Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 32.djvu/123

 Confederate Diplomacy. Ill

most radical of the abolitionists, advertised in London that he would lecture in that city under the auspices of Mr. John Bright, and that the object of his lecture was to give moral support to a party in the United States that would rise up and coerce the Lin- coln administration, to stop the war, and concede the independence of the Confederacy. Conway sent Commissioner Mason a ticket to his lecture.

THE BLOCKADE TWICE BROKEN.

Again and again the Confederate Commissioners urged upon England and France the rights of their governments under the terms of the Paris Convention. It was shown that now in the third year of the alleged blockading, Flag Officer Ingraham, of the Con- federate navy, had attacked the blockading squadron off Charleston, destroyed some of its vessels, and entirely dispersed the others from view. The next winter, it may not be amiss at this place to say, Captain Dixon and crew ran the submarine torpedo boat Hun- ley, the first boat of the kind known to naval warfare, under the blockader Housatonic, a powerful warship, off the harbor of Charles- ton. The Housatonic and all on board, about 400 persons, went to the bottom, carrying the Hunley with it. Every blockader, taking fright, fled, and the port was open for several days. At the same season in which Ingraham opened the port of Charleston, Semmes opened Galveston. But neither England or France enforced the terms of the Paris Convention. In the winter of 1862-63 the mi ~ provised navy of the Confederacy destroyed eleven warships of the United States, while the Alabama and the 'Sumter drove the mer- chant marine of the enemy off the high seas.

PRESSING NEED FOR FIREARMS.

Among those in high place, early impressed with the importance of foreign sympathy and trade, especially in the matter of procur- ing arms for the Confederacy, was the first Secretary of War, General Leroy Pope Walker. The Secretary suffered a rare ex- perience. He was so beset by importunate captains of companies to receive their commands into the army that he found it essential to his personal comfort to reach his office in Montgomery by the back way to avoid the importunities of the soldiers. He made a requisition on his government for 150,000 foreign rifles, but was shut off with 25,000. The government did nevertheless promptly select a purchasing agent, and ordered him to Europe with full dis-