Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-05-26
WHAT WE KNOW OF BLOCKADE
RUNNING AND HOBART PASHA.
Second Paper---HOmeWard Bound.

While in England we fell in with
two friends and brother officers
Col. S. Thompson and Capt. John
O'Brien of the 10th Tennessee regi-
ment; these two gentlemen both
recently wounded in the service
were recuperating in England in
company with Col. w. O'Brien, late
of Nashville and his lady, the
former uncle of the Captain, the lat
ter sister of the Major. The two
young officers were ready to return
to Dixie at the same time with our
selves, and we made a party to run
the blockade together. Certain Con-
federate agents in London gave us
intrOductiOns to the commander of
a fast steamer then fitting out for
her first voyage at the port of Green
ock in Scotland. The ship was the
Falcon and the Captain was passing
under the nom de gte1Te of Captain
Roberts, but was really the Hon.
Henry Hobart, near of kin to an
English earl and a post Captain in
the British navy.
We must give a few words to the
ship however before anything furth-
er about the Captain.
Tempted by the splendid profits
of blockade running as a business
a large shipbuilding firm at Green
Ock had determined to build a line
of ships expressly for that business.
The Falcon was the first of this
line which was completed and this
was her trial voyage-tO a land
mans eye she looked low and mar
row, no upper deck everything kept
as near the surface of the water as
possible, even her smoke chimney
was capable by a hinge arrangement
of being so lowered that the smoke
escaped not more than six feet above
the gunwhale; further she was
painted uniformly all over of a SOM
bre grey. All these arrangements
were calculated to make her an OBJ
iect as little conspicuous as possible
at sea-fOr the rest, seafaring men
pronounced her the best constructed
for speed of all the vessels that had
ever left that harbOr. She verified
the description when put to the test.
On board this very promising
craft we stepped on the 18th of June
1S64-her Captain did not arrive till
the evening of the same day.
Without then knowing that he
was anything but the Captain
Roberts whom he called himself, we
soon came to the conclusion that he
was no ordinary skipper. With a
dark complexion, a steady black eye
and a firm set mouth telling of
habitual reserve, there was an air of
easy courtesy and the unmistakable
manner of the thorough English
gentleman. Onlearning our names,
he read us with a smile letter from
the prOprietors in which he was in
structed to "feed us like fighting
cocks and give us the best that
could be had to drink" will do
the best | can, gentlemen, he added
and | hope you will be satisfied.
The pledge was completely fulfilled
his claret was uneceptiOnable and
some AmOntillado sherry which
was produced occasionally, was ola
grade rarely prOcurable away from
royal cellars.
This was the gentleman who is
now, under the title of Hobart
Pasha, the Lord High Admiral of
the Turkish navy.
The Falcon spread her wings that
evening, the late twilight of those
high ATTITUDES affording us a tantalis-
ing glimpse of the beauties of the
Clyde. Her first flight was a short |
one being only as far as Kingston
harbor, Ireland, better known under
its old title the cove of Cork. We
came here to coal, and for some Oc-
cult reason were detained three DAYS
during which. we visited the neigh |
boring city of Cork and Barney
castle. We discovered here how |
entirely open to the public our bust
ness was. We had been enjoined to |
practice the utmost reserve as to |
where we were going and what was
the character Of the vessel, but we |
soon found that is was no secret. |