Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-14
From Europe.

on the bombardment Of Sumter, one OF "bicu
we subioin. We also lind in the papers this
paragraph: +,
In the House Of Commons, on the o6th April,
Mr.. ". +. Forster gave notice that II the non
orable member for Galway, (Mr. Gregory
brought forward his motion OH Tuesday next,
with regard to the recognition Of the Southern
Conlederacy, which, after the Intelligence re-
ceived this morning, he hoped he would per
sist in doing, he, (ME. F~orster) should WITH
draw the amendment Of which he had gwen
notice, and move instead the previous queS-
ton.
From the London Times, April a.
Nature, or something that stands in its stead,
is still strong in the Americans. They fight
"9illing, but with unwilling minds" They
lift the hand to strike, they wing the instru-
ment Of death, but q mysterious power aVer'h
the stroke, or blunts the edge, or deadens inc
blow. Are they in earnest, or are they playing
at war, OF dreaming that they strike anu still
strike not? 1t sounds more like O dangerous
game than 4 sad reality. Seven batteries
preached and bombarded Fort Sumter for
forty hours, burnt down its barracks,
blew I'D several magazines, threw shells into 1t
innulnerahle, and did 4 vast show Of destruc'
tim. The fort replied with like spirit. Al
length it surrendered, the garrison marched
out prisoners of war, and it was then found
that not n man was killed or an officer wounded
on either side. Many = "d,tiiculty' at bar has
cost more blood. shed. Was this a pre-concer-
ted feat OF conjuring Were the rival Presidents
saluting one another in harmless fireworks 10
amuse the groundlings? The whole affair is
utterly inexplicablc. It sounds like the bat
ties when the coat of mail had come to its
perfection, and when the only casualty, after a
days hard fighting, was q case OF suttocatlon
and q few bruises. Udin's heroes, rs they re.
new their daily warfare, are really wounded,
though their wounds IRE quickly healed. ms
is sparring with boxing ~glovcs-not the loaded
cnstus Of modern warfare. 1t is q mere spec
tacle. The population, and even the ladies' Of
Charleston, poured forth to see the sight
Ten thousand soldiers lined the works, watch
ing the sport, and contributing their share
Our own cockncys have seen rs much, and
done Us much, at CrcInorne, or the Surrey
Gardens, not more uuscathed, and, let US hope,
in not more pacific mood. But perhaps this is
only the interchange of couTtesics which III
olden times preceded real war. The result is
utterly different from all We are accustomed to
hear of the Americans. There "a word and 4
blow has been the rule. In this case, the
blow. when 1t does at last come, falls Ike snow
and lights az gently as thistlc-down. Surely,
it cannot he a ''cross 7" If it be, half the old
Union is in the conspiracy, for all are arnling
and rushing to war as if they expected serious
work.
What next? An attempt to recapture Fort
Sumter ? A contest at Fort Pickcns? y strug-
gle for the Capital! \ diversion in Texas =
\ renewal Of negotiation No one knows,
and, what is worse, no one credits President Lin.
coin for any plan. We can only compare the two
sides and strike a balance. In the North there
is an arIny and u navy, and money, and a
more numerous white population, without,
too, the incubus Of slavery. There is also the
tradition of the Union, the Capital, und the
successor of Washington. Modern warfare
cannot go on without money, and the Northern
Suites can more easily raise and spend a hun
dred millions Of dollars 4 year than the South
ern States can raise ten millions. All that is
outside and material is in favor Of the North.
It has the prcponderance OF everything that
can be counted, measured and weighed that
can be bought and sold that can be entered
in ledgers and put on a balance sheet. 1t has
the manufactures, the building-yards, the
deck-yards-the whole apparatus of national
wealth and strength. 1t has the mo-
ney market, and it borrows more cas-
iy than the South, where, however,
political zeal s~ustnins a fictitious credit. So
in the North we read OF numerous gatherings
Of State forces; OF many steamers chartered,
stripped Of their fnery, filled with soldiers,
food and ammunition, and stcaming South
ward. So much for the North. In the South,
on the contrary, there is little OF nothing but
that which often becomes the connterbalancc
to everything else. There are the men Of &C.
ton, who can combine, c~onspire, keep the Sc.
cret haze n plan, and carry it out without wa
rering or tiinching. TiIe pVlitiSf""e - '"-"'-
ington nave been facilitating between peace
.rI.--r>hlhI .Iicru HAS been one steady. unin-
terrupted progress towards secession and war
TO The very last, President Lincoln has been
behind hand. Ills ships, sent to relieve Fort
Sumter, only arrived in time to he distant
Spectators OF the scene; they came, in fact, but
To contribute to the glory Of the captors, and
TO bring shame and distrust on themselves and
their cause. If this is to be an omen of the
result, the rich aud unready North will be no
match for the fiery forwardncss Of the South.
But long shots are very different from clcse
quarters. 4 fght Of batteries across 4 river.
watched with telescopes and quietly witnessed
by q large population, affords little clue for the
result Of q battle hand to hand, step by step,
with revolvers, knives and what not, round the
very buildings Of The capital. That appears TO
be the next thing apprehended, and President
Lincoln has summoned to his aid all the mis-.
celianeouS local corps OF the several Northern
States that may choose to hear him. Strange
that the spot once held so sacred and so care.
fully insulated from local or partial associa-
tons, should become the object of the first
civil war! That is, indeed, what wo have come
to. Many oil US remember, not without \
Jingle Of shame for our W country, the wan.
ton attack Of the British army on the Capital,
and the foolish injuries done there, destined
soon to be more than avenged. That was bur
a souvenir Of the older War of Independence
No British officer would have dared to insult
the great shrine Of American Union and
liberty, had it not been felt that, besides the
question then at issue, there was an &C.
count still to settle for the former war.
Since the year 1879 there has been a genera
ton OF mutual respect-of even Affection
That IS all gone by. Other corpbatants gather
round Washington. The Wa Minister Of the
Southern Confederacy publicly promises that
tue secession flag shall float over the Capitol
by the LIST OF May. ANY day it is expected
that Virginia, whether by choice or by neces.
will join the secession, and then the sacred
District Of Columbia, which vas to have been
he cou'm"n ground Of the worlds great bro.
-herhood, will be the debaiable border of q di.
'lded allegiance and II bloody quarrel. Mean
While time brings around anniversaries which
ire celebrated as of yore, but with the feeling
they are now a solemn mockery. What
IRE the Declaration of independence, the bat.
Of Lexington, the birthday Of CLAY, and
he other red-letter days in the American cal.
.ndar, now that the glorious fabric is itself in
ne dust, and the mountain made with hands
shattered to pieces.
It was but the other day that NIL eyes were
ixed on the Capital Of the Old World as the
Jingle object Of interest, and the expected
'ccne OF the great events that were to mark the
after years Of this century. Rome occupied
nc attention Of all men. 4 hundred oucs.