New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-08-14
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THE BLOCK AIDE,

The following communication appeared the other
day in the New York Herald:
FALL RIVER, MASS, July "a 1S6l.-I am in re-
ceipt of letter from North Carolina. The writer,
who is very reliable man, informs ME that the
ports of Wilmington, Beaufort, Washington, Ply
mouth, Hartford, and several other smaller places,
have no actual blockade, except the proclamation
of President Lincoln. He says that there is an
English brig now loaded in the port of Wilmington.
She will sail with the first fair wind for Liverpool
England The steamtug Mariner goes out and in
to the ports OF Wilmington and Beaufort. She is
now out on privateering expedition along by
cape Hatteras. The people do not generally sup
Pose this to be the case, and Iwrite you so that
you can, If you choose, make it public. The coast
OF North Carolina should be strictly biockaded if
the Government intend to put down this rebellion.
Inc same writer states that they have plenty to
eat as yet. Flour is cheaper than ever before
Manufactured articles are scarce.
We suppose there is nobody who pretends that
the blockade instituted by the Lincoln Government
| is ehectual. They have found out at Washington
that it is not, and is understood that Seward has
been compelled to admit as much to Lord Lyons.
More particularly is it Intellectual along the coast
of North Carolina, where, owing to the shallow
water in the bays and inlets, the heavy vessels of
the Federal navy cannot come within a long dis
lance from the shore. It is said that most of the
prizes taken by the privateer JEFF Davis have been
sent into North Carolina ports the blockaders run
ming aground whenever they attempt to follow
them in.
To meet this difficulty the Federal Government
| has been buying up small steamers and merchant
| vessels, and fitting out gunboats drawing little
water, so as to blockade the whole coast, as well
| where the water is shallow as where it is deep.
| They have been rather slow about it, though, as
| some of the New York papers openly charge that
/
| eeehes Of the lobby must be paid by the owners
Of these craft, before the Secretary Of the Treas
| ufy will close the bargain. Still, the work goes
on. According to our calculation, il they are very
Industrious about it, they will have, in about two
years, enough vessels and small boats to blockade
the whole coast, provided The money holds out and
the lobby does not gonge unreasonably deep.
Meantime, however, the blockade, as to many
Southern ports, amounts to nothing, and the Lin.
coin Government is perfectly well aware of it,
What bothers them, BESIDES is that the British
Government has announced that blockade, to be
respected must be effective. Admiral Milne, COM
manding the British feet ia the Gulf, declares that
three escapes from blockade invalidates it and
instead of three, there have been at least three
dozen in the last ninety days. Even a British YES
sci went into the harbor Of Apaachicola the other
day without let or hindranCe.
It is plain, therefore, that this pretended block
ade is failure--that it is a humbug and an abor-
ton, and will be 50 regarded by foreign nations,
whenever it suits their interests SO to consider it,
We do not say this because we would have any OBJ
lection TO blockade, it being susceptible of proof
that it is one of the best things that has ever hap
pened for the South So far as this city is CON
cerned, it is capital quarantine measure, keeping
of the yellow fever from US, without giving us any
trouble about it, 1t only shows whats 'tmuddlen
old Abe has made Of this, as he has Of everything
else. If we may rely upon that very unreliable
source Of information, the telegraph, the Northwest
is already getting tired of the blockade at Louisville
and Cairo, and for the sake of Southern gold is
willing to let us have provisions, stores, general
merchandise, and everything else not universally
acknowledged contra band of war. The eXpedient
will not answer; it is like opening the cage after
the bird has escaped. Our experience has taught
us that the South need no longer walk with North
ern clutches, but is able to stand erect on its own
legs. The blockade on the sea coast being ineIec-
tual, Old Abe, we suppose thinks it useless to
keep it up along the land border: but we wish
him to understand that it is matter of uuconcern
to Us, and on the whole we had rather he should
put himself to that expense aud trouble than not