The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-26 00:00:00

THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTON,

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The country has ceased to look for the capture I
of Charleston, either by General Gilmore's army
or by the ironclad navy. The many months that
have passed since the last serious attempt by the
Monitors have brought with them many promises,
and left behind them an equal number of disap-
pointments; and those who anticipated that Gene-
ral Gilmore's reduction of Fort Wagner would in-
stantly be followed by the seizure of Sumter's site,
of Fort Moultrie, James Island, and all the works
in the harbour, have waited in vain for the realisa-
tion of their hopes. The navy has maintained a
blockade of Charleston harbour that even the rebels
must admit is effective, if not perfect ; and our news
has all along kept us informed that General Gil-
more was from time to lime training his guns upon
the city, as well as " feeling" the state of matters
along the important railroad linestretching between
Charleston and S ivannah. The recalling of these
latter facts will remind those who fancy that our
army and navy down there have been absolutely
useless that they, at least, are mistaken ; for we do
not doubt that the simple fact that General
Gilmore has ceaselessly threatened the railroad
line just mentioned has held in the vicinity
and kept out of service elsewhere a very large
rebel force. When another attack upon the
defences of Charleston was in contemplation,
prior to the assignment of Admiral Dahlgren, and
Gen. Gilmore to their present commands, the ques-
tion, we presume, was not, What is the best way to
operate ? but, Can we operate at all, so as to make
the handful of troops in that department available
for offensive operations ? Can the meagre land force
there be advantageously used, or must it remain

idle ? Circumstances rendered it impossible to in-
crease it. Not a regiment could be spared from any
of our armies, and any work in the Department of
the South must be done by the force already there.
Two attempts against the defences of Charleston had
been made without gaining a foot of ground. One
was a land attack under Benham, and the other a
naval attack under Dupont. Ironclads were deemed
a most formidable means of offence, and it was evi-
dent that any plan which promised success must
involve n close co-operation of land and naval forces

in some project that would allow the iron-clad ele-
ment to enter largely. The few thousand troops in
the department were not expected to capture
Charleston, but only to execute their part of a plan
Of joint operations. To have thrust them upon the
main land unsupported against an enemy that had
had two years to erect his defences and having
at his back unlimited means of concentrating
troops by railroad, would have been crimi-
nal folly. A plan of joint operations was
agreed upon, each branch of service to do cer-
tain specified work. The plunging fire of Sumter
was what the Monitors most feared on account of
weak decks. That eliminated, naval men declared
that the Monitors could pass up to the city. An
article in the Army and Navy Journal, evident,y
written by some one wtio knows what he is talking

about, tells us that the plan of attack proposed by

General Gilmore was,-1. To effect a lodgment on
the south side of Morris Island, which it was known
the enemy were then strongly fortifying; 2. To be-
siege and reduce Fort Wagner, by which all the
works on Cumming's Point would necessarily fall ;
3. From the position thus gained to demolish Fort
Sumter; 4. The vessels of war to remove the ob-
structions at the entrance of the harbour, and reach
the city by running by the works on Sullivan's
Island. The first three items of the above pro-

gramme were fully accomplished long ago, and the
fame of the performance resounded throughout the
world. The echoes of General Gilmore's big guns
and the arguments of the " Swamp Angel" were
not our least persuasive diplomatists. For the
ensuing weary months of delay there may be good
reaaan, but, whether there is or not, General Gil-
more is by no one held responsible for this delay.
His work was done, and well done. When it was
suspected that the enemy was putting guns on
the channel faces of SamtAr, fire was re-opened
upon it. A slow fire from mortars, 'to pre-
vent working inside, was long kept up. What ad
•
vantage the delay has given the enemy cannot be
well estimated. It has probably entirely changed
the condition of the problem. The shores of the
inner harbour and the wharves of the city bristle
with guns that did not exist at the time Gilmore
took Wagner; and military men assert that what
was feasible for the monitors to do then is very diffi-
cult if not impossible now ; that if they once reached
the inner harbour they could not hope to remain
there. The permanent occupation of Sumter by our
troops, while the enemy bold James and Sullivan's
Islands, seem to be impracticable, neither is it at all
necessary. Sumter is harmless, and cannot injure
the monitors. But the enemy, from his batteries,
saes all the five faces of Sumter ; we, from our•bat-
teries, see but two of its faces. The enemy has a
concentric fire on Sumter—his batteries encircle it;
ours fire upon it from one direction. It would ap•
pear, therefore; that if it were possible to get pos-
session of it, it would not only be possible but easy
for the enemy to get it back again. The prospect
of capturing Charleston by the monitors, or by an
attack after any fashion, or by any agency, from
the front, does not certainly seem to be very bril-
liant, but still we do not believe that the rebels will
bold the city all of this year by any means.—New
York Times.

MRS. LIRRIPER READ AND BEETHOVEN ILLUS-
TRATED.-Mr. Howard Glover announces another of his
morning concerts--at which the entertainment will be
varied by Mrs. Stirling's reading of a part of "Mrs. Lirri-
per." There will also be given Beethoven's Pastoral Sym-
phony, with scenic illustrations.
NINE YEARS OF RUSSIAN FINANCE.—In 1853
the funded debt stood at little above £60,000,000,
and the floating debt at perhaps 10 or 12 millions more.
The paper circulation was about £50,000,003, supported by
a metallic reserve of more than a third of that amount.
Since that time the funded debt has risen to £11,000.000,
the floating debt is doubled, the circulation of bank notes
has been raised to more than£loo,ooo,ooo4 and specie pay-
ments have been suspended.

THE ALABAMA,—By the arrival of the Cape Ira,
we learn that two vessels had arrived in Table
Bay at, the end of December with news of the Alabama.
Captain Cato, of the Beautiful Star, reported that in pass-
ing the Straits of Sunda, on the 25th October last, he was
informed that the Alabama had passed Angier a day or two
before. She had 25 men sick, and did not report any cap-
tures. Captain Sedgwick, of the Latona, from Singapore,
reported that he had heard of the Alabama being in the
China Seas, and on the night of the 6th November, off the
Java Heads, saw a fine vessel of about 500 tons, with all
sails sat, on fire, and a bark-rigged steamer near her, which
he supposed to be the Alabama. A private letter which
has been shown us describes the later occurrence as follows :
—" On the night of the 6th Nov., about 150 miles W.S. vV.
of Java Heads, I was called about 11 o'clock by the third
officer to look at a ship on fire. I jumped out and hurried on
deck. It was rather a dirty, rainy sort of a night, and we
were under easy sail—royals, mizentopgallant sail, and
mainsail stowed; and right ahead was seen a bright glare.
The Latona was close-hauled, so as to make a little to wind-
ward of it, and under the impression that she was one of
the cotton ships from China, which had accidentally caught
fire, we burnt blue lights to let her know assistance
—a wafine
s at
hand. As we got near her we could see her plar
double topsail yard bark, royals hauled up, but not stowed,
and the mainyard backed ; in tact, properly hove to, as anon
y
other ship would be for a boat to board her. Sho was
fire fore and aft, masts all standing, and seemingly not a
soul aboard her, and no boats in sight. It was one of the
finest sights I have seen at sea. It was, as I have said, rather
to
a dirty night, and though, we were close to the unfortuna
bark, it was as light as day, all outside the halo of her light
was doubly dim and black. Out of this darkness came a
long low craft, which we soon found out to be a steamer,
hue we could not distinguish her colours. Shat he passed
was oat
between us and the bark. We guessed w she
once, rriore eapecially ae we heard in Singapore that she had
been at the Cape, and was probably going towards the China
Seas. The comments of our crew were rather curious,
greatly in favour of the Southerners ; but it was a source of
lamentation the burning of the bark's fine white cotton can-
vas, enough to make jumpers and trousers for all hands for
some years I We expected a visit from the Alabama, but
she did not come near us, {is we kept away on our course.
On our arrival here the lieutenant of
the
an Unitedextract from
States
steamer Mohican came on board and got
the log, and two days after that lett, bound eastward, on a
cruise. It will take a much smarter craft than she is to
catch the Alabama."
THE HISTORY OF THE COTTON FAMINE.—Mr. It.
A. Arnold has undertaken to write the history of the cotton
fsanins. Mr. Arnold is known as the author of " Ralph ;
or, St. Sepulchre's and St. Stephen's," and is a contributor
to our periodical literature ; besides which, he was officially
connected with "The rublio Works Act,"