of a combination of the coal merchants against
me, however, I was prevented from coaling; and, in the meantime, the
enemy's steamers, Tuscarora and Kearsarge, and the sailing sloop Ino,
too, arrived and blockaded me. Notwithstanding the arrival of these
vessels, I should have made an effort to go to sea, but for the timely
discovery of further defects in my boilers, which took place under the
following circumstances:--An English steamer, having arrived from
Liverpool with an extra quantity of coal on board, offered to supply me.
I got steam up to go alongside of her for the purpose, when, with a very
low pressure, my boilers gave way in so serious a manner as to
extinguish the fires in one of the furnaces. I was obliged, of course,
to "blow off;" and upon a re-examination of the boilers, by a board of
survey, it was ascertained that they had been destroyed to such an
extent as to render them entirely untrustworthy. It was found, indeed,
to be necessary either to supply the ship with new boilers or to lift
the old ones out of her, and renew entirely the arches and other
important parts of them, which could only be done in a machinist's shop,
and with facilities not to be found at Gibraltar. In this state of
things, it became necessary, in my judgment, either to lay the ship up,
or to sell her. Of course, the remaining by her of myself, my officers
and crew, in her disabled and useless condition, was not to be thought
of. Still, I felt that the responsibility was a grave one; and deeming
it more respectful to the department that it should be assumed by some
one higher in authority than myself, I reported the facts to the Hon.
James M. Mason, our commissioner in London, and requested him to assume
the power.[7]

[Footnote 7: The following is the letter here referred to:--

C.S. Steamer Sumter, Bay of Gibraltar,
March 3rd, 1862.

SIR,--I had the honour to address you a note a day or two ago,
requesting you to assume the responsibility of giving me an order to lay
the Sumter up, that my officers and myself may return to the Confederate
States, to take a more active part in the war. I now enclose you a copy
of a letter addressed to me by the wardroom officers of this ship on the
same subject, by which you will perceive that there is no difference of
opinion between us as to the policy and propriety of the step indicated.
Each succeeding mail is bringing us intelligence that the enemy is
pressing us on all sides, and