The Alexandria Gazette has the following:
‘
Washington, May 7.--A large amount of provisions and ammunition has arrived, and daily additions are being made to the number of troops now here.
About 2,500 troops left here this evening for the
Relay House.
It is supposed that they are intended for
Baltimore.
General Scott is said to be in very infirm health.
The city is one vast military camp.
The
Capitol is full of troops — quartered there. --The number of troops here now is variously estimated at 25,000 to 40,000.
Many of the companies are well uniformed and equipped, but some are poorly clad and present a very unfavorable aspect.
There are reports of an invasion of
Alexandria, but they cannot be traced to any authentic source, and your correspondent believes they are without any foundation.
’
The Washington Star, of Tuesday evening, says:
‘
The Government has dispatched a steaming and a sufficient force to re-capture the
Smith's Point Light-House, on the
Chesapeake.
They have also stationed a vessel-of-war near
Fort McHenry.
Capt. G. W. Miller, captain of the company, a squad of which killed
Cornelius Boyd, has been arrested in
Washington, and held to ball in the sum of $2,000. He denies that he ordered the squad to bring
Boyd, dead or alive.
The prospect of a war has given new life and vigor to almost every department connected with our Navy-Yard.
In the Ordnance department this is strikingly perceptible, and all hands are taxed to their utmost, making thirteen hours per day.
About 2 o'clock P. M., Monday, the side-wheel steamer
Cataline, of the New York and
Bridgeport, and the little screw packet Artisan, of the New York and
Baltimore transportation lines, arrived at the
Yard, having on board an immense amount of stores, consisting of mess beet, pork and bacon, flour, vinegar,
tin-ware, &c., together with several tons of lead.
A large amount of hay in bales was also brought on the Artisan.
About 5 o'clock the little tug
Robert Leslie brought over from the Arsenal the steamship
Star of the South, followed by the side- wheel steamer
Wyoming, which took off from the
Star of the South quite an amount of freight.
’
Last night at 9½ o'clock, the Fourth New York Regiment arrived in this city direct from
Annapolis by rail, and marched at once to the quarters over
Woodward's hardware store, in D street, between Tenth and Eleventh streets.
The new sloop-of-war
Pensacola is rapidly approaching completion, and will be ready for sea in a few weeks.
It is stated positively here that
Gen. Beauregard reached
Richmond, Va., on the night before last.
Last night the stores of
C. W. Boteler & Son, and
Boteler &
Wilson, in the iron building on the
Avenue, between Ninth and Tenth streets, was entered by robbers, who succeeded in finding the key of the iron safe, and stole over $400 in money.
Geo. C. Whiting,
Esq., late
Commissioner of Pensions, has been appointed by the
Secretary of the Interior to a $2,000 per annum position in his department, created to carry out the late law of Congress in connection with the return of Africans found on slave ships.
The Washington Star discredits the report that
Alexandria is to be occupied by the
Federal troops; while, on the contrary, a Washington correspondent of the Baltimore Sun says:
‘
I credit the report that exists among the R. I. military, that a strong battalion of their regiment is immediately to occupy
Alexandria.
Exclusive of District of Columbia volunteers, the number of bayonets now within the city and at
Annapolis is just about twenty thousand.
As
Harper's Ferry and the
Norfolk Navy-Yard are simply seats of ruin, I do not credit the reports that the forces are to be scattered and weakened by diversions in those directions.
’
The same writer professes to be well informed upon military movements in
Virginia; but taking the following for a sample, and adopting his own language, his ‘"ideas are not worth much:"’
The Virginia troops left
Alexandria on Friday, and we have reports from across the river that the
Washington battalion is at Culpeper Court-House.
As
General Harney's trip to and from
Richmond was made in the night, he was not expected to ascertain where the
Virginia troops are in force.
Persons inexperienced in military matters, who occasionally reach this point, say that there is not a great force at
Richmond, but of course their ideas on that score are not worth much.
We quote one more paragraph:
‘
Major Anderson's health is very much broken.
He intends, as I hear in a high quarter, to visit
Kentucky and address the people in behalf of the
Union, for which he has a religious devotion.
’
Washington, May 6.--
Gov. Andrew has notified the
Secretary of the Navy that
Massachusetts has purchased the steamers
Massachusetts and
South Carolina, recently employed as packets between
Boston and
Charleston: that they are thoroughly equipped and manned, and are ready for sea and any Government service.
Gov. Andrew asks for authority to commission commanders.
The
Secretary of the Navy or the
President has no such authority.
They can only be received in the service as auxiliary to the Navy, and must be commanded by a regular commissioned naval officer.
If they are not thus employed, they will be used by the
State to ply within
Massachusetts waters, to protect the commerce of that State.
The
Secretary of War, in order to accommodate the traveling public, has directed the opening of the military route between
Washington and
Philadelphia, by way of
Annapolis, to two daily trains.
Those from the
North leaving-Philadelphia at 10½ a. m. and 11 o'clock p. m.
The President has appointed
Lieut. Nicholson Adjutant and inspector of the marine corpse, vice
Taylor, resigned.
The Government has declined accepting more than one regiment of the three months volunteers from
Michigan.
They will, however, receive two regiments under the latest proclamation.
The proclamation issued by the
Mayor of
Washington, requiring that drinking establishments be closed at 9.30 each night, was by advice of our military authorities.
On Saturday
Senator Wilson suggested to high executive officers the adoption of such a measure, in view of the fact that some of the troops were evidently becoming demoralized by the free use of intoxicating liquors.
