The daily gazette., 1875-01-08
FROM the Baltimore Gazette
More Prise and frander..

Crescit eando. 1t gets worse all the
time Robbing the erchcquer" is. Of
all enjoyments. the one in which the
increase of appetite doth grow with
what it feeds on" Ben Butler put a
law through lately, whereby all the cap
turcs at New Orleans we're given to the
navysas a prize, and he, AS proctor for
hbelants," got S87 900 out of it for his
prize. And now hill is brought in to
give for prize to the Monitor in Hamp-
ton Roads the value or cost of the Mer-
rimne, which she did not capture. 1t will
amount to at least one million dollars
out Of the Treasury. II is the grossest
thing, on the face of it, that has boen
attempted yet. There is no decent pre-
tence for it. There We're captures at
New OrleaSs. however little they were
worth, and even il they were not prize
on any principle of the law There is
always got up some color and pretence
Of public object and service. IN granting
subsidies. But this is granting and
giving" with no excuse for it, and con-
trary to all rule and precedent. There
never was a naval action for which there
was less ground or pretext for giving
prize money out of the Treasury. The
Monitor was great and novel clement
of naval power; the invention OF great
mechanical genius. Her timely presence
in Hampton Roads arrested the Merii-
macs work of destruction. II was nm
important occasion, and the Government
rewarded and promoted the commander.
But he certainly got no price" he
made no capture and he won no victory.
He was wounded and thought his turret
disab bled-which was mistake-and he
ordered his second in command to sheer
IN &IAA -, l.. IA l-.o Al
shoals, where the Merrimac, ON account
Of her draft of water (22 feet), could not
follow, or get at him, or bring him with
in reach of her guns. He says when he
| reftted and got ready lie came again to
renew the fight; but the Merrimac had
gone toward Norfolk. He did not come
| out while the MerriiDae remained, and
| the Merrimac's report is that they did
| not go until, seeing no opportunity to
| renew the action, they went to save the
| tide over the bar, having no reason to
remain for no purpose till the tide of the
| next day. SO far from any victory or
prize, much blame was attached TO tho
| second officer of the Monitor after the
conpnander was wounded. But he show
ed that he acted under orders, and his
commanders report iustities him. One
month later tho Merrimac, thougA iii
very insniIiciently .armored to contend
with the heavy guns and armor Of proof
| OF the Monitor, came down and ofered
battle, which the Monitor did not accept,
but kept the shoals and "huggcd the
shoro under the guns of the fort, and
| would not bulge" says the report of the
Merrimac, but allowed the Merrimac to
send in gnnboat and make some prizes
in her sight. Some British vessels of
war were in the Roads, and, as the cap-
lures were brought by, the British sea
men cheered after the fashion of sailors
when they witness n gallant action. A
month later still the army advanced
and occupied Noi folk. The Confcder-
ates burned or destroyed all the stores
and munitions of war they could not
carry away. The navy yard, and the
MeITiniac and other vessels of war were
burned. At one time the Confcderates
thought Of taking the Mcrrimac up the
James river, to aid their forts, but her
draft Of water WAS too great. She was
never captured and the Monitor had nc
part in her destruction. In no sense was
the conflict victory TO the Monitor
,,@pier tells of a great victory in
tht peninsula, whore the victor won
no laurels ''the breath of his army
withered his laurels." If this was vic.
tory for the Monitor, "sheering off on
the shoals" "hugging the shore under
the guns of the fort" it did not appear
80 then, either to her friends OF foes.
Ericsson, her inventor, was indignant.
He protested she could have sunk the
Merrimac "in three shots :" that she
had not been disabled that her fight.
ing qualities had not been impaired by
the injury to her turret. Captain
Catesby Jones las capable a naval off
Ger as any in the Confederacy, and 6
witness not to be impcached), who
commanded the Merrimac in the ac
tion, after Admiral Buchanan wa!
wounded and disabled, testified before
the court of inquiry appointed to IN
lquire into the necessity of the ,lestruc
tion of the Merrimac by Tatnall, tina
the Monitor fought TO have sunk tn,
Merrimac in fifteen minutes" II,
spoke with the caution of conscien
tious witness. He has since said tina
five minutes ought to have beer
enough. Any one may judge. Sh,
was invulnerable or, as her invento
said, 'impregnable. She had S.incl
armor, and guns 11-inch calibre. TIL
} Merrimac's armor, where she had any
was 4-inch, and mo solid shot" is til,
statement of her commander, IAN,
our shell appeared to have no effect Of
the Monitor" Who can doubt wher
the merit of the conflict belongs
But the claim is for prize money
1t is nonstrosity even for q Radica
Congress. The law of prize money
that if the vessel captured be of eaus
or superior force to the captor, tn
whole shall be prize. If inferior hal
only shall 90 to the captor; but thi
bill gives the whole There was n
capture, and the Monitor was capabl
Of sinking fleet like the Merrimac.
II anybody is entitled to millio
of dollars out of the Treasury it
Ericsson, whose genius invented ths
lprodigious engine of naval war
This is the case on which the bill /
!. Congress stands, and the New Yor
L TlShnuS auppnQns that M araaaal;t