LATE AMERICAN NEWS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 144, 16 October 1863, Page 3

LATE AMERICAN NEWS.

The brigantine Neva arrived yesterday after a quick passage from San Francisco, and we have been favored by Messrs. Henderson & Macfarlane,

the owners 01 the vessel, with San Francisco papers to August 29th, containing news from the seat of war up to August 26th. The files of papers being incomplete are only able to give the news of the week prior to the 26th of that month, and such as it is must be taken with the usual allowance of exaggerations in intelligence received from that source. We have carefully scanned the papers, but can see nothing to indicate that the position of the belligerents is much changed. Fire and sword have carried desolation into the city of Lawrence, which had been burned to the ground by a band of guerillas under Quautrell, and ISO of its inhabitants killed. Only one house, it is said, remained standing ; and that was filled with the dead and wounded of both classes. One hundred and twenty of the bodies of the slain had been buried, many of them frightfully charred by the fire. The Alta California says on this subject ; —“ The guerilla Quautrell has left a bloody track in Kansas, the city of Lawrence being destroyed by jfire and most of its citizens brutally murdered. Our account blames the Commanding General of the Department* for lack of energy, but it seems that the people themselves were beguiled into security by false reports, and made little or no resistance. It is probable that Q.uantrell has succeed in reaching Missouri safely.” The siege of Charleston was progressing, “ favorably ” as the Federal account has it, and Fort Sumter was.being bombarded by the combined army and navy of the Federals. The bombardment was commenced on the 13th August, and continued up to the date of last advices, viz., the 23rd, by which time it is said the whole south end of the Fort had been shot away ; and it was even reported the Fort had surrendered. This, however, is probably only an Alta California exaggeration, although if the reports of the bombardment are anything like true, the defenders must be in a sad plight. The steamer City of Madison, had been blown up at Vicksburg while loading ammunition, and sixty lives were lost. From Washington the account is, that there was a wide-spread suffering, and that fears were entertained of a famine during the winter. Lee’s army amounted to 35,000 men. —Southern Cross.