AMERICA.

Southland Times, 29 January 1863, Page 1

AMERICA.

For the last few weeks the interest felt, in England in the news fioin America has been concentrated upont'ie elections in the various Northern States, the issue nt' which, it was judged, might bo of more importance than that of tiny military battle that was likely to be fought. We n w know the general result of these contests. In the State of New York the J)< moeratic or (as it is n >\v pretty frequently termed) the Conseivative party have obtained a great success. They liad a clear majority of ;V2 0 >0 in the city of New York, of SOO in Brooklyn, and ot nearly 10,():>0 in the State. The Congressmen elected in the Empire Stae are 17 Democrats to 14 11 ■•publicans ; the Assembly nun a: e42 Democrats to 24 Republicans, and in a few weeks the administration of the State, with a real power second only to th-itoi' the I'resident himself, will pass into the hands of Mr. llor.itio Seymours, a leading Democrat and opponent of the Washington Cabinet. I.i New Jersey a Democratic governor and four Democratic members of C'uiigr ss to one Republican have been elected. But it is in th.- West that the issue of the contest ; 8 most remaikable. These Western people ate strongly aUacikd to the Union, and have supported Mr. Lincoln with their votes and — with wl at is more important — thousands of brave men since the war began. Nevertheless, in Obi > there has been a Democratic vict ry ; in Illinois, Pies dent Lincoln's own state, and the chief recruiting ground of the war, there are six Dcmoc.ats to four of their opponents ; in Indiana there are seven Democrats to lour of their opp >- nents; and in Wisconsin two democrats to threo Republicans. All these districts wcie two years ago almost unaniiiious for Lincoln.

The most iuip.Mtiint fact in the military news of the month irf that General M'Ulelian has been ri-innval from die command of th • army of the Potomac, ami has viitually retired from active seiviee. This dbplaeeuieut is officiaally explained as the le^uk of an inquiry inio a charge against the gc-iu-ral of disobedience of order-. On the G h of October General llalleek as commander in chief, ordeied M"Clellan to advance against the enemy and give him battle. M'Cledan disobe.ad the order, alleging that hu was short of supplies. This statement, Gene> al Ilalleck s,iis, c nild not be true, as all M Chilian's requi-id uis ha I been promptly supplied. The Ilarpei's Fjrry investigating committee ha 1 a-*o censured the removed general for the taidh e s witli which he pursued the enemy. There is, however, m» doubt that political e msiderat ons have li id their weight m bringi.ig about .MCiellan's dismissal. " Had Ai'Clellun been a mere professiona.il soldier," says the Daily Xnrs, "no one would have inquire I what his political opinions Wire; but lie never professed to be s.). It was well known what he til.ju.4ht of the slavery policy of die "overnment, >md that he disapprove I of it. Uut the present war partakes larg ly of the character of a war of opini.M. And it is approaching, if it has nit .entered, acri icalstag.;. Heretofore, the lU'i>U),iraiis have 011 luered the war much as the Democrats might have conducted it. Bui as tlu term iix -d f>r ihe execution of .\lr Li icom'.-i proclamation draws near, tiki period of neutrality is passing aw. iy. It would surely have been an act of weakness on the part of the Pre-ident and bis Cabinet to leave til.- chief comma-id of the war in the hands of ap iiiLiman who believed that the method prescribed to him as a general was t-rro.-i'oud." U-jn.ji-al ijiirnside, who is appointed to the conimmd i.i ,he army (*f the Potomac, lias issued an address in which he expresses confidence in the patriotis.ll of the army. General Beau regard is preparing to defend Charleston to the last extre uity ; and has ordeiud all slaves and non-combatants to leave the city. The S in. horn accounts of tlio late battio at Perrysville, Ke.itucicy, differ from the Nonhein reports in claiming the victory, and the capture of 9o )0 Federal prisoners during the battle. In the West, the li^luinjjf appears Biill to be no nearer a decisive teruiiiiauon. The Feder.l general, Buell, has been relieved of his <jO ninaiid. lie is succeeded by General lioseneraiiz. The Noithern papers are greatly elated by the tactics lately adapted by General liutler, at New (Jfljiins, against his femlni >e tormentors. lUittler's plan was ilns. By pioelaraatijn, he reqtiicd every person in the city to register himself or herself as a either a friend ot an enemy to tin? United States. We bear tiiat in the Fedeial cities almost every manufactured imicle and exotic that men and women require in a civilised, country is rapidly ineieasi..g in price. House rent, gas, coai, and wo. id have gone up irom '20 to 40 per cut. Coffee has trebled, and tea alnio&i; doubled in v-ilue, as represented by paper. Thy Richmond Dispatch of the 27th September acknowledges I hat the negroes desert hi masse-* to the N uth whenever they have the chance given them by th- approach, ot a Yankee at my, rebukes iho S.jutlieru planters for ev.-ii dreaming that they could withstand so great a temptation, and demands a law to

remove th^m into the interior beyond the reach of the Northen armies. In Missouri a terrible incident has taken place. General M'Neil has caused ten Confederate prisoners of war to be shot at Palmy ra. At New York the exploits of the Confederate steamer A labama are the theme of every tongue. At a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce on the 6th November a letter was rend from Mr Seward stating that the recent destruction of American vess Is by pirates who had gone out fiom theshoresof a friendly nation, in violation of the restrictions imposed by municipal as well as international laws, had been commpiided, by the authority of the President, to the attention of the American minister m London. The Alabama has captured upwards of 20 American vessels. Two of them wr>re saved fiom destruction on giving bonds for 8 i,00.) dollars, payalile to President Davis after the declaration ot peace. It is stated at Baltimore that negro-slaves of" loyal 1 ' owners have formed themselves into associations, the object of which is to obtain the same freedom for themselves as is to be obtained (according to the Emancipation Proclamation,) by the slaves of rebels. 'Die followii g are the details of a ca«e which has excited much attention of late The Blanche, a British vessel, Captain Smi.h was s iling with a cargo of cotto i from Lavaca, in Texas, and bound to the Ilavannah. 'While nearing that port the captain descried the Federal steamer Montgomery in pursuit, and to avoid the summary jurisdiction exercised by the commanders of American cruisers, ran his ship — as he had a peifcct light to do— into neutral waters, wi hin "about 301) yards" from the shore. The first version which reached us of the transaction led us to suppose ih.it the A. cade do .»<ar, observing this movement and seeing thac the war steamer continued the chase, took a bout and boarded the Blanche of his own accoid. We are now told that his protection was formally invoked by the English captain, who sent h:s Spanish pilot on shore for the purpose. At alt-events, "the Spanish rlag was raised over the Kngiish one as a sign of it being within the Spanish jurisdiction." Captain Hunter at once sent two boa's' ciews on board and demanded the papers of the Blanche. Tae captain pioducrd them, and admitted, in answer to anu her question, that the cargo was colton. '"Don't you know that cotton is contraband of wur?" said the American lieutenant. The answer was — "I d> not know that it is, on boaul of an English vessel, and in a neutral port." C.iptain Smith further inquired by what authority he was thus stopped in Spanish waters. The officer in command of the boarding party replied, that he belonged to the United States ship Montgomery ; that lie did care about the pro.eetion of t he Spanish officials, nor the Hag that had been raised over the ship ; that that his oiders were to tai*c possession of the ihe ship wherever he found it, and that he would do s->, an. l send the crew as prisoners on b.iard the Montgomery; that lie would not enter into a di>cussiou of the rigiit, but won d leave th.it to be settled b tweeii the two governments.' This declaratio i, coupled with the facts already mentioned, constitutes the gist of the case.