Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-11-21
VOL. XVI.

tant Statement.
The New York Tribune gives a Terv i'm
pOrtant statement regarding the rebel YES
sells now being built in English ports
which we publish below. These facts werr
obtained partially from NJ. Cameron, VIII,
has just returned to this country, ant
partly from another gentleman just from
England. OF the reliability of the state
ment the Tribune says:
" The precise and circumstantial accoun
Of the efforts Of the rebels to supply them.
selves with q navy in Great Britain, which
We print this morning, come to US from
the best possible sources, and may be relied
upon as accurate and complete. It en-
braces all the rebel operations in Glasgow,
which, next to Liverpool, is their most i'm
portant port, during the summer and fall
Of the present year, md describes the ef-
forts against the blockade which the COM
ing winter is to witness"
] As to the vigilance Of our Government
in view Of these facts we also quote from
the Tribune;
''We are assured that Of all these facts
our Government is and has been constant
/ lg informed. No rebel vessel has left LiE-
erpool or Glasgow during the summer and
fan whose departure was not known in
advance by the Navy Department. A vig-
liant watch is kept on the ship yards and
docks, and efforts are not wanting TO in
duce the British Government to put stop
to the repeated and Aagrant violations Of
its pretended neutrality-with what hope
Of success may be judged from the past
and present course Of that Government in
American affairs. Whether successful or
not, our Government has had sufficient
warning to provide for the defense Of its
hsrbors against all contingencies, and for
the humiliation Of the rebel feet if it ever
shows itself on the ocean,
The following are the facts referred to,
and which afford the best commentary upon
England's pretended neutrality;
According to Mr.. Cameron, three i'm
mense iron steam rams, the most powerful
ever constructed, are building for the reb-
els. 1t is now certain that the statement
IS true Two are on the stocks at Liver
pool, in the hands Of James Laird, NJ P,
who built the pirate Alabama, and is
pushing them rapidly to completion
The third is building, if anywhere on the
little knowledge Of the Liverpool rams,
their size, OF how nearly finished they are
at present. His account relates especially
to Glasgow. In the great shipyard Of
that port three iron-clads are building.
One Of them = the Hector, just launched
is for the British Government,
another for Denmark, both in the yard
Of Messrs. Napier & Sons. The third
is screw steamer, under contract by
Messrs. George and James Thompson,
Of $500 tons and 800 horsepower, Of
model so Fat that she is calculated to draw
but fifteen feet Of water; built wholly Of
iron, her frame included, and with
plating twenty-five inches thick, of which
four inches and half are iron, and the
rest solid teak. This vessel is said to be
for some foreign Government not named,
though If for any recognized Government
there is no reason why there should beany
mystery shout her But although no ef- l
fortis made to hide the facts about any
other vessel, little is generally known Of |
this one, and information like that we give |
was obtained with difficulty. A man-of- |
war is commonly named when her keel is !
laid. This has nOname butts known only |
by her number in the Yard. Her frame is !
about half raised, and work is going on |
slowly. The contract requires her to be /
completed in twenty months from last July. |
If any vessel is now building for the rebels /
on the Clyde, it is this. But it is quite /
obvious, from the rate work on her pro-
crosses, and from the period fixed by the |
contract, that she is not relied on for i'm
mediate service. And concerning both |
this and the Liverpool rams, our Govern |
ment is and has constantly been fully in
formed.
"Whatever doubt there may be about |
this iron-clad, there is none at all that |
other steamers for different service are |
bought and built for the rebels ct Glasgow.
The Columbia, Adela, and Leopard, all (
sailed last summer from this port, the Co
lumbia to HamburgIfor cargo, the Adela
to Liverpool, the Leopard TO Cardiff. The /
two former were captured endeaToring to /
run the blockade; the Leopard got through. /
"The rebels are preparing, apparently, |
not to break the blockade this winter By |
force, but to evsde it by vessels of unusual /
speed. With this view they have bought |
and are fitting out steamers at Glasgow, 1
which port seems to share with Liverpool |
the honor of being a rendezvous for pirates.
There is great activity in all the yards,
especially in that Of Messrs. George and /
James Thompson above mentioned, in
which six iron-but no iron-clad-Tessels /
are on the ways for construction orrepair,
all owned by rebels or In rebel interest
The Iona, Pearl, Eagle and Ruby, wersse-
lected especially for the work Of carrying
arms and ammunition into blockaded rebel ]
ports. The Iona was the first to attempt I
the voyage, and was sunk by collision ak
weeks ago. The other three, like the Iona,
are long, narrow, swift, smooth-water,
side-wbeel steamers, built to run fifteen
miles an hour on the Clyde, and from $50
to 200 tons burden. The Pearl was lying
OF Queenstown, taking in powder, when
the City Of Baltimore, on her last voyage
out, touched at that port. It is proposed
to send her and the rest-all Of them be-
ing unfit for an Atlantic voyage-by way
Of Madeira TO Nassau, there to load, and
thence to attempt the blockade. There are
immense stores at Nassau waiting the op-
portunity to find entrance into rebel ports,
and the rebel necessities are SO great thai
they will leave no means untried to OBJ
tain them.
Besides these there are steamers Of an
other elass-the Thistle, Giraffe and Co.
lumbia, three screws built for sea voyages,
destined for similar service, but of much
larger tonnage. The Giraffe cost e2S, 600
the Thistle 9l2,O0O, and the seven together
not less than 100000, It appears from
an examination Of their Custom House
register that all except the Giraffe are
owned in the name Of George Wigg, a
Liverpool merchant active in the rebel
cause, and were bought by Henry Lafone,
agent. Both Wigg and Lafone have been
in Glasgow on business connected with the
vessels. Messrs. Bagby & Co. Of London,