I THE FREE S0UTH? BEAUFOklT, S. C., APRIL 25, ISG3. Ageutw for the Free South. gl Tatlor & Co. Hilton Head, and St. Helena Island. , . V. C. Lkigu, No. 1 yercer street. New York. ^ ^\OW\ The Progress of the Draft. ai The doubts that may have existed in tl ' the minds of some, as to the wisdom and n justice of Order No. 17, must ere this have tl been dissipated by its practical workings. f< We have never been of the number who o deemed it wise to treat the emancipated blacks as children who were to be brought e to the level of white men by coaxing, pet- o ting, and humoring. The plan (Ion t worn well with children, and will work still ii more disastrously with negroes. We have n always held the opinion tliat these negroes ji in many respects were as shrewd as the g shrewdest Yankee, and that their appar- f ent stupidity often was a cloak which con- r ut'airu a nu* uwiuk> ^atloxi of the t claims of number one. As long as the i negro was assured of his freedom, with 1 what forco could you urge him to fight t for it? What pecuniary inducement t .could you offer him, when he and his I family were rationed by the government, e lived on a plantation rent free, with as j t much land as ho chose to cultivate, and s good wages assured for other labor? The I working population of the northern cities without nearly so many advantages will r not enlist, and these negroes are swayed 1 by precisely the same motives. o Such being the case the draft was neces- ? sary and just, and we are glad to see by I recent dates from the North, that the gov- s eminent has waked up to the fact. The t: Tribune of the 14th says that Adjutant 1 General Thomas has been sent to the v West with full authority to arm and or- t ganize the negroes for service against the a rebels? They are to be employed to pro- a tect the navigation of the Mississippi and k other rivers against guerrillas, and as gar- r risons at fortified posts, and are evidently destined for all varieties of military duty, g Seven thousand soldiers who listened to & this announcement at Fort Curtis received h it with satisfaction and applause. Gen. o Thomas, heretofore known as opposed to $ this and all similar measures, urged in his ? address that the blacks should be treated e with kindness, declared his belief in their g capacity, and informed the officers of the ? army that no one would be permitted to c oppose or in any way interfere 4*ilfrrEHis a policy of the government" We learn alsq^fejffTfeneral Foster is en- v _ _ gaged in completing a census of the ne- C - $toe* in his Apartment, wifck a -riew to h draft them into the service of the United ,e States. d In this department about six hundred a have been darfted into the Second regi- r ment, and a Third is being started. Al- v though in most instances the negroes at- f< tempt to avoid it, they acquiesce cheer- tl fully when it is found inevitable, and the a very men who were the most cunning and 31 indefatigable in their efforts to be ex- I empted, when once caught, become ac- fi tive, energetic soldiers, anxious to execute d the draft upon all other recusants. In s] hardly a single instance has a sulky dispo- ta sition been manifested. V The moral effect upon them fully realLzes the expectations expressed by Gener- 0: al Hunter in Order No. 17. The servile, a] cringing, slavish-manner soon gives place B to the erect, port and manly bearing of A] the soldier. New ideas of their position d< animate them, and a higher intelligence ei ? - - ^ i 1 _ lights up tne countenance iuug ucn um^u w by slavery. A consciousness of their own ci increased importance, a sense of responsi- 0i bility, of duty?all new, and all delightful a to the freedman, give a charm to his new b existence. In short he feels himself a tl man. We are anxious to see every negro ai in the department capable of bearing arms sharing the same advantages. In a for- ^ mer number we suggested the propriety p: of drafting all the negroes without except- fa ing those employed by quartermasters or 0' as officers servants. The only objection 0] to this at the time was the increased ex- j( pense to the government if quartermas- Sl ters' work was done by detailed soldiers; T 4^ that objection is now removed. Let com- ' e] panies from the different regiments be I tl detailed for fatigue duty once a month, ! for ten days at a time. Twenty days [ g would thus be left for drill and camp i ^ duty. We liave the testimony of the | w Quartermaster at this post to the superior w efficiency of the negro soldiers as workers; | Q the break in the monotony of camp life j ^ makes the work pleasing ratlier than irk- j g some, and the facility with which Large or ^ small numbers could be used, as occasion ! ^ demanded, would be found of value. As to i a officers' servants, they could be obtained i ^ from those exempted by age or physical ^ disability. ^ Witu fr?nr vporiments of blacks under his , u command, General Saxton could cany the n war into Africa indeed. The high hopes j ^ inspired by the Jacksonville expedition i ^ could be more than realized, and we could ! ^ before November take Charleston without 1 an iron-clad. ______________________ h fi^We learn that Brigadier General j ?' " Seymour has been relieved as chief of . tl General Hunter's staff and ordered to take ' 1 command of the troops on Folley Island. A General Vodges, now in command at that ?' point, will report to Major General Hun- * ter for orders C iinday-School Meeting in Beaufort. Perhaps?nay, undoubtedly?one of the lost interesting, instructive, hopeful, and ispiring exhibitions that has been vouchifed to the enthusiast, came off last Sabatli at the Baptist church in this town, he programme so quietly, so summarily (Tanged, the execution so exliilirating, re denouement so replete with the delonstrative bases on which have rested iie theories and the hopes of the toiling jw and the suffering million, seemed to pen up a vista to that promised land, ith its social organisms, which our fathrs so clearly foresaw, but which had been v .1 1.(n/Mnam/nr r\f fVioir onnlants himself ou the | | strict letter of the statute applicable to the case, , refers our Government to that statute, and in , effect refuses to take steps to remedy the grievance complained of. The matter has recently been seriously discussed in the Cabiuet. I The case of the anglo-rebel steamer Peterhoff ! continues to engage attention in administration as well as diplomatic circles in Washington. It is understood that Lord Lyons has requested that the British mail found on board lie returned to him uuopencd, and that the state department is ready to accede to his wishes, holding with him that the mail should enjoy the same immunity that it would have if found njxm a regular mail jsicket. j The navy department, on the other hand, inclines to the opinion that by the correct principle* of international law, the mail in question should be disused of in the same way as other papers found on board, especially as it is presumable that it contains proofs sufficient to condemn the PeterholV and her cargo, and that it was put J on board of the blockade runner in a manner to stamp the whole transaction as one of bad faith. Secretary Welles is also of the opinion that whatever the abstract rights and wrongs of the question may be, the district court which has the case before it for adjudication can alone decide, the statute being peremptory that all papers and writings found on hoard a captured vessel shall be transmitted unoj>eued to the court before which such vessel is proceeded against. Judge Betts last week invited Mr. Archibald, the British consul, to be present while the mail j was being opened, but he did not appear. The judge would then have proceeded to oj>en the mail, as we are informed, but for the reception : of telegrams from Washington. j We have dates from Livcrj>ool to April 1, and j Queeustown to April 2. Lord Pa Inters ton was installed as rector of the Glasgow University on March 30, and made on the occasion two i>olitical addresses, in both of which he referred to the American war, justifying the condnct of the English government. The organs of the English goveranment and aristocracy pr jfessed to be still -iniligim?nt lln mm'tmit**?-1>. > i.iL.i fl' - ? Admiral Wilkes. A highly important debate took place in the lionse of commons, on March 27, on the fitting out of a rebel Hcot in England. Mr. Forster showed conclusively that England had not acted toward the United States as the latter had a right to expect her to act, and as they had acted in similar cases. The solicitor general and Lord Palmerston defended the conduct of the British government. Mr. Bright, on March 2G, made another stirring speech in London on American aft'airs. Although no aew riots of the starving operatives had occurred, matters still looked very threatening. Two more captnres of Araarican vessels by the Alabama 1 are reported. Several successes arc again claimed for the Polish insurgents, but the latest reports say that the insurgent leaders arc dislutnding their forces and giving up the contest. Russia has once more declared her willingness to grant extensive reforms. England, France, a ad Austria have agreed upon an identical note to be addressed to Russia in behalf of Poland. The Archbishop of Warsaw, in a letter to the Russian 1 emperor, advocates the union of nil the RussoPolish provinces into a Polish kingdom. The National Assembly of Greerc has elected Prince ! William of Denmark, son of Prince Christinn, , aud brother of the Princess Alexandria, King of Greece. New outbreaks are apprehended iu Turkev against the Christians. it . ' The arrest of a number of traifors at Reading, ( ? . n.n Pa., known as Knights 01 tncuoiucu v^ircn;, u?o j created much excitement there and elsewhere, and threat! of a rescue were mode, but not cxe' f cutcd. The parties arrested were Philip Hubcr, Augustus F. Illjg, Gabriel Filbert, and Harrison Oxcneider. There parties were examined by the ? United States Commissioner at Philadelphia the other day, on a charge of conspiracy. The evi- ? dence on the examination l)efore the commissioner shows the facts that the secret society of traitors, under the name of Knights of the Golden , Circle, are very axteasive throughout the North ^ and in the armr?that thev arc bound to each a other by oaths, and that among the objects to be v effected by Knights are the abduction of the President of the United States, resisting of the ^ draft by force, and the establishment of the ,j Northwestern Confederacy. t The steamers Crescent and Columbia brought [ us bad news from -New Orleans lajt week. The ! inoit important item in the intelligence is the ! s j capture of the United States steamer Diana by j r ?i.x ;,i ,}1A Atrhnfnhiva river, near Patter- I j IHV; 1 V IA. I ill Kiv - 7 . | sonvillc, on the 28th ultimo. Her commander, ( Acting Master Peterson was shot dead, and six of the crew were killed. Sonic twenty-fire ?ol- ^ diers of the Twelfth Conneeticnt and One Hund- ? red and Sixtieth New York were also killed and t wounded in the action. The remainder of those ; on board, numbering one hnudred and seventy, were taken prisoners by the enemy. Iu our New Orleans news is a story that Ad- s mind Farragut is in the lied River, between the ' two batteries, out ot the range of both, but un- i able to pass cither of theiu. It is further stated * that the Admiral had sent a messenger to inform v General Banks of his position, bnt'thc m?sscn- n ger was captured and held a prisoner in the s hands of the rebels. The story is decidedly improbable. A New Orleans letterfrys that troops r arc being got ready ou the west of tho Mis- * \ i 1 v'l -"> * ** e* v -siJjLir^ *. * * .J ' -v"*-~ ^ *?- * ? %. %""4 issippi for the purpose of making n sweep of the Vtclmfalaru river region. The latest news concerning the state of aft'airs l" irouiul Suffolk. Ya., is to the Itjth instant. The o ittempts of the rebel General Longstreet to cros? ! p he' Nanscmond rircr with the aid of pontoons j ii vcre defeated hy the tire of our artilerv. < )ne j fc >f our gunboats, the Mount Washington, was ! ,v ircd into and disabled br the rebel batteries , * - - *. . ..., . . v vhile coming down tlic river, 011 ine i-tm nisi, die was, however, taken in tow and brought j lafelv through the heavy tire of the enemy. The town is invested bv P.O.000 rebels. _ *. I t A Cairo dispatch of the 12th inst. says: "The j (lispntch l?oat New National has arrived from t ^ Vicksburg. which place she left Wednesday. She brings the news that the iron-clads Louis- ^ ville, Mound City, Carondelei, Benton. Layfay- r ette, and two others, are prepared to run the j blockade. They expected to execute the move- | inent on Friday or Saturday night. It was also ( said, that transports had been prepared with log 1 1 and cotton bulkheads to run the batteries. The ( reported arrival of Gen. Osterhaus at Carthage. f ten miles l>elr>w Warrenton, on the Louisiana < side, with a heavy force is continued. 1 News from Young's l'oint, near Vicksburg, is to the P.d. On that day several transports laden ] with troops, Ellett's Marine Brigade, and one ] guuboat went up the river, destination unknown, 1 probably for another trial at the Yazoo. f?o far | as visible to outsiders, there was little prospect j of an immediate movement near Vicksburg. A new canal is being cut three miles above Young's j l'oint to reach the river IkjIow Warrenton; the African brigade are at it day and night. Admiral 1 Farragut still rules the river between Vicksburg and Port Hudson. The dispatch states that ; Porter and Grant are rcconnoitcring up the Ya- j zoo with a considerable force. Our troops near Clarksville, Ter 1., have been punishing the rebels pretty sh' .ply of late. From Cairo the latest news is t at General SteePs Union division has landed at rreenville, Miss., doubtless so as to co-opcrat" in nn attack upon Fort Pcmberton. Greenville is 145. miles above Vicksburg. A general order, No. 69 of the War Department, provides that at every United States General Hospital the feeble and wounded men unfit ; fer field duty, but not entirely disabled, instead of beiug discharged, will he organized and mustered ia detachments under the charge of the officers acting as military commanders, who will assign men to them from time to time on the i ; rejiorts of the surgeons in charge of hospitals. From these invalid detachments the military commanders will make details for provost, hospi- 1 tal and other necessary guards 5 for clerks, hos- 1 pital attendants, nurses, cooks, and other "extra { 1 duty men." Shonld any of the men become j. fit for duty with their regiments, they will be ! , immediately seut to join them. ^ j The guerrillas are again at work on the Cum- ; berland river, below Nashville, Tcnn. A dis- ( patch from Clarksville states that 1,200 of them, . ( under Woodward, with two nieces of artillery 1 captured and burned the steatiiers Saxomu ami 1 Lovcll on Wednesday, killing the captain of the 1 latter, and shootiug oft' the arm of the former. , The passengers and crews had arrived in Clarksville. From Murfreesboro wc learn that an ex- . )>edition of National troops, under Colonel * Wilder has been Terr successful. He captured i twentv-nine rebels, destroyed f?,000 bushels of 1 * * . ' 1 wheat and much com and bacon, and brought in I5G0 negroes. It is understood to l>e the boast of ; ( .Johnston and Bragg that they will possess Ken- j tnekv before harvest time. < Official returns of the election in St. Louis 1 give Chauncey J. Filler (Radical candidate for j Mayor) 2, G47 majority over Joseph O'Neil (Cop- j perhead.) The combined Radical and Conser- j vative Emancipation vote give a majority of 1 ,">,1/)G votes over the Copperhead cr Democratic < vote. The entire Radical ticket received abcut j the same majority as Filley. * The Navy Department has received informa- j tion of the capture of five more blockade run- ] ners?the British steamer Surprise, by the Hunts- < ville, from St. Marks, Fin., bound to Havana; 1 ' 1 Pi Ui-otViciM nml tli*? Knalish ^ LUC ICIIUI IH.HUUUCI 4 i?V A/iv??v.^ ? ...v 0 schooner John Williams, by the Octororn, and [he English schooners Florence Nightingale and j Brothers, by the Tioga. j The War Department has decided that the f late of muster-out of the two years troops muit >e two years from the date of the muster into ^ he service of the United States. This decision 1 ms been transmitted to the Colonel Phels, comnauding the first brigade, first division, first ^ irmy corps. A small mutiny broke out in the Second Mas- * achusetts Cavalry at Boston or the Oth, the men ^ uidcavoring to resist the arrest of one of their 1 lumber. Colonel Lowell warned them of the f ousequence of their act. and promptly shot the t ingleader, which quelled the disturbance. I ?Tl>? I'teomrhi)) Minion, fiuni?If'J it TUTK IV)I s'ew Orleans, was totally lost on Double-HeadJhot Keys 011 the 2nd inst., at 4 p. m. She had T 1 valuable cargo and forty jwissengers, all of v vliom liave arrived at Cardenas and Havana. E Our Government lias information that five i mwerful steam rams arc now being built on the t rhaines and the Mersey. It is to be hoped that j hese characteristics British works of mercy will j ie looked after by our cruisers. Bv the arrival of the British Queen from Nas* u au, N. 1'., we learn that fourteen vessels from , .-.-I C tons IUIU uitiycu uuui int ium v> | ifarch to the 10th of this month, all bringing argoes of cotton. ( The battle of Somerset put a ?piietus on the e ;raud invasion of Kentucky, so long talked of, ind there are liclieved to be no rebels in Ken- v ucky except near Cumberland Gap, Humphrey ^ Marshall's scattered ford?s in Carter county, and j. i few prowling thieves. At a special election the voters of Massaclm- j i etts, by. a considerable majority, repealed the 1 /wo Years Naturalization Amendment Law. ? All the contracts for iron-clads (twelve in i ill) have been awarded. The prices for these j j vill range from $380,000 to $400,000. They j f ire to be finished and added to the navy in about il ix mouths. * ; ? Goveruor Curtain of Pennsylvania declines a j enomiuation. it is said that he has accepted a ' iigl\ official position at n foreign court, 11 Army of the Potoiqac. From the armf of the Poto p#e-b*ve / 1 c ' . umors of a movement, the precise object f which is concealed. Rebel papers re>ort the occupation of Gordonsville, but t is Jellied bv later dates. A private let or, of April 12, to the editor of the Free 1 ioulh, from <111 officer on the Potomac, con- 1 uins the following : kl '' We have just orders to be ready at 4 Laylight for a movement. The whole cav,lrv forcS is gohi&, about 17,000 men; lou't know, where, but expect-towards lames l^iver. Perhaps this trip is the beginning of the entire army's advance. No me knows but Hooker. There is nothing o prevent oni' going to Richmond, I think. Che army is in splendid condition, and I lope and believe Hook ei is able to conluct the campaign. We take twelve days' ntions oh pack mules. I have no bag" ;?.ge but a pair of drawers, socks, and a jhirt, except what I have on. If the army the Potomac had always moved so, it would have done more effective service. President Lincoln reviewed the whole army last week and returned to Washington, highly pleased with the appearance and tone of the army." Tlie w'ar in North Carolina. The most important news brought by the Arago, is the reported safety of Gen. Foster and his troops at Washington, N. C. We find the following dispatch in the Times of the 17th : Fost?.f*j ilusrot, Tliurifclaj*, Aprfl 16. A dispatch from Gen. Palmer to Maj.Gon. Dix, just received, states that Gen. Foster has been relieved. A river steamer, with a regiment and supplies of provisions and ammunition, succeeded in running the batteries on Tar river, and reached the wharf at Washington on the 14th. .... ., LETTER FROM AS OFFICER. A letter from an officer of the Fortyfoorth Massachusetts regiment gives a connected account of affairs at Washington, North Carolina, up to the 10th inst. The first intimation of an intended rebel attack was received March 30th, when a negro who had been into the interior reported that he hnd seen seven thousand rebels with forty pieces of artillery marching upon the place, and that other forces were coining by different routes. Ileconnoisances were at once sent out, and the rebels discovered at various points. On the 31st, a company of loyal North Carolinians holding an advanced position, were attacked and driven in. A gunboat which had dropped down the river was also attacked, and several of her guns disabled. The rebels used Whitworth guns, furnished, of course, by "neutrals" over the water. On the 3d it was ascertained that the rebels had additional guns mounted. Firing ^continued between the gun[irvif* iill'l t'i? ajul r?ia r*t the guns of the latter was seen to be dismounted. On the night of the 3d, , the gunboat Ceres ran the blockade, bringing ammunition for the fort and gunboats. On. the ith, a small battery in front of the fortopened fire, and the fort replied, dismounting one of their guns, when the tiring ceased. On the 5th, provender for the horses gave out, and the families of the town were declared to be destitute. On the 7th, the rebels opened qre on the gunboats, and also fired fifty-C*yee discharges at the town, but without doin^ my injury. Meanwhile, the intrenchments of our forces were greatly strengthened, the men, though reduced to threefourths rations, working with unflagging 3pirit. On the 9fch, another vessel ran the blockade with ammunition, and on the 10th the rebels again opened fire upon the fort, and kept it up for half an hour, rwo shells struck inside the fort, two shot [rent through the flag on the fort, quite a lumber of shots struck the intrenchmenta jut no one was injured on our side. A lay or two subsequently the garrison was relieved, and are now safe against any force the enemy may bring against them. A picket from the gunboat Kingisher, Capt. Dutch, recently captured liree men on Edisto, who gave their lames a3 Seabrook, Michael, and Townsmil. Thev were looking after their es ates ou that island. Seabrook is a son of iVilliam Seabrook, one of the wealthiest jroprietors on the sea islands, and a forner governor of South Carolina. A leter was found on liis person from old John .'ope who said he had just been visiting lis farm and indulged the hope that, as he Yankees were in the humor of evacuaing, they would evacuate St. Helena and et him have his estate again. Services of Loyal Blacks.?While the J tegroes iu the Department of the Southrest are receiving the worst possible treataent at the hands of the government and ts agents, they do not permit their loyalty o be shaken, but constantly render most mportant services to our' commanders, in instance of this is thus reported by a orrespondent of a Boston paper, in an ccount of the late operations in Berwick >ay: "The rebels liave placed all sorts of obstructions in the bay and river, but our mv>na Tvoro nr?f. awmv tlmt. tliev had resort (1 to their old practice of placing torpe- I Iocs in chains across the rivers, until they cere fortuuatelv informed by two intelligent negroes, who jumped from the cotton ud swam ashore to warn our troops of heir danger. The slaves pointed out the xact location of these dangerous and inernal machines, showing our otficers tho ines attached to these torpedoes. Our ifticers removed two of these destructives, ud in one of them were five gallons of >owder. The contrabands said the rebels lave planted many more of larger size urther up the river. One of the torpe[oes discovered by our troops was enclosed n a square wooden box> and marked medical stores.'" Many schoolmasters entertain no doubt hat tho tree of knowledge is the birch. M ; J