The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1862-05-25


The Fall or Richmond.
The Southern journals are capital barome-
tsrs Of rebellion. Just now they are. like Pip
convict, "very low" and indicate nothing but
storms and prognosticate nothing but disasters.
The Charleston Mercury, an extract from which
We republish in another column, il q very i'm
portant feature Of this rebel press barometer.
Only few short months ago it was very high,
very hopeful, very bombastic and very triumph
ant. Nowadays, however, it is only pro-
phet Of evil, and, unfortunately for JEFF. Davis,
its prophecies come true. Evidently the Mercury
people anticipate the speedy capture of
Charleston by our forces, and are gradually
converting their journal into Union organ.
Upon no other hypothesis can we explain their
sudden conviction that it is best to tell the
truth.
The fate of the capital is probably fixed"
says the Mercury. "We fear that we shall have
the story Of New Orleans over again." Omit
the superiuous words probably" and we
fear" which were only inserted to blind JEFF.
Davis press censor, and we have here bit Of
honest truth, and an assertion which might
have appeared in the most loyal paper in the
country. No doubt "the fate Of Rich
mond is fixed" Mcclellan has fixed' it, and
he seldom fails. No doubt "we shall
have the story of New Orleans over again"
We shall have this story "over again" at
Richmond, "over again" at Memphis, " over
again" at Mobile, cover again at Savannah,
" over again at Charleston, and over again
and again until every part Of the South has
been brought back to the Union, as New Or
leans has been. 1t has become an old story
variedand exciting. and the denouement SO hap
py, that we shall never tire of telling it and
hearing it told, and do not despair of making
it equally interesting and satisfactory to all
Southern men by and by.
The Mercuryis not alone in it's predictions
of the fall of Richmond. All the rebel jour
nails expect it; but none of them seems dis
posed to speculate upon wha. shall follow
the capture Of the capital. JEFF. Davis him
self prefers to talk glittering generalitea
when the subject is under discussion Shar-
ing in the popular apprehensions of the
fall Of Richmond, the members Of the
Virginia Legislature waited upon Davis
to inquire whether the capital was pro-
perly defended and perfectly safe. Certainly
it is Safe replied JEFF. "but if it should fall
We may fight for twenty years yet in Virginia. :
There is not very much comfort in this reply.
That 'if il should fall'' is very ominous and the
prospect of affecting poor old Virginia with a
twenty years war is not particularly pleasing.
During one years war Virginia has been in
iurcd beyond redress, and it will be many a
long year before she will recover the ground
she has lost and regain the position she held
when she left the Union She will never adj
vance as she might have done il she had re-
manned loyal. Twenty years more Of rebel rule
would make her desert. No wonder, then,
that she hopes and expects that her capital will
fall for she knows, in spite OF .ieH. Davis cool
assertion, that Virginia is conquered when
Richmond is taken. Her people have been too
grossly deceived 10y JEFF. Davis before 10 be-
lieve his ipse d;rit, when every fact Of observa-
ton and experince gives him the lie direct.
The Charleston Mercury and the other rebel
journals appreciate the real state Of the case.
and are not to be humbugged by promises Of q
prolonged war. "The fall of Richmond
continues the Herc,ry would indeed be a
heavy blow. Tie capture OF the seat of
government would sadly shake the confidence
Of Europe in our ability 20 achieve our indie
pendence' This is very true: but it in
sinuates more than the Mercury dsrcs TO say.
What of the confidence OF the people OF the
South? Would not that, also, he shaken by
the capture Of the seat Of government We
imagine that there IL very little confidence;
in the Southern coniederacy remaining, either
in Europe or in the South to be shaken by
anything. This whole rebellion has been a vast
confidence game, originating in tue confidence
that the North would permit peaceable Sc
esssion. sustained by the confidence 81
European Intervention, and now kept in ex-
istenee, like Micawber, by the confident Is
surance that things cannot be worse than they
are. aud thai something may turn up shortly
But IL any confidence in the confederacy sur
wives the fall Of Richmond we shall believe
that rebels bump OF hope j. larger than the
rest OF his head. PhrenologicaI science and
the reDsl press assure us tn1t lhls - not the
fact. The Mercury states that, during his late
visit to Richmond, Count MERCER uuotfcially
advised the rebel chiefs 'never 10 surrender
the capital What Count Msrcier did pro
baby say--for he gave no advice, officially
or unofficially-was. tina, il the CAPT
tai were surrendered the Confederate cause
was lost. Let JEFF. Davis and his
journals, in language strongly contrast
Ing with their usual bombast openly admit tina;
the capital must be surrendered or captured
jeff Davis and his scribblers know what the do
fences Of Richmond are just a. we know about
the deienccs of Washington, and we are there
fore bound to take them at their word; and W.
have McClellan's word also to make assurance
doubly sure. Then, IL Richmond fall, what