THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 92, 3 March 1862, Page 3

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

LATER BY WAY OF CALIFORNIA AND SYDNEY. We extract the following from the Sydney Herald .— By the Star King, Captain Confield, from Puget Sound, we have news to the 4th of December from Washington, and to the sth fi-om St. Louis. We understand that Captain Confield spoke the Edith Rose, fi-om California, and received from her a complete file of San Francisco papers to the 13tli_of December—only two of which, however (viz., the 7th and 10th), have been preserved. This will arcount for the meagre and fragmentary nature of the following extracts. The San Francisco Herald of the 7th publishes the following overland telegram :— St. Louis, December sth. Great excitement and consternation exists at Charleston and other towns South. At Charleston the rebels are burning all their cottoit and rice, to prevent it fulling into the hands of the Federals. At Greenville, Tennessee, two Unionists have been hung by the rebels. Their offence was bridge Parson Brownlow is making himself felt. In East Tennessee, at the head of 2000 men, he attacked a large rebel force, and defeated them with great slaughter. He captured ten ofthe rebel teamsters, with their teams and freight. Tho Federal fleet have captured a ship, having on board a large cargo of sugar and molasses; tin: vessel was trying to steal out of New Orleans when taken. Ihe Associated Press have received the following: A special despatch to the New York Times from Washington, dated the 4th, says:—lnformation has been received this evening that the rebel forces in possession of Armadale have a large force of cavalry. There are twelve forts around Centreville, defended by field pieces. Four regiments of the enemy lately left Centreville, where there are now 12,000 men. Washington, December 4. A deserter from the rebels—a servant of Beauregard —dressed like a New York soldier, came into camp last nieht. He says that his whole regiment had been supplied with uniforms a week since. They were received in the South from Boston. He states that there is abundance of good shoes for those who can pay for them; he had paid six dollars for his. The following intelligence of the Port Royal fight is etated to have bean received by Eastern papers from rebel accounts abtained at Fortress Munroe :—-" In anticipation of the arrival of the great expedition, the rebels have been engaged in erecting batteries upon the point at Hatton's Head, and o.i the opposite neck of land. The principle fortification ou Button's Head, was denominated Fort Walker. It is situated on low land, partially concealed by trees and underbrush. Adjoining it were other batteries of smaller size, but so connected as to prove a formidable bar to the eutrance of vessels. Fort Beaufort was of consi- j " derable importance, having been mounted with heavy! guns. ' The garrisons are supposed to have been tSouth Carolina regiments, assisted by additional regiments from Richmond. The batteries at Bay Point, opposite Hatton's Head, were equally formidable, Inside of Port Royal entrance and behind the •batteries lay the rebel fiestof Commodore Tatuall, ■which consisted only of small vessels, carrying a few heavy guns, but principally light ones. Tugg constituted a great portion of the fleet. Many of these remained^outside themouthof theentrance until the arrival of our fleet, when they formed in line of battle behind the guns of their own forts and across the entrance On the morning of Thursday, the United States fleet, numbering forty-two vessels, headed by the flag-ship, approached the mouth ofthe entrance of Port Royal. This was at half-past nine o'clock. Several of the transports remained on the coast. Upon arriving at a suitable position, the guns of the fleet onencd a continuous fire upon Forts Vt'alker and Beaufort, as well as upon those of Bay Point Undt-cover of this fire an efibit was made to run the gauntlet of the batteries, which they did, and a nnmof vessels pa=sed the fire from the shore batteries with very trifling injury ; fifteen of them succeeded in passing up beyond'the reach ofthelnnd bat'erie*. As the Union fleet sailed up, the Mosquito fleet opened fire, but seeing the impossibility of making any resistance, soon dispersed. Some were forced to ruii on shore, others were dri-.-en up the inlets out of sight. Commodore Tatnall went ou shore with tome of his men to assist in working the batteries, and used them against our vessels which were endeavoring to follow the advance of the others. The passage of the fleet through the channel was not accomplished until the firing had continued from half-past nine in the morning until nearly five in the evening. One of the Union gun-boats is believed lo have been burnt, »nd three steamers disabled. It is acknowledge! by the enemy that they had twenty men killed in the Fort Walker. It is impossible te state what their luff was at the other batteries. No sooner did our vessels go past the batteries at Port Royal entrance, and slide into what is termed Broad River, than they made for the mouth of the inlets leading to Beaufort, Savannah aud Charleston. These they immediately blockaded, but not in time to prevent the escape of the small rebel vessels. Not one of the Federal vessels was sunk, and the only one believed to have been destroyed by fire wai the gunboat, referred to above. The crew is said tc have passed through a murderous fire to another yes eel, wliich they reached with very little if any loss, The Union vessels acted under special instruction^ in blockading the inlets which led to the most impor tant points, and which afforded loopholes of escape ti tlie enemy. While a portion of the fleet enterei upon this duty, four ships made at once for Beaufort and at 3 o'oclock, on Thursday, these vessel were ii sight of town."

OTAGO HIGH SCHOOL. (From the Otago Witness.) There is a natural tendency in the human mind to fin-get amid the excitement of materia] prosperity those objects which take a foremost place in advancing the real interests of a people. Eager to add house to house, and iield to field, man becomes deadened to those aspirations which characterise nobility of mind. In religion the outward respect is stiil observed—the seat in church is still occupied, ond a becoming regard enterlained Cor the ob-j servance ofthe Sabbath. These external ac-j tions—this galvanised religion—are supposed j to indicate a feeling of refinement, and so they! are not altogether neglected. Endeavour, how-! ever, enlist sympathy in favor of the fur-j therance of education, —that mental and moral; culture which alone fits man for his sphcreofi activity and usefulness, and you will find, instead of a genial sympathy—that cheapest of all voluntary efforts—gratuitous abuse of the Government for doing nothing. Now, it is not our intention to defend the Government. We give them, when we consistently can, whatever support we are able in the performance of no ordinary duties, under peculiar circumstances; at the same time we hesitate not to strike home when we notice a ■ wilful negligence, or a gross abuse of power. ' "We would urge upon the Government to move ahead of the people's demands, and not to wait until they are obliged to advance. We 1 have been led to this train of thought from a : recollection of a passage in his Honor's open- ' ing address, recommendatory of the immediate j establishment of the long promised and too j long delayed High School, and the message to ; the House on the same subject, urging a pro- l vision for the same. The Council, with a be- \ coming zeal, voted the money asked of them, j and knowing that the plan of the School or t College had been submitted and approved, 1 and that even the site had been cleared, - we fondly hoped to see, ere this, the classic J structure emerging into existence, but no t evidences of even a beginning arc visible. I There are not even the confused masses of * stone, such as, on Lookout "Point, tell where the ■; Lunatic Asj-lum is to be or has been. There j. is a screw loose somewhere. The machinery i, is out of order, and though we do not approve o ofthe system of abusing the engineer, on all £ occasions, if the engine is not in all its parts 3. •what it should be, yet we hold it to be a duty, „ which he cannot omit to perform, to see that t the work is done. The interests of Education i are second to none in importance. We hope to avoid seeing our youth sent to be educated in other Provinces— it is our duty to be up and i stirring—we write in no unfriendly spirit—we ask that the money ungrudgingly voted be' at i once expanded. ' Having done this much, the Government J; would be in a position to go to the Council •with a request for a complete educational staff, t in order tliat Otago might take its proper r place in the educational movement. Half *■ measures in such a cause as this would simply ' "be throwing money away; let the basis be J, broad and deep, the organisation complete, and v we will venture to assert that if Government t will only act boldly, success, even in a pecu- '" niary point of view, is beyond dispute. AYe s have heard tbat the subject has from time to j time engaged the serious attention of Govern- (1 ment, but, pressed by more urgent demands d connected with-the new order of things, the 1] consideration of it has been postponed. We r have been so successful in enlisting the active „ sympathies of the puhlic on behalf of a Fire r Brigade, a Benevolent Institution, &c., that a vte will not at present tax their energies any ' further; we will try an appeal to the Govern- " ment, and tell them— a Procrastination is the thief of time, v Be wise to-day—t'is folly to defer ; t Next day tho "fatal precedent will plead. _ s Thus on'ami on, till Hope, expiring, points 'I To vacillation's profitless design.— v Since the above was written, we have T learned, on what may be considered good l £ authority, that it is tlie intention of Govern- ', ment, as soon as the Council meets, to reconi- c mend such a complete Educational Establish- t ment as we have alluded to, and that in the j' meantime tenders will be called for on account j ofthe High School, which have hitherto been t delayed from the great pressure of business in f the department of Public Works. We have I also learned that the contract for the North- | East Dunedin School-house has been signed, { and tenders may shortly be invited for that of i Oamaru. This 'is the dawning of a better day, s and we rejoice to find that the Government j are fully alive to the responsibilities of their j •position, and resolved that while telegraphs, , railroads, and steam postal communicationnn- t cessarily engage their attention, " those \ weightier matters of the law," which refer to f the intellectual and moral features of man, ' are not to be allowed to drop into the back-

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