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* /* *y-er.. l THE FX EE SOUTH. 1 BEAITOHT, S. C., ICT. 31\ 1S63. 1 rr~ Agents^wiUxl in the (li&'ercut regiments of this Department, for the Fkb Soi th. ' ' TO OUR SOLDIER FRIENDS. An excellent plan to secure a copy of the Free South j eery week is to mtb*cribe for THREE MOUTHS TOR SO CEHTS, Your paper will tbeu be sent by nxgil and will follow J your regiment wherever it may move. Soldiers should send the Free South to their friends ; at home. It would be almost as good as a WEEKLY LETTER, . ; and will conkiin all the news of the department, and j full lists of the killed and wounded and deaths iu hoe- ' pita). Sent by mall at $2.b0 per year in advance or 50 CEHTS TOE THREE M0HTI& , A NATIONAL THANKSGIVING. By the President of the United States of < America. A PROCLAMATION. * t lormiAL.J The year that Is drawing towards its close has been : filled wkh the -blessings of fruitful fields and heathfal j skies. To these bontinea, which are so constantly en- I joyed that we are prone to forget the source from w hich j they coma, uthers hare been added, which are of so ! extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to pen. j cerate and soften even the heart w hich is habitually insensible to the ever-watchfhl providence of Almighty | In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude ; and severity which baa sometime* scorned to foreign ; - States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace ? v has been preserved with all iuUion?; order has been ' maintained; the laws have been respected and obeyed, J and hannonv has prevailed everywhere, except in the i heatre of military conflict; while that heatre has !>eeu j greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies ! of the Cuiou. Needful diversions of wealth and of strensch from the J fields of peaceful indestry to the national d?Jen< e. have t not arrested the plough, the shuttle w the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our xrUc-aunts and ; the mines, as well of iron and co.nl as of the precious > metals, have yielded even more abundantly than here- i to fore. Population has steadily 'mere i?od, notwith- | .standing the waste that has been made in the camp, ; the siege and the battie-field; and the country, rejoicing j in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, j is permitted to expect continuance of veurs with large i increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath sny mortal . hand worked oat these great things. TLey are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while uealiug with us in anger for onr dim, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit urn! propter ' that they should be solemnly, reverently tr.d gratefully j acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole ! American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part , of the United Statea, and also thosi who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lanes to set apart --J >ti? i??? Thnnultv of S'nvpmhi; next, as a ! tfcJIU WlWtl ?V IUV MM. day of Thanksgiving and Pake to ou: beiieiiccnt Father who dwell eth in the fleavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascription* lastly due to Him for such singular <1e- ! liveranoee and btaMtags, they do also, with humble , penitence for oar national perversa 1 ess and disobedience commend to His tender care all those who hare become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers In the laincut table dri! strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the woonds of the nation and to restore 1 t as aoon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the fell enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. In testimony whereoC I bare hereunto set my hand. and caused the seal of the United State* to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this third day of { October, in the year of oar f.ord ore thousand j II. a.1 eight hundred and sixty-three, aalof the in- , dependence of the United Mates the eighty, j eighth. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. | Fy the President: WiLii v* H. Sewakd, Secretary of State. W | K fQjr An examination oi the election re- | turns from Pennsylvania. Ohio, Indiana and Iown, must satisfy the Faint Hearts j that the war is to be continued a little longer, and that the Knights of the Gold- ! en Circle and all the other evil genii have j not yet been able to drag a free and determ in ed people from their original res- j olution to crush the monster rebellion. j i* m 1 1 rwrsftUS ' {sarva last ouuuuui, were baptized, by immersion, into the fellowship o: the Baptist Church oil St. Helena, by Iter. W. S. Phillips. This makes 400 baptized here by the pastor I during the year past. I \ THE FHE1J SOUTH, SATU (iret'k Fire^ When Mr. Bull emits ji sonorous roar about the devices and desires of other j nations, it usually turns 8 at tfiat they are | also the devices and desires of Mr. Bul^s own noble heart, and that he is only indignant at being interfered with in some pet project. Some of his indiscreet journals, (says the Tribune,) have been airing I their horror at the extreme l>arbarism of J using 44 Greek Fire," and the wickedness ] ' ^ 1 3_* TTTI I oi me zanKees ui jso uomg. n uercupuu an ingenious person, by name Jolin Macintosh, writes to the Londop S/'tr? that the British Government has been experimenting with 44 Greek Fire," ever since 1853L A special committee was appointed to consider the whole question of 44 incendiary, ! or liquid lire shells." under the superin- j tendence of Capt. Sir Thomas Maitlant^ with a view to the introduction of the' | system in naval warfare. Further cxperi- j ments were ordered by the Duke of New- j castle, then Secretary of Shite for War, and subsequently by Lord Pan mure, to ! test the efficiency of the principle in land operations. These experiments consisted in placing inflamable materials at a range of 800 yards, and endeavoring to obtain their ignition. Three shells were tried without effect,?the Macintosh shell, flllod with liquid composition, was perfetctly successful. Here is the specification in the Macintosh patent : 441 Hi) diaphragm ?belle with coal-tar naphtha, mixed 1 with phosphorus and btealphuret of car)>os. having*? , bnrstiu<; charge sufficient to open the shells. When ' tired, llie bursting or tbene snens scatters me com en us i <u all directions, and the show er of inflammable ma- ! terial falling among cavalry and troupe ignites sponta- j neoasly, causing their immediate disorganization. hired | into ahippinc, these shells, bnrsting on deck or below, i scatter ?he Inflammable material in all directions, and the spontaneous combusion which arises causes inevi- | uhle and irremediable injuries and destruction to the ; crew, who are nnable to escape except by dropping , overboard, and tha vessel itself is speedily consumed. I aid from the crew having been rendered impossible as 1 ju.-t described. Fired into harbors, dockyards or towns, | the result is alike destructive and decisive." This is very bad indeed ! ThQ dear, j old, benevolent, barbarous*Bull! Really ! Mr. Macintosh did y^ry wrong, to let ont j the secret. Diaphragm^ shells?coal-tar j naphtha- -phosphorus?bisulphuret of car-1 bon?really Bull can blaze as barbarously*: as the best, when he tries ! But us we like to be consolatory even I to* Mr. Bull; we beg leave to inform him i that to the best of our opinion, informa- j tion, and belief, Greek lire is mnch more i talked about, than employed in America ; that up to this time, it has not only not burned an out-house nor raised a blister, J-.-i *1...*. .i.., n/vt affamntWl its 11HA ftt UUt HiUl U c 1UITC JUV/V HVVVUi^w\? ?VW ail. When we have all perfected the missile, it will be time enough to call a World's Anti-Greek Fire Convention. letter from an officer of the blockading fleet in the Gulf says : " The people are leaving Mobile in droves ; not by ones or twos, but by the dozen. A few days ago thirteen seamen deserted from the Selma rebel steamer. From Mobile Bay thirty-five women and children came over and about one hundred men ; all within one week, and all agree that Mobile can 1 be easily taken. A Kf.del Acknowledgment.?The Charleston Courier thus acknowledges the gallantry of our naval officers in our attack upon Fort Sumter on the 31st ult. "It cannot be denied that the Yankee captains fought their vessels with great gallantry. In the foremost monitor the Yankee captain was descried on the turret, which post he did not leave while the fight lasted. At the same time a man was seen at the bow of the boat very coolly engaged in casting the lead. It is believed, however, that this brave fellow was hit at last" gyunr Siliiun> uix; ticvuv general distribution of prize money by the Fourth Auditor of the Treasury Department. The shares of some crews are very handsome^ We are informed that the captain of the Uiuvlilla, for instance, obtained as liis share of the prize money for^he capture of one vessel, (the Ltxlona) $11,000, while the shore of each contraband on board was $440, and theirs was the smallest portion. The new American bird?Two hundred pound parrott. 0k ED AY, OCTOBER 31, 1863. The Te'in or ^lilftary Service. The statement is current tlmt '"next i May we shall lose at one stroke, all the i men in our army except those who are raising under the present draft, and the few who voluntarily entered during the past winter." This is incorrect. In the first place the 300,000 men called for in . July, 1861, were mustered into service, j not in May, bat in the autumn of that j year. This original levy h?s, it. is true, ; been greatly depleted by the casualties of j war, but the ranks have constantly re- ! ceived accessions by recruiting, some of j the states steadily sending forward fresh j men. In the next place, a large proper tion of the men raised under the order for , a draft in Augnst of last year, entered the service for three years ; this was the case j in all the western states ; and besides a considerable number of volunteers were1 at the same time obtained under the fur- i j ther order to fill up the slight deficiency in the quota of the call of 18(11, some of the states which had filled their quota taking this opportunity to fill up their | veteran regiments. Thus of the men now in the field, none will be refusal until next autumn, while more than one-half of all; our arm is, it is safe to say, have two years 1 yet to serve. It is to be remembered that j there is already 50,009 colored soldiers 1 organized into regiments, and the work of enlistment among the blacks is so active that this number will soon be doubled. BgUThe London Times again lectures the Canadians noon the subject of annex- ! _ m . ation to the United States. After pieking to pieces in characteristic style the in- ! ducements held out to the Canadians by | the north, the article concludes as follows: " If, however, with their eyes open to the j prospect, they prefer annexation to the i United States, we are equally ready to let j them go. We are quite sure they have.no i other alternative but these two. They j could no more exist as an independent nation by the side of the United States ; than a lamb by the side of a wolf. They have to choose between Union with us and annexation to the United States, and > by their choice we shall abide. Bt way i of bringing these considerations to a point, we beg to suggest for their particular consideration at the present moment the] fol- ; lowing question : They have recently j shown an excessive unwillingness to pro vide even a reasonable force of militia to i resist a possible invasion by the United States. If they were annexed to the | Union, they would immediately have the conscription forced on them by gunboats and artillery. Which will they choose? to fight freely and willingly for the defense of their own homes, or to be dragged at the cannon's mouth to feed an alien struggle in the heart of a distant, foreign and unhealthy country." 8&?A Polish exile, apparently a pauper of the poorest kind, died suddenly in a New York restaurant on Saturday. An examination of his attic disclosed about $5,000 of the stock of the Bank of Commerce, and savings bank-books, on wliich he was credited with $2,500 more. The New York Daily Xeics?the only paper in the country that contains news from Richmond direct?says upon ? -A?a# a vakal /inn>acivini1anf f Viof. me BUCUjJlU Ui <* icuvt W4ivB{n/uuvu? tuuv Bragg's loss in killed, wounded and missing win not fall short of 30,000. It is reported that when General Hooker was about to depart for his new command in the West, President Lincoln informed him that he had an important charge to give him. l% What is it ?" asked the General. President Liucoln replied : " In passing through Kentucky, beware of Bourbon county." BZ&*According to the Richmond iMpalch it would appear that the rebels had effected in France a loan based on cotton,, to the amount of a hunched million of francs, or twenty millions of dollars. This requires confirmation. * * NO. 43. [i rom the Richmond famine!. ] We learn from I'Jistfcsippi that our ftivalrv ;ire doin^ . a pKxl business in burning cotton and picking up Vaii kees. The Texans are most successful in the latter branch of hnsincss, but the careless fallows generally i /om* their prisoners on the way to camp, Near Yazou City, ?.Vm bales of cotton bidongiug to one man, was j burned, though be beeped bard for it. as he said he bod | a great many valuable* pnck.vi awav in it. There Itf m> doubt among the troops there tbnt Price has given the ? Yankees a severe heating. Tlie signiiicance of the only italicised | word in the above extract, says the Nor wich Courier, may not at once ot* ii]n?u-cu? to all. Tho rebel* understand pretty thoroughly the use of grammatical anomalies to disgnise their barbarous atrocities, but in this instance the facts are too thinly covered to escape detection. Let those who prats- of northern vandalism and excesses of war, ponder over the fate of the prisoners captured by the rebel Texans. Does history record an- instance of more hellish cruelty, or an illustration of such fiendish malignity and slaughter as the deliberate murder of those men who happen to be captured by strolling Ixmds of confederates V Can any abettor of treason at the north, or apologist of southern arrogance and pretension, place a tingerupon anv record one half so black or mom de* seningthe condemnation of mankind? We think not. The rel>els will find that this damning record will be remembered. It establishes- a precedent which no specious sophistry can undo, and convince* the north that the established rule* of civilized warfare are totally disregarded by the rebels. In the face of this high-handed outrage, who will say that the south deserves commiseration V Who will dare espouse the cause of such an unscrupulous enemy who murders prisoners of war in cold blood ? Out upon such treachery ! The mind re coils with terror at its mention* and the finer soul stands aghast at the thought. The message of the Governor of South Carolina, on the occasion of the extra, session of the legislature, is a very tame and uninteresting document. It evince? but very little temper and no excitementHe says he has called tlie legislature together because the recent successes of the enemy have made it necessary to pass some additional laws in regard to the arming of the population, and the protection of their territory. He recommends some not very material alterations in the laws, which will increase the armed force at the disposal of the state for the purpose of protection against sudden raids from the federal forces; and on the whole treats | the war as a matter of course, ar^d the situation of things is accepted as a permanency for a long time to cofne. We do not find a paragraph in the whole message which is worth copying. A well-posted correspondent at Washington, writing about "Great Britain and the pirates," says that England wlil be made to pay for all losses incurred by our merchant ships from pirate gun? ./%* ? j # i i mi rn m boats ntteu out m ner pons, me estate Department is acting upon thi9 presumption, for it is recording the exact money lost through tliis agency of the English pirate-ships. Not a merchant vessel is destroyed but the fact is recorded, and, so far as possible, the valne of property destroyed is ascertained and written down. ' Hon. John M. Botts again Abrestep.? Hon. John. M. Botts was arrested by the rebels at his house on Monday last during j the cavalry fight near Brandy Station, and has since been taken to Kiclimond, > where he will doubtless be imprisoned and held for the return of Shackelford, ? Bradford, Freeman, and other secessionnf Pnlnonnw' /v?nr?fv nnu' in tllft f hi """ " -w. capitol prison., Mr. Botts was a paroled prisoner to the.-Cpnfederacy. Deserters from Lee's army say that the rebel soldiers are becoming bai e? foot, and that apprehensions are felt by their officers that great suffering will ensue this winter among the troops unless the blockade at Charleston, through which port most of the foreign goods have reached the confederacy, is raised speed ily.