width. Nearly all the distance between the
Mills House hotel and Charleston hotel is in this desolate state. The
fire began quite by accident, but the violent wind which suddenly arose
rendered all attempts to stop the flames abortive. The deserted state of
the wharves is melancholy--the huge placards announcing lines of
steamers to New York, New Orleans, and to different parts of the world,
still remain, and give one an idea of what a busy scene they used to be.
The people, however, all seem happy, contented, and determined. Both the
great hotels are crowded; and well dressed, handsome ladies are
plentiful; the fare is good, and the charge at the Charleston hotel is
eight dollars a day.

* * * * *

_9th June_ (Tuesday).--A Captain Feilden came to call upon me at 9 A.M.
He is an Englishman, and formerly served in the 42d Highlanders. He is
now in the Confederate army, and is on the staff of General Beauregard's
army. I remember his brother quite well at Sandhurst. Captain Feilden
accompanied me to General Ripley's office, and at 12 o'clock the latter
officer took us in his boat to inspect Fort Sumter. Our party consisted
of an invalid General Davis, a congress man named Nutt, Captain Feilden,
the general, and myself. We reached Fort Sumter after a pull of about
three-quarters of an hour.[46] This now celebrated fort is a pentagonal
work built of red brick. It has two tiers of casemates, besides a heavy
barbette battery. Its walls are twelve feet thick at the piers, and six
feet thick at the embrasures. It rises sheer out of the water, and is
apparently situated in the centre of the bay, but on its side towards
James Island the water is extremely shallow. It mounts sixty-eight guns,
of a motley but efficient description. Ten-inch columbiads predominate,
and are perhaps the most useful. They weigh 14,000 lb. (125 cwt.), throw
a solid shot weighing 128 lb., and are made to traverse with the
greatest ease by means of Yates's system of cogwheels. There are also
eight-inch columbiads, rifled forty-two pounders, and Brook guns to
throw flat-headed projectiles (General Ripley told me that these Brook
guns, about which so much is said, differ but little from the Blakely
cannon); also there are parrot guns and Dahlgrens; in fact, a general
assortment of every species of ordnance except Whitworths and
Armstrongs. But the best gun in the fort is a fine new eleven-inch gun,
which had just been fished