The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-08 00:00:00

proceed at once with fortifications at certain weak '
points, Since the return of General Williams he
has been closeted with some of the chief architects
and builders here, and the Engineer Department
has been working night and day at the plans of
these works; Unfortunately, in planning the St.
Lawrence Canals and the different lines of railway
military considerations were ignored ; thus, the
Beauharncis Canal was placed in the seignory of
Beauharnois on the south side of the St. Lawrence,
with its inlet only seven miles from the United States
frontier, and its outlet about the same distance from
the railway intersecting the Ogdensburgh line at
Moers junction near Rouse's Point, and running
thence to Plattsburgh. It is therefore easily assail-
able at both ends, and will require to be strongly
defended, and held by a large force to maintain the
line of communication. I believe it would be cheaper
and infinitelysafer to construct at once a new canal on
the north shore, where it ought to have been made at
first. The Cornwall Canal through the greater part
of its length is commanded by islands in the St.
Lawrence, properly belonging to Canada, but sur-
rendered to the claims of the United States with that
total carelessness of consequences which has marked
British diplomacy in all boundary questions with
America. The Grand Trunk Railway between Lake
Ontario and Lancaster is so near the shore that
trains must run the gauntlet of artillery fire fro*:
the American side. The inlet of the Chambly
Canal connecting Lake Champlain with the St. Law-
rence is commanded by Fort Montgomery, a very
strong casemated work, built on Canadian territory,
complacently surrendered to the United States
by the Ashburton Treaty. Congress has just ap-
propriated 150,000 dols. for additional works to
this fort, which seals up Lake Champlain, pro-
tects the bridge which unites the Northern New
York Railway with a network of roads to Troy,
New York, Boston, and intermediate points ; and
it can only be reduced by a regular siege, covered
by a force large enough to resist the large armies
which might be brought in a few hours to its assis-
tance. Between jobbery, folly, and the blunders
of diplomacy, our communications with the West
are most precarious, and can ,only be maintained
by better artillery, and a more skilful use of it than
the United States can command. _

Congress has made large appropriations for de-
fences on the Lakes; 750,000 dols. for forts at Os-
wego, Niagara, Buffalo, and Detroit, and several of
the 20 iron-clad steamers just voted are said to be
allotted for the same purpose. With the ;excep-
tion of the fort at Kingston, covering the inlet of
the Rideau military canal connecting the St. Law-
rence with the Ottawa river, Canada has no defen-
sive works on the Western Lakes of any strength.
The Rideau Canal will admit the passage ;of the
smallest class of gunboats; the St. Lawrence
Canals, if they can be kept open, will pass them all.
The command of the Lakes is of first importance,
and to obtain this will every energy of the United
States' Government be concentrated in a new war
with England, as it was with the last. The United
States has infinitely more to lose on the Lakes than
it had in 1812, but it has also much better means
of offence and defence, _

_
For some weeks the defences of Sackett's Har-
bour and other exposed points on the American
side have been strengthened, the works being car-
ried on day and night, Sundays and weekdays;
and large bodies of troops have been gathered at
these places. It is estimated that there are 40,000
men, chiefly recruits, between Chicago and Rouse's
Point, more than a third of them being on the land
taontier between Rouse's Point, on Lake Cham-
plain, and Ogdensburg, on the St. Lawrence.
Among these troops are some veteran regiments,
being those which surrendered to the Confederates
in Texas and the territories at the outbreak of the
revolution, and were released on parole not to serve
against them during the war, or until regularly
exchanged.
The Commissariat officers have proceeded to Bic
to superintend the landing of the stores by the Alel-
bourne. Owing to the unusual mildness of the sea-
son, the river is free from ice, and if the steamer
arrives this week there is no physical difficulty to
prevent her coming up to Riviere de Loup, the
eastern terminus of the Grand Trunk, where there
is good wharfage.

A little snow fell last night, but not enough to
make sleighing here ; below Quebec there is good
sleighing, and the Government road to the Lower
Provinces is in good condition for the passage of
troops. The erection of temporary barracks along
this road would at a small expense enable troops to
be sent forward from Halifax to Quebec in about
10 days, or in half that time if conveyances were
provided. The Government messenger from Hali-
fax with the despatches from the Europa came
through by this route in less than four days.