January 4, 1861, The New York Herald
The reports from the South are again of a startling character. It is announced from Georgia that the Governor of that State has seized and garrisoned with militia the forts in the harbor of Savannah, and there is reason to believe that a plan has been matured by the secessionists for taking possession of all the fortifications on the Southern coast. The intelligence from Charleston is to the effect that Fort Sumter is besieged, that Major Anderson’s communications have been cut off, that Fort Moultrie has been repaired, that new batteries have been erected, and that everything is in readiness to open fire on the federal forces. The Florida Convention met yesterday. Without doubt this body will pass a secession ordinance as soon as the formalities can be gone through with. The federal Judge of Florida has resigned his commission.
A large and brilliant audience assisted at M. Du Chailler lecture before the Geographical and Statistical Society, Clinton Hall, last evening. M. Du Chailler gave an interesting account of his adventurers in Africa and of his encounters with the gorilla. From the formation of the brain and of the back bone, the organism of which was entirely different in the man and the ape, it was M. Du Chailler’s opinion that men never were and never could become apes, and vice versa. Of the slave trade he said the negroe of the interior thought that all white men were alike, and that they bought slaves to eat them. Masters there had perfect control over the lives of their slaves, but granted them every privilege. The negroes were sold for crime or for debt. The slaves brought to the coast said that there was a cloven footed tribe in the interior, but Du Chailler did not believe it. The thanks of the Society were voted the lecturer for his very interesting paper.