The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-06 00:00:00

(Stamped, ld. Additional.)

M'Dowell, there is General Patterson's division at
Charlestown, and M'Clellan'a on the other aids
of the mounta►ns, which together make an army of
100,000 men. To this must be added an equal
number of secessionists.

But here the telegraph changes the whole cur-
rent of my thoughts. It brings report of the
advance of the Federal troops ; their occupation
of Fairfax Court Rouse ; and then of their
terrific fight until, when victory seemed to be
theirs, they are overpowered by superior *umbers,
and have to retreat. The exact truth of this
battle it is difficult to get at now, and # will be
several days before we can obtain an accurate know-
ledge of its details. By a union of General John-
ston's forces with the main body the rebels were
enabled to uso a very much larger number of troops.
Besides, they were entrenched behind batteriesr.ll
the newspapers will give all the material facts,
which am known, and I will refer to the feelings
and opinions with which this event is regarded in
this section.

In the first place there is the general tone of
sadness that this should have occurred at this time,
not so much for the mere repulse, but because it
will tend to increase in the border slave States the
spirit of secession. It will also put ha& the pro-
ems of the campaign, and delay foil sorrhile aggres-
sive movements. The effect in the North will be
to rouse the people to i dower pipaspilion of the
magnitude of the struggle, and give rise to far
greater exertions. The North has as yet availed
itself of only a small part of its resources, and can
easily double the army now in the field. Impressed
with the necessity, and stung by the present dis-
aster, it will put forth exertions such as it
has never before. A brave people under the
influence of a good cause will rise superior to the
misfortunes of many reverses. This is the spirit
with which the masses in this section receive the
news. The fight, they think, has proved that other
things being equal our men are a match for
their foes. General M'Clellan, who has nearly
cleared Western Virginia of armed rebels, has been
ordered to Washington, and General Fremont, it
is said, will join the forces also at that point.
General Banks will supersede General Patterson,
and then new and more gigantic efforts will be
made to wipe out the present defeat.

The emcees of the rebels was no doubt due to their
superior position and larger foroe. General Beau-
regard is a commander of eminent military,
ability, and he availed himself of every favourable
location for defensive batteries. He has always
been distinguished as an engineer, and won for
himself high praise from his superior officers during
the Mexican war. He is a native of Louisiana,
and, as Lis name indicates, is of French extraction.'
He is now in the prime of manhood, and has some-1
thing in his face and bearing that stamp him as a
man of superior attainments. He has a brilliant
mind in a herculean body, and was said to be, be-
fore he was wounded in Mexico, physically the'
strongest man in the United States. As all heroes, I
even in our day, must have a touch of the marvel-1
lons, so his friends, in their excited admiration,
declare that the muscles of his arm are like
nail rods, and that a blow of his fist is
like that of a sledge hammer. While at
West Point, he gave promise of superior intellect
and graduated second in a class of forty-five. For
his " meritorious and gallant conduct in the battle
of Contreras," he was made brevet-captain, and for
like conduct at Cherubusco, he was advanced to a
brevet-major. The estimation in which he was
held by General Scott will be beat illustrated by
the following incident : Before the assault on the
city of Mexico General Scott held a consultation
with his officers, moat of whom advised an attack
on the southern gate of the city, but Beauregard
argued for an approach on the west, and as this coin-
cided with the opinions of the commander-in-chief
the plan of the young lieutenant was carried out.
About two weeks after they had taken the city, as
General Scott was riding with several of his officers,
he chanced to meet Beauregard. Reining his horse,
he said, with a tone of feigned severity, " Young
man, I wish to reprimand you, and I wish the
whole army was present, but these generals must
represent it. Why did you advise me to attack by
the western gates 1 You see now the ooneequences.
We have taken the great city and the halls of the
IMontezuma, after a few hours of hard fighting, and
only with the loss of 800 men. Be careful in
future, sir, of such bad advice to your superiors."
Being a Southern man in feeling and owning a
large number of slaves, it was natural
that he should join the South and throw
into this movement the weight of his influence.
He is the idol of the chivalry and his name will
always be asacciated with the assault of Fort
Sumter and the battle at Manassas Junction. It
cannot fail to be a matter of surprise that he should
misrepresent, as he does, the feelings and designs
of the North. But here probably his strong and
ardent feelings must mislead his judgment and per-
ception of truth ; besides, in this he does but follow
the entire press and public men of the South.
The administratiou has been perplexed with the
question what to do with the fugitive slaves who
come to the camps for refuge and protection, and
it has decided not to allow any to enter. As states-
men and politicians of the North cast their
eyes beyond the present, they see this dif-
ficult problem staring them in the face. As the
struggle becomes fierce and sanguinary the dis-
position to aid the South iu reclaiming its fugitives
will grow feeble, and it will rot take many such
reverses as this of the last week to deepen an anti-
slavery feeling even in the most conservative
Northerner. it requires but little depth of insight
to perceive that underlying all other questions in
this contest is that of the supremacy of the slave
oligarchy or of constitutional liberty. Mr. Davis
says, all we ask is to be let alone ; that is, we wish
first to break up the Union, and then to establish a
great and; overpowering slave oligarchy. It was in
the interests of this propagandism that the South
rushed into the Mexican war—it was to aid this
that its leading statesmen have desired to buy
Cuba ; and for this end Walker was encouraged
and stimulated in his expedition to Central
America. Not content with this, the South will
also demand of the North the rendition of slaves,
should the attempt to establish a separate con-
federacy succeed. At the close of last year Mr.
Davis, in a conversation at Washington with a
young man from the North, was asked, upon the
event of secession, what would the. South do when
the slaves run away t We would come over and
take them, was his reply. This would end in a
perpetual border war. Turn the subject over in
any light, the question comes back, it is a contest
between hostile, social, and political forces. Pro-
bably this struggle will continue far into the future.
Only a portion of the North at present see this. But
public opinion ripens fast in times like these. The
South will not be content to live on equal terms.
Slavery is progressing—it seeks to strengthen itself
by territorial expansion, and will not from choice
remain where it is. It has controlled the politics
of this country during moat of its history, and has
grown arrogant and grasping. Hence it will
not yield its dominion without a terrible struggle.
Looking upon the subject in this light, I think we
have just entered upon this greet contest—one of
such magnitude and extent as will shake society to
its centre. But I will not anticipate events. the
shook of arms this week was such as has never been
witnessed on this continent ; and in this we have
only seen the beginning. The North, by this re-
verse, will rouse itself to renewed exertions. In
some respects the South has the present advantage.
She has had longer time to prepare, but has not
such latent resources. She is exhausting herself
much more ; and as the North, profiting by re-
verses and learning in the severe and painful
school of experience, will gather up its mighty re-
sources, and the practical inventive genius of the
people be turned in the direction of war, we shall
witness battles of far greater magnitude.

:~

:.: .

[TWOPENCE

Passing along Washington-street to-day I saw
the 3rd and 4th regimenta of Massachusetts Volun-
teers' which have just returned from the war, and
as their term of enlistment had expired, they were
to be mustered out of service. When Washington
was threatened, the President called upon the
governors of the various States for soldiers to serve
three months. This State was the first to respond,
and the men literally left their ploughs, and threw
down their tools, and rushed to arms. These two
regiments were among the earliest, and by their
prompt arrival at Fort Monroe, secured that
important fortress from attack. Some of
these men were also in the front rank
in the engagement at Great Bethel. They
were weather-beaten, and both in face and
dress bore the marks of actual service. As I saw
them on the common and looked round on the spec-
tators, I was vividly reminded of another gathering
in that very place, and one, too, in striking contrast
with this—l refer to the review of the troops on
Boston-common by his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales during Ins visit here. There was much in
that pageant which was beautiful in itself. It was
one of those lovely October days when the rich
foliage of the trees are gorgeous with their golden
and crimson hues. As the parade-ground is lined
on one side by hills which slope very gradually these
ere packed with well-d
_people eager to seethe
Wriegernent. The Stab Mama, .as it arose in
the distance, with its grand dome in the sky an& its
front pillars decorated with flags, gave animation to
the picture. On the aide of the parade ground the
water threw up its jets which sparkled in the sun-
light, and as the Prince rode along on a splendid
black horse, cheers from more than twenty
thousand voices filled the air. The burnished
arms of the soldiers, and especially the rich uni-
forms of the Lancers, gave additional brilliancy to
the picture. The hearts of thousands on that oc-
casion went forth in hearty greetings to the repre-
sentative of the British throne. But what a con-
trast is the present scene, and what a history marks
the brief interval of time between the two. Here to-
day were some of the very men who had composed Meth
citizen soldiery. But now it was no holiday parade.
The sun-burnt faces of the men and their dingy
dress spoke of exposure and hardship. Their tread
was that of men of resolution who had been
engaged in earnest work. The crowd seemed to
catch the spirit of the hour. There was an unusual
seriousness in their faces, and even the voice of
applause had a deep and subdued tone. As they
filed along the Governor of the Commonwealth dis-
missed them with the assurance that they had most
nobly performed their duty, and now returned to
Massachusetts, their home, and the people met them
with a generous welcome.