Newbern weekly progress., 1862-02-11
LETTER FROM CAPTAIN SEMMES OF THE
SUMTER

tFrom the London Times Of the 18th Of Jan
To TIE EDITOR OF THE TIMEs:
Str-Permit me, through the Medium Of vonr
columns, to say word 20 the civilized world in
defence OF my ship, against the scurriilous and
co wardly attack made upon her by Mr. Gideon
Weles, who. is just now the Secretary Of the
Northern fragment of what was formerly known
AS the United States of America. That gentle
man (fof by courtesy must call him such from
the high official position which he occupies. ,
used the following language in his recent anuua,
report to the President and Congress of what re-
mains of the old Confederacy -
$ 1t was natural that appre hension should pre-
vai in regard to armed cruisers commissioned
expressly by the Rebel leaders to depredaie UP
on our commerce. This robbery of merchants
and others engaged ia paAsefei and lawful pur-
suits by piratical cruisers, is not inconsistent
with the general conduct of those who have VIC
lated law and moral obligations crafty inordi-
nate ambition. Our extended commerce presen-
ted inducements for pIratcal warfare yet but
few OF our misguided countrymen have prostitu-
te3 themselves to the purpose of plun.ier thou gin
thereto invited. and those few have been in COD
slant flight to escape the avenging power Of our
vigilant naval forces
Such OF these cruisers as euded the blockade
and capture were wrecked, beached, or
sunk, with the exception of oue the steamer
Sumter which by some fatality permitted to
pass the Brooklyn, then blockading one of the
passes of the Mississippi, and after brief and
feeble chase by the latter allowed to proceed
on her piratical voyage. An investigation Of
this whole occurrence ordered by the De
partment. Soon the Niagara and the Pow haitian,
from the Gulf Squadron, followed in vigorous
pursuit, the latter, though long in commission
and with defective boilers and machinery, under
her energetic commander, tracking the piraticaI
craft as far Marahan.
THE keystone State Richmond, Iroquois, and
San Jaciuto also in serrch of her at different
points and periods. Although piratical rover.
without license from any recognized acknowl
edged Government, and avowedly engaged in
the robbery and plumber of our citizens, L regret
to say this vessel has been received and her
wants supplied, against the remonstrance of our
Consuls, by public authorities in many foreign
ports where her character we'll Known
Tho closing paragraph of the above elegant
extract from an American State paper seem to
show that, although 1t penned ostensibly
against myself, it was in fact, lcvelled at those
European Powers which had acknowle iged the
Confederate State to be lawful belIgerents in the
war which had been forced upon them. On
other supposition could charge me with 9 rob
berry on the high seas, and with being ''pirati
cal rover. A pirate is h0stiS huRaai grneriS, and
may be seized and summarily dealt with by any
and all the nations of the earth; but the fact Is
these officers OF the defunct Federal Union are 50
blinded by their venom against the South t'iat
they have no longer the power to distinguish be
tween terms.
Mr. Wees, also, in imitation of the dirty and
mendacious press Of the Yankee States, calls me
a privateer. He knows batter than this. He
knows that privateer is vessel that hears
letter of marque, and that | am cruising under
such letter. He knows that have been reg
uarly commissioned ship of war of the Con-
fcderate States. II he and his deuded associates
insist upon calling the citizens of the Confeder
ate States Rebels, under the idea that those
States still form part of the Old Yankee concern
tbs IL he might characterize me as Rebel man of
But if am this, were all the ships of
the American colonies commissioned by the
Nirginian, George Washington.
Mr.. Welles tells the President and Con-
gress that, by ''some fatality" ran the block
ade of New Orleans. and that he has ordered
the whole affair to be investigated. With the
blind rage of baf4ed ,nadnan (queQa Deus
cult perdere, &c. lie will, no doubt, endeavor
to crush the harmless and lnoffensve com
mander of the Brooklyn, who poor man, no
doubt did his best. lie says, also, that he has
pursuit Of me, and that the commanpcr OF
Of one them was so energetic as to perform
the wonderful icat of tracking as far as Ma
ranham, in Brazil.
This, | suppose, is one Of those daring acts
the officer being in command o d heavy fri
gate-whlch called forth the pancgyric of the
Yankee Navy which we find in a subsequent
part or Mr. Weles' report, for after
praisng his clerks this officer goes On 70 re
mark :-'"fo the patriotic officers Of the Navy.
and the brave men who, IN various scenes OF
naval action. had served under them, the De
partment and the Government justly owe
an Acknowledgement even more earnest and
emphatic than that which they owe to his
clerks"
Oh for a James to portray these "scenes
of naval action confined to a predatory war
fare on the Potomac river, directed chiefly
against women and children to the capture
of sand Gag battery at Hatteras to the mas
teriy movement Of the great Dupunt, the
greatest naval commander of the age, IN
Yankee hypcrbo.e, who not only knows how
to use gunpowder, but, with Tadkee thrift, to
turn an honest penny by selling it to the Gov
ernment; and to the pursuit Of the pi-
ratical Sumter, away ever so far even to the
shore Of Brazil, by the gallant Porter, who
probably for this feat-so little material has
Mr. Welles for heroes-will be made a flag
officer"
feel honored to have been pursued by six
frgates, and one Of them caught Mcssrs. Ma
son and Slidell instead Of catching me, why
that is John Bulls affair, and not mine. But
| am fleeing from these ships says Mr..
Welles. Soft, Mr. Weles =! He would
have me, | suppose, fall into the
Yankee trap he has set for me, and rush to the
encounter of bis six frigates, the least of which
is twice the size of my weight of metal. He
dares not send ship OF equal force 10 meet
me, and if he did dare do, being safely en-
sconced himself in his armed chair, | venture
to say that the officer would not dare to find
me.
But I have to inform Mr.. Welles that by
sssome fatality" [ have run another blockade. |
/ have recently steamed out of the port Of
St. Pierre. in the Island of Martinique, in the j
face of one Of the fastest and finest OF his Yam
kee ships, the Iroquois, and which is more
than twice my force. Poor Captain Palmer :!
fear that be, too, will be inundated on the