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JSwattmtfr §»nhL * 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.