The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-05 00:00:00

from the main land by a small creek and an impassable
swamp, and in olden times was called Devil's Island. This
morning the little creek had risen to anunprecedented height,
had burst over its banks, had covered the swamp up to the foot
of the bluffs, had undermined the railroad, and cut us all of
from communication with the belligerent world. All the sick
in the Army of the Potomac have been brought to Wind-
mill Point, three miles below Acquia Creeks and are well
protected from the storm by large hospital tents. Between
4,000 and 5,000 are thus provided for, and accommodation
will soon be ready for 1,000 more. To one unfamiliar with
the Army of the Potomac. 5,000 sick would seem a large
number; but instead of being large it is very small, and is
not one-half that of last winter, when the same army was
as. Earlythat
all who
yester-
dayo
ee
mmoprendining tohredemrsucclaimn
efrtoontthoef
were able to shoulder the musket and march should join
their regiments. Iu less than half an hour 600 were on
their way t o the front. hospitall\ianass camp

"2 o'CLocii
" The latest reports from the front are that, notwith-
standing the storm, the entire army is on the march. If the
storm abates, and the streams can be swam or forded, I hope

to be with the army before sunset."
The Chicago Times has an account of the attack and
capture of Arkansas Post :
"The main position of the enemy was attacked with the
three iron-clad gunboats, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Mound
City, and three light draughfs, the latter having entered the
Arkansas River from a branch of the White River, which
approaches the fort forty miles above the mouth. Arkansas
Post is a place situate at a favourable locality for defence,
on a bend of the river, of irregular, horseshoe shape. It has
for some months been much boasted of by the Confederates
as a spot so fortified as to be extremely formidable. At a
point one mile below the fort, where persons in the fort were
unable to see what was done, troops were diserab.irked. Gun-
boats proceeded up the river, taking -positions above the foci,
as welt as below, so as to be able to rake it with their heavy
pieces. The land forces, meantime, arrived. The rear di-
vision, under Sherman, found, in proceeding back to some

distance, that a bayou hindered progress in the way de-
sired, and he returned and chose a route more favourable
for intended operations. Another division, meantime, took
up a line of march somewhat nearer the locality of the fort,
and escaped the obstruction of the bayou. Other obstruc-
tions existed, however, in the shape of rifle-pits, which it
became necessary to flank by advancing to the furthest
extremity from the river. This was not done without con-
siderable skirmishing, which consumed the remainder of
Saturday. There was some loss in these proceedings, and
about 60 of the enemy, most of whom were wounded, got
into the Federal lines by mistake, and were taken prisoners.
It was nearly dark before the Federal forces had so far ad-
vanced as to have the fort in full view, ready for storming
the next morning. While their operations were pro-
ceeding on land, the gunboats had taken positions,
and a little before dark a smart artillery fight
took place, which the early closing in of darkness cut
short. The first shell fired by the enemy struck a lieu-
tenant of the 113th Illinois, shattering his leg. The next
morning the land forces found that the enemy, having lost
their rifle-pits, had thrown up new intrenchments. These
they proceeded to attack, and also to secure a position above
the fort, as well as below. The ground near the fort was
found divested of timber, except in a particular portion,
which was useful for cover, and prostrate trees and brush
were so disposed as to present the greatest possible amount
of obstruction. As the two sections of attacking land forces
advanced, they decreased the distance between them more
and more, approaching the position of surrounding the fort.
A reinforcement of 2,000 men arrived to the rebels from Fort
Charles, on the White River, 25 miles distant by land ; and
it was with difficulty this force made a junction with the
main body of the rebels. They succeeded, however, by
taking advantage of the shelter offered by a ravine. Mean-
time the casual firing of the artillery from gunboats and in
reply, which had been partially suspended by the necessity
of supporting the land operations, grew more vigorous, and
at one o'clock heavy firing commenced:between the fort
and gunboats, and was sustained three hours and a half so
incessantly that there were only occasional intervals at
which the strained ear for a second was relieved from the
thundering roar. The casemating of the fort presented a
formidable appearance, which seemed to some extent to
justify the boasting that had been made of its impenetra-
bility. There was a thickness of three feet of solid timber
covered with railroad iron, the whole looking as if it could
resist the utmost force of cannon shot. To the deep dis-
may of the defenders of the Post of Arkansas, the balls
from the monstrous guns of the boats shattered their most
formidable defences, and penetrated and demolished strong-
holds they had reared with so much skill. The battered rails
of iron came tumbling down, and the strong ribs of timber
were blown with fatal effect among the ranks they were to
have saved. Dismounted guns fell into common ruin, prov-
ing the dreadful power of gunboats with their mighty ar-
maments. The second shot fired by the Federals at the
commencement of the contest of three hours penetrated a
casement of the fort and killed seven men. By another
shot, one of the enemy's caissons was exploded, causing the
death of six men and nine horses. With their casements
demolished, their defences exposed to a raking fire never
surpassed for violence, and storming parties closing in upon
their rear, but one course was open to the enemy. After a
loss of about 200 men killed, wounded, and missing, and
somewhat heavier on the part of the attacking party, the
commander of the post, General Churchill, surrendered at
half-past 4 p.m. General M'Clernand took the whole
force, about 4,800 prisoners, 1,200 or 1,400 of whom
were on the sick list. The gunboats, which had inflicted
so much damage, escaped without serious injury, Prisoners
declared that if our arrival had been postponed another
day they would have given us a much stiffer fight, as large
reinforcements would have joined them. In reply to ques-
tions as to the number of men and state cf fortifications at
Pine Bluff, Little Rock, and pointe on White River, the
prisoners advised interrogators to go and count and observe
for themselves. It is thought probable St. Charles, on
White River, will be next reduced, then Pine Bluff, and
finally Little Rock. In addition to the above I have seen
a slip from the Memphis Enquirer, which says two regi-
ments of rebels arrived at the fort the morning after the
surrender, and entered with flags flying and drums beating,
supposing it was still held by the rebels. They were cap
tured, of course, swelling the list of prisoners to something
over 5,000,"
The following has been received at the Navy Depart-
ment :

" Cairo, Illinois, Jan. 21.
"The gunboat Lexington, Lieut.-Commander Shirk, has
just arrived, at 11.30 a.m., conveying 4,793 rebel prisoners
of war from the Post of Arkansas.
(Signed) "A. M. PINNOCK, Fleet Captain.
"To Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy."
Tho Department has received an official account from
Commodore Porter relative to the brilliant part performed
by his fleet in that action.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
(From the Now York Snipp
.ily and Commercial List of
Jan 24.
The aspect cf affairs in commercial and financial circles
remains substantially the same. The uneasiness en-
gendered by the anomalous condition of the national
finances, and the probable passage of the Financial Bill
framed by Secretary Chase and the Committee of Ways and
Means continues without perceptlle abatement, though
the people are becoming wearied of the unsettled condition
of things growing out of it. The wonderful movement in
Stock Securities, though occasionally checked for the mo-
ment, continue to form the mast conspicuous characteristic
of these eventful times. The publication of the estimate of
the Commissioners of Internal Revenue, coupled with the
wonderful developments which have been made in regard
to our resources during the past year, is calculated to con-
tract to some extent the evils arising from the distracted
state of the finances, though, in view of the probable crea-
tion of 300,000,000 dols. of Legal Tender Notes, it is hardly
to be expected that the general inflation can soon be per-
manently checked. The Commissicner of Revenue, after
having cause d a most careful investigation to be insti-
tuted into the several sources of revenue, and an estirrarate
to be made of the amount which may be derivedis63 4
theo
each source, estimates that for the ca
amount realised from internal revenue will fly! year
rt
be less than
150,000,000 dole.

f the
,New York journals
THE BANDS.—Some °
wear noticing the pretty fashion" the
are unable to refrain from
cier
kat bands. Whether in street
ladies have of it
tng
is "the rage" in that city to wear
them. They are
or drawing roorn,frow
six to ten inches in length, accord-
to the lady's taste. One paper says that when worn
ng
lout of doors with the background of a fur cap the effect is
a most decided novelty.
Fs.TRAORDINARY WIND AND HIGH TIDE.—
yesterday, soon after 12 o'clock, the wind which
had been blowing moderately from the westward, backed
into the W.S.W., and increased nearly to a gale, con-
tinuing to gain in strength over the ebb. At half-past four
o'clock the gale—for at this time it had assumed the cha-
racter —was accompanied by a thick and drifting rain, the
tide in the river rose to a very unusual height at high
water, inundating low-lying water- side premises on both
sides of the river, and at quarter ebb the current was so
rapid that the upward bound steamers were unable to make
headway against it, and several vessels were driven from
their moorings, causing many collisions. At sunset the
wind increased in violence, and the strong indications of a
rough and stormy night induced the masters of vessels in
the river to make " all snug" as a preventive of damoa:ia
!;
and as it was expected that the tide of this morning ,wwer
rise much higher than that of yesterday, workrn
e
employed in constructing dams,
ac., to prevent ae:
over-
flow.

THE NAVY.
VALETTA, San. 31 :—Her Maj
troopship Megcera, Commander
which arrived from Corfu on the 23d inst., left port
for Gibraltar and Portsmouth on the 27th. Her
Majesty's paddle-wheel frigate Magicienne, 16,
Capt. his Serene Highness the Prince of Leiningen,
which left Malta on the 24th inst. for Corfu, is to
proceed thence to Messina, and is expected back
here by the end of the week. Her Mejesty's screw
steamship Meeanee, 60, Capt. G. Wodehousc, ar-
rived on the 26th inst. rrom Plymouth and Gib-
raltar. Being new on the station she fired the usual
salutes, which were immediately returned. She
had several slight cases of scarlatina on board, which
were removed to hospital before she was admitted
to pratique. She is to leave this week for Naples,
but nothing is as yet said of the return of theecre w
steamship St. George, 84, Capt. the Hon. F. Eger-
ton, having Prince Allied on board, which has been
stationed there for some time. The screw gunboat
Alacrity, 4, Commander J. Baird, left. Malta on the
26th inst. for Beyrout, to relieve the -Wanderer, 4,
Commander M. C. Seymour, and the Surprise, 4,
Commander W. H. White, screw gunboats, which
are to return to this island. The screw steam fri-
gate Phoebe, 35, Capt. D. A. Fortescue, which has
been out for a cruize to Syracuse, communicated
with Malta harbour on the 23d inst., and after land-
ing Commander J. Baird, stood out to sea again,
and returned into port on the 25th. She is to pro-
ceed early this week to the Piraeus, to relieve
the screw steamship Queen, 74, Captain C. F.
Hillyar, which will then proceed to Corfu, and,
after staying there a short time, will probably
return to the Piraeus. Her Mejesty's screw
steam frigate Liffey, 39, Capt. G. Parker, left
the Piraeus on the 21st inst. for Calamata and
Malta, and is hourly see; ected la re. The Queen,
having on board the :lion. Mr. Scarlett, her Ma-
jesty's Minister at Athens, returned to the Piraeus
on the 20th inst. from a visit to Paros, Nauplia, and
other ports. Everywhere marks of the great en-
thusiasm with which the English are now regarded
were displayed by the inhabitants. lam informed
that Mr. Scarlett has reported the state of the coun-
try generally was more satisfactory than had been
represented, although isolated cases of brigandage
continued to occur, perpetrated, no doubt, by the
prisoners who were released at the commencement
of the revolution. At Patras and Missolongi, for
instance, it was considered necessary to make a re-
quisition for the presence of English ships of war,
and the screw frigate Shannon, 35, Captain 0. J.
Jones, and the screw sloop Chanticleer, 17, Com-
mander C. Stirling, were accordingly despatched
thither from Corfu. An unfortunate and fatal
occurrence took place while the Queen was at
Nauplia. One of her seamen, named John Rontree,
was getting into a shore boat to return to his ship,
when some dispute arose between him and the
waterman of another boat, who struck the seaman
with an oar on the back of the head, which caused
almost immediate death. The Greek was at once
arrested and conveyed to prison. The body of the
ill-fated sailor was interred on shore on the follow-
ing morning, followed to the grave by a number of
marines and bluejackets, and most of the officers of
the ship. The Pheebe also lost a man at Syracuse,
named Henry Nicholls, captain of the maintop,
who, while assisting in sending down top-gallant
yards and top-gallant mast, fell from aloft. A sub-
scription was raised on board the ship for his aged
mother, who was dependent on him; Her Majesty'e
paddlewheel despatch vessel Psyche, 2, Lieut.-Com-
mander Sterne, having completed her repairs, coals
to-night, preparatory to leaving to-morrow morn-
ing for Corfu, where she will remain a few days,
and then proceeds to Constantinople, to relieve the
iron paddlewheel sloop Trident, 6, C. J. Balfour,
which returns to Malta. The English schooner
yacht Flirt, belonging to Sir Percy Shelley, re-
turned to the Piraeus on the 10th instant, and is
still there. The Turkish steamer Vassitaj Tigiaret,
Capt. G. B. Bianchi, returned yesterday from Tri-
poli, whither she had proceeded from Constanti-
nople, to relieve the garrison there, disembarking
some 300 Turkish soldiers,ard bringing away about
400. Her Majesty's screw steamship Marlborough,
131, Capt. W. H. Stewart, C. 8., bearing the flag of
the Commander-in-Chief, went out yesterday with
the Admiral for gun practice, and having also on
board Major-Gen. Wood, C. 8., commanding the
First Brigade in this garrison. A fatal accident
occurred a few days ago to Mr. Alexander Hender-
son, second mate of the English merchant steamer
Memnon, which had arrived that day from Liver-
pool. While a bale of goods was being hauled up to
be discharged from on board the steamer on a lighter,
the rope gave way, and the bale fell upon the second
mate, fracturing his skull and killing him on the
spot. His body was conveyed the same afternoon to
the Ta Braxia Cemetery, followed by the com-
mander and crew of the steamer to which he
belonged."
It is reported at Plymouth that the Indus, the
guardship of steam ordinary in Hamoaze, is to
be used as a receiving-ship, in the place of
the Royal Adelaide, 26, which now carries
the flag of Port-Admiral Sir Houston Stewart,
K.C.B. It is further stated that the sailing ship
Canopus, 84, will be attached to the Indus, and that
cadets from the training ship Britannia, 8, at Port-
land, will be sent to the Royal Adelaide for disposal.
The screw steamship Princess Royal, 86, having
been removed from the north basin in Keyham
steamyard to the basin inDevonport dockyard, will
be placed to-day in dock to be repaired and have
her bottom examined.
Directions have been received at the Royal Engi-
neer establishment, Chatham, by Col. Harness, C. 8.,
for a number of masons, bricklayers, carpenters, and
men of some other trades to be selected from the
companies at headquarters to augment the 7thcom-
pany, which has recently arrived from Nova Scotia,
in order to raise it to its proper strength: The men
ordered for transfer to the 7th company are to be
complete in their fieldworks. Reinforcements are
also to be selected from the depot companies of
Royal Engineers at Chatham to augment the 4th,
15th, and 18th companies, now serving in Canada.
A considerable portion of the sea wall at the
entrance to the Medway, running in the direction
of Chatham harbour, has been washed away by
the rough sea and high tides which have
recently been experienced along the south-cast
coast. This has caused not only considerable damage
to the barrier which is constructed to keep out the
sea, but submerged the whole of the adjacent lands.
An examination of the structure since the accident
by the officials connected with the War Department
has resulted in the discovery that the wall in several
Punsafe, and will require careful
reacrotns sis r
extends for a considerable dis-
tance, including a large portion of the Island of
sheppy, and for nearly the whole extent is much teuxectieoend. exceedingly
ex-
posed. O wing to the faulty manbneeerninwwashhieedh iat
wwa ays
originally ,
and the oubt
luaiyl t ,t
omkuecehpo fi
it
nh aas
substantial state of
repair has been very large. The primary cause of
these breaches, which, unfortunately, are now of
frequent occurrence, is the high angle in which the
outer face of the wall terminates and the varied ma-
terial of which the facing is built. In many places
the wall terminates in an angle of 70 deg., with no
support behind it except an embankment of loose
earth. Instead of this the slope should have been
carried seaward gradually some 200 yards, while at
the same time the wall should have been well sup-
ported with a revetment of substantial masonry.
While the present structure remains the War De-
partment will be called upon to spend some hun-
dreds yearly in useless repairs, and at the same time
the entrance to Chatham harbour will become more
intricate than ever from the gradual formation of
banks of sand and mud. The present condit ion of
the sea wall, for the security of both public and
private property, requires the immediate attention
of the War Department, it being now apparent that
nothing less than an entire reconstruction of the
whole, by means of convict labour or otherwise, will
be effectual, and lessen what at present is deemed
inevitable—the filling up of the Medway by the
formation of innumerable shoals,

Importing Tea without colour on the leaf pre-
vents the Chinese passing
off inferior leaves as in the usual
kinds. liorniatan's Tea is uncoloured, therefore, always
good alike. Sold in packets by 2,280 agents.