., and coaled. A portion
of Roanoke Island is a barren, sandy place, separating the Atlantic
Ocean from Pamlico Sound.

On Roanoke Island, in 1585, the first attempt to found an English
colony in America was made. Though abandoned the following year, it was
in advance of any similar effort. After the war commenced, the place
was held by the Confederates till the year 1862, when the Federal
forces under General Burnside captured the place. On the 21st the
Valley City left Roanoke Island at 12 m., and joined the fleet, and
anchored for the night.

On Monday, August 22d, 1864, at 9 o'clock, a.m., the Valley City was
ordered to the mouth of Roanoke river, where the United States steamers
Ceres and Sassacus were anchored. We were to take a very dangerous and
responsible position, immediately at the mouth of the Roanoke river.
During the long dark nights the Valley City did not anchor, for it was
rumored that the Confederate ram Albemarle might come down any night,
and especially a very dark night under the cover of the darkness, so
that the Valley City must be constantly on the alert. If the Albemarle
did make her appearance at the mouth of the Roanoke river, the Valley
City was to fire one gun as a signal to the fleet, which was anchored
six miles farther down the Albemarle Sound, and then steam towards the
fleet.

This Confederate ram was a formidable adversary on water. She had a
sharp arrow-like ram extending twenty feet under water in front of her
bow. She was plated with iron, which completely protected her inmates
from solid shot; she had two two-hundred-pounder Brooke's rifled guns
on the inside of this iron encasement, and one port-hole to each of her
four sides. She was very unwieldy, but in a body of water like the
Albemarle or Pamlico Sound no wooden vessel could cope with her.

Friday, August 25.--I visited Edenton to-day for the first time. It is
situated pleasantly on the bank of Edenton Bay, as it is called, but
really Albemarle Sound. The people are kind, courteous, educated, and
hospitable. There were magnificent residences in the place, each of
which was surrounded by a large yard with shade trees, having that
comfortable, spacious, home-like appearance, which so many of the
buildings in Southern cities present. When the officers of the Valley
City first visited Edenton, they were treated very coolly by the
people; but gradually they became quite sociable, and we were invited
to visit many of the fami