The New York herald., 1864-11-04
Wilnain Gton.
Wllna1nE ton.
THE DEFENCES OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
or AN ATTACK By sUMR MYSTERIOUS FLEET.
Correspondence Of the Richmond Dlspatch.l

THE DETENCEs OF Observation-Disclosures
or AN ATTAcK By soME AYsTsEIoUs FLEET.
WrLEIEdroS N o., Oct. 23, 1884.
The appearance Of yellow In this city some two
weeks ago oaussd co6sdsrabie aiarm which tho sad
perience Of the 1862 served 10 augment Appear
Ing In disrcnt parts or the town AZ the time upon
warm, suitry day. u was fear cd would srosd with
the country But tneae we're not realized
The weather turned suddenly cold, providsataly, and
disease rhs istenes the season rerders hioAy i'm.
protds il will become edemic and S phystciass are cf
saay
morning IN drttcso Etorti II Is suppo7ed these cases
were ~ % curing ne wsasner Two weeks
noiice that the prospeo. Of an early attack upon VII
about Va known. There not even runor 10 disturb
tie usual as; me ct5sss @ ona no Tears are
time the Northern papers have besu loud IN their de-
mands for the closure OF the port Of WILMINGTON which
sees about to make raid upon ths ocean and to use
their words "a nest Of pirates" ready 70 swoop
coast whsro the maritime and nshins Interests are a
stake and ia the seaport cities OF commercial impor
Il Is not impossible their opportunities may 6s the
means Of bringing an iron Glad ices against our forts,
under the redoubtablo Tasragut or Porter.
Returned officers, said, report large feet gather
log Hampton Roads fcg the avowed purpose Of getting
commaul OF Wilmington hArbor but IL IL difcut to
lecture what they hope accomplish without the aid or
land force Then the question arises, from whence
this bc obAipodf would seem, by his repeated
call for more troops. that Grant would rot be likely TO
spare any Of his veterans Sheridan has all he atend
TO 10 tho valley sherman seems % be suiiicisutly
amused North Gsorsis and the Yankee forces In tho
West quite inadequate to take care OF General Price.
1here remain the recruits, Il ia true; bui they can
scarcely made effective for this attack, Farra-
gut should have this temerity TO mako the attempt
Carrent rcpcrt however points QUE this place as the
destination Of the ron.csd feet assembling and,
uni, il cur be delutely determined We must make pro-
Tas po-ie Of liz Cape Fear offences render hem ssrono
~ MIN Eu owl
to the chnne through which vessels must pass to enter
tho mouth OF sdo river II about thirty miles from the
town os Wilmington to the tee river navi21bo ior
srgs steamers, running through level, marshy conn.
try, wooded either shore. Some eight miles be-
Ia clear and deep until tha 'pn ls reacneL A long,
low narrow island stretches directly across the mouth
Of ne river leaving only two narrow nlets ut either end
fge the waters to Join each other These here
uornlnated Eastern aud western bar, of Old and Now
Inlet Before the the Western tnr was alone used
hy vessels OF any siae aud the United staies govern
made effort TO close the New Inlet entirely In
order o force larger volume OF water through te other
render desper and capable OF taxing over the bar
vessels Of greater size and draneh Many years waa
this work hand, aud many thousands were spent In
hauling siooes 10 throw into the coanne, not one OF
whica mas ever been heard OF is futile task.
Tue channsl ssspeped, anything, and the project was
abau doned This Inlet considered the better Of
the two by blockade runners, although majority Of
steamers going 10 Nassau 20 out the Western bar
tho bays' e,s,s and harbors are constantly changing
the sands shifting from place TO place. filling up an en-
trance here and deepening another there Above Latter
navgbe, while longer than twenty years ago there
were three four Al this place there 10 tho same
from place place. and the GRIP" filling in or deepening
with astonishing rapdly Az the Eastern bar ths chan.
oS,, % VIM. Ss e
wnie a. the Wectern bsr Fort Caswcl guards equally
minor batteries. strung along toe beach, located
at poists that TO an engineers eye, seemed 70 bear
ss o ssp Ana inc
land between tho RIP and the bar, large ssrthwork
mould erected by Colonel Lamb lcommander Of the
months pass this has been terror 10 the feet outside,
aud has very propsrly kept them at respectful dis
from the aRp, 20 the bar ana beyond; 20 win BE- on
romcly difficult for iron clad 70 enter the har
sn ss aSs :u ~ors mounting very
eraciivs ordnance. Upon the eastern RIP and almost
immedissely in the middle Of the channels The wreck
change in the moving sandy bottom; for u was proven
she was in tho line passed the evening previous ~
even With skiul po,s that easily defsnsibe, and
that the proper desnces have been erected These
o, any nsss the enemy Can new bring asalns. them.
But attack by water may not be expected alone for
Land force ana we have g ooi also 70 the land side
tho works. Hero, too, believe, proper provision has
been made \ the pi.n 30 70 land men a Lsskrosds
sound against For thcn We must trust to our land
force 70 them. or General whtng's force Know
nothing and would say nothing did but entire con0.
dence s here fct n hs ability hold the position and
bslieve he will do u. There 10 no man understands the
around bettcr, for m ,eutooant 10 the Uried States
army be has surveyed over and over And besides
be Ia defending ha own ho mo and his own people, With
4 proper fcrce At comrnrrd and have no fears or tho
rssuit-it will spss into siege and bombadment OF tine
forls Is at Charleston, until he rough winter weather
drives the unscaworthy iron Monitors into sorno sasr
haven.
General prccr 10 here; but whether on tc,r Of In
spec,ion or W take Temporary command have NO
heard For f,oo hros days Ne has bses rtsrg ne
v,o, defsnces viii General Whuir,c, and believe
s.tsacd watn tho iasers engineering skill 70 undsr
| nood Gsmsrai BrSoo V,u voaasn h0c uslI hs foM
| ovT.
The Oonscrl ptaon.
/ yoarNAsrrRs 10 m PUT IN TIN PnIp--A sra
| oxsriox TO rHB usEr AurHoaIrrRs.