, 1861-05-01

1n1roRTANT FROM NORFOLK.
Hksts.,sas ;ks es
: Ereasoa In ne Iishs-Houssss
lco7respondsnce N. =. rims..1
-. Po7saouqH, Va, Wednesday, April "a, 1861.
AsEsoon as the Baltimore riots occurred,
dfpatat;ons Were sent from the NdTul4ud secs.
sionists to all the Souther,a States qaEiug for halp
ana .Jor arms ard ammunition. Virginia has no
small arus to spare. North Carollna has lust
fe,2ed considerable number at the Fayette.
Sl9e Arsenal, but not more than the State
viii need. Maryland will get 10 help from
North Carolina. Virginia can spare . portion
of the capnon taken a. the. Navy ard, and no
Doubt some wilt be shipped to Baltimore, If
: the boats now running between Norfolk and
baltimore are net searched every time they
BILE carelessnes, OF. the Government In regard
to the obvious duty Of self, protection. It ist
more than week since the btate Of. Virginia
iuaugurated hostilities against the Uni
ted States Government by. attempt
ing the capture Of certain vssselB-of-
cutter, aud the transportation from Richmond
hitner Of cannon, with the avowed purpose Of
assaplting and taking the Navy yard. Yet The
commander of Fort Monroe allows the little
steamers of Norfolk, that are securing around
the aarhor, busy day and night in perfccting
the hostile organization against the Govern
msnt, to land at the dock Of the fort, to put
of and take on men, that do not hesitate,
while they stroll around the fort, to utter i'm.
precautions against it, and insult To their facea
the volunteers Tho arc sent here to defend it.
and the baltimore and Norfolk steamers that
are ofneered and manned, to ell appearances,
by Secesslonists, go ID and out Of tie harbor,
ana ball, back and forth between conspirato1s,
without so much as saluting the flag Of the
Gsf'7WertaEd, whose guns could blow them to
perdt1on tn q moment. In reply to protests
against p this a6omInahle and criminal leniency,
The officers Of both tort and ship say they have
no orders to do anything but defend Mensezyes,
it dssai|ed{ And TINS the Sumter farce Is
played ever again
On Sunday morning last, the morning Of
the fire Of the Navy. yard, the draw-brIdge
over the creek and small bay that divides Fort
Monroe trcm the little town Of Hampton.
fronting on the harbor, about three miles to
the west, Was permanently raised, and thus
all communication with the adjacent country
cut on The reason Of this precautiou was,
inst snail body Of men, say about o dozen
l walked down to the draw. bridge to see them
appeared at tic further end Of the bridge
about daylight, Sunday morning, with muskets
On their shoulders, seeking to cross to the fort.
The sentry, who stands at the bridge, raised
the draw and signaled the fort and this en-
bargo was then made permanent. Now these
dozen men did not, Of courae, desion to cap
ture Fort Monroe. They meant to come down
70 the, doek and take the morning steamer to
norfolk, for seeingn great fire in that direc-
ton, they supposed a battle was raging, and
the9 were going up to fight against The Gov
eminent. 1t was right enough for Col Dimick
to cnt off their approach. But no1 mark the
inconsistency. Ever since the Navy-yard fell
INTO the bands Of the seceesionis5s, tks little
steamer Co1fee, that plies between Hampton
and Norfolk, he's been making her trips regu-
lnrly without examination and it is stated by
men at Fort Monroe, that last night she made
four trips between Norfolk and Hampton.
Ihis is impossible; she could not
make max 50 many trips. But there is one
sides two tug.boats and two or more etean
feIry-boats. It is not ut ill unlikely that four
of these steamboats, were engaged last night
5n bringing heavy Dah]gten guns and col1m-
b!ads, mortars, powder, shot and shell from
Norfolk to Hampton. From Hampton these
guns can be advanced easily to within one
mile Of the Western wall OF Fort Monroe,
quite near enough to breach it; and on this
side, which is the land side of the Fort, there
are no easements; and besfeging cannon can
only be replied to BY guns en baTdetts: There
are 1tteen hundred guns at the Navy Yard, and
with al the Norfolk steam craft quietly at
work Of nights, how long will It require to
transfer sufficient number Of guns to Hump
ton, to invest Monroe as completely ae Sum
ter YVES investedF The ritled cannon, used so
effectively at Charleston, can, within three
days, be also in position to aasail Monroe On
it, Weakest side, il this stupendons fatuity Of
the government is not ended. The Chamber
iGnd should be ordered to Lie np in front Of
Hampton, and raze it to the ground, If every
gun already taken there, be not irstantly sur
rendered and removed to Fort Monroe.
One other fact Of some moment, let me
mcntlon- The lighthouses on Capes Henry
last night the Ight-boas stationed between lie
capes ind Fort Monroe, was abandoned by the
light Keeper, all the oil On board having been
first poured out. a boat was sent down from
the Cumberland to know Why the light was
not burning and found things in this condf-
non: IWo steamers, with troops on board,
we're detained all night outside the bar by
these interferences with the lights Now, for
the point these Eghtkeepers obtain their ap-
pclntments nt Washington, and the lighthouse
a Fort Monroe Is in the hands Of Mrs. De-
WseR, shareholder, whose two sons, who ST..
pesan1end the ngnfs, arc two Of the most Tlo-
lent Eecessionfsts have seen in the South.
eonVerseas this morning, with one Of them,
#no gloated on the prospect Of seeing Monroe
nattered uoTn, and sWore that he would be
one OF the first to ecale its uocursed walls
Hc is fed by Federal bounty.
~ 10 ~ tue ultaQsL importance TINT every
FIecant1on should be taken to preserve Fort
Monroe intact: It Is the key Of the whale
controversy with Maryland and Virginia. Ii
Virginia had forty Washington Cities captured
y ar1ns, she uonzd giue them all II, ezchaags for
Fort Monroe: And get treachery is tatched
1nder 1ss walls and creeps through its gates,
and ILLS tts ]ight-ho uses, and turns night into
day With machinations within reach Of It's
gan6, to secure footho1d for Its destruction.
GoV. W1se's presence here at this time has yuoYy
fG!erf7zce 70 fort Monroe Man to any other subject
/ Of secession adventure YonE.
Naval Movement in New York.