The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-02 00:00:00

THE THISTLE AND THE TUSCARORA

The following has been addressed to the Scots-
man, signed "S. M. Underhill," and dated St.
Thomas, West Indies, December, 1862 :
"As an account of the stoppage and search of a
British merchant steamer in the Atlantic by an
American man•of-war may not be without interest
to your readers, I subjoin the particulars of such an
event which happened to the vessel in which I am
a passenger, on Saturday, the 29th November last.
"The Thistle is a screw steamer of 206 tons re-
gister. She was built on the Clyde three years ago,
for the Glasgow and Londonderry Steampacket
Company, in whose service she has acquired the
reputation of being the fastest screw steamer hailing
from the Clyde. She was bought by her present
owners in October last, and after undergoing a
thorough overhaul, left the Bramley Moor Dock,
Liverpool, on Thursday, the 20th ult. (November),
for Nassau, New Providence. She left England
with a very valuable cargo, 190 tons in weight, and
she also carried upwards of 200 tons of coals. She
was commanded by an able and experienced captain
(G. M. Maxted), and was manned by a numerous
and efficient crew (in all about 30). Notwithstand-
ing she experienced some very bad weather, she
speedily accomplished the first stage of her journey
and came to an anchor in Funchal Roads (Madeira),
about noon on Wednesday, Nov. 26. As the Thistle
stood in towel. d the island, she sighted a largo screw
steamer, apparently a man-of-war, whose rig cor •
responded to the description of the United States
steamer Tuscarora. This vessel was distant from
the land about six miles, and on seeing the Thistle
anchor, she went about and again put to sea. On
shore conjectures were rife as to whether the
stranger might not be the Confederate steamer
Alabama, expected at Madeira.
" Immediately after her arrival the Thistle com-
menced taking in the coal for which she had
stopped at the island, and the day passed with-
out further intelligence of the suspicious looking-
stranger. About nine p.m., her Britannic Majesty's
paddle-steamer Leopard, seven days from Ply-
mouth, and bound to China, came into the roads also
for coal, and anchored outside of the Thistle. The
coaling of both vessels proceeded steadily all the
succeeding day (Thursday) ; and about dusk the
strange steamer was again off the bay, but, as be-
fore, she again bore away to sea. By noon next
day (Friday) the Thistle, having taken on board
260 tons of coal, was ready to resume her voyage,
and her departure was fixed for the folio wing morn-
ing. About four in the afternoon, the Portuguese
signal station on the Loo Fort (an isolated fortified
rock in the bay) signalled that an American man-
of-war was standing in, and soon after the wonder
of the two preceding days steamed majestically into
the roads, the stars and stripes floating from her
mizen peak. She was a large three-masted wooden
screw steamer, with a square-rigged foremast, and
her main and mizen masts schooner-rigged. She
apparently carried a broadside of six or seven heavy
guns, with several large pivot guns on desk. She
was supposed by every one to be the Tuscarora, but
it was only conjecture, as no name was to be seen
on her stern or elsewhere. She did not pay the
customary salute to either Portuguese or British
flags, but steamed silently to an anchorage, a little
ahead of the Thistle, and astern of the Leopard.
Immediately after her arrival she was boarded by
the Consul, and soon after commenced to coal, her
captain giving orders that the coaling should be
finished by midnight. Considering the Thistle's
destination, it was not unnatural that she should
keep a sharp look-out on her formidable neighbour;
and several times during the night one of the
Federal vessel's boats, commanded by an officer,
after having quietly pulled alongside, was detected
attempting to engage the Thistle's look-out in con-
versation.

"With sunrise on Saturday morning, the Thistle
got up her steam and her anchor, and, passing
between the two war ships, dipped her ensign in
salute as she passed each. The American took no
notice of the compliment ; the Englishman did, and
dipped his ensign in return. The Thistle had
not steamed more than a mile from her anchor-
age, every one on board intently watching the
American (who had kept steam up all night), when
suddenly his chain cable was seen to rush through
his hawser holes, and he headed in chase of the
Thistle. He had slipped his cable, attaching
thereto a buoy, that he might save the time neces-
sary to weigh anchor. The Thistle held on her
course, and going at full speed, gained rapidly on
her pursuer, getting almost beyond range. The
Thistle would now be distant about five miles from
Funchal, the American about three miles, though
in the fine clear atmosphere the distance did not
seem so great. The American, now seeing that he
was much inferior to the English steamer in speed,
fired a bow gun as a signal for the latter to stop,
and Captain Maxted (of the Thistle), wishing to be
overhauled while he could still claim the protection
of the Leopard, obeyed the summons, and hove to.
The Yankee bore down at full speed, his ports open,
and guns run out, while his ports and hammock
nettings, were one mass of faces, as his crew crowded
to look at their chase, and possibly to gloat over
their prospective prize. When a very short dis-
tance from the Thistle the American stopped, and a
boat containing an armed boarding party of two
officers and eleven men shoved off. As they neared
the Thistle the word' Tuscarora' was discernible on
their cap bands, and doubt became a certainty when
the first lieutenant of the American boarded the
Thistle, and announced that Captain Craven, com-
manding the U.S. steam sloop-of-war Tuscarora had
desired him to board and search the Thistle, having
learned that she carried ammunition and other
articles contraband of war for the use of the rebels
in the Southern States. The English red
ensign now flew, as it had all morning flown,
from the Thistle's flagstaff; and Captain Maxted
having told the lieutenant that his information
was erroneous, pointed to the ensign, and said
that, as she was a British vessel and had a British
clearance from one British port to another, he
would if necessary claim the protection of
H.B.M.S. Leopard. The lieutenant (who was
apparently a German), with more emphasis than
courtesy, expressed his contempt for the flag
and protection so invoked, and demanded a
sight of the ship's papers, pointing to his crew, and
threatening to employ force if necessary; and he
declared if be found there was anything contraband
of war on board, he would seize the vessel as a
United States prize. A set of bills of lading being
handed him, he stepped into the cabin to inspect
them, though he seemed to understand nothing
about such documents, and he very speedily got
quite confused amongst the invoices of coffee, tea,
brandy, &c., with which he was so accommodat-
ingly plied. Giving up the perusal in despair, he
said he would have a look at the cargo, when he
was reminded that upwards of 260 tons of coal
would first have to be removed. He professed not
to care for this labour, and was proceeding to order
the search, when he was advised to be quick, as the
Leopard was approaching. Signals were now rapidly
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inspection
to the Tusca-
rora
Thistle's papers, the American boat's crew h
com-
menced to chaff the crew of the Thistle,w bo nothingaodf
the
loth, kept up the wordy war. One of the Thistle's
mates, the late boatswain of the Confederate steamer
290, asked if the Tuscarora's crew had made much
prize money this fall. A Yankee in the boat
reckoned they hadn't turned a cent." Oh,' re-
sponded the mate, you're not half chaps. The Ala-
bama's men have each made a little fortune off the
bNewoatw Yorke shouldblo like to fall in with that ckade.' 'oh,said officertheat ir
in the
'Semmes. Do you think he is near this?' No
ehi,si etihneg ,tudes,' replied the
chanceradwoaiwst hens
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Somethe eTfu Tuscarora o
Br ar t
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and their inten-
tion of living and dying' Dixie;' while an Irish-
man in the boat suggested that they I maybe
m
hadn't to get there first,' and so on. All this
time the Federal steamer had been moving
slowly round and round the Thistle, which had
remained stationary. In a few minutes after
the boat had been sent back to the Tuscarora, it