LATEST EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1745, 26 July 1862, Page 5

LATEST EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN NEWS.

(From our Own Correspon dent ) „ , London, M.ay 26, 1862. The subject of the American war is at the present moment all-absorbing. Affairs in the Sew World are rapidly approaching a crisis, au d the course of events is Watched in England with, strained eagerness and breathless expectation. The Northern star seems once more in the ascent lant, and judging from "the actual condition o! ; things, there would appear to be no room to doubt, that, the star spangled banner will once flo at triumphantly over every State of the " Union, ' from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian JLafc es. This is the conclusion which every ordinary observer would draWjfrom the events which have transpired within the last month— in fact, ever si:nco the Federals have resumed active operations loy1 oy sea and land. Such at least is the conclusion w!hich the'Yankies themselves have arrived at, an.d their opinions are shared by many persons m tbiis country. This indeed isquite natural. Success has attended the Federalarms in all their receuit engagements, with one or two exceptions ; whereas the Confederates have surrendered or abandoned fo rtress, entrenchment and city one after another, and have yielded before the overwhelming onslaught of the " invaders/ who now presses lorwafdl on all sides, to hold,- occupy, and desecrate the sacred soil of the Southern Confederation. Siince I last wrote to you the South has received its. most damaging blow in the loss of its great capit al and seaport, Nefr Orleans, which is now in the< hands of the Fede rals. New Orleans, or as it is sometimes called the" Crescent City"' from it s position on the Mississippi, is "the great commercial and financial emporium of the South ; it is to the Gulf coast what New York is to th< ) Atlantic coast, and through it more than half tfc te cotton crop of the entire aouth passes to the w< >rid, while its exports of BUgar, mousses, tobacco, a aid corn exceed those of atiy other Southern city." The fall of New Orleans was an event as unexpected in Europe as .it was in the Southern Stateu. The' city surrendered on the 26th ult., but not without a severe struggle. The Confederates had done all that brave men could do to defend themselves. The boats on the .Mississippi below 2Jew Orleans had withstood a bombardment of six days from gunboats and other vessels of war— including twentyone mortar-boats uninjured!, and it was not until the whole of -the Confederate flotilla, comprising gunboats; steam-rams, iront-clad floating batteries, tire-rafts, and chains, was totally destroyed, that : the XDonfederates gave way overpowered by superior force. ■ Some accoumts which I have seen state that the success of the Federal, forces, which consisted 1 of six sloops of war, 16 gun-boats, and 21 mortar' vessels, was owing to a fsmdden coitp de m " in on depart of Captain Porter whacomniand ed the attacking 'flotilia. ] .iaving besieged Fort a Jackson' ahtfPhillip for six days without produc

ing the slightest effect on the enemy, he resolvec to make a da3h up the Mississippi, to run the gauntlet of the fortg and to break through the chain bar. Stretching across the river and bristling with torpedoes and other concealed engines of destruction "In the darkness of an April morning, three hours before sunrise, the enterprise was commenced, and in loss thai an hour and a hall after the fleet had weighed anchor, five of the war sloops (uot iron plated monsters like the Meii. mac and the Monitor, but wooden ships which England and America have lately been declaring to bs worthless) and nine gun-boats had successfully battled their way through the iron chain and its torpedoes, through a burning maize of floating fire-rafts launched, for their destruction, and amid a perfect hailstorm of shot; and shell from the forts on both sides of the river. By daylight they were out of the range of the enemy's fire very little damaged and masters of the helpless city of New Orleans. * * * Nothing more desperately or more successfully gallant was ever done, and the whole North is ringing with exclamations at the recital. Happily the loss of life was as small as the heroism was great." When the Southern Generals found that the city was no longer ten. able, they withdrew their troops, to the number it is said of 70,000, and went to join the main body of Benuregard's army still supposed to be in the vicinity of Corinth near which the great battle of Pittsburg Lauding was fought in the early part of last month. It is said that the Confederate Generals took with them some 15,000,000 dols. in specie, and destroyed with their own hands cotton and shipping to the value of ten millions of dollars, and all along the banks of the Mississippi from New Orleans to Memphis the inhabitants are destroying property of all kinds,;sucli as sugar, molasses, and cotton, rather than leave it as a booty for their enemies. This shows the determined spirit of the South-— a spirit of defiance if uot of desperation. Had they not surrendered to the summons of the victors, their city would have been shelled and set in flames. The Federal commander Farragut having formally demanded of Mayor the unqualified surrender of the city, the latter replied that •' to surrender an undefended city would be an unmeaning ceremony. The city is yours by power of brutal force, not by the choice or consent of the inhabitants. * * * They yield the obedience which the conqueror is entitled to exact, from the conquered." And thus the Federal flag waves once more above the Crescent City. Still it would Beera the inhabitants are not dismayed nor do they despair of yet recovering the captured city. To hold it permanently m the face of a hostile population would require a large force of several thousand Northern troops, many of whom it is thought will speedily succumb to yellow fever— so fatal to all who have not been acclimatized. But the loss of New Orleans is not the only reverse which the Confederates have suffered. The whole of the southern coast of the sea-board and citiesj with the exception of Charleston, Savannah, and . Mobile, is at the present moment in the hands of the Federals. They also hold some of the principal rivers, with their tributaries, including the Alississippi ; they have all the principal forts in their hands, and they are now pressing forward from two or three different points upon Richmond. Besides this, the Confederates have lately abandoned Yorktowu with its fortifications, and have retreated towards Eichmond, where it appears they are determined to make a stand and" give battle to their enemies. The last accounts from the seat of war state that General M Clellan pursued the fugitives, and that the latter made a stand at \V illiarasburg, and that a sharp engagement ensued, in which the Confederates were worsted. Extreme' surprise was felt in England at the evacuation of Yorktown by the Southern Generals. It seemed to arguo despair on tiie part of the Confederates. The position which they had taken up was a very strong one, and well fortified ; but it would appear that they held a Council of War on the Ist instant, at which Jefferson Davis was present, when the whole of the Southern Generals except Magruder were of opinion that their position would not stund a bombardment and assault from M'Clellan, who is reported to have with him 400 field pieces, besides 150,000 men. In addition to this the Northern Ueueral was strongly supported by a large fleet of gun-boats and transports, and it was feared by his opponents that he having the command of the 1 ork and James Rivers, would. throw a large body of troops on land, in the rear of the Confederates, and so cut off their communication with .Richmond. This was the reason of their evacuating Yorktown, which they did about the 3rd instant, having left behind them large quantities of stores, besides 71 large field-pieces. It is said by the Northern journals (I know not with what truth) that the abandonment of Yorktown has greatly demoralised the Confederate troops, who daily expected an engagement with the enemy. But then " the Northern public is drunk with the fumes of battle, and readily believe anything that ministers to its self-love." Doubtless, however, the Southern Generals, who are accomplished soldiers, and who fully understand the exigencies of their position, have had very good reasons, strategic and otherwise, for evacuating Yorktown. Their plans, so far as the same may be conjectured from the negative attitude which they have assumed for some time past, would seem to indicate their intention of concentrating all their forces in the neighbourhood of Richmond., and bringing all their strength to bear upon the Federalists in one desperate and perhaps decisive battle. If they adopt this course, however, they will have their work cut out for them, for they' will have M'Clellan in front and McDowell on their left flank, so that after all it is within the limits of possibility that they may evacuate Richmond and retire into South Carolina and Georgia by rail, " by which they can escape to a hotter climate and tear up the rails, destroy the bridges, and cut the telegraph wires as they go." These, however, are all matters of speculation. Certain it is that after all the boasts of the Confederate and their leaders, it will redound very little to their credit if they have no more definite and matured plans in contemplation for gaining their independence, than any they have hitherto put in practice, and their friends both in England and on the Continent will be. greatly surprised and disgusted. Their want of success will at least have the effect of delaying the recognition of the Southern Confederacy for a still indefinite period. Had the battle of Pittsburg Landing, or the battle of Shiloh, as the Confederates call it, been a complete instead of being only a partial victory of the Southern army it is by no means improbable that the Emperor Napoleon would have been disposed to recognise, the Southern Confederacy. Very soon after this event the French Minister of Washington, M. Mercier paid a visit to Richmond, and it was generally supposed that he had some political object- in view — the general impression in England being that his visit was a preliminary to the recognition of the Southern States. But whatever his object was, it has given rise to innumerable conjectures on both sides of the Atlantic — the impression of the Yankees being that he wished merely to counsel the Confederate States to surrender at discretion. At all events, the object of his mission, has remained a secret up to the present moment. The latest accounts inform us that the President of the United States is about to issue a proclamation raising the blockade of the Southern ports, or of such of them as are now in the hands of the Federals, it so, we ought in the natural course of things, to be able to obtain cotton from the South once more, but then the Confederates express their unwillingness to engage in any commercial transactions for the present, so that we must not be too sanguine of any reduction in the price of cotton for the present. •Meanwhile the Federalists express themselves certain of success. Auother month they say and the revolution will be put down. Indeed the state of their money market is a practical commentary on this opinion. Government securities in the United States rose suddenly 3 per cent, on the fall of New Orleans, and the ordinary Govern-

d ! ment bonds are already at a premium of 1£ pel c I cent. Still there is a great want of faith on this c ' side of the Atlantic in the eventual success of the 1 1 Federal cause. There are those who still hopi; - , and believe that the Confederate States will „ triumph in the end. I should say that the press s ' and public opinion generally is pretty equally l'( divided on the subject: The" Tinm undoubtedly 3 | holds forth from a Southern platform, but as that - : journal is the exponent of a vacillating public l i opinion which generally sides with the strongest, j it will of course find some pretext for veering - 1 round and applauding the Federalists, should there appear to be a certainty of their success. Then again the whole of the Tory press is in favour of the South, while the majority of the Liberal and Radical journals side with the Federal cause. It is a subject of universal admiration on all sides that the North has shown so much energy in prosecuting this war; that within little more than a year they have raised, equipped, organised and maintained an enormous army, now amounting to 700,000 men, and that they have done so without any commensurate financial means drawn from national taxation — in the face of what has seemed to all Europe to be national bankruptcy, with nothing to depend upon but the public spirit and patriotism of the country. True, they have incurred a vast national debt, and the tax-gatherer has not yet made his appearance, but the day of reckoning will come — illusions will vanish, and United States securities will be at a fearful discount. Consequent upon this protracted struggle in \ America trade in England is still in a prostrate | condition. All classes are complaining, but the distress in the manufacturing districts is excessive. In Lancashire there are tens and even hundreds of thousands of men wholly unemployed or else working short time. Considerable local exertions have been made by means of subscriptions and otherwise, to relieve the wants of the starving factory hands — but it is thought that nothing less than Government aid will suffice to meet the general distress now prevalent throughout Lancashire. The subject has been discussed every day for the last month by the public press, and has also been brought under the notice of Parliament, but up at the present moment everything has been left to local exertion and the operations of the Poor Law Boards. Government has lately sent down a Commissioner to investigate the extent of the distress and the best means of providing a remedy for it, and also to poiut out to the Poor-Law Guardians the most efficient mode of administering out door relief amongst the operatives. Meanwhile the stock of cotton on hand at Liverpool is running very low, being only 370,000 bales altogether, against 990,000 bales at this date last year ; and the total stock of the whole of Europe does not exceed 725,000 bales, or about 17 weeks consumption at half time. Still there are no bread riots in the North, and the operatives are bearing their privations with a calm and manly patience which does them credit, and which shows that they do not blame the millowners as they did in former times at periods of general distress arising from stagnation in business. The great International Exhibition of 1802 was opened on the Ist iuatant with as much eclat as could be given to it in the absence of Royalty. The day was in every way favourable, and everything went oft' satisfactorily — albeit the arrangements were far from complete, as I told you in my former letter, every body was behind hand. The building itself should have been commenced two years since, so as to allow time to the contractors to get their work properly done, and then to enable exhibitors to arrange their goods with due regard to effect. Whereas the very contrary course was adopted, so that everything was hurryscurry, drive and scamp from the very outset. The result was as regards the building, that it was far from being water-tight, and some heavy rains which we have had during the month have tested it severely, at the same time that they have done a good deal of damage to various objects exhibited. Then again the Exhibitors themselves put off everything to the last moment, the consequence of which was an indescribable amount of bustle and confusion during the last few days before the opening took place. Arrangements had to be disturbed over and over again, even after the opening day; but perhaps the most sweeping alteration in the original plan of arrangement made by the Commissioners was the removal of all the " trophies " from the nave, as it was found that they not only " stopped the way" but effectually destroyed the view and perspective of the interior by their motley shape and character. These trophies the Commissioners had removed to more appropriate parts of the building at their own expense, as it would have been unfair to ask the Exhibitors to do so after having already incurred considerable outlay in erecting these unsightly obstructions. Even at the present moment a good deal remains to be done especially in some of the foreign departments. But the colonies may be said to have completed all their arrangements with the exception of Victoria, which, like New Zealand, was late in the field. In my next letter I shall give you a more detailed account of the colonies than I can furnish at present. I have not yet had time to inspect the Colonial Courts, but I can tell you from all I have heard and read that they excite an unusual amount of interest on the part of visitors. The Times lately stated that •' the Colonial Courts are more crowded each, day, and there is nothing in the whole Exhibition which produces a more profound impression on foreign visitors than the display of natural wealth which they see there " Amongst these Colonies New Zealand now holds a conspicuous place. She has made up for lost time, and Mr. Commissioner Morrison has informed me within the last few days, that all the collections from New Zealand now exhibited in the space allotted to the Colony, with the exception of a c«,se which will contain some quantity of gold dust and specimens. He also tells me that a very elaborate and highly finished Cabinet from Auckland, which it appears is intended as a present for the Queen, has not yet arrived. I may also mention that a piece of New Zealand furniture, a table I think, was lately referred to by the Times, as being one of the I handsomest objects in the way of colonial manufacture that has appeared at the Exhibition With regard to the Exhibition generally, it is allowed to be infinitely superior to that of 1851 and shows vast progress in every department. Still it is feared it will scarcely pay its way. The public have in some measure been satiated with spectacles of this kind. Since the Exhibition of 1851, there have been no less than five or six important Exhibitions in different parts of the world, namely, at Cork, Dublin, New York, Paris, Manchester and Florence, not to speak of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, which attracts its hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. The consequence is that the public do not evince the same amount of curiosity on the present occasion that they formerly did. The novelty is past, and although as a matter of course the educated public of all Europe will come to London in thousands, still we shall not have so great a number of the shilling-paying million. The dullness of trade too, will be an additional drawback to the working classes from the provincial and manufacturing districts, and will rob them of a peep at the World's Great Show. Then again our American friends who came here in crowds in '51 are now too busy with more serious work and they won't come. Indeed they are but scantily or as they express it themselves, "Sparsely" represented at the Exhibition on the present occasion. What they have sent has chiefly been machinery of various kinds, and of a superior order and quality. 'With respect to domestic news, I regret to observe that there has been an unusual amount of crime within the last month — Agrarian outrages which were formerly the disgrace of Irelan d but which for the last ten years had nearly, disappeared from that country, have now broken out there once more, and five or six persons have fallen victims to the Vehmgericht of the Riband

Lodges within the last few weeks. Notwithstandi ing the " Exodus "of farm labourers, cotten-ten- : ants and small farmers from Ireland within the last fifteen years, the competition for land is still as great there as ever. lam even assured by a friend of mine from the South of Ireland, that the struggle to possess a few acres — merely though for a potato garden " and the grass for a cow," is more fierce than it was twenty years ago, when the population of Ireland was "greater by three millions than it is at present. Of the late victims j who have been shot down in the open day, the principal is a Monsieur Thiebault a French gentleman who lived in the notorious county of Tipperarv. He was greatly esteemed as a hu - mane man and a good landlord ; but it seems his offence was that he had evicted some tenants of the name of O'Halloran, for non-payment of arreas of rent, and one of the family has been arrested on suspicion. Another victim was a Mrs. Maguire of the same county, and a third was a Mr. Fitzgerald, a landed proprietor residing near Kilmallock in the County of Limerick, all these were Roman Catholics — so that " religion " has had nothing to do with these fearful outrages. A special Commission will immediately be sent to the South of Ireland, and there is every reason to believe that the assassins will be brought to speedy justice. Threatening letters are now the order of the day in Ireland, and it would seem as if a sanguinary reign of terror were about to be inaugurated. The latest accounts from the South inform us that an entire family of the name of O'Connell, men and women, have been arrested on a charge of writing some *of these threatening letters to landlords. I should also mention that a Mr. Herdwan a mill-owner at Belfast, has been shot by a worthless and idle fellow, a cousin of his, who thought he had valid claim upon the purse of his wealthy relative. 1 have also been told of another murder which was latelyi committed near Kilorglin in the County of Kerry, and in this case too, one cousin murdered the other. The name of the parties was Foley ; and perhaps some of your readers may recognize them when I state that the murderer was '• Phil-Mick," and the murdered man, •' Phil- James" — a common way of distinguishing persons in Ireland according to the name of the father. The dispute was connected with a salmon- weir. But Ireland has by no means stood alone in the catalogue of crime. There was a fearful " tragedy" enacted at Manchester a few days since. *A man named Taylor, in the butter and cheese trade and supposed to be from the west of England, owed his landlord's agent a grudge, and having first poisoned his own children, he lay in wait for his victim — a Mr. Mellor — and stabbed him to death. In these deeds he was assisted by his wife, and both are now in custody. The details are too long for condensation, but the whole affair has produced a. wonderful sensation from the peculiar circumstances attending it. I must here stop short in this criminal catalogue, which might easily be extended — but post hour approaches. I must not omit reference to an accident or rather a " catastrophe and calamity" which has occured in Lincolnshire by the bursting of the Middle Level Sluice, which took place on the 4th instant, whereby some thirty or forty thousand acrea of land have already been submerged by the sea — destroyed houses, crops «fee, and threatening ruin to many more thousands of acres of the richest and most productive land in the country, unless the skill of our engineers which has hitherto been baffled can contrive to dam the immense breach which has been made by the high tides, There is no news of a parliamentary nature in which your readers would feel much interest. The Whigs are in still and are likely to be so as long as the Tories maintain their old foreign policy of fraternising with Austria — Disraeli has lately made two or three "bids" for office, but in vain, Lord Palmerston made a speech about two days since in reply to the Ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer, and which is well worth perusal. The Church rates abolition bill has been defeated in the lower House by a considerable majority ; and the Government was beaten by a majority of 93 a few nights since on a motion for removing the British Museum to Brompton and providing a new building for it which would cost the country ;£BOO,O<JO and so the Museum will remain where it is at present. Matters are quiet on the continent Victor Emmanuel has lately paid a visit to Naples and Sicily, and was received with the most enthusiastic demonstrations of loyalty by the inhabitants. The Pope will hold a high festival at Rome on Whitsunday next, when he will " canonize whatever that may mean some twenty four Japanese Martyrs, who I presume will henceforward take their places in the interminable calendar of saints for the edification of the faithful. Spain and England have both withdrawn from the Mexican Expedition in disgust, France is pursuing her course alone and it is supposed with a great show of probability that she has ulterior views of self aggrandizement and colonization, and designs converting Mexico into another Algeria. At all events neither England or Spain will join in the scheme which France is now pursuing, with a view as it would seem of making a complete conquest of that country. However we shall see in tirno. With respect to a new Colony about to bo formed in New Zealand I have lately seen it stated that " In a few days a large body of emigrants will leave our shores en masse to form a new colony in New Zealand, which will be named after and in honor of the late illustrious consort of our Queen. The first instalment numbering nearly a thousand persons, will include in its rank persons of nearly eveiy class of society and of various religious denominations, among these are ministers of religion, lawyers, schoolmasters, a printer with press and type for a newspaper, farm labourers, domestic servants, needlewomen, &c, this will be one of the most interesting and remarkable instances of migration since the days of the pilgrim fathers." Another account, which des. cribes these colonists as " Nonconformists" states that some 800 of them will sail for Auckland on the 29th instant, in the Hanover and Matilda Wattenbach now in the East India Docks ; and that a further detachment of 400 more will sail from the same docks on the 11th of July by the William Mills. The Mersey new loading in the East India docks for Canterbury will be despatched on the 27th of this month with some 200 emigrants, and the Queen of the Mersey is advertised for the 30fch ot June, and will take out, it is said, from 250 to 300. Other ships will follow at intervals of six weeks or there abouts throughout the summer. It appears that the money order system has at length been established, between Great Britain and New Zealand. You will doubtless find the particulars in some of the files of papers by this mail. The Wool market has been very dull during the last month, prices having fluctuated, but there has been a decided downward tendency in prices. Buyers have held over, under the belief that the forthcoming clip will be very heavy, and that there will consequently be a further fall iv prices before long. The latest accounts from the seat of war in America received by this day's telegrams, stated that the Confederates have b lown up their once formidable ship • the Merrimac, that they have surrendered Norfolk, and that the navy yard there has been totally destroyed. The confederates it is said have made a most successful retreat towards Richmond, moving their waggons and provisions- by day and their troops by night. It is said they will risk a stand at a place called Bottoms Bridge within 15 milea of Kichniond, and will there give battle to their pursuers, who are now, under McClellan, within a few milea of them at a place called New Kent Court House, 22 miles from Richmond. The accounts which had previously reached us relative to the burning of cotton at Memphis have been confirmed General Butler has issued a most severe proclamation at New Orleans declaring that all violation ot property or persons under the protection of the Fedei;aVarmy will be punished with death; that

the utmost respect must be shown to the Federal flag ; that shops, churches, and places of amusement must be kept open, and business go on aa usual : that Confederate notes maybe taken so long as inconsiderate and foolish people choose to accept them. Newspapers are not allowed to publish any editorial articles or other correspondence without first being subjected to the censorship of Federal officers appointed for the purpose. All assemblages of persons in the streets are strictly prohibited. The mayor and aldermen of New Orleans are said to be have been imprisoned for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the Federal Government. A Federal squadron said to have arrived off Fort Morgan to attack Mobile. President Lincoln has issued a proclamation purposing to open Port Royal, Beaufort, and NewOrleans for foreign commerce — foreign vessels to have the license of American Consuls. The House of Representatives has pased a Bill abolishing slavery in the territories of the United States. The above is a summary of the telegram received this day, with which being post hour I close this letter.