Mr. Dayton to Mr.
Seward.
No. 363.]
Paris,
October 16, 1863.
Sir: In further confirmation of the fact
charged against Mr. Annan, naval constructor at Bordeaux, that he is
extensively engaged in building war-vessels for the rebels of the south,
I yesterday left with Mr. Drouyn de l’Huys what purports to be the copy
of a letter from Mr. Arman to “Monsieur Maury, Contre-Amiral des Etats
Confedérés d’Amérique,” (Rear-Admiral of the Confederate States of
America,) dated 12th June last, a translation of which I herewith
enclose to you.
The evidence against Arman was complete without this letter; but it seems
to me that this precludes him from any pretence to be made to his own
government, that when he applied for authority to arm these vessels, he
was ignorant of the purposes to which they were to be applied, or that
the agents for their construction having represented them to be for use
in the China seas, he supposed such representations true. He here offers
to Captain Maury, of the confederate navy, to construct, within a very
short time, six iron-clad ships, with double turrets, of the force and
character therein described, and at the prices therein stated. We had
already produced to Mr. Drouyn de l’Huys the copy of an agreement, dated
subsequent to this offer, (to wit, 16th July,) between Capt. Bullock and
Arman, for building two vessels, in addition to the four contracted for
by the agreement of the 15th of the preceding April. We thus have the
clearest possible evidence that Arman, and those employed by him, are
building at least six vessels-of-war; and it is not improbable that
contracts may exist for others.
It is due to Mr. Drouyn de l’Huys to say that he has not questioned the
entire sufficiency of the evidence. In another despatch I enclose to you
a written answer from him, as well as one from the minister of
marine.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State.
[Translation.]
Monsieur Arman to Captain Maury.
Monsieur l’Amiral: I come to submit to you
the definitive plan of a gunboat battery, made out upon the
programme which Monsieur the captain of the frigate Jamsen, has made
known to me, and upon which I have already furnished to him some
summary information.
[Page 792]
To attain the end which you have proposed to yourself, to carry upon
the deck two iron-clad turrets, (blokaus
blindés,) enclosing, each, two cannon of heavy calibre, I
have been obliged to cause the primitive plan to undergo several
important modifications. I have been obliged to carry the
displacement from 1,280 tons to 1,358 tons, and, besides, to
calculate that, upon a normal supply of 180 tons of coal, which
shall be completed at departure by 30 tons, producing an overcharge
of 7 centimetres, in fine, the weight of the plating (blindage,) calculated firstly at 320 tons, is
raised to 389 tons.
These changes produce the distribution of weight as follows:
| Weight of hull |
510.000 |
k. |
| Engine |
154.000 |
|
| Plating mattress and screw |
389.000 |
|
| Combustibles |
180.000 |
|
| Cannon and accessories |
50.000 |
|
| Rigging and crew furniture and spare stores |
75.000 |
|
| Total |
1,358.000 |
|
Upon these new conditions the price of the vessel would be raised,
not including the artillery and its accessories, to one million
seven hundred and fifty thousand francs, and the time necessary to
the construction would be eight months, on account of the execution
and the more difficult putting in place of the plating.
The vessel which I propose to you is, in fine, a complete ship, and I
engage myself in the delay of one month, after the signing of the
agreement, to furnish you the proof of the authorization of exit of
the armament which you shall have to put upon the ship.
In fine, I repeat to you, admiral, the proposition which I have made
to Mr. Jansen, to construct upon the same type, in a very short
delay, six vessels of the same kind.
I will have the honor to present myself Tuesday morning at your
house, and, in the mean time, I cause to be transmitted to you
herewith the plans of the vessel, and a project of the contract, in
order that you may have had time to examine them.
Be pleased to accept, admiral, the assurances of my high
consideration.
ARMAN.
Captain Maury, Rear-Admiral of the Confederate States of America.
Cannon Boat Battery of
220.
Details of the weight of the cuirass,
mattress, and screw, distributed over the hull, the forward
turret and the back turret.
| Hull |
293.270 |
k. |
| Forward turret |
49.328 |
|
| Back turret |
47.104 |
|
| Total |
389.702 |
|
Distribution of the weight.
| Weight of |
hull |
510.000 |
k. |
| Do. |
engine and boilers, water included |
154.000 |
|
| Do. |
plaiting of hull, turrets, &c |
389.000 |
|
[Page 793]
| Weight of |
combustibles |
180.000 |
k. |
| Do. |
cannon and accessories |
50.000 |
|
| Do. |
armaments, crew, provisions, &c |
75.000 |
|
|
General total |
1,358.000 |
|
| Displacement of keel |
1,358.426 |
tons. |
