, 1861-01-22

Why the Alabama Forts yvero Seized.
The Boston Courier publishes the subjoiuel
letter from gentleman in Mobile to MGR
chant in Boston:
NOZZLE, January 5.
Before this reaches you you will have heard
Of the Outrage which has thrown US all here
into the greatest excitement. On Thursday
evening orders were received fro. the COVER
nor to seize the a1sena1-about twenty-five
miles up the riyer-:ud the fort in the lover
bay. The arsenal garrison Of twelve men, in
q time Of profound peace, suspcctin. po.hin3
Of the kind, were easily surprised. Very large
stores Of ammunition and arnls fell into th:
hands Of the Suite troops. The 1"ri in the
harbnr 'sas taken without hindzance, there BE-
Ing no garrison. The State men now ,hcre
ara busily engaged in strengthening the ee-
fcnscs, building water batteries, &c. Thia
evening We hear that Fort Pike, at the mouth
Of the Mississippi, is besiesed, and thaf The
soon will be. Is not this = nice state Of lLipgs?
Before tile States have csea gone through
the formality Of seeding, this trlitoznus and
covar.sly outrage is co.n1aitted, taking I'LL by
surprise, aud startling even the Enbit art~eatc:s:
To understand the reason. which Influenced
the governor Of our State, consider . moment
the state of parties here. Tie people of ALL
banla are divided in three c;. sts in the crisis
before them.
let. Tho thoroughgoing Union men, small
in numbers, but respectable FROM their stand
lng and influence, waiting for au overt act, and
disposed to fight it out III tAs Union.
I'd. The co-operatioAlstS, wlo do not like
accession unluss the Southern States, ur lh:a-
iorlty Of them, 70 toget!Wr. These tv:o parties
differ nominal'y, but generally 50 together.
They are composed principally OF tLe wealth
and intelligence Of the stare. of the large
planters, merchants ana landan1fcrs.
I'd. The rel-lHt eep*Eat caction scccasinnists
---a party made up Of broken down puitieiurs
-ot uien wlo have nothing to lcse, 10 whom
must be added tho enthusiastic young lacn,
anxious for fight, with or without ro'sou, and
tho "meln Whitts."
The late State election has shown the parties
to BE- pretty evenly balanced In the convention
the last hayin., small numerical m2j01lty.
Now, under thcso circumstances, there uliylt,
perhaps, have been little difficulty In passing
The "'immeliato secession ordinance. .-cer-
tainly it would not Larc passed viii tie
unanImty llat they visited. But the Govern
or and his advisers {Yanccy d Coy are too
deeply committed to she secession movement
to allow it to stand still. Ii it fii;s they arc
ruined forever. Tic most probable motive
for ssiz'ns the arsenal and fort was 81, to commit
the Strte before the meeting OF Tie conven-
ton; TO make it Il matter "f State pride to
staul hy what bad bceI dunr and 10 luaSe it
appear even more dangerous to 90 back than
to go forward There is, indeed, Il stron:g; feel
ias inaulftst'd at this usurl alton ot power ny
bouncing him bitterly but this will pass
away. The Whole Of the INSCRIPTIONS prsss
Of Mobile ia on his side, AID though lelc1'h
contempt, II has an influence aul:llS tile pto-
pie, who btlieve everything they Zee in their
paper, to an extent never hupcd for tS All et:i-
Tor st the North in Lis widest drcasns. So l
fear that what was belosc only to, probable, is
now absolutely certain. We shall. have seces-
sion anu We shall have var. talilk + largo
portion Of this community wau!d like q Wat
with tho North. TEcy imagine that Ill who
voted again Lincoln will oppose in arms any
attempt to attack them, no matter what they
do. They do not real;zc that their course nf
late has alienatcd their former frlepts, and that
theY will ne.Tithout allies Ut the NuItl.