Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1863-08-12
orr.Nayy., rs

wo feel ronfdsn. thst tho late; dsel,ion Of the
British eaurts of Admiralty in the case of the
Aieeandra, is tho mort importaus event that has
occurred an o;thsr ,idlh Of the ainea the
commencement of the prcsent WAT; and re shall
not he singular in this opinion six months hence.
Oar readers will remember thfs Mr. ADAMS, q. s..
Minister at bhe Court of st. James lodged infor-
nation with the legal authorities in Englsnd some
months ago, that certain chip named the Alec
andre, then being built in an English ship yard,
was to be sold tu the Confederate States.
Legal proceedings wero thereupun eomnssnesd
agsinss the builders of said ship; aud upon trial
of the case, The Court of Admiralty. decided that
ship builders in England have right to build
and soil ships of any description ITO any ono who
wishes to buy.
This decision we regard as worth more to us
than recognition of our Independence by Great
Britain.
We have now the means IN our hands, by the
providence of God, of almost utterly annihilating
tho mercantile navy Of the United States; and II
it is not done in twelve months, it will DO owing
to tho imbsci'i:y OF our Government Indoed,
tho contract for tho construction Of those ofspur
ves,sls already under wsy, ends with this prcscnt
month. We may soon expect to hear of Navy
aHoat; and some of the iron mailed ships now
being built for NJ in English ship yards, will bo
match for a whole feet of Yankee wooden walls.
But We have no fears for Government which has
been marked by singular ability hence We believe
that Yankee uhipu will soon begin to rot in their
DOCKS and that Yankee cupidiLy will soon begin
to clamer for peace.
According to this dsci.ion of the Court OF Ad-
miralty; the Confederate Government has a right
to purchase from English sbip-buildors such ships
as it needs-without restriction az TO number or
quality-tho only restriction being that they must
not put their ar1naments on board actually in an
English port. This decision puts the English
ship-yards at the service Of our Government, and
opens for u, tho English ports.
What more do We want to acourge . base rsco-
race of two idess, tho loaves and the fishes
into their proper sens0s? One thing moro, ii y
true, is wanting to build ,LIips-namsly, tho cash.
Hcre again tic hand of Provdence has provided
the cruise Of oil. To build snd equip these rcry
Ho'Po ioE tuc SVulcuetacy, hHSlou Capllalbte
loaned our Government last winter hfteen milli-n
dollars, and thrcu times tho amount OF stock was
subscribed.
If our Government mas tho energy, and Will put
that energy. earnestly to work, We may have aaoat
BY January Fleet which Will ilswcop every Yankee
merchant ship from the OCEAN. There can be no
eIaegerstion in this statement There are now
in the Confedorpcy four millions Of bales of cot
ton; this, at the present prices, would be worth
moro than four hundred millions of dollars-and
but fourth Of that amount, with the loan already
effected, will answer all demands.
The people expect our Rulers to improve this
opportunity; delay and negligence in this matter
will bo highly criminal. We have o very conf
don't belief, ono founded upon the ost-obvious
principles, that if our government dues its duty
ID this matter, We shall have peace within si1
months from the time our navy sails from British
ports. We see in this fact everything to encourage
US, and We honesty bslievc that We are stronger
to day than we hnvo been at any period during
this war