if
that were their destination, without a moment's delay, several days
ago--else they would be too late to participate in the campaign.

Northern papers set down Hooker's loss at 20,000, a modest figure,
subject to revision.

The Federal Secretary of War has issued a statement to mollify the
panic. He is bound to acknowledge that, whereas Hooker advanced upon Lee
across the river, he is now, after the battle, back again, where he
started from. But he says not more than a third of the army was engaged;
and as 30,000 reinforcements have been sent from Washington, and as many
from Suffolk, the army will soon be as strong as ever, and in condition
for another advance--and defeat.

But what credit can we attach to such statements, since McClellan, under
oath, said that he had ninety odd thousand men at the battle of
Sharpsburg, 75,000 of whom only were actually engaged, while Lee had
100,000? We _know_ that he did not have 40,000 engaged!

Gen. Van Dorn is dead--being killed by a man whose peace he had ruined.

More applications for passports to leave the country are coming in--and
they are "allowed" by the Assistant Secretary of War. How could he
refuse, since his own family (at least a portion of it) have enjoyed the
benefits of sojourning in the North since the war began?

A letter was received to-day from Mr. Ranney, president of the N. C.,
Jackson, and Great Northern Railroad Co., asking the protection of
government from harm for violations of the Act of Congress of April
19th, 1862, prohibiting the transportation of cotton within the enemy's
lines. He incloses a number of peremptory orders from Lieut.-Gen.
Pemberton, dated January 19th, February 16th and 19th, to take large
amounts of cotton into the enemy's lines for S. J. Josephs (Jew?), and
for Messrs. Clarke, Ford, and Hust, etc. etc. He says Gen. P. threatened
to seize the road if he did not comply, and asserted that he had
authority from the Secretary of War to issue the orders. One of these
orders was from Gov. Pettus, for a small lot not more than fifty bales,
to be exchanged for salt. This was authorized by the President, who most
positively forbid the others. The letter from Gen. Johnston the other
day said this traffic was subjugating the people. Was that "allowed" to
reach the Secretary and the President? I know not; it has not yet passed
through my hands from the President back to the department.

MAY 12TH.--The departments and all places of busines