The New York herald., 1862-02-01
the pRIvA1EER SUMTER.
Letter from Capt. Semmes-His Opinion
of Secretary Wellcs.

OV" 6ue
Letter from Capt. Semmes-His Opinion
of Secretary Wellos.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE LONDON TIMES.
Permit me, through the medium Of your columns, TO
say word to the civilized world, defence Of my ship
against the scurrllous and cowardy attack made upon
her by Mr. Gideon Wees who is just now the Secretary
OF the Navy ofe Northern fragment of what formerly
kaocn The United States Of america. That gentleman
or by courtesy must call him such from the high on
ca position which he occupies) used the following Ian
guage IN his recent annual report to the President and
Congress OF wha. remains Of the old confederacy:-
was natural that apprshen;ons should prevail e regard
cruisers commissioner expressly oy the reoei lead
chants and others engaged in peaceful and lawful pursuits
duct Of who have violated obligations
yet Ss ss S
misguided counymen have prostuted themselves to the
have disht to escape the avenss power
our our naval forces such Of these cruisers IS saded
sunk with he exception OF one the steamer Sumter which
brief Feeble Sy latter was allowed to proceed
erdefsd Sy he deps@sn Soon ths SsssTa
win dsestve boiler. and mseinsry energetic
The Keystone State Richmond iroqaois and san Jaento
Although plraica rover without license from any lecos
n1ed or acknowedged government and avowedy engaged
this vessel been and her ITS suppsd against
many ports ~ where hsr character p ws
The clos ng paragraph of The above elegant extract
from an American state paper would To show that
although penned ostensby against myself ii was
in fact tereiei those European Poweys lohsch had &c
k1ouiedc sd c Caafe isTate States Il be lUA bgsrn,
in the ,car oa.c had tesn forced upon em On other
suppositon could It charge with ''robbery on the
high seas, and with being piratical rover.n pirate
is hosts hHWdni 3e,'sris and may be seized and
mary dealt with by any and all the nations of the earth
but the fact these officers Of the detunc federal Union
are so blinded by their venom against the South that
they have no longer lhs power to distinguish between
L. Mia. .~ II ~, T...
meddciots press o Hts Yankee States calls M priootser
He knows better than this He knows that privaeer
cruising under no such letter. He knows that have
been regularly commissioned rs ship of Of the Con-
federatc States If he and his deueod associates insist up
oncalng the citizens Of the Confederate States rebels,
uier the idea that those States still form part
the old Yankee concern, then he might characterize
mo as rebel manof war. But il am this. so all
the ships Of tho American colonies commissioned by the
Virginan George Washington Mr. Wecs tells the Presi
dent and Congress that, oy some fatality ran the
whole affair be Investigated. With the blind rage OF
balled madnan (qatw Deus null psrdere, &c. he will
no doubt endeavor to crush the harmless and noonsve
commander Of the Brooklyn, who. poor man, no doubt
dt his BEST He says, a,so that he has had OF his
largest and fastest steamers in pursuit OF me- and that
the commander of Of them was energetic az to
perform the wonderful feat Of tracking me as far as
Maranham, in Brazil. This, suppose, is one OF those
daring acts-the ofncer being in command Of heavy
Yankee Navy which We hnd in o subsequent part
Of Mr. weles' report; for, after praising his clerks
oisers Of the navy, and the brave men Who in vs
rous Of naval action hAve served under thsm
the department and the government Justly owe
nowledgement more earnest and emphatic" than
than that which thoy ~ his clerksl Oh Tor James
portray these sceues Of naval actionD confined TO
predatory warfare the Potomac ryor directed chiefly
against and children the capture Of sandbag
battery at Hatteras to the mastery movement OF the
great Dupont the "greaes naval commander the age"
gunpowdor but, with Yankee thrift and honest
penny by selling IL to the government and to the purst
Of the prasal away ever 80 far even to the
this feat-so little material has Mr. Wees for heroes
will DO made 'tiag officer" feel honosed to have
caught Messrs Mason aud siidell instead Of catch.
ing me, why that is John Bulls affair and not
w,ss But s ssns Ss s@ these a shGs says
me. I suppose, fail into the Yankee trap no has
set for me, and rush to the encounter OF his six
frgates the least OF which is twice my aud Of
than twico my weight Of msal. He dares not send ship
Of equal force to meet e and II he did dare do So being
safely enscopced himself in his armchair venture to
say that the officer would not dare to lind But have
to inform Mr. Wolcs that by fatality" have run
another blockade have recently out OF the port
OF st. Pierre the Island Of Martinique the face OF one
of the and finest Yankee ships the Iroquos
and which Is more than twice my force. Poor Captain
Palmer fear that he too will be inundated the altar
Of tho universal Yankee naticn," because he did
catch the Sumtor though from all learn no had
tits the occasion. This honorable captain is indeed
for he violated tho sovereignty OF France and his own
solemn pledge a the same Tins, given TO the command
ing French naval officer present. By causing blue lights
Connecticu) to be burned board Yankee schooner
in the hasbor, TO sigma TO him my departure. But
only allude to this en- pasam as France is sbundany
able 10 take care Of her own honor
II the universal Yankee nation
Can whip al creation.
When Mr.. Welles learns, too, that my way hither
burned three Yankee shirs and liberated fourth
only because she had English cargo board he will
probably sead SIX more Of his doughty war ships after
corn cribs and frightening and children along
Southern coast. He will take especial caro- too
put plenty OF men and guns board Of them for other
wise might not be in "such constant flight 20 escape
the ayenging power OF vigant naval forces A
word or two more and I shall have done What can
wise Mr.. Wees mean when he objects tho "robbery
Of merchants and others engaged in peaceful commerce
aud lawful pursutsg Does he not know that
the high seas, is property belonging to ''mer-
chants and others engaged in peaceful and law
fu pursuitss Why this senseess distribe then abot
robbery and piracy and private property aud peaceful
commerce, and lawful pursuiisg II Alr. welos would
give rortunty Of capturing some OF his public
property 1u,d be Obliged TO him. But he takes
very good care NOT 10 do this by sending his heaviest
ships after me; and have thu Yankee naval officers in
these scenes Of naval action n which they have dis
vate property saw recently in Yankee paper an ac-
count Of wood soop-tha is sloop loaded with Are.
wood-having been " most gallantly" captured aud
burnt, the other day, on the Potomac and number OF
other small craft belonging TO the poor people along the
coast, have been captured from time time sent to
Yankeedom for adjudication. Even fisher men have been
subjected TO the same fate--a class exempted by all
civilized nations But suppose IL is only when the YES
sol is Gne ship Of 600 tons belongs to Yankee and
captured by the Sumter, that the property becomes
privalel Astutc NJ weliesl The fact Is, that this
Northern horde Of the Asn, which Is bearing down
upon the sunny fields OF the South In imitation OF their
ancient prototypes has (while Mr.. Wclss singing this
bypocrca song) set all the rules OF civilized warfare
at deaDcs and captures private property en- the land
well the sea- The gallant Dupont laid his unscru-
pulous hands upon all the cotton lie could and Beau
iorta few bales only, a. 1. hsppened--aud Gst and
last many brilliant achievements In tho way of stealing
negroes and robbng and burning private residences have
been accomplished by these Mortimer amid the 'varous
of naval action in which they have Gourished
But grow tired Of the subject and fear have already
trespassed too much upon your space and patience.
reminded, too, of tho old adage, that He who mod
dies with pitch shall be doned !" and will take leave
Of Mr.. Gideon welles and his scurrli, Gus report
X. SEMsfE5, Com mandcr Confederate States Navy
CosfrDEeAn STATES STEAMER sunIKR, CADIz, Jan. q.
pEsERTIoNs FROM THE REBEL CRAFT.
A teegrapbic despatch from Madrid, OF 18th nN
states that OF ths Of the Sumter have
THE SUMTER AT GIBRALTAR.
MApRfp Ian 10 lae0