Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-07-25
THE SHENANDOAH.

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The San Francisco papers all come to
US with long accounts Of the depredations
Of the pirate Shenandoah, and indeed the
d~epredations committed BY that sea-wof
are such as to excite the ~liveliest appre-
tensions of danger in the minds of those
who have friends or property upon the
Pacific ocean, or Northern and China
seas. The Shenandoah is now aAoat
without the least shadow Of a legal right.
Even the recognition Of belligerent rights
have been withdrawn by the European
Governments, who with such malicious
precipitation and lickspittle haste, at the
beginning Of the rebellion, came forward
to sanctify the bloody decks of the pirate
crafts, and to accord to them privileges
unprecedented in international law. The
Shenandoah is now apirate. Theauthority
under which she sailed has been proved
BY the fiery ordeal of war to be void and
her ravages have therefore been piracies
a6 iritio. The pirate captain, it is report
ed, intimated that it was his right to prowl
the seas and plumber unarmed ships for
ninety days after the notification of the
conclusion Of peace. No notification is
required. He never had any authority to
capture ships. The commission he bore
from JEFF. Davis was 20 much waste parch-
ment, for the acts Of that traitor were void,
and his dupes, if caught, must share with
him the penalty Of their crimes. The
Milo, which brought the news Of the
presence and the depredations Of the Pi-
rate in the northern seas, also brings suf-
6cient evidence of the determination OF
the pirate to burn, plumber and destroy
until he is run down and forced to quit
the seas by armed vessels. What a pity
it is that We have not now on this coast
men-of-war fit to be sent in pursuit. In
law and by right tho British authorities
should send a vessel after the pirate, for
that Government does not now recognize
that vessel as being q neutral, or having
any rights, and must therefore regard 1t
in a legal view as being in every sense
Of the term an enemy to all mankind, or
IN other words, q pirate. But the Shenan-
doah was first fitted out in a British port,
is manned principally by British sailors,
is said to be supplied with coal by British
ships, and if followed by a British man-of-
war of course never would be caught /; we
would like, nevertheless, to see the Brit
ish authorities requested to send one Of
their war ships after this bastard son OF
John Bull by the old woman JEFF, just to
see what excuse they would make.
The Shenandoah is not a powerfully
armed vessel, but it is fast. 1t does not
depend upon its strength in fighting but
on its speed in running away from danger.
Although we have no powerfully armed
sea going man-of-war on this coast, and
only snail PAGERS Of any class, yet we have
splendid 2-40 ocean steamers which could
be soon fitted out with an armament which
would enable them in combat to cope with
the pirate. and who could run her down.
The new steamer lately arrived-the Col
orado-is one Of the fastest aloat, she
could soon be fitted up and sent after the
Shenandoah. 1t will be a shame to our
Government to allow this vessel to escape
or to permit it to roam the seas with i'm
punity much longer. The Stonewall
sailed quietly into Havana, and her officers
turned her over to the authorities there.
That occurred while she was still recog-
nized as q belligerent; but the Shenandoah
is not a belligerent, she is a pirate and nc
government will be apt to burn its finger.
by dealing with the pirate. Waddell will
therefore probably continue his ravages SO
long as he can do SO with IMMUNITY, and
then blow up or burn his ship and seek
safety for himself on some foreign soil.
1t depends on the activity and energy Of
our naval authorities how much longer his
ravages shall continue.