Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-01-02
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S.sEDDAsz.

SSEfajbAss.
In the letter of James j. Waddcll. late com.
mander Of the Shenandoah, to Lord John
Russell, there is one display Of what our
English friends call SaojiSm, to which VIC are
not aware that public attention has yet been
directed. The writer, referring to the inteli-
gence he received the ID of last August, from
the British bark Barraconta, in regard to the
collapse of the rebellion, rcmaTks:-'' our
LordShip can imagine my surprise at the re-
ceipt Of such intelligence, and ! would have
given to it little consideration il an Eagljsh-
man opinion did not confirm the war news,
though from an encmy's port
An Englishman's 'opinion, according TO
Waddelfs estimate, is Of more weight than
the solemn testimony Of an American citizen !
Long before he encountered the Barracunta.
he had received American papers giving fall
r-e,-eie,rior- Of the surrender OF Lee. But he
waited for San Enghshman' opinion" as ia
the credibility Of these accounts before he
chose to pause III his career of outrage and
plumber. The San Francisco papers, of the
I'd of August last, announced the arrival there
III lIIt ~ bGucil L INT. WIN inc IpllDWlDg
intelligence from the Shenandoah:
When Captain Smith, Of the William Thompson.
said to him: Nv ell. Captain. what's the news?
Captain Smith replied that President Lincoln was
assasslnated. I was prepared to henr that." said
Captain Waddel exuitingly. Captain Smith added
And General Lee has surrendered with thirty thou
sand men That was not prepared to hear. and
don't believe it,, said Captain Waddcll, emphati-
caly. Captain Smith assured him that he had the
paper on board with the particulars of Lees surren-
sln llUf Al.la oil AIfnI'
how, and would not believe it if saw it.
And so, waiting until he got an English
mans opinion was it Jack Bunsby's?j ON
the subject, Waddell, in the true spirit of a
pirate, began burning and pIunderiug our
helpless whaling vessels, though he must have
been morally certain all the while that he was
no longer acting under any authorized Gov
crnment. 1t was thoroughly consistent with
his course, that after getting that ''opinion
which was to outweigh the testimony of
American sea captains and of printed news
papers, he should sneak into Liverpool and
seek English protection. 1t was also quite in
keeping with the whole conduct OF England
towards us during the rebellion. that her au-
thorities should release Waddel and hi, crew
Of English subjects.
1t was a great mistake, however, ON the
part of our Consul at Liverpool to accept the
Shenandoah, when it was handed over to him.
The satisfaction in the case has been APPLY
compared to that which one would feel, who,
after being plundered of large amount OF
property by a burglar should be presented
with his Jimmy and other housekeeping
tools. Whatever result may grow out Of this
affair, Mr.. James j. Waddell has covered
himself with lasting inEamy for his piratical
persistency in plundering vessels, after he
knew the rebellion was crushed, and still
more for the grovelling sycophancy towards
Englishmen, as contra distinguished from
Americans, which he displays in his letter to
Lord John Russell.