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St. Helena Island. ' The New South" Office, Sept. 18, 18U3. ; Sir Will you be kind enough to give me your opinion of St. Helena Island, as to its heallbfulness. I have always advocated the location of our "New City of the South" at land's end on that island, but have heard that you, who were in charge of the hospitals there, thought it an unhealthy place and on that account the sick were all removed. Firmly believing that a large city is to spring into existence somewhere on the shores ot this noble harbor?the best on the coast between Hampton Roads and the Gulf, it seems to me a matter of great importance to procure and record all matter relating thereto. Very Respectfully, Jos. H. Sears. Major S. F. Elliot, Surgeon U. S. A., Port Royal. Port Royal, S. C., Sept. 18, 1863. Dear Sir:?Your note to-day, asking my opin ion ot trie heal Wiiumess 01 at. neieua isiana, is received. 1 have been twice stationed on that part of St. Helena known as Lands-End ; once as chief Surgeon of (Jen. Strong's Brigade, and once in charge of a General Hospital located there, and I have no hesitation in sa\ ing that while it is one of the pleasuntest, it is, in my opinion, one of the most uuhealtbful locations in this Department, during the sickly season of this region of country. This circumstance is no doubt due to the vegetable poison (Malaria,) which emanates from the swamps and low, fertile lands, so abundant on this Island. All the various forms oi Ague and Remi tent fever were of frequent occurrence. '1 here occurred also some cases of Congestive Fever so malignant as to prove fatal within twenty-four hours. The natives all agree in asserting that white toll ibitants of St. Helena always left their plantations during the sickly months. Your Obdt. Servt., S. F. Elliot. J. II. Sears, Esq., Frlifor "New* South." ' Certificates of Disability. Medical Director's Office, Dept. South, H lion Head, 8. C., Sept. 12th, 1*63. "When surgeons make out certificates of disability, they must state after the description of dis- J ease, whether in their opinion the soldier is fit for ''Invalid Corps''or not. See Gen. Orders No. 173 "War Department. II. R. Wirtz, Surgeon U. S. A. & Med. Director, Dept. b'outh. Office Med. Ex. Board, Hilton Head, 8. C.,Sept. 4th, 1863. I. All certificates of disability coming before the Medical Examining Board must be in strict conformity with the above Circular, in order to insure the action of the Board or they will be re- j turned for correction. , i r <->#" i!?mmpntq will rail the ntten- i ill OUIgfcuuo uve.??u.. tionof company commanders particularly "Note One" on back of certificates of disability so that they may comply with it in all cases, or the certificates will be returned by the Medical Examining Board for correction. A. P. DALRYMPLE, Surgeon U. S. V., Pres. Med. Ex. Board. To the Officers of the Department. The following order has been received by the Postmaster of this place, and is very important to officers who arc in correspondence with any of the Executive Departments of our government: Post Office Department, August 27th, 18G3. j Sir:?You are hereby instructed that all mail j matter posted at your office, and addressed to any J Executive Department, or to any officer therein, I on which the postage is unpaid and which is not nrODerlv franked, must be forwarded, with each weekly return of "Unmailable letters.'' to tlie ])ead Letter Office, in the mode prescribed on the latter part of page 5 of instructions published with act approved March 3, 1863. Very respectfully, A. N. Zevely, 3d Asst. Postmaster General. It will thus be seen that great care must be taken "to have all documents for the Departments properly J~ranked or pre-paid. --The Pichmond Government had made a pressing appeal to the Spanish Government to obtain recognition of the Confederate States, offering to guarantee to Spain the possession of Cuba and Porto Pico. The Spanish Government declined. Later Northern News. By the Bermuda, hist Thursday, we have papers to the 12th inst. Chattanooga is ours, East Tennessee is ffte, the progress of our forces on the enemies' flank and rear is going on well, the tail of the retreating rebel army is being severely handled by Kosecrans. t 1?r\4* Arhnnvifl ia in nni* 1.111UC Ivueilj IIIU kajJlMI vi i&muutixu ? ? ? ? VU possession. i'rice had retreated forty miles Southwest, to Washington. Gen. Blunt has also taken Fort Smith and scattered the rebels in all directions. Gen. Burnside announces the unconditional surrender of Cumberland Gap to his forces. After clearing East Tennessee of the rebels, he (Gen. Burnside) has sent in his resignation to the War Department?so it is reported. The Charleston Mercury has a savage article on Jeff. Davis. It says that lie has lost the confidence of both the army and the people. It is reported that the t rench Cabinet have had under debate the expediency of recognizing the South, but that no decision had been arrived at. Senator Sumner delivered a long and very interesting speech at Cooper Institute last week, liis exposure aud denunciations of the hypocritical pleadings and false pretences of the British I Government, in justification of'its sneaking and perfidious neutrality in this war are well administered. The steam sloops of war Hartford,, Richmond, and Brooklyn, now lying at the Brooklyn .Navyyard are to be put iu order as soon as possible, aud as the N.agara, at Boston, is to be ready about the same time, it is tc be surmised that these four noble ships are destined for some special service not yet made public. Rumor says that they will go across the Atlantic to operate as a special squadron on the coast of England and France. It is understood that Gen. Rufus Ingalls, so ?i.A ()tiartprniasft?r of tlia AniiV 1UI1^ lUC ^lllVlVUV VMIVI ? ? y ol the Potomac, is to succeed to the Quartermaster-Generalship made vacant by the removal of General Meigs. Under the new dealing with officers, justly or unjustly obnoxious, Colonel Bowman, Military Superintendent of West l'oir.t, has been relieved, and Brig.-Gen. H. G. Wright put in his place. Uen. Wright was iu the original expedition which took this place. The Louisville Journal tells a good story at the expense of a colonel who was dismissed from the service on charges of dislovalty. The colonel appealed to President Lincoln, and after a long talk the latter, apparently convinced of his loyalty, proposed to give him the command of a negro brigade. The brave colonel "didn't see it." McOi.ellan's Reports.?The Herald says: "Well iutormed parties allege that General M'Clcllau's report was only received at the AdjutantGeneral's Department three weeks ago, and that it will take one man many months to read it and its accompany ing documents with the attention it deserves. It will occupy when printed three large quarto volumes, with charts, diagrams, etc. For its publication a large Congressional appropriation will be requisite. The Secretary of War has not yet had time to read it, but is about instituting a committee of officers, to be presided over by Major-General David Hunter, who will be charged with the dutv of reading it, and reporting as to whether or not it shall be published as an~ official document." General Halleck last week secured the appointment of twenty-four young soldiers, from our armies now in the field, to cadetshqis at West PointThe cadetships due to the Virginia Congressional districts are given to young lads who have distinguished themselves, and are otherwise qualified, in the Army of the Potomac. The cadetships due to Western Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, are to be conferred on General Grant's recommendation. So in the other departments. And General Ilalleck further takes-the ground that next year all appointments to West Point shall be made from young soldiers in the field, or the sons of officers who have rendered important services in this war; not that the appointments are to be taken from the various Congressmen in the Northern and other States, but that the Congressmen in their recommendations are to be restricted to ! V?/.on /tl.icooa r\ r?nmin/*Afl_ tugov viuoocu v? mv???mvwv. . The following navy orders have been issued: Commodore Thomas F. Craven ordered to command the Niagara. Commander John Guest ordered to duty at Navy-yard, Washington. Commander James P. Sanford ordered to command the Sassacus. Commander E. T. Nichols ordered to command I the Mcndota. Lieutenant-Commander Francis M. Roe detach- j ed from ordnance duty at New York, and ordered to command the steamer Neptune. Lieutenant-Commander Watson Smith ordered to command the Paul Jones. Lieutenant-Commander John S. Barnes detached from the command ofthc Paul Jones, and ordered to the Niagara. Lieutenant-Commander Bancroft Gherardi ordered to command the Chocura. Lieutenant-Commander Daniel L. Braine detached from ordnance duty at New York, and ordered to command the steamer Vicksburg. Lieutenant-Commander William F. Truxton detached from the command of the Chocura, and waiting orders. Lieutenant-Commander J. C. P. De Kraft detached from the Navy Yard at Washington, and waiting orders. Lieutenant-Commander L. A. Bcardslee ordered to special duty at New York. Lieutenant-Commander S. L. Brcese del allied from the lioanoke, preparatory orders to command the Sagamore. Commander Thatcher has been ordered to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron to command the steam frigate Colorado. Commander Bowers has been detached from the r aval rendezvous at Portsmouth, N. II., and ordered to command the receiving ship Yandalia. Commander Leroy has been ordered to command the sloop-of-war Oneida. Lieutenant-uommanaer n. r. ? imams lias oeen detached from the Powhatan and ordered to commaud the Huron. Lieutenant-Commander Charles E. Fleming has received preparatoiy orders to command the Sagamore. Lieutenant-Commander Robert B<iyd has been detached fiom the receiving ship at Boston and ordered to the Powhatan. Lieutenant-Commander F. lv. Lewis has been detached from the command of the itaska, and ordered to Baltimore on special duty. Lieutenant-Commander George Drown has been ordered to the command of the Iiaska. Lieutenant Wni. B. Cushing has been detached from the command of the Shockokon, and ordered to the command of the Mcnticello. Prenticeana.?General Bragg has had a soldier shot for killing a cow. We hope Bragg will get the hide, lie deserves it. For many years Charleston, has held its head as high as a cobra-de-capello. We guess that the vain city will soon find Hi level The Southern lands are said Dot to be well adapted to rye. But there are very good gro'uuds there for wry faces. The Southern people should take every state meut of their newspapers " with a grain of salt" ; but unfortunately they haven't a grain of salt to take it with. The notorious guerilla, Dick McCann, now in prison at Nashville, says that he feels he is " on the right side," When he gets tired he will probably turn over on his left. The rents in the walls of Fort Sumter are said to be neaily as wide as barn-doors. But those aro a sort of rents that don't bring the rebels a very valuable income. The Charleston papers swear that their people will fight front " street to street." Let theui fight Gilhnore's bombshells and hot shot" from street to street" if they arc so very juignucious. We guess, that, in all their fighting " from street to street," their weapons will be fire eDgiues, hose, and water buckets. Gen- Grant smoked a cigar while he was going Ant frnm Viia ivork? to #wwit t.lie snrrHnib?r of' Yicksburg. Gen. Gillmore, not being addicted t?? " small vices," seems disposed, in his little affair with Charleston, to let her do the smoking. A woman in Columbus. Ga., proclaims herself ready to command a regiment of women in de- # fence of the Confederacy. We wonder if they * will fight in crinolines. Our Lravc boys, we have no doubt, can stand cold steel, whether in the lorm of bayonets or hoopskirts. When Sumter fell before the rebel bombardment this gleeful couplet was sent North : With mortar, Paixhan, am? petard, W? tender you our Beauregard. The Union troops can now send to Pierre Toutant de Peauregard something like this: We hope our tender is no bore When %ve to you send our Gillmore, Though sure no bores were ever seen To equal those of our Dah'.gren. ???????? II ! I II? eswiA-III * Notice. ROBBINS, No. 14, in the Row. has just received from the North a fresh and complete stock of Goods of every description, consisting in part of DRVT GOODS, both very tine, fair and common. GROCERIES, comprising everything desirable and necessary in this Depn-tment, selected with great eare ami judgment by Mr. E. Fuller. StfOLS?Tlxe besVassortnient? try every other place tir-t and then come here and be fitted. t'HIK TS?see thu price elsewhere?then coine here and bny them lower?and so on down through the catalogue. sept. 12- r.oinuxs.