The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-17 00:00:00

ducted with great care and tenderness from a tem-
porary wharf erected for the purpose, took so long
that night came on, and it was so dark that it was
impossible for the pilots to take the Adelaide over
the bar, thereby causing delay.

"I may mention in this connexion that the Ade
laide, in carrying in the troops at the moment that
my terms of capitulation were under consideration
by the enemy, had grounded upon the bar; but by
the active and judicious exertions of Commander
Stellwagen after some delay was got off. At the
same time the Harriet Lane, in attempting to enter
over the bar, had grounded and remained fast. Both
were under the guns of the fort. This to me was a
moment of the greatest anxiety. By these accidents
a valuable ship of war and a transport steamer,
with a large portion of my troops, were within the
power of the enemy.
" I had demanded the strongest terms, which he
was considering. He might refuse, and, seeing our
disadvantage, renew the action. But I determined
to abate not a tittle of what I believed to be due to
the dignity of the Government, nor even to give an
official title to the officer in command of the rebels.
Besides, my tug was in the inlet, and at least I
could carry on the engagement with my two rifled
six pounders, well supplied with Sawyer's shells.
" Upon taking possession of Fort Hatteras, I found
that it mounted 10 guns, with four yet unmanned,
and one large 10-inch columbiad, all ready for
mounting. I append the official muster-roll of Col.
Martin, furnished by him, of the officers and men
captuved by us.
" The position of the fort is an exceedingly strong
one, nearly surrounded on all sides by water, and
only to be approached by a march of 500 yards cir-
cuitously over a long neck of land, within half
musket range, and over a causeway a few feet
only in width, and which was commanded
by two 32 pounder guns, loaded with grape and
canister, which were expended in our salute. It
has a well-protected magazine and bomb-proof,
capable of sheltering some 300 or 400 men. The
parapet was nearly of octagon 'form, inclosing
about two-thirds of an acre of ground, well covered
with sufficient traverses and ramparts and para-
pets, upon which our shells had made but little im-
pression. The larger work nearer the inlet was
known as Fort Hatteras. Fort Clark, which was
about 700 yards northerly, is a square redoubt,
mounting five guns and two six-pounders. The
enemy had spiked these guns, but in a very ineffi-
cient manner, upon abandoning the fort the day
before.

" I had all the troops on shore at the time of the
surrender of the firts, but re•embarked the regu-
lars and the marines. Finding it impossible with-
out a delay of the fleet, which could not be justi-
fied under the state of things at Fortress Monroe,
and owing to the threatening appearance of the
weather, I disembarked the provisions, making
with the provisions captured about five days' ra-
tions for the use of the troops.
" On consultation with Flag-officer Stringham
and Commodore Stellwagen, I determined to leave
the troops and hold the fort, because of the strength
of the fortification, its importance, and because, if
again in possession of the enemy with a sufficient
armament, of the very great difficulty of its cap-
ture, until I could get some further instructions
from the Government.

" Commodore Stringham directs the steamers
Monticello and Pawnee to remain inside, and these,
with the me❑ in the forts, are sufficient to hold the
position against any force which is likely, or in feed
possible, to be sent against it. The importance of
the point cannot be overrated. When the channel
is buoyed out any vessel may carry 15 feet of water
over it with ease. Once inside, there is a safe har-
bour and anchorage in all weathers. From there the
whole coast of Virginia and North Carolina, from
Norfolk to Cape Lookout, is within our reach by
light-draught vessels, which cannot possibly live at
sea during the winter months. From it offensive ope-
rations may be made upon the whole coast of North
Carolina to Bogue Inlet, extending many miles in-
land to Washington, Newbern, and Beaufort. In
the language of the Chief Engineer of the rebels,
Colonel Thompson, in an official report, it is the key
of Albemarle. In my judgment it is a station
second in importance only to Fortress Monroe on
this coast. As a depot for coaling and supplies for
the blockading squadron it is invaluable. As a
harbour for our coasting trade, or inlet from the
winter's storm or from pirates, it is of the first im-
portance. By holding it, Hatteras light may again
send forth its cheering ray to the storm-beaten
mariner, of which the worse than Vandalism of the
rebels deprives him. It has but one drawback—a
want of water ; but that a coedenser like the one
in operation at Fortress Monroe, at a cost of a few
hundred dollars, will relieve ln fine,

General, I may congratulate you and the country
upon a glorious victory in your department, in
which we cantured more than 700 prisoners, 25
pieces of artillery, 1,000 stand of arms, a large
quantity of ordnance stores, provisions, three valu-
able prizes, two lightboats, and four stands of
colours, one of which had been presented within a
week by the ladies of Newbern, North Carolina, to
the North Carolina defenders.

" By the goodness of that Providence which
watches over our nation, no one either of that fleet
or army was in the least degree injured. The
enemy's loss was not officially reported to us, but was
ascertained to be 12 or 15 killed and died of wounds
and 35 wounded.

" I also enclose herewith the official report of the
rebel wounded, by Dr. Wm. M. King, of the United
States' storeship Supply.
" I have the honour to be, very respectfully, your
obedient servant,

" BENJ. F. BUTLER,
" Major-General United States' Army,
Commanding Volunteers.
"To Major-General John E. Wool, Commanding
Department of Virginia."

General Butler, on his arrival in Washington from
Cape Hatteras, received an ovation, and made the
following-speech :

" Fellow Citizens,—l am by far too much compli-
mented by this expression of your kind regards, and
I take it to be a compliment to the cause which we
all love, and for which any of us are ready at this
hour to lay down our lives. It can be no mere per-
sonal congratulation, no mere regard for one whom
accident made a participator in an event which I
hope will have some effect on the future of our
country's history ; but it is the result of the love
you feel to the Union we cherish and the constitu-
tie; we defend. (Cheers.) Were it any degree
personal it would not bel mg to me, it would belong
to the gallant navy under the command of Commo-
dore Stringham, whose hands were mainly success-
ful in achieving the result which you seem so much
to welcome. Oh ! it was glorious to see that arm
of the Union stretched out against its rebellious
children. Would that you could have stood as I
did, on the deck of one of the smaller vessels, and
seen the Wabash, the Minnesota, and the Cumber-
land go into action, and then looking afar off on
the deep blue sea and observed the Susquehanna,
which, by accident hearing :the firing, came up to
have her share in what resulted in a glorious
victory—(cheers)—and as the cannon roared out,
one after another a rebuke to treason, it was music
such as would lengthen a man's life long years to
hear. (Cheers.) It came out that on the first day's
cannonade the forts, which seemed from the dis-
tance in the cloud of smoke to be but one, were
silenced, and the rag of Secession came down.
We had supposed there had been a surrender,
and measures were taken to ascertain that fact.
The Monticello stood in, with the Harriett
Lane, for the purpose of making it certain, when
treacherously the larger fort opened upon her,
and succeeded in inflicting some injury, striking the
vessel in eight places. The threatening aspect of
the weather made it necessary for us to draw off,
leaving
t the
upon the land, under the command of
Colonel Weber, of the New York 20th—who fought
fohre old
land
fatherland hisof
of Gadope
tr
im
ona
n
ay
s
hl
ee
a
wv
oi
n
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ld,
Ifisgayht,
3f105r
of the United States' troops upon the rebel shore,
with 700 and over of the enemy entrenched within
500 yards of them, there to bivouac
under a cloudy
sky, without tents, without provisions, and without
any of the appliances necessary for f •
sa e y or com-
fort save strong hands and brave hearts (cheers) ;
And, ray friends, it' Was anxious night for those

who had to remain on board in the efforts made to
get into the offing, against the treacherous gales of
Hatteras, in order t o make themselves safe for the
morrow's contest. In the morning the fleet came
into action, and at the moment of the landing of
the remainder of the troops a white flag appeared
on the ramparts of the largest fort, and it was my
fortune to go forward and receive the first prelimi-
naries of the surrender of one who was once looked
upon as an ornament of the navy which he had
attempted to disgrace and to which he was obliged
to surrender. And I think Ido no more than right
when I here publicly speak his name, so that it may
be for ever remembered, not as a disgrace to the
navy, but as a monument of its triumph--Commo-
dore Barron (cheers) late of the United States' navy.
He surrendered his sword drawn against the Union
to Commodore Stringham, now flag officer of the
Atlantic blockading squadron. With him surren-
dered 715 men, his associates, and they are now on
the flagship Minnesota on their way to Fort Lafay-
ette, in New York, having surrendered uncon-
ditionally as prisoners of war. With them were
taken 30 pieces of cannon and 1,000 stand of arms,
camp equipage, such as the rebels had, and it was
was scanty enough at that (laughter) ; provisions
reasonably sufficient, munitions of war enough to
have made a stouter defence if the position had been
to them at all tenable. We retook a brig laden with
that which they wished should reign over us—
cotton (cheers and laughter) ; another prize brig
which had been taken from our merchants, two light
boats stolen from the shoals where they had been
placed by the Government to warn the mariner of his
danger, and a schooner loaded with the only pro-
duct of North Carolina besides rebellion, pitch pine
wood. (Laughter.) Such were tile results of the
gallant navy, assisted as well as might be by the
army of the United States. Such, I trust, is but
the beginning of a series of triumphs for that navy
which has rendered the names of Decatur, Bain-
bridge, Perry, and Macdonough among the brightest
lights of our country's history. (Cheers.) It will
not be unbecoming in me, I trust, now and here, as
an humble volunteer officer in the United States'
army, to say that the aspersions upon the navy
have been, to my knowledge, in a great degree
unjust. Remembering in what condition the Seces-
sionists are, without a navy, and how long it takes
to organise one, and that our navy was substan-
tially disorganised at the time this rebellion broke
lout—when you ask why have we not organised the
navy sooner, I answer by saying why have not the
Southern States organised some portion of a navy
other than by stealing steamers from those who
know how to build them ? (Laughter.) They have
nothing of the sort. Why,. then, expect impossi-
bilities from the Government in any of its depart-
ments? I only wonder that such a progress has
been made in organising a navy. It is a progress
that has no equal in the history of the world. Here
we make our beginning. We have had our reverses.
Upon one occasion a panic overtook our troops, but
I do not hesitate to say that until that some man
shall show me troops who have never been over-
taken by a panic I shall not believe that the fact is
evident of a want of courage ; and hereafter with
our troops, backed by the navy and our faithful ally
of the North, Jack Frost—(laughter)—who shall
come and clear away the malaria of the South, we
shall march southward, as I said here not many weeks
ago, from this place, and there shall be no footsteps
backward until this rebellion is crushed out of this
Union, and every man at the South shall have
that which the Declaration of Independence says,
and which the Secessionists quote, the right to
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
(Cheers.) And now, my friends; I do not know how
I may more proper y take leave of you than by
calling for three cheers for the gallant navy of the
United States. (Loud cheers.)"

On the 31st ult. the Provost• Marshal of St. Louis
issued orders peremptorily forbidding any person
passing beyond the limits of the county without a
special permit from his office, and railroad, steam-
boat, and other agents were prohibited from selling
tickets to any one not holding a pass from the Pro-
vost Marshal.

From Springfield our advices are to the 30th ult.,
and report that 5,000 Texas, Louisiana, and Ar-
kansas troops were moving towards Arkansas, under
command of M'Culloch. The last heard from him
was at Cualybeate Springs, near Mount Vernon.
His wounded were being moved southward from
Springfield Hospital. General Price, with 10,000
or 12,000 men, was moving on the 29th towards
Bolivia, and when last heard from was between
Bolivia and Warsaw, moving towards Jefferson city.
Only a part of General M'Bride's division remained
in Springfield. General Prentiss's little army ar-
rived at Jackson, 10 miles west of Rolla, on the 2d
inst.

A Washington letter of the 2d states that Mr.
Adam had written to his Government that—
" He did not think the British Government con-
templated any change of position so long as the
blockade continued. The remains of General Lyon,
who was killed in Missouri, had arrived in Gontiec-
ticut. They were received ou the route with great
respect. It was believed that another naval expe-
dition was on foot. No difficulty was found in ob•
taining men for the Federal navy, but the recruit-
ing for the army was very unsuccessful. At
Boston the authorities, on the 31st, seized
50,0001 b. of tobacco, the alleged property of James
Thomas, jun., of Richmond, which had arrived via
Nashville and Louisville. It is stated in the
New York papers that Kit Carson, of Indian fame,
was in the neighbourhood of Salt Lake, raising
a force of mounted rangers for the Federal
service. A very unreliable report was cur-
rent at New York that President Davis was dead.
Among other papers captured at Cape Hatteras
was a press copy of a letter from P. G. Scott, late
United States' Consul at Rio, giving a list of all the
vesselg leaving or about to leave that port. The
Federal cruiser Powhattan, having captured a ves-
sel with the Sumter mail bag on board, had gone
to the place where it was supposed the privateer
Mfaicrhtihe Federal
ganwasexpected to have
service in a few
wouldlsooo
men
proceed. e e d
ready.
days. The War Department was filling vacancies
in the Volunteer forces by selecting for commission
privates who had distinguished themselves by good
conduct and fitness for command."
From the Potomac camps we learn that on the 3d
the Confederates had completed their intrench-
ments at Munson's-hill, and it was apprehended
that they would open fire on the Federal force at
the Cross-roads. There had been some brisk
skirmishing. The Confederates were erecting a
f rtification about a mile below Murray Mason's on
the land of Levi Deming's College Farm, five miles
out on Little River turnpike, Virginia. The Con-
federate pickets had possession of the upper part of
the farm, and the Federal pickets of the lower
part. It is also stated that the Confederates were
concentrating large numbers south of Alexandria,
and erecting batteries near the mouth of the Occo-
quan river. An engagement is reported to have
taken place at Boone Court. house, Western Vir-
ginia, on the Ist, which resulted in the defeat of the
Confederates with a loss of 30 killed, a large num-
ber wounded, and 40 prisoners ; Federal loss nil.
The Federalists burnt the town.

The Vermont State election, which took place on
the 3d, resulted as follows :—Holbrook, 6,597 ;
Smalley, 1,050 ; and Tracey, 841. Holbrook re-
ceived the votes of the Republicans and Liberal
democrats, Smalley those of the orthodox democrats,
and Tracey those of the Union party. _ _ .

Judge Robinson Scott had been appointed Presi-
dent pro tem. of the Kentucky Legislature.
The Richmond Enquirer of the 28th ult. publishes
a letter from Fernandina, Florida, received at
Savannah, saying that the crew of the pirate Jeffer-
son Davis had arrived there, that vessel having
been wrecked on the bar while trying to get into
St. Augustine.
The Southern papers complain of the defective
organisation of their commissariat department, and
state that the health of the Southern army was far
from good.
The barque Scia, on her arrival at New York, re-
ported that on the 28th ult. she was fired into by
the Federal gunboat R. B. Forbes, which cut away
some of the rigging and passed through the foresail,
because the captain refused to go on board when re-
quested. The captain of the gunboat apologised on
the plea that he taok the Seio for a suspicious sail.