AMERICA

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1707, 14 March 1862, Page 5

AMERICA

The papars state that there had been great difficulty iv keeping open the Overland Telegraph. Owing to severe snow storms in the mountains, the line had been broken in several plaoes, and for days no messages had been reoeived. The snow in many parts had been fifteen feet deep, which rendered it impossible to travel for the purpose of repairing the wires. A party, of fifty men had to be employed between Strawberry and Lake Valley. Some portion of the line had, however, withstood it better than others.

la Ruby Valley two men had been frozen to death. WASHINGTON AS IT IS. The subjoined extract from a Washington correspondent of the New York Tribune exhibits a picture of Washington as it appears in these days of warlike actualities and alarms. The gay aspect of society is somewhat different from that which Jefferson Davis prophecied it would be, in one of his recent letters, although the bright side has also its reverse : — " Washington is the great centre of attraction and interest, and although beseiged by the rebel army, it never enjoyed a higher degree of prosperity or presented a more lively appearance. Crowds are constantly moving up and down Pensylvania avenue, and you! are never out of sight or hearing of the soldier, or the music of the regimental band, or. the rattle, rattle, rattle of the interminable army waggon marked U.S. It would seem that Uncle Sam had made ample provision for the transportation of the army, and one is at a loss to know what disposition he will mal^e of this army appendage after the war is over, unless it be to load up the 'niggers/ the 'innocent cause of the war,' and haul them all over to Africa. The effect of this causeless wicked rebellion is seen m the utter prostration of the country, and the consequent necessity of men of all trades and professions to seek employment in the civil and military departments of the Government. Therefore, we find ex-members of Congress, ex-legislators, ex-judges, lawyers, authors, editors, bankers, and ministers of the Gospel seeking and accepting clerkships in the different departments of the Government. In the "demand note" room of the Treasury department there are twenty-four clerks signing the ' demand notes.' Around one table sit four lawyers, at another you see two ministers of the Gospel, one of whom has charge of a congregation in the city ; at another table is found an editor from the state of New York, a highly cultivated man, who has travelled and spent some time in Europe. And you may go through all the departments aud find the same state of things. There were six millions of these Treasury demand notes issued last month. The number signed by each clerk per day varies from two thousand five hundred to four thousand, depending on the length of the name." THE NAVAL FIGHT AT NEW ORLEANS. The following is the only account of the attack upon the blockading squadron off New Orleans, by Commander Hollins, of Greytown notoriety, from loyal sources, which has yet come to hand : — The steamship M'Clellan arrived at Pass a i'Outre on the morning of the 12th of October from Fort Pickens, with despatches from Colonel Brown and Captain Powell, flag officer at Fort Pickens, the purport of which, as reported to us, was to order one or more of the men-at-war to Pickens to assist in the proposed bombardment. of the navy-yard. At halfpast seven a.m., the captain heard guns firing up the pass, and soon after picked up a boat containing a Dr. Bradford and two men, who were on their way up to New Orleans, as they said, under a general permission from Captain Pope, of the Richmond, for all the inhabitants along the pass to go freely to the city. As he had no written vouchers, however, he was detainetl a prisoner. Arrived at the head of the pass, Captain Grey ascertained that the fleet had been attacked by the battering ram Manassas, the armed steamship Star of the West, with other armed steamers, and a long line of fire ships. As there were 125 barrels of powder and 50,000 dollars in money on board the M'Clellan, the captain thought that if the enemy had driven off the fleet it would be folly for him to keep on, and accordingly turned about and headed down the pass. When the rebels saw the M'Clellau approaching, they ceased firing at the stranded ships, and made for him — three, of their vessels turning into another pass to cut off his retreat. He escaped, however, over the bar, and entering the south-west pass, went alongside the Richmond, and delivered the guns and ammunition which he had brought to Captain Pope. The Richmond was fast ashore, as well as the Vincennes and Nightingale. He then went to the Vincennes, made fast, and tried for two hours to haul her offjerking out the bitts of the M'Clellan, but without succeeding the attempt. He then returned to the Richmond, and by seven o'clock he got her safely off, and across the bar. He then made fast again to the Vincennes, with the United States steamer South Carolina, at the other side, and after working an hour and a half, the two succeeded in floating her off. An attempt to get off the Nightingale was not successful, but it was thought when Captain Gray left next day for Fort Pickens that she would be got off* by the steamers of the fleet. The whole amount of damage done to our vessels was very trifling, and not only were no lives lost but not a man in either ship was injured. The attempt of the rebels to burn and sink our fleet was an entire failure, and they did not even succeed in destroying the stores of lumber for the fortifications which our troops have commenced at the head of the passes. THE REBELS DISCOURAGED BY INACTION. All the indications point to a long war. At one time we had hoped that the dash — the elan — of our volunteers, unrestrained, but simply guided by able generals, ' would have planted our banners, before frost, in the heart of the enemy's country and concluded an honourable peace. But

a different policy has obtained. V-W^qf""'"? the soath, who were to attack have adppt- ? -l a system of defence, and, so far, bayer^-v' uniformity awaited the advance of the foe, ■ This may be the safe policy ; but we have never been able to appreciate it. Our \ conviction is that a victorious advance into the enemy's country is the only roadwf to a lasting and honourable peace. W&%-/ I must fight, and we must conquer, before we can make a treaty. If we cannot do J: this, we must submit to . the fate 6f the " weaker party. The enemy have dominion of the sea. He cau assail us at almost innumerable points j he can plunder our coasts and penetrate our rivers. He is ''■■'. supreme "in the Chesapeake Bay $; he commands the Potomac ; he has possession of Maryland, of North-western, Virginia, and his contending for Missouri and Kentucky. While he threatens qaf whole coast, he may assail us at any pojnt Of our extended frontier. This whole V situation may be altered before we can have peace on any terms compatible with honour and safety. We have never heard of any plan suggested for effecting this desirable alteration, short of carrjiug the war into the enemy's country. While we stand on the defensive, and the enemy is entrenched on this side of the Potomac, it is impossible for us to destroy this supremacy at sea, or prevent his predatory incursions on our coast. We are subject to all the disadvantages of a defensive war of indefinite duration, or to a peace dictated by the enemy. The possibility of our success is not within the range s of accident. To prevent our subjugation or extermination it is all we can hope for. We have no skill in strategy, and we know nothing of the means at the command of our generals; but if this is all that is left to us, we had as well be looking out for the terms of submission, and the sooner the better. An endless war, which affords no opportunity for either victory or revenge, is a bootless, undertaking. The southern people, who have offered themselves and their all for, the prosecution of the war, and who have reposed implicit confidence in the men entrusted with its conduct, have looked for something better. It is not to be disguised that a sense of uneasiness and distrust is gradually supplanting |?that general confidence. A suspicion is gaining ground that all the advantages ot\ our position have not been profited by "as they might have been ; that the war has not' fcfeen- & prosecuted with the vigour and energy demanded by the emergency: We hear mutterings and complaints, apart from from those connected with quartermaster* commissary, and medical departments, growing out of the appointment of ; sK many civilians to high commands. Many of these appointments have filled the country with apprehensions of some great disaster. — Richmond Whig. ■ -•-■ •'-- |