The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1861-11-22
III f W A r e.
The Rebel Commissioners Caught.


u.s,y AND sLIDELL TAKEN PRISONERS By THE
san JACINTo.
The [. ). war steamer San Jacinto. Com
Wilkes. arrived at Fortress Monroe Friday,
,.o:n the coast OF Africa via the West Indies,
vacre she has been cruising for six weeks
OIL Poin. was electrified by the tdings that
.ls had on board Ness, JAMS NJ Mason
and john SlIei. VINO were going abroad a,
ministers of the southern contederacy to Eng
land and France. but were taken from the
British mail steamship Trent in the channel
IF the bahamas.
Official dispatches received at Washington
from CJm Wilkes state that when the San
Jae;nto stopped at Centuegos, the escape
ri .".l and Mason, was ascertalnrd. Pro
linz thence to Havana it was understood
hey hal taken passage on the 1th inst, in
ii. British ma steamship Trent plying be
.wren Vera Cruz. 81 Thomas and Southamp-
ton.
While the San Jac.nto was in the narrow
t,t OF the Bahama channel, about twenty
four miles to the westward she met the packet,
t.tt a gun across her bows, and brought her
TO- Two boats re sent to her with - men
under command of Lieut. Fairfax, who board
ed the packet, and arrested Mason and Sill
Ill, they being personally known to him.
The rebel commissioners AZ first objected to
being removed without force. Their reSpec
tive secretaries. Eustace and mcfarland,
were also brought on board the ) IN JaclntO.
All their private papers, documents and i'll
s,ruc,ions We're seized. Inc British captain
delivered them up under protest. The re-
nA.nder Of the passengers, including the la
dies and children connected with the Mason
and Slid@Il party, Including Slideil's wife
aut four chiIdren.) were not molested, but
r:t free to pursue their journey.
the official dispatches are vouminous, and
include several accounts of the capture to-
gc,her with the protest of Mason and Sit
dell against being taken from a British YES
81 These official dispatches are withheld
.or the present, for satisfactory reasons.
Special dispatches state that when Com
W..kes message 20 the British captain, de-
handing the surrender Of Mason and Slideil,
~, delivered by lieut. Fairfax, the reply
WAS that there WAS not force enough to taxi
,arm Com Wilkes Immediately put the
>.n Jacinto in a raking position. opened his
uort>. and politely told john Bull that he
mould try what force would do. Thereupon
The captain OF the steamer raved and swort,
cll..us the United States officers ''piratcal
Yankees" &c, but he very prudently gave
up the obnoxious passengers. They made
but 4 feeble resistance. Elstace, one Of
their secretaries, was quite oDstreperous, but
finally accompanied the traitors into contine
reu;. The British captain pretended to
have taken them on board without knowing
who they were. their destination or business
not very likely story. The British steam
er displayed no h.g excepting that of her
own nation.
Com Wilkes is understood to have acted
On hi, own responsibility. In an interview
with Gen WOOL Friday, he reported the
new. in person, and expressed tn. opinion
TIA, he had done right, ana said that, right
or wrong, these men had t. be secured. and Z
!. h had done wrong, notnn, more could be +,
done than to cashier him for il.
The following persons comprised the par
" Of the Rebel Commissioners
Hon J. NJ. Mason, of Virginia; Mr. Mac
tarland, Secretary to Mr. Mason Hon john
S.il, of Louisana; Mr., SileIl, Miss /
N4:h.Ide Sl.lcll Mss Rosine S!idell Mr.
EIs;ace, Secretary to Mr. Siie.l Mrs Eus
tace, who is a daughter of Mr. Corcoran, the
Washington banker; Col LeMat, of Louis
lana. the inventor Of the grape,hot revolver,
and two or three other gentlemen, whom it
will be best for the present, not to name