Late Northern News.
We have very little of interest from Yankeedom to present to our readers this morning.
The following are about all the items which could be gleaned that are worthy of publication:
A Cabinet meeting on the arrest of Mason and Slidell.
The
Washington correspondent of the Baltimore
Sun, dated the 26th ult., says:
‘
It was known here yesterday in some circles that the
Cabinet was in session in the morning, considering the dispatches from the
British Government, presented through Lord Lyons, relative to the
Trent affair, but as nothing in regard to their character could be learned, folks could only wait and ‘"look to the Senate,"’ and when, this morning, the subject was introduced in that body by
Mr. Hale, on a call for information from the
President, no little interest was excited thereby.
Very little upon which a definite conclusion might be based was, however, developed by
Mr. Hale's movement, though, after that gentleman's decided war speech, the more temperate remarks of
Mr. Sumner, chairman of the committee of foreign affairs, were rather reassuring in regard to the probability of preserving peace through the negotiations yet to ensue.
’
Lincoln's patent blockade.
A correspondent of the Baltimore
Sun, writing from
Washington Dec. 26, writes as follows:
‘
Men who are thoughtful upon public affairs see another cause of difficulty between this country and
England, in the fact that the London
Post declares our blockade of the
Southern ports at an end, (under the law of nations,) for the reason that we have sunk stone vessels in the channels of Southern harbors.
It is a fact, however, that the egress and ingress to the bay of
Mobile and to the
Mississippi cannot be thus stopped and therefore
England may reach the
South at these points if she sees fit to overcome the
Federal blockading vessels there.
In this connection, the interesting historical fact may be stated that the Protestant rebellion in the south of
France was crushed out by
Cardinal Richelle by his building a wall across the mouth of the harbor of
Rochelle, which prevented access of the fleets of
England and
Holland to aid the rebels.
From that time
Rochelle sunk in commercial importance.
’
The Baltimore
Sun's Washington correspondent, dated 26th ult., says:
‘
The statement in
Canadian papers, that there is a ‘"
Canadian fleet"’ of two hundred armed steam gun-boats, divided into four classes for the navigation of rivers and shoal waters bordering the lakes, cannot refer to any such fleet now in British America.
It is stated here by persons who are practically familiar with that country, that there are no such vessels there, and if there is any ‘"
Canadian fleet"’ of the kind, they must be in preparation or existence in
England.
But if the fleet in question refers to mercantile or other vessels that may be transformed into armed ones, then we have ten or twenty thus applicable where the Canadians have one.
There are treaty stipulations between this country and
England limiting the number of Government armed vessels that either may have on the lakes, but if
Great Britain has at home a large fleet of steam gun-boats for use in the
St. Lawrence and its affluents, it is another instance of the forecast of that Government, which is almost equal to its late investigation to determine the probable number of centuries that the supply of coal may be relied upon in the United Kingdom.
’
Affairs in New York.
We gather the following items from the latest New York journals received:
‘
Arms and ammunition continue to arrive here from
Europe.
The
Tentonia, which reached this port on Tuesday from
Hamburg, brought over 75,000 stand of arms for the
Government, principally rifles, the largest portion of which came from
Austria.
The
Hansa, of the
Bremen line, brings about the same number, shipped in a great measure from
England and
France.
Besides these arms, the steamer
Damascus is now discharging a large quantity of lead from
Liverpool, amounting to about 140,000 pounds, and about 5,000 stand of arms.
Judge Shipman has delivered two interesting opinions in the United States District Court--one awarding $17,000 salvage to
Tillman, the colored man, who, after killing three white men at sea, brought the schooner
Waring into this port to her owners; the other deciding that shipowners are liable for cargo destroyed by rats.
The coming operations of the new tariff has created quite a stir among the importers of tea, coffee, and sugar.
There has been quite a rush at the custom-house to enter and pay duties upon these articles before the law comes into force.
The sixteen privateers of the
Royal Yacht, captured off
Galveston and brought home by the
United States steamship
Connecticut, were transferred on Tuesday to Fort Lafayette.
Comptroller
Dennison, of this State, has secured the
National Treasury a return of $1,130,000, being 40 per cent, of the amount expended on account of the war.
An attempt was made on Christmas eve to flood the city with counterfeit money.
The plan was to commence operations simultaneously in different parts of the city, by passing off the spurious bills upon the merchants and shopkeepers who kept open late on Christmas eve. Six arrests were made.
The counterfeits were upon various banks and of different denominations.
The principal bills passed or offered were $10 bills upon the
Commercial Bank of Dristol, R. I.; $3's on the Central Bank of
Troy; $5's on the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank of
Philadelphia; $2's on the Merchants' Bank of
Lowell, Mass; and $1's on the Merchants' Bank of
New Haven, Conn. ’
From
Philadelphia journals of the 26th ult, we take the following:
‘
The prize schooner
A. G. Waterman, captured by the
United States frigate
Savannah while endeavoring to run the blockade into the city of
Savannah, arrived at the
Navy-Yard on Monday.
She had an assorted cargo of goods, chiefly provisions and clothing.
Marshal Milward sold on Tuesday, the prize bark
Maso, captured by the
Brooklyn at the mouth of the
Mississippi, for $6,000; prize schooner
Albion was sold by the
Marshal for $700. The latter was appraised at $500 value.
The transportation expenses charged to the
State prior to November 30, 1861, for the conveyance of troops, etc., were $308,139.55, from which there was a deduction of 372-10 per cent., $114,873.59, leaving the sum of $193,265.96 which has been paid.
Among those paid the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's account was $138,007.73, from which they deducted $67,758.26, leaving the sum of $70,222.59. The
Philadelphia and Reading comes next; from their account of $20,000 they make a deduction of $7,000.
’
Collection of Clergymen's Salaries.
A Methodist clergyman in
Ware, Mass., was recently unable to collect the amount of his salary, and sent for the balance due him — The defence claimed that under the
Methodist system nothing was due him, as he was sent by the Conference, not called by the society, and therefore all payments were voluntary, and not the result of a legal agreement, and if the trustees did not collect the full amount of the salary, there was no legal manner of collecting the balance.
The court decided in favor of the trustees and against the clergyman.
The Queen's Messenger En Route home.
The
Quebec Chronicle, of Tuesday, says:
‘
"
Mr. Seymour, the
Queen's messenger, who has been to
Washington, arrived here yesterday morning.
We believe
Captain Lindsey, R. N., who has been staving in
Quebec for some time, will leave for
England to-day and carry with him dispatches for the
British Government.
The
Londonderry Guardian tells us the Anglo-
Saxon was detained a day on her last outward trip, to receive an immense quantity of telegraphic cypher for Lord Lyons."
’
Desertions from Canada.
Two privates in the One Hundredth Regiment, stationed at
Toronto, Canada, undertook to desert on Thursday, by crossing to
Rochester in a sail boat.
They were pursued by two or three English soldiers in a row boat, and were overhauled when they had got within five or six miles of the
American shore.
Refusing to heave to, the pursuers shot at the fugitives with a gun, wounding each of them.
They then took them back to the fort without difficulty.
Miscellaneous.
On Tuesday last a committee from the 3d Maryland regiment waited on
Governor Hicks, and presented to him, on behalf of the officers of the regiment, a handsome service of silver, consisting of a salver, pitcher and goblets, gotten up in a very elaborate style and bearing an appropriate inscription.
On Friday last the second military execution, which has occurred during the present war, took place on a private in the First Kentucky regiment, having been tried and convicted of desertion, was shot in the presence of his brigade on that day. The deserter fell pierced with four balm, and died instantly.
Copies of a petition to Congress in favor of introducing homeopathy in the army by appointing a portion of the surgeons from that school, are in circulation for signatures in
Philadelphia.
A man named
J. R. Hawley has been arrested in
Cincinnati, by order of the
Secretary of State, on the charge of selling secession envelopes.