Six or eight of the military companies which went to
Pensacola from
Montgomery, Ala. , hastened to that city.
There is no important movement, therefore, likely to be made at present at
Fort Pickens.
The
Charleston correspondent of the Baltimore American gives that paper the following news:
‘
At the Arsenal the recruits of the standing army are undergoing thorough training as fast as they enlist.
They are retained here and instructed into the art of war until a company is formed, when the whole lot is transferred to one of the military posts in the harbor, where they become acquainted with the pleasures of a soldier's life in the trenches.
The most of the enlisted men are a jolly, hard set of cases, and it is exceedingly difficult to restrain them from drunkenness and riot.
This fact is so notorious that
Mr. Cunningham,
Colonel of the 17th Regiment, brought the matter to the notice of the Legislature last week, and liked to have embroiled himself in a personal difficulty with
Lieut. Wagner, of a company of enlisted men, stationed at the Arsenal.
Mr. Wagner, who is also a Senator, denied that the troops were beyond restraint, licentious, and drunken.--
Col. Cunningham, on the floor of the House of Representatives, asserted that they were.
Mr. Wagner said it was a "misstatement."
Col. Cunningham called for an explanation.
Lieut. Wagner said he did not mean to impeach
Mr. Cunningham's veracity.
Mr. Cunningham asked him to publish this fact to the world and say so before the Senate.--
Mr. Wagner complied and the personal difficulty was settled; but
Col. Cunningham still maintained that his statements were true, and called for a committee of investigation, but the lateness of the hour precluded the examination of the numerous witnesses, so the matter continues over till the next session.
The programme laid down for the Southern Congress is this:--First, a Provisional Government; second, treaties with the
United States and ‘"other foreign"’ countries; third, decisive legislation in regard to the negro, and fourthly, decision as to what States shall constitute the
Confederacy.
In this latter subject all concur that no free State shall be admitted, and if any State shall afterwards abolish slavery she shall be excluded from the
Confederacy.
I am informed that this will be a point insisted upon by Carolina.
Georgia has already declared it to be her demand, and the rest of the seceding States will unite with her on this.
Major Anderson, it is believed here, is adding greatly to the strength of his position.
He has dug a mine under the causeway leading to the gate of his "donjon," and will blow up the first company that attempts an escalade.
This he can easily do without injuring himself or his fortification.
At the points, however, that bear upon
Sumter,
South Carolina still continues to concentrate her forces, and when the struggle does come it will be terrible.
’
Important Correspondence between the ministers of foreign Powers and the Secretary of State.
Washington, Jan. 31.--It appears from official sources, that on the 27th of January,
Mr. Schleider wrote to the
Secretary of State,
Mr. Black, informing him that he had received a letter from the
Bremen Consul at
Charleston, stating that the consignee of the "Copernicus" had tendered duties at the
Custom House, which were refused, and from this the
Consul infers that the functionaries there are acting no longer for the
United States, and the
Minister therefore asks how are the
Bremen captains and consignees of goods imported from
Bremen in
Bremen vessels to any port in
South Carolina to act in order to avoid all violations of the revenue laws of the
United States?
Does the
Government hold itself responsible to the owners of goods now stored in or which may hereafter be placed in the
United States bonded warehouses at
Charleston?
and in case of the discontinuance of the
United States Custom-House at
Charleston, will
Bremen vessels be permitted to proceed hence on their voyage without hindrance on the part of the
United States authorities?
Lord Lyons, under date of December 31st, acquaints the
Secretary of State that he has received a letter from the
British Consul at
Charleston, in which it is stated that
South Carolina has passed an ordinance declaring, in effect, that the
Custom-Houses of the
United States in
South Carolina are converted into Custom-Houses of that State, and that the revenue laws adopted show how duties are to be collected on account of that State. --The Consul calls attention to several practical difficulties connected with the entry and clearance of British vessels, which may arise at any moment, and Lord Lyons requests the
Government to furnish him, without delay, such information respecting its wishes and intentions as may enable him to give definite instructions to the
Consul, and to remove any apprehension which may exist that the abolition
de facto of the
United States Custom-House will be allowed to subject British vesselvs or commerce to loss, injury, or inconvenience.
Mr. Tassaro, the
Spanish Minister, on December 31st, calls
Secretary Black's attention to a letter from the
Spanish Consul at
Charleston, relative to customs affairs in that city.
Next,
Secretary Black is informed by Lord Lyons, that
South Carolina authorities have removed the buoys, withdrawn the light-ship, ect., and requests that he cause the lights and beacons to be replaced to warn vessels of their danger, and, in conclusion, desire such information as will allay anxiety of British subjects.
Mr. Schleider also complains, under date of January 8th, that the lights in
Charleston harbor have been extinguished.
Among the documents is also a letter from
ex-Judge Magrath, dated from Executive Department of
South Carolina, saying that the activity of the pilots will prevent any serious injury or inconvenience to commerce.
On the 10th instant
Secretary Black replied to Lord Lyons, and sent a copy of his letter to
Messrs. Schleider and
Tassaro.
He says that he had laid Lord Lyons' communication before the
President, who would deeply regret that any injury should happen to the commerce of foreign and friendly nations, and especially that British subjects at
Charleston should suffer by the anamolous state of things existing there.
Secretary Black then quotes from the law to show that the jurisdiction of the
Federal Government is to impose duties on goods imported into the limits of the
United States and collect duties, is exclusive.--Whether the state of affairs now existing at
Charleston will or will not be regarded as sufficient reason for not executing the penalties incurred by British subjects, is a question, says the
Secretary, which Lord Lyons will see no necessity for raising until it practically arises.
Each case will no doubt have its peculiarities, and
Secretary Black regrets that this consideration compels him to decline giving any assurances on the points presented.
The Treasury Department, he says, will give public information as to the condition in which
South Carolina has put the coast.
The Work on the South Carolina batteries.
A letter from
Charleston gives an account of the progress made in preparing the defences.
It says:
‘
A word with regard to the forts or batteries now being prepared for the defence against
Fort Sumter, and all hostile demonstrations by the United States Government.
As no boat was running regularly to those on the right hand side of the channel, to wit:
Fort Johnson,
Cummings Point, etc., and, moreover, a permit to those places not being granted, we could not visit them, but understood they were progressing with all possible speed at the several places and strongly fortifying them by every available means, several hundred hands being employed thereon.
On Wednesday, however, we obtained a permit to visit
Fort Moultrie, and having done so, found it under strict military discipline, and things progressing bravely — so much of the wall as was commanded by
Fort Sumter was being rapidly mounted with sand-bag batteries, from nine to ten feet in thickness, and the same in depth, and was almost completed; all the guns were mounted but two, and those were to be during the day.
Maj. Ripley thought that in the course of a day or two he could withstand a heavy battery from
Sumter, which it was supposed could be readily taken by an attack simultaneously from the several points, though with some sacrifice.
Two mortar batteries were being erected on the island without the fort and about two hundred yards below it. Batteries were also being erected on the far and of the beach for the protection of the light infantry companies.
It was estimated that over one thousand negroes were employed on the
Island.
On our way to and from
Fort Moultrie we touched at Castle Pinckney, which was like wise in a state of strict military discipline, and on which all necessary preparations were being made.
We were informed that there were about eight hundred soldiers on
Sullivan's Islands, 280 at Castle Pinckney, and about one thousand at the different points on
Morris' Island.
’
The militia bill in Congress.
Mr. Reynolds, of New York, from the
Select Committee to whom was referred the special Message of the
President of the
United States on the present condition of the country, has prepared the following bill, authorizing the
President to call forth the militia and accept the services of volunteers to such an extent as may be necessary at any time to protect the public property:
‘
A bill to be entitled an act further to provide for calling forth the militia of the
United States in certain cases.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United State, in Congress assembled, That it shall be lawful for the
President of the
United States, whenever and as often as in his opinion it shall become necessary, to call forth the militia of all or any of the States of the
United States, or to accept the services of volunteers to such extent as may be required to protect and defend the forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, navy-yards, public buildings and other property of the
United States which has been or may be unlawfully seized or taken possession of by any combination of persons whatsoever; and the provisions of an act authorizing the employment of land and naval forces of the
United States in cases of insurrections, approved March 3, 1807, and all existing laws and regulations relating to the actual service of the militia of the
United States, shall be applicable to the employment of the same, under the provisions of this act.
’
Who Fought the Battles of the Union.
The
Mexican war was fought chiefly by the
South.
The tabular statement given below shows that whilst fourteen slave States furnished 45,630 volunteers, the free States and Territories furnished but 23,054.
The disparity is marked considered from any point of view, but especially so in regard to #tive population of the two sections.
The figures, we may add, are derived from
Executive Document No. 62, of the 1st session, 30th Congress:
Nativity of the Regular Army in the Mexican war.
| Non-slaveholding States and Territories | 28,556. |
| Slaveholding States | 14,355 |
Volunteers to Mexican war from Slaveholding States.
| No. | Killed. | Wounded. | Died. |
| Arkansas | 1,323 | 22 | 3 | 152 |
| Florida | 323 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Texas | 7,313 | 48 | 20 | 117 |
| Louisiana | 7,728 | 15 | 6 | 192 |
| Tennessee | 5,410 | 57 | 13 | 183 |
| Kentucky | 4,800 | 105 | 48 | 176 |
| Virginia | 1,303 | 6 | | 60 |
| N'rth Carolina | 936 | | | 171 |
| South Carolina | 1,054 | 58 | 115 | 234 |
| Georgia | 2,047 | 4 | 5 | 116 |
| Alabama | 3,011 | | | 103 |
| Mississippi | 2,319 | 60 | 45 | 256 |
| Maryland and District of Columbia | 1,330 | 13 | 9 | 52 |
| Columbia | 1,330 | 18 | 9 | 52 |
| Missouri | 6,733 | 28 | 2 | 228 |
| 45,630 | 418 | 267 | 2,050 |
No volunteers were sent from
Maine,
New Hampshire,
Vermont,
Connecticut and
Rhode Island.
Lieut. O. H. Berryman, in command of the U. S. steamer
Wyandotte, off Fort Icken, has written a letter to a Pensacola paper, in which he says:
‘
""My orders from the proper authorities of a Government I have loved and served as aithfully as I could, I still respect, and when that Government shall be dissolved by the decision of my great and noble State, (
Virginia,) I hope to prove myself worthy of holding a commission even under a Southern Confederacy.
’
