From the Seacoast.
[our own correspondent.] activity of Yankees Savannah — a saw. Mill-- boat Building--our preparations — battle Flags &c, &c, Savannah, Ga., Feb. 10, 1862.
Misfortunes never come singly, but, like friends in the hour of prosperity, in troops.
The reverses which have been reported in Kentucky have caused general gloom and regret; and to-day the telegraph reports the loss of Roanoke Island, with twenty-five hundred troops surrendered, to add to the foreboding admonitions of the wise and the never-ending requiem song sung by the croakers.
The rumors that find circulation in this city, from whatever source they originate, would appall honest, guileless heart, who could conceive and disseminate only truth.
We have not received a Richmond mail for four days past, and have begun to believe that the Yankees had obtained possession of the route; but the active efforts our foes have put forth lately no doubt have caused the occupation of all available transportation on the lines between here and the capital city of the South.
I trust the Postal Department of the Government can avail itself of that excuse, and may have always so proper a rejoinder to any future complaints.
The Yankees are still actively engaged in our vicinity.
Their gunboats are to be seen to the number of ten in Wall's cut, with a steam dredging machine at work, striving to deepen the channel.
Nothing has been done in some time to molest them at their work; but Fort Jackson is being rapidly strengthened, and the other batteries finished, and so much has been effected that I have great hopes that in the event of their reaching the Savannah river they will speedily wish themselves out of it.
I will here give you the various items of information gleaned from our advanced posts in regard to the movements and doings of the Federalists in this neighborhood.--They have, with the energy of their Puritan progenitors, set up a steam saw-mill, and are working out large quantities of timber on Warsaw Island.
They can obtain but little pine of any value on that island, and the oak will not need a steam saw to out it up, as it is only the crooked arms which are available for the knees of ships and available for the knees of ships and such were being built; but it is probable they are about to erect huts for the shelter of the large force they have had on shipboard for some time, a waiting the most favorable moment to attack.
We are anxious to know how much longer Gen. Sherman will wait for reinforcements, and when they will come.
In the meantime, we are prepared for the worst.
All are on the quivive, and our officers have been expecting daily an attack; but so far it has not been made.
The enemy is as busy as possible, and we shall not look long in vain for their expected advance.
They may resolve to push on now when so many movements of their other columns have been made, with the effect to distract our energies and cause a mistrust of our own future success.
This feeling, I am aware, finds little encouragement from the brave and resolute hearts which now are enlisted in our cause, and to whom are entrusted the hopes of all their countrymen; but, nevertheless, it weighs upon the hearts of the weak and despondent.
It is rather astonishing that though Savannah, a large and populous city, a wealthy community, in ordinary times a thriving port, and one which now gives much solicitude to our enemy, is in danger from a forbear enough to exchange signals with, and the sound of whose drums can frequently be distinguished from, our lower batteries, yet we are apparently more anxious about the positions in Kentucky and Tennessee than our own. There is something wrong in all this; the people have gone to sleep and want to be roughly awakened by some calamity, to teach them the urgent, the absolute necessity of rousing all their energies to meet the onset of our enemy.
They must be taught not to despise their power or to decry their courage; it is the worst foe we now have, that overweening self-confidence in our own prowess and ability to match with strong arms and valiant hearts all the inequalities of the present struggle.
It has lulled our people into a false security, and time, which has been well employed by our enemy in effecting a more thorough organization, has not found us improved in many respects, Should all the news be true that has this day reached us, the fall of Roanoke Island and surrender of so many of our best troops, it will prove a rough shake and awakening to our slum bring energies.
If all our people gave their utmost attention to the foe at their own doors, I believe we would have fewer mishaps to chronicle, more energy would be infused into the conduct of our defence, and we should soon have the proud satisfaction, I am convinced, of witnessing the desertion of their fruitless attempt at subjugation.
A presentation of a battle flag took place a few days since at Camp Harkle, a few miles from the city, on which occasion I a vailed myself of the opportunity to go incog.
to take my notes, though I have no fear that the subjects of them will at all object to see themselves in print.
The banner, very tastefully wrought by fair hands, was presented by the artist in person, who accompanied it with a speech quite ornate, and of the usual length of reminine epistles.
The speech in response was also worthy of the theme.
But I wish to jot down the most singular feature that I observed on the occasion, and that is the large number of the wives of both officers and men who had come from the up-country to follow their better halves in the fortunes of war. To them seem to have been delegated all the household duties of their new menage, and apparently the inconveniences of camp life and the camp kitchen did not incommode or disturb the placidity of their dispositions.
It was a novel sight, and peculiar to the country folks of Upper Georgia to inaugurate so easy a transition from home to the comforts of camp.
But I believe it was a progress in refinement, notwithstanding, and will tend to render all more anxious to advance in the new road to refinement.
The men are all, without exception, the denizens of the piney woods, and plain and unvarnished, even unsewn; but they are the right grit, and will not let the Yankees see their coat-tails in any event.
A good move has been made here towards freeing the city from the numbers of disorderly or rather drunken soldiers who have frequented the streets.
The city has been placed under the military government of Gen. Walker, who has issued an order prohibiting the sale of any liquor to a soldier under penalty of the store being closed and the liquor emptied into the street.
It will produce great good, and tend to remove the many complaints which are made of the disorderly soldiers found in our thoroughfares daily.
Richmond is not the only place which needs the strong head and firm hand to carry out municipal improvement and correction, and you have received your wonted share of magisterial attention within the three mouths past.
Some cotton is being pressed, and some little change in the product has taken place just to that amount, Everything else quiet here, Markets pretty well supplied — even strawberries occasionally to be seen.
Mercury 