February 22, 1863, The New York Herald
There is no news today from the Army of the Potomac. From the South we have an interesting commentary upon the diplomatic correspondence of M. Orouyn de Lhuys and Mr. Seward in the Richmond papers. The plans of the French Minister for mediation and peace are pretty roughly handled; in fact, they are rather uncivilly declined, the Emperor himself is somewhat snubbed, and Mr. Seward’s letter to the French Minister is described as the sublimity of insolence. The Southern confederacy, we are told, needs no commissioners to settle the difficulty, either of French or any other suggestions; the commissioners already exist in the persons of Generals Lee, Beauregard, Longstreet, Jackson and Joe Johnston.
The Richmond Enquirer says that the Union forces of General Jeff. C. Davis were encountered and dispersed by the rebel General Forrest at Franklin on the 17th inst.
Captain Hutchinson, of schooner Olive Hayward, arrived yesterday morning from Curacoa, reports that on the 10th instant, when in latitude 26, longitude 64 41, he saw the rebel privateer Retribution, which chased his vessel for three hours, but being to windward of the Retribution he escaped by outsailing her.
A letter from an officer of schooner Miranda, of New Haven, after giving an account of the recent depredations of the Alabama, states that the Alabama arrived in St. Domingo on the 28th ultimo, at six P.M., and left the following morning, steering for the Mona Passage. The Miranda sailed the following morning for Mayaguez, and arrived safely in Porto Rico, after being in the Passage two days.
A special meeting of the Chamber of commerce was held yesterday. There was a large attendance. The depredations of the Alabama were the principal subject of discussion. Memorials were adopted calling on Congress to pass the bill empowering the President to issue letters of marque and reprisal, on the issuance of which authority the Chamber has before it the propriety of fitting out volunteer vessels to capture the Alabama and other rebel cruisers. Resolutions were also adopted calling on the government to occupy, by an armed force, the Texan borders contiguous to Mexico, through which latter country an important contraband trade is carried on for the relief of the rebels. Also resolutions in favor of the construction by the government of an oceanic and coastline of telegraph from Galveston to Fortress Monroe and Washington. A full report of the proceedings will be found in another column.