LATE AMERICAN NEWS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1945, 10 October 1863, Page 3

LATE AMERICAN NEWS.

Tflß brigantino ' Neva' arrived yesterday after a quick passage from San Francisco, aud wo have becu favored by Messrs. Henderson & Macfarlane, the owners of the vessel, with San Franscisco papers to August 29th, containing news from the seat of war up to August 2Gth. The files of papers being incomplete wo are only able to give ike news of the week prior to the 26th of that month, and such as it is it must be taken with the usual allowance for exaggerations in intelligence received from that source. "We have carefully scanned the papers, but can see nothing to indicate that the position of the belligerents is much ckauged. Fire and tho sword have carried desolatiou into the city of Lawrence, which had been burned to the ground by a band of guerrillas under Quantrcll, and 180 of its inhabitants killed. Only one house, it is said, remained standing; and"tht\l was filled wilh the dead and wounded of all classes. One hundred and twenty of the bodies of tho slain had been buried, many of them frightfully charred by lire. The! Alia California says on this subject: — " Tho_ guerrilla Quantrell has left a bloody track in Kansas, the city of Laurence being destroyed by fire and most of its citizens brutally murdered. Our account blames tho Commanding General of tho Department for lack of energy, but it seems that the people themselves were beguiled into security by false reports, and made little or no resistance. It is probablo that Quantrell has succeeded in reaching Missouri safely." The siege of Charleston was progressing, "favourably" as the Federal account has it, and Fort Sumter was being bombarded by the combined army and navy of the Federals. The bombardment wus commenced on the Kith August, and continued up to the date of the last nd\ ices, viz., the 23rd, by which, time it is said the whole south Pnd of the Fort had been shot away -, and it was even reported that tho Fort had surrendered. This, however, is probably only au Alta California exaggeration, although if the reports of the bombardment are anything like true, the defenders must be in a sad plight. The steamer ' City of Madison,' had been blown up at Vicksburg while loading ammunition, and sixty lives were lost. From Washington the account is, that there was a ■wide-spread suffering, and that fears were entertained of a famine during the coining winter. Lee's army amounted to 35,000 men. It will be perceived that we have later European news, and of its valuo we leave our readers to judge. One of the sensation headings in the Alia California is i% The Eebcl loan bites foreign sympathisers to tho tune of four millions sterling," and the same paper quotes (lie London Spectator as having said " the friends of the rebels have lately paid £1,000,000 for their friendship, as the rebel loan has tumbled to such a degree as to be almost out of sight." We quote the follow ing from the Alia California of the 2 lib August: — "Accounts from Charleston represent the siege as progressing favourably. The combined army and navy have battered Fort Sumter so terribly, that it is scarcely tenable. A day or two will bring the intelligence of its total demolition — an augury of equal success on the part of Federal operations against the city of Charleston. The bombardment of Charleston, as conducted by General Gilmore and Admiral Dahlgrcn, will furnish a brilliant chapter in the history of tho suppression of the rebellion ; aud tho fall of Charleston will be hailed with joy by all as tho death knell of the rebel chances of prolonging their insane and fratricidal efforts. The various corps of General J3urnside's army had commenced their march through Kentucky, and as they make a much larger force than lie has been accredited with, we may confidently look for important successes at his hands. He lias a finely disciplined army, and is assisted by capable Generals."