The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-26 00:00:00

Letter from Norfolk, Virginia.

The following extracts are from a letter addressed
by a young officer of the British navy to a friend in
Edinburgh, and give an interesting glimpse of the
movements of society in a town with Southern
sympathies but in Federal possession :

" H.M.S. Desperate, off Norfolk, Va, April 29.

"We left Fortress Monroe yesterday in conse.-
quence of a request from our vice-consul here that
we should come up for the purpose of affording
protection to himself and the other British subjects
in the town, in the event of an attack on the toga
by the Confederates.
4, The Confederates are in the neighbourhood of
the town in pretty considerable force. General
Longatreet has the command, some say
of 50,000,
others of 30,000; the latter is the opinion held by
the Federal authorities, their own power being
about the same. They hold the advantage in their
possessing gunboats; still even with that great
help they are not doing the amount of damage to
the Confederates which they so sanguinely e%'
petted.
" For some time the presence of the so-called
rebels has been palpably made known to their an-
tagonists in the neighbourhood of Suffolk by °cos"
sional raids, not doing any serious damage, bat
still enough to keep the others on the alert, and
prevent any aid being sent to others of their forces
in a worse position. Still, though constantly
harassing, the attack on the encampment was never
made. A short time ago the Confederates managed
to erect a battery on the bank of the Nansemond
River, about half-way between Fort Monroe and
Norfolk, from which they have been for some time
annoying the gunboats. We have heard the firing
distinctly for about the last ten days. All Sandal:
it was very heavy. At that time we did not know
where it was going on, but on coming up here see
found nut that the battery had been captured and
about 100 men taken prisoners—not, however,
without (it is said) destroying three of the Federal
beats entirely, and one partially.
"One of the brightest occurrences took place
down here a few days ago. General Corcoran was
stopped by Col. Kimball, of the 9th N.Y.
Volun-
teers, and asked for the countersign; not having it,
and being refused to be passed, he coolly out with
his Colt and shot the colonel. N,xt day he is pre'
moted from brigadier to major general! I think
that heats Sir Joshua Jebb and the 'poor gar'
rotters.'

" Should the Confederates advance on the town of
Norfolk (at present they are investing Suffolo
General littyes, commander-in-chief of the Federal
army here, has given notice that he will at once fir•
upon the town without regard to either sex or age;
and has given notice to all the women to quit thi,
town, hut they will not go. I do not, howevel:
anticipate th attack will take place, and think WI
all the game here is for the purpose of taking Olt
attention of the Federals off some more important'
point.

" The Yankees are awfully savage at us, becall°l
we do not visit them at all, while we are never
of the houses of the Confederates. They put it °
down to our feeling sympathy with the South
the
Well, I dare say there may be some ground for thehe
attributing it to that; in some cases I knowt:e
feeling is entirely with the Confederates, but
real fact is that we got some introductions totba
ladies of Norfolk from other naval officers who Vre
been here, and we all like them very much.
Chop
have no parties or any thing of that kind ; all Chopsay is,' You bring a lot of gentlemen, and we'll
_ea
a
the ladies,' so off we go in a body of about a do:0
and call at any of their houses. Well, from t,13
we disperse and bag as many ladies as are necesropg
and thsn all come back again, and go at it se to
as we can, dancing and singing. for
"This is quite as pleasant for them as for 0-'O9
they have literally only one young man in the t does
all the rest being in the army or navy ' • and 13e
nos to
not go much out, as he is tormented by alloolied to
crinolines, caps, and crochet, so they are g
catch us.
" There is one projected move on foot her~vt
e.
the establishment of a civil government in v're'oetit
Whether this is to be subordinate to the crow ;
military law, or to supersede that, we do not see°
at any rate the Virginians about here do IJ'ig just
to relish it much. They have a King I.:ney are
now, who, however, is a gentleman ; and a
mightily afraid of getting a King Storl, eater-
hundred to one, will not be so. The ldethe eatileg
tamed by some here at present is, that ell " will be
who
packed will not take th'e
while the lad oath of allegienc. swil nl not be
,ie entof
&Io n •
allowed to leave the town ; and by this rt,_d uce ttio
cruelty, this separation of families, toljouien. At
poor wretches to join the detested ,ren, thenilt
present almost all supplies are cut off bto subsist
some families, indeed have hardly en°l the Pear
on. Still, from what I have see°
that, if au be
here, male and female, I should ,saY pars the
Confederates are like the people of Ch
ill reencluer
North may exterminate, but never IV
them."