INCIDENTS OF THE WAR.–

A correspondent relates the following incidents:–

“The Platte Valley steamer was brought to by the guns of the St. Louis arsenal, with a load of traitors and contrabands. the first shot, a blank cartridge, produced no effect. The next was a shell, which was made to explode a little beyond the boat; and this also was disregarded. The third, a large ball, passed just above her deck, between the chimneys and the wheel-house, and had the effect to set the bell ringing and the whistle screaming, which signals of acquiescence were continued till the boat reached the landing. ’Why, sir,’ said the Captain to the gunner, ’did you mean to sink me?’ ’Certainly,’ was the cool reply; ’I am ordered to fire one harmless shot at least; I gave you the benefit of two, and aimed a third at your engine, but the gun was ranged a little too high. I did not want to hit your boilers, and scald you all to death; but the next time I shall sink you at the second shot!’ ’For God’s sake, don’t trouble yourself,’ replied the Captain; ’just send a small boy down to tap a drum whenever you want me, and I’ll come to at once.’

“Major Rawlings tells an anecdote, in the same vein, of a prominent lawyer of St. Louis. ’Major,’ said he, lately, ’I’m a choleric man, and I find it won’t do. I’m getting to have a profound respect for Minie bullets. Won’t you do me the favor to get me one? and whenever I find my temper rising against the Dutch, I will put my hand in my pocket, and feel a bullet, and that will cool me off!’ The Major got the bullet for him, and the effect seems to be equal to the expectation. Certainly it is better to have one in the pocket than in the body, if the effect on one’s loyalty is just the same.

“Some one inquired of Col. Boernstein how long he should remain. ’I don’t know.’ he replied with a French shrug of the shoulder; ’perhaps a year; so long as the Governor chooses to stay away. I am Governor now, you see, till he comes back!’ His notions of freedom of speech and the press he expressed freely, like this: ’All people zall speak vot dey tink, write vot dey pleazhe, and be free to do any tink day pleazhe–only dey zall speak and write no treason!’”–National Intelligencer.

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