The National crisis.
Three car loads, containing 1,500 barrels powder, destined to
Georgia, reached
Charlotte, N. C., on the 11th inst.
Lieut. Stribling, late of the United States Navy, having offered his services to
South Carolina and been accepted, left
Norfolk Thursday for
Charleston.
Col. Gabe Fowler, a Mississippian, evinced his patriotism on the 24th ult., by paying $1,800 for the expense of transporting the cannon and munitions purchased in
Baton Rouge, La., to
Vicksburg, Miss.
Major Walter Gwynn,
Chief of the South Carolina Engineer corps, advertises for offering of laborers to be employed in works for the defence of
Charleston harbor.
The ammunition seized on last Wednesday by the New York Metropolitan police, on board the steamship
Huntsville, of the
Cromwell line, was on Friday given up by
Superintendent Kennedy, in obedience to the demands of the
Sheriff.
Mr. Kennedy was replevined by
Mr. Cromwell, and, therefore, was forced to surrender them under the compulsion of the law.
The
Milledgeville（
Ga.) Recorder learns that the
Governor has appointed
the Hon. T. Butler King,
Commissioner to negotiate with the Belgium and Savannah Steam Navigation Company, for the establishment of direct trade with Southern ports, pursuant to a late act of the Legislature.
Expectations of a fight at Pensacola — a night of Suspense.
The arrival of five U. S. ships-of-war off Pensacola harbor, on the 5th inst., has been noticed.
The
Brooklyn and
Macedonia were the first two seen in the offing.
The pilot who brought the
Brooklyn into the offing informed the Alabama volunteers at Fort Barancas that
Captain Walker had expressed his determination to land the artillerymen from
Fortress Monroe, because he did not have provisions enough on board to serve them.
A letter from a volunteer at the fort says:
‘
The
Brooklyn and
Macedonia came to anchor just beyond Sasa Island, some three miles from
Fort Pickens and about the same distance from the
Navy-Yard.
At
Pickens, we could see increased activity in labor, three extra sentinels were placed upon the ramparts at dark, and two squads of men, supposed to be Picket Guards, were marched out of the fort.
Upon our side, all the preparations for battle were made before night, and every man was ready upon the report of the signal gun to take the place previously assigned him. A few men from the Metropolitan Guard and
Tuskegee Lt. Infantry were ordered to take two of the heavy guns from
Fort McRae and mount them upon the sand battery.
They worked faithfully, and before morning had two ten-inch Columbiads upon a flat, but owing to the strength of the tide, which rushed strongly seaward, they were unable to get it towards the land.
During the night we could hear their call above the roar of the surf, and see their torches flash out here and there through the dark.
The signal for the other companies to rush to arms was to be two guns fired in quick succession from Barancas.
’
About 9 o'clock at night,
Capt. Andrews, of the Blues, took a small yacht, and with a few men ran out in the harbor to watch the movement of the ships, and to see if any attempt to land troops was made.
They were scarcely half a mile from shore when a rocket was shot up from one of the men-of-war, and in a few minutes the
Wyandotte came creeping stealthily upon them.
The boat was instantly turned about for the land, and every light on board extinguished.
Looming up through the distance, like a huge leviathan, the war steamer passed and repassed them so near that the command on board could be distinctly heard, and the halloo to the man at the wheel.
The sa was calm, and the boats ran noiselessly over the water, only known to each other when the vast hull of the steamer towered above the smaller yacht, or when a chance light was displayed by the latter.
The soundings, as announced by the man at the bow, the dull plash of the falling lead, and the roaring of the waves as they broke upon the shore, were the only sounds that disturbed the death-like stillness of the night.
The intention of M
Capt. Andrews was to draw the steamer upon the bar, or to get her aground by displaying a decoy light here and there; but the pilot on board was too conversant with the harbor to be caught.
Meanwhile everyone in the fort listened intently to hear the signal to man the guns, and sat by the camp fire fighting imaginary battles, and picturing heroes in the gleaming coals.
Morning came, however, to awake them again to deedless life, and to dispel the bright visions of glory, which had burst upon their youthful minds during the hours of night.
About three o'clock in the morning a few rockets were sent up from the
Brooklyn, which were answered by the
Macedonian; the
Wyandotte ran outside, and everything was quiet.
At daybreak not a sail was in sight nor any sign of the men-of-war, for they had taken advantage of the tide and run out to sea. Throughout the 7th, nothing occurred to disturb the quiet of the camp, and the "boys" were again placed in the sand battery to finish the work, and to mount the guns.
The labor of transporting those heavy guns was very great, especially as few of the soldiers were ever accustomed to manual labor.
Col. Forney was in charge of the work, and staid by the men all night and throughout the day.
"nobody hurt."
The following is from the Philadelphia Press, (Rep.,) of Thursday:
‘
The
President elect arrived at
Columbus, Ohio, yesterday afternoon.
When he stated that nobody is suffering anything in consequence of the present agitation, his mind evidently reverted rather to the flourishing and prosperous agricultural region in which he has long resided, and to the ferile districts through which he has recently passed, than to the commercial and manufacturing centres, where business derangements are most keenly felt, where thousands of operatives are thrown out of employment, and where bankruptcy stares in the face many of the most enterprising and useful citizens of our country.
’
