THE CONFERENCE AT HAMPTON ROADS.

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utmost secrecy should be maintained, Generals Grant and Lee alone being cognizant of the interview. This advice was not followed, but Davis appointed Stephens, R. M. T. Hunter, senator in the Rebel Congress, and a former member of Davis's cabinet, and Judge Campbell, then Assistant Secretary of War in the Rebel war department, as commissioners. Stephens and Campbell were known to be in favor of peace and concession, and Davis was desirous of throwing the odium of any failure on them; while Hunter sympathized fully with Davis, and would make no concessions. The commissioners, however, decided to go, and applied through General Grant to the national Government for permission to enter the Union lines as quasi commissioners from the Rebel Government to confer informally with the President at Washington, in order to ascer tain upon what terms the war could be terminated honorably. Permission was granted, with the understanding that the parties named were not to be allowed to land, a fact which caused much annoyance to the Rebel commissioners, who were very desirous of visiting Washington. They were furnished quarters on board a steamer anchored in Hampton Roads, off Fortress Monroe, and the Secretary of State was sent by the President to meet them, with the following instructions:

"EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, January 3d, 1865. "HON. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

"You will proceed to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, there to meet and informally confer with Messrs. Stephens, Hunter, and Campbell, on the basis of my letter to F. P. Blair, Esq. of January 18th, 1865, a copy of which you have. You will make known to them that three things are indispensable, to wit:

"First. The restoration of the National authority throughout all the States; "Second. No receding by the Executive of the United States on the slavery question from the position assumed thereon in the late annual message to Congress, and in the preceding documents;

"Third. No cessation of hostilities short of the end of the war, and the disband. ing of all the forces hostile to the Government.

"You will inform them that all propositions of theirs, not inconsistent with the above, will be considered and passed upon in a spirit of sincere liberality. You will hear all they may choose to say and repeat it to me. You will not assume definitely to consummate any thing.

"Yours, etc.,

A. LINCOLN."

The next morning, February 1st, in order to prevent any attempt at trickery by the Rebels, the President sent a cipher despatch to General Grant, informing him that nothing then transpiring was to "change, hinder or delay" any of his military movements or plans. In reply, General Grant intimated to Secretary Stanton, that it might be as well if the President could be personally present at the conference, as he believed that the

commissioners were sincerely desirous to restore peace and union. Mr. Lincoln hereupon telegraphed to Secretary Seward: "Induced by a despatch from General Grant, I join you at Fortress Monroe as soon as I can come," and to General Grant: "Say to the gentlemen, that I will meet them personally at Fortress Monroe, as soon as I can get there."

The conference, however, accomplished nothing. The commissioners, though, as we have intimated, two of them were personally desirous of peace with such concessions as might have effected it, were bound by their instructions from Davis, and at the outset and throughout the conference, declared their entire lack of authority to make, receive, or consider any propositions whatever looking toward a close of the war, except on the basis of a recognition of the independence of the Confederate States as a preliminary condition. The President presented the subject to them in every conceivable form, suggesting the most liberal and considerate modi fications of whatever, in the existing legislation of the United States Government, might be regarded as specially hostile to the rights and interests, or wounding to the pride of the southern people,-even going so far as to intimate that by a concession at that time, they might secure a fair compensation from the Government for the emancipated slaves; but the commissioners plead that their instructions were peremptory, that they could not swerve a hair's breadth from their demand for recognition There could of course under the circumstances be no negotiation, for the recognition of their independence could not be thought of for a moment by the President, and the parties separated, distinctly understanding that the attitude of each Government was not in the slightest degree affected or changed by the conference.

Davis, in a special message to his Congress, attempted to make capital out of the failure of this conference, whose discussions he misrepresented, but the attempt proved futile. The questions at issue were now left to the stern arbitrament of war, and were quickly decided.

THE NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES.

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CHAPTER LXV.

THE NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR-ITS INADEQUACY FOR THE WORK TO BE DONE-THE DUTY REQUIRED OF THE NAVY-THE PURCHASE AND CONSTRUCTION OF VESSELS FOR THE NAVY-THE NUMBER, CHARACTER, AND ARMAMENT OF THE VESSELS OF THE NAVY DURING THE WAR AND AT ITS CLOSE-THE IRON-CLADS-PREFERENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE MONITORS-THEIR EFFICIENCY IN NAVAL BATTLES -THE RIVER IRON-CLADS, TURTLE-BACKS AND TIN-CLADS-WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY THE RIVER SQUADRONS-THE WORK OF THE BLOCKADERS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST-THE REBEL NAVY-STOLEN VESSELS-THEIR PRIVATEERS-THEIR IRON-CLADS-FATE OF THEIR VESSELS-THE ANGLO-REBEL PRIVATEERS-THEIR NAMES AND CHARACTER-THE ATTEMPTS TO BUILD ARMED SHIPS FOR THE REBELS IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE-THEIR FAILURE-THE HISTORY OF THE ALABAMA-HER PERFIDIOUS ATTACK ON THE HATTERAS SHE ENTERS THE PORT OF CHERBOURG, AND FINDING ESCAPE WITHOUT A FIGHT IMPOSSIBLE, HER COMMANDER CHALLENGES THE KEARSARGE TO A BATTLE-THE COMPARATIVE SIZE, ARMAMENT AND CREW OF THE TWO VESSELS, AND THEIR MEANS OF RESISTANCE-CAPTAIN SEMMES' 66 PREPARATIONS"-THE DEERHOUND-THE BATTLE-DESPICABLE CONDUCT OF THE OWNER OF THE DEERHOUND-SEMMES RECEIVES OVATIONS-RAGE OF THE ENGLISH AT THE SINKING OF THE ALABAMA-CAUSES OF IT-THE CAPTURE OF THE GEORGIA-HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA-HER CAPTURE-COMMANDER COLLINS CENSURABLE FOR SEIZING HER IN A NEUTRAL PORT-ACTION OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT-BRAZIL SATISFIED-LIEUTENANT REED'S ADVENTURES AS A PIRATE-CAPTURING FISHING SMACKS AND COASTERSCUTTING OUT THE CUSHING-CAPTURE OF THE LIEUTENANT AND HIS CREW-THE SEIZURE OF THE CHESAPEAKE HER RE-CAPTURE-CAREER OF THE TALLAHASSEE, THE OLUSTEE AND THE CHICKAMAUGA-THE SHENANDOAH AND HER PIRACIES-SHE COMES TO LIVERPOOL AND DELIVERS HERSELF UP TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT-COURSE ADOPTED BY THAT GOVERNMENT-THE CAREER OF THE STONEWALL OR OLINDE-HER SURRENDER TO THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT AND FINAL TRANSFER TO THE UNITED STATES-LOSSES OF THE MERCANTILE MARINE BY THE REBEL CRUISERS.

WHEN the war commenced, the United States navy was almost powerless to aid in the conflict. It had been for nearly fifty years on a peace footing, and was far below that of other commercial powers in the number and armament of its ships. Mr. Buchanan's Secretary of the Navy, sympathizing fully with the Rebels in their schemes of secession, had sent all the best vessels to the Pacific or Indian oceans, on one errand or another, and of those that remained, several were destroyed at the burning of the Navy Yard at Portsmouth, Virginia; and others were out of commission, and required extensive repairs. Only forty-two vessels of all sizes and qualities were found to be in a serviceable condition, or capable of being made so, and only sixty-nine were in existence, including ships upon the stocks, receiving ships, tenders, school ships, &c. After deducting those which must be kept on foreign stations, and the receiving ships, tenders, store ships, &c., there remained but little more than a dozen, and some of them of small size and armament, for all the service which would be