The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-10 00:00:00

Run and the retreat of the Federalists to their in-
trenchments. They are not yet in a position to
assume an offensive attitude. The Confederates
have been equally motionless in front of the Poto-
mac. Washington has had another panic, but it is
not too much to say that it will soon be a vast in-
trenched camp, defended by redoubts, regular earth-
works, palisades, and abattis north and south, with
the Potomac flowing through the midst of it, which,
if properly, defended, may bid defiance to anything
but a regular attack, and decisive victories over the
covering armies. New York, afraid of its returning
Volunteer regiments, has given them an ovation,
and is endeavouring to induce the men to re-enlist.
General M'Clellan is working with immense vigour
in constructing an army out of the various excellent
materials which have been forwarded to him from
the North and West in men, horses, and guns. He
has to make regiments, and then brigades, and then
divisions, and, over and above all, officers. He has
to quell a mutinous and disorderly spirit among
some of the troops, and to breathe into the mass the
spirit of subordination and discipline.
The taint of disaffection among the Northern
troops is widely spread, and is most dangerous, for
it is, in my mind, quite causeless. This very day, in
spite of the despatch of prisoners to the Dry Tortu-
gas from the 79th and other regiments, outbreaks
amounting to mutiny took place among the men of
the 12th New York and a Pennsylvanian regiment,
which were to be disbanded yesterday. The 2d
Maine, the 21st New York, the 10th New York, and
other regiments have also been in trouble, and
General Butler was obliged to bring his guns to bear
on the mutinous men of his command at Fortress
Monroe. The complaints of the men as to bad food
are utterly unfounded. No army in the world has
better rations than the troops of the United States.
But the men want " iced water, milk, and butter."

By the official reports it appears that 40 officers
and some 500 men have deserted. They have not
gone over to the enemy, but they have got away
from their friends. Many of the prisoners may fairly
be considered as deserters in disguise after that.
I have just returned from an extended visit of
the lines, and from a short run into Maryland, of
which I must defer the account till next mail.
I found the camps on the Potomac in very
good order. The works are of the very finest
description of field defences, and on the north side
the army is at work forming a chain of redoubts
on the heights from the rear of Georgetown round

towards the Baltimore Railway. This enormous
series of intrenchments will require an immense
force to defend and cover it, and, although troops
are certainly coming in, they do not as yet arrive in
sufficient force to do all that will be required.
AUGUST 27.
As an instance of the inconveniences of the sys-
tem now pursued by the United States Government
and of the embarrassment caused to them by their
own acts, take the case of Mr. Mure, an American
naturalised subject, as I believe, and carrying de-
spatches addressed to Earl Russell by Mr. Bunch,
the British Consul at Charleston, Mr. Mure is the
bearer of other letters written by people in the
South, who are, of course, Secessionists, to their
friends in Europe. Mr. Seward discovers that,
among the property of Mr. Mure, there is not only
matter of the latter kind, but a regular despatch to
the English Fore ign-office. What will he do with
it ? He applies to Lord Lyons to come and see it
opened, I believe, and assist Lim in disposing of it.
Lord Lyons declines to do anything of the kind.
The despatches addressed to the British Minister
have been seized. They are in the oustody of the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Wash-
ington Government. Let the United States Go-
vernment deal with them. Mr. Seward, of course,
cannot send the despatches direct to Earl Russell,
and the strange proceeding of forwarding the com-
munications of a British Consul with his Govern-
ment by the Secretary of State at Washington, to
the American Minister at London, who will pro-
bably thereupon remit them toDowning-street,will
be the result—with what after conclusion it is not
easy to say. Of course any complaints founded on
matter contained in private and confidential com-
munications between individuals not owning alle-
giance to the United States, which become impro-
perly known owing to the seizure of the corre-
spondence and the laxity of the authorities, can-
not be entertained fora moment. Mr. Mure seems
to have acted improperly if he has indeed con-
veyed any despatches for the Southern Commis-
sioners under the covert of the passport granted to
him by the British Consul as bearer of despatches;
but it is very doubtful, indeed, whether the arrest
itself was not unlawful, as the British flag should
have protected him for any political offence, and if
the captain of the vessel had refused to give him up
the question would have assumed a very serious
form. It is quite probable that Mr. Bunch and M.
de Belligny, the Consuls of Great Britain and France,
may have asked Mr. Trescot to ascertain Mr. Davis's
views respecting the propositions agreed to by all
the Powers except the United States at the Paris
Conference, in presence of the fact that the Confe-
derate privateers are becoming very active; and if
Mr. Trescot's representations induced the Govern-
ment at Richmond to agree to all these propositions
except the first, which does away with privateering
itself, no one can say any harm has come of it. But
it by no means follows that the gloss of an ignorant
Secessionist is correct, and that the Confederate
States are by one step nearer to recognition in con-
sequence of that act than they were after the battle
of Manassas. It would not be surprising to find
that Mr. Seward was well aware an application
would be made to Mr. Davis, whom we have acknow-
ledged to be at the head of a belligerent Power, to
accede to the principles accepted by the great Powers
at the end of the Russian war, respecting which Mr.
Seward's own views had undergone remarkable
modifications since this great contest began. There
is a tenacity in the Government and people of the
United States in maintaining their pretensions,
while in their acts they scarcely bear out one of
them, which is curious and significant. Thus, for
example, although they do not venture to execute
their threats and their captured pirates, they refuse
to acknowledge the Confederates as other than re-
bels, and leave their prisoners to pine away in con-
finement sooner than ask for an exchange, which
would seem to admit that the Confederates were alien
enemies. The authorities are all working with energy
to bring every power to play against the South, and,
as they consider it important to prevent communica-
tions between the Confederates and their Commis-
sioners in Europe or their friends here, they have re-
solved henceforth to stop and board all the steamers
outside the ports, and place officers on board of them
to look out for suspicious persons. But what can
they do when ladies will wad their crinolines with
e:oDa o
foundwell's
percussion caps, and carry galvanic batteries in
their tender bosoms ?—when they hug sulphuric
acid under their arms, and wear stays of copper
e.I thereroae
over a
in review
th e forenoon,
of G en.M
wire ?—when they pad their petticoats with re-
volvers, and swell their stocking legs with quinine?
Yesterdaytoma
division by Gen. M'Clellan at the other side of the
Po
the troops drawn up in the meadows which extend
from the river towards the tete-de-pont. The sen-
tries on the Long-bridge examined the passes closely.
One effect of the recent orders in relation to passes
has been to diminish the number of people on the
bridge and on the roads to the camps very much;
but there are great quantities of carts and waggons
on the move, and it looks as if the authorities were
determined there should be no want of transport.
No army in the world has finer horses than those
which have been collected by the activity and efforts
of the Quartermaster-General Meigs. Prince Na-
poleon was much struck with their superiority.
The carts are almost equally good and numerous.
There can be no want of horses for their cavalry, or
for remount horses, as long as the attelage is so
good. But finer than either horses or carts are the
men. With the exception of such regiments. as,

of the formidable redoubts, connected by long lines
of abattis and curtains which cover Washington on
the south, and are rapidly encircling it on the north
also. On arriving on the field I found the troops
already in occupation, drawn up in two lines, and
lying down behind their piled arms. General
M.Dowell and his staff were in front, and some
20 or 30 persons, of whom more than two-thirds
were soldiers from the camp above, composr:d
the whole of the speatat ors. I believe the gallant
officer whose modest and truthful report of the
battle of Manassas must have secured for him l
lre-
spect and sympathy in Europe, will soon be relit:t
from the indignity of such a small command as that
to which he has been reduced after having led a
great army. He had studied his profession thoroughly,
and practically knows the constitution of all the
European armies, has served in Mexico, is a Ira_
yelled gentleman,—and yet in his own native city
there was to be found a journal which declared he
had lost the battle by his personal incompetency,
and that he was sitting in his tent drunk and play-
ing cards while the fight was going on. It is an
admirable comment on the way in which these
stories are concocted that the General is a water-
drinker, and never drinks wine or spirits of any
kind. As an illustration of the ieady way in which
Americans take to arms, I may add that one of his •
aides, Major Clarence Brown (nephew of the ex-
member for South Lancashire), was and is a private
in the New York, 7th Regiment of State Militia,
and that he is now discharging the duty Of an aide
de-camp with• zeal and alacrity, although but a few
months ago he was engaged in the business of a
counting-house. After noon General M'Clellan,
escorted by a rough-but-ready lookime body of
Unitod States troopers, .and attenlel by a small
staff, appeared in the distance, preceded by an open
carriage, in which sat the President and Mr. Se-
ward. The troops stood to their arms, forming in
line with considerable precision. As the President
drove down the ranks the men presented arms and
the bands struck up various tunes—" Hail Colum-
bia," " The Star-spangled Banner," " The Red
White, and Blue" (which seems cosmopolitan), and
others unknown, and the colours, which are gene-
rally large and handsome, and show very well, were
lowered. The solitary carriage then took up a posi-
tion in the front of the centre, and the division
marched past-8 regiments of various strength hav-
ing probably 5,500 men on the field. The marching
was generally very good. The men were silent in the
ranks, and there was no cheering. With some ex-
ceptions, there were many reasons to be satisfied
with the appearance of the division. The President,
. who did not remain'an hour on the field, drove back
over the London-bridge. The troops marched back
and reformed in line, and finally, after the review,
Gen. M'Clellan rode away into Washington. Ha
has examined nearly all the regiments under his
command, and is exerting himself greatly to get the
army into condition ; but there will be no movement
for some weeks to come on his part; there can be no
good gained by it, unless the Southerners are forced
by their exigencies to make some decisive demon-
stration. They have got a large force, and are
threatening the Upper Potomac forces from Leesh-
ing, but there is no importance to be attached to
it. These dispositions are intended, most proba-
bly, to amuse their men, whom we understand to
be rather discontented no av and then. The weather
has become cooler, and is not unfavourable to field
operations, but the climate here is not wholesome at
this time of year, and fevers are abundant.