Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-11-13
EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.
Soinc Private i!is;6ry.

sTcsTH HR. LAIRD IN ENHl-A.'''
Nlr. john Laird, N. p, has recently made
IN iiauo.tant srccch at Bnkcnhcai, open the
natural dcrcnccs cf Eagard, the Alabama
casc, &C. After referring at som: length ~
TIE Armstrong gun and the capacity Of iroa
plated ships, he said:
will cake two ships built in tl,i' rcighboT,
hool-;hc Alabama and tho F!o.ii;;--- loud
:.nd protrarted cic"rinc.) | am 100. at all
ashamed, ladies and gentlemen, to own that
my sons dcsi anei rnt hu:!5 The Alabama re-
newell cheering Nor, an sure, Il the
builder Of the flirii. ashamed I" sny that he
designed IN! built that ship: bI: the tcs:m0-
nv hornc to those vessels is hot tn: testimony
vi Birkenhead OF Of Liverpool, o., inieni OF
this c0rntry: hut the taS:mJE? comes from
america. They are two Vessels that have
,ecu ;;lloat for some considerable length Of
zine, and they have d"iicl tie power If .lDb
ships. iChcerinc.) They have never hac,
caught. (koncwc4 cheering They were
Designed and built hy private Individuals hut
in this country il is the misfortune of the
managers Of cur marine to imucin. thu. one
/: man, ard one man only. IS 10 carry in h:s head
the brains Of all the dcs gnins talent OF the
country for building shifts. If they had got
:. little life in tho admiralty, hen they might
have improved Oh the Alabama and the Fi?ri-
Ia, and rerha1S.nn E)mc other ships. Laugh
icr.) Wehave been accustomed t. hear OF the
Americans Boosting about their shipbuI!irg,
and that they built ships to run twenty miles
IN hour. Ladies and gentlemen, the Alabama
goes thirteen, bus the AMERICANS have never
been able to touch he-.
UO;r TIE .y,y.NA LEFT ENGLAND
do not know Eat | nngi.t TO occupy your
. time any longer, bat various statements have
been made about !, ycGicl that has attained -
SEINE degree Of fame. | refer to Il vessel we'll
! known throughout this country rs the Alaba-
ma Loud and repeated cheering am
not ashamed to acznowia.l.:c ;hat some OF M
.Aniiy have had t. do with i!.at ship. Still
$ nc statements have been made aEOut her
which shcn.; lie cnrtrGvcrtcd. should not
. hare mace any remark: roT:, bat i1r the !:,cE
sEa! rhr ,."Te :anIsnt Q: this country had 'oa.ie
certain statements, and have gwen certain ic-
al opinions :-ha:: her. and they have talked
ii',.ut the vessel having escaped. | soc ny
friend, Mr.. Il'ni, and other ;,entlc:acn VIII,
arc somewhat OF sporting men, and we'll ;Irr
kn"" what Rncaa when say-whcn hounds
approach {. toz.cJvcr the ijy scents the hounds.
and when the huntsnlcn come up 10 tic cover
the fox is gone Ii is nonsense To laik abop:
the fox escaping or about tie Alabama Gs,.a-
ping. the Alabama was in dock wien she
was inspected by very many cm:inus people,
and in dock she took On boar! her Goals ani
her stores There was no secrecy 1lrrtavcr
observed about the ship. She wen, "';t %! deck
~ night. and | ak you, as me" Of common
! sense, if she wanted to escape, surely the
night was Il time when snc C'alI haze cs
capped? Bat what was the fact They wcc.
80 vaingloriuls about their little cri,t tia5
they anchored her off the landin:. stage, and
there she remained until half past ten or
eleven the following morning, when she lett
for her destination. They admit that she was
not lifted out Is 4 inan-oiwar, and that they
had no legal authority to 'lc:'l!a that ship un>
/ II :: man was engaged To serve on board her
as q sailor. Djcs any s!ipomncr present be-
: lcyc, or any man connected with shipping,
that the captain Of a vessel supposed TO lie
going upon any extraordinary voyage, would
! 90 and tell 6 man who appears - have been .
! hired agent or spy of certain gentleman in
! London? Would tho captain Of. q ship on
! snch an expedition 90 aud tell g COMMON
s;,ilor. at the Sailors Home, all the ins and
/ ours Of his Intentions regarding thas ship p
Hear, hear, r;'d applause. Certainly not.
Now, know it is not truc tina. that man was
| told anything Of the sort by the captain. |
| have been Informed, and | leiieyc the in
! formation n be on the best authority. Bat let
| me tel! Sou i: is not necessary, in engaging
men 10 - 70 any par. o! the world, TO tel! those
men where they are gors: jccanSe you know.
! I aDI an Old hand myself in fitting 0ut secret
expeditions. (Laagh:cr aud arp.ause.) A
few wears ago i: .ras though desirable by the
! Government Of this country to send vessels to
China, and to various parts Of India secretly.
A Chinese war was anticipated: the Russians
-7ere expected 10 conc down the head Of the
! Indus nnd the Eupara'es; md II ~as de.ira-
| bic 70 place faith il somebody. Her maj
es!r $ government were pleased to place faith
in me, and bUils Cor tie British government
about dozen vessels: but the government
sail to nc-"What nc want you to Do, Nj.
| laird, is this-T-c want you - build, and to
arm and equip these vessels; end to scEd them
out; they must he ronrs, and ,Eobody must
| know anything about it." Well, hsn: Il pru-
den, fort Of s.i?buide-. said. II will t.ke
Your order On tho2e coudi:inns.' | buiit IL"
.f;ns; they were armed engaged men,
| lid everything. Hear, hear, cheers and
| aughtcr.) | had 10 eug%:e, not only sailors,
| but eng ince.s and boiler makers, sh:raiTpcn-
t.rs. and men Of a variety OF trades. had TO
| send them to various parts Of the world and
[ can assure you that q few shil'ingS Ter month
Extra did ell the business. Tncv Ill rot care
Shere .heT went 70 loag az they got little
~xtra ray jl,ughter). And, therefore, tire state;
ment regarding the captain of the Alabama
having solda sailor all ahou, he shp-who she
was. aud whcre she was for-beors thc i'm.
press VI i.lsehocd upon the very face Of i. I
!.c"cr saw the Captain Of the Alabama but
nee, GlG that va. after having 'sken she
hip out, ard don't think he was lie man 70
make such statement Gs thct upon w!!icI, the
ship might ha7e teen stoprel. L.; N" read
sou few words from o speech of tire Soliri
n. General. who made another great speech
the other day at Richmond. lie said some
months ago: 1t was not till the Alabama