The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-17 00:00:00

Vd d 6/ Ae

.~-

•-.

711
. '
Nimis '
Olt
:41‘'
WO .k.'j • ,
„
Drli. ~11 Pt. - --. 4.) -
; - 'MOLT. ord
" (4.." 1111-4-

town it is impossible for its former inhabitants to
return to their ancient domiciles. Much sympathy
has been evinced towards these hapless sufferers,
and it is expected that by Gen. Lee's army alone
not less than 100,000 dole. will be subscribed to-
wards their relief. It is singular to notice the in-
terest which the negroes in camp take in this sub-
scription, which they imagine is calculated iu some
manner to injure the Yankees, and to which they
therefore show great alacrity in contributing. As
an instance, four adult negroes and a boy at Gen.
Jenkins' head-quarters subscribed to the Fredericks -
burg fund no less a sum than 22 dols. Whatever
may have been the feeling of the slaves in North-
ern Virginia in reference to emancipation at the
commencement of the war, it is certain that they
now entertain towards the Yankee a mingled feel-
ing of abhorrence and terror, which is continually
increasing, and is stimulated by the reports which
reach them of the misery of the runaway negroes
at Washington and Harper's Ferry, and Craney
Island. At this latter pine, which is near For-
tress Monroe, it is reported that a large body of
negroes are kept in a kind of confinment by the
Federal authorities, in a miserable state of dirt,
listless apathy, and disease. It is found that no
work can be extorted from them by hope of re-
ward, or any of the stimulants which provoke the
white man to industry, ,-k,nd the Washington
Cabinet has the option- ut
Wowing t'•em to
starve or driving them back into captivity.
Ludicrous stories are told about the want of suc-
cess which has attended the efforts of the Federal
generals upon the coast of South Carolina to drill
and make soldiers out of negroes. It requires a
thousand white soldiers to guard night and day a
thousand negroes, to whom arms have been commit-
ted, and prevent their bolting with the muskets in-
trusted to them. When the negroes are called upon
to fire, the scene, as described to me by an eye-wit-
ness, baffles belief. Some fall flat on their faces,
others scramble up trees, nearly all fling away their
muskets, and endeavour to break out of the ranks.
IfFresident Lincoln,
and Mr. Wendell Phillips,
and General Butler could witness the eagerness
with which every Southerner who is acquainted
with negro nature welcomes the news that many
negro regiments are being organised at New Orleans
and elsewhere, they would have qualms about em-
ploying the African as an engine of war, and would
probably incline to the belief universally entertained
throughout the South, that no better method of
transferring muskets to the hands of Southern sol-
asked whether he
idni eel.
as
ocould easily
d
i t
h free negroes I have
I n many conversations
neverwouid
rmetat h
eorn
bee
twho,reeor
rn
have being
a master, did not re-
spond
that he would prefer a good and kind master
to freedom. It is useless to disguise the fact that
liberty in the eyes of the negro means simply immu-
nity from work. In tropical climates, such as the
island of Hayti, where the ground teems sponta-
neously with yams, and the trees bend under the
weight of their fruit, the negro basks in the vertical
sun, and is in Paradise. But in such a climate as
Virginia, where life cannot be supported without
manual labour, the negro needs the guidance and
support of the white man, and is conscious of this
want. Philanthropists of all ages and all countries
have loved to paint an African Utopia, in which the
negro might be awakened to the dignity of self-
supporting work, and might be taught the blessing
of unassisted independence. It was after such an
Utopia as this that " Old John Brown" yearned,
and his ignorance of the constitutional tempera-
ment of the negro cost him his own life, while no
man, white or black, was the gainer by its sacrifice.
The remark lately made to me at Richmond, to
the effect that this war would soon be brought to
an end if 50,000 aged and infirm negroes and
negresses were driven into the Federal lines, and
thrown upon the Federals for their support, shows
no inconsiderable acquaintance with human nature,
both black and white.

Generals Lee, Longstreet, and Stuart continue to
occupy the same head qu Irters in which they had
been living for nearly a month before the battle.
General Burnside, on the contrary, is said to have
piked his head quarters nearly halfway between
the town of Fredericksburg and Acquia. Creek.
Upon every bright day the Federal balloon is ob-
served floating in the sky, but the experience of 20
months of warfare has taught the Confederates how
little formidable such engines of warfare are, and
very little heed is given to the learned professor
about whose movements in the air the Northern
journals have so much to say. But if in respect of
balloons science has proved an inadequate coadjutor
of Bellona, it must be confessed that upon another
element she has incontestably asserted her supre-
macy. I allude to the superiority of the modern
rifled cannon, and more especially of the Whitworth
guns in the hands of the Confederates. It is im-
possible too highly to praise the
performance, a
field gun, of the 20-pounder Whitworth. There is
no other gun upon this continent which can com-
pare with it in lightness, in precision, and in length
of range. Again and again one single Whitworth
gun has forced Federal batteries to change their
position, and eventually to fall back. The only objec-
tion here entertained to the Whitworth is the ab-
sence of shell which may be projected from it. The
Confederate. Ordnance Department has invented a
shell which, it is hoped, will suit it, but I am not
aware that it has, as yet, been successfully tried.
Be this as it may, there has been more joy among
the Ordnance officers over the arrival of five more
Whitworth guns, which have just arrived safely at
Wilmington in the steamer Giraffe, then there would
be at the capture of 100 such guns as were in posi-
tion on both sides at the battle of Fredericksburg on
the 13th of last month. It is curious to remark how
luck alternately favours and deserts the vessels
which attempt to run the blockade. At this moment
hardly a day passes without the announcement that
some vessel has successfully run into Charleston,
Mobile, or some other Southern port ; and, inasmuch
as most of these vessels are the property of the Con-
federate Government, and bring cargoes of which
the value at this moment can hardly be estimated,
it will be understood that the profits of the venture
do not go into the pockets of mere speculators, but,
through the agency of the Government, find, their
way to the Confederate soldier and citizen. Unques-
tionably the Confederate Government could afford
hereafter to lose many of its vessels in consideration
of the success which has recently attended its in-
fraction of the blockade.

RICIIMOND, Jan. 4.
Having been my own courier, and having con-
veyed this letter as far as Richmond,
it is de-
si:abla that
I should add the latest impressions en-
tertained here in regard to the important battle at
Murfreesborough, which raged during the last day
of the departed and the first day of the current year,
with a fury and vehemence which has throughout
this war characterised the engagements of the West,
and which culminated last summer at the dreadful
battle of Shiloh. It should be premised that the
attack directed by General Rosecrans against the
Confederate lines at Murfreesbornugh was rendered
necessary by the fact that the Confederate cavalry
had got into his rear, and had cut off the communi-
cation between the important towns of Louisville
and Nashville. General Rosecrans had no option
but to advance against the Confederates, and, if
possible, clear them out of Tennessee, or to fall back
upon Nashville and abandon the whole of Eastern
Tennessee to the Confederates. He chose the former
alternative, encouraged by the fact that his own
army outnumbered Gen. Bragg's two to one, and
that he believed Gen. Bragg to be additiorpilly
weakened by the recent withdrawal of a large de-
tachment from his force. It is understood that the
lines occupied by Gen. Bragg at Murfreesborough
were selecled by President Davis and Gen. John-
ston, and that the great object of fighting a battle
when the disparity of forces Was su _
great was to
prevent cooperation between the force of Gen.
Rosecrans in Tennessee and the force under Gen.

e

u ~~,

Plymouth in his flagship, the screw steam frigVe
Sutlej, 35, Capt. M. Connolly, on Dec. 11 last..
The paddlewheel steamer Locust, which is being-
fitted as a supernumerary tender to the Chatham
steam reserve, is ordered to be fitted with Lumley's,
patent rudder and steering apparatus. This vessel_
being employed exclusively on harbour service it is.
of the utmost importance that she should be able to
turn in the smallest possible space, an advantage
obtained by the use of Lumley's rudder...
In order to facilitate the coaling of vessels of war
at Chatham and Sheerness, an operation which now
causes considerable delay, Admiralty directions
have been received for one of the spare steam en-
gines now in store to be fitted on board the Ocean
coal depot, in order that the work of coaling up the
various steamvessels, which now occupies some days,
may be completed in a few hours.
Au Admiralty order has been received at
Chatham announcing that the percentage charge-
able to all officers on hoard vessels of war fur use
of furniture, mess fittings, &c., is reduced from 771-
to 5 per cent. Directions have also been received
to fill up and keep complete in store the several
articles of olectro-piate, cutlt ry, linen, china, glass,
&c., required for. all ships in the first division of the
steam reserve with the exception of gunboats.
Letters received at Portsmouth by our corre-
spondent from Barbadoes, dated Jan. 22, announce
the arrival there that morning of her Majesty's
screw transport Adventure, Commander's'. B. _Leth-
bridge, with the head-quarters of the 3d West India
Regiment from Jamaica. This vessel was appointed
to sail for the Gambia, west coast of Atrica, on
Jan. 24. The Adventure, since leaving England on
Nov. 1, 1862, had done remarkably well, and
steamed no less than 9,711 nautical miles. She
arrived at Madeira on Nov. 9, and left again on the
11th. Jamaica was reached on the 28th of the same
month. There t rtillery taken out from Wool-
wich was diserrl ,cl, and the 3d corn- ly of the
14th Regiment, and the 2d company 3-. , est India
Regiment, taken on board. The ship left for St.
Lucia on Dec. 3, where she arrived on the 10th,
discharged the troops on board and took others on
board for Barbadoes, where she arrived on the
She again exchanged troops and sailed on the 13th
for Demerara, where she arrived on the 16th. Ex-
changes of troops were next carried out with Trini-
dad on the 17th, Barbadoes again on the 20th,
Jamaica Dec. 29, Belize (Honduras) Jan. 2, 1863,
Jamaica the 13th, and, finally, Barbadoes on the
22d. Other letters received by our correspondent
state that the Adventure sailed at 4 a.m. on Jan.
24 for Sierra Leone, the Gold Coast, and Lagos, to
relieve the troops stationed at those places.

The Bombardment of Acapulco.

PANAMA, Jan. 25, 1563.

The enclosed is a translation of a letter received
in this city from an eye-witness of the bombard-
ment of Acapulco by the French fleet. The
writer is a Mexican, but gives a very correct
and reliable account of the whole affair, which
has been confirmed by other parties. It is evident
that the Mexicans had a very respectable force on
shore, and for that reason the French concluded it
would not be prudent to remain on shore or in the
port, and were compelled to leave for some other
port where they could get fresh provisions and
other supplies. During the bombardment the Mexi-
can flag was shot down three times; but the mo-
ment it fell they hoisted a new flagstaff. The Mexi-
cans conducted themselves with great bravery, and
deserve credit for the gallant manner in which they
defended their forts and city.
ACAPULCO, Jan. 17, 1863.

I will herewith give you an account of what has
happened with the French squadron on the days of
the 10th, 11th, and 12th inst.
On the m3rning of the Bth came in sight the
Pallas, the Galatea, the Cornelie, and the Diamant.
Soon after the latter advanced with a white flag,
making the following demands on the citizen Go-
vernor of the State, Diego Alvarez, as I have un-
derstood them :

1. That satisfaction should be given for and the
official report made to the Government by General
Ghiurdi, in connection with the Bayonnaise, be re-
tracted.

2. That the fortifications be dismantled outside,
as they were nothing for such naval batteries, as
they were only composed of two old 24-pounders,
mounted on old marine carriages.
3. That they should be permitted to take in
water and coal, and also provisions.
All of which was denied to them, although Mr.
Van Brunt and others used their best endeavours
to get some concessions for them.
On the 9th their pretensions underwent some
modification, to the effect that the Admiral aban-
doned the point of exacting the dismantling of the
fortifications, but insisted upon the others ; and the
captain of the Diamant added the threat that in the
space of two hours they would sweep all the forti-
fications clean. Although Gen. Alvarez fully under-
stood the d;sadvantages of our old artillery, badly
mounted and of short reach, in comparison with
their modern pieces, he refused all their exactions
with much dignity, adding, that if the French squa-
dron entered the port he would fire upon it. The
resolution was communicated to them at 6 p.m. on
the 9th. On the 10th, between 8 and 9 a.m., the
French squadron entered, the Diamant towing the
Galatea, and the Pallas the Cornelie. At 9 a.m.
exactly the forts Hornos, Cameron, Grifo, and Can-
delaria opened fire about the same time. This last
fort of the Condalaria had only a 12-pounder and
another small piece, while our artillery were saved
although dismounted. The look-out fort, called I.
Alvarez, opened fire likewise. But pretty nearly
all the forts had no piece large enough to reach the
squadron. Particularly the guns of the Grifo
and the Hornos were silenced immediately, as
the pieces were dismounted by the enemy's
projectiles, which came down on them in regular
showers, or perhaps the carriages were too old
already to stand the shock of firing. The Fort
Cameron, which is nearly down at the entry of the
harbour, probably fired the most shots. The Cora-
mandante of it, citizen Camilo Bracho, held out
firing on the enemy until he had no guns left to
oppose. The Candalaria also fired many shots. It
appears that the Pallas was struck by a ball fired
from the Cameron just above her water-line, by
which she must have been severely damaged. Zhe
fort Candalaria, which had but one gun, was ob-
served by the United States ship Saranac at anchor
in a corner of the Tambuco, and the Americans had
to admire the valour of our soldiers fighting there,
as they only left it with their small gun when all
their ammunition had given out. Our forts were
mostly without parapets. The commander of the
Cadalaria was so much heated or fatigued that he
took off his coat, taking " fresco" under a shower of
bombs and balls of great calibre.
Great things these French have done. When
they observed that not a single soldier left in
the forts—all situated near the waters edge—they
jumped ashore to finish the
bek
gunsrebreaking or rolling
them into the water. left, which they
readily accomplished by either
While they disembarked
from their vessels they were protected by a heavy
figover the ground they moved to. They fired
firing
n
sixty-pound bomb-shells out of rifled cannon.
All this occurred on the 10th. On the 11th and
12th only the Pallas continued shelling the fort
Alvarez. When they ceased firing, the fort answered
by a few shots, but none of them reached the enemy,
a l al
st hcoougnt theset
owseernedt hu e bests
her of
bombs
ar guns.ir
three The
dPaayl
s
—sixty-pounders out of rifled cannon—and fired in
all about 1,300 shots, until the evening of the 12th,
when the whole squadron left in the direction of
Manzanillo and Mazatlan without obtaining any-
thing they demanded. Of our troops about eight
or nine were killed; wounded but few.
The city suffered a good deal, too, by the bombs
that fell into it by accident. Several houses were
set on fire, and others more or less injured. The
house of P. Ravarte and Co. (formerly the house of
Azuyeta, Huarte, and Co.) burnt down almost one-
half, causing a loss of merchandise, &c., of from
20,000 to 30,000 dollars, without counting the ma,
terial of the house. Several poor families, who had
deposited here their few possessions, lost all by
the fire.

BANK ROBBERY AT MANCHESTER.—Between
Saturday night and yesterday morning an entrance
was effected by thieves into the new premises erected in
pall-mall, Manchester, and occupied by the Bank of Man-
chester, who abstracted from an old safe a quantity of gold
and silver, amounting to 4060 4s. The principal safe had
resisted all attempt to force it open. The thieves appear to
have gained access through a wall from an adjoining build-
ing, in which they had secreted themselves before it was
locked up on Saturday.

1"17 S. LINDSAY, M.P.—The Rising GGo ene.ra-
Y • tion—Our Prize Essays—Mrs. Grundy'
s ssiPulg
&C., in FUN this week.
One Penny. Of all Newsmen•

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-
GARDEN.
uder the Management of Miss Louisa Fyne and Mr. W.
_Harrison, Sole Lessees.
THIS EVENING (Feb. 17), Balfe's New Opera of THE
ARMOURER OF NANTES Mb_.s Louisa Pyne, Mrs. A.
Cooke, and Miss Anna Hiles ; 3lessrs. W. H.Weiss, Santley,
Corri, C. Lyall, Aynsley Cooke, and W. garrison.
Conductor—Mr. A. Mellon.
After which, the Grand Comic Christmas Pantomime, en-
titled H ARLEQUIN BEAUTY A N D.THE BEAST.
Doors open at half-past i—OOmmence at 7.

THEATRE-ROYAL,DRURY-LANE.—
Lessee and Manager, Mr. Edmund Falconer.
THIS EVENING, DON CESAR DE BAZ IN. Mews.
Henry Lorraine, Sinclair, Chas. Selby; Mrs. Bowers, Mrs.
Edmund Falconer, Miss H. Howard, ecc.
After which, the Grand Pantomime of LITTLE GOODY
TWO SHOES.