the Exchange of prisoners probably resumed — Recapture of the Chesapeake, &c., &c.
Through the courtesy of Capt. Hatch, of the Exchange Bureau, we have received Northern papers of Thursday, the 94th inst. The flag-of-trues boat by which they came arrived at City Point on Saturday with 507 returned Confederate soldiers, in good health, and seven surgeons. It is understood at the Exchange office that Gen. Butler, at Portress Monroe, has been placed in control of the subject, and it is believed that the regular exchange of prisoners has been reopened. The news contained in our files is not of much importance. We give a summary of it:
Proceedings in the Yankee Congress — the amnesty — Habeas corpus.
The proceedings in the Yankee Congress for the week are not of much interest. One of the "personal explanations" in the Senate was that of Mr. Hale, Senator from New Hampshire, who was charged with receiving a bribe of $3,000 for getting two political prisoners out of the Capitol Prison. He acknowledged having received the money, but said it was for his professional services as a lawyer in obtaining their freedom. In the House, Mr. Edgerton, of Lad., submitted the following resolutions: Whereas, The proclamations of the President, of January 1, 1863, and December 3, 1863, in relation to emancipation, impose conditions of pard on and amnesty to persons who have participated in the existing rebellion, as well as conditions precedent to the re-establishment and recognition of State government in the States to which said proclamation apply, which, in the judgment of a large number of faithful citizens, have a tendency to give to the rebellion "the advantage of a changed issue," and "to reinvigorate the otherwise declining insurrection in the South," and to prolong the war, and, whereas, this House cannot but regard with anxiety the unprecedented and extraordinary of aims and assumption of high prerogatives by the President in said proclamations, especially in view of the fact that the President, in his inaugural address of the fourth day of March, 1861, declared: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institutions in the States where it exists, I believe I have no right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." Resolved, As the judgment of this House, that the maintenance inviolate of the constitutional powers of Congress and the rights of the States, and especially the right of each State to order and control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively, is essential to the balance of power on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric of Federal Union depends, and we denounce as among the gravest crimes, the invasion or occupation by armed force of any State under the pretext or for the purpose of coercing the people thereof to modify or abrogate any of their laws or domestic institutions that are consistent with the Constitution of the United States; and we affirm the principle declared in this resolution to be a law, alike to the President and the people of the United States. Mr. Grinnell moved to lay the resolution upon the table, which was agreed to — yeas 90, nays 66. Mr. Smith, of Kentucky, submitted a series of resolutions, of which the following is the first: Resolved, That, as our country and the very existence of the best Government ever instituted by man are imperiled by the most causeless and wicked rebellion that the world has seen, and believing, as we do, that the only hope of saving this country and preserving this Government is by the power of the sword, we are for the most vigorous prosecution of the war until the Constitution and the laws shall be enforced and obeyed in all parts of the United States; and to that end we oppose any armistice, or intervention, or mediation, or proposition for peace, from any quarter, so long as there shall be found a rebel in arms against the Government; and we ignore all party names, lines; and issues, and recognise but two parties in this war — patriots and traitors. Mr. Crevens moved to lay them on the table, but the motion was disagreed to — yeas 60, nays 100. The above resolution was then agreed to by 93 yeas to 64 nays. Mr. Harrington, of Indiana, offered a preamble setting forth the principles of the Constitution in regard to personal liberty, and that the Thirty-seventh Congress passed a law authorising the Provident to suspend the privileges of the writ of habeas corpus throughout the United States; further, that the President has assumed to suspend it in the loyal States, subjecting the people to arbitrary arrests without due process of law, denying to them the right to a speedy trial, and causing them to languish in prison, and concluding with resolutions denying the power of Congress to confer upon the President the right to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in the loyal States, and asserting the assumption of the President in these respects is contrary to the progress of the age, despotic, and wholly subversive of the elementary principles on which the Government is based. The series concludes with instructions to the Judiciary Committee to report a bill to protect the rights of persons in accordance with the foregoing declarations and the provisions of the Constitution. The resolutions were rejected-- against Mr. Philip Johnson offered a , sorting forth. Whereas, the Supreme Judicial tribunal of the State of Pennsylvania has solemnly decided the art of March 3, 1863, commonly called the Conscription art is contrary to and violation of the Constitution of the United States, and therefore suit and void; Therefore, Resolved, That it be the sworn duty of the Department of the Government to acquiesce in that decision of that State or to bring the question involved before the Supreme Court of the United States for final adjudication, to the end that if Congress shall deem such legislation necessary, a bill may be prepared not subject to constitutional objections. The proposition was laid upon the table — yeas nays .A Verile Within the enemy's lines — his official report
The following is Averill's official report of his recent raid upon Salem:Essay, Pockmont as county, Va.
If I have the honor to report that I cut the Virginia and Tennessee railroad at Salem, on the 14th inst., and have arrived safely at this point with my command, consisting of the 2d, 3d and 8th Virginia mounted infantry, 14th Pennsylvania, Dobson's battalion of cavalry, and Ewing's battery. At Salem, three depots were destroyed, containing 2,000 barrels of four, 10,000 bushels of wheat, 100,000 bushels of shelled corn, 50,000 bushels of oats, 2,000 barrels of meat, several cords of leather, 1,000 sacks of salt, $1 boxes of clothing, 90 bales of cotton, a large amount of harness, shoes and and dies, equipments, tools, and various other stores, and one hundred wagons. The telegraph was cut bodied and burned for half a mile. The water station, turn-table and three cars were burned and the track torn up, and the rails heated and destroyed, as much as possible in six hours. Five bridges and several were destroyed an extent of fifteen . A large quantity of bridge timber and repairing materials were also destroyed. My march was retarded occasionally by the tempest in the mountains and the roads. I was obliged to swim my command and drag my artillery with ropes across Cragg's creek seven times in twenty four hours. On my return I found six separate commands, Gens. Early, Jones, Fitz Lee, Jackson, Echols, and McCourtin, arranged in a from Staunton to New port, upon all the available roads to prevent my return. I captured a dispatch from Gen. Jones to Gen. Early, giving me the position (and that of Jackson at Clifton Porge and Covington.) which he was selected to carry. I marched from the front of Jones to that of Jackson during the night. His were pressed in at a gallop by the 8th Virginia mounted infantry, and the two bridges across Jackson river saved. Although faggots had been piled ready to ignite, my column, four miles long, hastened across, regardless of the enemy, until all but my ambulances and a few wagons and one regiment had passed, when a strong effort was made to retake the first bridge, which did not succeed. The ambulances and some sick men were lost, and by the darkness and difficulties the lost regiment was detained on the opposite side until morning, when it was ascertained that the enemy seemed determined to maintain his position up the cliffs which overlooked the bridges, which were long and high, to be destroyed, and the enemy immediately changed his position to the flank and rear of the detachment which was cut off. I sent orders to the remnants to destroy our wagons and come to me across the river and over the mountains. They swam the river with the loss of only four men drowned, and joined me. In the meantime forces were concentrating upon me at Caleghan's, over every available road but one, which was deemed impracticable, but by which I crossed over the top of the Alleghenies with my command, with the exception of four caissons, which were destroyed in order to increase the teams of the pieces. My loss is six men drowned, one officer and four men wounded, and one officer and ninety men missing. We captured about 200 prisoners, but have retained but four officers and eighty men, on account of then inability to walk. We took also about 1500 horses. My men and horses subsisted entirely upon a very poor country, and the officers and men have suffered cold and hunger, and fatigue, with remarkable fortitude. My command has marched, climbed, slid, and swam three hundred and fifty miles since the 8th inst. W. W. Averill, Brig. Gen.
