Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-05-28
MR.. RUS .ELL's FOURTH LETTER.

may have been The news will produce raor6ine-
~ mp,es ion a. New Yok-it will dscoI cert stocsJ
bers aud derauge the most ing 'nous specualions bu
considerable may be its results in any part OF he
Union [ venture 10 say that rowhere will the shock
cause such painful convulsions as in the Cabinet oil
Washington where there appeared to exist the most per-
feet conviction that the plan for the rehei OF sumter
could not fail to be successful either through tne orce Oh
the expedition provided for that object or through tie
unwrgness OF the leaders at Charleston 10 hire the hrt
shot and TO compel the surrender OF the place By actual
hosthes The cor6deIce of MI Seward in the strergh
OF the name and Of the OF the United States FED
srs Govern ment must have received rude blow, but his
condolences are BY 10 Of weakly consulcn and
l. will be oag he can bring himself TO think hat all his
prophecies be given one sfter another before the
MEMORABLE logic OF facts with which his vaticlnaions nave
ben in irrepfessibc conf en- lt seems to me that sr
Seward has All ao, u7derSaued the spirit and the reo
ton Of the Southern Save States, or that he has dl-
cused from others The sense he enerains of their eA
tent and vgour The days gned for the life OF the
ccssion have been inferred aud over again, aud
secession has not yielded up the ghost. The "bravado'
Of the South has been sustained by deeds which render
retreat from its advanced position impossible. Mr.. Sew
ard will probably fad himself hard pushed to maintain his
views in the Cabinet the face of recent events which
will no dcuS be used with effect and skill by Mr. Chase
who is derstood be in favor ofleng the South go
il lists vi hoGt any more trouble conv cd as he Is
that is an element of weakness in the body poitic
while be would he prepared TO treat az treason any "a
TEN Is in the remaining States OF the Union TO act on the
ct ne of secession. But the Union party must now
trevail As yet do rot know whether the views eA
pressed relative TO th3 destination OF the greater
par: of the troops and stores sent from the North
were correct for il cannot be learned here how many
shps were of Sumter when it surrendered but not
outstanding what has occurred rei;erate the assertion
thai the Washington Cabine, always said andssy they
had no intention to provoke conflict there, and that
had The authorizes Charleston continued their per-
mission 10 thu Cari 10 procure supplies in their mar
Eass tbar, hayc
heir part 70 precipa.e the fight though they we're &C.
termned 20 tod aud Fort GikeUs well as Tortugas
aud Kew West aud vicual and strengthen the glrr-
son OF the foImr as soon as they were able Fate VAS
agains. tie TIL decision ard POKER OF their oppo-
ntn were araust tn m. Blu; their deenc5 viii be that
they could not do sny;hiog ill they got roois, and
hips cei M ions OF war together, and that they did
as mu h as Ih could in mon n Sumter, ~ tact, was
mouse in the iNs OF the cat and the moment al at
temp. vas made 10 release the prey by external lcrce
he Jaws We closed and the disposed OF. The
act will projr6a believe, in spite of wha' see very
eep imprt len throughout all the States and viii tend
20 brig about immediate ooillsl0n between THE
igh.handed parties on both sides. When Mr. Lincoln
came into office il discovered that promise had
been made By Outgoing members oil the preceding Gov
srumeu to surrender he Southern forts Tast promise
was ignored by the incoming ministry. The Southern
Commissioners Insist it that, apart from the compact
of Mr. Blcbansn's Cabinet pledge had been given TO
she South that 6ttemp. would be mace TO reinforce
the forts without notice 10 the Governnent at Aoncom
trv aud so far be ascertailet, the authorities az
Washington did cause 70 be conveyed TO the Southern
Confederation the preston Of their intention TO cua
Sumter but whether they did 50 in respect to their
igc HteEisted 10 guence ct the decison at
Charleston 20 prevent the ssgrg OF further supplies TO
the itris IN i rain. TIE withdrawal OF the per
mission 70 market was all but on act OF war; Ii the
United States Government would act on the hypothe
sis thai ..e seutbeTn Confederation was al indepen
dent Poser, il wOa.t surely have considered the
proceeding az q prelude 10 imL.ed.aio hostility But
he course ihus adopted arose out oi tie prekA,e-
ors made by the United ates Government in h,ting
on. expeditions the object Of which was scarcely Guo
Gus / q. Commissioners of the Southern SaeS, at
Washington never acknowledged, at last met with de-
isiye rebuff Just az F.rsil;a Gag Der representatives
from the Convention their way 10 ask Or ug]n to
rxp.,n his Intentions. The Commissioners sen
10 u1derssn! that their presence was useless aud that
the forts would T. reinforced SD on toe Intelligence
thus furnished 20 the GJyeuhtat p MoHtgoreTy it VAS
resolved 70 act 07 slmnouiag Or And,to1u 10 sur
nier before grcour could arrive aud IA event Of re-
ual 10y comp ling n'D. 20 VIII Ia the s'ght oil The
UUui,De relieving sGlAdrtn. a. eIOu - the Commas-
sioners ourd tit Nr Lincoln bad made BIS decjs.o ttev
departed in vry yielding temper aud washed their
.uds in vGi'dicory paper vi tls results j. "aS my
Intention % have Ifs Washington ety la IT, yees, and
20 have reached Charleston before ,ntse geut mrn had
departed hgt the heavy storms aud Iod5 which washed
tsay fat oi ihe railway Aa-8een Washilgon AID Rich
mgud d. The Ollie. siJe Of the Potomac prey3.tG my
d .Iarure. aud LOT Cnly arrested the mails tom LIE
Suuh a. tn journey q the Fgi1an delegates o7 rev
erol days out obliged tie Commissioners to take the
r1uud-lb course rail 20 BAmo thence by steamer
10 Ay:fok Virginia and them on by rail to Charleston
d hich nCg ppg ciug one Day later.
Although the N!lcJ 20 the capital affected TO dis
credit the existence OF any oe. 81 q seiza upon tie city,
;aer Incl 2.ed apprehension OF danger er o. east
desire 10 lake al possible precautions asa,ast tEcaShcry
Toe Gstrc. militia called our and sworn Tor service
aud the r,sat 81 Osed ha. there were more citizens
Ia th@ ranks ready 10 saad b. she GJgerament t1an
,asre Secs e,ss who would lot defend IT, Tues
6sy wednesday, and TuuTsa,y IA, Tece very busy days
Tts cOmpsnies forming the bataiiors OF the .:r:,,
militia we're mastered aud marched off from their var
GUS quarters the in font Ci the War De-
plrtmeut where they took refused tie oath OF SER
vice. as the humour moved them Il is scarcely posi-
bic to imagine more heterogenouslookiDg tody Of men,
the variety OF uniforms, Of co;hirg, and OF accoutre
e IN great ss II specimen squad had been taken
from the batABons Of tie Grand Army Of 1912 The |
sners ect Of tho men ana Of tht!r heb men,s Is de-
dedly French, and here il even sma. company Of
L1usves but cannot understand how these Hide noe
ndent bodies are 10 be brought into Inc Of bstte
depended on for united action On the days above
OBed TIE mopotony Of the wide, lieless Streets
broken al intervals BY the tap Of the drum beating
pas In the French isshioe AID thsp the crosd
O; oilers who are fond OF cheap martial aspsg TO
company cf 80 ra1k and hs tbeFe ere generally .so
dranmsra aud six sever Officers more and he glo
81 French gray aad isl; ed dark hlus capoies. The
mustsrs are uo,, su ,oA. rs thst should be- There
,ro some psle fsess rounded sbcassrs and ssss smes
ia the ranks but che majority very fair specimens Of
foe of mer ard some companies we're composed
Of soidlsrke sious fellows, Who only required active
ssrriee 70 tet them up for any military duty. No,
iJurih OF those bouod ready. however
coae forward and 6ght for the Government at Wash.
rgten and il is probable that uoth short of srug
gle for lie or death would induce one-haf to take |
the field. Not oGe'hslf OF the militia il properly |
-med. Il Is great army in paper; no army in the |
world is so maguifcenty Differed, even in pro-
portion 10 its numbtrs. The strength OF the militia
jf the whole of the ex United States is neay SO0O-
% of all ranks OF these there are no less than
S3g generals OF all scr,s 800 colonies and field CHI
ers IS $50 captains aud suoalterns-K nucky boasts
IF ISIS generals, New York has not less han S92 Mch
= rch in 3SS generals and But unless there
sere some boz la SsSou to excite the country the
ul force available Tor the Beid Sord he fractional
which sprark fo t2 somb OF the great revolutionary
var With panopy OF proof GeeSss that she is nvinci
-, and there Is unqlestionaLy stEODs mitsrT spirit
nong the people, generated by the incidents which at
ended their national birth and developed by tue subse
uent sna, E4ss il which they have been engaged with
lher impolelt eneAss. Whether this spirit will be call
forth in the North and Yves, - largely as it has
qesoasbly been in the South remains 20 he seer The
vdencce CT the approach OF civil var n0g De-
Dad all dispute, hut LAe nature Of the conflict will de-
end the steps taken by U.s bel,gerents II the
Guhern States await Invasion they tgnt ozeE loaded
iine TO avoid the horrors Of conflict over heis o~G
oil they will probably ss to wke good their boast of
llrchng upon Washington, but whether they reach 1t
quite another matter. The present meaEs OF de-
nding it very contemplate, but vast populi
ions close at hand which furnish thousands Of