The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-11-14

SFEEcH FROM THe BUILDER OF THE CoNFED DE
RATE PRtyATEERs.-in the Music Hall At Birken
head, England, on the night Of the 24th uit., Nj.
Laird, N. r., made speech with reference to The
detention OF the Confederate rams. lie Is the ia
thcr Of the builders, and Is connected with them
In business:
lie then referred TO the speech delivered within
the last few days by Mr. Golden, in whIci, tina
gentleman had been pleased TO make use Of some
complimentary terms about the late firm at Birken-
head. He did not agree with all the remarks of Nj
Cobden, that Government vessels should be con :
structed BY private builders. On the contrary, he
thought II wss desirable that the Government
should have portion of the work done at pri
vtte establishments, that In case Of war they
would not only have the dockyards 10 fall back
upon, but the resources of the private yards
ffiear, hear.l He urged that both in engineering
and shipbuiiding, as'well as In other matters COM
petition was beneficial, and brought out the M'eni
and ability of the competitors. In support Of this
view he referred to two ships which had been bult
in this neighbOrl,o6d- Alabama and the Fiuri
da. Applause.
He was not afraid ashamed 10 own that his
sons built and designed the .7taLdma-f.s sHear and
cheers nor, he was sure, was the builder of the
Florida ashamed 10 say that he designed and built
that ship; but the testimony borne to the character
Of these vessels was not the testimony of Birken-
head, or Liverpool, or this country, buf of Amer-
ca. These two vessels had been bu II long time.
and they had defed the efforts of four hundred
ships ofwar To capture them. These ships, he ne
pedsed. were designed by private individuals and
built for private individuals; but In this country the
system was for one man to carry the brains of the
whole talent for building ships. lie next referred
to the want of sufficient dock space for Govern
mcnt purposes.
Referring again to the Alabama, he contra dicted
various statements which had been made about her
departure from this port, said that she was lying
IN the dock ready for sea for some time, and was
visited by numbers of curious people; that she
went into the river In the night but stopped the
until eleven or twelve O'Clock the following day
Lord Palmerst0n had ex pre- ssrd his doubts wleth-
er the Government would not have rendered Itself
liable to damages ifthey had seized the Alabama,
but the recent speech by Earl Russell at Blair
gOwrie did not seem to agree with that delivered
by the Premier. Earl Russell hat undertaken to
say something (which he would be able TO carry
out He laid 1t down that IL they found the law
not sufficient they would 60 to Parliament for
an indemnity. He (Mr. LAIRD believed Parlia-
ment would not indemnify to act lift was supposed
to transgress the law. [Cbeers.] Up TO the time
an act OF indemnity was passed there was law
by which all were bound. Laws were not made
for an Administration, but for the county. and
they were hound to obey the law as they found it,,
and they were not bound to obey laWs made here
after. ftiear, hear, and applause.
Mr.. Laird concluded by aiiuding to the speech
reccntly made by Sir ROUNDED Palmer, Attorney
General, pointing out the Inconsistency of that
gentleman cOntradicting In October statements
which were made by himself in March last.