The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-24 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

THIS DAY.—Morning, 4h. 36m.—Afternoon, 4h. 50m.
To-vonnow.-Morning, sh. 10m.—Afternoon. sh. 26m.

TILE WEATHER.-SUN OFFICE, SEPTEMBER 24, N 6

THERMOMETER., IN THE SHADE•
61—highest once noon yesterday.
46 —lowest this morning and during the night.
62 —this day at noon.
BAROMETER-29.42.
WIND—W.• S.-Weat—fresh ; with squally, fine, cloudy
weather. Some rain in the morning early.

•::::'---f4..:Z
~.
r: .---. 'dit'' •
-,!..
er,T
, .0 l• V,.
, .-Q_---;
\ ''''.--7-7, 'Z, t \ !..-.4.,-' cit,t67.40
44\ 4;1/4
-- liir,,,, • .!';'. ,
' ' c' ' - :0 .
'+).1.1 r ' -c- <I '',-,,,' ^- CLin
''
4.-..?'r,7,,r,--
~, F & > * 7 I ~t.,
_ N,V
,e,, ~ • '>-:-.', : -
..,°r•Ar . ' -°-'' ''.- t il - '-',- '''," i 7, -
L z ;.„ 40 -t; r 4
0, ,
...-,
, -...„
___

THE SUN.

LONDON, TUESDAY, SEPT. 24, 1881.

A successful attack by ROSENCRANZ on the Con-
federate forces in Western Virginia seems but to
show how even in the most hopeful districts south
of the Potomac the war makes no material pro-
gress. It is now more than two months since
M'CLELLAN'S victories in that quarter, when he
drove everything before him ; and it was so long
back as May that Western Virginia separated its
action from the Eastern part and elected its own
legislature at Wheeling, declaring it to be the true
Legislature. Governor WISE who hung JOHN
BROWN was then in the valley of the Kanawha, and
every week he was to have been captured, troops and
all, with some prospect of his sharin g the fate of JOHN
BROWN himself, only for the opposite reason. Yet
after so long an interval we find ROSENCRANZ
barely able to take the offensive. He attacked, we
are told, 5,000 troops strongly posted, who held their
ground during the fight, but retreated under cover
of night, leaving part of their baggage and ammu-
nition behind them. Probably all the troops pos-
sible have been either sent to FREMOXT, who needed
them enough in Missouri, or been drawn off with
M'CLELLAN himself to the Potomac.
There, in front of Washington, stand the two
armies gazing on each other. M'CLELLAN keeps his
men pretty well within their works, but BEAURE-
GARD has marched his about as if he intended
something. But whether it be to draw out
M'CLELLAN, who is not thus to be entrapped into
a worse position, or to cover a retreat, is not yet
known. His flag is said to be visible on a height
called Munson Hill, from the dome of the Capitol
at Washington, and the pickets of the two armies
are constantly firing on each other; a piece of
savageism and barbarity, useless murder indeed,
which the better disposed on each side have vainly
attempted to stop. At present, therefore, things
present a balanced appearance on the Potomac, as
well as in Western Virginia.

In Missouri it is much the same ; though there
as in Western Virginia there is some motion, and
when the Federals do act they appear to have the
advantage. It is generally, however, a barren
advantage. The Southern Generals in that part
march and countermarch, however, with appa-
tently no object whatever in view ; while Gen.
OOL, at Fort Monroe, on the Chesapeake, is
only sufficiently strong to hold his own against
any force the South can bring to attack him.
The navy, since the Cape Hatteras exploit, at-
tracts the most attention. The watchword now is
to distract and distress the Southerners. Nothing
so impoLing as the recovery of Fort Sumpter,
involving a land expedition to silence the
shore batteries, seems to be thought of.
But another naval expedition is being
fitted out whose destiny is reported to be Savannah,
tfi f..-ttlicrnmont port of South Carolina. For that
very reason, however, it is quite probable that its
rea I destination is quite different ; for Mr.WELLES,

the, Secretary to the navy, kept his secret so well
before, that the attack on Fort Hatteras was sus-
pected by no) one. It seems quite certain, how-
ever, that the late success, and the likelihood of its
b_eing followed up along the coast, enn to New
Orlearmitself and Texas, is a serious annoyance to
the S'3rith,
tkoir
j4rtzs
tlot compels them to draw off some of
gartu4n luaiay pints; for Ow grand