The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-18 00:00:00

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of South Carolina. I had occas]
Pocataligo, about half way bet
Savannah, to inspect the bat,
Federals recently encountered
and were by them routed and
gunboats. Between Pocatalit
dozen low-lying swampy rive
poo, the Combahee, the Nor,
and many more, find their way te
their banks the far-famed rice planta.
Carolina present their glistening, unctuous surface
to the sun, and scarcely afford foothold io anything
heavier than a foxhound. On the highest ridge of
land between these rivers the sandy soil is covered
with a growth of pinewood, which is everywhere
fringed with a dense undergrowth of evergreen
shrubs. Everywhere the beautiful evergreen water
oak, which resembles our English ilex, but grows
to a far larger size, delights the eye, and is covered
on every branch with long weepers of parasitical
moss, which give to the forest trees a wierd-like
aspect as of giants with hoary, streaming beards. It
is through such a country as this that an invading
army would have to advance to attack Charleston
from the land side. It requires but ono look at this
country to make one understand why, during a war
of 21 months, the railroad between Charleston and
S tvannah, which for miles and milts is conveyed
upon trestlework, hes never been cut, and why
there is little danger of its being cut in the future.

In addition to the other land and sea defences of
Charleston, great credit is due to its defenders for
the energy with which they have built and equip-
ped. two large ironclad rams, which are now
lying at the wharf, and are likely to be very pro-
minently heard of if ever the long•threatened as-
sault shall fall upon the devoted head of this " pea-
tilent nest of sedition." Three other similar iron-
clad rams are in an advanced stage of progress.
As regards the efficiency of the blockade which
clutches the throat of Charleston harbour, it may
be that nothing more efficient could, under the cir-
cumstances, be instituted by any nation ; but, if
the efficiency of a blockade be tested by the fre-
quency of the capture of ships attempting egress
and ingress, it is a farce to consider Charleston,
Wilmington, Savannah, and Mobile effectually
blockaded. Scarcely a dark night passes but a
vessel goes into or out of one of these ports ; and
yet it would be difficult, so far as the number of
blockading vessels is considered, for any nation to
institute a more restrictive blockade. The truth
appears to be that, if it was difficult for any nation
institute an efficient blockade in tle day of sail-
ing vessels—and how difficult it was). fhe British
nation fully learnt in their long war at the begin-
ning of this century with France—it is almost im-
possible to do so in these days of steam. Swift
vessels of light draught, painted lead colour, so as
scarcely to be visible at a distance of 30 yards, and
consuming coal which emits:only a light vapoury
smoke, laugh the blockade to scorn as they noise-
lessly emerge from or creep into their sheltering
harbours at a slow, stealthy pace, which is attended
by no sound from screw or paddle. There are ves-
sels which, during this war, have run into and out
of Southern harbours some 50 times, and have
scarcely had one shot fired at them. The world has
learnt many truths from the gigantic struggle which
for two years has. convulsed this continent, but
it is doubtful whether any more pregnant lesson has
been taught than the impossibility, in our times, of
instituting a rigorous blockade along an extended
and difficult line of coast, be the maritime power of
the nation instituting it what it may. The success
of one large Charleston firm in the blockade-run-
ning business is no secret either North or South,
and was detailed to me in its full particulars many
months ago in New York. My only object in alluds
ing to this firm at present is in order that justice
may be done to the liberality which its enlightened
managers have evinced in their dealings with the
Confederate Government. No ship which belong-
to Messrs. Fraser and Co.—the firm of which I am
speaking—ever reaches Charleston wharf without
its invoice being submitted to Gen. Beauregard,
with the cost of each item fully marked, and with a
request that he will select from the cargo at his
own price whatever will, in his opinion, be useful to
the Confederate Government. It is possible that
this liberality may have brought its own reward, as
it is understood that the Confederate Government
have paid for what they have selected higher prices
than Messrs. Fraser are likely to have asked ; but
when it is mentioned in connection with the fact
that there is no charity or public institution in the
city of Charleston. to which the managers of the firm
of Fraser and Co. are not munificent subscribers, it
must be conceded that very high praise is their due,
although they are not apparently of such a make as
to value very highly this public mention of their
good deeds.
It is hardly necessary to state that nothing has as
yet been done to repair the damage inflicted upon
Charleston by the terrible fire which swept from
river to river on Dec. 12, 1862. From that moment
until the present hour the fate of the city has been so
doubtful that it has not been thought worth while
to build up, in order that (as seemed at one time
very probable) the Yankees might destroy. But
the fearful havoc and devastation then inflicted
upon the town, and which were at the time tri-
umphaittly pointed at by the North as the work of
iacendiary negroes, are still awfully manifest, and
place the fire of Charleston in the category of the
great conflagrations of this country. There seems
every reason to believe that, if the large building in
which I am now writing—. the Mills-house—had
caught, the fire would have swept down to the bat-
tery, and consumed all the richest and finest portion
of the town. The inhabitants are never tired of
telling stories of the disinterested zeal, devotion, and
energy of the black population upon this trying
occasion. Men and women of colour suffered
their own houses to be burnt without making an
attempt to save anything, while their efforts were
frantic to save the plate and linen of the white
families to which they were attached as slaves. There
is throughout South Carolina a cheerfulness and
contentment about the slaves which can scarcely be
paralled in any other State. In the plantations
near Columbia which I visited last week it would
be difficult to find upon earth so light-hearted, con-
tented, and prosperous a labouring class as the black
population. At one of these plantations, the owner
of which is now attached to General Lee's army in
Virginia, the eagerness and affection with which we,
who had lately come from Virginia, were cross-
questioned about the health and well-being of
" Massa Frank" were touching to witness.
The principal interest, so far as active operations
are concerned, is at this moment directed towards
the coast of North Carolina. The weather along
that bleak and exposed coast is, as I write, more
than usually boisterous, and the almost daily record
which reaches us describes some United States
transport or sailing vessel aground off the coast.
The difficulty of extensive operations along such
a shore at this time of year must be great
indeed. Extravagant estimates of immense forces
of Yankees said to be advancing against Golds-
borough and Wilmington have long been current.
There is, however, plenty to justify the belief that
a formidable attack is likely to be made upon the
ribs of North Carolina ; but, even if it were success-
ful, of what avail would it be unless accompanied
by a simultaneous descent upon Richmond from the
North ? The mind is weary of dwelling upon these
repeated scenes of wanton, purposeless, unnecessary
slaughter. Day by day we are becoming more fully
acquainted with the full truth about the recent fear-
ful battle of Murfreesborougb, and day by day the
wantonness of the slaughter at Murfreesborough
becomes more apparent. What has been gained by
it ? By the Confederates, who fight on the defen-
sive, much; by the Federals, whose only object is
to gain great victories and dissipate the armies of
their foe, worse than nothing. Vicksburg still holds
its own, and, in the opinion of all competent authori-
ties,_ will continue so to do. lam assured thatitoris
Hudson, that other point on the river
which P
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has set in favour of the Confederates, All the
decided successes—such as the second battle of
Manassas, the battle of Fredericksburg, and others
—have been gained by them and a thousand lesser
incidents—such as the foundering of the Monitor at
sea and the successful explosion of a torpedo in the
Yuzoo River—have made strongly in their favour.
Everywhere, throughout Secessia, the most astonish-
ing and almost incredible harmony pervades men,
women, and children. Against these facts the
Federals have to set such doubtful triumphs as the
battles of Sharpsburg and Murfreesborough. They
have confessedly less able Generals than their oppo-
nents ; they have a population rent by political
schisms, unstable as to its objects of pursuit,
agreeing only as to the propriety of mutual recrimi-
nations. Can it be possible that Mr. Seward end
the Washington Cabinet ale blind to the inevitable
consequences of a contest which is carried on under
such conditions ?

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asked how he was. " Well," he said, pathetically, " I think
I feel the better for that little walk."—American paper.

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