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* BT 8. W. MASON AND CO.
SAVANNAH, FRIDAY, JAN.
StEMOVAI. OF THE OBSTTCTIONS
IN TIIE RIVER.
One of tho most important of the de
jbnslve lines guarding this city from the
approach of a hostile force from the sea,
was the system of obstructions, perfected
by the rebels and placed in the river. It
ms a perfect barrier to the advance of a
naval force, which might at an 7 time at
*tempt to ascend the river and bring it3
guns to boar upon the town. For the
past two -years they labored incessantly
in pushing forward the work upon this
barrier, and almost the last work they did
before evacuating the city, was upon this
defensive line. Upon it they displayed
_grr it ingenuity, and expended an im
mense sum of money,.and a vast amount
of labor. It was the most perfect system
when completed, that we ever saw, and
answered its objects completely.
For several days past, Capt. Bennett, the
*celebrated wrecker of the New York
Uader writers, has been at work moving
a portion of these obstructions, blocking
up the north or main ship channel. He
has there his schooner, the John Roach,
and a large and experienced party of
men, and all the material necessary to
successfully pursue hia labors.
He has nearly completed his task, and
in a fevLdays* he will have an opening
one hwMred feet wide, in the clear,
’which will enable vessels of the largest
size, not drawing over sixteen feet of
water, to ascend the river to our docks.
“The task was a gigantic one, but Capt.
Bennett’S energy and skill have overcome
all obstacle#, and we may congratulate
ourselves on the result. Vessels will now
be able, when the work is Completed to
run the river night or day, Capt. Bonteile
of the Coast Survey is buoying out the
channels and will place lights at an early
day at the principal points as guides to
the pilots during the night time*.
The Concert by the Band of the S3d
Massachusetts, Volunteers, 8. Smith
Leader, at the Theater last evening, w as
very successful in all respects. The
house was crowded, and many promi
dent Generals and other officers were
-present. Quite a number of citizens
were with there their ladies. The in
strumental music was very fine, confirm
ing the already brilliant reputation of
the Thirty-Third Band, and also reflect
ing credit on the orchestra. Vocal
music, by Mr. Coniy and Mr. Hazard,
was also a feature of the performance.—
It is probable that these concerts w ill be
continued while the band remains here.
We hope so, believing they will be a
benefit, as well as a source of great en
joyment, to the army and the citizens.
Metropolitan Minstrels. —We call
attention to the advertisement of the
performance to-morrow evening by .the
Metropolitan Minstrels. They have
given two very successful entertainments
, at the Theatre, and the variety they an
, nounce is most attractive.
m Subscribers in the City will confer a
favor if they will call or send to the office,
lit Bay street, for their papers, for one
or two days, till our arrangements for
delivering them are perfected. We shall
within that time have facilities for deliver
ing papers anywhere in the city.
and ®* We call attention to the advertise
ment of a lost diamond pin. The owner
Is especially anxious to recover it, on ac
count of associations which make it par
ticularly valuable.
The Mission of Collector Draper, of
Sew York.
Mr. Simeon Draper, Collector of the
Port of New York, arrived in town on
Wednesday last, on an important mission
from the Secretary of the Treasury, §md
has already entered upon the discharge
of his duties. He came here with full
power to receive and send forward north
lor sale, all the cotton, tobacco, rice and
other products of the country captured
here, the receipts from which are to go
into the Treasury of the United States.
Mr. Draper has an ample corps of assis
tants, and has taken the Custom House
as his office, where he will hereafter
transact business until his mission is ful
filled.
Col. Ransom, Quartermaster, is now
engaged in taking account of stock cf
captured products, enumerated above,
and will at once turn over the entire
quantity to Mr. Draper, who will send
them North for sale. When a sufficient
number of vessels have been laden they
will be sent off in one fleet, convoyed by
a strong detachment cf aimed Naval
vessels, to protect them on their voyage
against any rebel privateers that may be
depiedating on our coast.
Mr- Draper has a great work before
him, but we know of no one whose abili
ty, experience in business and energy, are
better adapted to the undertaking than
his.
The captured property will materially
aid in filling Uhcle Sam's coffers and will
come exceedingly acceptable.
The Fire this Morning.
The alarm of fire at about three o’clock
tills morning was occasioned by a fire
which broke out in Surgeon Wolfe's
office, Gen. Geary’s headquarters, in the.
Rallrrad Bank building. The fire arose
from having coal dropping from the
grate upon the floor and igniting the
wood. The flames were after a little
subdued, and not more than a hundred
dollars’ damage was done. The Fire
Department was promptly on hand, but
its services were not called into requisi
tion.
The accident will not interrupt the reg
ular transaction of business at General
Geary’s Headquarters.
Subscrtbbrs who wish to send the Sa
vannah Daily Herald North, are assured
that their orders will be promptly at
tended to. We qh&rge nothing for
wrapping the papers and delivering them
at the Post Office, and we take all pains
to forward by every mail. Orders can be
be left for any number of issues, at the
current rates.
ifS” The letter of Gen. Sherman
which we published yesterday was copied
from our enterprising cotemporary, the
Republican, to which paper we inadver
tently omitted to give credit. Wo re
publish the letter to-day, by request of
several citizens. .
NOTICE TO THE PATRONS OP THE
PALMETTO HERALD.
The proprietors of Tub Palmetto Her
ald have been granted permission to
publish a daily paper from the office of
the Savannah News. It is designed to
remove the establishment there, and to
issue a live daily paper, devoted to such
news a3 is not contraband. Subscribers
to Tub Palmetto Herald can have the
money refunded them for the unexpired
term of their subscription, or receive the
daily instead, for a proportionate time.
Confident that we have fully met toe ex
pectations of our many kind patrons, in
tho publication of a weekly newspaper,
we invite a continuance of their custom,
and promise our best endeavors to make
a daily one interesting.— PoJmett* Ikr
nld, Dec. 29 th
Capture of the Bfcij> Kate Prinee by the
Shenandoah.
Captain Libbey, of the ship Kate
Prince, makes the following report of the
capture ofhis ship by the rebel steamer
Shenandoah:
November 12, midnight; lat 2 30 north
lon. 28 30 west, a large steamer, ship
rigged, one hundred yards to windward,
fired a gun and hoisted Confederate
States ensign, demanding our ship’s
name; upon being answered we were or
dered to heave to. We backed maintop
sail and were boarded by an armed boats
crew, who informed us that we were a
prize to the above steamer, which proved
to be the Confederate States privateer
Shenandoah. Master and mate were
then ordered on board the Shenandoah,
taking the ship’s papers with them—
prize master being in charge of Kate
Prince. Upon the Confederate com
mander find'mg a certified neutrali
ty bill of lading he demanded
from the master a bond on ship
for $40,000, which being given the
Kate Prince was released; but the Con
federate commander put on board her
Captain Gilman and wife, Mrs. S. Gage
and son, four years old; Z. Burgess,
mate; F. Rocias, steward; J. M. Samson,
J. Monroe, J. Ban is, all belonging to the
schooner Charter Oak, of San Francisc",
captured and destroyed by the Shenan
doah, November 5, lat. 7 north, lon. 27
30 west. AI3O Captain F. W. Hansen,
H. Payne, mate; C. Henchell, second
mate, and W. Dunn, steward, all belong
ing to the brig Susan, of New York,
captured and destroyed by the Shenan
doah, November 10, in lat. 4 30, lon. 26
441 west. In all fourteen persons.
The Shenandoah was a full rigged ship
of 1,100 tons and two hundred and fifty
horse power, and a battery of four eight
inch smooth bore, two thirty-two pound
ers, rifled, and two twelve pounders,
smooth bore guns. She was formerly
the Sea King, belonging to the London,
Bombay and Calcutta Steamship Com
pany. She was built by Stevens & Sons,
of Glasgow, in 1863. Could sail and
steam eleven knots. Had only forty
three men besides officers, mostly Eng
lishmen. She cleared from London for
Bombay in September, 1864, and was re
ported tp have taken the bark Alina, of
Maine, Staples, master, and bark D. God
frey, of Boston, and put the crews on
board a Danish brig, bound to Rio Ja
neiro.
Captain Wardell and hia officers treat
ed os with as much politeness as possible
under the circumstances.
The Shenandoah cannot fight; her
crew are not in any discipline whatever,
and have never been at quarters, but
when firing at a ship (biank) they all
climb up on the rail to look.
She has bulwarks only one and a quar
ter inch thick, and one canister shot
would kill the whole lot o? them.
She ia capable of going under all sail
and steam eleven knots, and has a very
wholesome dread of a “Yankee guu
boat.”
Henry Libbet, Master Kate Prince.
MARINE INTELLIGENCE*
Sava.hwah, Jan. 13. —Arrived, Propellors Mara
posa, How.es, New York; E. L. Clark, Holmes,
Hilton Head ; schr. Vance, from Hilton Head,
with private stores; sloop Rainbow, Hilton Head,
with private stores.
ntPORMT LETTER FROS GCT. B&ER
HIIY TO A CITIZCT OF GEORGIA.
HIS VIEWS IN REGARD TO THE
STATE OF GEORGIA.
We publish to-day, a highly important
letter from Gen. Sherman, to one of the
prominent citizens of this State, in which
he gives his views very clearly in regard
to the status of this State, and its rela
tion to the general government. He
points out a straight path which the in
habitants of the State may tread to again
resume their old relations and duties to
the Government of their Fathers, and re
gain their former position as one of the
States of the Union, with all its rights
and privileges, its reciprocal benefits and
its glorious promises for the future. This
is the golden opportunity which should
not be lost# for the State to wheel into
tone again and enter upon the glorious
career that awaits her, !f she be but true
to herself and to her ancient traditions.
Headquarters Mil. Div. of thk .
Miississippi,
I* the Field, Bavannah, Ga., Jan. 8,1865.
A r . \V. , Esq., County, Ga.
Dk ar Sir : —Yours ot the 3d insk is
received, and in answer to your inqui
ries I beg to state :
I am merely a military commander
and can only act in that capacity; nor
can I give any assurances or pledges af
fecting oivil matters in the future. They
will be adjusted by Congress when
Georgia is again represented there as of
oid.
Georgia is not out of tho Union, and
therefore the talk of “reconstruction* ap
pears to mo inappropriate. Some of her
people nave been and still remain in a
state of revolt; and as long as they re
main armed and organized, the United
States must pursue them with
and deal with them according tomilitaiy
law. But as'soon as they break up their
armed organizations and return to their
homes, I take it they will be dealt with
by the civil courts. Some of the rebels
in Georgia, in ray judgment, deserve
death, because they have committed
murder, and other crimes, which are
punished with death by all civilized Gov
ernments on earth. Lut the great mass
probably will never be noticed. I think
this was the course indicated by General
Washington with reference to the Whis
key Insurrection, and a like principle
seemed to be recognized at the time of
the Burr conspiracy.
As to the Union of the States under
our government, we have the high au
thority of General Washington, who
bade us be jealous and careful of it, and
the still more emphatic words of # Gen.
Jackson, “The Federal Union, it*’*must
and shall be preserved.” C#taln!y
Georgians cannot question the authority
of such men, and should not suspect our
motives, who are simply fulfilling their
commands. Wherever necessary, force
has been used to carry out that end : and
you may rest assured that the Union wiH
be preserved, cost what it may. Antt if
you are sensible men you will conform to
this order of things or else migrate to
some other country. There is no other
alternative open to the people of Georgia.
My opinion is that no negotiations are
necessary, nor commissioners, nor con
ventions, nor anything of the kind.
Whenever the people of Georgia quit re
belling against their government, and
elect members of Congress and
and these go and take their seats, then
the .State of Georgia will have re
sumed her functions in tho Union.
These are merely my opinions, but in
confirmation of them, as X think, the
people of Georgia may well consider the
following words, referring to toe people
of the rebellious States, which IJ quot
from the recent annual message or Pteait
dent Lincoln to Congress nfc "its presen
session:
“They can at any moment have peace
simply by laying down their arms arid
submitting to the national authority un
der the Constitution. After so much, the
Government goukl not, if it would, main
tain war against them. The loyal people
would not sustain or allow it. If ques
tions should remain, we would adjust
them by the peaceful means of legisla
tion, conference, courts and votes.—
Operating only in constitutional and law
ful channels, some certain and other pos
sible questions are and would be beyond
the Executive power to adjust, as for in
stance, the admission of members into
Congress and whatever might require the
appropriation of money.”
The President then alia ies to the gen
eral pardon and amnesty offered for more
than a year past, upon specified and most
liberal terms, to all except certain desig
nated classes, even these being “swH
within contemplation of special cle
mency,” and adds—
“lt ia stUI so open to all, but the time
may come—probably will come—w&en
public duty shall demand that it be
closed, and that in lieu, more vigorous
measures than heretofore shall be adopt
ed,”
It seems to me that it is time for the
people of Georgia to act for themselves,
and return, in time, to their duty to, the
Government of their Fathers,
. Respectfully your obi servant,
W. T. Shermaql
Major General.