The weekly sun. (New York [N.Y.]) 1851-1869, 1861-12-21

ffain, when he meets his Colonel, from max
ing kind inquiries after his general well
fare. Then one hears such strange sound
ing Language between officer and private.
"CaPtan, will you come In and take
a drink ~ "And 20 the boys have made
you lieutenant, we'll, I'm RELY glad to hear it. "
u inc army be turned into regulars, and strict
~ driied and handled, two or three years will
no doubt eradicate thespirit Of equality in mil
ltary matters; but the task il difficult for the
ueIe., 70 ~ reineoled y nearly innate. The bet
ter the class nom which recruits come. the
greater the difficulty Of reducing tbsm ,o
proper suhecton. The puniahmen,a in tho
amy are quaint and csprcious; thev ro,der
men ridiculous, and harden without tcrrifvin,
them; and not n few Of the officers rsf,ret ~ a.
they have no power to order 4 ,la,ag, which
has a certain ETH iiency In the case OF men who
cannot he reclaimed BY o'her means. let tho
war go on, and there will I've greater results pro-
duced than the reduction Of this force to good
discipline, Tho Americans will learn that At
last, when they see the use of IL; az present,
they are a good deal like children beginning
the alphabet. They are slow to belieye they
are actually engaged in something more than a
arge faction fgh'.
The American people now laugh at tn, idea
d any ultimate danger TO their liberties aud
independcrco from armed force, or national sem
timent itsoH hut the steps BY which the ruin
comes may I've as stealthily a. those by which
revolution, and rebellion. and civil war came.
TASTY and rapid. 'All men think all men
mortal but ihemSlvss;" and the Americans,
rely ing on The enlightenment of their dcmocra.
cy, deiido the fears Of those who thiak the re-
suits which follow the conquts.s Of armed force
IN repnblios will develops themselves In the
New World. The personal character Of Cone
raj Mcclellan Affords guarantee tina, ho is not
the man who would seek to elevate himself on
the fragments Of the ins buttons for the asser-
ton Of v hich he is now preparing an offensive
army but 1t may 40 happen tina, he may he
forced 10 avert greater evils by assuming for a
time tho chief control Of the state with the
cor sent OF those who are the masters OF public
suffrage ifnot of public opinion.
With respect to the Expedition TO Port Roy.
al, Mr.. Russell says:-
When | was in Port Royal this spring. on
Mr.. 1Iescots Tea Island, the advantages of tho
position and the probability of an attack struck
me; but was told that the Inhabitants were aware
OF their dagger, and that batteries had been
erected 10 cover Beaufort and the banks of the
river at the entrance of Port Royal. That was
30 fdr back as May. Since then, the defcnccs
have probably been strengthened. There is
there can be-no intention OF marching the
force inland. If there should be any move.
ment OF the kind 1t will be q fatal error, for
Tie country cdH be inundated at pleasure q y
and Is, above all that have ever seen, suited
Tor defence, and the force won d DO too small
20 lake military possession Of the district. Bat
II they land and entrench themselves at Beau
fort they can cause immene Inconvenience
and constant anxiety to the Confederates and
they come close on POGO 'algN which Ia a sta.
tion on the railroad from Charleston to Sl-
vannah, and can cut of the communication
between these places.
The line runs through vast swamps and for
ests, rice fields and half cleared cotton planta-
tons, spanning rivers and creeks, on wooden
bridges easily destructible and running for
many miles on trestle work, so that it can be
rendered useless by cutting the woodwork, or,
better still, By hingng the rails into the water.
The planters are scattered widely apart through
this region which becomes more cut up with
var and rice fields as you approach Savan-
nah
Unless the Confederates obtain signal sue
cess at Beaufort and force the Federalists into
the sea, 1t Is plain they have been placed in
hazardous position. The end of the wedge will
have been driven into ''ths peculiar institu-
ton in its sottest place. In those Sea Is-
ands live vast populations Of ignorant ne /.
proes, subject to the scanty and scattered
whites most OF whom must DO called away
from their hsmes and plantations to form
the Home Guard and local militia II will DO
impossible, II they really desire 10 escape, TO
prevent them fiocking TO the Federal fleet and
camp, and coercion may precipitate the country
into the horrors OF servile instruction. OF tho
5000 inhabitants in Beaufort county "a, 00f
are slaves! There cannot be more than |, 200
white men capable Of bearing arms, of whom
probably one-hslf are away in the Confederate
ranks, leaving few, indeed, 10 look after the
plantations and the blacks. If the Confsderates
can inclose their enemies with a living wall
they may prevent the fearful calamities which
impend oyer them; but the alarm and apprehon-
sion which must prevail all over the county and
In the large towns cannot fail 10 add new hor-
rors to war, and TO fill every heart with fear al
most n bitter Pnd dreadful as death itself. But
has the North considered what Il will do in casc
there Is Ieree en- mdSae Of the slaves, and that
they form their uuwelcome myriads upon the
Federal camps3
ARRIVAL or A CONFEDERATE VESSEL Ar
LIVERPOOL.
LIvERPooI, Nov. 81.
Today there was good deal OF excitement on
Change, in consequence of the arrival in tho
ersey, late on Tuesday evening, of confoder-
ate vessel direct from Charleston. The name
Of the new arrival is the Helen, commanded
by Captain Westeidorf. She left Charleston on
the evening Of the I'd inst, and Captain Wos-
tcrdorf informs us that he passed safely out to
sea without seeing any of the blockading squad
ron-the entrances to the port being quite clear
Of the federal feet.
The Helen is an American-built bark, of
three hundred and forty tons an extremely
handsome vessel, quite new, and a Irregular
clipper, as her run from Charleston plainly
shows. She has on board one thousand one hun
dred barrels Of rosin, and five hundred barrels
OF spirits OF turpentine; but Just previous to
leaving Charleston she had slowed away two
hundred and fifty bales Of cotton, which she
was obliged 10 unship again, in consequence of
the determination Of the Charleston people not
TO let bale Of cotton 20 out of the port. This
statement may appear somewhat strange in
the face OF the arrival Of the steamship Bermu-
da at HAVE, Yesterday, with close upon two
thousand bales Of cotton from Charleston
We are, however, reliably informed that the
Bermuda received her cargo Of cotton as re-
ward for the temerity displayed by her captain
in running the Charleston blockade with cargo
Of supplies for Charleston. The holders of cot
ton will gladly exchange that article for war
and ether necessaries-but they will not tell.
"There |, no use, said Capt. Westerdorf, " in
vessels running the blockade in ballast, in the
expectation Of getting cargoes Of cotton. 1t is
only vessels like the Bermuda, which can carry
supplies to Charleston, that may expect to got
cotton cargoes." This determination, the cap
tain says, Is not confined TO Charleston alone, but
u prevails throughout the southern ports. The
Helen sails under the Confederate flag, and
made the passage from Charles on to this rort
In twenty-four days, although she encountered
rather stormy weather.
COTTON SUPPLIES FOR EsGIAND.
From hc London Ne,os, Nor. 20.
A considerable doubt oxists upon the question
a. To whether the sOutherners would send cot.
ton TO Europe should they have the chance; and
~ The arrival Ot the Bermuda at IIavre, with
nearly 600 bales of cotton, would lead TO the
.saaNa hat n.