The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-07-08
From the London Times !
The Confederate Etn,uN

few DAYS ago there lay, there still lie in the
hersry, two enormous masses which twenty wears
ago would have been astonishing, if not rdcuious
Encased in massive iron, they furnished with
prUws, or btaks, of O tOim and purpose familiar
enough 20 sCh0Olboys but till lately aX pindrd IN
modern warfare. People are stow mt 0pIy 20
| learn, bur even 70 reflect and 10 RENE nber and
when IL had taken twenty years 10 remind cur
naval buiIte,s thai ship o! war could be muycd
with steam well as with three or i've tanks OF
oars, II took longer time ter our Atml atty 10
perceive that the r-yiva oi the t-iTeaie gave Us
she opportunity OF Tsviying the Toslum. But
here, 1t last, were two rams Cspthic pi dong rs
much mischief on their own element a. the ariss
al ancient siege operations. 30 doubt they were
meant for The C0IiCdsTatcs, aud were to he Ell
p'oyed in the dcstutction "i bl0ckadin, squad
IONS.
A splendid caEeCT--nOt 80 brilliant io,iap,i, Is
thai al Ihr Alabama, hut l,'ss us-tu}-awai1ca
them; hut they had already 4 history. Coaauls
had watched their growth, and spies had found
| thc!5 way oh deck, correspondence had e5own
into bluH-boOks about them, thc tetgtap!.ic
wiTts had been kept continually at work uunn
thcm; finally, they had been actually seized
The highest tcsponsIbihty-ot the CTogn had been
exercised against them. and had tasu met by
litigation, by suits in various courts, by debates
IN both Houses, by Z correspondence between
Two worlds, and, As &c reality were not enough
torgertes aud rOmlnces had gathered like bar
naclts ABOUT IN" T0hstfuu7 huilS. 1n"y had
been built on speculation, II wd5 alleged, b, 4
FFGnchmdif; they had been ordered by lie rdsha
OF EsFgt; they were simply articles sale, Ike
whom they were MOTTO! Tap wits of washing
and New York were tUsiIy hUaxng the an nxioiis
public with alleged reports aud c0uesFJuGgacr
abon, them. The British G0VCynmCH; was Ile-
ndccg wlt!' heavy damages for sCiLuE them; wan
Confederate quarrel for stopping . legal trlnsic-
lion, with Federal war !oI allowing tia .gt.rn
ment OF ships nt Wal; viii; Parliamentary defeat
and eNpu!s.uu from Office for doing either Uu.
lhIug or The other.
could the twin rams have heca conscious of
anything, could Il thought or sensation have
pierced their TUCK "Plderniia, ihCy mi ght have
been proud Ia occupy the attention Dt mankind
aud AFFECT the destinIes Hf Governments and ma
.!UAa. But all at once, myth ana mystery, liliga
lion and debate, diplomacy and war subsidized aud
disappeared Nothing femdi0ed hut the solid hui!
and imp1Sslbie lfon. yh" stroke of 4 pen across
a slip oi paper conveyed these flm0r@ shjps, win
all their liabilities and engagements, IL he pos
session OF her Britanic Majesty, and Condemned
them 10 life oi r0uing aud repairing. pulling TO
pifces and patching dp, slow decay, and an
luel0rioGs death In one OF her Hair.tv's dock.
yards, without having once crushed IA the /! ans
ot L haplCSS foe.
THIS Is a quick and easy solution of a great
difficulty. The impatient public, always booking
forward and asSlug W hal neat has bcca takcn
l.aback hy the discovery that nothing EOw is com
ing, aud half a dozen careers, IOriuncs, cGntEo
vcrsics, and suIts have been capped by an cxtiu-
gui sher. whole illumination, not to say 3. pos
sible cnut! tgtatlOn, has been put out. The Rius
are now darE a3 their hundreds oi brethren Iv-
ing IN ordinary, waiting Tor some possible rcBur-
fccti1n 10 the ll.h! Cf day. Even after the un
nuuuceuenl last week there was lingering hone
the ire might break out IN som: form or other-
IGwas hoped that Her Majesty Government uiisht
be- found 10 have compounded felony, OF mgltt he
Sill liable costs fuf tie seizure. Eur tic pre-
TOus Ccedings hostile enough IN effect, were.
cniy against the innOcent Rams, NOT aga;Hsi Ilrii
owners, while, by he pu. session % the -"ssuIs,
the new owners iIiteiited themselves any T. ssbir
claims in respect OF the seizure
The purchase IL comprehensive aud Cuncin Btye,
For i 80 UJe,tt appears, GoyernmrG, has Sccone
I t,t iuynT iron nh, yp
most dcv0utly hope, and most cert tainly expect,
IL will never have the least occasion for. But,
though this concludes everything as between
Government and the fCdcTaiS, tifC COute dCTaICs
and Mr. Laird, IL leaves Parliamentary speakers
something 10 cay st,ll. is nat the precedent dan
geTous Will not men now buiid all SORTS OF il
icruaI devices OF the specu alton tift ii no bel
iigereBt viii take them our oWn G. b1vcTnm"nl wi
How that may be we SnoY not, but E"gand
may congratulate itself on theN possession OF pTi-
yate ship bGi ding yards capable OF turning out
. such monsters of the deep even TiihOn. an i'm
mediate demand, and win tic purchaser still! to
present himself. The possession OF such yards Is
worth far more than The possession ot the ships
themselves, iof the. ships may be destroyed Cr
wrecked, but the yards will remain aHd will n
ways be capable Of repairing our losses.
The stnppage OF these rams, FIST by mere force,
ihen by quiet purchase, IS "A that we have been
enabled to do In tho enforcement OF neutrality. il
Is strange comment on neutrality laws that all
We can do, whether by stretch Of authority or BY
good management, reaches Ony The least offensive
and most purely defensive munit0n of We
cannot prevent the emigration and practical en-
lisiment of men, or the sale of instruments Of de
stuctoH of ali kinds, great aud small, The sale
OF fast shipJ, convertible into cruisers. ! that
we prevent H. the sale of ships meant 20 act
only the defensive, for the protection of ports.
The Fedafais, IL appears, may have procured from
every ship. every man, every gun, every shot
and shell, every ounce of powder, every cp.lnss
employed Ia bloc ksding Confederate port; Dut II
the Conederaies want the means Of sally ing forth
and sinking the foe at their gates, they Laas. not
come to this country
The rain Is only loatin: fertilization. It Is
incapable ot "A long voyage, or even oi h,ccS a,e
dniv II ran only Just do, IA ii wefe, militia
work, aud make an casionai sally against be-
ltaguenhg host. Vet this cnmpaia,ivey harmless
engine, which cannot take the initiative, aud
which meets The active operations OF war win 4
mple uega,Ive,i is the only thing that we succeed
ed In Withholding from the beiligereHts. Win she
state Of the law we quarrel moi We eau only
submit. Hut IL Is, 10 say the least raradoHicai,
aud we look 10 time to he a5lss. The law 10 COM
taon sense.