New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-12
TRADE IN WAR TINE.
THE RECOLLECTIONS OF A sUPERcARco
OF THE SIXTIES

tive OF Adventures. Risks. and Escapes During
WI With an Introduction BY Julian Corbett Hss
and Illustrations. Octave. pp. XXI 80 CHARTS
ScribnerS Sons.
Mr. Taylor has the advantage OF dealing With
ground hitherto practically unbroken. The
naval records Of the Civil War have been e1.
plotted to a great extent. but the general public
knows little enough abOutsuch events az those
described in the present volume. When The
Southern ports were first declared 20 be unde,
blockade by the North. the declaration was al.
most the sole fact of which the blOckaders could
boast It was for some time. in brief. more Of q
blockade upon paper than actua! blockade
upon the high seas The foreign Powers were
indisposed to interfere. The North had its own
way, though according to international law and
usage none Of the privileges of blockade could
be claimed until the ports in question were actu.
ally sealed up by visible patrols England per-
haps had an-eye upon this circumstance when
she acquiesced in our blockade. but winked at
the sailing OF whole fleets Of British ships laden
with contraband of war for the beleaguered
South SO busy was this traffic that its dangers
were at first minlmized in the eyes Of such lad
as Mr.. Taylor was when he made his first trip as
Of operations used by those shippers who ran
their vessels in. when they could. To Wilmington
or Galveston. AS soon as the North got its
navy into shape this trading was changed as to
its atmosphere The men engaged in 1t knew
then that they had to reckon with indubitaole
perils. and Mr.. Taylor goes on TO the recital
really stirring occurrences.
1t was an adventurous and. we should mag
inc. a delightful life for a man Cf spirit No
one allowed the thought of danger 10 weigh with
him for any length of time. Sailors and officers
alike set out from Liverpool in old ships that
were dangerous enough when unloaied, and
that, as matter Of fact. were piled SO high
with freight as to have scarcely deck room f9
the men at their daily tasks Mr.. Taylor rue
fully states that the great mistake OF the Liy'
erpool merchants. including those whom he
served. in not providing ships stanca
enough and swift enough for the hazardous W.
dertaking upon which they were embarked
Again and again the vessels were taken by the
enemy for no other reason than that they couA
not get UP the speed requisite, and many
crisis was brought on because the engines II
a steamer were not of the right sort or BE-
cause the deck Of a sailing vessel was encum'
bered with freight. To be sure high prices
Were the rule Mr. Taylor came within an ace
OK making his fortune. He found Lees army
at Richmond with rations for only thirty days
and he agreed to help the commissariat out BY
bringing in a shipload OF provisions and meat ,
worth 10000 for 1900. Going back to Mas
sau. this shrewd supercargo took lot Of Sea
Island cotton with him. and he calculates thai
the profits of his venture. which occupied about /
twenty days, amounted to over $4,000. But 70
the long run. through obvious causes these :
transactions with the Confederacy left the s
British merchants and Spectators with
smaller margin to the good than they had e. E
pected in the heyday Of their contraband 3D. 3
venture.
For Mr.. Taylor the period meant pieasurape s
excitement. If it did not mean lasting profit
was his custom to run his ships into Winning Z
ton through three lines of patrols and with %
more protection than could be got from dar 3