, 1864-07-07
@bicaed. Trtbnut.
THURSDAY, JULY :. 1854
THE OAaE OF THe ALAn1MA.

THE CAAE OF THE ALABAMA.
British neutrality has illustrated irs quail.
= again. The Alabama il British steamer,
built by the subscriptions Of 1920" British
merchants, armed and equipped In an Eng
Ash port, manned mainly, BY British crew,
Supplied, ,harbored and returnishcd constantly
In British poTtA. She has never 4nce entered
rebel port, nor compiled with any Of the
laws OF nations relative To privateerinE: She
never had either register or record, nor regu-
lnr ship's papers, nor evtdencts Of transfer.
No vessel captured by her has ever been sent
into any port for adjudication and condem-
nation. The forms oflaw for the protection
Of the rights Of neurrals have been disre-
Earded. She sails under q flag which has
never been recognized, pretending to be the
flag Of a country which the vessel has never
visited. Her commission was to- "sink,
bum and destroy" after the manner not oi =
priyntccr but of pirate She saaeq nom
British ports In admitted violation OF hnnAn
neutrality, the papers for hes arrest aavlng
hccn issucd by British authorities. Yet,
thourL she bas visited British ports CON.
stautIy since, she has not been arrested
She las driven, much of American
commerce from the seas, by, raising the rates
OF insurance on American vessels and their
freigbts, compelling American ship owners
largely to sell QUITO English purchasers, and
and American merchants to- ship American
merchandise in British bottoma The Ala
b1ma has been making war therefore in favor
of British mcrchants, who subscribed the
funds to bpild and equip this steamer, against
American merchants and ship owners. The
world presents no parallel to such q violation
of neutrality, to such = national participation
In piracy.
And now to cap the climax, these British
merchants send Semmes and his pirate craft
forth from the port Of Cherbou1g to nght
our war steamer Kearsarge, engaged -inepro-
ttcting American commerce from their plra-
cy. They prepare dinner for him at South
hnmpton, at which to celebrate his expected
triumph. They accompany him In their
yachts to witness it. He 6ghts-is whipped
and they sail up and rescue him and part OF
his crew from personal capture, under the
very guns Of the Kearsarge. and bear him of
In triumph, to command, we may expect, q
new vessel, to be in like manner built,
manned, equipped and supplied By the sub.
ecriptIons of $50 or more British merchants.
side on these yachts, and blow them to per
ditioD, remains to be seen The Alabama,
from the time Semmes struck her flag in sur
render, WAS our prize Her officers and crew
were our prisoners. The British Govern
msnt, IN the case Of Mason aud Slldell,
claimed that belligereut could not rescue
his enemy from neutral deck. Can nen'
tral rescue an enemy from bellige1ent deck
aud that, too, after thzt enemy has strucl
his flag in surrender! Such proposition
would be preposterous- nthe right Of GreR
Britain to. demand the surrender Of Maso1
and slideu was doubtful, the right Of on
Government ID Indemnity for the rescue Q
Seumee, or to his rc-delivery, seems c1ea1
Certainly, to interfere In fight pending is
palmer violation OF neutrality than to carr
peaccably from port to port the belligereu
party. Capt. Ninslow, Of the kearsarge,
is stated, has made the. demand that Semme
be delivered up. II it be compiled with, on
victory over the chief Of the British pirate
erSl 1,o