The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-04 00:00:00

HAY MARKETS.

SMITILFIELD.—Meadow hay, £4 6s to £5 7s 6d; clover,
£5 8s to .16 7s 6d ; and straw, £1 7s to £1 14s per load.
Demand inactive.

CUMBERLAND.—Meadow hay, £4 8s to £5 lOs ; clover,
£5 8s to £6 8s ; and straw, £1 8s to £1 14s per load.
A dull inquiry.
WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, £4 6s to £5 7s 6d ; clover,
£5 lOs to £6 lOs Od ; and straw, X/ is to £1 14s per load.
Supply limited.

Railway Traffic Returns for the Week.

Mlles Opened. Receipts.

Railways.

The blockade runner Cyrene, just arrived from
Nassau, fell into the hands of the Federals. It Is
expected that two others will follow. On the night
of the 18th Capt. Bragg, aid-de-camp on Gilmore's
staff, raised the first Federal flag over Sumter.
The houses in the lower part of the city were com-
pletely riddled by the Federal shot and shell. The
wealthy part of the population had deserted the
city. The poorer classes remained, and they were
suffering from want of food.
The following additional details have been re-
ceived. It is stated that the operations of the Con-
federates began at 10 on the evening of the 17th,
and in about twelve hours the evacuation was com-
plete. Early on the morning of the 18th the fleet
observed two terrific explosions. Burning frag-
ments filled the air for a great distance. The shock
was severely felt by all the Federal vessels. Many
thousand bales of cotton were burned by the explo-
sion of the warehouses and the firing of other public
buildings. The Confederates who remained to the
last are stated not to have been well organised. The
majority of them merely remained for plunder. The
inhabitants state them to have been guilty of many
disgraceful acts. Several hundred Confederate de-
serters concealed themselves in the houses when
Charleston surrendered, declaring themselves tired
of the rebellion and of fighting for it. They were
received as prisoners. Crowds of negroes met the
Federal troops and made demonstrations of joy.
They wanted food, and said they would be glad to
work. Some proposed to take up arms against their
masters. Their condition is described as much worse
than that of the inhabitants of Savannah. The ap-
pearance of the city—the lower part of which was
uninhabitable, and the upper in flames—is described
as dreary and desolate in the extreme. It is stated
that the evacuation of Charleston began nearly
three weeks ago. Since that time the Confederates
had been busy removing stores. Heavy supplies
were, however, left at the time of the evacuation.
The Confederates were said to number 14,000 men,
and took a northerly direction.
The Federal expedition to Bull's Bay, a short
time before the evacuation, was to cut the railroad
north of the city, but, if successful, could only have
prevented the escape of a few Confederates.
The correspondent of the Tribune says that the
formidable earthworks on the James Island were
found abandoned, and the guns spiked ; the damage,
however, can be easily repaired. The same writer
thinks the Confederates intended to burn the city
to the ground, and believes they mean to concen-
trate at Florence, which communicates with Charles-
ton by railroad, unless the communication has been
recently destroyed by the Federals. The guns
already discovered are not seriously injured.
The fishing for torpedoes has commenced in the
vicinity of Sumter, and they are gradually being
picked up.
The correspondent of the Tribune says that Sher-
man had reported that all forts in the rear of
Charleston were in the Federal possession.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
NEW YORK, Feb. 22 (Morning).

Money easy. Gold, 201 k. Exchange on Lon-
don, 219- ; on Paris, 2.284 to 2.20. Stocks, steady.
New York Central, 115- ; Illinois, 119 ; Erie, 74- ;
5.20 W.S. Bonds, 111. Cotton dull. Midland
Upland, 83 to 85. Flour and wheat declining,
Corn quiet. Provisions good inquiry. Coffee
quiet. Sugar downward tendency. Molasses in
good demand. Petroleum heavy. Crude, 45c. ;
refined, 68c.