The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-26 00:00:00

EFFECTS OF THE WAR NEWS IN MOBILE.

Mobile, April 12, 1861.
There is intense excitement and rejoicing here.
Fifteen guns have been fired in honour of the attack
on Fort Sumter.

PENNSYLVANIA ARMING FOR THE WAR,
Harrisburg, April 12, 1861.
. _

A bill has been reported • in the house appro•
priating half a million dollars for arming and
equipping the militia of the State. It provides for
the appointment of Adjutant, Commissary and
Quartermaster Generals by the Governor.

The War Bill passed both Houses to-night with-
out amendment. Governor Curtin waited at the
Executive office to sign it. It is signed.
The Charleston despatches about hostilities
were announced in both Houses, and produced a
profound sensation. _ _

Mr. Smith, a democratic member of the Houk,
after the Charleston despatches were received,
changed his vote to aye on the 'War Bill.
All the democrats of both Houses voted against it.
The bill appropriates 500,000 dols. for the pur-
pose of arming and equipping the militia; autho-
rises a temporary loan ; provides for the appoint-
ment of an Adjutant-General, Commissary-General,
and Quartermaster-General, who, with the
Governor, are to have power to carry the act into
effect.

FORT SUMTER—THE STRONGHOLD OF
MAJOR ANDERSON.
Fort Sumter is a modern truncated pentagonal
fort, built upon an artificial island at the mouth of
Charleston harbour, 3.4 miles from the city of
Charleston. The island has for its base a sand and
mud bank, with a superstructure, if we may so term
it, of the refuse chips from several northern granite
quarries. These rocks are firmly embedded in the
sand, and upon them the present fortification is
reared. The island itself cost 500,000 dols., and
was 10 years in construction. The fortification
cost another 500,000 dols., and at the time of its
occupancy by Major Anderson was so nearly com-
pleted as to admit the introduction of its armament.
The walls are of solid brick and concrete masonry,
built close to the edge of the water, and with-
out a berm. They are sixty feet high, and from
eight to twelve feet in. thickness, and are pierced
for three tiers of guns on the north, east, and
west exterior sides. Its weakest point is on the
south side, of which the masonry is not only
weaker than that of the other sides, but it is not
protected by any flank fire, which would sweep
the wharf. Once landed, an entrance may, at the
'present state of the construction, be easily made.;
for the blinds of the lower embrasures, though six
inches in thickness, may yet be easily blown away,
and even if this was impossible, scaling ladders can
reach those of the second tier, which are not pro..
tected in this manner. The work is designed for an
armament of one hundred and forty pieces of ordnance
of all calibres. Two tiers of the guns are under
boom-proof casemates, and the third or upper tier
open, or, in military parlance, en barbette ; the
lower tier for forty-two pounder paixhan guns;
the second tier for eight and teminch columbiads,
for throwing solid or hollow shot, and the upper
tier for mortars and twenty.four pound guns. The
full armament of the fort, however, had not arrived
there when Major Anderson took possession ; but
since its occupancy by the present garrison no efforts
have been spared to place the work in an efficient
state of defence, by mounting all the available
guns and placing them in salient points. As we be-
fore remarked, the full armament of the fort is not in
position, as only seventy-five of the one hundred and
foi ty guns required for it are now mounted. Eleven
paixhan guns are among that number, nine of them
commanding Fort Moultrie, which is within easy
range, and the other two pointing towards Castle
Pinckney, which is well out of range. Some of
the columbiads, the most effective weapon for siege
or defensive operations, are not mounted. Four of
the thirty-two pounder barbette guns are on pivot
carriages, which giyes them the entire range of the