The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-07-18
letter from Maine Citizen, now in Eng
land.
CARpIFF, juno, Is. l9t

few leisure moments, will send you what
ever thoughts turn up. If they are of no
value, they will do no harm, perhaps.
OF course you have read many accounts Of
the sinking OF the Alabama by the Kearsarge,
but trust you have not been annoyed, as
have been, by persistent Misrepresentation
oil the affair, and the most nauseating praise
OF Capt. Semmes, his officers and crew.
The accounts here have gone so far as to
assert that the kearsarge had sixteen guns
while the Alabama had but five; that the
kearsarge was vastly larger than the Alabama.
had much more numerous crew, etc, etc.
And again, they say that the Alabama was
fought better, her guns better aimed aud quick
er fired, 1.-TWO to onel aud that her crew only
wanted chance TO board the kearsarge,
when they would have made quick work OF
the Yankees.
have carefully read all that could see in
the papers, ane compared the very conflicting
accounts. believe the following statement
to be essentially correct.
The Alabama was 1881 tons, the kear-
sarge, 1851. Her crew numbered i65; the Al
abama's l4T. The Alabama had eight guns,
the Kesrsarge, seven. The Kearsarge is
spoken of as being iron-clad. She was no
more iron-clad than the Alabama might have
been. She simply had chains hanging over
her sides TO protect her machinery. Two
shots from the Alabama struck these chains,
but did no serious injury. II has seldom
been The case, iu naval engagement, that
the force was so equal. Capt. Semmes knew
all about the Kearsarge as well as his own
ship, and doubtless thought he should con-
auer, or he would not have made the attempt.
Had he succeeded, these same papers, the
Times, Standard, Telegraph, ETC., would have
been sstonished at the presumption of the
silly Yankees, in thinking they could stand
any chance with "the brave Capt Sc mines
and his gallant crew." The Western Daily
Press, published ia Bristol, says 'ihe Alabama
was much inferior in every respect TO her an
tagonist, but the brave Capt. Semmes could
never see a yankee man-ot-war without doing
all he could to engage her," This in the face
of the notorious fact that he has always run
away from them until this time, when he tried
his hand and got splendidly whipped. The
same paper says that'his crew. who had been so
CALAMITY employed for two years, could not
patiently wait in idleness three months for
the ship to repair, dc. Calamity Employed!
in burning unarmed merchant ships that were
unable TO make any resistance. Ii is very clear
now to every one, that the "Deerhound," of
the English Royal Yacht Squadron, acted as
a tender to the Alabama throughout the
whole affair There are various opinions in
regard to the escape of Capt Semmes. Some
think that Capt. Winslow's personal regard
for Semmes was too mnch for his sense OF
duty, aud that he gladly conniyed at his es-
cape. 1t is evident that he could have
brought the Deerhound to with q shot If he
had been so disposed; and have been told
in London, that while he was there he was
heard to speak of Semmes in the highest
terms OF admiration, saying that they had
been on terms of the greatest intimacy-hdd
,corn each Others clothes etc.-and this too
to his own officers, on board his own ship.
On the Sunday preceding the battle, |
came down the river from Antwerp to Flush
ing 100 miles, in company with Mr.. Thornton,
first officer of the Kearsarge, and Mr.. Smith,
an engineer. We were ia the English steam
er Dolphin, bound TO London, but stopped
near the Kearsarge to put those officers on
board. Mr.. Thornton'S appearance impressed
me very favorably, and see that great credit
is awarded him for his conduct during the ac-
ton. particularly for his excellent gunnery.
He is IRON Coos County, \. ii.
Why do the English sympathize SO freely
and warmly with Semmes? for certainly, 10
pers, and the talk OF their commercial men,
one would take that sentiment TO be all but
universal. | have often asked the reason,
but have failed to elicit any satisfactory reply.
have been told that lit was sympathy for the
weaker party" All CANNON that. There is
very little sympathy for the teeak among any
class in this country. Their sympathy is all for
the strong. The true reason, | Think, may be
found in the old adage, "a fellow feeling
makes us wondrous kind" So many CON-
runners, and so many OF all classes hold the
Confederate loan that their sympalhies follow
their interest. They have engaged in unlaw
full transactions, in assisting knaves traitors
and pirates, until their minds lean 10, aud
sympathze with raseality and villany gener-
ally When have asked them If they SYM
pathized with the weaker party in all the
previous cruise OF the Alabama, the only
reply was "0h. that Is different case" /
trust the day win come when they will find it
to be "a different case" when Great Britain
viii pay the L. S. for all the injury inflicted on
our commerce by British pirates.
The English nation is at this time in very
bad odor on the continent. The Danes COM
plain that England, after encouraging her to
go to war, has mean,y deserted her; and the
Prussians, again, say that had it not been for
the treachery of England in giving Denmark
to understand that she would support her,
when she had no intention OF so doing, there
would have been no war. England is there
parties. They express their derision Of Eng
land in every possible manner. saw PictOr-
ials in CoDlentz and in Cologne as we'll, in
which every thing English was treated con-
temtuously. English horses; English dogs;
English iood-as roast beef, mutton chop,
plum pudding; English drinks-Porter and
ale, were all represented as being turned
from with loathing; and even Shakespeare
was despised; the interior of q theatre being
represented in which pay of his was being
performed, showing on the bills that the audi
ence were ali turning away their faces and
stopping their ears. England has in this case
tried TO please both parties, as she did with us
in America, and with equal success. She has
earned and she receives, the contempt of all
Her conniying at building and fitting out
pirates TO prey upon our commerce, will
prova ba daaract ,,taoa If ,ra,,kO.r a. L..