Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-02-13
The Alabama and Florida.



How they rere Built IN Eaqland- ORcia
Er1deHes Of British SymPathy for the Rebels
= The Manchester Examiner of January 20
|. publishes the diplomatic correspondence be.
tween MIR. Adams Earl Russell and Mr. Sew
ara IN relation to the Alabama and Florida
(Oreto,) together with enclosures which af-
IOrd evidence of the construction and outfit
l of those vessels in English ports. The letters
OF Mr.. Adams, Earl Russell and Mr.. Seward.
however, are copied from the volume of di
plomatic correspondence recently laid before
congress, while the enclosures have not yet
been published here. We copy them below
1t will be seen that on the 2Ist of July last,
a sailor OF the British navy made affidavit of
his application for place on board rebel
priyateer, then building at Lairds yard in
Blrkenhead, and that the character of the YES
sci was well known. This sailor had heard
that the prvateer was to be called the Florida
nut she was evidently the Alabama, as an in
tercepted letter from the rebel secretary of
the navy (Which we give below says that the
Florida left England on the 2lst OF March.
The documents tell their own story:
HOW THE ALABAMA WAS FITTED OUT
l. William Passmore, of Blrkenhead, in
the county OF Chester, mariner, make oath
| and say as follows:
|
on board her majesty's ship Terrible, during
| the Crimean war.
Having been informed that hands were
wanted Tor lighting vessel, built by Messrs
Lard and company, of Birkenhead, / applied
on Saturday, which was, | believe the 2lst
day OF June last, to Capt. Butcher, who,
was informed, was engaging men for the said
vessel, tor berth on board her.
). Captain Butcher asked me if knew
| tln
which | told him did not rightly understand
about it, lie then told me that the ressel ,cas
gong ont to the government Of the confederate
states of Ameriea. / asked him If there pould
be aayfghtlng; to lcticb he replied, Yes;
they weTe going to fight for the southern qop-
| erRment." | told him | had been used to
| lighting vessels and showed him my papers.
l asked him to make me signal man on board
the vessel, and in reply he said that no art
icles would be signed until the vessel got out
side, but he would make me signal man if he
required one when they got outside.
4. The said Capt. Butcher then engaged
me as an able seaman on board the said resSel
at the ~ages Of four pounds ten shillings pei,
month, and uwaS arranged that should Join
the ShlP an NessrS. Laird, & Co.'S gard on
| hetoHowing Monday. TO enable me to get
on board the captain gave me as password
the number 900"
On the following Monday, which was. |
believe, the 23d day of June last, Joined the
said vessel in Messrs. Laird 4 Co.'S ward in
Blrkenhead, and remained by her until Sat
urday last.
6. The said vessel is screw steamer of
about one thousand one hundred tons burden,
as far as | can judge, and is built and fitted
up as a fighting ship, in all respects. She has
aEmagazine, and shot and canister racks on
deck, and is pierced for guns, the sockets for
the bolts for which are laid down. The said
vessel has large quantity OF stores and pro- |
visions on board, and she is nor lyinq at the |
VlctorlG WhGLt, IN the great float at Bi1ken- |
head, rheTe she has taken in about three hun. |
d1ed tons of coal.
I. There are now about thirty hands on
board OF her, who have been engaged to 90 out
III her. Most of them are men who have
previously served on board fighting ships, and
one OF them Is a man who served on board
the confederate steamer Sumter. II is aceU
knoten By the hands on board that the cessel as
going ont as q priUateer for the confederate
government to act against the United States
under a commission from Mr.. jefferson
DarlS. Three Of the crew on board are, [
believe, engineers, and there are also some
nremen on board.
8. Captain Butcher and another gentleman
have been on board the ship almost every day.
1t is reported on board the ship that Captain
Butcher is to be sailing master, and the other
gentleman, whose name l believe is Bullock.
is to be the fighting captain.
y. 10 the best of my information and belief
the above mentioned vessel, which | have
heard is to be called the Florida, is being
equipped and fitted out in order that she NAV
be employed in the service of the confederate
government in America, to cruise and COM
init hostilities against the government and
people of the United States of America.
Sworn before me at the custom house, Liv-
erpool, this 2lst day of July.
THE COMMAND OF THE FLORIDA
The following intercepted letter from the
rebel secretary Of the navy, was enclosed in a
dispatch Of Mr.. Adams to Earl Russell, under
date of October 8, 1862:
CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA.
Navy Department, Richmond, July 70 1862 /
Commander James II. North, c. S. NJ, Lon
don, England.
Sir Your letter of the goth of March ?
reached me this morning. e
The department notified you on the llth of b
January last that you would receive orders To +
command the second vessel, then being built e
n England; but for reasons satisfactory to the
department. you were subsequently assigned
o the command of the first vessel. the Flori- -
Ia (Oreto), now at Nassau, and any lust {
round for the surprise and astonishment'' ;
D this respect at the departments action is 9
OF perceived
"a commission as commander for the war -
as sent you on the 9th of May, and your
lure to follow the OretO, which left Eng ~
nd about the 2lst of March, and to take II
)mmand of her, as was contaminated and 81