that the Alabama had formally surrendered. That an officer had come on board the Kearsarge, said they had surrendered, that they were in a sinking condition, and asked assistance to save the crew. That this was at once granted. Their flag had been hauled down, but having no white flag at hand, they had torn off the colored part and used the white remnant for this purpose. That in the mean time, and after the surrender, the English yacht Deerhound came near the Kearsarge, and was asked by Captain Winslow, from motives of humanity, to help them pick up the crew of the Alabama. That they said they would do so. They then proceeded towards the Alabama, and picked up a number of the officers and crew, but instead of delivering them to the Kearsarge, as under the circumstances the officers of the last-named ship thought them bound in honor to do, they steamed off, and made their escape with the prisoners towards the English coast. Captain Winslow says he would have stopped or followed them, but while he observed them bearing off, he supposed they might be looking about for others yet struggling or floating in the water; that he never dreamed that this vessel, belonging to a reputable yacht club, could act so dishonorably, but the impression now is that the yacht was present there by concert with Semmes, and with a view not only to see the fight, but to aid the crew of the Alabama if occasion should arise for it. As some evidence of the relationship between these parties, the prisoners taken on board the Kearsarge from the Alabama say that Semmes did not, before going out to fight, deposit the chronometers taken by him from vessels destroyed with the Brazil consul or any other parties at Cherbourg, as reported in the journals, but that he did deposit about 120,000 francs worth of money and jewelry. That the chronometers he had collected were, about 3 a. m. of the day of the fight, put on board this English yacht. The yacht preceded him to sea on the morning of the fight only about half an hour, and communicated with him apparently as he came out. The damages to the Kearsarge are entirely unimportant. She is ready again for service; she was touched by 28 shot in all; eight shots only struck her hull, four of these lodged there; one shell lodged, and still remains unexploded in her rudder port; port boat aft was struck twice, one shot went through the smokestack, one through the engine-room sky-light. All the rest hit in the rigging. The Alabama fired 18 shots before the Kearsarge returned the fire; the vessels nearing each other gradually. The Kearsarge fired in all 173 shots. The Alabama fired many more, but her firing was wild, while the practice of the Kearsarge was excellent. I learn from my son that Captain Winslow not receiving any despatch as to paroling his prisoners until 11 o'clock at night of the day of the fight, (which was earlier than I supposed he would get it,) and being inconvenienced for want of accommodations, paroled the men, who were his prisoners, though not the officers, five of whom are yet with him. He put the men on shore that night. Perhaps he was right and I was wrong; at all events, it closes, as to the men, for the present, a question which might have been troublesome. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. WM. L. DAYTON. No. 494.] Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward. PARIS, June 24, 1864. SIR: I yesterday communicated to Mr. Drouyn de l'Huys a copy of the lotter from Mr. Mansfield, our consul at Tabasco, dated 10th of February last, and enclosed to me in your despatch No. 567, and I made this the basis of further complaint to him on the subject of Mr. Mansfield's imprisonment. Mr. Drouyn de l'Huys said he had never been able to obtain any knowledge on the subject from Mexico, or the minister of marine. It would seem as if they there knew nothing, not even the existence of any such person as Mr. Mansfield. I told him that the complaint had been made long since, and it seemed to me if he had received nothing conflicting with the statements of Mr. Mansfield, it was but just and fair they should assume them as true, and act on them accordingly; that they could scarcely suppose, after this ill treatment of our consul, that we would be satisfied by the authorities simply ignoring the whole subject. He said that, with this additional communication now left with him, he would make one more effort for information and give me an answer. I am, sir, your obedient servant, SIR: The Yeddo, one of those vessels built by Arman, at Bordeaux, for the confederates, left port yesterday morning at about 63 a. m. She left port under French colors, ostensibly for Amsterdam, and our consul thinks will go there. You will recollect I told them I would prefer that she should be delivered in Amsterdam rather than off Bordeaux, if permitted to go out of port at all. It will now be seen if Holland will permit her to be armed there, or will, in any respect, aid and abet this fraud (if it be such) against us. The Osacca, a twin ship, and sold, as I am informed, to the same parties, will not be ready to leave for perhaps a week or two more. They are pressing her to completion as fast as possible, a large number of hands being constantly engaged. She will of course be permitted, like the Yeddo, to leave port. Mr. Drouyn de l'Huys professes to be convinced, as I have heretofore informed you, that the sale is a fair one, and that these vessels will not get into the hands of the confederates; but I am not at all satisfied, though I have nothing except circumstances and my utter distrust of the good faith of Arman on which to rest my suspicions. You will find an account of her sailing in Galignani, of this morning. In renewing my remonstrances to Mr. Drouyn de l'Huys yesterday on this subject, he said they could do no more than they had done; they had exercised a proper caution and prudence to see that the sale was to a neutral and bona fide; that the builder had a right to sell his ship, and they could not stop him without being subject to damages. I told him it was certainly better to take this hazard than the hazard of war between the two countries. He answered that they were subject to laws as well as we, and that they, like us, must respect the rights of their citizens; that, notwithstanding all the "reproaches" against France, nothing had happened, up to the sailing of the Yeddo at least, against which we could in any way complain. I made no reply to, or rather disclaimer of, this word "reproaches," though I certainly have used no language which could be justly so termed; but I have used frequent and strong remonstrances in reference to the completion and sailing of these ships, which was, doubtless, about what M. Drouyn de l'Huys meant. I certainly ought not, and indeed cannot, go further on this subject than I have done. I hope that my suspicions will all turn out to be groundless, but I wish the Niagara and Dictator were here. Some increased force on this coast, and in these waters, may be necessary at an early day. Its presence, at all events, will be useful. The whole government press of France sympathizes with the Alabama. You would suppose from its descriptions that that vessel had gone out to fight only from a high sense of honor, though conscious that she was every way overmatched in size, armament, and crew; that, in fact, she was a mere martyr to a chivalrous sense of honor. I enclose you a printed statement of what purports to be an official report of the combat, from Captain Semmes. To whom this report is made, or how it happens to be published immediately here, does not appear. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c, WM. L. DAYTON. THE ALABAMA. The following is the official report of Captain Semmes: SOUTHAMPTON, June 21, 1864. SIR: I have the honor to inform you that, in accordance with my intention as previously announced to you, I steamed out of the harbor of Cherbourg between nine and ten o'clock on the morning of June 19, for the purpose of engaging the enemy's steamer Kearsarge, which had been lying off and on the port for several days previously. After clearing the harbor we descried the enemy with his head off shore, at a distance of about nine miles. We were three-quarters of an hour in coming up with him. I had previously pivoted my guns to starboard, and made all my preparations for engaging the enemy on that side. When within about a mile and a quarter of the enemy he suddenly wheeled, and bringing his head in-shore, presented his starboard battery to me. By this time we were distant about one mile from each other, when I opened on him with solid shot, to which he replied in a few minutes, and the engagement became active on both sides. The enemy now pressed his ship under a full head of steam, and to prevent our passing each other too speedily, and to keep our respective broadsides bearing, it became necessary to fight in a circle; the two ships steaming around a common centre, and preserving a distance from each other of from a quarter to half a mile. When we got within good shellrange we opened upon him with shell. Some ten or fifteen minutes after the commencement of the action our spanker gaff was shot away, and our ensign came down by the run. This was immediately replaced by another at the mizzenmast head. The firing now became very hot, and the enemy's shot and shell soon began to tell upon our hull, knocking down, killing and disabling a number of men in different parts of the ship. Perceiving that our shell, though apparently exploding against the enemy's sides, were doing but little damage, I returned to solid-shot firing, and from this time onward alternated with shot and shell. After the lapse of about one hour and ten minutes our ship was ascertained to be in a sinking condition, the enemy's shell having exploded in our sides and between decks, opening large apertures, through which the water rushed with great rapidity. For some few minutes I had hopes of being able to reach the French coast, for which purpose I gave the ship all steam, and set such of the fore and aft sails as were available. The ship filled so rapidly, however, that before we had made much progress the fires were extinguished in the furnaces, and we were evidently on the point of sinking. I now hauled down my colors to prevent the further destruction of life, and despatched a boat to inform the enemy of our condition. Although we were now but four hundred yards from each other, the enemy fired upon me five times after my colors had been struck, dangerously wounding several of my men. It is charitable to suppose that a ship-of-war of a Christian nation could not have done this intentionally. We now turned all our exertions towards the wounded, and such of the boys of the ship as were unable to swim. These were despatched in my quarter boats, the only boats remaining to me, the waist boats having been torn to pieces. Some twenty minutes after my furnace fires had been extinguished, and the ship being on the point of settling, every man, in obedience to a previous order which had been given to the crew, jumped overboard and endeavored to save himself. There was no appearance of any boat coming to me from the enemy until after the ship went down. Fortunately, however, the steam yacht Deerhound, owned by a gentleman of Lancashire, England, Mr. John Lancaster, who was himself on board, steamed up in the midst of my drowning men and rescued a number of both officers and men from the water. I was fortunate enough myself thus to escape to the shelter of the neutral flag, together with about forty others, all told. About this time the Kearsarge sent one, and then, tardily, another boat. Accompanying you will find lists of the killed and wounded, and of those who were picked up by the Deerhound. The remainder, there is reason to hope, were picked up by the enemy, and by a couple of French pilot-boats which were also fortunately near the scene of action. At the end of the engagement it was discovered, by those of our officers who went alongside the enemy's ship with the wounded, that her midship section on both sides was thoroughly iron-coated, this having been done with chains constructed for the purpose, placed perpendicularly from the rail to the water's edge; the whole covered over by a thin outer planking which gave no indication of the armor beneath. This planking had been ripped off in every direction by our shot and shell, the chain broken and indented in many places, and forced partly into the ship's side. She was most effectually guarded, however, in this section from penetration. The enemy was much damaged in other parts, but to what extent it is now impossible to tell; it is believed he was badly crippled. My officers and men behaved steadily and gallantly, and though they have lost their ship, they have not lost honor. Where all behaved so well it would be invidious to particularize; but I cannot deny myself the pleasure of saying that Mr. Kell, my first lieutenant, deserves great credit for the fine condition in which the ship went into action, with regard to her battery, magazine, and shell-rooms; also that he rendered me great assistance by his coolness and judgment as the fight proceeded. The enemy was heavier than myself both in ship, battery, and crew, but I did not know until the action was over that she was also iron-clad. Our total loss in killed and wounded is thirty, to wit, nine killed and twenty-one wounded. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, No. 496.] Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward. PARIS, June 26, 1864. SIR: I have neglected to write you concerning the new transatlantic steamship line from Havre to New York, inaugurated by a banquet at Havre on Wednesday, the 15th of this month; on which day the steamer Washington, the first and only finished ship of the line, left for New York. The line is to consist of five large steamships, well built and well furnished. It is on this side in the hands of Mr. Pereire, president of the company, and who is likewise president of the Credit Mobilier. He is a gentleman of large fortune and great business capacity. This transatlantic steam company has a large subsidy from the French government, and if properly managed, cannot fail to be a successful enterprise. I was present at the inauguration by invitation of the company, and made a few remarks expressive of our good wishes. Some speeches were made by French gentlemen present, especially one by M. Michel Chevalier, (a gentleman, as you know, of literary celebrity, and a senator of France,) highly eulogistic of our country. Everything passed off pleasantly. The steamer will have arrived at New York doubtless before this letter will have reached your department. I hope such notice will be taken of her and of her officers in that port as may gratify the national pride of France. No people are more sensitive than they to attentions of any kind. A new line of steamships between Havre and New York is an event of great importance, not to our commercial interests only, but as an additional link uniting in relations of peace and friendship the two nations more firmly together. P. S.-Captain Winslow has come up to Paris; the Kearsarge is yet at Cherbourg, ready for sea. I have received a telegram from Flushing advising me of the arrival of the Niagara at Antwerp. I am glad she is there. There is little doubt an effort is being made to furnish Captain Semmes with another ship. I enclose you a slip cut from La France of this morning, which purports to give some details. It would seem that it is taken for granted that the men paroled will pay no attention to their parole. I had heard this before, but could not credit it. D. [Translation.] THE ALABAMA. They write us from Cherbourg that the greater part of the seamen of the Alabama have left that city after having received one month's pay and their travelling expenses. They have received the orders of their captain, and have kept secret the name of the port at which they are to meet again. Captain Semmes has not left England. He has called near him those of his officers to whom he has intrusted the armament of the new vessel of which he will soon take the command. According to the information which we have been enabled to obtain, the new Alabama will be a small, sharp-built corvette, with covered blinds within, and provided with a powerful battery. Captain Semmes has, it is said, ordered to be privately made three pivot guns capable of throwing hellow projectiles of 170 pounds English, and solid shot of 220 pounds. His crew, which consisted of 142 men, will be increased to 172 men. This information is positive. We are entirely ignorant of the port where the vessel is to be fitted out, but it is probable that no degree of watchfulness will prevent her from taking the sea. The confederates have no large squadrons like their adversaries, and, in order to injure them effectually, they have armed, as privateers, a portion of their war vessels, which are manned by picked officers and crews. The Alabama was so equipped. That vessel was entered on the register of the southern navy as No. 87; the Florida, so known, was set down as No. 83. She is commanded by a captain of a frigate. The war of these privateers is_terrible to the commerce of the north, to which it causes enormous losses. In the actual state of |