, 1863-10-30

lFsom the Liverpool Mercury, Oct. 1871
TIE LAIRD RAMs-Acr1ox OF TIE OFFICERS IN
SEEING THE VESSELS.
Rumcrs were yesterday current In this town
that Government had issued orders to stop
tie eailIrg IRON the Mersey Of the steam ram
reeentl. lauL ched from the ehip'bullding yard
of Eessrs. Laird Brothers, ut Birkenhead, and
Float.
On Thursday night the custom house cut
ter conveyed an officer on board the ram iu
The Great Float, and labt night aBecond officer
WAS put on boatd. The second run, which is
st in tee paeng @ 5asa Of az Mes1ss y dsa h
About IL o'clock On Thurrday night tho
9cshawk, under tha command OF Lieut.
Cheek, acting tender to Her Matesty's ship
Msiesttc, went into the lover water basin,
which Is Eot yet open for Vessels. "
course, the appearance Of 4 E,an'ot wars
etances gave rise to various remarks
and sur1nises, and there ia little doubt
Lieut. Cheek Is acting unler inetruc.
tions In the course he is pursuing. Indeed,
when asked yesterday wha. be was doing In
the low water ba.ir, he said he had been sent
there by Government; but In answer to fur
thtr qrestie1 be stated that he had orders
from Capt. leg 1efeld # the Majestic.
Her Mbjesty'e ship Liverpool, which foEaed
pa,t Of the Channel squadron, End WAS lett
he,e when the feet sailed for Dublin, has
dropped from her moorings and cast anchor
in1leaiatcly oprcsite the Wooaside landlog
stage. 1t IS taid that she will anchor taclng
the low water basin to day. The Gotha"k Is
to take up portion alongside the landing
stage in order to communicate with the LiY-
from tic London Star, Oct. 1al
The facts concerning the selznre Of the
steam 1ams appear TO be as follows: On
| 1tu1tday last u revenue cutter conveyed 4
CuEom House officer Into the Great Float,
Ut put him On board Of the ElTousin Or Fri.
astcond Custom House officer, who, It is said,
Put the abroad arrow" On the vessel, and re-
maiEed IL charge Of the chip. About IL
o'clock en- Thursday night, the GoEhawk, ur-
der the command OF Lieut. Check, acting ten
der to her majesty's ship Majestic, went iuto
for 9esze1s, and rrms.red there on. Friday
ard Saturday. On Saturday morning her
m2jssty's ship Liverpool drcpoed from her
previous moaringe, and took . po-
tition in front Of the entrance to
the Morpeth Dock, Nth her fires banked, and
the lay Ill day, and general opinion connect.
ed With her being In this position belief that
tic, az we'll as the Goehawk, 1ag in readiness
to prevent the departure Of the Ell Toasin,
So tar, however, as present appearances war.
,ant the conjecture, this precautton T4E un.
necessary; 4Ae sIsptEtsu teetei tetnAi1eo Eo
mocred alongside The victoria "har1, aoa up
to Saturday afternoon dtd not appear IL q
condition TT tor sea. During ths Who.o Of
TIE soily Ia:t 81 sstn1aay, motsmGn III He9f
busily employed IN pro:ecu1lng tae different
processes which WILL III her LOT oEc'
From the London Timea, October 1871
What Is suspected Of the, iron.elads in the
Att1sev, is thas they ara destined to f1i1oW the
Alabama, aud to become wbat the Alabama Is
known to be. Nor the A1abama, though a
cruiser In the service ofthe Confederate Gov.
trnmeat. WAS neye e. exported for delivery Mt
Confederate port. STE received her eqnip-
mert aid her Commission, and proceeded to
act without having touched Confederate tor
ritory at all. II, therefore. these iron.clads
were to do the fame, one Of two things must
happer-eiihe1 we, the nentrals, must have
provided them with their equipment, In
which case we wonld be participating in the
war; or the belligerent purchasers must
bare dore 60 il our ports, and, therefore,
made our neutEal territory the basis Of hos.
tile operations.
- 1 nfn$R ~11$T TNr a y