The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-04
SPICY LETTER. FAOM COMMANDER
SE4N1MEx TO THE LONDON TIMES.

The London Times publishes letter from
4. Semmes, Commander, 0aafsderats States
Navy, dated On board the Sumter, at Cadix,
January 18th, in defence Of his ship against
the scnrriloas and cowardly attack made
upon her by Mr.. Gideon Wsllss, in his re-.
port as Secretary Of the Navy. Among other
paragraphs OF Secretary Wslles's late report,
tho Commander OF tho Sumter cites the fol
lowing:
"Althou9h q piratical rover, without Ii.
oenss from any recognized or acknowledged
Government, and avoWedfy engaged in the
robbery ana plunder OF our ciuzsns, regret
to say this vessel has been received and ner
wants supplied, against the rsmonstrance of
our Consuis, oy public'authoritiss In many
foreign ports, where her character was well
known
He then handles the Yankee Secretary as
follows:
The closing paragraph of the above elegant
extract from an American State paper Seams
to show that. although it was penned ostsn-
.ibiy against myself, it WAS, in fact. level
led at those European Powers which had
acknowledge ed the Confederate States to be
lawful bsllgsrents In the war which had
been forced upon them. On NO other suppo-
sition could 1t charge me with robbery on
the high seas, and with being a "piraticaI
rover" A pirate is hosts Aumani generis, and
may be seized and summarily deait wi ID by
fact is, these officers Of tho defunct Federal
Union are 30 blinded by their venom against
the South that they have no longer the pow.
or to distinguish between terms.
Mr. Wslles, also, IN imitation Of the dirty
and mendAcious press Of the Yankee States
calls me privatser. He knows better than
this He knows that a privateer 10 q vessel
that bears letter Of marque, and that am
cruising under no such letter. he knows
that have been regularly commission cd as
a shtp-of- war OF the Confederate States. II
he and his dsludsd associates insist upon
calling the citizens Of the Con fedora e Staten
'Rebels," under thu idea that those States
still form part of the old Yankee concern,
then he might characterize me as a Rebel
man of.wsr. But II l am this. 90 were all
the ships of the American colonies commits.
stoned by the Eirginian, George Washing
ton.
Mr.. W -lles tells tho President and Con.
gress that, BY some fatality" l ran the
ordered tho whole affair to be investig tied
He says, also, that he has had six Of his
largest and fastest steamers in pursuit Of me,
and that the commander Of one Of them was
SO energetic az to perform the wonderful
Brazil.
This, suppose, is one Of those daring
acts-the oficer being In command Of heavy
frigate-which called forth the pan egyric Of
tho whole Yankee Navy, which We find in q
su bse uent part of Mr. Welles's report; for,
after praising his clerks. this officer goes on
to remark: "To the patriotic Of1cers of the
Navy, ard the brave mon who, in various
scenes Of naval action, had served under
them, tho Department and the Government
Justly owe an acknowledgment even more
earnest and emphatic than that which they
/ feel honored to have been pursued by six
fri gates; but have to inform MIR. Welles
that by "some fatality" have run another
blockade.
have recently steamed out Of the port Of
st. Pierre. in the Island of Martinique, in
tho face Of one OF the fastest and finest OF his
Yankee ships, the 1roquoiss and which 10
more than twice my force. Poor Captain
lated on the altar Of "Universal Yankee
Nation" because he did not catch tho Sum.
ter, though, from all we can learn, he had
Ats ON the occasion. This honorable Dap.
Of tho honor Of Yankee doodledom. fo1
he violated the sovereignty of France and
his own soismn pledge at .hs same time given
to the commanding French and naval ONCE!
The way. NO doubt, from New London, Con.
necticut,) to b burned on board Yankee
schooner in the habor, 10 signal to him my
passon,, a. France IL abundantly able to take
care Of her own honor
If the universal Yankee nation
Oan whip al cEestioR!"
When MIR. Wsllss learns, too. that on my
way hither burnt three more Yankse ships,
and liberated fourth, only because she had
an English cargo on board, he will probably
send six more OF his doughty war ships after
me- that's to say. If he can spare them from
burning corn-cribs and Tightening women
and children along our Southern coast He
will take especial care, too, to put plenty Of
men and guns on board OF them, for other.
wise mig ht not be In "such constant flight
to escape TIE ayeneins power Of our visilsnt
What can wise Mr. W Giles mean when he
objects to the "robbery Of merchants and
laWful pursuitsi" Does he not know that
all property, with rare exceptions, captured
on the high seas, 10 property belonging to
/" merchants and others engaged In psacsfnl
commerce and lawful pursuits Why this
sensslsss diAtYtbs, then, about robbery, and
piracy, and private properly, and peaceful
comm orce, and lawful pu1sui1? II Mr..
Welles would give me an opportunity Of
capturing soms Of hts pablo property, I
vouid Be much Obliged TO him. But hs takes
very good care NOT % do thts, by sendinx his
kse naval oiacsys, In those " scenes OF naval
action in which they Asve dtsttng ptshed
thsmsslvss. refratAsd from the capture OF
y saw. r:csnsiy, la Yaskss paper IN 10.
ant cf . wood loop-thAt u. . sloop loaded
Nth IRE. Vco6-hAving been most gallansly
eapt1fed and hnFnt tie .othss day. on the
Pot0mao. and 8 nnmbsr Of Oder Qnsl craft,
bslongtne to 10 poor people along TIE coast,
have besn espsgrsa pom nne e ume sae
$500 = s.,s go s.sjsyss4 g - ssss
snsse-aeIaes essnpsedly al ctvilissd nations.
~ suppose Il y only when the vese3 10
~ nm 81 /. 600 tons. belongs - sYankee,
s-d n nsnfrrad ~ the Sumter, that the prop.