The Express.
London, England, 1862-04-19 00:00:00

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LONDON, RATURDAP, APRIL 19.

THE preparation, for the great battles which
seem to be imminent between the Northern and
Southern armies still proceed. With the excep-
tion of Island No. 10, as it is called, which is an
island in the Mississippi, near the boundary of
Kentucky and Tennessee, the Confederate amiss
in the west have retired to the south of both those
States, and are now concentrated near Corinth.
That city is in Mississippi State, and is situated
at a point at which converge the principal railways
to Charleston eastward, to Memphis on the great
river westward, and to Mobile and New Orleans
southward. Corinth, in fact, is a strategical point
of the utmost importance, and accordingly the Con-
federates, to the number of some 70,000 men, are
concentrated there, under the well-known General
BEAU RE43AND. The place is raid to be well
adapted for defence, for it is situate in a semi•
mountainous region, and has no doubt been
carefully fortified. Though Corinth is more
than three hundred miles from New
Orleans, still its possenion is necessary to the
Federalists if they intend to prosecute their en-
terprise of attacking New t►rleans from the north,
cc of joining the expedition which has been pre-
pared against that city by sea. The intelligence
from the camp of General ORAN; Who o 0 11111 l ands
the Federal troops in those regions, is extremely
meagre. But it is apparent that the Northerners
are not insensible to the difficulties of the task
which they have undertaken in this quarter. They
see plainly that the retreat of the enemy, instead
of weakening, has strengthened him. In the Border
States the citizens were divided in their allegiance.
But in Mississippi, into which the Federalists
must now enter, every man is a Secessionist.
Whilst, therefore, the Federalists must advance
with diminished numbers, the Secessionists gather
strength as they retire. The Federalists are
getting further front, the Secessionists are getting
nearer to their supplies. It is a mistake to sup-
pose that the Socessiouistsare retiring into a deso-
late country. on the contrary, they have retired
upon a territory which has produced a full crop of
corn,whest, and cattle, and from which no supplies
have yet been drawn. The necessary result is,
that unless the Federalists take care to bring to-
gether au overpowering army and to organize an
efficient conummariat, there is some danger that
the Confederatra may succeed in inflicting
upon them a serious defeat. Those circumstances
readily account for the apparent inactivity of the
Federal armies in the west.

Passing by the expedition against Now Orleans,
which is said to consist of more than one hundred
ships, and from which as yet no accounts have
been received, it may be observed that the Federal
Government still pursues the policy of sending •
senes of expeditions to obtain possession of places
upon the coast. The coast of Florida and of the
l'arolinaa has been visited by the naval and *edi-
tor, forces of the North ; but it must be admitted
that, however successful, those expeditions contri-
bute but little to the termination of the contest.
Indeed the prubsbility is that their object has been
rather political than military. During the long
months in which the Federal armies were
being organized and disciplined, it was essential to
do something in order to calm the pubic impa-
tience; sad whilst the various expeditions in ques-
tion produced this etfeet, they did something to-
wards inspiring the inexperienced troops with con-
fidence and courage. At the same time it must
be admitted that if Oeneral M'CLELLAN should
succeed in defeating the great army in his front,
the disaster will no doubt be aggravated by the
fact that the chief points along the coma are occupied
by the victorious North. This naturally leads to
the observation which has so often been made,
that upon the success of the army of the Potomac
depends the final result of the present contest.
What the precise state of things may be on the
banks of the Potomac or at Fortress Monroe it is
impossible to any. General M'CLELLAN and
hie staff are obviously determined to keep the
public as much in the dark as possible ; and no
doubt they have excellent reasons for adopting
such a reaoltitioil. Already several newspaper
writers have been etTe‘ted, sad even the corre-