TRENT. 



" There is a good deal to be done, it is true, 

 for we have an empty treasury, and our 

 finances are in a woful condition. We cannot 

 effect loans now as in peace times. Our United 

 States bonds are not available. Our lands, in 

 rny opinion, cannot be made available now, and 

 the only thing I can see, which is a certainty, 

 is taxation, and the people must face the music. 



" I have no doubt ample relief will be ex- 

 tended to our citizens, by something akin to a 

 stay law, and, indeed, there is a disposition al- 

 ready exhibited to extend relief wherever it is 

 needed." 



The election for Governor resulted in the 

 choice of F. R. Lubback by a majority a little 

 over 1,400. 



The number of troops which Texas had in 

 the Confederate army on the 1st of November, 

 was estimated at nineteen regiments. These 

 were all in the field, or on their way thither, 

 and posted as follows : 



Wigfall's, Hood's, and Archer's in Virginia ; 

 Terry's and Gregg's in Kentucky ; Green's and 

 Locke's in Missouri ; Young's in the Indian 

 Nation ; Ford's in Arizona ; H. E. McCulloch's 

 on the Northern frontier; Reily's, Green's, 

 and a third not yet organized in Sibley's bri- 

 gade ; Lucket's, Garland's, Parson's, Moore's, 

 Nelson's, and Bate's for the coast. In addition 

 to these, Col. Nichols was raising a regiment 

 for six months' service on the coast ; and there 

 were also several more companies in service 

 not attached to organized regiments. 



The cereal crops of the State were unprece- 

 dentedly abundant last year all through the 

 grain regions. Great quantities of wheat, corn, 

 rye, and barley were raised by the German 

 portion of the population. It was thus stated 

 by a citizen : " The cattle upon a thousand 

 hills and plains were never so thriving and 

 well-conditioned, and if there were railroad 

 communication, Western Texas could feed and 

 forage all the army of the Confederacy at the 

 lowest rates." 



An attempt was made to prepare Galveston 

 for a defence ; for this purpose a battery of 

 four columbiads and several rifled cannon was 

 undertaken to be transported across North- 

 ern Louisiana by the State Government. A 

 force of between two and three hundred oxen 

 was employed, making a progress of about ten 

 miles per day. The line of march commenced 

 at Alexandria, on Red River, where the ord- 

 nance had been landed from New Orleans 

 steamboats. These efforts do not appear to 

 have been successful. 



TRENT, BRITISH MAIL STEAMER. This ves- 

 sel belonged to the line of English merchant 

 steamers which run from Vera Cruz and Ha- 

 vana to St. Thomas, carrying the mail by 

 contract, and thence connecting with a line to 

 England. She left Havana on the morning of 

 the 7th of November, under the command of 

 Captain Moir, having on board Messrs. J. M. 

 Mason and John Slidell the former sent by the 

 Government of the Confederate States, as am- 



bassador to England, and the latter to France. 

 Nothing of interest occurred till about noon on 

 the 8th, when in the narrow passage of the old 

 Bahama channel, opposite the Panador Grande 

 light, a steamer was observed ahead, appar- 

 ently waiting, and showing no colors. 



The English report says: On approaching 

 her, Capt. Moir, of the Trent, hoisted the British 

 ensign, which met with no response, until the 

 two vessels were within about a furlong of 

 each other, when the stranger tired a shot across 

 the Trent's bow, and hoisted the American flag. 

 The Trent was still holding on her way, when 

 a shell was fired from a long pivot gun on the 

 American's deck forward, which burst about one 

 hundred yards from the Trent's bow. Captain 

 Moir immediately stopped the Trent, as the 

 American had her broadside of guns run out, 

 and men at quarters ready to fire. Captain 

 Moir then hailed her, and the American cap- 

 tain replied that he wished to send a boat to 

 the steamer. Two officers and about twenty 

 men, armed with muskets, pistols, and cutlass- 

 es, then shoved off in a boat and boarded the 

 Trent, and demanded a list of the passengers, 

 which the captain refused to give. The officer 

 commanding the boat stated that the name of 

 the frigate was the " San Jacinto," of which he 

 was the first lieutenant, and further, that they 

 had received most positive information that cer- 

 tain passengers were on board, whom he wished 

 to take out. Commander Williams, R. N., the 

 naval agent in charge of Her Majesty's mails, 

 with Captain Moir. positively objected to their 

 being taken, denying their right to take any per- 

 son whatever from under the English flag. The 

 lieutenant then called out the names of the 

 commissioners and their secretaries, and said 

 that those were the persons he sought, and that 

 he would take them at all hazards. The four 

 gentlemen, who were standing near, answered 

 to their names, and requested to know what 

 was wanted of them. The lieutenant stated 

 that he wished to take them on board the 

 man-of-war, to which they replied that they 

 would not go until they were taken by force, 

 and turning to Captain Moir, Mr. Slidell said, 

 ki We claim the protection of the British flag." 

 On the captain's: again refusing to give up the 

 passengers, the lieutenant said he should take 

 charge of the ship. Commander Williams, R. 

 N., then spoke as follows: "In this ship I 

 am the representative of Her Majesty's Gov- 

 ernment, and I call upon the officers of the ship 

 and the passengers generally to mark my 

 words when, in the name of that Government, 

 and in distinct language, I denounce this as 

 an illegal act an act of violation of interna- 

 tional law an act, indeed, of wanton piracy, 

 which, had we the means of defence, you 

 would not dare to attempt." The lieutenant 

 then beckoned to the frigate, and three boats, 

 containing thirty marines and about sixty sail- 

 ors, officered and heavily armed, came along- 

 side. The men at once leaped on deck, sword 

 in hand. After some more parleying Messrs. 



