er prize--the steamer
Ariel--but no gold being on board, and having 800 passengers, he
released it, under bonds to pay us a quarter million dollars at the end
of the war.

A large meeting has been held in New York, passing resolutions in favor
of peace. They propose that New Jersey send a delegation hither to
induce us to meet the United States in convention at Louisville, to
adopt definitive terms of peace, on the basis of the old Union, or, that
being impracticable, separation. Too late!

JANUARY 4TH.--We have nothing additional from Murfreesborough, but it is
ascertained that the bridges burned by the enemy on the Virginia and
Tennessee Railroad cannot be repaired in a month.

It really does seem that some potent and malign influence, resident at
the capital, some high functionary, by some species of occultation,
controlling the action of the government, a Talleyrand in the pay of
both governments, and balancing or equalizing disasters between them to
magnify his importance and increase his reward, has been controlling
many events since the beginning of this war, and is still engaged in the
diabolical work. It now appears that several regiments were withdrawn
from the vicinity of Bristol, whose presence there was necessary for the
protection of the railroad and the bridges. They were brought hither
_after Lee's defeat of Burnside_, for the protection of the capital! The
President was away, and Mr. Seddon was now in the War Office. But Gen.
Cooper is _old_ in office, and should have known better; and Gen. G. W.
Smith certainly must have known better. Just suppose we had been beaten
at Murfreesborough, and our communications cut, west and east and south!
There would have been no escape.

It had even been proposed to take a large portion of Lee's men from him,
so that he must be inevitably defeated on the Rappahannock, but Lee's
resignation would have shocked the people unbearably. Great injury was
done him by abstracting some 20,000 of his men by discharges, transfers,
and details. Nothing but his generalship and the heroism of his men
saved us from ruin. The disasters of Donelson, Newbern, Nashville,
Memphis, Roanoke, New Orleans, Norfolk, etc. may be traced to the same
source. But all new governments have been afflicted by a few
evil-disposed leaders.

Our people in arms have upheld the State; they have successfully
resisted the open assaults of the invader, and frustrated the occult
machinations of the traitor