This vessel was built for the Confederate government by Messrs. Laird & Sons at Birkenhead. She was a screw steam-sloop of 1040 tons register, built of wood, and for speed rather than strength. She was bark-rigged, and was fitted with two engines of 350 horse-power each; she was pierced for 12 guns, and had the means of carrying two heavy pivot-guns amid-ships. She cost £47,500 without her equipment: including her equipment, £51,716. Semmes, now a captain in the Confederate service, was, in June, 1S62, appointed to superintend her equipment, and take command of her when ready for sea. Both capt. Semmes and commander. Bullock, who had superintended the build ing, were enjoined by the Confederate government to keep the destination of the vessel as secret as possible, and carefully to avoid any infringement of public law or of the municipal law of Great Britain, which would give the British government a pretext for seizing her. These instructions were carefully acted upon. The destination of "No. 290," as she was called from her number in the list of steam-ships constructed by the Messrs. Laird, was so well concealed, that she was nearly finished before it was suspected by the emissaries of the United States. According to previous practice, there was no great difficulty in avoiding the infringement of the public and of the municipal law in such a case. It had been held lawful to build vesselsfora belligerent in neutral ports, and lawful to purchase guns and stores in neutral ports, though they might be for the equipment of vessels thus built. What had been held unlawful was the equipment with guns and war like stores of a vessel built for a belligerent in a neutral port previous to her leaving the neutral jurisdiction. Capt. Semmes did not intend to equip his vessel at Birkenhead. and therefore, supposing the rules of public law to have remained unchanged, he intended no infringement of the law. But the U. S. minister called upon the British government to detain the "No. 290," submitting some evidence that she was intended for a Con federate war-vessel. He maintained, or, at any rate, it has since been maintained on the part of the United States, that her construction, being that of a war-vessel, was so different from that of vessels built for trade, as itself in sonic measure to constitute an equipment for war. The British government consulted the crown lawyers, who at first thought the evidence of destination insufficient. Afterwards, when further evidence was presented, a delay was caused by the illness of Sir John Harding, the queen's advocate. When an opinion favorable to the detention of the vessel was at length given. " No. 290" was gone. The builders, made aware of the danger of a seizure, had made haste with their work; the vessel, though unfinished, was got reedy for sea; under pretense of a trial trip, she made her way down the Mersey to Moelfra bay, where the work remaining to he done was actively carried on; and on flip morning of the 31st July, 1882, warning having been given that she was to be seized that day, the "No. 290" steamed away from the British coast. The ablest English lawyers were of opinion that there had been no infringe ment of the law, but that a case had been presented which the British government was bound to submit to a court of law. The detention of the vessel during a protracted law suit would have served the purposes of the United States almost as well as her con demnation: and as she must have been detained but for the delay caused by Sir J. Harding's illness, it is not without a show at least of reason that the U. S. government claimed from Great Britain indemnification for the losses consequent upon her escape.
"No. 290" made for Terceira, one of the Western islands, where she arrived on the 13th of Aug.—her speed and sea-going qualities being fully proved upon the voyage; and a few days after she was joined by the Agrippina of London, carrying her guns, stores, and supply of coal, and by the Bahama, with capt. Semmes and his officers on
board. By the 24th of Aug. she had shipped her armament and stores and was ready for sea; and now capt. Semmes produced his commission to the sailors, named the vessel the A., and hoisted the Confederate flag. The sailors on board the A. and her consorts were Englishmen, all entered for a feigned voyage; but with few exceptions they enlisted under capt. Semmes, though the terms upon which they insisted were exorbitant. The crew now consisted of 80 men all told, and the armament of eight 32-pounders. By the end of Aug. the vessel was got into good order, and she made her first capture on the 5th of Sept. Within 11 days of that date she captured and burned property the value of which exceeded her own cost. The people of the United States were tilled with indig nation against Great Britain for permitting the escape of such a destroyer. Their indig nation against "the pirate Semmes" was only less than the alarm with which they regarded the depredations of the A. Several fast-sailing cruisers were sent in search of her.
Capt. Semmes made for the American coast, which he had determined to make his first cruising ground. Ile was ambitious.of making a few captures within sight of New York; but running short of coal, he was obliged to give up this somewhat daring scheme, and make for a coaling-station. He afterwards lay on the track of the California mail steamers running between Aspinwall and New York; and after waiting for sonic time he captured the Ariel mail-steamer, with 140 marines, several U. S. officers, and 500 other pas sengers on board. A heavy gun and a quantity of specie were all that he took by this capture, but it greatly raised the prestige of the A.., and increased the alarm of American ship-owners. The passengers and crew of the Ariel were too numerous to be taken on board the A.; and as capt. Semmes found yellow fever raging at Kingston in Jamaica, at which port he intended to have landed them, he was unable to destroy the vessel, and had to set her free, after taking a bond for a large sum to be paid on the conclusion of the war. Shortly after, on the 11th Jan., 1803, an encounter occurred between the A. and a U. S. vessel, which still further augmented the reputation of the former. Cruising off Galveston in Texas, the A gave battle to the U. S. gunboat Hatteras, an old vessel, somewhat her inferior in armament, and sunk her after a few broadsides. The destruc tion of the Hatteras and the capture of the Arid were the most remarkable events in the career of the A. until her closing scene arrived. Her history consists of a monotonous succession of captures made in different seas, her prizes being merchant-vessels incapable of resistance, which were burned, or, when there was convincing evidence of the neutral ownership of the cargo, which did not often happen, liberated upon bond. She captured in all 65 vessels; and the value of the property she destroyed has been estimated at $4,000,000. It was, however, by the heavy insurance for war-risks to which she sub jected them, and still more by the difficulty she caused them in getting freights that the A.s career inflicted the greatest injury upon the ship-owners of the United States. When the pursuit after her became too hot on the American coast, she sailed for the cape of Good Hope and cruised in the eastern seas. Returning to Europe, she arrived in the English channel in June, 1864, and on the 11th of June entered the French port of Cherbourg to refit and supply herself with stores. She had been nearly two years at sea, and had got into bad condition; her speed and sailing qualities were considerably impaired. Per mission to Make the necessary repairs was given by the authorities of the port of Cherbourg.