The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-29

& California Steamer Captured by the Pr
Iato Alabama.
SAN EEAscIsCo, Dec. y.
By the arrival at this port tO-3Iy OF the
steamship 0oua tuition from Panama, we have
highly important and exciting news. The Con
slltoIion reports mat the Steamship AG.3i, from
New York log AspinWul, was captured on The
1th ins; by the pirate Alabama. he Alabama
detained the Ariel until the lOth inst, when she
allowed her to proceed towards Aspinvall upon
her giyipg bonus ia the sum Of SIS ,O0J as
ransom. The arins and anmunuIOn On board
the Ariel were taken from her, and 10 marine
who were ca board We're paroed.
The "a scugerS on board the ARIEL spoke in the
highest teilns Of the courtesy shown them by
Capt. Scnnes.
The Ariel was captured near the east end OF
! Cuba. The ou!y plunder, with the exception OF
! the arms and ammunition, that the Alabama
secured was $4,000 IN green backs belonging to
Messrs. Wells, Fargo aud Co.
The Alabama last coaed a Martinique When
leaving that port the \. 5. steamer San Jacn,o
aimed her guns at her, when simultaneously the
guns OF the fort were turned on the san Jaclnto
This is the statement Of the LIST Lieut.. of Capt
Semmes.
The Alabama claims a speed under twenty-f
pounds Of steam of sixteen knots an hour. She
overlook the ARIEL with only eleven pounds Of
steam, and fred two guns y! her when she hove
10.
SECOND DISPATCH.
Capt Semmes first intended to destroy the
Ariel by burning her, frst putting the passengers
ashore in little settlement huts at San Domingo
Capt. Jones of the Ariel, protested that half Of
his passengers would die if this were done. Capt
Sommes than proposed to land the passengers at
Kingston, but after much parleying anarrange-
ment Vas effected to release the Ariel, on Capt
Jones giving bonds in the sum Of 1928 900
payable in 80 days after the acknowledgment mt
of the Southern CCn!ederacy.
NEW YORK, Dec. %.
The steamship Ariel, Capt. Jones, from As
pinwaL, with mails and passepg rs, arrived at
Ibis port last night. The Ariel sailed from As
pinwal on the I6 at / A. NJ, and touched
at Key West on the 22d. She sailed again the
next day, at A. NJ, and arrived at New York
on the 21th, at Ii P M.
STATEMENT OF TIE PURsER OF THE ARIEL
The Ariel was captured on her outward pass
age by the rebel steamer Alabama, under the
following circumstances. On the 9TH inst, a.
half past p NJ, when rounding Cape Maysi,
on the eastern point of Cuba, we saw vessel
abou, four miles to the westward, close under
the high land Of Cuba, bark rugged and under
canvass. There was nothing in her appearance
indicating her to be a steamer. Her smoke
pipe being down, no suspicious were aroused,
TIL in short time we saw she furled her sails,
raised her smoke.stack, and was rapidly bearing
down upon us under steam. The American
flag was then flying at her peak. Such was her
speed in comparison to ours, that in half an
hour she had come up within half a mile Of us.
when she fired lee gun, hauled down the
American ensign and ran up the rebel flag. No
attention was paid to tho summons, and the
Ariel was pushed 10 her utmost sped. She
then sailed across our wake, took position on
our port quarter, about four hundred yards dis
tant and fired two guns almost simultaneously,
ono shot passing over the hurIisane-deck be-
tween the waiklng-beam and smoke-s,ack, and
the her hitting the foremast and cutting it
half away. A body of United States marines.
consisting of one hundred and twenty-six ma-
rines, had been drawn up and armed, but the
officers in command deemed it worse than folly
to resist, as we could plainly see that they wero
now training full oroadsids upon US, and
Capt Jones gave orders 70 stop the ship and
haul down the national ensign from the peak
A boat then put of to US, and the boarding
officer on coming aboard at once assured the
passengers that none should be moles,ed, aud
that all baggage and private property should be
respected. He en- demanded the keys to the
specie locker, together with all the ships pa
pers ard letters, and informed the Captain he
must be in readiness to 90 On soard the Ala
bama with him, where he was detained as a
hostage till the next day. The money in the
ship, amounting to 50 500, WAS taken off and
pr ze crew, twenty IN number and well armed
put on board. The engne-roon was taken in
charge by two engineers from the Alabama
The officers and marines on board the Are!
were parolcd and their arms taken, as well us
those belonging to the ship.
Both vessels lay Off the Cape during The night