738,292. The estimate for the year ending June 30, 1866, is $112,000,000. Report of the Postmaster Union and Rebel Reports Compared. Postmaster General Dennison has presented &® very comprehensive report of the official doings of his department for the past fiscal year. Considering the vast amount of informa- tion contained in it, it may be regarded as pos- sessing the virtue of brevity in a degree rarely. to be met-with in,a public document of the Kind.” There seems to be scarcely a useless word in it. The recommendations are few, and confined’ to the actual necessities or obvious adv: of the department, while the fiscal Statements are concise and easily understand- able to the most unfinancial comprehension. The’ report, will be found on the ‘secodd page of thls morning’s paper. The depart- ment, although not yet quite defraying its own expenditures, is in a truly favorable condition, and gradually approaching the period when it will not: only poy Its own way, but refurn.s bandsome revenue to the publi¢’ treasury. When itis considered that during the term 1859 to, 1861 the expenditures. over receipts showed’ an average dnnual excess of nearly five and three-quarter millions, while the past year the excess was much less than a quarter of a million—barely rising two hundred thou- sand—-there are certainly good grounds for con- gratulation to the country. The entire receipts ‘for the year are twelve million four hundred and thirty-eight thousand two hundred and fifty-three dollars, showing an excess over the receipts in 1861, the first year of the rebellion, of eight bundred and twenty-three thousand two-bundred and fifty-four dollars. This fact shows what an expensive affair it was to carry on our postal system in the Southern States, Tt is a pleasant feature in this report to find that while the expenditures the past year were less than the estimate by over three hundred ‘and fifty-five thourand dollars, the reccipis were nearly three million$and three. quarters more than the eetimate—or forty-two and five- eighths percent. This would indicate that there was something faulty in the calculation; but it should be remembered that in times of war, when new cities and Territories are occu- pied, and the Post Office follows wherever the Union armies go and stay, it is a very difficult task to estimate the receipts and expenditures in the matter of postage. Besides, the miscal- culation is on the right side, and the American people have no cause to complain. We refer to the report itself for {information which will be found important to all who take an interest in our postal affairs. They will find there accounts and statistics which will strike them, with amazement st the vastness of the American postal system, and they will wonder that so young a nation can have #0 thoroughly perfected, upon so gigantic a scale, an institution that bas done as much for hu- manity and civilization as any of modern times. Let them take this report of the Union Post- master General and compare it with that of the rebel Postmaster Genera}, an abstract of which we lately published. While the Union official refers to arrangements with foreign govern- ments all over and around the world, for the purpose of facilitating the postal inter-commu- nication of our citizens wherever a Christian or almost a pagan government exists; while it will be seen that our system yiel revenue greater than when the rebellion commenced, when fifteen States claimed to be out of the Union, and established a post office department of their own ; while it will be noticed that the Union Postmaster-in-Chief refers to long lines of oceanic, and coast, and river routes on the Atlantic and the Pacific and in the immense interior of the United States, to magnificont steamships which are to bo placed on foreign routes by government, to the prineely items of expenditure for the public good, and to the recommendations and numberless details for the benefit of the writing, reading, busy, pros- perous and loyal people of the Union—let them, we say, look. at this grand report and then at the repert of the official who runs the rebel post office machine, and it will be found that there, with a rate of postage three times that of the North, they have not reached three millions of receipts, and that a large portion of the country, which it was expected would not cover the expenses of keeping up postage routes, had not been heard from. There is probably no single department of the heavily ermed shins cannot cet of them, ! either aovernment which go sianalle domons- traies the greatness and soundness of the Wi and te littleness and weakness of the phils, whether it would net be better to get # consent of Congress to colin three cent copp asthe n°ports of their respective Postmaster | pleces. They would be far more desirab Generals. Whe Letter of the On Webb-—Is It Bogus or G:nutnet When we come to closely examine the re- markable letter of the Onevalier Webb—pub- lished In our issue of yesterday—aud when we critically consider the peculiar circumstances of its first appearance in print, we feel strongly inelined to entertain the suspicion that it is counterfeit, The arguments for and against this suspicion ere certuinly very weighty; but when the scales are evenly held the arguments for the suspicion appear the heavier of the two. Let us place the facts, the theories and the logic of the matter before an impartial, inte rested and inquisitive public, and endeavor to sift the affair to the bottom and discover the trath, ‘The two papers in which this letter first ap- peared have the unfortunate reputation of being conducted by Bovemians, whose fine of business, deliberately adopted, is to manu- facture great sensations from bogus materials. We have not yet forgotten the Howard hoax, called the bogus proclamation, with which these Bohemian papers were connected. The miscegenation pamphlet humbug has been tacitly acknowledged as their inveation. The counterfeit report of the rebel Secretary Ma}- lory, which attracted some attention in Europe, hus been traced to the doers of these Bohe- mians of thé press. Now, after all this expe- rience in forgery, there is nothing improbable in the theory that they have forged this letter purporting to be from the Cievalier Webb. The manner of its publication, uo Jess than the ebaracter of the journals in which, it first ap- peared, throws doubts npon its authenticity. Tn one paper it is said to have been received by # bark which arrived at Hampton Roads. In the other it is published without the usual preface. Why should the bark story be given in the one account and omitted in the other? ‘The Bohemians should be shrewder in their next trick. On the face of it the letter seems genuine. It is written in just the Chevalier Webb’s pom- pous, egotistical, round-about style. But this style is one easily imitated, just as’ President Lincoln’s was; and as some of the Bohemians were. once employed upon the Chevalier Webb’s own paper it is quite likely that they can write just as he does. The | matter of the letter is also in the Cbevalier’s vein, and it is precisely what we. predicted he: would.say. In the Henan of November 30 we stated that “We have no doubt that the Che- valier Webb has written as long a correspond- ence on the subject as any that Mr. Seward has yet written about the rebellion. We expect to see Lord Palmerston cat up in mincemoat, all ready for a Yankee Christmas pie. We hava no doubt the Emperor Napoleon will be so thoroughly excoriated that he will wish he had never lef¢ Ham nor Palmo’s mint juleps, And we expect to see Brazil eulogized to the skies asthe warmest and truest friend the United States ever had.” Now the letter agrece with these predictions ia every particular, and what is more ptobable than that the: Bobemians, knowing how thoroughly we. understand the Ghevalier Webb, should take our editorial aud concoct 's letter from the hints there published? Tke trick was shabby one, and rather stale; but it was just liké Bohemian he eet | eral. In spite of the imitation of Webb’s style and | manner, the letter, when attentively scanned, seoms'to bé over done. Exaggeration is the peculiarity of all imitations. Louts the Four- teenth declared ‘‘Z’tat c’est mot;” but this letter makes the Chevalier Webb declare “I am the State Department,” The Chevalier’s, personel and diplomatic regard for Secretary |, Seward would prevent this positive assumption of superiority. On the other hand, the whole argument of the letter is sound for the Union, and terribly severe against all allies of the rebels. This, of itself, would prove the letter genuine; for the Bohemians are copperheads, and their forgeries are usually designed to injure the Union cause, Still this Union tere of the letter may have been merely a cunning device to make it pass current more readily; for anybody would have detected the decoit had the name of the Chevalier Webb, Euvoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States, been signed to a copperhead epistle of the sort daily published in the organs of the hotel burners of this city. Failing to trace the letter to any authentic source, there- fore, and rendered suspicious by all these evi- deuces of its bogus authorship, we await more reliable advices from the Chevalier Webb be- fore giving credence to its genuineness, and we recommend our readers, including President Lincoln and Secretary Seward, to follow our example. Wuat ‘Dors Ir Mean?—In Congress, on Monday, Mr. Pendleton, of Ohio, offered a resolution requesting the President to com- municate the report made by Colonel Thomas M. Key of an interview betweem himself and General Howell Cobb, en the 14th day of June, 1862; on the banks of the Chickabominy, by the authority of the War Department, on tle subject of the exchange of prisoners. Mr. Washburne, of Illinois, promptly objected to the resolution, and so it fell to the ground. Some time before the election it was stated that ‘an officer of McClellan’s staff had an interview at one time with Howell Cobb, and it was insinuated that something very mys- terious, if not positively disloyal, took place at that meeting. Now it appears that the Prosi- dent has a full report of it in bis possession. We hope he will give it to us. There may be something useful im it. At all events, for some reason or other, the republicans seem very anxious to wae it. A Goon Ours. —It is sald that when the Congressmen met on the floor of the House on Monday they were all in the best of humor. Pleasant greetings, handsbaking of political opponents, and merry laughter all round was the order of the day. We hope this may be regarded as a good omen of the humor with which they are going to enter on the business of this very brief session. . We expect that they will be as good natured towards the public as to each othor, and hurry up some good legis- lation, over which the country may rejoice, between this and the 4th of March. Tnnee Cxvr Preoes.—We have seen it stated that the Secretary of the Treasury intends to introduce into the fractional currency three cent paper tokéns in order to relieve the pres- ont difficulty of making small change. We would submit to the Secretary, and also to the Director of the United States Mint in Philadel. than paper shinplasters of that denominat'¢ and would not be liable to mutilation’ or become defaced. According to the prese standard they would be but about tyo-tuly the'size of the old copper coin—nine cents represeptative value boing only equal weight to two of the original coppers. The Military Arrests. THR NOIMBK REGISTERING ON Pe INGORE ASN, ‘The recent arrests that have been made of Southern a vens falling to report at beadquartors bas hed avery g3 effect upem the delinquents, and they are waking up the fact that orders must be obeyed, Busivess oo mences at the office at nine o'clock in the morni«, from that hour up to six o’elock in the evenings stribg of applicants are waiting 10 the reception room | their turn at the wheel, Ali sorts of dodges are resort to by those ‘somewhat ina hurry” to got in firsts hurry throuch the examination; but Mayor Hayser tab time and makes the examination thore impress all with the importance of muking @ ‘ele Pveaeas of te Fight hundred bad registered up to inst evening number per day being rather on the increase, Large this namber may seem, there are a great many more the city who have not reported, but who are knows the military authorities, and have been or wilt be band over te the police, to be brought up to “show cat y,” whoa they will find it mach the worse for the selves, CORRROCTION. In_noticing the errest of John Kean and Henry Smt at the Navy Yurd, for stealing copper, lead, &c., ¢ credit was given to’Captain John F. Wangh, in charge the York street entrance to the yard, ‘The it beloe to John Smith, captain of police of the yard, and Joha Rose, assistant gate keeper, who made the arrests. Massachusetts Ei ‘The Massachusetts Electoral College met this afterne in the Senate chamber, Edward Everett was chosen P sident, and Whiting Griswold, Secretary. The Colle adjourned till to-morrow, Danoss’s Foo Trumrsr vor Scortaxp.—We learn #! Mr. Daboll has recently received orders from Glasge Scotland, for one of bis fog signals, with the calorto eng attachment, The same is to be crected at the Combi Light Hoose—a very exposed and dangerous place, navigation, The great engineers, Stevensons, of Edinburg, } received such intormation, from England aa placed signal far in advance of any other fog signal,/and ingly the authorities of Scotiand have thus honored Dadoll with an order for one of his improved e inch fog machines. Now, while the Old World is moving to advapoe maritime interests and means of protection to navigt in thus bringtog forward the most practically pow fog signals extant, what shall wosay Of epR own con! 1n a like respect, We cannot learn that, ¢hiegower fs making way efforts to thie although Mr; Daboll has spent years of time, an . manner sacrificed bis life, to the furtherance: tion and the principle that @ sound poweriul Reaping the fog,and made, to continge at each blast to be located by the to mankind, os it serves to lessen the loss to humaa life, Prizes Cashed in ail Legalized em POUT ER Brot Brokers ot office, 176 Broadway, ‘New ret , Au Infallible Remedy. HALES HORRY OF HOREHOUND AND For the cure of Coughs, Colda, Influenza, Hoarsences, Disicult Breathing, and all, othe Marea \roat, Bopobfal Tabes endl leading to ‘This, tofalhble: remedy ia composed of the Honey © plant Horehound, in chemical unfon with’ ar tracted frogs the LIFE PRINOTPLE of the forest tree tions and inflammations, and (be ‘Tar Balm heals the threat and air passages leading to the lunge, ‘additional ingredicnts keep the orghns O00, mote, Iheattnfut action. Let no prejndice hinder you from (his sovereign. remedy of an ulasiriove chemiat, whe hima therpuxchly tested) i for gente] extensive private practice, It “Ti sate, sure, and ‘the Tar Baim boing entirely tree free from the offensive ties of common tar. PRICE to CENTS PEA BOTTLE, For aale by all druggist, OHARLES DOWNER, Grgeral, TH Oodar street, New A Prevemt.—The Most huttabte a smokers fe undoubtedly a Meeresbaum Pipe, got Lea ed at POuLAK as « ‘we 8 taenufaetsey, Broadway, near pee cut te order paired. A Geoa I ment om da know ‘what to dot”, rige in the werld? Aud to: health, wealth, ah ‘happiness? In short to ia Yenra whe ae aul capamiivien, |W wast you you at are Ddext; be tt in law, medioine or divinity: im art, orin business. A a broker, insurance | age! ineer, builder: @ mecker js. \ren, wend oF ‘siamin br Meer will “ee Bas A—Why Does Phalon’s Night Bieo Ps brig Dickens’ works Sei A Seteet TP Se wed Burnett's neal Cocoatne isthe hair dressing in the World. a1 eopprs, ao. en Lintment—An ds, Brooke & Son of Howard street great vanety at Treaas Fatenelor's Hate Dye—The yes ry Hovid.” Piasrnoss, reliable, tnstentanoous fect Dye. Sold by alldraggista, Factory 81 parelay and Wig 7 he dye appl Free Farina for Sold others. Appiy to B. FRANKLIN O' Howard Asscciation.—Disenses o' Nervous, Som inal Urinary Orene. Kew and treatmen fm ecaed on Adtroce De J. skuila, Hous (ont Kedag ‘Bouts Ninth sireot, te Pa Immense cig “4 sO ROOaT BROTHERS. 119 Netouu st., near Ladies’ Belt Buckles, New Beh foe hire fou! ae soy niveon sud 1 rev, four, ines’ each, For ‘sala ‘at ALLEN, Mo. ¢ way, one door below Glnal rook, ent Gile Combs.—New Styles dollars mie by Guo. ts Hieruscpescoiase seis Seam Mared B tried by the most eminent physicians f Dew York cons, and Lalbeetadibberie 7 yy Sageaoaadine a gh! arise Mitts, wi hia roat rect y apectnolee w Lire, on reesiptot I cent, Address + No. 1,180 Broatway, New York. ent Petroleum Company, go county, Penn, It will be seem that ore of this organization are of ingand influence. Liberal ad ibors, they artting she properts at in tie peshborhiod of $100 por sore tl territory is Very ainpla, 00 of Jarke Fatugn give 0 fy tual Cirginal stock: Poudre Subtite Uproots Hatr tro or by Ae of the body, Warranted Broadway, near @rand aireok. aide, senae of weariness ned 0 spirit, brain muddied, trow Ie means nillonsness Arre NORRIS BITTE IS, 7 will make JOU, A8 tbe maying ie, “a sold Grerzwerne New York oilies, hedhtemgh Seal Ring i er Gontiomen—Fine new styles ae it, Ter baby te One Crs artes area. ‘aad pine Bs mrs ene! 7, one door mace oT ‘Boyw and’ Youta’