New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-15
THE TENNESSEE.

Wben n WAS announced in this city ycster-
dov that the captan of British bark just
arrived ot Boston had sighted an American
mon-of-war on the 2Sth of January of the
northwest point of the island OF Haytl, IL was
generally believed on the streets that TINS was
not the missing Tennessee, but some vessel OF
our West India fleet cruising about the Cuban
coasts. The statements of officials at the Navy
Department, though conflicting, give gener-
ally cheerful Interpretation to the news. There
was no vessel in that part of the West Indies
on or about the 2Sth, that could be mistaken
for the Tennessee except the flagship Severn,
which is said to have sailed from Jamaica on
the 2Sth, and, in that ease, could not possibly
have been off St. Nicholas mole on the same
day, though Admiral Porter believes the YES
sci spoken to be the flagship. But if Capt
Hopkins is right in his description, there
can be no reasonable doubt that the
Tennessee has reached her destination
in safety. 1t is supposed that after
touching at some port on the north
ern coast of the island the vessel was then on
the way to San Domingo City, choosing the
Wndward in preference to the Mona Passage
because the winds were adverse to the latter
and shorter route. The Commissioners are
known to have contemplated landing some
where on the North shore before going around
to the other side of the island, and the by
pothesis entertained at Washington accounts
readily for the position of the Tennessee-if
il was the Tennessee-when Capt. Hopkins saw
her. The date agrees also very closely with
the calculations of Secretary Robson. The
Tennessee left New-York on the afternoon of
the 17th aft she proceeded directly to San
Domingo City" says the Secretary in his
letter published yesterday, the voyage would,
&" at her ordinary rate of speed under steam,
consume from eight to ten days, which period
"wOuld of course be increased if she stopped
"at any other port"
The news, though less precise than we cOnld
wish, will be received with sense of relief
from one end of the land to the other
In the discharge of our duty as registers
of the news of the day we felt bound to
report the uneasiness which was felt about
the ships fate as soon as that uneasiness
took definite character, but we have lost
no opportunity of warning our readers that
these apprehensiOns had only slight fOun-
datiOn and were indeed unreasonable. Now
that the painful suspense seems almost over,
a.
words of rebuke of the mercenary and parti-
san spirit which has turned this incident to
gross and selfish purposes. Certain newspa-
pers have deliberately magnified the danger
day after day, for the sake of the few PEN
MES that might be earned by the sale of their
sensation, have glOated over the chances of
loss, and argued against the prospects of
safety. They have assured us that the Ten
nessee was anseawOrthy, and every rumor, every
suppOsitiOn however wild, that could increase
our anxiety has been emphasized, and re-
peated and printed with all possible devices
to startle us. Whether this has been done
more from commercial motives or from pOliti
cal animosity toward the administration of the
Navy, which has been 50 fiercely assailed on
the suppOsition that the ship has gone to the
bottom we do not care to inquire. In either
case it is cruel and disgraceful. We only hope
the sleep of the guilty editors may long be
haunted by dreams of the lacerated hearts of
wives, children, parents, and loving friends
who have been the real sufferers by such un-
DrjnciDled journalism,