The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-10 00:00:00

THERMOMETER.

This morning
This day at Two o'clock 6O

Barometer-29.85.
Wind—Westerly; light, and cloudy.

"`-'•

LONDON, THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 1863.

The Fall of Sumter does not by any means neces-
sitate the capture of Charleston. The demolition
of the Fort is certainly, at the same time, a
step towards the occupation of the city,
Yet, when this has been said, nearly all
has been said : for it is really and truly
little more than a step! Writing rafter the de-
struction of Fort Sumter, one of the most intelligent
of the correspondents upon one of the principal of the
Nave York newspapers, penning his remarks under
date Morris Island, the 24th ultimo, observes —" The
work before this army and navy is more gigantic
than any abroad, or than many here, seem to com-
prehend." Ominous words, those, beyond any doubt
of it, in their most grave emphasis ! But words
that the correspondent thereupon immediately
hastens to justify, while yet further emphasising,
thus—" Because," he writes, " the rebels in 1861,
by reducing to surrender a garrison without pro-
visions gained possession of Fort Sumter, thereby
depriving the United States of its military power
in this harbour, it does not follow that the United
States, by regaining possession of its ruins, deprive
the Confederacy of Charleston. There are," he
goes on to say, " yet other and far more formidable
works, some on 'shore, others in mid channel
which our troops and ironclads will be obliged to
overcome and reduce before they can make a com-
bined attack upon the city." Observe—before they
can get at the :city, for the purpose of sub-
jecting it to a combined attack, they will
have, according to this informant, who writes from
the spot, who is himself an eye witness of the
obstacles that will have to be overcome, those
obstacles, those other and far more formidable
works, that the writer thereupon goes on to enume-
rate, will, as he observes, have to be overcome one
after another, by way of a preliminary. Referring
in the enumeration of these same obstacles, first of
all to the situation of the Federal navy, now
engaged in threatening Charleston through its

outworks, this correspondent of the New York
joarnal says " Fort Moultrie is not yet taken, nor
have the monitors', directed their energies against

that stronghold. In order to get fairly by Sum-
ter, they must not 'only paes or reduce Moultrie,
but they must partially destroy and. run the
gauntlet of the strong line of obstructions which
reaches directly accross the channel from the walls
of Sumter to the shore of Sullivan's Island. Here
is an immense labour at the outset, requiring not
only great strategy and courage, but in all pro-
bability much time, which is now of serious import-
ance to us. The character of these obstructions are
said to have been correctly ascertained a few
nights ago by young Porter, and are now in
the possession of Admiral DAHLGREN. What
means will be employed for their removal are not
yet announced." Ugly enough, even that, to begin
with ! But he adds, " Accepting these obstacles
as past, however, others in the shape of
a vast bed of torpedoes will have to be floated
over near the junction of the South Folly Island
and Hog Island Channels, about half a mile from
the water battery, at the head of Sullivan's Island.
At this point the monitors will be subjected to a
concentrated fire from the water battery, from Fort
3.°lllason, from the mortar battery on Middle Ground
trete, the battery at Haddrell's Point near Mount
1:1".sont, and from two other batteries nearer still,
just below Mount Pleasant. Unless the monitors
prove
actually impregnable to any fire, this trial
will be a „re
ceding goy perhaps perhaps a disastrous one. Con-
Moultrie passed and silenced, together
with the obstretious and the line of torpedoes,
the route which
Admiral Dahlgren has still to'
pursue will will be
a will be
most unpleasant one. His
approach, therefore,
Writer after environed with terrific
dangers." The
wards takes seriously
into consideration the three
Federal eauccessive routes by
which, according to hi
iron-clads may
yet approach Charleston. R4h of
these almost
appearing, as we read, more e
formidable than the
one about which we have last been reading.
Even when he supposes the Northern
assailants to
have got, so to speak, within reach of the be
leagured city, what are his remat ks in regard to the
defences of Charleston ? Tney are these—...., The
city itself is known to be strongly fortified
and defended by heavy ordnance. No one,” he
says, " who will glance at the map of Charleston
harbour can fail to be impressed with the truth of
these statements, and those here who have watched

with en impartial judgment the career of the moni-
tors, and the means and courageous defence of the

enemy, are fully convinced of it.' Towards the
close of the communication, he remarks, indeed,
quite frankly, as his own assured conviction, " Our

final success is—in the distance !" Meaning, in
other words, that, as we here set forth by remarking,
the Fall of Sumter does not by any means imply
the immediate seizure of Charleston. He tells his

brother Federals in New York, through the journal ot
that of which he is the correspondent, "We are
fightiog apinst an enemy that is not easily scared,
Lrc►m the destruction of the city ytill not be