America

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 8, Issue 455, 23 November 1864, Page 4

America

By the arrival of tlie Mary and Edith at Auckland, from San Francisco on the 9th instant, news has been received up: to tlie lOtli September. The Daily £ Alta’ has tlie following telegrams, which are of importance : Washington, Sept. 1. The War Department lias just received General Canby’s official report of. the surrender of Fort Morgan. It is as follows : “ New Orleans, August 24.

££ Fort Morgan surrendered unconditionally yesterday at 2 p.m. We have about two lmnd red prisoners, - sixty pieces of artillery, and a large quantity of material. In the twelve hours preceding the surrender, about two thousand shells were thrown into the fort. The citadel and barracks were entirely destroyed, and the works, generally, much injured. Many guns were spiked, the carriages burned, and much ammunition destroyed by the rebels. Tlie loss of our army is one killed aud seven wounded.” New Yoke, Sept. 1. - The steamer McClellan, from New Orleans the 24th ultimo, via Mobile Bay the 37th, has arrived. She brings Admiral Farragut’s official despatches regarding tlie capture of Fort Morgan, and .the flags of the rebel ram Tennessee, the rebel steamer Selma, and Fort Gaines. The rebel ram Nashville, was blown up by the Metacomets on the night of tlie 25tli, just below Mobile. She was 360 feet long (?), and was to mount 18 guns. Six torpedoes in the channel below Fort Morgan had been fisLed up. The Tennessee would soon leave for New Orleans. The Selma was doing duty in the Union cause. Our forces ashore and on shipboard were in excellent condition.

New York, Sept. 8. The Herald’s Mobile correspondent says tlie results of tlie victory at Mobile may be summed up thus : We compelled the evacuation of Fort Powell, the surrender of Fort Gaines, and almost destroyed and compelled the surrender of, Fort Morgan, heretofore considered the strongest fortiflcations in the United'States.. We have taken 1,800 prisoners, 100 pieces of cannon, a vast quantity of small arms, munitions of war, and ■ also provisions enough to feed the garrison we shall place there for six months. We have captured and ready for use the ram Tennesse, the strongest war vessel afloat, and also several other war vessels. We have penned up at least three English blockade runners, and all this cost the army one man killed and ten wounded, and th.e <

navy the loss of the Tecumseh and part of her crow, with very few casualties in another shqi. Washington, Sept. 8.

The following i 3 an extract of a letter from Lieutenant-General Grant, dated Head-quarters, City Point, Va., August 10, to the lion. H. E. Washbume “ Dear Sir-,—l state to all citizens who visit me that all we want now to ensure an early restoration of the Uniou is a determined unity of Bentiment North. The rebels have now in their ranks their last man. Boys and old men are guarding the prisoners and railroad bridges, and forming a good part of their garrisons in entrenched positions. Any man lost by them cannot be replaced; They have robbed the cradle and the grave equally to get their present force. Besides what they lost in frequent skirmishes and battles, they are now losing from desertion and-other causes at least one regiment per day. With this drain upon them the end is not far distant —if we only be true to ourselves. Their only hope now is in a divided North. This might give them reinforcements from Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, and Missouri, while it would weaken us. With a draft quietly enforced, the enemy would become despondent and would make little resistance. .1 have no doubt but the enemy is exceedingly anxious to hold out until after the Presidential. election. They, have many hopes from its effects. They hope a counter revolution. They xiqtjo the election of peace candidates. In fact, like Micawbcr, they hope for - ‘something to turnup.’ Our peace friends, it they expect peace from separation, are much mistaken.” It would but be the beginning of Avar with thousands of Northern men joining the South, because of our disgrace in allowing a separation. To have peace on any torms°the South would demand the restoration of their slaves already freed. They would demand a treaty Avliicli avoulc! make the North slave hunters for the South.

THE INTENDING BATTLE IN VIRGINIA

The following article appears in the latest issues that haA'e come to hand of the ‘ Alta California.’ The indications are that we are on the eve of one of the moat tremendous battles of the Avar. In every part of the rebel States, except Virginia, the rebels have been driven from their strongholds; There is nothing left for them but to concentrate all their strength in Richmond, and submit their cause to the hazard, possibly, of a single engagement, in Avhich the advantages of position will be on our side. Ever since .he crossed the Rapidan, Grant has been fighting Lee behind entrenchments. When he cut his Avay through the wilderness it Avas only to have his further progress barred at Spottsyl vania Court house, by a series of field works of the most formidable character. When, by his masterly flank movements, he succeeded in turning the enemy’s position and marched to the Oliickahominy River, it was only _to find himself again in front of rifleabattis, entrenchment, and >vell-const- a cted forts. When, again, after seve'jq weeks’ adroit manoeuvring, lie outflanked Lee and pushed across .to the Avith the intention of talcing Petersburg by surprise—an enterprise which we now know would have been successful but for an error committed by the officers charged Avith the duty of transporting the supplies for the army—the inevitable field works, only stronger and more formidable than any he had left behind, cast their dark shadows over his advance. From the 3rd May last, up to the latest dates received, our soldiers in Virginia have been clearing out rifle-pits, charging abattis, and mounting brea3tAvorks, every foot of the Avay leading to which Avere covered with tripping Avires and stakes so placed as to pierce the body of the soldier as he fell.

,Tlie probabilities are that in the approaching grand battle all this will be changed. If Grant can maintain his present position, extending from the James to the Weldon Railroad, till the winter set 3 in, Lee, with his communications in all diroctons so badly damaged as they are, will never be able to hold out. His circumstances are such that he will have to sally forth and take his turn at storming our works. It will be for him this time to expose his,troops to the murderous fire of the rifle-pits —to hurl them against breastworks and urge them forward to the deadly breach. We have no knowledge of the character or extent of General Grant’s works. That they are formidable., however, the country may rest assured; The Lieutenant General knows too much about armies to have permitted his troops for weeks and months past to lie in camp. We know of a canal being in course of construction for the purpose of rendering a heavy battery which the rebels have on a bend of the James, below Drury Bluffs, useless. We hear also of a branch railroad being built from City Point, by which supplies can be distributed along his whole front with Case and despatch. It is altogether probable that the camp which menaces Richmond is as strong as Richmond itself.

Rot only is the- advantage of position against Lee, if lie should assume the offensive, but no events of importance would flow from the most brilliant victory he could achieve. If he should drive Grant from his position iii front of he would gain nothing but free communication with Wilmington (the great depot of the blockade running trade) again, for Grant could fall back under the protection of his gunboats, and would be ready for active operations in a short time. In a word, all Lee can secure by victory in his present position is temporary relief. On the other hand, if Grant is victorious —if he hurls back the rebel masses —mows them down with his usual impetuosity—and drives them back'io their ownjlines, lie •may end the war, for the rebels, now despondent, would then become disheartened and demoralized. More than that: with the Weldon Railroad in Grant’s possession, it would be impossible for them to hold out during the winter, unless, indeed, they have accumulated in Richmond stores enough to feed the inhabitants and the army for six. months—■something that is not very probable. Let us look forward, then, without anxiety to. the mighty conflict which is at hand. The chances, beyond question, are on the side of the Union cause.

EXPLOSION OF TIIE ‘WASHOE.’—TERS.IELE LOSS OF LIFE AX'D LIMB. Sacramento, September 6. At half-past 4 o’clock this morning the fire bells of the city were rung, and our citizens were aroused to learn that a dreadful catastrophe lmd occurred during the night, attended by terrible destruction of life aud limb. The steamer ‘ Antelope’ [arrived at the, foot of R street at half-past'

4 o’clock, bringing the imformation that one of the boilers of the steamer ‘Washoe had exploded at half-past 9 o’clock the evening before, on the trip up from San Francisco, the boat having ou board at the,time one, hundred and fifty to three hundred passengers. The explosion took place at the month of the Slough, some thirty miles below Sacramento, and about five miles above Rio Vista. The .‘Chrysopolis’ had passed the ‘Washoe’ and was at the time four miles ahead. As nothing was known on board of the catastrophe she of course kept on her course. The ‘Antelope,’ Captain Foster, having started from San Francisco , heavily freighted, arrived an hour and a half or two hours after the explosion occurred and extended to the sufferers all the aid which' it was possible to render. All the living passengers, injured or uninjured, who could be found, were brought to the city. When the ‘ Antelope,’ reached the foot of R street, she ran aground, and remained at that point some two or three hours before the efforts of the Steam Navigation Company’s boats to tow her off were successful The scene on board was such as has rarely been witnessed ou the Pacific Coast. The floor of the cabin and a portion of the deck were covered with the dead and wounded. The mattresses and bedding of the boat had been brought into inquisition, and some forty sufferers had been stretched out ; some of them enduring great agony, and others too badly injured to be conscious of their con dibioa. The most of the physicians, of the city had been sent for, and promptly responded, rendering all the aid within their power. Among the seriously injured were three women, two of whom sisters, died after being placed on board of the steamboat ‘ Antelope.’ The other, Anna McGee, had a leg broken, and was otherwise injured. The other sufferers were men who had, but a few hours before, been stricken down in the enjoyment of full and vigorous health. They were, almost without exception, badly scalded about the face hands and many of them over large portions 'of the body. Several deaths occurred after the boat landed, and. of the forty or more badly in jured, three-fourths will probably die. It is impossible to tell, as we write how many lives have been lost, but it seems that at least 7 5 have been either killed or fatally injured.

THE BANK OF ZEALAND. The sixth report of the directors of the Bank of r Zealand wars presented to the ia ~ yearly general meeting of the proprietors, at the banking-house, Auckland, .on Friday, the 28fch day of October, 1864. It was as follows :—“ The Directors have to lay before tne proprietors the following statement of the bank as at 30th November last, and while congratulating them on the increase of business, and generally successful manner in which it lias been conducted, they have to express their regret that the monetary and commercial crisis which Southland has experienced during the past six months, and an indiscreet advance at Dunedin, have entailed losses much greater than may again be reasonably looked for, and but for which the profits would have been greater than any previous half-year. Ample provision has been made for all the bad and doubtful dependencies, some portion of which may yet be recovered :

With, the addition now to be ■ made to the Reserve Fund, it infill amount to £IOO,OOO, being iii excess of 25 per cent, of the paid up capital of the Bank. •The Directors therefore re[commend.the following appro c priatidirof the above profits : £ s. d. To payment of dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum 18,231 1G 0 To Bonus equal to 5 per cent, per annum ... ... 9,115 18 0 To addition to Reserve Fund ... 5,000 0 0 To balance carried to Profit and Loss, ’ new account ... 2,207 18 9 “ The bonus and dividend will be payable at Head Office on Tuesday, the Ist proximo, and at branches on receipt of advice.

Balance Sheet, For the half-year ending September, ISO 4, including London Office Balance at 30th June, 18G4.

THE HEW ZEALAND J.P. The ‘ Marlborough Press ’ of Nov. IGth has the following : Mr. Justice Johnston has “prepared at the request of the Government of New Zealand,” a work entitled “The New Zealand Justice.” Wc could have wished,

for the credit of Mr. Johnston who stands high in his profession, as much agkbr the credit of the profession itself, tlhflrae had ordered the whole edition to be suppressed' and disposed of as waste paper. But we imagine the money value placed on "the book—two pounds five shillings ' of good sterling coin—was too great a temptation for even a pusihe judge toresist.' We sinoerely trust Mr. Justice Johnston will yet see the mischief he is likely to be the author of, and will make every honest effort to get as many copies of the work back into his own hands as can be collected. Jt is true that in his perface Mr. Johnston makes a very candid confession, but we should scarcely have imagined a lawyer and a judge would have permitted himself to think the public would accept this as any. excuse for so many serious shortcomings. He says : The compiler of the following pages, in presenting them to the magistracy and public of the colony, is anxious to express his own sense of the imperfections of the work, and to warn readers of the probability that many omissions and errors will be discovered in its details.” This is saying neither more nor less than tie book is altogether untrustworthy, aiid not to be relied on, , ad--missions which should have struck Mr. Johnston as a strong and cogent reason why such a compilation should not have been allowed to see the light of day. The books contain no less than fifty-seven “ addenda it corrigenda ,” which, being interpreted into simple English, meansthere are just these many blunders, most of which Mr. Johnston’acknowledges as being “ moat important.” Candour, like* charity, may co ver a multitude of sins, but we do not' think we should particularly admire it in a brick maker who sent us unkneaded lumps of clay for sound bricks, even though they -were, accompanied with the modestly worded admission that they were not the; genuine article. Our pleasure would not be enhanced either by the fact that a price was asked for the rubbishy article very much in excess of what a very superior manufacture-could be in the market.

We have only had to take a y c , v cursory S IIU VX. J j,u rough tue-oonk, but we • 0 to ascertain that it is bdl Gi such palpable errors as would have disgraced any articled clerk in the second year of his indentureship. We will take-, for instance the “ form of oath ” in page 41 of the book, where the author states that “ Christians ,” whether Protestant or Roman Catholic,.are sworn upon theHoly Gosj»e-l-s, holding the book in their* right band, and they kiss the book.”' Surely Mr. Johnston should not betray; such utter ignorance on so important a matter as. the administering of art oath. We believe that Presbyterians, generally come under the denomination of Christians ; yet, believing in the Biblethey do nob swear on or by the sacred volume,* and we have seen Magistratesfrequently puzzled iu being requested bywitnesses to administer the Scotch form, of oath.

“ Mussulnien-,” says Mr. Johnston,. “ should be sworn on the Koran.”" Surely a lawyer, a judge, and a scholar, should have known “ Mussulmans” is the plural of Mussulman, and not “ Musmlmen but the- whole book, from beginning; toend, is replete with errors.in orthography, grammar, and typography. These mightbe allowed to pass in any other- work than one issued to the public-as a legal authority, in which the omission of one word, or a word wrongly placed, mayresult in most serious consequences. The very essence of a law work, is its strict accuracy. , ,

The compilation is designated as oneto assist magistrates in deciding upon eases which ordinarily come -before a. police bench, yet there is nothing said asto the law relating to master, and.servant; disputes, between whom, just ices- are so frequently called upon.to arbitrate; Nor are there any plain directions, given; as follow a common debt should be proved, or a bill of particulars- made out. There is not one woid as to what constitutes a power, of attorney, or under, what circumstances justices may adjudicate under such an instrument.

The Law of Evidence, instead of being: explained and set out in-.ainanner to be comprehended by magistrates unacquain-. tedyvifli legal technicalities in a chapter; devoted specially to'this object-is, withoutorder or arrangement, scattered through the pages of the book from.-nearly the commencement to its close... In short the compilation contains so niuch of whatjustices will not require to know, and so little of what they ought thoroughly to be informed upon, and withal, eyerythingis so confused, and so many iuaceuraciesexist, that, the book, instead, of offering: any assistance, is calculated for little elsethan to mislead. Not a clause of an act or a paragraph is to be depended’ on. The reader must refer in. every case to the “ Addenda et Corrigenda;”’ to see what lias been omitted, or wliafs must be added, to make them intelligible.. A clever police court attorney would have compiled a mu eft more useful justices’ epitome at a price more within the reach of the public than what Mr. Justice Johnston has been able to accom-. plish, without being required to do it at-, the “request of the Government of NewZealand,” which we interpret to mean a large money grant from the Colonial Treasury chest. There is but one course that we can see Mr. Johnston should, pursue, which is to call in all the hum- . bers of the present issue, and obtain the aid of an efficient man to. supervise and bring out a second edition, whieh shall really be of service fo. New the. Zealand, Justice of the Reace.

The net profit for the half-year;, after prov iding for all bacl and doubtful debts, and making considerable reductions in bank premises and furniture ae- £ b. d. counts, amounts to ... To which is to be added— Undivided balance from last 32,295 I4r 10 half-year ... ... .... 2,259 17 11 Making a total available for division of 34,555 12 9

Dh. To paid up Capital ... ... 392,614 ,, Reserve Fund ... ... 95,000 0 0 0 0 „ Notes in Circulation ... 333.467 0 0 ,, Bills in Circulation ... 240,964 -12 6 ,, Deposits ... ... ... 1,323,039 8 7 ,, Balances due to other Banks 99,343 ,, Balance of Profit and Loss 1 8 Account, at 31st March, 1864 2,259 17 11 “ Net Profit for half-year ... 32,295 14 10 £2,518,983 15 6 Cn.

£ s. d. By Coin and Bullion ... ... 372,094 3 9 ,, Government Securities ... 350,000 0 0 ,, Landed Property ... ... 17,442 ,, Bank Premises, Furniture, 7 10 and Stationery ... ... 29,049 10 3 ,, Balances due by other Banks 142,676 16 6 g,, Notes of other Banks . ... - 1,150 ,, Balances due by Colonial 13 7 Governments ... ... 261,431 ,, Bills receivable, and all 2 1 other Advances 1,344,359 1 6 £2,518j9S3 15 6