THE AMERICAN CRISIS.

Bruce Herald, Volume II, Issue 49, 16 March 1865, Page 3

THE AMERICAN CRISIS.

By the latest news from America we learn that the campaigns in Tennessee and Georgia are just at their crisis. Hood and Sherman had no more than arrived in face of the most sei'ious part of the task which each has undertaken. Hood's advance from the Tennessee River to Nashville was easy. For half of the way he flanked the enemy ; for the other half he forced him back by mere force of superior numbers. Sherman's advance from Atalanta to the Oconee was likewise easy. There was no hostilo force that could be called an army in his front ; his troops were fresh ; the country was unexhausted, the roads were intact. The only obstacle which turned up was Macon ; or mo-re rfr-ojaerlw he did not so so

far ojgroOris way- aS^ make it a serious impedmiertt. The real toil of t^e campaign and test of the commander wilL^erefore have be^ gun, v/ith Hood at NashvirfeTwith Sherman at the Oconee. There is a considerable measure of similarity as well between the broad features of the two campaigns, as between their progress hitherto. The armies of Hood and Sherman from July till early in- October, had a common centre at or in the vicinity of Atalanta, where they confronted each other, and around which they manoeuvred. Sherman advanced southward, as an invader j Hood northward, in defence against invasion; and by this mutual pressure ; a sort of equality was kept up. Now, however, both armies are driving forward, the resistence of each withdrawn, in the direction of 'their former pressure. Instead of pushing against, they are pushing away from, each other. Each is advancing into an enemy's covntry ; each has become utterly indifferent to the progres- of the other. But the points of dissimilarity are stronger than those of simi- ; larity. The enemy's country into which Hood advanced became such by conquest ; his advance, therefore, if he can maintain himself, is the reconquest of all the territory over which '' :he passes, and of much more. On the other hand, Sherman -having at the outset <yf his i march, abandoned to the south all the ground 1 between the Chattanooga and Afcalanta, con- < quered by the north at a cost so great, and in ]

a time so long — does not make hi* own a single yard of the territory through which heis advancing. It is certain he has left tracesof his progress; bnt they are like the tracks left by a flight of locusts — only ruin and destruction. He has advanced from Atalanta to the Oconee without gaining possossion of a single inch of the ground he tiaversed. Hood maintains, or has prospects of maintaining; what he marches over ; Sherman devastates what he traverses, because bj' the very nature of his enterprise he cannot and dare not hope to keep it. Hood's base is in his rear well established, at a convenient distance, secure for retreat, and so situated us to command plentiful channels of supply. Sherman has no base — save one, in hope, in his front ; his supplies^ are either burdensome, or uncei tain ; while retreat, which for Hood would be perfectly safe, for Sherman would be but little use than utter ruin. In all the important points in which the two campaigns are unlike, therefore, the difference, both in principle and prospect, appears to be very much in favor of that of Hood. He has incurred an ordinary military risk, on well understood rules of war, for an adequate object. Sherman has incurred a most extraordinary military risk in Rn enterprise which has no precedent in modern war--ffire, for an object which is apparently in itself inadequate, which certainly could have been otherwise more safely and more surely attained. The fortune of war may crown, novel anc reckless audacity with success, and deny to prudent energy its due reward. But S3 far as care and good generalship can deserve success, Hood has deserved it ; there is such a tiling in war as tempting Providence, and that is what Sherman is doing. The nature of Sherman's expedition being such as/ye have seen — a mere passing across a Southern State towards some destination that might have been reached across Northern soil and by sea, without the g eat risk and the certain loss attending the march through hostile territory — it is clear that Sherman has played in the hands of, rather than turned the tables upon, the Southern leaders. Had l Sherman remained at Atalanta or upon the Tennessee, Hood, in all likelihood, would never have ventnred out of Alubama ; and Nashville and the Federal conquests south of the Ohio, would not now have been in danger. To say that Sherman drove Hood into Northern Alabama that the way might be clear for his own movement through central Georgia, is inconsistent with the plain facts. Atalanta was only of value to Sherman for aa offensive* campaign ; when Hood abandoned, the defensive and began to turn against Sherman his awn strategy of flank inarches, Atalanta became a difficult and even a dangerou3 possession-. Hood with a base at Macon was on the defensive ; with a base at Montgomerj',. or, as now, at Mobile, be was on the offensive, and threatened the long railway which— and nothing more — Sherman had taken a year to win. In moving northward, to place himself in communication with his new base, Hood obliged Sherman to return to the point whence he started in May, and even further, and to beyin over airain in Alabama the work that had been so slow'y and so toilsomely done in Georgia. Hood either expected Sherman t» do this — which was the true military necessity of the case — or knew that Sherman was bent upon another object, and that therefore he was at liberty ti operate against the North as i.c cose. Sherman's movement wa«, it is believed, long in contemplation, ifnot in preparation ; and Hood may well have speculated on his knowledge of his adversary's plans, to advance his own. Hood broke un from Florence whenever he knew that Sherman had fairly qaitted Atalanta, and thrown himself out of the flight in the south-west. If he expected Sherman to return towards Nashville,, he must have been much relieved ; if he was^ aware of Sherman's real plans, he saw that the raomens was come for carrying into execujton his own. In either case — and it is proljfble that Sherman's expedition did really taiVtheSouthern leaders in .<-ome measure !>y siPprise

— Hood found himself at perfect liberty to> move with his superior force upon Nashville,, and to strike a swift and vigorous blow for the-recove-y of all that had been lost by the South in two years of costly and laborious warfare. Nashville is at this moment the central point of interest in the ca npaign • for on itsfate depend the fate of Chattanooga and of Louisville, and the possessien ot all the wide country between the Ohio and the Tennessee T which a short time ago seemed to be- firmly in= the grasp of the Federals. It is, indeed, probable, that Chattanooga has already been evacuated ; if this be so, Knoxsvile- is already in; no slight danger ; for it has no railway communication with the North, save through Chattanooga and Nashville; and Breckrenridge had driven the corps of Gillem-, which? covered the town*, back in confusion- behind its earthworks. The success of the combined operations of Hood and Breckrenridge would; go a very long way to counterbalance evert the most valuable ultimate advantages which are hoped for from Sherman's movement. The possession of the Savannah River would, as things now stand, enable Sherman to cut the Cis-Miss'ss'ppian Confederacy in two; for both ot the great lateral railway lines south of the Tennepsae cross the Savannah. But should Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxsrille be lost to th'.;. Federals throiurl: the operations of Hood, the outer great Southern railway :lioe, fronx Lyricliburg to- Curmtla, Zoei. lt\3

3*ear, will be recovered. No operations of Sherman from his ocean bare could even carry him far enough inland to enable him to cut this line anew; and thus the Confederacy would be so re-connected in the North as to countervaile any disconnection that might be accomplished in the South. Tho battle at Franklin is a proof— which might, perhaps, have been better spared— of the ardor with which Hood has thrown himself into his work. But it is probable that, if the results to flow from his success would be splendid, the difficulties which he has to encounter will be found correspondingly formidable. We learn from the ' Southland News' that the technical objection taken by the Attorney-Gene-ral of New Zealand, Mr Sewell, to the validity of the election of J. P. Taylor, Esq., as Superintendent of this Province, has sufficed to upset the feeble framework of our local Government, a? raised on the votes of the past session. It will be seen by reference to our other columns, that the Speaker of the Provincial Couucil of Southland, J. Wilson, Esq., has received an intimation under the hand of the Governor -General that the office of Superintendent of the said Province is vacant, and he therefore appoints a meeting of the Council for the 13th instant to fill the vacancy. By a logical sequeuce the ordinances passed and reserved by Mr Taylor for the Governor's assent cannot be accepted at head quarters as anything more than waste paper, wanting, a^ they do, the impress of a Superintendent regnant. We are thus furnished with materials for a really nov»;l imbroglio. It will be as much as we can expect if the so far useless documents are sent back to serve as the basis of new legislation. This farce on provincialism, commencing with the obstinate struggle between the respective supporters of Di- Menzies and Mr Hall ?s not calculated to raise the institution in the opinion of distant spectators. Terminal ing as it did in an ungracious compromise, the election of a gentleman certainly respectable and held in high estimation but as a politician quife unknown, it is calculated to convey the impression that petty jpalousies are with us strong enough to over-balance all considerations to public welfare. With reference to the fresh election, it is said in many quarters that it will be rrally more illegal than the previous one, inasmuch as, if the clause directing the election of a Superintendent within one month from the first meeting be mandatory, the present Council must perforce be ineffective, and have virtually lapsed, through the non-exercise of its functions. This difficulty is, we are informed, surmounted by the Governor's notification of the vacancy, a formal procedure, enabling the Speaker by virtue of a contingent clause, to act as though the hiatus had been occasioned by causes which might arise to deprive a province of its Superintendent, wh«n no question existed as to the legality of his term of office. It seems to us a sample of legal fiction, but if our superiors deem it the correct course, we have only " Hobson' > choice." Whatever may be done, we hope and trust that no more opportunities will be afforded for the exercise of Mr Seweli's subversive talents. The agitation concerning the West Coast still continues undimished. Cobb's coaches every morning leave crammed full of passengers, and we are of the opiuion that if the company were to lay on extra coaches, they would still hardly meet the requirements of the public. Besir'es these a great many single traps have been hired to take parties of from four to six. On Saturday (March 4th) the new esccrt started from the Treasury, Christchuroh, at 10 a.m. Mr Commissioner Shearman accompanied the escort to make the necessaiy arrangements, and to organise the police force on the West Coast. Puttiag all these items together, our readers will perct ive that the gold field is believed in both by the people and by the Government, and that the latter are now thoroughly roused to a sense of their responsibility. The whole of the West Coast from the Nelson, to the Otago boundary has been proclaimed a goldfield by the Canterbury Provincial Government. In this we are of opinion they have done wisely ; land speculators having turned up in great numbers within the last few days who were willing to risk the purchase money on the chance of what after circumstances might turn up. Under the circumstances we think it highly desirable that till accurate information is obaiMf d, the diggers should be protected from the operations of mere land-sharks, and this could only be done by the action taken by the Government. We understand that Mr and Mrs Charles Dillon, who aie. just now, successfully on engagement at Christchurch, are to appear shortly at the Princess Theatre, Dunedin. They are to be accompanied by Mr George Fawcett, who is at present pla) ing with them. The trial of William Andrew Jarvey, for the murder of his wife, was to have commeuced on Monday, 13th inst.,but to afford Mr Smith time to complete his arrangements for the defence, the trUl was postponed ti 1 Wednesday the loth i vS tant. .

Last week the Supreme Court was occupied for two days in hearing the case of Frost v. Reynolds. This was a suit arising out of the fatal collision between the Favorite and the Pride of the Yarra when the Rev. Mr Campbell and many oiher persons were drowned. Amongst the victims of that most unfortunate affair was a man named Frost, a bricklayer, and the action was brought under Lord Campbell's Act by his widow to recover compensation for herself and children 1 oilier husband's death. Mr W. H. Reynolds being the registered owner of the Pride, the action was brought against him, Frost having been a passenger on that boat at the time of the collision. A large amount of evidence was taken, but it was almost a repetition of the evidence given at the Inquest at the time, and at the subsequent trial of the Captain of the Favorite for manslaughter. The Jury returned a verdict for LGBO ; L3OO being awarded to the widow, and L3SO being divided between the eight children. Mr Griffiths, of the Australasian Hotel, met with a very severe accident on Sunday evening the 12th instant. It seems that about six o'clock as Mr Hopltinson and Mr Griffiths were driving up Princes street, a dog ran under the hor.se, causing it to take fright. It rushed along till, on turning Rattray street, it came against the post opposite Bullen's, and both gentlemen were i thrown out with considerable violence. Mr j Griffiths was seriously injured, having his shoulder di.slocated, his thumb bone broken, and his foot s c verly sprained. He was taken insensible into iYrCubl>in\s Hotel, and afterwards conveyed to his owu residence. New intelligence has been obtained concerning j the Hindon rush. The situation of the rush is iv a gully about three miles from, the Hindon. It. seems that the prospects are very good, as a party of four after two or thred days work succeeded in striking payable gold and from two small paddocks they obtained from six to eight ouuees of beautiful heavy water washed g o '^? and said parly have made arrangements (or working all winter in the gully. The prospects have been so i tempting that many who were on the eve of leaving for the West Coast have given up the . idea, and have set to work here. The lead of gold in this gully it appears is very narrow and difficult to strike, it being only about from one foot to six ! in width, and many diggers finding their first efforts unsatisfactory, left the ground, but many of them returned, however, when they heard of such good prospects having been obtained by others. It is exceedingly probable that this field will afford steady and remunerative employment for a number of diggers for some time to come, as there are hopes of obtaining also payable prospects on the terraces on b.)th sides of the gully. Mr Warden Beetham, writing from Wakatipu on the 4ih March, reports : — " During the week a considerable number of miners and storekeepers have left the district for the Grey. The chances must surely be very great in favor of success that will induce numbers of miners who are really doing well to leave their claims to the first comers, and start for a place which it appears but reasonable to assume will be over-rushed. lam clearly aware of several instances in which men have left £8 and £10, and even more than that, per week behind them. There can, however, be no question but that the number said to have left this district has been greatly exaggerated by most people even on the spot. As a contrast to the Grey, observe that the dividends upon three extended claims at the Bucklerbum for the last week have been £40, £30, and £15 per man respectively. Several extended claims have also been granted during the week. We would remind our readers that letters for the home country mujt be posted without delay as the mail closes here to-morrow, and in Dunedin the following day. An inquest on the body of David Stewart, whose deajh, resulting from a blow of an axe and other injuries inflicted by Thomas Whitehead, was reported in the ' Daily Times' of the Bth instant, was heid on the lO;h instant before Dr J. Gibson Smith, coroner for the Molyneux district. » he homicide took place on the 3rd. The inquest ended at 9 p.m. on the 10th. The prisoner, Thos. Whitehead, had been brought from. Invercargill to be present, and in conseqaence of there being no lock-up on the Matauia for his safe custody, it was deemed proper by the Coroner and SubInspector Morton to remove him to the Clutha Ferry at the nearest Police Station (a distance of seventy- three miles) to Dunedin. This procedure was consequently pursuer], the prisoner being secured on horseback. The occurrence has caused great excitement on the diggings, nnd fears were entertained that if the wretched man had been left on the ground without a strong gnard to protect him, the diggers would have takeu the law into their own hands, and lynched him. After hearing the evidence given before the Coroner, the Jury, returned a verdict of wilful murder against the prisoner.

The following new insolvents have been gazetted : - J. Lounie and E. B. Garven trading as Lounie and Co., contractors, debts L 15.854. assets LI 1,081 7f>, deficiency L 4.770 4a. A..G. Fisher and G. W. Moss, trading; as A. G. Fisher and Co., auctioneers, debts L57.G81 I7s sd, as?ets L 55.336 9s Bd, deficiency L 2,345 7s 9d. Separat ■ estates — G. W. Moss, debts L 2,120, assets 1/1,8-13 10s, deficiency L 276 10s. AG. Fisher, debts L 827 2-? 7d, assets L 824 10s, deGciency L 2 12s 7d. ihomas Morris, market gardener, debts L 242 23, assets LBO, deficiency LIG4 2s. WmAnderson, farrier, debts L2l^ 17s 6d, aosets LlO6 4s 6d, deficiency LU2 13s. W. W. Tickle, mercant, debts L 8,972 7s lid (including Ll7B ls f disputed), assets L 7848 ss, deficiency L 1.024 7s Gd^ The ' New Zealand Gazette ' contains an order in council altering the time for holding the next session of the Criminal Court at Invercargill, from the 12th day of April to the 2nd day of May next. A lighthouse is being erected by the Trench government on the small island of Amede, near New Caledonia. The tower and. fittings were completed at Paris in July, 1862. It is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and lighted on the first of January, XBG6. It will be visible 22 miles, and be 50 metres above the level of the sea. The i- Southern Cross ' of 2nd March, gives th& following result of the census of 2nd December, 1864: — Exclusive of the military, both Imperial and Colonial, and their families, the total population of the Province on the above date was 37,008 souls, of whom 15,357 were females. The number of acres fenced was 128,703. There were under cultivation 87,147 acres, of which, there were in wheat 856, oats 3394, barley 154, maize 754, potatoes 3459. in garden or orchard 1855, in sown grasses 75,680. and in other crops 995. Of live stock the province contained 7233 horses, 111 mules and asses, 42,120 cattle, 73,145 sheap, 3273 goats, 12,936 pigs, and 104,564 poultry. The number of military settlers and their families in the Province of Auckland wese, males, 4035 ; females, 1039; total 5124, making the total population of the Province when the sensus was taken — males, 25,688; females, 16,446, total, 42,132. I The Supreme Court was engaged yesterday, < (lOfch instant,) in hearing the case of David Cunningham and five others, sawyers, against James Bruce, a contractor, for work and labor done in sawing several thousand feet of wood for the Waikouaiti bridge, in April, 1864. The amount claimed was £104 7s 10 kl From the evidence given it appeared that six sawyers had entered into a contract with the defendant to supply the number of feet of sawn timber he required, and to share the amount paid for the work equally between them. It was proved that the timber was supplied by receipts from defendant's manager. David Cunningham, one of the partners, was not present, For the defence it was contended that the defendant had engaged Cuningham as a sub-contractor, and that he did not know the other plaintiffs in the transaction. He had made arrangements with Cunningham for this contract. Cunningham had employed these men and not defendant. On completion of the work defendant hud paid Cunningham, notwithstanding the notice that had been served upon him by the other plaintiffs not to pay him unless in the presence of all parties. Mr Haggitt appeared for the plaintiffs, Mr Prendergast for the defendant. After hearing counsel on both sides the learned Judge summed up the evidence. Without leaving the box, the jury found for the plaintiffs in the sum of £92 6s, the verdict stating that the defendant had contracted with all the plaintiffs, and not with Cunningham alone; and that if he had settled Avith Cunningham at all, that settlement had taken place after the notice had been served upon him by the other plaintiffs. This was the last case on the list, and closed the Civil Sessions. The Court at its rising — a quarter past three — was adjourned to Mon- ! day morning next, at 10 o'clock. The trial A. W. Jarvey for the murder of his wife will be proceeded with. Archdeacon Crawford, says the 'Mount Alexander Mail,' has favored us with a description of a curiosity that has lately come i into his possession, and which illustrates a I custom of the aboriginal natives that is not i generally known to exist". It seems that j black gins go into mourning for the deceased ' husbands, in fashion that bears a striking resemblance to that adopted by bereaved wives in Christian countries. They wear, in fact, a widow's cap of peculiar construction, and the archdeacon has obtained two well-preserved specimens of this singular coiffure. It is made partly of rags and partly of gypsum; the rags being bound round the head, and the gypsum (mixed up into a paste) being plastered over to a thickness of two or three inches. This must be anything b\it a comfortable style of head dress, and scarcely so becoming even as the ugly starched up caps with which our own widows disfigure themselves. The practice among the aboriginal dowagers is to wear this sign of their grief for periods varying from Wo to nine months, and when at length they throw it aside it is placed on their husband's tomb, and the women do not again enter the married state, but become the common property of the tribe. The widow's caps we now refer to were obtained from the Paroo natives.

The Canterbury Gov eminent are talcing active steps to provide for the good management of the Okitiki Golclfields. The Press reporting a largely attended public meeting on the subject says: — " Members of the Government announced that they had taken steps for appointing a Resident Magistrate, a "Warden, and a Mining Surveyor; that a gold escort would start in a few days ; that Mr Rolleston was about to go himself to superintend the starting of the departments of the Government, and to call at Wellington on his way to arrange with the General Government for the establishment of a Custom House and Postal Service; that a competent engineer was to start shortly to get the track cut through so as to expedite the passage of the gold escort, and that Captain Gibson was to go round to see what can be done to render tbe navigation of the bars as safe as possible.', The 'Lyttleton Times of the 7th inst, says: — Captain Gibson, the port officer of the Province, leaves to-day for Nelson, on his way to the West Coast. He has sent forward by the s.s. Waipara, which left on Saturday, the signal and semaphore gear for the entrance of the Okitiki river; and he takes with him a proper pilot boat, so that everything which can be forseen as likely to be wanted may be ready in a few days alter his arrival. The boat taken is that which has been in use at the Sunnier bar, and its place will, at present, be supplied by one of the harbor boats; but steps have already been taken to proAdde a proper life boat for Sximner. The river Grey will also receive attention. The ingenuity of the photographers, writes the ' Australasion,' is restless. Novelty after novelty is bronght out, until we begin to pity our poor ancestors, who had only the miiiature painter, or the too often indifferent worker in oil colors, to transmit their likenesses to succeeding generations. The latest thing in carte da visiles is a four-fold picture, of which speciment have been sent to us by Messrs Paterson, Brothers. On a card of the usual size four minature pictures .are produced. There is a full face, a three-quarter face (as it is phrased), and two others taken from different points of view. An excellent portrait of the sitter is thus conveyed. The Bendigo papers state that there is good reason to believe that Gilbert Hall, and Dunn, have crossed the Victorian border, and have been seen near Benalla, about fifty miles from Echuca. It is supposed they intend to stick up the Ovens escort, or venture on some other daring enterprise. On the same authority it is stated that a number of Victorian police have been despatched to the scene. If this is the case, we doubt not they will soon give a good account of the bushrangers. The Malta ' Times ' announces the death by drowning of midshipman Fielding, of H. M.'s ship Olandoj and one of the few survivors of the wreck of the Orpheus on the Manukau. As might be expected, the Wakamarina golclneld has been nearly deserted by the dig- - gers leaving fo.v the Grey goldfield. Those who have stood by their claims are for the most part doing exceedingly well, much of the ground turning oxit very rich. The late rains did considerable mischief to the dams and flume boxes, which has resulted in many of the holders selling out in disgust for whatever sums were offered for their claims.; We have not heard of any new ground being discovered. I West Coast Route. — In addition to $ie regular government survey which will 'point out the shortest route to the West Coast, we undarstand that Messrs Cobb and Co, have their own agents looking out for the nearest available coach road, and we have little doubt that these indofatigable caterers for the public convenience will not be far behind our more scientific explorers in their discoveries. The ' Molyneux Mail ' relates that on Tuesday last, (7th instant), an accident occurred to a miner named W. H. Jones, by which his leg was broken above the knee. He was working in his claim on the west bank of the Molyneux, opposite the Camp, where a mass of stone becamo detached and rolled upon him before he could get out of the way; he was at once conveyed to the hospital, where the lim was set by Doctor Shaw, and is now doing well. By warrant issiied by his Excellency under the provisions of the " Regulation of Elections Act, 1858," the following additional polling places for the election of members of the House of Representatives have been appointed for the electoral districts named: — For the district of Bruce: Dunedin, the Court House; Waihola, the schoolhouse ; Inch Clutha, the schoolhouse; Lawrence, the schoolhouse; Lawrence, the schoolhouse; Pomahaka, Captain M'Kenzie's station. For the districts of Dunedin and suburbs North, and of Dunedin and suburbs south: — The schoolhouse. North Dunedin. By warrant issued under the provisions of the same Act, the following polling places for the goldfields districts are abolished, viz., the police station, Clyde, and the police station, Queenstown — and the following places appointed in their stead: — the court house: Clyde, Lawrence, Queenstown, Waitahuna, Waipori, Mount Benger. The court house: Arrow, Alexandra, Hamilton, Mount Ida, Maori -Point, Hindon, Cromwell. The camp: Dunstan Creek, Nokomai, Cardrona, Nevis, Hyde, Blackstone Hill.