The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-03-12
THE ALABAMA CLAIMS.


THE DEBATE IN THE ENGLISH HOUSE OF COM
MoNs-MR. LEFEvRE's SPEECH.
The cable brings lengthy report Of Mr.
Shaw Lefevres speech in the English House o.
Commons on the Alabama claims delivered or
last Friday evening, an abstract of which sp'
peared in THE DAILY News Of yesterday. Mr.
Lefevres address, like that Of all the speakers
was mild and conciliatory. He stated that the
fall of Sumter. which initiated the civil war
occurred on the 18th Of April. Two days after
ward President Lincoln issued his call for sew.
enty-fve thousand volunteers. The Confed-
crate Government immediately called for
thirty thousand men, and invited privateers to
apply for letters of marque. He then proceeds
to say:
These facts reached England on the Sd OF
May, and on the 4th they were published in
the Times, although it was not till the 10th
that an official copy reached the Foreign Office.
On the 9th of May her Majesty's government
announced in this house that they should re-
cognize the South as beligerents, and on the
18th of May, as he had stated, the proclams-
tion of neutrality was issued by the govern
ment. The actual blockade was enforced by
the North along the coast by the end OF April;
and from that day forward there were in the
prize courts numerous cases Of English vessels
Of the Southern States captured on the high
seas. 1t was not until some time afterward
that the Southern flag made lts appearance.
It was the custom Of the American Govern
ment to talk as If all the vessels which carried
the Confederate flag had their origin in this
country; but there were four cases OF Confed-
crate men-ot-war or privateers which sailed
in this country. It was not until the following
year that any complaint was made OF vessel
being built and equipped in our ports. In the
course of the winter Of 1861-62, the Confed-
crate Government sent over to England staff
Of naval officers with instructions to buy or
build vessels OF war, their main object being
to embroi us with the North. They also
raised considerable loan, out of the proceeds
of which these vessels were to be paid for.
MIR. Lefere detailed the facts connected with
the sailing Of the Florida from England, which
escaped through the connivance or negligence
Of the English officials, and notwithstanding
the explicit warnings and information by Min
lister Adams. Respecting the departure of the
Alabama, he says:
The Alabama got away by strategem, under
the pretence Of 8 trial trip without clearance,
and with party Of ladies and music on board,
but not without great suspicion Of treachery,
the cause Of which, he believed, was freely
spoken Of in Liverpool. She went to Port
Lynas, near Beaumaris, where she received
part Of her crew, and then sailed to the Azores,
where she was met by another vessel, from
which she obtained the rest Of her men and
armament. When it was discovered that she
had escaped, orders we're sent to Queenstown
and Nassau to detain her; but she avoided
those ports, and when she put into British
port in Jamaica, she was received as properly
commissioned Vessel-of-war. From that time
to the end Of her career she never put into
Southern port; but she frequently received
hospitality, sometimes ofa demonstrative char
acter, in British ports. She burnt all her
British colors. Her crew was for the most part
English; some Of her officers were English, and
she was paid for by money raised in England
on the chance Of the success Of the South.
Her function was not to fight, but to burn and
destroy and run away. She was q kind Of fire.
brand, Lighting the sea with bonfres of differ
ent merchant vessels. The damage she did
was enormous. The Like ofsuch an enterprise
had never before been known, and was scarce
ly possible until steam had given such great
advantage to such vessels over merchantmen,
which were Of the most part sailing vessels.
The name for that vessel, her cruise, her bon
fires, her English origin and connection he re-
GREETED; and the cheers Of that house he also
regretted when an honorable member boasted
of his connection with her, and said he would
rather be the builder of it than make the
speeches which the honorable member for
Rochdale had made. ALI these had entered
deep into the heart Of the American people,
and had done untold mischief in raising i'll
feeling between them and us. He supposed
there were few now who would not look upon
all those who were connected with that yes-
sci ss among the greatest malefactors of the
age.
ports. The damage done by them was very
great. They captured or burned upward Of
two hundred merchant vessels, with cargoes,
valued at about s9,0O0,0O0 A considerable
portion of that loss, however, fell upon Eng
lish insurance companies. Another portion
fell in the same way, owing to the enhance
ment of the price Of oil and other commodities
destroyed. But the damage to the Americans
was not measured only by the loss of these
vessels; their commerce fed their flag;
freights rose go high in consequence fthe rate
Of insurance that their vessels could not get
them; large numbers of their vessels we're sold,
eltu6T Iodul VI COAu5i'SAyy ~ o.5 W ~ ~S6A-7
tered under our flag. What they lost we
gained. In two years the fereign commerce OF
America, carried under their flag, fell to about
one-third of what it Was before, while that un-
der our flag doubled. This, perhaps, not un.
naturally, raised suspicion in the minds Of
the people in the North that the ship-builders
and ship-owners of Liverpool we're not even
disinterested in the aid which they gave to the
slaye.owning South. Those only who had
travelled in America since the war could, he
believed, appreciate the harm which had been
done by the cases which he mentioned, or the
extent to which illfeelng had been reused in
that country. At the same time be did not
wish to exaggerate or alarm, on this subject,
for he did not think that war would ever arise
ont of the matter. He believed that 1t was the
feeling and desire of most all classes in this
country and in America to see thus question
brought to proper, amicable conclusion, and
the onlv question was how that best could be
done, and what should be the conditions OF the
arbitration. BE would next refer to the man
ner in which diplomacy had dealt with 1t, The
first matter was the recognition OF the belllg-
erent rights OF the Southerners,. and Mr. Adams
arrived in this country, which they must all re-
gret he would shortly quit, on the very Gay the
Proclamation of neutrality was Issued. His
first task appears to have been to commune
cate with Lord Russell, and he expressed re,
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