he troops of Louisiana; the Little-Rock arsenal
by the troops of Arkansas; Forts Johnson and Caswell by the troops
of North Carolina; and General Twiggs had traitorously surrendered
to the State of Texas all the military stores in his command,
amounting in value to a million and a half of dollars. By these
means the seceding States had come into possession of all the
artillery, small arms, ammunition, and supplies of war needed for
immediate use, and were well prepared for the opening of the
campaign. On the part of the government there was no such preparation.
Indeed the government did not at that moment have twelve thousand
available troops against the most formidable rebellion in history.
Its whole navy could not make one large squadron, and its most
effective ships were at points remote from the scene of conflict.
The revenues of the country were not then yielding more than thirty
millions per annum, and the credit was so low that one per cent.
a month had been paid by the retiring administration for the funds
necessary to close its unfortunate career.

In view of all these facts, it cannot be matter of wonder that the
Disunion leaders in the South laughed to scorn any efforts on the
part of the Government of the United States to arrest their progress,
much less to subdue them, and enforce their return to the Union.
North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas had not yet
seceded. The Union sentiment was strong in each one of these
States, and the design of Mr. Lincoln was to pursue a policy so
mild and conciliatory as to win them to the side of the government.
Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri were excited by strong minorities
who desired to aid the South, while no strong element in their
population was ready to take decisive measures for the Union.
Palliation, conciliation, concession, compromise, were the only
words heard, and the almost universal opinion in the South, shared
largely by the North, was that to precipitate war would be to
abandon the last hope for restoration of the Union.

EXTRA SESSION OF THE SENATE.

The extra session of the Senate, called by Mr. Buchanan for the
convenience of the new administration, assembled on the 4th of
March. All the Southern States were represented in full except
those which had members in the Confederate Congress at Montgomery,
and from one of these--the State of Texas--both senators, John
Hemphill and Louis T. W