Shelling Charleston.
--The Charleston Mercury, of Thursday, says:‘ The weary spell of rain, cold and endless mud, through which we are passing, seems in no wise to diminish the ardor with which Gen. Gillmore's artillerists maintain their fire upon the hated "cradle of the rebellion." Wednesday was another day of continuous bombardment. Throughout Tuesday night the loud rushing sound and final crash of the shells was incessant, and the dismal dawn of yesterday was ushered in by the same terrible music.
’ We have no authentic statement of the number of shots fired against the city. One account gives the number fired between six o'clock Tuesday morning and six o'clock Wednesday evening at one hundred and sixty, but this estimate is probably much below the mark. The fire is still kept up apparently from two guns only--one 100 pounder Parrott rifle and a small Wiard rifle. The shots from the former are the only ones that can be heard for any considerable distance. The intervals between the reports have varied from five to twenty minutes. Eight minutes, we think, would be a fair average. Our batteries have been slowly replying to the enemy's fire. There was but one casualty in the city--one man being slightly injured. The shelling was attended by the usual amount of damage to property, in those cases in which the enemy's aim was effective.
During the shelling on Tuesday night an officer of Maj. Blanding's command discovered a small wooden tenement, in Lightwood alley, three doors from Meeting street, to be on fire, and, summoning help, promptly extinguished the flames before they had gained any considerable headway. The fire was evidently the work of an incendiary, and a pistol shot was fired at the parties who were engaged in throwing water into the burning building. The perpetrator of this fiendish crime has not yet been detected.
Our accounts from Fort Sumter report that everything is progressing perfectly, quietly, and satisfactorily at that post. The enemy still refrains altogether from any renewal of fire against the fort.
