LATER NEWS FROM AMERICA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 218, 25 January 1865, Page 3

LATER NEWS FROM AMERICA.

The Claud Hamilton has brought us Melbourne papers to the 31st ultimo, which contain Sydney telegrams announcing the arrival there of the Royal Exchange, from San Francisco, with later intelligence of the progress of the war in America. Tne dates thus received are from San Francisco to the 29th, and from New York to the 26th October, This news is a week later than that received by the Electra, and it is important in some respects. Unfortunately, however, the San Francisco telegrams are not the most reliable, and must be taken with the usual allowance for exaggeration. We have already named intelligence of Sheridan’s second victory over Early which occurred on the 19th October, and on the 21st and 22nd the Federal General followed the enemy up, and scoured the Valley in which the action took place, but only discovered a few stragglers, and supposed that Early’s army had broken up. It is said that Confederate journals acknowledge the loss of 10,000 men in this fight, «including 1,000 killed and wounded,” which places the loss in a rather ambiguous light. It is very improbable, however, that Early’s force is dispersed; and the statement that eleven thousand men were sent to reinforce him, and that in another telegram that he was at Harrisonburg, are sufficient to dispel that idea, however pleasant it may be to Feueral minds. Hood, so far from recapturing Atlanta, was still being pursued by General Sherman ; and the Confederates had made an ineffectual attack with four ironclads on the Forts on the banks of James River. We have one more instance of the frightful realities of war in the news just received. Major Wilson and several Federals were captured by Confederates and immediately shot, or as the telegrams give it “ were shot in cold blood.” As a retaliation the Federals ordered seven Confederate prisoners to be sentenced to similar treatment! President Lincoln’s election is still considered to be certain, and that critical event when it occurs will, no doubt, affect the balance of power very considerably. In another column we give the telegrams from each of the Melbourne papers, which will be found to vary m some respects. —Southern Cross.