The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-10 00:00:00

THE SUN.
LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1861.

We were complaining but the other day of the
difficulty of obtaining anything like trustworthy
information respecting the South and its movements.
In regard to the former, however, we have a per-
fectly authentic story from a well-known pen. All
that is worth telling us between Natchez and Vicks-
burg, the capital of Mississippi, situated on the
river of that name, and Cairo—the first town in
Illinois, placed at the very junction of the Ohio and
Mississippi, and commanding the river access to the
South—is here told us ; and told us in a manner
borne what more interesting and self-verifying than
the paragraphs we cut from Northern Heraldsi
Tribuneg, &c. Within this distance the Father o
Waters runs between five Slave States, Missouri
and Arkansas on his west; Kentucky, Tennessee,
and Mississippi on his east side. The eastern shore
was the one which the steamer seemed to prefer, for
we hear nothing of the other ; and the railroads
are, as might be expected, all on the side where the
cities, if we may so call them, are to be found. In-
deed, Mr. WYLD'S last map shows but one railroad
at all on the Western side of the Mississippi ; it is
in the State of Missouri, running parallel with the
river of the same name.

Respecting the numbers and movements of the
Southern troops which confront General SCOTT on
the Southern side of the Potomac, we have, indeed,
not a word of information. But concerning the
kind of men who are, we cannot say marching, but
getting to Virginia as well as they can, we have an
account full enough. We see, too, almost, as in a
photograph, the cities in this half-wilderness land,
and the fortifications, with their garrisons on
the banks of the river, watching to sink
any mischief-making steamer which may
slip down from the North. Of the country
we have had detailed, and matter of fact
descriptions before, from the pen of Mr. FREDERIC
LAW OLMSTED, yet we see things as they now are
better through the help of Mr. RUSSELL'S pen.
They give us a picture of soldiering under new
conditions. The men seem to be a motley group of
almost all Countries ; Ireland, we are sorry to say,
furnishing the great majority of these fighters for
freedom to enslave. One company consisted en-
tirely of Irishmen ; of another five-sixths were of
that country ; there were brutal Germans, and
vindictive Italians also; native Americans, not in
large numbers—lrishmen taken from their works,
appeared to form the greater part of the companies,
their well-known brogue saluted the ear every.
where.

The merit of most of the defensive works on the
bank of the river our English critic seemed to think
but small; they were neither well planned nor
usefully posted—gun-boats on the river, supporting
and facilitating appropiate operations by land,
would easily, he thinks, reduce them; The artil-
lery was contemptible ; powder very scarce, and
the practice which he saw poor indeed. It would
certainly be easy for trained gunners very soon to
clear the great river of such impediments to its
navigation as our writer describes, but probably for
some time to come no attempt will be made to
disturb them ; and if the Mississippians could but
practise long enough, and get better guns and pow-
der, they may become formidable shots. At present
their guns seem given to missing fire, sending their
missiles short or wide of the mark, and recoiling
out of the works.

The soldiers themselves were rarely distinguish-
able by any wrticular uniform, and though pro-
bably forniidable slords, each man behind his tree,
they had acquired yet but I;ftle of the arts of acting
together ar.d handling their weapons in military
style. Colonels appear to be numerous, seventeen ;
and one captain, Mr. RUSSELL was introduced to
in One day. Free and easy seems to be the military
rule on the Mississippi, and why should it not
be ? What hive freemen to do with martinets
for officers ? Pluined felt hats ere distinction enough
for soldiers,, what need of uniforms and mere
useless appendages to a soldier's aims ? Why too
should not a sentry smoke a cigar in his chair, and
stt guard over the general's quarters ? .g He is on
guard over th eafterpart of the deck, called the ladies'
saloon, and s acred to the general and his staff and
attendants. i To is a tall, good-looking poling