The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-14 00:00:00

,
Conspiracy to Capture one of the Panama
Railroad Company's Steamers.

The Panama Star and Herald of the 21st Novena%
bar publishes the following account of an alleged
conspiracy to capture one of the Panama RAilroad

Company's Central American steamers :
" Information was received on the 25th ult. by the autho-
rities of the Panama Railroad that a plot had been concocted
for the se'zure of one of their steamers plying between
Panama and Central American ports by a arty of Con-
federate pirates, and that a number of the principal persons
connected with the undertaking, whose names were given,
were passengers on the royal_mail steamer Tamar, from St.
Thomas, which arrived at Aspinwall on the morning of
that day, and intended taking passage in the company's
steamer Guatemala, which sailed from this port on the same
day, with the intention-of putting their designs into execu-
tion. The Guatemala having put to sea before the arrival
of the Tamar's passengers on this side, the plans of the
pirates were for the time frustrated. As another of the com-
pany's steamers did not leave here before the 10th inst., the
conspirators were obliged to rema'n in this city till that Sate
before an opportunity offered for them to carry out their
diabolical purposes. In the meantime information of the
plot had been received from other sources, and the managers
of the railroad fully matured their plans for the capture Of
the entire gang. The matter was kept a profound secret
until about noon on'l'uesday the 10th inst., when the steamer
Salvador was ready to put to sea. 'Dim passengers were em-
barked as usual, apparently no suspicion being excited until
all were placed on board the steamer. Immediately on corn..
ing on board the passengers were requested to enter the main
saloon, all the other rooms having been previously locked,
in order to have their tickets examined and berths assigned.
A signal was then given to the commander of the United
States frigate Lancaster, who with a force of armed marines
was stationed on and alongside the P.M.S.S. Company's
steamer Sacramento, lying a short distance from the Sal-
vador, that all was ready. Captain Davenport was soon on
board the Salvador with the requisite force, and after an-
nouncing to the paseengers that he had taken possession
of the ship proceeded to read the passenger list, requiring
each person to respond to his name and show his ticket.
Several were soon recognised as the persons of wham in-
formation had been received,, and on being examined letters
of marque, commissions from the Confederate Government,
handcuffs and arms were found on their persons. The
evidence being conclusive, Captain Davenport took the
steamer to sea, accompanied by the Lancaster, When
beyond the jurisdiction of Columbia an investigation no
doubt took place, and the guilty ones were transferred to
the Lancaster. It is said that some 13 passengers, are sus-
pected of being implicated in the affiir,several of whom are
supposed to have joined the principal conspirators after
their arrival in this city."

A later edition says :—" We are enabled this morning to
give some further particulars of the piratical attempt to
seiz,, the P.K.R. Co.'s steamer Salvador on the 10th inst.,
and of future plans of the pirates had they been successful ;
but prudence obliges us to withhold the full details of the
plot for a few days longer, as although the principal leaders
are under arrest, and the conspiracy has been rendered
harmless, still there are many persons implicated in the
affair who have not yet been reached. The United States
steamer Lancaster returned on the morning of Saturday,
the 12th instant, bringing as prisoners seven of the persons
who had taken passage in the Salvador; on several of the
other passengers suspicion was very strong, but on inves-
tigation the evidence was not found sufficient to warrant
their being taken to the United States. From all
we can learn, the plot must have been quite a gigantic
affair—of proportions sufficiently large, had it been suc-
cessful, to have swept the United States commerce from
the Pacific, and almost perfect in its concoction. From the
orders of Mr Mallory, Secretary of the Navy of the Con-
federate States, to Captain Hogg, the leader of the party,
and from other documents found, it appeared that Hogg,
acting according to instructions, sailed from Wilmington,
N.C., for Havana, and at the latter port enlisted his associ-
ates, the paper containing their names and the oath to stand
by each other until death being dated at that place.
" From Havana the party came to Aspinwall via St.
Thomas and the same steamer which brought them con-
veyed the full details of the plot and the names of the con-
spirators from the United States Consul-General at Havana
to the United States Consul in this city, and the latter im-
mediately gave the news to the commercial agent of the
railroad.

" Captain Hogg and hie associates intended to take pas-
sage on the Guatemala, and when out at sea seize the ship.
It is believed they have confederates on the coast, or on a
vessel near by, who were then to join them, and that there
are also persons connected with the plot on both the Cali.
fornia and Central American steamers.

"The instructions were then to int rcept the P.M.S.S.
Company's steamer Sacramento on hoer way to this port
from San Francisco, take possession o'f the treasure, which
amounted to over a million dollars, and if it could not be
shipped safely across the Isthmus, to take it to Valparaiso,
and thero deposit it with some reliable British house, or to
ship it on board a French man-of-war, if one be found
that would take it. With the guns, &c., to be found on
board the Sacramento, the Guatemala might have been
made a very dangerous vessel. The Sacramento carries
one 100 pounder and four 20 pounder rifled Parrots, a
large amount of shot and shell. some three dozen Sharp's
nfies, and other smar-arms. These, together with the two
guns-12 and 24 pounders—and the supply of small-arms
already on board the Guatemala, would have given her
quite a formidable armament. This, coupled with the fact
that she is very fast, being able to steam 101 or 11 knots an
hour, and can carry sufficient coal to enable her to steam 60
days, shows that she would have been able to have captured
or destroyed almost any merchant vessel under the United
States flagon the Pacific. But even had the pirates suc-
ceeded in possessing themselves of the Guatemala, the cap-
ture of the Sacramento would not have been quite so easy
as they might have expected. On the 21st ult., the day
previous to the sailing of the later from Salt Francisco, a
despatch was received in that city from New York, reveal-
ing the plot; a similar despatch arrived here by the steamer
of the 3d inst. ; Capt. Bradbury, of the Sacramento, was
therefore on his guard, had his guns allotted and everything
made ready to give the pirates a warm reception should
they call upon him.
"As the programme of Messrs Hogg and Co. for the cap-
ture of the Guatemala and Sacramento fell through, they no
doubt made up their minds to carry it out. on the Salvador
and the Golden City due here on tile 16th inst. During the
two weeks' stay of the pirates in this city they purchased
3001 b of No. 7 blasting powder suitable for cannon, had it
put in tins and shipped on board the Salvador, and marked
for some port in Central America, expecting to use it when
they got possession of the steamers.

" The details of tho arrests on board the Salvador given