The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-01-19

was wholly inactive, while corn was dali and heavy.
Oats wore steady with rather more doing. Pork was
! iover whle beol was steady Lard was scarcely SO
0rm. WhiAey was decidedly higher. with more doing.
Freights were quiet
The Closure of Wilmfng ton-Its Effect I'm
Europe and i'm the South.
Fort Fisher, the main fort built to defend
the entrance to Cape Fear river, is In the hands
Of United States soldiers; and this, in the words
of q Richmond paper. Is equivalent to the
closure Of the harbor Of Wilmington" and
. will prevent in future the arrival and depar-
ture of blockade runnegs." Thus the work OF
our forces in that vicinity is well nigh done.
Wilmington 1t is not proposed to take; it is Of
no Importance whatever, and we do not want it
any more than we do any other one of the hun
dreds Of small towns scattered at unimportant
points throughout the Southern States. Our
forces have only to prosecute the operations
thus brilliantly begun SO far ~ to gain posses
sion OF the other forts at the mouth Of the river.
This will be q work Of far less dificalty than
the capture Of Fort Fisher; and this once done
the port will be closed definitely, and the large
naval force hitherto necessary to blockade 1t
will be set at liberty.
There will then remain but one point by
which the confederaoV can be accessible to
foreign ships. This is by way of the Rio
Grande river. The principal point there is to
guard against oil Vie contrivances by which
ships, that enter ostensibly for Mexican
ports, will deliver their cargoes on the
Texas side. Military occupation of the
Rio Grande, as we'll as some systematic
arrangement with the Mexican authorities, may
be necessary before we can perfectly prevent
access in that way; and for the closure of this
last inlet it would be unreasonable to look
entirely to the navy. But for such part Of this
as ships can do our whole navy will soon BIO
free. Within very short time, for that small
service, and to rc-establish our ancient position
on the seas-to hunt down British pirates, to
float our standard in every harbor Of the
world, to lift out of its present trancelike and
comatose state our great maritime trade, and,
If necessary, to demand from Great Britain
reparation for the injuries to that commerce
we shall have entirely free the most effective
navy ever put afoat.
Doubtless the main point achieved by the
closure of Wilmington harbor is that, SO far as
European markets will now know, there Is no
longer any Southern confederacy in existence.
John Bulls pocket has hitherto been the organ
by which he has been in most intimate contact
with the so-called confederacy, and through
which he has felt all his remarkable sym
patty for Southern freedom" The rebels
no 4
immensely high prices, and paid in cotton,
which was better than gold. So, Of course, he
found that they were glorious race Of men,
whom it was I'm 3ossble to subjugate;" that
they were chiyalrous and brave, and 'rcM
friends and admirers Of England" and so,
equally, OF course, he urged their interests
vehemently wherever he could raise his voice.
Now all that is done with. Southern gold, in
the shape of cotton bales, on Southern account,
will no longer dazzle the eyes Of mercenary
John Bull, and we shall hear once more what
villain every Shareholder and driver is. The
confederacy is no longer customer, and Eng
land will forget that she ever heard of it, The
storm of Fort Fisher killed that confederacy in
Europe. But it also kills it'quite as effectively
on this sido the water. The effect of this sue
cess upon the minds Of the Southern people
will be very great. The Charleston papers
want mo more JEFF Davis foolery," and de-
clare that if there is not change in the man.
agement of the Southern armies the confederacy
is done for. How will these bitter gentlemen
hear this news! How will the Richmond En-
aminer spread it, sending with it its bitter i'm
precautions of Davis? All that will act with
great power on the Southern people, just be-
ginning to awaken from their great delusion;
and it would not be entirely without parallel If
this piece of news should carry the coniederacy
down that ''sloping descent to perdition" with
q rush.
TEE BERGEN TUNNEL DIsAsTER-Judge Og-