Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-07-31
The BIockade-.A significant Article.

The BI0ckade..A Significant Article.
The destruction Of the commerce of the North il
becoming more apparent every day, and the inabil
ity Of the LINCOLN Government to make the block
ade of the Southern ports efecmal and the proba
bity that a war with England will be the result Of
disregard on the part of that country Of the block
ade because If its ineficency, are harrassirg the
people of the North greatly. Never We peCpll
- beset with erabarrassments and anxietes in pro
portion to boastful assumptions Of ability to over
come them.
Apprehensions of dep-edations on their com
merce- Glready partially real zed-spprehensiOns as
to raising the means of carrying this immC ely
costly war-apprehsnsiOns of the vast load of na-
tional debt looming up before them, with the GER
| tainty of diminished and constantly declining re-
to sustain their credit and meet the interest
of the war-apprehsnsions of their having made
fatal mistake in undertaking an impossible scheme
| Of neutrality-suspicious. of being compelled
| to encounter a war with England and, perhaps,
France and SPAIN aa the unavoidable fruit Of their
arrogant folly, if this scheme is persisted in-Al
these combine with the glaring evidences of com
msrcial and manufacturing paralysis, and general
prOstratiOa poverty and dest:tutiOn setting in upon
their country, to make the Yankee nation the most
perplexed anxious, desperate set of people now on
earth.
As specimen of what is passing in rejecting
minds among them, quote the following editorial
from the New York Times of the 18th inst. The
columns of the leading papers of the North full
of lugubriOus articles bearing on the various diff
cultes of the enemy's position. Yet they are, not
withstaHding, unanimous, furious, and madly des-
perate in favor of prosecuting the war What effect
the battle of Manassas may have in modifying their
views, is yet to be seen. The physc there admins
tered certainly very potent but time u5tyet
eIapse before even that will work strongly in favor
Of peace:
PoNT OF Real DANGEE.-The sudden activity
of the rebel prIVateers, demonstrated by the
news this morning shows, among other things, that
the blockade Of the Southern coast is extremely I'M
perfect. These vessels have evidently inst put to ea
or their appearance and misehievOusness on the
great highway of traffic would have been earlier
reported; and the statement accompanying pres
ent information, that they merely rob without seZ.
ing vessels of draft too deep to enter the secondary
Southern harbOrs, shows that they count no dIf-
feuty in running our Intellectual Gordon From New
Orleans also, have intelligence that the COnfed
crate war steamer Sumter fully manned and armld
had set forth on a cruise, dOubtles in pursuit of
the California treasureships passing sea as rely
as if no blockade existed while 1t Is well known
that communication between New Orleans and Gal
weston proceeds without interruption. Another
trick of the rebels, if not in some way prevent d.
will destroy all hope of cutting off supplies from
abroad The masters Of vessels, who find the South
ern port to which they destined closed against
Them run their vessels ashore at some convenient
psint where the cargo can be safely landed. The |
Richmond papers, IN reporting instance Of this
kind, speaks as if it were not the first.
1t will be remembered that when inquiry W: /
made in the British House OF Commons, as 20 the |
Instructions sent out to Admiral Milne, eOmmaT ding
the squadron upon this station with regard to what
he was to recognize and respect blockade. the
reply of the Minister'S that the subject was so
by difficulties, it had been deemed ad I
Yisabe to refer it entirely to the Admirals discre
ton. A letter from Fort Pickens shows in what I
way that discretion is TO be used. A British frig-
ate belonging to the squadron of observation had
arrived off the fort, the comm lnder of which ex-
hibted the instructions received from his fig Off
ser They were as follows:
81 Ne port Is blocEaded efficiently if any vessel
can enter or depart from it unknown to- in spite
Of the guardian man of-war.
2 An efficient blockade necessitates the complete
cutting off of all maritime ingress or egress, except
n regard to harbOr islands. having outlet to the
sea, save under the guns of the fleet.
3. The escape of the third vessel from the block
aiding squadron sgnalizes the invalidity of the
blockade"
This is specific and unmistakable; and under the
latter rule the blockade of New Orleans, even by
maintaining at the mouths of the Mississippi nom
nal sluUeUaace is invalid may be declared so by Ad
miral Milne and involves in a difficulty little
anticipated but calculated to exert most disas-
rrous influence upon the present contest. A thor
Dugh and efFeetuSl blockade would in time utterly
Iestroy the rebels. But England is as much inter
ssted in raisiug it as we are in maintaining It. |
It has never been believed there that we
could make the blockade efectual, and the
Instructions from the Admiral have undOubt-
,dy been prepared upon such a position. We
nave no doubt that Mr. Muir the British Consul at
New Orleans, whose business is to discover any
Oophole through which the shipment of cotton to
Liverpool may be resumed, has list ready for his
Admiral of twenty vessels that have run the block
lde since we assumed 70 make it a competent one.
The evidence may be conclusive that we our
elves may be compelled to acknowledge its force,
although an attempt to raise the blockade would, /
inder any circumstances, inevitably lead to a war
With England.
Here is matter deserving the most careful at.
ention of our Government EDgland has vast IN
eress at stake in opening the Southern ports Upon
t may depend the employment Of millions OF opera
ives as well as commercial revulsion, which may
)verwhelm that country with ruin. Every legal
lefect in our proceeding will be taken advantage Of
To have our blockade broken would be equivalent
20 the loss of a campaign. 1t would supply Tie
enemy with what it now lacks-means for prOsecU-
ing the war on a grand scale. Il would destroy
The prestige have been steadily gaining, and per-
laps engage US in fCreignRs well as domestic war.
Il would help to turn loose swarm OF pirates upon
,ur commerce. We cannot indeed, imagine con-
iition of things fraught with danger Ia every
lspect than an inefficient blockade of such port
Is New Orleans. Will the Government take imme-
late steps TO avert the threatened peril and restore
,uhlic confidence? It is absolutely essential that we
Weld that great arm Cur Navy IN manner to
eeure respect abroad and protection at home, and
lestrOy the rebels by destroying their means OF eX>
stence.
A protest 1rem New HampshIrs.