LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1760, 30 August 1862, Page 5

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

Home Neivs Office, Thursday, June 26, 1862. By the arrival of the Bohemian at Londonderry we have news from New York to June 14. It is estimated that not less than 30,000 bales of cotton had been burnt in the neighbourhood of Memphis. Application had, however, been made to ship 6000 bales fiom that place. The Secretary of the United States navy had sent a letter to Cengress urging tke establishment of a navy-yard in the valley of the Mississippi for constructing iron-plated ships. The Federals have possession of James Island, near Charleston. Commodore Dupont. however, did not think it desirable to attack the city, which it was said had received reinforcements to the extent of 30,000 men from General Beauregard's army, until be was himself rein - forced. A despatch dated New York, June 14, says : — General Halleck reports officially that General Beauregard, with the main body of the Confederate army of the South West, has retreated upon Okolana, as originally reported. He has lostffrom 20,000 to 30,000 men by death, capture, desertion, and other casualties. He still commands a foice of from 80,000 to 90,000 men. It is reported that he has despatched a portion of his force to the aid of General Kirby Smith at Knoxville, ia Tennessee, and that Nashville is in danger. General Stonewall Jackson has made good his retreat from the Valley of the Shenandoah, though closely pur sued by Generals Banks, Shields and Fremont, and has escaped over the Blue Ridge Mountains en route to Richmond. A recent letter from New York thus alludes to the endless rumours which have been circulated of atrocious acts of cruelty perpetrated in the course of the war both by Northerners and Southerners. — Jefferson Davis in his proclamation to his troops accuses the enemy of "disregarding many cf the usages of civilised war." The same accusation has been frequently made on the other side ; and all sorts of ridiculous stories have been told of "Yankee skulls" converted into drinking cups, of the skeletons of" Yankee hands " converted into bell-pulls or door handles of ."Yankee teeth" worn as bracelets or other ornaments by the fail ladies of the South, and of shameful indignities offered to the bodies of the slain upon the field of battle. Doubtless, in this fratricidal war, there are savages on both sides, brutal minded ruffians, whose passions are excited by drink as well as by innate wickedness; and who might have died for the good of their country ou the gallows if the war had not brokeu out to make a more effectual riddance of them; and who may in some rare instances, have " disregarded the usages of civil war." But it cannot truthfully be asserted of the Northern armies and their commanders, that they have conducted hostilities in any other than the most chivalrous spirit or that they have failed to bestow upon the wounded enemies who fell into their hands the same humane attention and care that they bestowed upon their own soldiers. The same may be said of the South, unless the unmanly proclamation of General Butler at New Orleans may already have had its natural effect in exasperating still further the already excited passions of the Southern mob. We observe, however, that iv the correspondence between General Beauregard and General Halleck, the Confederate accuses the Federal i general of having sent into camp 200 prisoners infecting with the small-pox, with the object of sawing that disease in the Confederate camp. Again, General Banks complains that hi 3 column, in its recent retreat from Western Virginia, was slaughtered by the Confederate cavalry, who shot or sabred " the hapless soldier sinking from fatigue, unheeding his criei for mercy," while the women of Winchester threw

J missiles out of their windows upon the heads I of his men ,

i The Danish government has made a preposiI tion to the Federal government t» take all ! negroes from their masters, and remove them !to St. Croix free of charge. After an apprenticeship of three years with regular wages the negroes would receive their freedom. Mr. Seward replied that he had no authority to accept that proposition, but he would lay it before Congress. [The above statement is taken from the American papers. A telegram from Copenhagen, however, explains the actual effect of the proposal made by Denmark. Denmark merely offered to convey 3000 of the slaves who have lost their masters to the sugar plantations in the island of St. Croix, and to employ them there upon the same conditions as the free negroes are already employed.] A treaty of commerce has been signed at Turin between the governments of Sweden and Italy. Owing to the general belief of a speedy recognition of the kingdom of Italy by Russia, General Durando is already spoken of as the t future ambassador to the court of St. Petersburg. It is asserted that a company has been formed, consisting of English and Italian ; capitalists, for the cultivation of cotton on a large scale in the Southern Italian provinces. In correspondences from Rome it is stated that the Marquis de Lavaletle had a long audience with the Pope, and reports' were current that the French occupation would be restricted to the province of Rome. It was also said that the French ambassador bad refused passports to the old Pontifical Zouaves who wished to return to France ; but those reports ought to be received with great reserve. On the other hand, it is stated that the reactionary leaders in Rome are reviving their operations, and iv Naples some fresh outbreaks of brigandage are talked of. Every house in St, Petersburg has now its watchman stationed at the door, who follows every one who goes in. A thousand soldiers have been selected from the guard to act as extra policemen. According to one of the latest accounts, 600 arrests have beeu made, and the number daily increases.