It was this circumstance, my boy, that gave rise to the recent reports of the capture of Richmond, as considerable of the Rebel capital is known to be invested in railroad iron. Shortly after Samyule's return, the Grim Old Fighting Cox took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, ordered a couple of spies to be executed, and discharged the following "CONGRATULATORY ORDER. "HEAD QUARTERS MACKEREL BRIGADE. "The General commanding tenders to the aged Mackerels his congratulations on their achievements of the last seven days, which were week. "If they have not accomplished all that was expected, the reason is, that more was expected than has been accomplished. "It is sufficient to say that they were of a character not to be foreseen without foresight, nor prevented without human sagacity and attainable resources. "In withdrawing from the other side of Duck Lake without delivering a general battle to our adversaries, the Mackerels have proved their renewed diffidence in themselves, and their fidelity to a high standard of retiring modesty. "In fighting at a disadvantage, instead of at the enemy, we would have been recreant to our trust in our pontoons. "Profoundly loyal, and conscious of its strength, the Mackerel Brigade will give or decline battle whenever it considers the weather sufficiently pleasant and the newspapers sufficiently snubbed. "It will also be the dictator of its own history and the vindicator of its own legs. "By our celerity and secrecy of movement, both in crossing and re-crossing Duck Lake, we neither pursued, nor were pursued by, a Rebel. "The events of the last week may swell with pride the feet of every officer and soldier in this Brigade. "We have made long marches and countermarches, crossed and re-crossed lakes, surprised the enemy by our advance, brought back seven pieces of our artillery, and given heavier blows than the wind. "We have nothing to regret, save the loss of our brave companions, and in this we may be consoled by the conviction that they fell in the holiest cause ever left so exclusively to the care of Providence, that very little human intelligence was deemed necessary to direct its arbitrament in battle. "(Blue Seal.) "THE GENERAL OF THE MACKEREL BRIGADE." As we consider the vast world of animated nature, my boy, and mark what apparent simplicity there is in the structure of beast, bird, and reptile, does it not seem exceedingly strange, that all of man's vaunted ingenuity has thus far succeeded in making imitative approximation only to the insect kingdom,--the apparently least difficult of all,--and to _that_ only by such a spurious kind of a bug as Humbug? Yours, wonderingly, ORPHEUS C. KERR. LETTER XCV.