From Arkansas

St. Louis, May 9. Tlio Democrat of this. mcrning pubTishes the following-; The expedition of Gen Steele. towards Shrevep'ort lias ended with liis return nnder rntiier exciting circumstancos to Littlo Hoek Gentlemen conveisant with the facts arrivcd herl eomniunieale a statement to the follow; fng purport: Siècle left Little Koek with some 12.0ÜO infantrv and 3 000 j I cavahv under Gen. .i-k ad olhi;i i was oceupied with uut diffi-cultv, and a forcé moved forward to Gumden, lietween Aikadelphia and Cunden the subsistencia train, eonsistiiig of' one hundred and eighfy uagons was cut oll' and captured by the cneniy, togUhcr v!h au eseoK .il' four huudred :md eighty men wbo suddenly fuiind iheinselves tti the hands oí' i superior forcé, and adelitlle liiöi.-taiice at Gumden. Steele soon fuund t tic rebels S,OÜ!J strong, wilh cavaliy ia liifi rear. Two liuniii-cii and t'orty vvugons dispatdied íroni Cai den to Pine Hluff tor storee, nilli l,(iOU inen, wtru eapiured by the eiuiuy. 'i'he steamer Ahuno, with twenty tons of ainmunition lor .SlrrUiV anny wassnnk 40 miles below Ijiltle itotk by eoinmg in colli-ion with another steiiuiei'. The pilo-6 who had clmrge of the boat was put undur arrest on suspicion of treuclierv bat bubsequently releasf-d. Sloelo found no stores to subsist ins troups on, and had to reduce their allowance to ijuarter i ations, as his moveruont wis to be co (perative with tito inain one of Banks, whieh had failed. ïhere reinained tio oourse but to ruturn to Litt'e Rock Pnce un dertook to retain Steele at (üainden, while Manuaduke, wilh a stron forcé, set ott' for Litlle Ilouk Steele, to act f"r thu safety of the Arkansas capital with its Uniou population and milliona of dollars worth of Federal stores, 'and fur the i -escue of his inny, broke through Priee's lines, aud set out to get to Little Rook in. time. to save it from Marnuuluke,, wlio was niííking every exertion to reach and bag the proposed gaine at. tvibine Fork. It beoame neeessary togive Price battle, which was handsomely done. The rebelswere we'A ïuouuted, in fiue condition, and the figbt was protraeted and bioody, laating three or four honig and resulled in the complete repu'se of the enemy, leaving Steele to resumé an excitiug race wilh Manuaduke. The httor approaehed Little Koek, tlirowiug shells into the city on tlie lst. Shortlv afterards Carr's eavalry eanie up, and joining lis troops at the post conipellcd Marmaduke to relinjuish Lis undeitukiug. lle made little resktance as ihe niain body of Steelo's arrny was rapidly arnving. The legislatuie was in aession, and probably not ooe buil of its niembers, if caught, would havo been spared by ll.r exasperated foe. Uuriug the entire march Stoei e 'g troops were constantly skirmishiug wi h the eneiny, who hung upon their rear and üauks, strenuously endeavoring to inipedo their progress. There were nó ambulanoes for our wounded, and they had 'o be k-ft iu houses of residents on the rond. The captnrod escort of 1,600 uien was composed of the 3Gth Iowa, 32d Indiana, and 77th Ohio. Only 45 succeeded in escapiüg. Our informant represents Stcele's eavalry as deplorably deficiënt in horses, our men beiug compelled to use unbroken mules in many instane.es, or to try to use them ior cavalry horses. Priee's forces still lingering in the vicinity were stripping the often desolated country anew.