Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1863-07-22
Oar r1;rsteers Doing Smashing Basi--
ncSSI

Two years have Low paSseI since Semnlcs
comneacedsLiS particular cruise in the Sain
ter since which time about one hundred and
fit7 Of our vrssels--v:.lueai with their car
goss. at ten million dol'ars-have been cap
turud 81 .7esse,s under the Confederate fig,
aud still netting eiI;ectual has been done Ly
orr iminerSe nlvv- co put stop to heir whole
sale acts Of rapne, plumber aud piracy. From
the first appearances Of the little schooner
JEFF. Davis they have gone on increasing in
:idiubers, strength and power, uatil, by their
i;nmerors swift; heavily armed steamers, the
Confederate navy has been the terror Of our
entire mercantile marine. Tlei,' vessels are
fonnd in every part of the Atlantic; they
even casture and burn our vessels within sight
of our commercial tnarts, !. still escape (ii
escape itsnIay he called) from vessels wi'ich
rever seem to pursue, or at least rSyer find
them. Still nothing is done.
The eHec: Of this apathy ar criini;'sl neg
loct cu thc p'rf-oi the Navy Department ni!-y
be fully rcaI'z&;i l,y-a glance 1t the character
ana uauoha:iey c,'ine Vessels thst now noa.
o;.iiGe the carrying trade at this port wa.ie
our own are rotiug st cur waatvea. Oar
merchants, faliy realizing that the ilag under
which their vessels haze SO ioug and proudly
sailed can no longer afford them protection
in 1he pursuit of Legitimate trade, are corn
piled 10 lei tlcp lc idle CT resort to the dis
graceful! prat lice Of putting them under the
tl,.g o; fyrcigu power. Tcis pgac,ice has
been carried on 10 an almost incredible eX-
tent Since it has become apparent that they
nave nothing 10 hope for or expect at the
hands oe the Depnrtment at Washington.
Since the breaking ont Of the rebellion
o,,d n: ,rh vn roc,a1. with az,
cgrcnaa:e tonnage Of more than one hundred
snd .sxtysi2 thousand tons, l.ave been trans,
ic:red 10 toraiarc.s at this port alone most Ct
~uch are now sailing under the i.ag OF Great
n.-f..'". our most prominent commerclai nv
nj ana uIfy- of the South. AT ether ports the
s.,ne practices l.s prevailed, and 1t would be
fair to e,ii,rate tile .a5s OF American tonnage
under it, during the past tsTo years, at three
hand, ed thousand tons This loss to US, as
mattar Of course, involves consequent III
crease Of tie tonnage and power Of our rivals.
Again, to show tine effect on our crrylrg
t,ude, let es glahce at the commerce OF New
York ,inriMs the first si:; months OF tEa ye"r
800, AS compared witt q Ike period IN the
present wear During the former period the
-u.i5 81 oi vesseli lie;red III Gus port ior for
i>rts Ss.s seventeen huDdre9 and ninety
c. &c ,,,;c.', aeven hlndlef and thirty three
r,ars nv, A acr;e. n an -,x hundred and sixtytwo
fore;gn--a difference of ne e'iS VIE nuALi ~
per cent. in favor of American vess "" 'e'
curing the same period of the present. yeai,
there have Ueen'twenty one hundred and nine |
ty-sevsa cearances,. OF which fourteen hun
Dire and fly wero foreign ard only sew
en- hundred ard forty seven American show
ing an Increase in the number OF toreiga
vessels and,a difference i'll their favor rs
compared with the iir~t named period, OF
about two hundred per cent.
It's diifieu;t to imagine where this practice
will lead TO if some protection be not afforded
our merchants end shipowners 1T the pur
suit of their trade.