The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-17


that occasion peid over those "E5i2 in gol
70 the Corfederato paymastsr Yonge. q
= delivered % the pr0pe, party that ''bui'
:, er.s certificate which marked the hnal T,
uIimeut Of the Lai5ds' coutrsct for buiIdi
, the gunbOat' for the Confederate seryic
Aud n the Liverpool Collector. or one Of Z
ASSOCIATES, babe his sons or their daughte
apleasaut voyage as he took his leave wh,
the tug cast of from the Alabama. is NJ
Laird likely 10 have forgotten the report
the occurrence, or what was said by the CO
leetor IN connection herewith?
MOL However questionable Mr.. Laird
statements may be upon other points,
however far ne NAV have gone towar
making war les Earl Russell aftsrWart
I pnrased it) upon the United States, cam,
lof moment bring myself 10 doubt his on
tire truthfuluess about this incident in To
history Of the Alabama's first start. At an
rate, II the British Foreign Secretary object
70 MS testimony on this head, I can onl
! urge that as Earl Rus ell himself once re
ierred Mr. Adams 10 M. Laird as suthorit
on the question whether the equipment @
4 the Alabama constituted an infraetion o
neutrality, he ought now to be conclude,
Dy Mr.. La rd's assertion that the Aabam,
| escaped by no false pretsnce.
But I must call upon Mr.. Laird again, IL
more direct reply TO his Lordship's dispatch
This dispatch, lof the 24th Of January, 1858
/ 70 which l have alluded having been pub
llshed among the parliamentary papers, Mr.
Golden, at later day, in July, 1868, Just 81
the close OF the session Of that year, in a de-
bate which marked no less the sagacious
statesman than the true friend Of a Just neu-
ENTHUSIASTICALLY called attention to the
disputed point which am now considering
6y demanding information from the Gov
erument how the Liverpool custom-house
officers had happened 10 let the Alabama 20
to sea without a clearance. Mr. Laird's
connection wi b the vessel having thus been
drawn into discussion, he 70 e 10 make the
required explanation aud 10 justify his own
or his firms tran actions IN the premises.
DIS language 90 that occasion is reported in
Hsnsard, as follows, ". l52, p. 1880
lie was prepared, if necessary, TO prove
that every word he had said in a former de-
bate was perfectly true; and as the question
was one which affected her Maiesty's Gov
ernment, he was ready to put his proofs in
to the hands Of the noble lord at the head OF
the Government.
The honorable gentleman stated that the
Alaosma went out with a picnic party; but
ne had ascerta'ned that she went cut of
dock at night; that she anchored in the riv-
er until eleven or twelve o'clock next day,
and that she was seen from the shore by
thousands Of persons- [Mr. Cobden.-I
quoted from Earl Russells dis petches.1 He
AIR. Laird was not responsible for those
dispatches. Mr. Cobden.-She had no
clearance Il was not necessary to tske
clearance. The owner might either clear
her or take a register. The course pursued
was TO hand the builders certificate 10 The
owner, and then he might do what he liked !
with her
So here Is Mr.. Laird asserting second |
time tby way Of rsiteration Of MS former /
speech already quoted) that the Liverpool |
custom house officers were on board the Al |
ALBANIA when she cast OF from the Mersey, |
and knew all about the circumstances Of her |
outfit and departure. There could have /
been no ''pretence" about the departure, for |
/ was as 0pon as the day, and witnessed by /
thousands. Il viii be noticed also in Mr. |
-aird's view, that, as che Is not responsible
or Earl RusselPs dispatches" or, IN plain
II language, that as he does not care for
What Earl Russell asser.s-he'means to give
he ole circumstantiaI" 10 the Foreign Sec
etary's statement, which we have above
quoted. Are not Earl Russell and Mr.. |
-aird, then, in entire auIagonism to each
ther about the pleasure party being got up
or blind or a false pretence 10 deceive the |
ustoms officials?
But Mr.. Laird, as I think every reader
must inevitably infer, puts himself into
retty suspicious cOnuguity with the Liver
Ool collector and the runu ing Of tae gaunt-
1T Of the Liverpool custom house regula
ions, when he undertakes to explain the
no H0d0 Of avoiding a clearance. Who but
lr. Laird himself and the Liverpool collsc-
DR. knew how that was managed ? Regu
irly, the Alabama ought 10 be registered as
Oh chi af- J. d 4
er builder, IN order to be allowed to % u
ca; and on the present occasion it was
managed by simply showing the certificate.
o whom I ask. Did S. Price Edwards or
is subOrdiuates ever see the certificate Of !
be A.ab mas build = and what did il con-
ain Was IL set forth therein that she was
british or Confederate owned Add what
ras her destination Did S. Price Edwards
hereupOn give her a "trausire" or free pass
D sea Or, when he pronounced her ca
erfecsiy legitimate Transaction" did he
ave the re -eryati0n in mind that she was
My starting on a pleasure trip2 lfso, how
anne he afterwards % write word 10 his SUI
e ri0rs az London "that the vessel had left
he port, as he did on the morning Of the |
81 OF August, when nobody else was leeiu- |
latelv possessed Of that inf ruationT
At this point | would gladly stop TO take
p anew Mr.. Cobdeus inquiry, GLOW hap |
,ened it that the Alabama went 10 sea with |
VI a clearance % To which I would ven |
ure to add "And could 10 have been per-
litted by the Liverpool collector without a |
reach Of the British revenue laws, TO saw
othing about having respect for the For |
ign Enlistment Act aud international |
eutralityy" But my limits forbid my en-
sring upon this inquiry.
pass on 10 the testimony, or rather To |
he acts, which SPEAK louder than words"
{ Collector Edwards, in contradiction Of
.arl Russell's spologst. point of q pleasure |
rip. These acts, or this testimony, estab-
shes beyond a doubt, as il seems TO me, !
hat If ever there were pretence Of g pleas
re trip when the Alabama took her drst |
eparlurs from Liverpool, there could be |
one sucn when she finally took wings from
er restiug-place below Liverpool, and /
hen she quilted British jurisdiction for |
God Of all which the said collector (iu the |
hrsseology Of the law wa fully c0gnizant. |
Before introducing Mr.. S. Price Edwards |
one Of the druHiGti5 perS0uu-I might |
most say godiathers-atteEding At the |
apt sm Of the Alabams, It will be necessary |
II me, as perhaps it will be agreeable to |
.qst OF my readers, particularly such as |
.sv not have happened 70 see nv earlier |
,mmunicstion 20 your columns Of the
eventh ultmo., to briefly summarize some
the leading incidents Of the Alabama
st two days stay IN British waters, Us
lers detailed.
The Alabams quilted the Liverpool docks,
ever 70 return 10 the city again, in the !
,eech Of July, 1868, al 10 or II o'clock of |
llv 29th, 1859. She went down the river
ersey with her tug, the Hercules, and out
ward the Irish channel, some twelve
lies, and there, having inside an appoint
ent for the return Of the tug 20 Liverpool !
bring back her complement Of men and
me Other necessariet for her voyage, she
ST of the tug and went down 10 BoaumAris
sv some forty miles distant FROM Liver
,ol on the Welsh coast 30 await the return
her tender. The tug got back to the
hnrf at Liverpool the evening % the 29th,
it'll her returned party % the Lairis and
her invited guests and lay 40 the landing
age till the forenoon or noon Of the next
". While lying there, and after the cir
instances Of her departure were all known I
ID sfter les is alleged by Earl Russell and
hers an order for her seizure must have
,rhei the custom house, Consul Dudley,
behslf Of the United States notifies Col 2
Fl Edwards Of he presence Of the tug a.
10 wharf. and of the whereabouts Of the / u
ALBANIA which the tug was expected % y
In. and requests hrs Interference to pre-. "
MI "a fugraut violation Of neutrality" u
- Collector sends Surveyor Morgan % 3
sr.h the tug, not the Alabama who after d
inc aboard the Hercules. reports 20 the | d
,lset5r that b. cannot tod guns na4 u.u- ,
lions Of war aboard her but that q con- q
3e-shla number Of men. who were taxing !
.-sape. admitted" TO him that thew l
r.re going 70 JOIN the Euuboat IS portion 3
her crew" and that ut b Said she cruised ! b
Point Lvuas BCauml-.s Bay last night" ?
por inns report I'D Surveyor Morgan, the | q
5iIe.tsr folds his hands as 20 any farther / e.
,;aBtfan Of the Tug OF her passengers, and. ] O.
~ order OF events, the tug hav.og gone | ?
WIN rumolested 90 Beauma-is Bay, and / q
lt ~ remainder of the crew aboard the U
lsE.r,s. tho rebel cruiser starts sway from 81
.e BAY aud goes finally O sea. Up 70 this =
me ~ had lain ia British waters upwards 2
30 hours since Collector Edwards Tor his =
heal associated hrat quilted her quarter J.
*. and oue OF both pronounced her "a q
srf--tIv leg innate trarsscti0n.'
Vow IL Is after this sequence Of events p
e uniting the Mercy ~ gala attire-tbc I E
-onounc.ng the whole Transaction legitl I
ate sfair-the dropping down o. Beau
aris Bav fo~ b rendeEvOus-tne return Of | p
s tsg - Liverro1i with the pleasure par
The notification that The Alabama had | 2
u zone 10 sea, aud that the tug was then I y
he wharf proposing 20 reio.n her with Q
NV Of men cutie different from pleasure | ?
lrtv-sftsr the pretended search info the .
rs esrgo una hold, aud examination Of
\ psss-nsers-sud Eftsr he surveyors
uort thsre1n. aigiHF The IuF res pas