The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-04-09
from ne Mobile Advertiser of the Cd. !

WHAT on BOARD the steamer Kate Date, Captain j.
NJ Branard bound for that place with load as
per manifest of 5000 solid and hollow shot, 40 900
cartF1ges, SEINE lao boxes of grape, and quantities
OF bacon, pork, -four, and other rations for the
troops of the Confederacy
At II o'clock we found ourselves close under Fort
Morgan, the relief Of the fort showing itself sharp
and clear in the moonlight with no sign of life
about 1t but the figure of a sentinel walking bis
watch on the ramparts. There was scarcely per-
ceptble swell on the bar, which we crossed at
once, and on rising in the morning Barrancas light
was flashing right ahead of u.s. and off to seward
lay the trigate Sabine and sloop St Louis and two
vessels under canvass, British and American bark
bound for Pensacola. As the light strengthened,
the smoke OF two steamers could I've discerned still
further at sea, which were recognized to be the
boats of the New Orleans and Havana line, this
being the point where they meet on their trips
gong and coming. Soon we had passed Fort
Mckee and the low battery on its right, and head
ing toward Fort Barrancas, and running close to
Fort Pickens, came in sight of the steamer Wyan-
dotte lying inside, and of the rising sun at about
the same moment. We were hardly made fast at the
Navy ard when the two steamers and the British
park passed US and proceeded up the Bay.
After a capital breakfast on board we started on
a.ramble about the Navy Yard, where the general
appearance of things differed but little from what
we mad noticed on a former visit, some ten months
ago, the first thing that struck the eve beinp the
absence OF the United States marine uniform from
the officers and sentines on duty. The steamer
Fulton, lying on the stocks where she had been
placed after being wrecked year ago last fall
mas neen stripped OF her panking to the bends, and
the tlmbers of her upper works have been set up
and partially planked; most of her guns Eave been
removed, and two have been planted in battery
behind rampant of sand, just outside the main
wharf, but the pyramids of balls, the quantity of
winch we amused ourselves with calculating, and
found to amount to about GO, 0G0, do not seem to
have been meddled with. There are now more
than 900 tons of these missiles here besides what
there may be at the different forts and batteries
j rip
very neat ana conveniently arranged group of
buildings, consisting of Corps de Garde in the
centre with house for officers quarters, &c, on
each SIDE and the quarters for the men in the roar
The whole is surrounded by wall. and encloses
sufficiently spacious parade ground for battalion
of men. The barracks were occupied in mart nv a
company whose name we omitted to learn, and
the rest has now been assigned as quarters for the
Iouaves
Crossing this stream we soon come to the Marine
Hospital, now the headquarters of Gen Bragg.
ana some distance beyond it are the general bar.
racks, large three-story building only a norrion
of the plan of which is completed buf even nov
having room for five six hundred men, Here
are quartered about half of Col. Clayton's reri
ment, MS own quarters being in a comfortable
frame building, more to the front and the east In
the rear OF these is the parade ground, with room
Tor the manGuvres of full regiment and with
convenient houses around for the quarters of off
GERS, the whole encompassed with groves of liyeoak
ana other growth. From the barracks railroad
track furnishes means of conveyance for stores to
ana from the redoutt, about thousand wards in
the rear OF Fort BarrancaS which itself is some
distance further up the coast, and the lighthouse
stun further and one or two sandbag batteries have
been constructed on the bluff above the beach in
the intervening space, but these, we think have
not yet received their armament
The redoubt, at which we next arrived is barely
visible IN certain directions from the sea- its purpose
peing TO serve as depot of provisions and ammu-
milton for the other works. 1t is not intended as
work OF offence, and is commanded by the guns of
Fort Barrancas For its own defence it is album
DAINTY provided with loop-holes for musketrv and
Is designed to mount some eighteen guns of moder-
ate ealibre. In the the Red Eagles have
Knocked up some comfortable shanties which they
call the Eagles Nest.
, me redoubt, which may some other day prove
the Maiakot of this system of works. and so it has
been christened by some of its visitors thnuoh m.
nnlshed, has received more attention in its construc
ton than any other portion of them on this side
the pay, at least 1t consists of two long and two
short faces, the gorge being closed bg a curtain
winch is tanked by shoulders, each intended for
one casemate and one barbette gun. Four barbette
guns are intended to be mounted in each of the lat
erai angles OF the work, but the foundations even
OF the platforms of these have not been laid and
the whole terrepleine is at present loose sand
heap, or rather sand pit, encountered with rub
DISH. The work Is surrounded with deep ditch
ana counterscarp, pierced with oop-holes, and
provided with six or eight classmates for cannon to
command the ditch The covered wav is crossed
by traverses to enable the garrison to resist the al
tack OF storming party, who, after gaining the
covered way would be next exposed to the fire from
the TampartS' The defenders, driven from these,
would be able to resort to the galleries beneath
IN each vault of which are two loop-holes I32 in
any and an air-hOe above for purposes of yentia-
tion In the rear, either side is a staircase
leading down to place Of total darkness and at
the foot an unwary step might plunge Won into
well, the water of which boils 1p from unfailing
springs and runs off by circuitous drains into the
ditch, and Is thence conducted away from the work
Feeling your way around these pitfalls, and
meeting in your progress the iron doors of a mapa
Zine or two-and there others in the galleries
before Vlslted-you see at last glimmer OF iipht
and following its direction, find yourself in the
gallery OF the counterscarp, which surrounds the
entire 'front.' OF the place. Beneath this are vaults
lot stores and ammunition, which we did not visit.
inns would be the final stand of the garrison if
driven from the body of the place. and when furtb-
or resistance proved unavailing they would not be
compelled to surrender or be smothered like rats
in their holes, but leaving slow matches to the
trains communicating with their magazines could
retreat through subterranean passages to Fort
Barrancas.
After dinner the whole party took Fort Rarran-
cas- on their return. This is garrisoned by the En-
Iaia hiles, W hose tents pitched in the ditch.
In Its general outline it does not differ greatly from
Ghe redouot, though on larger scale, having no
hahklng IRE except from the epaulments of the
counterscarp IN the rear, the aces-fronting to the
water being open and pierced for musketry, while
the guns, twenty-five or thirty in all, are mounted
On Tue rdnpartS. Inc entrance is through the pla-
els, and over draw bridge in the rear. In front
Is a communication under ground with the old
Spanish fort which performs the part of an out
work in 'front.' This is merely semicircular bat
terry OF ten or twelve guns. Barrancas-or more
fully, Fort San Carlos de Barrancas- occupies
the most commanding position of all the works
and is directly in the line of approach of vessels
entering the bay, but its defensive capabilities are
not great.
As we walked the parade ground the Alabama
regIm ent consisting OF ten strong companies. was
out Tor evening parade. After seeing them dis
missed we returned to Warrington, and there, in
eGe company OF the Zouaves, forgot the time until
alter the gates were closed.
[Fron, The National 7nfeIiigenceI 1n,zsI
FOLlC1 OFTHE GOVERNMENT--WH HAT Is 1T?
The public have doubtless had their curiosity
greatly excited, if not gratifed by the Sensation
intelligence" recently telegraphed from this city
In relation to the alleged military purposes of the
Government. The New York journals particularIv
abound IN startling announcements expressed in
the usual enlarged Typography of the emphatic
press; but it will be found on critical examina-
tLon' tnat these intlmatlons signify nothing more
than the shrewd guesses of the ingenious writer's
VINO, upon the basis of the facts already known to
our readers, are able to rear superstructure re-
markable for the imposing grandeur of its propor
llonS, II not Tor the compactness Off parts or the
solldlty OF Its foundations. The science of COM
paratlve anatomy, we are aware, has been brought
to such degree of perfection that the size habits
and peculiarities of the whole organism can be up
errlngiy deduced foom the single scale of fish, or
from the tragmentary bone of quadruped. But
we nave vet to learn that the precise "policy of
government can be assuredly augured from the
TACT that two or three vessels have been dered to
sea, ana that two or three companies recently sta
toned in this city, have been detailed for duty
elsewhere. '
We can readily understand the deep solcitude
ielt on this subject by the whole country which,
In the absence of any governmental policy more
precise than that defined by the Presidents Inaupu
raj Address, has been left to vi5rate between oppo
site conclusions founded, with more or less of as
suranca, upon the words and acts of the Admins
tration, as differently interpreted, down to the
present date
In the presence of statements at once so contra
dictory and yet so confidently put forth in view of
the recent administrative orders brought to the
notice OF our readers, we perhaps should not omit
TO say that we have certain informa ton in the
premises beyond that which has been reported.-
Not being ourselves in the confidence of the Ad
mlnlstration, we could hardly expect to enioy un-
Ger THIS head, an advantage which appears to be
denied to the most influential and accredited of its
opponents; for it is worthy of remark that. with
tne same iaets before them different journals of the
republican party arrive at quite different conclu
sions; which latter, however, in every case so far
as we can discover, take their complexion from the
wishes of the writer. =
Whatever else may be in doubt, it is at least Ger
tam that the Administration has talent for silence
neither 1t has used this talent at the proper time
and upon the proper objects it would not become
US to decide In advance of the events which shall
more fully disclose its purposes
The PERIOD IN WHICH Coal WAS FORMED the
lapse OF time In the formation of our coal-elds we
cannot nave the faintest conception; it is only mea-
sured by Him with whom a thousand wears are as
one day. But the magnitude of the time is not
surpassed by the boundlessness of the proyidental
tprre tiol