The New York herald., 1862-02-01
THE pRIvATEER SUMTER.
Letter from Capt. Semmes-His Opinion
of Secretary Welles.

uue pHIvAIeeh OUm eHs
Letter from Capt. Semmes-His Opinion
of Secretary Welles.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE LONDON TINES.
Permit me, through the medium Of your columns, 10
say word to the civilized world in defence Of my ship
against the scurrous and cowardly attack made upon
her by Mr. Gideon Wees who is Just the Secretary
OF the Navy Of the Norhern fragment Of whot as formerly
koUn as the United States Of Americc. That gentleman
0or by courtesy must call him such, from the high off,
cal position which he occupics) used the following Ian
guage in his recent annual report to the President and
Congress OF what remains Of the old confederacy:-
was natural that appehenons should prevail in regard
to armed cruisers commissioned expressly by the rebel lead
Engaged
S Of %So S S s
crafty nordnae ambition. Our extended commerce pre-
va G
punder though thereto invited and these few
our gan naval forces Such of these cruisers ended
sunk with he exception Of one the Sumter whicn
Sy some fatality was permitted to pass the Brooklyn hsn
the
S he Soon the Ssss
and the Powhaan from the Gulf squadron, followed IN
with detective boilers and mseinsryS under nor snssso
Tns Keystone a mo and Is ss
were also in search of her different points and periods
nzed or acknowledged government and avowed engaged
his Iph and her
the rcmonstrance of our consns by public authorities in
The clos ng paragraph OF The above elegant extract
from an American state paper would to show that
although was penned osensiby against myself 1t was
in fact, erelied those European Pogers aohtch had &c
knooe ed c Cbnfseyate States u be LAWFUL 5igsr nt
in the car ,otc had been forced upon em On other
sipposition could II charge me with robbery on the
high seas, and with being ''piratical rovor pirate
is hosts huaoni 9rssris, and may be seized and
mary dealt with by ard all the nations of the earth
but the fact is these officers Of the defunct federal Cnon
are 50 blinded by their venom against the South that
they have no longer tas power to distinguish between
terms Mr. 1Fetles, also, in mutation of tae dirty and
Dse',dctotss press Of tie Yanfce States calls PRINTER
He knows better than this He knows that priyaeer
is vessel that bears letter OF inarque and that anu
cruising under no such letter He knows that have
been regularly commissioned ship of Of the Con-
edcratc States If he and his deuGod associates insist np
oncang the citizens Of the Confederate States rebels
uier the idea that those States still form part
the old Yankee concern, then he might characterize
q rebel manof war. But il am this so were all
the ships Of tho American colonies commissioned by the
Vrgnian George Washington MIR. Weles tells the Presi
dent and Congress that, Oy "some fatality ran the
blockade Of New Orleans and that he had ordered the
whole affair 10 be Investigated. With the blind rage OF
bafled madman (qw Deus uuu perdere, &c. he will,
doubt endeavor to crush the harmless and noonsve
commander Of the Brooklyn, who, poor man, no doubt
largest and fastest in pursuit of me- and that
the commander VI Of them was so energetic az to
perform the wonderful ieat Of tracking me as far as
daring acts-the ofncer being in command OF heavy
frgate-which called forth the paaegyric OF the
Yankee Navy which hnd in q subsequent part
Of Mr. welIss report; for after praising his clerks
this officer goes on 70 remark-eTo the patriotic
osers Of the navy and the brave men who in va
the department and the government Justly
more earnest and emphatic" than
than that which thoy to his clerksl Oh, for James
portray these sceles Of naval action confined TO
predatory warfare the Potomac rvor directed chiefly
against women and chidren 70 the capture Of sandbag
battery at Hateras to the nastery movement OF the
great Dupont the "greaes naval commander Of the age
in Yankee hyperbole, who not only knows how to use
L q he Mi alit
Of the piratca Sumter away ever so far to the
shores OF Brazil b. the gallant Porter who probably for
this featso little material has Mr. Weles for heroes
will be made ''fng oficsr." feel honored to have
been thus pursued By ak rigatos, and If OF them
ing me, why that is John Bulls affair ana not
mine. But | am fleeing from these ships, says
Mr. welles. Soft. Mr. weiesl He would have
me. suppose, fail into the Yankee trap no has
set for me, and rush TO the encounter OF his six
fgates the least OF which is twice my size aud OF
than twice my weight Of metal Hs darcs not send ship
OF equal force to no. and he did dare do So being
safely enscopced himself in his armchair, venture to
say that the officer would not dare to find But have
another blockade recently OF the port
Of st. Pierre in the Island Of Martinique the face OF
Of the fastest and finest OF his Yankee SHIPS the roquos
and which Is more than twice my force Poor Captain
Palmer fear that he too will be inundated altar
Of tho universal YANKEES nation" because he did not
catch the Sumter though from all learn he had
ITS on the occasion This honorable caotan is indeed
At representa- Of tho honor u Yankee doodledo
for he violated tho sovereignty OF France and his
ing French naval officer present. by causing blue lights
brought all the way, no doubt from New London
Connectcu) to be burned on board Yankee schooner
in the hTbor, to sigma. to him my departure. But
only allude to this pdsd France is abundanty
able 10 take care Of her 0wn honor
If the universal Yankee nation
Can whip II creation.
When Mr.. Welles learns, too, that my way hhor I
burned three Yankee SHIPS and liberated fourth
only because she had an English cargo board he will
probably send six OF his doughty war ships after
me-that Is 10 say, he spare them from burning
cribs aud frightening women and children along
Southern He will take especial care too 70
put plenty OF men and guns board of them for other
wise might not be in such constant flight TO escape
the avenging power OF our vigi.ant naval forces" A
word or two more and shall have done. What can
wise yr. wees moan when he objects to tho "roobery
5 % aHd asr engaged IN IN peaceful
all property with rare exceptions, Captured on
the high seas, is property belonging to ''mer
chants and others engaged in peaceful commerce and law
fu pursrits Why this senscless diatrbe, then abogt
robbery, and piracy and private property and peaceful
commerce, and lawful pursultss II 5ir Wellos would
give mo an OPP 1rtunity of capturing some OF his public
property " )ud be mitch Obliged 10 him. But he takes
very good care not 10 do this BY sending his heaviest
ships after me- and have the Yankee naval officers in
these Of naval sction Ia which they have dis
t!nguished oemssves refrained from Tho capture of pri
vae property saw recently in Yankee paper ac-
count Of wood soo-that is sioOp loaded with Are.
wood-having been most gaantlyn captured aud
burnt, the other day, on tbs Potomac, and number OF
other small craft, belonging TO tbs poor people along the
coast have been captured from time TO time and sent to
Yankeedom Cor adjudication. Even shsr have been
subjected TO the same fatea class exempted by all
civilized nations But suppose u is only when the
sol s nne ship OF 600 tons belongs to Yankee and
captured by the sumter, that the property becomes
priyatel Astuto Ne weliesi The fact L. thai this
Northern horde OF the Aani, which Is bearing down
upon the sunny fields OF the South In imitation Of their
ancient prototypes has (whe Mr. Wcss is singing this
hypocrtca song) set all the rules OF civilized warfare
al Geapcs and captures private property the land as
well the The gallant Dupont laid his nscru
pulous hands upon all ths cotton LIE could lnd at Beau
fort--a few bales only as IL hsppened-aud Grst and
last many brilliant achievement tho way Of stealing
negroes and robbng and burning private residences have
been accomplished by these Northmen amid the varioas
of naval action in which they have Gourshed
Bot grow tired OF the subject and fear have already
trespasssd too much upon your space and patience
reminded, too, of the old adage that "He who mod
dies with pitch shall be deled )" and NO will take eays
Of Mr.. Gideon Welles and his scnrrous report.
X. SEMhEs, Commander Confederate States Navy
CONFEDERATE STATES STEAMER SUMTER, CApiz Jan O.
DEsERTIoNs FROM THE REBEL CRAFT
A TELEGRAPH despatch from Madrid OF 10th ult .
states that six OF The Of the Sumtor have
THE SUMTER AT GIBRALTAR.