Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-28

that my special assignment VIII
be TO recover such properties
belonging 10 the late Confederate States a.
have been irsudulenly or improperly divert
ed or concealed In concluding be saws:
"Above all | Desire that my special assign
ment shall be kept profound secret.v In
q letter dated November II. 1887, Liitlepage
saws he went 10 his home IN King VIII
liam county, Va, TO examine bis
old Confederate papers made and re-
ceiyed while IN Europe undcr orders
Of the then Confederate states Government
10 obtain accurate information. He says be
found that In the winter oil 1854 be was or
dered TO the Confederate ship Texas, the
Pampciro. Thisvess was built at Glasgow
as No. sloop-of-war, and was to have re-
ceived her armament and equipment wbile
lying OF the coas. Of Enaland by another
vessel. Captain Henry Sinclair, OF the
Confederate states navy, superiBtended
the CONSTRUCTION OF the vessel, Der cost
being $4,000 oil Of which was
fully pabd by The Confederate Government.
The vessel, he says, started 10 sea, but having
been reported as q Confederate cruiser was
seized. Captain Sinclair, rather than carry
her through the courts, secured her release
by guaranteeing that she should not go into
the hands of the Coufederacv until they
should be entitled 70 have her. He then char
tered her, and when a few months after the
ConfeGeracy collapsed she was sailing under
the same charter. He adds thst this vessel
was fully paid for by the Confederate Gov
eminent and should belong 10 the United
States. she Il still valuable, and Is nov
trading between EdInburg and COPENHAGEN.
He adds that there are several other clyde
built steamers constructed By the Confederate
Government similarly DISPOSED OF by their
agents or captains which should now
belong 10 the United States. There
were also two powerful rams built
by Laird & Co. on the Ner-
sey osteDsibly for tue Chinese Govern
meut, but inspected and tested by Coufede-
rate officers. They we've, he says, seized by
the British authorities and were finally dis
posed Of by the Confederate agents IN charge,
and are now I'm the British navy. having re-
Gently been seen by Admiral Luce at Ber-
muda flying the British flag. Llitlepage
also speaks OF certain powerful Clyde
built steamers aud rams built in France
for the Confederate Govern meni. and also
states that parties who recently visited
Captain sisclHr's bouse found that its linen,
crockery, cutlery. &C., bore the letters sc.
;. M" which articles are supposed 70 nave
come from the ship Texas. He adds that
two new Ciyde-bult steamers. City OF
Petersburg and Old Dominion, which
where built for the Confederate Gov
eminent and paid for by it, are now
running between Liverpool and Dublin.
He adds: al beg to ale an itsmlzed
statement OF the Confederate properties I'M
recovered by the United States Government,
but which might have been recovered had
the proper steps been taken. / believe that
the large amount Of property described may
yet be recovered, although so many years
have eapsed.' The statement here referred
TO enumerates property Of various kinds I'm
GLIDING CASH, amounting IN value 70 t3O, 0U0,-
600, most OF which is In English hands. lie
estimates that there are S6.0O0,000 worth OF
uorecovered property in the United states.
not ncludiug the value OF many millions OF
dollars worth Of cotton belonging 10 tue Con-
federa;e Government and shipped from
Brownsville, Galveston, and MatamOras since
the war,