The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-28 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIF. SUN.

Sir,—l hasten to for ward you some particulars of
the grievous outrage committed to-day against the
English flag by the United States' steamsloop San
Jacinto, Captain Wilks. You have probably heard
how, some three weeks ago, the little steamer Theo-
dora, having on board the Commissioners sent by
the Confederate States of America to London and
Paris, ran the blockade at Charleston, arriving
safely in Havannah. Once arrived there, they of
course imagined that on neutral territory they were
perfectly free and safe from all molestation, and
therefore made no attempt to conceal their names,
position, and intended movements. Mr. Slidell
the Commissioner for Paris, was accompanied by
his wife, son, and three daughters, and also by his
secretary, Mr. Eustace, with his wife ; Mr. Mason
the Commissioner for England, being accompanied
by his secretary, Mr. M'Farland. It was well known.
in Havannah that berths were booked for the whole
party to proceed by this steamer to St. Thomas,
there to join the homeward West India mail steam-
ship for Southampton. They accordingly embarked
yesterday morning, trusting to receive the same
protection under the English flag which they had
already received from that of Spain.
We left Havannah yesterday morning, at 8. This
morning, about half-past 11, we observed a large
steamship ahead, and on a nearer approach found
she was hove to, evidently awaiting us. We were
then in the na,:rowest part of the Bahama Chan-
nel, abreast of Paradon Grande lighthouse. As
soon as we were well within range, we hal
the first intimation of her nationality and in-
tentions by a round shot being fired across our
bows, and at the same moment by her showing
American colours. We were now sufficiently near
to observe that all her ports were open, guns run
out, and crew at their stations. On a still nearer
approach she fired a shell from a swivel gun of large
calibre on her forecastle, which passed within a few
yards of the ship, bursting about a hundred yards
to leeward. We were now within hail, when Cap-
tain Moir, commanding this ship, asked the Ameri-
cen what he meant by stopping his ship, and why
he did so by firing shotted guns, contrary to
usual custom. The reply was that he wished to
send a boat on board of us. This was immediately
followed by a boat pushing off from the side of the
S an Jacinto, containing between twenty and thirty
men, heavily armed, under the command of the
First Lieutenant, who came up on the quarter-
deck, and, after asking for Captain Moir, demanded
a list of passengers. As his " right of search"
was denied, the information required was of course
peremptorily refused. He then stated that he had
information that Messrs. Slidell, Mason, Eustace,
and M'Farland were on board, and demanded that
they should be given up. This also being indig-
nantly refused, Mr. Slidell himself came for-
ward, and said that the four gentlemen named
were then before him. but appealed to the
British flag, under which they were sailing,
for protection. The Lieutenant said that his
orders were to take them on board the San
Jacinto by force if they would not surrender. He
then walked to the side of the ship and waved his
hand; immediately three more heavily armed boats
pushed off and surrounded the ship, and the party
of Marines who came in the first boat came up and
took possession of the quarter-deck; these, how-
ever, he ordered down on the main-deck, to take
charge of the gangway ports. Captain Williams,
R.N., the naval agent in charge of the mails, who
was of course present during this interview, then,
in the name of her Majesty, he being the only per-
son on board directly representing her, made a
vehement protestation against this piratical act.
During the whole of this time the San Jacinto was
about 200 yards distant from us on the port beam,
her broadside guns, which were all manned,
directly bearing upon us. Any open resistance to
such a force was, of course, hopeless, although,
from the loud and repeated plaudits which followed
Captain Williams's protestation, and which were
joined in by everyone, without exception, of the
passengers congregated on the quarter-deck, men
of all nations, and from the manifested desire of
some to resist to the last, I have no doubt but that
every person would have joined heart and soul in
the struggle had our commander but given the
order. Such an order he could not, under such
adverse circumstances, conscientiously give, and it
was therefore considered sufficient that a party of
-Marines with bayonets fixed should forcibly lay
hands on the gentlemen named. This was done,
and the gentlemen retired to their cabins to
arrange some few changes of clothing. A most
heartrending scene now took place between Mr.
Slidell, his eldest daughter, a noble girl devoted to
her father, and the Lieutenant. It would require
a far more able pen than mine to describe how,
with flashing eyes and quivering lips, she threw
herself in the doorway of the cabin where her
father was, resolved to defend him with her life,
till, on the order being given to the Marines
to advance, which they did with bayonets pointed
at this poor defenceless girl, her father ended the
painful scene by escaping from the cabin by a win-
dow, when he was immediately seized by the
Marines and hurried into the boat, calling out to
Captain Moir as he left that he held him and his
Government responsible for this outrage.
If further proof were required of the meanness
and cowardly bullying in the line of conduct pur-
sued by the Captain of the San Jacinto, I may re-
mark, first, that, on being asked if they would have
committed this outrage if we had been a man-of-
war, they replied, " Certainly not,"'and secondly,
that Captain Wilks sent an order for Captain
Moir to go on board his ship, and a second for
Captain Moir to move the Trent closer to the San
Jacinto. Of course not the slightest notice was
taken of either order, nor did they attempt to en-
force them.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
THE PURSER OF THE TRENT.
Royal Mail Steamship Trent, at sea, Nov. 8.

LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.

Soon after noon to-day a private telegram was
received in Liverpool announcing. the boarding of
the Trent by a Federal vessel of war and the for-
cible removal of the Southern Commissioners. The
intelligence spread with wonderful rapidity, and
occasioned great excitement among all classes. On
'Change the utmost indignation was expressed,
and in a very brief space of time the following
placard was posted :
Outnge on the British Flag.—The Southern
Commissioners Forcibly Removed from a British
Mail Steamer.
"A public meeting will be held in the Cotton
Sales-room at 3 o'clock.

In compliance with the preceding announcement
a meeting was held at the Cotton Sales-room at 3
o'clock, which was crowded to excess by nearly all
the gentlemen frcqucqatilig the Exchange. The
meeting was 'quite as remarkable for the enthusi-
asm as numbers. After several gentlemen had been
requested to preside the chair was occupied by Mr.
James Spence, and on taking the chair he proceeded
to read the subjoined resolution :
" That this meeting, having heard with indig-
nation that an American Federal ship of war has
forcibly taken from a British mail steamer certain
passengers who were proceeding peaceably under
the shelter of our flag from ono neutral port to
another, do earnestly call upon. the Ciovernment to