Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
Mr. Adams to Earl Russell.
Legation of the United
States,
London,
October 17, 1863.
My Lord: It is with great regret that I
find it my duty once more to call your lordship’s attention to the
efforts making in this kingdom to aid the insurgents in America in
carrying on their resistance to the government of the United States.
I have strong reason for believing that, in addition to a very
formidable steam-ram now in process of construction at the port of
Glasgow, but not yet so far advanced as fully to develop her
character, there is another steamer ready to be launched, called the
Canton, having all the characteristics of a war vessel, which is
about to be fitted up and despatched with the same intent from the
same place. I beg leave to submit to your lordship’s consideration
some extracts from a letter addressed to me by W. L. Underwood,
esq., the consul of the United States, giving some information in
regard to this case. Mr. Underwood himself entertains no doubt of
the destination of this vessel, although from the secrecy used in
the process of construction and preparation, itself a cause of
suspicion, he has been slow in gaining evidence on which to base a
representation.
Not doubting that her Majesty’s government will take all suitable
measures to ascertain the correctness of these allegations, I pray
your lordship to accept the assurances of the highest consideration
with which I have the honor to be, my lord, your most obedient
servant,
Right Hon. Earl Russell,
&c., &c., &c.
Mr. Underwood to Mr. Adams.
United States Consulate,
Glasgow,
October 15, 1863.
Sir: It is my unpleasant duty to inform you
that recently it has come to my knowledge that a ship-of-war, in
addition to the formidable iron rams of which I have heretofore
given you information, is now being built, and nearly ready to
launch, in the ship-yard of Messrs. James and George Thomson, of
this city, intended for and belonging to the Confederate States. She
is after the model of the rebel ship Alabama. “Canton—London” are
the words gilded on her stern. She is a clipper-built screw steamer,
with three masts, two of which are iron, one of wood. Her length is
from 280 to 300 feet from stem to stern; her beam about 56 feet. Her
frame is iron, bordered up with teak wood planking, about five
inches thick in the inside, up to the water-mark. She is pierced
with four large port-holes and four smaller ones on each side,
making sixteen in all; the larger ones seem suited for the sweep and
play of pivot guns. She is constructed to carry the greatest portion
of her coals in iron side pockets between decks, so as to give an
unobstructed passage clear through from one
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fire-room to the other. Her water
draught is marked fifteen feet. Has “eye-bolts” in her sides,
suitable for and intended to handle and secure her guns. She is
donkey or bark-rigged, and altogether similar to the Alabama, the
only difference being that she has an iron frame, whilst the Alabama
has a wooden one. She is probably from 1,200 to 1,500 tons burden,
can be launched at any day, and is understood to be only waiting for
the spring tide. Her propeller is two-bladed, and of composition
metal, very hard, being a mixture of brass and copper, with the
flanges so constructed that in case one is injured, another may be
put in its place without interfering with the bush. She is known in
the yard as the “frigate.” She has a screw hoistiog gear, for
lifting her propeller, and when it is up, has a stern that falls
down and makes her appear like a sailing ship. Her cylinder is 60
inches in diameter. Until now the eye-bolts and fixtures for running
her guns in and out, her port-holes, and other characteristic
contrivances that mark her a war vessel, were all visible and
apparent, and with them so it was intended to have launched her on
some day of last week.
* * * * * * * * * *
But in order to conceal the character of the vessel, and thus elude
the vigilance and avoid the interference of the government, these
characteristic fixtures have been and are being removed. The
eye-bolts for the gun gear have been drawn, their holes stopped and
effaced, and the bolts stored away, to be replaced when the ship
gets to sea. The doors or shutters of the port-holes are to be taken
from the hinges, the hinges removed, and the shutters to be screwed
or fastened over the port-holes, so as to present a clean side,
until she gets out. It is not expected she will take on her armament
here. On the contrary, it is understood that, as soon as launched,
she will take her boilers and heaviest machinery aboard, and will
then be immediately towed to some place to me unknown, to which her
remaining machinery will be transported on another vessel, and then
be taken on board by her.
* *.* * * * * * * *
The managers of the Canton are fraudulently seeking to evade
responsibility by taking advantage of what is understood to be the
letter of the British rule as to a war
vessel’s responsibility in leaving her ports armed, &c, whilst
by this very fraudulency they are additionally criminal, since her
hostile intent is as flagrant and clear as if she had her guns on
board.
* * * * * * * * *
I can only hope you will lay this case before the British government,
and that in its own wisdom it will take immediate steps to
investigate the facts I have suggested, and to afford such restraint
or remedy as may be consistent alike with its honor and duty.
I am happy to add that the Scotch law affords, as I am advised,
peculiar facilities to such preliminary investigations as may be
adopted in this case, inasmuch as, unlike the common law, it
tolerates and permits an inquiry and interrogation under oath of the
party immediately implicated.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
W. L. UNDERWOOD, United States
Consul.
Hon. Charles Francis Adams, United States Minister, London.
Earl Russell to Mr. Adams.
Foreign Office,
October 19, 1863.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 17th instant, and its enclosures,
relative to a vessel said to be in course of construction at
Glasgow, intended for the service of the so-styled Confederate
States,
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and I have to
state to you that I have lost no time in communicating copies of the
same to the proper department of her Majesty’s government, in order
that immediate inquiries might be made into the matter.
I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your
most obedient, humble servant.
Charles Francis Adams, Esq., &c., &c., &c.