The Canton mail., 1876-02-05
An tnkeeded Warning.

plOsion is one of such international in
terest that you will, PERHAPS, allow tiit
to report a MW facts respecting this
matter which came to my knowledge
more than two years since. On the Sd
or ftb IF March, 1873, was first in
formed that some persons were abou1
to. carry oa,t a large fraud By shipping
lot 81 worthless goods on board some
steamer, and at tie same time intro
ducing into such ship an Internal ma.
chine which would caiise- her tutai des-
truction. In a s bort time after sailing
the pecuniary gain to the conspira-
tors being the heavy insurance they
would recover on the loss Of their goods.
l must frankly admit that my informa-
ton at first was very vague. My in
fofnaant would not tell me from what
port the goods were to be shipped; he
could only give me the names of GER
tain persons whom he had reason to
suspect, ahd infbrm me that these were
about to start for certain foreign ports.
| considered that what was told me
was possible, if not probable, and that
it coulddo no harm il sent my infor-
malinn,ns | received it to the repre-
sentatives of the various countries
which might be affected, and, as l
never sought for the least recompense,
| thought | was at least rendering a
service which should have been cour-
teously received.
''For some days 1 was led to believe
that the destructive agent would have
been the coal shells described In the
Times, but afterwards discovered that
a machine precisely similar to that said
to have been used at Bremerhaven
would he adopted, and reported the
matter fully to, the Baron de Grancey,
the military attache to the French 1e-
cation here. That gentleman was very
much interested with what / told him,
and was decidedly the most courteous
of any l had seen upon the subject.
| had at that time reason to- believe
that the goods would be sent by steam
ers from Bordeaux or Marseilles, and
that was why the baron reported the
subject to his government, and they
very promptly issued the circular
warning ship owners snd insurance
c!snratiies throughout France.
= 1.-The Baron de Grancey will, 1
think. admit that never endeavored
in any way to make profit oif of my
to him., .and-.I believe
that the prompt action which he and
the minister in Paris, took in the mat
ter saved the Messageries Maritimes
Company from the loss of one or more
ships, for was assured that goods were
being prepared to be sent by the
steamer of that company, either from
Bordeaux or Marseilles, 'andI advised
their agent in London of the fact.
The next. decided Information I re-
ceived was that goods were to be
shipped from Bremen or Hamburg by
the steamers of the North German
Lloyds, under similar conditions; and
l informed the agents Of that company
in. London, and also the first secretary
and charge d'affaires of the German
legation here. My interviews with
those. gentlemen were held in the
month of April, 1873. I gave them
the names of one and afterward three
persons said to.bes connected with that
intended shipment, and Am confident
that if they had given the matter
their attention the late disaster at
would have been averted.
New,.I must remind you that 1 had
not staff of detectives-at- my orders:
neither had What would have been
pere useful-a secret service. fund
at my disposal. L. was OBLIGED to
make the best of very crude material.
No doubt some of it was dross;Abut in
l subject :of such grave impertance1
thought it would be best to accept all
and leave it to those most interested to
10 their respective duty and keep a
sharp lookout. In the letter you
Inserted in the Times of the 18th of
June, 1873, signed Ex-Yachtsman,'
told you l had dared to attack a
desperate gang, and that was sure it
would only result in loss and bother, if
not actual danger to myself. The ac-
ion of Thomas proves the nature of
.he men copcerned. | will only cite
,ne fact to show the sort of acknowl-
edgment | obtained for my intentions.
Some of those. diplmatic gentlemen +
lad warned; ondeavoring to obtain all
he creditof ..discovery=for themselves,
lecided that they. .woul Id send q detect
We to watelF me. This man engaged
.ooms in the house where I resided,
md when [ was out Overhauled all my
,apers. l knew he was coming; /
lnow who sent him. But actions of
nat sort do not answer in England,
md it was a failure in this case also.
81 do not desire to obtain glory asa
detective. 1 have>been .engatsed by
more than one foreign government as a
political agent. h that capacity 1 |
crved the Spanish government for
ONE months in 1884 against the
Carlists in this country, and an official
etter exists in the Madrid Foreign
,ffice to prove that the Carlist agent,
)lazabal, offered me ee, ,Qae to-get my
crvice, and l had at that time got |
nto my possession. alLthe arms they
lad been collecting for nearly a year.
During my service from June, 1873,
until April, 1871, the Carlists were
iSNcA ti'iC w Sh1p o SiiSIe gun VI
out of England, but ever
ince the latter date they h5ve sent off
as, easily aS ordinaf Y<merchan
lisc. The Spanish Government of |
hat period was perfectly satisfied with
ny success, but the Carlist war is a
ource of such profit to many. persehss
n Madrid that it is not thought advisa-
bic To act too stringentlyt against tie ]
J:ulist agents in France and England,
Who are now permitted to do pretty
much us they like. |
"To prove beyond a shadow of a
loubt that / knew tho nature of the |
Machine used by Thomas, / may re
mark that"o the 18th of last month | |
btrined for the secretary of a foreign
egation in Paris model of the ma
hinc in question: and it WAS duly de- |
ivercd to that gentleman on the 18th
# November at Paris"
SERENADING young men may take |