The Civil War In America

Charleston, April 30. Nothing I could say can be worth one fact whieh bas forced itsolf upon my uiind in ref'erence to the sontiments which prevail amoug the gentlemen of this tstute. I have been among theiu ibr several days. I have visited thtir plantatious, I have converged vvith tnem freely and fuily, and I bave enjoyed th ut frank, courteous, aud graceful intercourse whieh constitutes an irresistible charra of their society. Trom all quarters bascóme to my ears the echoes of the same voice ; it niay be feigucd, but there is po discord in the note, and it sounds in wouderful strength and monotony all over the country. Sbades of George III., of Nortli, of Johnson, of all who contended against the great rebellion wliicb tore these colouies froni England, can vou hear the chorus which rings through the State of Marión, Suinpter, and Piuckuey, and uot ciap your gbostly hands in triumph 't Tliat voice says, " If we could only get one of the roynl race of Eugland to rule over us, we should be content." Let there be no misconception on this point. ïlnit sentiment, martod in a hundred ways, has been rcjjeateú tu me over and over agam. - There is a general adtnission that the means to such au end are wauting, and that the desire cannot be gratified. But the admiration for monarchical iustitutions on the English model, fbr the privilcged classes, and for a landed aristocracy and gentry, is undisguised and apparently genuine. With the pride of having aehieved tbeir independeuce is iniugled iu the South Carolinians' hearts a strange regret at the result and consequences, and mauj ai-e tbey who "would go back to-morrow if they could." An intense affectiou for the British connection, a love of British habits and customs, a respect for British sentiment, law, ■ thority, order, civilizatiou, and literature, pre-emineutly distinguish the inhabitants of this State, who, glorying iu their de.scent from arieiént families on the three islands, whose fortunes they still follow, aud with whose members they maintaiu not unfrequently familiar relations, regard with an aversión of which it is impossible togive an idea to one who has not seen its manifcshitions to the people of New Ei.glaná aud the population of the northern Status, whom they regard as tainted beyond cure by the venom of " Puritauism." Whatever may be the cause, this is the f iet, and the effect. - " The 8tato of South Carolina was," I am told, " founded by gentlemen." It was not established by witch burning Puritaüs, by cruel persecuting fanatics, who implanted in the North the standard of Torquemada, and breathed into the ncstnls of their newly boni colomes all the ferocity, bloodthirstiness, aud rabid intolerante of the Inquisition. It is absolutely astounding to a strangor who airas at the preservatiou of a decent neutrahty to mark the violence of these opinions. " [f that confounded ship had sunk with those Pilgrini Fathers on board, " sayu one, we uever should have been driven to these extr.mities!' We could have got on with the fanatics if thcy had been either Christians or gentlemen," says another ; " for in the first case thcy would have actcd with common charity, aud in the second they would have fougbt when they insulted us; but there are jieither Christians or gentlemen among them !" Anything onearth!" exclaims a third, ''any forni of govern ment, any tyranny or despotisni you will ; but" - and here is an appeal more terrii Ie than the adjuration of all the gods - "nothing on earth shall ever icduce us to submit to any unión with ihe brutal, bigoted blackguards of the New England States, who ueither comprehend nor regard the fceliugs of gentlemen ! Man, woman, and child, we'll die first." Imagine these and an infinite variety of siiiiilar sentiments uttered by eourtlv, welleducated men, who set great store on a nice observance of the usages of society, and who are only moved to extreme bitterness aud anger when they speak of the North, and you will fail to conceive the intei)6Íty of the dislike of the South Caroliniaus for the free States. There are natioual antipathies on our side of the Atlantic whieh are tolerahly strong and have been uufortuuately pertinacious und long lived The hatred of the Italian for the Tedesco, of the Greok for the Turk, of the Turk for the Russ, is warm and lierce enougli to satisfy the prince of darkuess, not to speak of a few little pet aversions among allied Powers aml the atoms of composite empires; but they are all mere indifforence and neutrality of feeling compared to the ai;i [ mositv eviuced by the "gentry" of South Caroliua lor the "rabble of the North." Savanuah, Ga., May 1. It is said that " fools build houses for wise men to live in." Be that true or uot, it is certain that "Uncle Ham" has built strong pitees tor his enemies to occupy. To day I visited Fort Pulaski, which defends the inouth of the i nah River and the approaches to the city It was left to take care of itself, and the Georgiana quietly stepped into it, and have been bugiod in completing its defeuses, so that it is uow capable of stopping a fleet very effectually. Pulaski was a Pole who feil in the defeuse of Savauuah against the British, and whose meinory is perpetuated in the name of the fort, which is uow under the Coufed erate flag and garrisoned by bitter foes of the United States. Among our party were Commodore Tatnall, wliose uame will be familiar to E.iglish ears in con j nection with the attack on the Peiho : forts, wherc the gallact American showed the world that " blood as thickcr than water ;" Brigadier General Lawton, in commaud of the forces of Georgia, and a nuaiber of naval and military officers, of whom muuy had belonged to the United States regular service. It was strauge to look at such a man as the Commodore, who for 49 long years had served uuder the stars and stnpes, quietly preparing to meet his old comrades and friends, if needs be, in the battle field - his allegiance to the country and to his flag renounced, his long service flung away, his old ties and counections severed - and all this in defence of the sacred right of rebellion ou the part of " his State" üe is not now, nor bas he been for years, a slave owner ; all his family and familiar associatious conneet him with the North. As the Comino dore eutered the redau the guns of the i for.t broke out into a long 6alute, and the j band at the gate struck up almost as j noisy a welcotne. Ingide, the parade pre. seuted a soene of lite and animation very unlike the the silence of the city we had left. Men were busy cleariug out the casemates, rolling away stores and casks of amrauuition and provisions, others were at work at the gin and shears, other building sand bag traverses toguard the niagaziuo doors as though expecting an iuimediate attack. - j Muny of the offioers wero etrolting under the sliado of the open gallery at the side oí' tho curiain which oontained their quarters in the lofty bomb-prouf casemates. Sorae oí thein have suen service in Mexico or border warlare; süme had traveled over Italiun and Crimean btttle-fields ; others were West, Point graduates of the regular arniy; Othera young planters, cltirks, or civilians who had rushed with ardor into ihe First Georgian Regiment. The garrisou f the fort is üüO meo; and fully tbal nümber were in and about the work, their tents boing pitehed ii'side tlie redan ur on the tcrreploin ot' the parapeta. The walls are exceedingly eolid and Wdll built of hard gray hrick, strong as iron, upwards of six feet in thickness, tho casetnates and bomb-prnofs being lofty, airy, and capacioua as any I have ever seun, thouch hcre is not quite depth enough betunen the walls at the saüeiit and the gun c irriages. The work is iiitended for 128 gnus, of which uboutone-fourth are mounted on the casemates. They are long 32's wi.h a íew 42'sand columbiads. The art.iaments will be exceedingly heavy when all ol the gur.s are nounted, and they are last getting tho 10-inch eolumbiads into position en burbette. Everything which could be required, except mort are, was in abundarrce - the platforms and gun oarriages are solid and well made, tho embrasures are admirably constructed, and the ventilation of the bom-proof carefully provided for. There are three furnaces for heating red-bot shot. Nor ia discipline nuglected, and the officers with vvhom I went round the works were as sharp in tone and manner to their men as volunteers well could be though the latter often are enlistod for only three years by the State of Georgia. An excellent lunch was spread in the casemated bomb-proof which served as the Colonel's quarters, and before sunset the party wero steaming tovvaids Savannnh through a tideway lull nf leaping sturgeun and perpoises, leaving the garrison intent nu the approacii of a large ship, which had her saus aback off the bar and oisted tho stars andstiipes, but which turned out to be nothing more formidable than n Liverpool cotton ship. It will t.ake some hard blows before Georgia is driven to let go her grip of Fort Pulaskl. The channel is very narrow and passes close to the guns of the fort. Themeansnf completing the mament have b-en lurnished by the stores of Norfolk navy-y&rd, where between 700 and 800 guns have fallen into the hands of the Confedoratos; and f tnere is no columbiuds among them, the Merrimau and other ships, whicli have been raised. as vvehear, with gunR uninjured, will yiuld up their Üuhlgrens to turn their muzzles against their old masteis. May 2. - May-day was so well kept yesterday that the exhausted editors uannot " bring out" their papers, and consequently 'there is no news; but there, is, nevertheless, much to be said eoneerning " our Presidente" message, and there is a suddenness of admira tion for pacitic tendencies whioh can with difficulty be accounted for, unless the news from the North these last few days has something to do with it. Not a word now about an instant march on Washington ! no more threats to seize on Faneuil Hall ! The Goorgians are by no means so keen as the Carolinans on their borders - nay, they are notso belligerent to-day as they were a week ago. Mr. Jefterson Davis' message is praised for its " moderation," and for other qualities whichwereby nomeans in such favor while the Öumpter fever was at its height Men look grave and t#lk about thu interference of England and Franco, which " oannot allow this thing to go on." But the change which has come over them is unmistakabk), and the best men beorin tolook grave. As for me, I must prepare to open my iines of re;roat - iny coinmunicatkms are in danger.