Summary of Northern News.
We make up from our Northern files the following summary of news:A Survey of Port Royal Island for Strategical purposes — what is to be done with the cotton, &C.
The Yankees continue to publish flaming accounts relative to the great advantage afforded them in having possession of Port Royal. A letter in the New York Herald, dated Hilton Head, contains the following: ‘ It is now a little over one week since the Union troops landed on this island, and as I take a retrospect of that brief period and the work accomplished in that time, in the erection of large storehouses, the building of a temporary dock, and the establishment of a large hospital, the landing of over two million of dollars worth of stores, camp equipage, ordnance and ammunition, it seems almost incredible. Our military engineers have made a thorough topographical survey of this island, with a view of selecting strategical points on which to construct fortifications. The result of these surveys, besides successfully accomplishing their object, has furnished indubitable evidence that the descent of the expedition upon this island was wholly unexpected, from the fact that entire plantations of the rich sea island cotton remain ungathered, and that which has been harvested has either been destroyed by the rebels in their retreat, or else it remains ungained, and now in the possession of our troops. Our high military authorities seem in a quandary what to do with the seized cotton. There is enough here to load the clipper ship Great Republic, now at this port. On Friday last Capt. Isaac O. Phillips, Chief Engineer J. McNamara, First Officer Wm. Ballon, and Purser J. H. Nichols, of the United States steamer May flower, and Chief Engineers H. E. Holland, of the steamship with a detachment of ten men, made a private reconnaissance up Port Royal Sound, going within a few miles of Beaufort. They reached a point far beyond where the Union scouts had been, and collected valuable information as to the condition and whereabouts of the rebels, all of which were communicated to Gen. Sherman. They first visited the plantation of the late Dr. Jenks. Here they found a large private residence, elegantly furnished, but entirely deserted by its former white occupants. The house is in charge of the faithful slaves belonging to the estate. An intelligent slave, who acts as major states that his master died about three months ago, of yellow fever. Since that time the estate has been in charge of administrators, and managed by numerous white overseens, all of whom made a retreat when they heard of the bombardment and capture of this place. The plantation comprises several hundred acres of rich cotton land. The crop of cotton, which is of a very fine staple, has nearly all been gathered, ginned, stored, and ready for packing for market. Two large warehouses are filled with cotton, and can be made an easy prize. Besides numerous domestic slaves on this estate, there are no less than one hundred field hands, all of whom still remain in their quarters. These slaves comprise old and young — from seventy-five years of age down to months and days old. These slaves report that there is a great scarcity of salt in that district, and that that article is worth its weight in silver. There is much suffering, owing to this fact. Since the arrival of our troops here, besides land. two batteries of artillery, we have now shore a superior siege train of six rifled guns, and a full supply of ammunition. The ran of these guns is superior to any that the rebels can bring into the field. Fort Walker has been greatly improved since it came into possession of our troops. Its armament has been increased, the magazines enlarged and filled with ammunition, the troops' quarters rendered comfortable, the parapets repaired, and the ditch of the work widened and deepened so that the tide ebbs and flows into it. It is now ready for defence against any force the enemy may bring against it. The United States sloop-of-war Dale arrive here to-day from a short cruise on the coast of Florida. On the 14th inst., when off Fernandina, she seized the schooner Mable, Captain Black, of 150 tons, while in the act of running the blockade. The schooner had British colors flying when captured by the Dale. The Mable was four days out from Havana. Her cargo consists of seven bales of army blankets, two cases of Minnie muskets, five cases of blankets, twenty barrels of potatoes, seven cases of tin, sixty-seven cases of cream of tartar, one hundred and thirty bags of coffee, twenty-four sacks of salt. On examining the schooner's papers it was found that she had a regular British register. Her clearance from Havana, alleging her destination to be for New York, was signed by the American Consul at the former place. Captain Black and his crew are all New Yorkers. The crew of the Mable are on board the Dale, and will be sent to New York for trial. The schooner is in charge of a prize crew, and will be sent to New York. The ship Great Republic will sail for New York in a few days; also the steamers McClellan and Philadelphia. ’Letter from Colonel Cogswell--he is very much Alarmed at his fate.
The following letter from Colonel Cogswell, now in prison in this city, we copy from a Northern journal. Poor fellow, it seems that he is in great trepidation about the probable part his neck will bear in the great drama of (his) life, and thinks it is very hard that it should be made responsible for the late marauding expeditions of its bearer. Our readers will find it a rich document, and we therefore give it entire: Richmond Prisons, Nov. 11, 1861.
Dear Brother:
--I write you under very painful circumstances.
In case the privateersmen are punished, the authorities have concluded to retaliate, and they have selected the highest in rank to operate on. My letter to S — will explain all to you. To-night or to-morrow, I, with the remainder on the black list, will be confined in the county jail, and treated as criminals awaiting trial, and the action of the authorities here will be governed by the action of the Government in reference to the privateers.
Console dear S — as much as possible under the circumstances, and do not let her come to Richmond in any event whatever.--In this pending calamity I feel much more for my wife and my child than myself.
I believe that the majority of the officers on the list are married men, with wives and children as dear to them as my S — and the ‘"Little Lady"’ are to me. * * When the name of Captain Ricketts was drawn, Capt. Thomas Cox, of the First Kentucky regiment, offered to take his place; but this of course was not allowed.
It was a noble act. God bless him for it.
I never supposed that honestly and faithfully serving my country would bring my neck in danger of a halter; but so it appears.
I never thought that, after being spared the hail storm of balls at Leesburg, I might have to face death in another and dishonorable form.
Tell J. T. B. that I expect him to do this best, as I do not wish to be hung for piracy on the high seas, when I never ventured on the briny deep without being sea-sick.
Please write to me as soon as you receive this, and state how this new act in the programme is received in the North.
What do the people say about the exchange of prisoners?
The Government must now exchange or carry the war to extermination.
They can take no middle course.
S — has the list of officers.
Please have it published in the city papers as we do not wish go down Heralded. I shall send a copy of the order of Benjamin to J. T. B.--You can examine it at your leisure, as it is one of the important papers connected with the war.
Give my love to D — and the children, and believe me as still your friend and brother.
Dear Brother:
Vessels to be sunk in Southern harbors.
We have already published the fact that it was in contemplation at the North to make up for their miserable inefficiency in the blockade by sinking vessels laden with stone across our channels, so as to stop them up.--The following from the New York Post seems as if the vandals were about carrying their designs into execution! For some weeks it has been whispered that the Navy Department was preparing a fleet of vessels, stone laden, to be sunk in one or perhaps several of the harbors of the Southern coast. Some reference to this war expedition was made in the Evening Post, of yesterday. The fleet sailed on the 20th instant, and we give below a list of the vessels composing it, with their tonnage. They are old but substantial whaling vessels, double decked, to give them greater firmness. They were stripped of their copper and other fittings which were not necessary for so short a voyage as they will make, and loaded with picked stone as deeply as was safe. It will be seen that they were bought at New Bedford, New London, Nantucket, Sag Harbor, Edgartown, Mystic, and Newport. In the bottom of each ship a hole was bored into which was fitted a lead pipe five inches in diameter, with a valve so fixed that though perfectly safe even for a long voyage, it can be very quickly removed. It is calculated that the ship will be filled and sunk to the bottom in twenty minutes after the removed of this valve. To provide against accidental jamming of the valves, each vessels is furnished with two angers of the proper size. The crews are of six men each. These will be returned by the man-of-war which will assist in the work of sinking. Each ship will be anchored in the place chosen for her, and will then be sprung round broadside to the channel, thus affecting as great a stoppage as possible. When this is done, and she is in position, the valve will be withdrawn, and when the vessel is nearly level with the water's edge, the men will leave in a small boat. It is reported that an enterprising rigger has gone down with the fleet, with the intention to take off what pieces of spare and rigging remain above the water's edge after the ships are sunk.The arrest of Mason and Slidell — Seward defends the arrest and says the Federal Government is prepared to sustain it.
From the special Washington dispatch to the New York World we extract the following relative to the arrest of our Commissioners, Messrs. Mason and Slidell. It is well known here that the steamer which left New York to-day for England carried out to Minister Adams the views of the Administration on the arrest of the Confederate Ambassadors, and the instructions for his course in the premises. I hear it intimated that Mr. Seward broadly defends the arrest, and states that the Administration is fully determined to sustain the action of Capt. Wilkes. Others high in authority in diplomatic quarters assert that the arrest will be fully acquiesced in by the British Government, and therefore, there need be no cause for alarm. Per contra, the secession element here, which now and then shows itself, is jubilant over assumed declarations of Lord Lyons, and confidently predicts that he will soon demand his passports, to say nothing of the imminence of a war with England. The New York Times publishes the following special dispatch from Washington: ‘ No new aspect of the Slidell and Mason case is presented. Our Government has expressed no formal opinion on the subject, because there has been no occasion therefore. Any diplomatic correspondence on the subject must be initiated by the English Government after the Captain of the Trent has reported his case. It is a mistaken view to suppose that England could, under any circumstances demand the release of the prisoners, as the question involved is not the guilt of the parties but the right of their capture. Slidell and Mason were citizens of a foreign power their release might be demanded, if their seizure were not in accordance with international law; but the English Government will not undertake to come between this Government and its own subjects, no matter how possession is obtained of the latter. ’Views of a Confederate Deserter.
The Washington Star, of the 22d inst., has the following item: ‘ Last evening a deserter from the rebel army opposite to us came into one of the Union camps on the other side of the river. He reports that they had a sufficiency of both meat and bread, but are suffering much for the want of proper clothing, shoes, &c. Also, that the news of the capture and occupation of Port Royal had created intense excitement among the Georgia and North and South Carolina troops especially, most of whom vehemently expressed a desire to return home forthwith. The rebel General in command has ever refused to listen to any preposition, on the ground that he was daily expecting a general attack from the Union army. He adds that a plan of making a cash on our outposts, in force, during the review of the day before yesterday, was understood to have been determined on, and that it was abandoned when the enormous extent of the force reviewed, with every preparation for repelling any such experiment, was ascertained. The enemy, according to this deserter, (who is a Virginian,) appears to be as well posted with regard to the plans of the review as our own public were, ere it came off. ’Difficulty at Boonville, Mo.--Collison between Capt. Powell of the regular army and the home guard.
From the Missouri Democrat, of the 16th inst., we gather the following particulars of a difficulty which happened recently at Boonville: ‘ The force at that point consists of two companies of the Illinois Thirty-seventh, under Captain Payne, and about one hundred and seventy-five Home Guards, under Major Eppstein. Captain Powell, of the regular army, is quartermaster. Some dispute having arise between Captain Powell and Major Eppstein in reference to some contraband property, the former caused the latter to be put under arrest. Captain Keiser, of the Home Guards, still resisting the authority of the quartermaster, was waited upon by Captain Powell, with a file of ten soldiers of the Illinois companies. A dispute arose, when Powell assaulted Captain Keiser with sword and revolver, cutting his head severely, but the shots from the pistol falling to take effected Capt. Powell at the same moment ordered his men to fire, but Keiser's men, who had collected around him, did fire at Capt. Powell. One shot passed through his whiskers, another through one of his coat sleeves, and still another carrying away the handle of a pistol which was in his belt. His escape from instant death was miraculous. Unfortunately some of the shots took effect on some of the Illinois troops, wounding severely three of the number. ’From Fortress Monroe.
Fortress Monroe, Nov. 22.
--Several regiments have arrived from Baltimore and Annapolis during the last twenty-four hours and Old Point has assumed an unusual besting appearance.
Formidable preparations are being made for active operations, the theatre of which has not been disclosed.
The ferry boats on the roads are being heavily armed.
Gen. Butler came on from Washington this morning, and has spent the day at Old Point, Rip Raps and Newport News.
He will proceed to Baltimore to-night.
