New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-12-26

might be puzzled 10 beat out against the srong noou
tide. The Potomac. our tow, is ENJOYING herheii
greatly. There is swell enough from The steamers
wheels 10 make her roll little, and her buif bows
nod to ne r,tber gracefully she lifts herself on the
wave, and ysws with tic surge of the bawsor. POOR
OH ship; it is her last voyage, and she does Well
make tie mos, Of it. We drop her pretty Soon' ana
return for another passing through The feet on our
wav cloe enough many Of them to read The Nance
psnted IN white on their square serns, wh'h are oi
sucb sbentt anguarty rs recall tie familiar legend
concerning the Maine shirya'ds: that they lilt ves'
sels by The mile, and sawed item of TO order. The
Marion is coming out with the Ocean Express in tow,
bound for Tybee-two very smsrt-looking vesseIs.
Presenlly the propeller Parkeisburg cones within
hsil, and IL asked to 90 back with MS TO tow. The
Captain is understood TO cay Lie will, but dcet Mt
lie is not Of rarty, and NAY bave other busipes''
Next the Ericsson shears alongside, aud we conf
dently count Der help because she belongs to the
expedition. Being ordered 10 return, her Captain
demonstrates that lie draws too much wser, seeming
to be under the impression that he is expected to take
a wha'or on board instead OF in tow. One of our
officers saws the Eficr.on is beast. which iisd. Oh
uaniry 10 mean that she is fine ship but has very
moor engines and worse boilers with nane fer i'll
luck which IT, Of course, fatal aiEong sailors. low
ever she is allowed TO o. though We DO mt quite see
bow che would draw eny more water with Tow
than without. We are presently c0nsoled Jy the re-
port that the PocaLonas is coming, ami sSny sftei-
ward the Mercury, alec. which 10 constantly tnrnng
up in the most unexpected wsy just as she IL wanted
by this lime We are web in lhe midst OF the whole
fleet, rant Of which is anc ored ouiede the bar, part
4 Will. fle and
steamers and tuss are ucyng busily all directions.
More than thirty vessels are in plain fshr, most Of
tbem Oh the same errand TO hostile port Tire scene
! . ex,,aordnary; the nua,ber Of yesses, their pur
pose the poetic and regiouf justice Of ,he fate ttey
carry with them, and the beauty Of the day by
whose fading light the scene is Visible, make 1t tn
gnlarly impressive. Far away In the haroor rldes
phantom feet It's SPAR dmly outlined against thesay.
Nearer, slip, whose seams are yawnnS, IKE NC
ancient mariners skeeIon bark erosses the dirk Of
FIRE in the west, with motion specially slow. Tie
Gun, Just touching the pea, dyes it's surface With
crimson splendor, ard passes into purple twilight
1t mas hardly sunk when another rises in The cart,
80 exactly TIE same IN color and sze that you cannot
"a. once believe il tbe moon. For the resl Of the
night sbe is regnsnt queen.
! We bail two whaers the Courier and Amazon,
fast anchored aud apparently asleep, and get their
Lawsers aboard With such clumsiness the part Of
the Coursrs boat that she yearly c4rght and toes
ed in the blight OF the line. Then the Amazon halle
10 say sbc bas thirty fatloms Of chain out and can
not get her anchor, bnt Icing ordered to look alive
and make no further trnbe, the anchor ia speedily
mp. We have the Fleet.Captsin aboard ana stall
stand no nonsense. Tie Courier meantime bIs
sw uug round ill her cabin windows staring into
ours, but as she is about sharp one end BIZ the
other, tows ftern first very well indeed. Only one
slip is left we can I very well take her but arc
determined to leave nothing heliDd. A steamer is
coming out, bound for New-York. We know her TO
be the Daniel Webster, Capt. John,on. 1t 10 rnher
dark and she 10 evidently ndisposed us, hut we
all 80 up on the paddlebox and hats and hand
kerchefs I'LL che can no longer pretend TO be blind
but puts Der wheel TO larb1ard and waits for our all
Daniel Webster, ahoyp "Will you tow that ship
out over the bari" sings out Master. IL II see
you damned first" answers Daniel Webster aud
with that polite and oblgog resIonie, resumes her
interrupted journey. Somehow the Mercury at this
IeappeaIs and fcourse carries off The lingering
whser. When we arrive outside we find the squad
ron anchored. There is no chance OF getting te
Charleston to night with anything but fration Of
the fleet. Capt. Davis is well satished to have got
all the whalers cut Of port and under bis eye, ready
to Start with the breeze. Tie Cahawba lets 60 the
tow-Topes ard DROPS her anchor.
Orr CBAELEsTOs, STEAEspP CAHAwBI, Dec. n, 1851
The fleet got under weigh next morning, Wednes-
day. about Gil hour before sunri;e, part of the SHIP
in tow Of tue steamers, the rest Trusting to canvas
There is the same delicious weather, only not quite
enough wind for sailing vessels. A butterfly floats
for an hour about quarter deck Charleston light
is in sight at hafpss g. and soon after the bockad-
ing squsdron--tbe Florida, Augusta and Roebuck.
The Florida runs down to take look at us and make
cure that the rebels have not contved to steal fleet
and get to sea. AIS we are fairly Of the entrance
of Charleston harbor aud there, lifting its walls high
out Of the sea- is Fort Sumter! No loyal American
can look on it withou! grateful remembrance OF the
service ii has done. have nothing 10 say OF what's
called It's defense nor OF it's final surrender, but IN.
Lutte the Fort with silent respect.
None OF the shirs under canvas arrived that night.
Tie Philadelphia came about o'clock. The Ericsson,
who're zeal had outrun her discretion Ia the attempt
to tow three vessels, was sometime during the
night Both were expected TO remain I'LL operations
were fnsbed, bat the Philadelphia suddenly seut to
say she bad only three days coal, and must 20 10
New York at once Five minutes allowed for letters
The only business of the evening was a channel re-
connoissance, which resulted in the discovery that
the channel buoy had been moved in order TO mslead
us and that further soundinQs would be necessary
tho next day to determine its true position. Sops
enough had arrived doubt 10 persuade the anxious-
y-watcbful CaroIinians that all the men.ofwar had
come, and wers ready to repeat the Port Royal lee