BAMA AND GEORGIA..

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 96, 2 October 1863, Page 3

BAMA AND GEORGIA..

? t r________t' L IfwRIVATEEBING * i)lriSH • WATERS. : ■ cONPEDEitATB STEA&ERS

. Be following account of the v,su ■Ls yclept, the Alabama and the '■^ ,VZ From 'the tone of* ■ to that port. ■rative we «annot giw » ■r^dvocating^neutranty. 7;yy ogi; t^s^sSss ost<misl.menttna» D c a vis,t * '• . j +^l-pn in a good yl^^'Ufyrr^. «l."rf'Scse^Wp »«<» immense JlßiWs to PV*3 e Federal n>er. xms^<^££: 7»^'S»°^'^"- - L«* that a steamer -■^KJSiSma- had been sighted off --■Bay The laugh over, no one tßtSre about it until one of our Y» craft -the Rover- arrived in-, ■«,r he commander of winch reYlK^he portcaplain that he hid been *« |y Captain Semmes, ofthe Ala V ■"who had asked tor information ■*BuY the various bays along the coast, YMcb further particulars relative to numberof federals m «ay as showed that the gallant Con.■^captain intended lo pay us a visit, yfce some captures. Two or three '-'"■fter-this, the Atlas came down from • Hha Bay and brought the following 7 ■from Captain Semmes to His j*.xcel- ■ ■nfederate States Steamer Alabama, • ■ ••Saldariha Bay, Aug. 1, ISG3. 7'■ Excellency Sir Philip Wodehouse,., 7 ■rernor, &c. , , ■ R —An opportunity is offered me by jKastin*** schooner Atlas to communicate* ■the Cape, of which I promptly avail Hf. 1 liave the honor to inform your Hl'ency that I arrived in this bay on ■esciay morning last, fbr the purpose . ■ecting some necessary repairs. As ■as these repairs can be completed I ■rocerd to sea; and in the m»antime .^■Excellency may rest assured that I ■-.ny the strictest attention to the neuylKy.of your Government. ■ •have the Honor to be, &c, .:,■ "R. Semmes, Captain C. S. Navy." ■if* letter, made puhlic in the mrtrning ■ednesday, the -sth inst., caused no . ■excitement. The step of the Comvßinl Exchange was crowded with' YYjßhants, knots of citizens were collected ,-.;. Be corner of every street ; "business was ■st, if not altogether suspended. All ■ could be gleaned, in addition to the ■mation in Captain Semmes' letter, to ■lovernor. a copy of which was sent to ■jnited States Consul immediately it •■received, was, that the schooner Atlas . ■just returned from Malagas Island, ■c she had been with water and veget- ■ for men collecting guano there. ..■ain Boyce, the-master of the Atlas, /■rted that he had himself actually seen '■Alabama; a boat from the steamer■boarded his vessel, and he had been on <i Bd her. His report of Captain Semmes ■)borated that given by everyone else. ■aid the captain we'jmest courteous and Blemanly. He asked Captain Boyceio ■ thirty prisoners for him in 'Cable Bay, Hp wliich request Captain Boyce was un■to comply. Captain Semmes said the Bida was also a short distance off the He, and that the Alabama, when she ■ completed her repairs, and was cleaned ■ painted, would pay Table Bay a visit. ■ expected to be there, he said, very ■ly as soon as the Atlas. Now it may ■ell imagined that in a place like Gape Bn, where "sensations" are few and far ■een, and the few not of the most Blling sort, this hews created sonrething ■c than a considerable stir. Bhortly after the Atlas arrived, a boat ■ught up some of tlie prisoners from danha Bay, and amongst them, one of crew of the Alabama, who said he had ihe ship. All these wailed upon the ited Stales Consul, but were unable to c much information beyond what we I already received. About noon, "a imerfrom the north- west" was made vh by the signal-man on the hill. Just er one it was made down " Confederate amer Alabama, from the N.W., and deral bark, from the SE " Here was be a capture by the celebrated Confedite craft, close to the entrance of Table y. The i nhahitants rushed off to get a ht. Crowds of people ran up the Lions ill, and to the Kloof road. There were out thirty cabs upon the stand; every c was chartered instantaneously, and off ey sped as fast as horse could be whipd to go over the Kloof, round to Sea »int, down to the light-houses, wherever peep could be got at the ship. A writer ho saw the affair from Brighton, thus scribed the Capture ofthe Sea Bride: — "There lay the Alabama within fifty nds of the unfortunate Yankee. As the ankee came round from the S.E., and lout five miles from the Bay, the steamer «>e down upon her. The Yankee was ridently taken by surprise. The Alabama fed a gun and brought her too. When 'c first got sight of the Alabama, it was ifficult to make out what she was doing; he barque's head had teen put about, and i ■I Alabama lay off quite immovable, as if _ c were taking a sunt at the " varmint.'' he weather was beautifully calm and 'ear, and the sea as smooth and transpaeit as a sheet, of glass. The barque was inking her way slowly from the steamer fith every bit of her canvas spread. The tabama, with ber steam off, appeared to the barque get clear away, •ntat could this mean ! No one undertood. What i,t meant was soon seen. flee a cat watching and playing with a "ciimisecl mouse, Captain Semmes permitted his prize to draw off a few yards, "•d he then tip ste'an. ugain, and pounced ■tyMi her. She first sailed round the

Yankee from* stem to- stern, and stern to stem again. Tbe way that fine, saucy rakish craft was handled, was worth riding a hundred miles to see. She went round the barque like a toy, making a complete circle, and leaving an even margin of water belweerilierself and her prize of not more than twenty yards. This done, she sent .a boat with • the prize crew off, took possession of the -barque in the name of the i Confederate States, and sent her to sea. The Alabama then made for the port." This took place at dbout six miles from ihe land. The same writer went on to remark : — "As we came back we found the heights overlooking Table Bay crowded with people 1 ; the road to Green-Point lined with cabs; the windows of the villas at the bottom of the hill wero all thrown up, and ladies waved their handkerchiefs, and one and alf joined in the general enthusiasm. Over the quarries, along the Malay burialground, the gallows-hill, and the beach, there were masses of people— -nothing but a sea of heads as far as the eye could reach. Along Strand-street and Adderly-street the roofs of all the houses ftom which Table Bay is overlooked were made available as standing places for persons who could not get boats to go dff to the vessel. The^central, the north, the south, and the coaling -jatties were all crowded; at the central jetty it was almost impossible to force one's way through to get c. boat. "We went off in our boat in the midst of a vast fleet of dingies, -cargo boats, gigs, and wherries— all' as full as they cotild hold. Nearly all the city was at sea. The rowing clubs in Uniterm pulled off with favoured members of their respective clubs-on board. We passed the Federal barque Urania at her anchorage, and that ship, regardful of the enemy, sported all her bunting with becoming pluck. The stars and stripes floated defiantly from her mizen peak, and ber name from her main. On getting alongside the Alabama we found about a dozen boats before us, and we had not been on board five minutes before she was surrounded by nearly every boat in -Table Bay, and, as boat after boat arrived, '-three hearty cheers were given for Captain Semmes and the Alabama. " Visitors were received by the officers of ihe ship most courteously and without distinction, and the officers conversed freely and unreservedly of their exploits. There was nothing like brag about their manner in answering the questions put to them. They are a fine and gentlemanly set of fellows. Most of them are young men. The guns alone are worth going off to see, J and everything about the ship speaks highly for the seamanship and discipline of^the commander and his officers. Until we arrived on board we did not know the name of the ship captured. The second officer told us that it was the Sea Bride, and pointed out her supercargo, who stood aft conversing wilh a number of people who'had gathered around him. 'This sir,' said the officer, 'is our fifty-sixth capture. We have sent her off with about ten of our men as a prize crew, and we left a few of their own men on board of her.' We walked across to get a little chat with the prisoner so recently captured. He is a superior man, and -spoke ofthe loss of his cargo in the spirit of a philosopher. In answer to our remark, that an hour more would have saved him, he said, 'Yes, it would. I had not the remotest idea of a caplure at this end of the world. I never supposed that she was in this direction I was in my cahin washing,' said he 'and the mate came down and said there was a itsamer in sight. Capital, l answered, it is the English marl steamer ; I shall be just in time for my letters, lie went up again, and shortly returning said, she is o-oing to hail usY Hail us, I answered. What can she want to hail us for. and I went on deck. I looked at that (pointing to the Confederate flag.) and I soon saw who we were falling into the hands of. I said good-bye mate, we shall not be long here. 'This, sir, he went on to say,' 'is the second time 1 have been captured coming to the Cape. I left New York in the M. J. Ca'houn, and was captured by the Florida in 33° west, and between 28° and 29° north, {went home all right, and left New York again on the 28th May direct for the Cape " His name is Mr H. Spalin?. The next we had an opportunity of conversing with was the chief officer. This gentleman, who by the way stands ahout six feet four out of his shoes, showed us round his ship with just pride. He pointed out to us the peculiar qualities of the magnificent guns. One of Blakely's rifle pieces is a terrible looking weapon. It throws conical shells of a hundredweight : and he remarked, " When we fought the Hatteras these conical shells struck her one after the other in capital style; tbey exploded with magnificent effeel, and lit up her whole broadside.