Newspaper Page Text
Important Northern News.
x. V. I* VTi :W TO J AX. :j 5.
Latest from Wilmington.
Forts Caswell and Campbell Blown Ip
and Evacuated.
Works A T>nn cloned
by Hie Kuoniy.
r rn i; Dix rdivK ix gold
timadiau Parliament.
By the arrival of the Fulton
Head, yesterday, Northern papers to
the 25th were received. We are in
debted to Purser Lockwood, of the Cos
mopolitan, for promptly forwarding us
copies Irom Purser McManus, of the
Fulton. Tiie following are extracts .
War Dkpaktmknt, Washington, Jan.
24 Major General Dlx—Titu following
telegram has beeo received by this De
partment from Lieut. Gen. Grant:
R- 31 Stanton, Sec of War.
City Point, Va., Jan. 33. Hon. E. M.
Stanton, Sec. of War—One of my staff
hits just returned lrom Fort Fisher with
despatches from Gen. Terry, from which
I extract the following: On the ltith
tthc enemy blew up Forts Casvrell and
Campbell, and abandoned them and the
works on Smith's Island, and those at
Smithville and Reeves’ Point. These
places were occupied by the navy. The
whole number of guns captured amounts
to one hundred and sixty-two. A large
number ol* small arms also fell into oar
bauds, besides quantities of ordnance
and commissary stores. Our casualties
prove smaller than at first reported.
They foot up thus: Twelve officers and
one hundred and seven men killed; for
tv-five officers and tour hundred and
ninety-men wounded.
U. S. Grant, Lieut. Gen’l.
[From the N. Y. Herald, Jan. *2'.j
The stock market was higher yester
day, and speculative feeling fora rise
was developed. Government securi
ties were heavy. Gold was irregular,
Gut lirnier, and closed at 202 :V4.
QrKimc, Jan. 21. 1865.—1n the open
ing debate in Parliament last night the
government was sustained by a large
majority, and the Southern refugees in
Canada strongly denounced. A deter
mination was expressed to stop the
abuse of asylum; a commission was ap
pointed to enquire into the cause of the
tailure of justice in reference to the re
lease of St. Albans raiders and the mis
appropriation of the money restored
them ; also to inquire into the conduct
of Justice Coursol and the Chief of Po
lice. Meant!me tire government has sus
pended the judge.
UTE UEBEL PAPERS.
Interesting Gvtraets,
1 Prom die Richmond Examiner, Jan. 20.]
Persons from Wilmington sav that
the version of the disaster at Fort JPisher
which states that the fort was taken by
surprise, at least as far as the garrison is
concerned, is untrue.
They state that the garrison fought
well, but were overwhelmed by num
bers. Bragg having failed to relieve the
three of assault by an attack on the en
emy’s rear There have been some re
ceiit dispositions of our forces in the
South and West, details of which are
inadmissable.
[From the Goldsboro* Journal, Jan. 17.]
Private aSvices by the train last night
state that the Yankees were shelling our
forces near Battery Gatlin, or Sugar
Loaf some four miles from Fort Fisher.
The Journal furnishes all the particulars
which have ns yet reached us concerning
the fall of Fort Fisher, with the excep
tion of Gen. Lee’s brief despatch.
It says that the Yankees succeeded in
making a lodgment with their infantry
force, kid to have been some eighteen
thousand strong, on the river between
mu §mltt (few.
V J 9
SAVANNAH, GA., SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 1865.
Sugar Loat and Fort Fisher, where they
at once commenced intrenching. This
lodgment was made probably on Friday
night. Up to ten o’clock on Sunday
night matters were r< ported satisfactory
by’ouf military authorities; but within
probably half an hour afterwards the
enemy made a furious assault cu Fort
Fisher.
FROM MSXICO.
Ex-Senator Gwtn made a
ITukc by Huxiinilliaii.
REPORTED CESSION OF MEXICAN TER
RSTORY TO FRANCE.
San. Francisco, Jan. 23, 1805.—Let
ters from the Mazatian to the 14th inst,
announce the arrival there of Captain
Beauregard, a brother of Major General
Beauregard, of the rebel States, in the
capacity of private secretary to Wm. 31
Gwin, formerly United Slates Senator
from California.
Captain Beauregard reports that Mr.
Gwin has been created a duke by the
Dinner »r Maximilian of Mexico, and that
Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihubia, Durango and
Lower California have been ceded to the
Emperor Napoleon, by the French gov
ernment in payment tor the troops fur
nished by the French government to
subjugate Mexico, and that Mr. Gwin
has been appointed Viceroy over tnose
States, and will soon enter upon the du
ties of his office.
This story is not believed further than
that Mr. Gwin has obtained certain grants
of land, and is authorized to encourage
immigration from the rebel States.
Jeff* Davis on Reconstruction.
Jkn Important Letter from the
&ebel President.
HE OPPOSES A CONVENTION OF STATES
AND SEPARATE STATE ACTION.
«22e Answer to the Georgia Resolutions.
RrcHMosn, Nov. 17, IS»H.
To the Hon. Senators of (ivory ta y Messrs.
A. it Weight, President of the Senate,
J. L (inert-;/, ./ M C'tomhers, Thomas
Uojd, Frederick A. I! t'sf, Hobart id.
JSiesbit :
Gentlemen : I answered by telegraph
this morning your letter of the 11th
instant, as requested, and now r spect
fully comply with your desire that I
should express my views on the subj ict
to which you invite my attention.
In forwarding to me the resolutions
introduced into the House of Represen
tatives of Georgia by Mr. Stephens, of
Hancock, you state that you are not in
clined to ‘favor the passage of these or
any similar resolutions, believing them
to have a tendency to create diversions
among ourselves and to unite and
strengthen our enemies, but that it is as
serted in Miiledgevillc that I favor such
action on the part of the States, and
would oe pleased to see Georgia cast
her influence in that wav. You are kind
enough to say that h this be true, and if
the passage of these or similar resolu
tions would in the slightest degree aid
or assist me in bringing the war to a
successful and speedy close, you will
give them your earnest and hearty sup:
port. I return you my cordial thanks
for this expression ot confidence, but
assure you that there is no truth in the
assertions which you mention ; and I
presume that you will already have seen,
by the closing part of my annual mes
sage, which must have reached you
since the date of your letter, that I have
not contemplated the use of any other
agency in treating for peace than that
established by the constitution of the
Confederate States. That agency seems
to me to be well adapted to its purposes
and free from the injurious consequences
that, would follow any other means that
have been suggested. The objection to
separate State action which you present
in your letter appears to be so conclu
sive as to admit of no reply. Tne im
mediate and inevitable tendency of such •
distinct acts by each State Is to create
discordant instead of united counsels,
to suggest to our enemies the possibili
ty of a dissolution of the Confederacy,
and to encourage then; by the. spectacle
of our divisions to more determined and
united action against us. They would
readily adopt the false idea that some of
the States of the Confederacy are dis
posed to abandon their sister States and
make separate terms of peace for them
selves; and if such a suspicion, how
ever unrounded, were once engendered
our own people, it would be de
structive of that spirit of mutual confi
dence and support which forms our
chief reliance for success in the main
tenance of our cause.
When the proposal of separate State
action was first mooted it appear* i to
me so impracticable, so void of any
promise of good, that I gave no heed to
the proposal; but upon its adoption by
citizens whose position and ability gave
Weight to the expression of their opin
ions, I was led to a serious consideration
of the subject. My first impressions
have not been changed by reflection. If
ail the States «f the two hostile federa
tions are to meet in convention, it is
plain thus such a meeting can <>»ly take
place after an agreement as to the time,
place and terms on which they are to
meet. Now, without discussing the
m nor, although not trifling, difficulties
of agreeing as to time ami place, it is
Certain that the States would never con
vened without agreement as to terms
on which they were to meet. The pro
posed convention must meet on the basis
either that no State should against its
own will he bound by the decision of the
convention, or that it should be so bound.
But it is plain that an agreement on the
basis that no State should be bound,
without its consent, by the result of the
deliberations, would be an abandonment
on the part of the North of is pretended
right of coercion—would be an absolute
recognition of the independence of the
several States of the Confederacy—would
be, in a word, so complete a concession
of the righlfullness ut our cause that the
most visionary cannot hope for such an
agreement.
In advance of the meeting of a con
vention, the. only other possible basis of
meeting is that each State sh mid agree
beforehand io be bound by the decision
ot the convention ; and such agreement
is but another form of submission, of
Northern dominion, as we well know
that in such a convention we should be
ouuuabered nearly two to one on the
very threshold of the scheme proposed.
Theretord we are met by an obstacle
which cannot be removed. Is not the
impracticable character of the project
apparent?
You will observe that I leave entirely
out of view the suggestion that a conven
tion of all the Stales of both federations
should be held by common consent,
without any previous understanding as
to the (fleet of its decisions—should
meet merely to debate and pass resolu
tions that are to bind no one. It is not
supposed that this can really be the
meaning attached to the proposal by
those who are active in its support,
although the resolutions to which you
invite my attention declare the fuhetion
of such a convention would be simply to
propose a plan ot peace with the consent
of the two belligerents—or, in other
words, to act as negotiators in treating
for peace. This part of the scheme is
not intelligible to me. If the conven
tion is only to be held with the consent
of the two* belligerents, that consent can
not be obtained without negotiation.
The plan, then, would resolve itself into
a scheme that the two governments
should negotiate an agreement for the
appointment of negotiators to make pro
posals fora treaty. It seems much more
prompt and simple to negotiate for peace
at once, than to negotiate for the ap
pointment of negotiators, who are to
meet without power to do anything but
make proposals. If the government, of
the United Skates is willing to make
peace it will treat for peace directly. If
unwilling, it will refuse to consent, to a
convention of States.
The author of these resolutions, and
those who concur in his view l , appear j
to me to commit the radical error of |
supposing that the obstacle to obtaining j
the pence which we all desire consists in
the difficulty of finding proper agencies
for negotiating, so that the whole scope
of the resolutions ends in nothing but
suggest ing that, if the enemy will treat,
the best agency would be State delegates
to a convention ; whereas, the whole and
only obstacle is that the enemy wi 1 not
treat at all, or entertain any othr pro
position than that, we should submit to
their yoke, acknowledge that we are
criminals, and appeal to their mercy for
peace.
After tills augment of objections it
may appear superfluous to add others of
less gravity ; but as you invite a full ex
pression of my views, I will add that
history is replete with instances of the
interminable difficulties and delays at
tending the attempt to negotiate on great
and conflicting interests where the par
ties to the negotiation are numerous.
If this has been the case where the par
ties possessed full power to conclude a
treaty, what can we hope from the as
sembly of negotiators from thirty or
forty States, who, in the midst of an
exasperating warfare, arc to meet with
out power to conclude anything ? In
the history of our country we find that
in a time of profound peace, when the
most cordial brotherhood sentiment ex
isted, and when a. long and bloody war
had been brought to a triumphant close,
it required two years to assemble a con
vention and bring its deliberations to an
end, and another year to procure th#
ratification of their labois. With such
a w.ir as the present in progress, the
views of the large assemblage of
negotiators proposed would undergo
constant changes according to the vicis
situdes, according to the struggle, and
the attempt to secure concordant views
would soon be abandoned and leave the
parties must embittered than ever, less
hopeful of the possibility of succeseful
negotiation. Again, how is the difficul
ty resulting from the, conflicting preten
sions of the two belligerents in regard to
several of the States to be overcome ?
Is it supposed that Virginia would enter
into a convention with a delegation from
what our enemies choose to term the
State of West Virginia, and thus recog
nize an insolent aud violent dismember
ment of her territory ? Or would the
United States consent that West Virginia
should be deprived of her pretensions t»
equal rights after having formally ad
mitted her as a State, and allowed her to
vote at a Presidential election ? Who
would send a delegation from Louisiana,
Tennessee, Kentucky or Missouri ? The
enemy claim to hold the governments ot
those States, while we assert them to be
members of the Confederacy. Would
delegates be received from both sides?—
If so, there would goon be a disruption
of tin* convention. If delegates be re
ceived from neither side, then a conven
tion of the States most vitally interested
in die result would remain unrepresent
ed, and what value could be attached to
mere recommendations of a body of ne
gotiators under such circumstances?—
various other considerations suggest
themselves, but enough has been said to
justify my conclusion that the proposal
of separate State action is unwise, im
oracticable, and offers no prospect of
good to counterbalance its manifold ina
ifold injurious consequences to the cause
of our country. Very respectfully,
yours, &c. Jefferson Davis.
HKAJMJIJAKTKRr* U. S. F<>*<tKS,\
SuYanuaU, Ga., Jan. 2S, 1565. j
No. 7. /
A LJL pern u*t having Ammunition in their pos-
Jjl session or on the premise* occupied by them
will i»e held responsible that they report the
same immediately to the Provost Marshal, who
will seize the same and turn it over to the Depot
Ordnance Officer. *
To insure security of property, any wnvn
knewlng of any Ordnance secreted, are invited
to report it to the Provost Marshal.
By command of
Bv’t. Major Gen. C. GROVER
E. G. Dike, A A. A. G. janSO
jyj-EW YORK POULTRY !
turries, geese and chickens.
Packed in Ice by Roihuns, of Fulton Market,
and in excellent condition, will be sold at L»w
Prices, on
TUESDAY MORNING, JAN. 81,
Commencing at 7 a. m., at the WHARF, FOOT
OF WEST BROAD STREET. jan*29-*2t
r SAVANNAH DAILY HERALD OFFICE
la at No.Jll Bay street.
