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A New Ieox-Clad Ixvuntio?;.?3Ir. Owen^Collins, an enterprising and ingenious mechanic, residing at 73 ilott street, New York, has exhibited i the model of a new iron-clad vessel which ho has ; recently invented. It appears to be an ingeniously j -l i : i . -a i contrived piece ?I umcuumsni, uiiu. is hi least. ( * worthy the consideration of the naval authorities at "Washington. The inventor claims that a vcs- ' * sel built according to his model is capable of withstanding any artillery force now in vogue. He contends that four sheets of iron constructed 1 according to his plan have got more force of re-! sistance than seven sheet of common plate iron ;: that it has twice the resistance of solid plate iron of the same thickness, and almost the same buoy- j jiyioV a wooden vessel: that it can be applied to either land batteries, coast or harbor defences, or to mercantile pursuits ; and that, with a go&l pair of engines, she eonkl ran from seventeen to 1 eighteen knots an hour. Not the least important feature in the*invention is that a vessel so constructed cau be submerged j and pumped out in thirty minutes. Launch or the Dictator.?The third effort to launch this iron-clad vessel has resulted in com-; cn./iiMo Klio v;ia lnnnnlifd frr>m tho vnrd of C. II. Dolamater, N. Y., on the morning of the ; 2Cth Deo. It will be remembered that two unsuc- ' cessful attempts were made in the latter part of November, but failed from some.difficulties in the construction of the ways. Capt. Ericsson, Chief Engineer Koble, U. S. N. and ether distinguished , gentlemen were present Death 07 Gen. Con cor. an.?Gen. Cor.cor.an died at Fairfax Court House, Dec. 22d, from injuries received from a fall from his horse. Iiis body was taken to New York for interment. This melancholy event has thrown a deep gloom over the army. Gen. C. had endeared himself to the American people on account of his early and *treTt*ions advooacyNtf the war, and hhj long incarceration. On New Year evening a furious wind storm visited this city, and blew with such violence that {>eopie walking through the streets were almost ifted from the ground. The blow was by many degrees the heaviest we have had in this neighborhood for a long time, and the cold was about equal in intensity. Such hardy people as exposed themselves out of doors paid dearly for their rash ness. Jack Jtrost cut puucssiy mrougn overcoats, mufflers and every other contrivance invented to keep him off. Every blast from old Boreas sent a fearful chill rushing through the mouths, throats and lungs, while the ears were frozen off entirely. The efforts of suffering humanity to counteract the combined effect# of wind and cold were both amusing and painful. People might be seen rushing through the streets at full speed, swinging their arms, jumping, stamping, hallooing, and performing the most extraordinary gymnastic exercises. The very stones of the streets seemed uneasy under the infliction, and flew around in every direction, accompanied by blasts of dust and dirt, which increased veiy materially the discomforts of animated nature. In doors the wind whisked through the chimnics in a mournful manner, and whistled shrilly between the cracks of doors and keyholes, besides rattling loose windows and shuttors in no musical fashion. Altogether the storm J was quite uncomfortable, and continued una unabated force all Friday night, ushering in the . second day of the new year with increased fury, if possible. All yesterday the temperature was exceedingly frigid, and the wind blew very violently. At the ' late hour at which this was written there was no sensible decline in the gale, and the cold was moro ;r YntvrithstiinrTinrr this, how 1UICU&C, IX Oil; kuiMQ. ever, no accidents to our local habitations were j. reported. The shipping in our harbor, as will be j seen by our marine report, suffered to some ex-1 tout, and it is apprehended that the disasters at sea must have been very numerous.?Herald ilk. [ ? * ? The Xorih Carolina Tiines says " The British schooner G-. 0. Bigelow, which was - captured l y , the U. S. Transport Fulton and then abandoned, made her way into Swansboro near Wilmington, unloaded her salt, and was about to run the blockade in ballast, when she was caught and burnt by one o/ the U. S. steamers." The health of this department is good. The weather is mild and pleasant. THE GREAT PRIZE FIGHT. (Irom the London Times, December 11.) Tlie fieri it vesterdar between "Heenan and King terminated, as the public already knows, in the unexpected but absolute defeat of the former. This result of the American's second effort to claim the chief distinctions and notorieties of the prize ring will probably put an end, for the present at least, to his pugilistic pretensions. The circumstances of his first encounter, in April, 18G0, with the champion of England, were such as to obtain ; for him a considerable reputation, which he natu- ; rally forfeits by his complete incapacity to cope I with a man of average standing in his bloody calling. It would be difficult to describe how thor-1 onghly popular anticipation has been disappointed by this result. The soundest judgments and the j coolest calculations had settled beforehand that the American could not fail to win. Not only were ! tho acjvantnges in letting wholly upon his side, but even the friends of his antagonist aeknow ledged by their acts, if not in words, a sense of inferiority. How prediction and expectation were ultimately overturned a plain narrative of the j events of the day will show. The manner of the men on their entrance to the ; ring was thoroughly characteristic. King was the first to appear. lie had a serious and thoughtful aspect, and- ga*d abont the ground with a careful scrutiny that foreshadowed the anxiety which throughout the fight he never coesed to exhibit. Heenan, on the othe| hand, entered with a light and jaunty step, Lrisldy shook hands with his opponent, and at one* turned his attention to the choice of the ground. This point having been decided, and the choke won by Heenan, the men were taken in charge "by their r^pective seconds, and di-posed wkh aUaecessible appliances of comfort, in their corned to wait the settlement of preliminaries. V - At this early point of the affair the popular feeling in favor of Heenai} was manifestly increased, not only by the superior heartiness and confidence of his bearing, but also by the apparent advantages of training which keen eyes detected in the few glimpses of his person that were revealed. The betting rose at once and vastly in his favor. t _ ** ? A _ j 4 1 ^ lieennn w as nrsi stnppeu. .v single gmuue sufficient to show that, however massive and brawny his present appearance, it contrasted ill with the recollections of his gigantic power in the memorable fight wii* Saver*. There vfcro, indeed, the same broad frame and sinewy limbs, the same muscles that throbbed with nervous force at each movement of the active body, the same depth of chest and reach of arm, the same splendor of physical proportion. Ilis action, also, ut the outset was the same, vividly recalling the triumphant air with which he threw his outspread arms from his sides, nr.d heaved his enormous chest as if to inhale fresh rigor from the morning breeze ; but the perfection of symmetry which three years ago ..1. tr-ifli n<^m:TTifir.n fcornipfl now au uv:v ux.k uvuvivtviw impaired, and a shade less of elasticity appeared to animate his frame. Three years and upwards in the life of a prizefighter leave traces that even in a man still young, like Heonan, cannot fail to be distinguished.* His advantages over King, as the latter appeared half naked, were, however, too evident to change in the slightest the flow of opinion around the ring. King rose from his corner with a singular air of doubt and anxiety. Every movement, even before the fight began, seemed cautiously taken ; but there was certainly nothing in his appearance to warrant premature exultation from the opposite party. More finely trained than Heenan, he showed less bulk and weight ; but there was scarcely less development of those qualities which make tip real fighting strength. As the men approached one another the feeling again rose in Ileenan's favor. King, although taller than the American, preserved at first a stooping attitude, which caused him to appear the smaller man. Ileenan stood rigidly erect, seaming to find a satisfaction in looking down upon his antagonist. From their, countenances it was easy to see that one looked upon his victory as a foregone conclusion, while the oilier felt thoroughly conscious of the difficult work that lay before liiin. Both faces, however, were smiling and good humored?Heenan's even broadly so. King's handsomer features were sha- , dowed by en evident self distrust. The seconds i-_i. imu In nrnnftrinrr their men for action. IUSI iicliu iiUiv -?r?# 7 find after tlie long waste of time tliey at last stood ready. Twenty-five rounds were thus fought, lasting 31 minutes,* at the conclusion of which it was admitted that Ueenan has lost the fight, and in the rounds immediately following the superior endurance and youth of the Englishman enable him to pursue his success with tremendous rapidity. Hardly could the American appear upon his ground?where, it must be said, he presented him- J self with undying plucl: to the end?before he was : prostrated by King's furious Hows, or crushed down in his all-powerful gripe. His face soon became a frightful spectacio, although far less hideous than at the close of his battle with Sayers. At last even the dull and opaque humanities of his friends were stirred, and, after another merciless round, in whieh the failing strength of the great nladiator was 110 Ion per canable of afford i hp him ft shadow of defence, he was, at the close of tho twenty-fourth round, withdrawn reluctantly by his friends, though himself insensible. Thus the cruel contest ended, leaving for the moment little to choose between the condition either of victor or of vanquished. Such was the end of the fight, after nearly forty minutes of hard, quick, desperate fighting, between two of the most powerful men that have probably ever entered the ring. It was fought out fairly and truly to the bitter end, neither man taking any advantage of the other. No hand was laid upon them but that of their own seconds from the moment they both entered the ring until the American laid senseless, bruised and beaten out of all sembltfnce cf the man who in the pride of manhood and strength had steed there only half an hour before. There were great cheers as King won, to which for a few nJbments he was very deaf, for the pace Had been rapid, and, all powerful as He was, tHc heavy falls had shaken his vitality, and the giant who had strode into the ring an overmatch for all could scarcely close his fingers round the glass of* water which was to keep him from fainting. Yet there must be a soul of goodness even in things evil, for the first really conscious thought that flitted through his mind was a wish to make friends with his late antagonist, and as he said it he lunged heavily through the crowd of his admirers to a little knot of curious lookers on, amid whom what seemed the corpse of the redoubtable Heenan now lay. Sayers was with him, and kept with him ; but better advice was needed than any pugilist ought to be called upon to give; for Heenan, though net nearly so much punished as when he fought at Farnborough, was evidently much more injured. He was pulseless at the wrists, and even over the heart the palpitation was fluttering, faint and low. Yet he had not fainted. It was the insensibility of exhaustion, the sheer want of vitality, though almost till he collapsed so suddenly he was supposed to be the winner. One man was trying to heave up his immense inanimate form, while another stripped the wet draw ors, /tamed deep vna Irs own blood, Irom the limbs of the stunned athlete. There was a dreadful significance in the way in which he was hauled about limb by limb, as wanner clothes were dragged over his unconscious form, like dressing a corpse. Yet noone seemed to mind much, for all were crowding round the victer, who, with very little signs of punishment about his face, came gaily up in the train back to town. ' Hecnan was left with his seconds on the field ho had fought to win. No one seemed to think much of him?he was a beaten man. and among pugilists there is no mercy for the defeated. Fair or foul, there js as yet oyly one morality with them? success. Still there are men alive who think they can revive the prize ring. It would be as easy to restore the sports cf the arena. Effects of the Cold Weather Nor.in.?On Friday night Jan. 1, the Susquehanna river froze up so tightly that the railroad ferry-boat, with three hundred passengers 011 board, was locked up in the river, immovably tight. Senators and Congressmen in large numbers are on the boat, in houses near the fern-, or returned to Philadelphia, where they are waiting for a thaw, or something else, to supply the terrible defects in the only railroad connection which now exists with the capitol of the nation, and enable tk?m to get to Washington. Numerous dispatches are daily received at the Hotels in \\ ashington iroin these unfortunates, written mostly to quiet tlio apprehensions of lrienils. From North Carolina.?The Xr/iih Carolina Times says a $5 gold piece was sold at auction for , $150 in Confederate notes at Dam ille a few days since. The same paper heartily indorses President Lincoln's recent Proclamation, and advises the people of the State to accept it. It also copies and endorses a remarkable article from The Richmond, * H hig, which contains the following significant paragraph : X . . ,\l * _t A 1.1 .1 A- 3 At. Ta t " diavery nas swooed useu 10 ueum. jx uas sinned against tho light, committed the unpardonable sin, and must die." The Raleigh Standard and The Raleigh Progress are very severe in their criticisms of Jeff. Davis' message. They publish President Lincoln's message and proclamation with favorably cowment9? 0