CALIFORNIA.

Timaru Herald, Volume I, Issue 5, 9 July 1864, Page 2

CALIFORNIA.

The barque Harburg arrived m Auckland on the 23rd June from San Francisco. The New Zealand Herald of the 24tli says : — By the Harburg we have received Califoraian papers to the 10th April We learn from the Alia California of that date, that the Tennessee Cavalry, COO strong, had been fairly routed by the Confederate Cavalry near Somerville, Tennessee. They fled leaving CO dead upon the field. The Confederate General Steele had captured Shreeveport, after an attack lasting ten hours. A corps of 20,000 men, Federals, had been raised m Indiana, and were to take the field- The North is straining its utmost to overwhelm the South during this season's campaign. The following account of the state of New York, shows how satisfied even the Unionists are that the present ruinous expenditure cannot last much longer : — New York is undergoing a whirlpool of dissipation and gaities, and the masses are carried along unresistingly. The soldier, with his thousand dollar bounty and a leave of absence m his breeches pocket, has his plethora of enjoyment m his own way as well as the millionaire m his ; while the middle class of moderate incomes who formerly lived m quiet affluence, and have not made money out of the war, have hard work to rub along. The hotels m all parts of the city benefit by the universal prosperity, and are overcrowded. Boarding-houses are filled to repletion, while hosts of families are upon the verge of desperation from fear that on the Ist of May they will be turned homeless into the streets. There are no houses for rent, and but few for sale. Our great restaurants are nightly filled with guests. Grand dinners are the order of the day. Delnionico's magnificent rooms are redolent with flowers and the fumes of rich wines. The Maison Doree has its share of patronage. A stranger must wonder where all the money that is needed to defray this immense expenditure for pleasure comes from. We are not prepared to answer an juste; but Chase knows. The more wise shake their heads and hoard their greenbacks, or rather change them into real estate, diamonds, and landed property. A crash may, doubtless must, come ere long j but uutil it does, New York will continue to be the gayest, most brilliant of cities, attracting vast crowds from the smaller and more insignificant places. Our managers of places of public amusement are bewildered at their extraordinary success. AH one has to do is to open his doors and play anything, and turn away crowds every night ; who cannot even find standing room. I The Mexican question has been debated m ; Congress, and the following resolution unanr I mously passed : — " That the Congress of the United States are unwilling by silence, to have the nations of the world under the impression that they are indifferent spectators of the deplorable events

now transpiring m the republic of Mexico j therefore* they think fit to declare that it does not accord with the people of the United States to acknowledge a Monarehial Government on the ruins of any .Republican Government m America, under the auspices of any European power." The following account of the destruction of the Federal man-of-war, ' Housatonic,' by a Confederate infernal machine is from the A lta t of the 10th :— "We have further details of the appalling scenes on board the sloop- of- war 'Housatonic than mentioned m our previous correspondence. She was a first-class Federal man-of-war, and her destruction m Charleston harbour by a rebel infernal machine, is thus described by one of the officers on board at the time. He says the torpedo came towards them looking like a big log, drifting with the tide, but afterwards it was shown she was guided to her work by rebel sailors. Two minutes after it was seen, it struck and exploded under the * Housatonic' starboard i quarter, making a most fearful report. The propeller was broken off, the stern was torn to pieces, and the ship sunk rapidly m less than eight minutes from the time the torpedo machine was first seen, the vessel sunk m six fathoms of water. As she began to sink, the most frightful scenes were witnessed. Men with nothing but their shirts on were seen struggling m the water, officers were trying to get thepoats loose, while others were mounting the rigging. Three boats were finally unlashed, and these were sent to rescue those m the water. " The ' Housatonic' is a total loss. All hands lost all they possessed— money, clothes, &c. ; m fact, many of them, including some of the officers, went on board the * Canandaigua' m a naked state. John Walch, coal-heaver, of Boston, had got safely on deck, but ventured back to save three hundred dollars which he had m his bag on the berth deck. Poor fellow, he never returned. Theodore Parker (colored) who was on the look-out directly over where the ship was struck, was blown into the air and instantly killed. Captain Pickering was sightly injured by the explosion. "It is feared that many others of the vessels m the blockade will follow the fate of tho 'Hausatonic' It is well known that the rebels have six or eight more of these infernal machines ready to pounce upon the fleet. The masts of the * Hausatonic' are all that can be seen of her, and the gale which is now prevailing will do much to make a complete wreck of that once noble ship. " At low tide the water is about six feet above the rail of the ' Hausotonic' If the weather moderates, her guns and many valuable articles, and the paymaster's safe will be recovered. She cannot be raised, as her stern is Completely blown off, clean to the ward-room hatch. She was loaded down with coal and provisions, which will be a total loss. Many of the survivors had quite large sums of money to send home by the next mail. The loss to them is severe. "The 'Housatonic' was one of the first-class screw corvettes built last year. The torpedo boat was also destroyed by the shock, with all on board"