Show NEWS FROM contrabands Contra bands reported at fortress fortress manroe that the last of the iron plates were put on the nier bier merrimac at norfolk on the abe and she would be launched the next day days according to a dispatch from savannah on an the no immediate attack by the federal forces was then anticipated there were six federal gunboats gun boats at walls cut and seven at the head of wilmington island commanding the channel of the river commodore tat nall nali conveyed two steamers and a fleet toward dinall fort pulaski with provisions the enemy opened fire upon them and a battle ensued lasting forty minutes the provision boats and the steamer sampson returned the federals fired upon the latter and she was slightly damaged 0 fort pulaski was fully provisioned for six months A aletter letter ietter from an officer at the fort represented that the enemy could nottage not take they might make the federal forces were en engaged 0 aged in hemovi removing rem ovig 19 the obstructions in the ch channel annell but there were other defenses to pass the people of savannah were firm and confident of their inability to defend the city A dispatch from Aug augusta ulita stated intelligence had bad been rece received ired from savannah that subsequently six federal vessels entered the riv river er back ot of the little tylee tybee and passed up to the north end of wilmington Wi island thereby cutting off communication between fort pulaski and the city of savannah tle tie federals shelled wilmington island and fired at the Conf ederae erale steamer ida but no injury was done commodore Tat nalls dalis fleet was at thunderbolt the new orleans delta announced that a steamer ran the federal blockade on the night of the trie uit with 1000 bales of cotton 9 0 the tee vacancy in the conri confederate federate Cong congress rss iss occasioned by the death of john tyler was vas v aa to be filled by an election ou on the tae loth of february I 1 the norfolk day book had called upon the tha adies to contribute their old woollen bi skirts iris and dresses to the government the price of flannel used for fixed ammunition being so 0 high as to subject the overn government ment to a grea great t expense A correspondent of the richmond dispatch writing from charleston on jan stated staffed thal that he was ason as on shed emd on looking about the wharves to see what a large business was going on in tha the colton trade planters wire selling their crops cropf at eight cents and a h half alf ait per 1 und and everything presented a lively appearance on asking the dray men if there was no do blockade they replied that it mattered not about the blo bio blockade claie clade cotton would go whether there was or was not there wasa mas vas a vessel then in the harbor that had run the blockade but a day or two before there was much sympathy in behalf of the city and do 11 nations at 1 on 3 were constantly belp bein being t received from other cities of the south to aid in rebuilding building re the burned district mr A S willington sen or editor of the ibe charleston murier courier aged 81 years is reported to have died 1 ed in charleston on the mr r vl ii 1 inato n connected himself with the Cou cos about the commencement oi of the present century and for nearly dearly sixty years his name as editor and proprietor has cont aued at its head A g gentleman eitleman ent ieman leman who ifft 1 on the 0 january jannary arya ar rAved ived in cincinnati b by y a circuitous route about the isi of february and reported that there were twenty thousand mc men r at new orleans two batteries of artillery at lai lal lake lale e bor borne borgne 0 ne and three at lake rai ral rai that at mobile there were twelve thousand men mery under command of gen walker ex S secretary cre tary of war at pensacola there were between fifteen and twenty thousand twelve thousand on the ra broad line between C ca ar leston aud and saval ab and only fifteen thou thousand sand at columbus Columbi ig there were some bome doubts ab to 10 10 0 o the he truth of his statements |