Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-23

ship. Here FOR the trSt llIit We iehih
ed of the presence in those waters OF the
Confederate cruiser Sumter 'Capt.
Raphael SemmesI. The Sumter one OF
the first. if not the very first, OF the reg
ularly comm ssioned vessels of the Con-
federate navy. left New Orleans on the
18th of June 1851. and, running the block
AIDE. almost Immediately began privateer-
ing operations She was a screw steam
err of 200 tons and was armed with five
suns-an eight-inch pivot and four TWEEN
ty-four-pound howitzers She Cruised Tor
two months in The Caribbean sea and
along the coast of South America, re-
ceiving friently treatment and coaling
without h ndrance in the neutral ports
During the succeeding two months she
cruised in the Atlantic.
Can't Wilkes immedia ely determined
to search for the enemy. At Cien1uegos
on the south coast of Cuba. he learned
from the United States consul general al
Havana that James NJ. Mason and John
SlideI Confederate commissioners to
England and France, respectively and
their secretaries and families had re-
Gently reached that port from tnarles-
ton en- route to England. He mne-
Giately put to sea. October 20, with the
purpose of intercep.ing the blockade run
ner viii h had brought them out. The
commissioners were TO have left Charies-
ton by the cruiser NaShVlile, Du, their
plans had been changed. and the steam
%r Gordon, otherwise known as the Theo-
dora Capt. LOCKWOOD, had been supstl-
tuted. They had run the Union blockaue
successfully during storm on the night
OF October II, and had arrived at Nassau
on the 18th and at Havana on the II h.
There we ascertained that their plan was
to leave on the 18th of November in the
English steamer Trent for st. Ihomas on
Their way 10 England. and readily calcu-
Let 1rrH yEh
channel we might in -ercept them.
Meanwhile. on the I'd of November.
Capt Wilkes contis ued his cruise after
the Sumter along the north coast or
Cuba, also running over to Key West IN
the hope of finding the Powhatan or Some
other steamer to accompany him TO the
Bahama channel 10 guard against the
possibility OF the escape OF the COM
missioners But the Powhatan had left
the day before. and the San Ja0nto
therefore returned alone to the channel 70
await the Trent Here, 2io miles from
Havana, and ninety miles from SaSua la
Grande where the channel contracts to
the width of fifteen miles, at noon the
sth of November, the Trent was GIFTED.
on our way from ST. Thomas TO Ha-
vana we had stopped at the Caymans. an
EnSlSh lpSStSsloi!' ~ pi oCui Z Ife9ii pro-
Wis ous for the crew. The natives had not
many days before received visit
from the Sumter, and were loud n
praise OF The Confederate cruiser They
had times past shown great pleasure
IN selling turtle and fresh beef and
vegetables to the United States war yes
sells, but now their sympathy for the
southern cause was uppermoSt, and they
really showed indiffeT: nee t. selling US
provisions This feeling had displayed
itself wherever we had stopped, either at
ST Thomas or on the southern coast of
Cuba and when we Cached Havana il
was sJill more apparent. Ii was evident
even at that early day. that the sou h ha
the sympathy of nearly all Europe-par-
ticularIy of England and France
When, therefore, Capt. w likes first took
me into his confidence and told me what
he purpOsed To do, | earnestly reminded
him of the great risk OF a war with those
Two Governments supported hey were