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136 the sea, to lift the blockade of the Southern ports, and to bombard the Bowery into submission and tribute.

In them lay new heart and life for the starving Confederacy. They meant guns and ammunition for Longstreet's deadly riflemen. They meant murderous food for Pendleton's batteries, shoes and blankets for a destitute soldiery, and three-course dinners for a gaunt population. Far worse than this: for they carried with them the panic of dangers strange and unfamiliar. Their successful operation would give the eager Emperor of France the encouragement and opportunity he was panting for—to recognize, if not join, the Confederacy.

Verily, circumstances alter cases. In 1776 a rebellious army in the United States had sought and obtained comfort and support from a Bourbon prince, in defiance of all rules of neutrality. And John Paul Jones in French ports had acquired the swift hulls and saltpetre which struck such a blow at the pride of