New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-08-16
THE TALLAHAB6EE.

The piracies VI the Tallahassee are uOinB creui'
to tho Rebellion, credit to the upholders OF a sys-
tenn which makes barbarians OF white men and
gives over the blacks to be murdered in cold
blood. Few can have failed to note the charac-
ter of the outrages which are committed within
sight of the coast and almost within sight oil this
harbor. Burning Of ships the Alabama Taught
us to expects the Tallahassee came near adding
to it tho destruction Of the crew and passengers
of an emigrsnt vessel. If such was not the
deliberate purpose of the pirate captain IN MS
dealings with tho Adri0tie, London packet
bound to New York, no was at least reckless OF
tho probable result. There were l63 passengers
ON that ship. They were ordered to quit the ves'
sci with such haste as to leave no time for carrying
away their personal baggage-these poor oni'
grants, not an American among them. and their
whole property in their trunks-and were trans
ferred to the Suliolc, captured barque Of 400
tuns, deeply laden with coal. In all more than
200 persons were put on board this little crais'
which not only had no accommodations for such
a number of persons, but was hardly large
enough to allow them standing room on deck.
The pirate neither sent on board nor allowed TO
be taken from tho Adratic any water or provi-
sions, although the Suliotc was two days sail
from New York. Oversden as she was at frst,
the 200 passengers brought her decks almost
under water-her bulwsrks not two feet above
the sea. If there had been even stiff breeze
and she had carried sail, the barque would insvi-
,ably have gone to tho bottom, while II she was
favored with light winds and crept slowly along
to port, the chances werc that her passengers
and crew would starve before thcy got there.
Such was tho alternative which could not have
escaped the captain Of the Tallahassee, If he gave
a moments reflection TO the situation. who was
clearly reckless as to whether these two hundred
helpless people came to q sudden and terrible
death.
Nor is this the only illustration Of Rebel civil-
zation and humanity. There arc some things
which lawful war respects among them light
houses, channel buoys. and pilo, boa,s-protec-
tons each Of them 10 life and commerce and
never destroyed except by pirates. One Of the
first acts Of the Rebellion was TO violate this
derstanding. The lighthouses all along the
Southern coast were blown up, and buoys Were
removed; in some instances even before war
was declared, and long before any national fleet
had appeared of these harbors; and many
vessels there met a miserable fate on reefs aud
bars which they were left to stumble upon, or
were even enticed TO approach-this on the sup
position that they nigh DO Northern vessels.
At least one British ship was wrecked in this
way. Now tho Tallahassee is canying out the
same policy by sei1ng pilot boats, turning one
into pirate. and giving the other to The flames
more enyiabe fate. To appreciate the pc
culiar infamy of this, it must 30 remembered
that the rig, number and signal Of the James
Finch are kept unchanged. 20 that she will in
falibly lure into tho Tallahassee's net whatever
vessel approaches. The pilot boats carry large
numbers on their main-sails that can be seen Of
a long distance, and their general appearance
also indicates their character to every merchant
vessel. To capture a pilot boa. and turn her
into decoy is just as honorable warfare as that
other practsed by the Rebels on land, Of wear.
gnationaluniforms, and carrying the Stars and
Stripes into battle.