ng the brilliant
achievement at Galveston; and it was Magruder's work. He has men under
him fitted for desperate enterprises; and he has always had a penchant
for desperate work. So we shall expect to hear of more gallant exploits
in that section. He took 600 prisoners.

We have news also from Vicksburg, and the city was not taken; on the
contrary, the enemy had sailed away. I trust this is reliable; but the
Northern papers persist in saying that Vicksburg has fallen, and that
the event took place on the 3d inst.

Six hundred women and children--refugees--arrived at Petersburg
yesterday from the North. They permit them to come now, when famine and
pestilence are likely to be added to the other horrors of war! We are
doomed to suffer this winter!

JANUARY 11TH.--The message of Gov. Seymour, of New York, if I am not
mistaken in its import and purposes, will have a distracting effect on
the subjugation programme of the government at Washington. I shall look
for riots, and perhaps rebellions and civil wars in the North.

Mr. Stanley, ycleped Governor of North Carolina, has written a letter
(dated 31st December) to Gen. French, complaining that our soldiery have
been guilty of taking slaves from their humane and _loyal_ masters in
Washington County, against their will; and demanding a restoration of
them to their kind and beneficent owners, to whom they are anxious to
return. Gen. French replies that he will do so very cheerfully, provided
the United States authorities will return the slaves they have taken
from masters loyal to the Confederate States. These may amount to
100,000. And he might have added that on the next day all--4,000,000--were
to be emancipated, so far as the authority of the United States could
accomplish it.

The enemy's gun-boats (two) came up the York River last week, and
destroyed an oyster boat. Beyond the deprivation of oysters, pigs, and
poultry, we care little for these incursions.

JANUARY 12TH.--The news of the successful defense of Vicksburg is
confirmed by an official dispatch, to the effect that the enemy had
departed up the Mississippi River. By the late Northern papers, we find
they confess to a loss of 4000 men in the several attacks upon the town!
Our estimate of their loss did not exceed that many hundred. They lost
two generals, Morgan and another. We did not lose a hundred men,
according to our accounts. The _Herald_ (N. Y.) calls it "another
Fredericksburg affair."

The estim