New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-08-08
LEAKS.

Our correspondent at Fortress Monroe en-
bodied in letter, which we published yesterday,
a sort OF report of an expedition in two steam
boats up the eastern shore Of Chesapeake Bay.
The report was written by one who accompanied
the expedition, and both he and those who cent
him seem persuaded that the insurgents in 'lr-
GINA are supplied in large quantities with gun
powder, stores, dry goods, and whatever else
therr is any demand for, by vessels clearing at
Baltimore for Sheltown, on the borders of Mary
land and Virginia. and there dlscharging cargoes,
which are taken into the latter State, few
hundred Yards distant, and then reshipped, under
cover Of darkness, or as opportunity offers for
convenient points along the coast. 1t was the
purpose of the expedition to look generally at the
+" lay of the land" and put stop to this viola
tion OF the blockade. Indeed, blockade be-
comes a mere useless pretense if such a
leak ms this into the enemy's country is left
unstopped. A glance at the map will show
how easily through such channel the insur-
gents may be supplied with anything they want
direct from Baltimore, or by way Of that
civ from other places when her stores oil
goods prove insufficient. or course the export
trade that would have TO rely upon such a
method of getting to market would amount to
/ but little and so far the blockade of the Capes
is Of great importance. But, with here and
there channel of this sort open to them, the
insurgents may keep Themselves supplied, or lay
! in supplies in advance, as doubtless they have
done, in such quantities as would in time enable
them to bid defiance to any plan Of ours Of sub
DUNG the insurrecton through the nd Of want.
Nor is this the only way left open whereby
they may still carry on al extensive, though
secret commerce. The blocksding feet guards
the entrance to Hampton Roads to cut OF the
great rivers of Virginia from navigation BY sea,
and put stop to all access TO her principal sea-
port, Norfolk. But is it done7 The Government
and Commodore StriDgham OF course, think 40,
and have sufficient force to insure an efficient
service, if that is the way in which and the
point where il is to be done. Bat there is
another access TO Norfolk almost unknown to
the public at large not engaged in trade at that
port, and which may possibly have been over
Looked, up TO this time, as well as this little,
insi. 'ufcant town Of Shelltown, on Pocomoke
Ba,, " tich nobody ever heard Of before. And
this access is by canal called the Abemarle
and Chesapeake Canal, connecting Elizabeth
river. on which Norfolk Stands with the waters
of Albemarle Sound, to the so1thward If the
reader will glance at the map again, he will see
how important this Sound is TO North Carolina
as well as Virginia. IL is easily accessible to
essels of light draueht, whose cargoes may be
sent to Norfolk by this Albemarle and Chesa-
peake, or into the interior by other channels Of
internal nayig CATION and thence by the railroads
which center at Norfolk md at Suffolk. So i'm
por.ant is this Albemarle Canal that il is one of
the links by which it was proposed, year ago,
10 make Philadelphia the center OF the direct
trade Of the South and South East, plan 80
highly approved Of by some of the capitalists Of
Tint city, thai proposition to complete the chain
by extending the Eastern Shore Railroad to
point on the Chesapeake met with cordial sup.
port, though The plan, We suppose is now for the
present abandoned We have not heard that the
blockade at the Cspes extends so far down as to
cut of the approaches to Albemarle Sound, and,
unless we are much mistaken, the Government
has not yet supplied itself with the sort Of vessels
fitted for cruising in such shallow waters II, as
we are inclined TO believe, this stretch of coast
has been overlooked as unimportant, then Norfolk
is and has been as much open to such commerce
rs can be brought her in small vessels az she
ever has been.