[Footnote 566: _Ibid._, Spence to Mason, Feb. 20, 1862.]

[Footnote 567: Mason, _Mason p_. 258.]

[Footnote 568: Slidell in France at first took the tack of urging that
Continental interests and British interests in the blockade were
"directly antagonistic," basing his argument on England's forward look
as a sea power (Slidell to Hunter, Feb. 26, 1862. Richardson, II,
p. 186).]

[Footnote 569: _Parliamentary Papers_, 1862, _Lords_, Vol. XXV. "Papers
relating to the Blockade."]

[Footnote 570: Hansard, 3rd. Ser., CLXV, pp. 1158-1230, and pp.
1233-43.]

[Footnote 571: Mason's authenticated statistics, unfortunately for his
cause, only came down to Oct. 31, 1861, a fact which might imply that
after that date the blockade was rapidly becoming effective and which
certainly did indicate that it was at least sufficiently effective to
prevent regular and frequent communications between the government at
Richmond and its agents abroad. Did Russell have this in mind when he
promptly incorporated Mason's figures in the papers presented to
Parliament? These figures showed that according to reports from four
Southern ports, sixty vessels had entered and cleared between April 29
and October 31, 1861; unauthenticated statistics extending to the date
December 31, presented by Mason of vessels arrived at and departing from
Cuban ports showed forty-eight vessels, each way engaged in blockade
running. Seven of these were listed as "captured." Those reaching Cuba
were described as twenty-six British, 14 Confederate, 3 Spanish, 3
American and 2 Mexican, but in none of these statistics were the names
of the vessels given, for obvious reasons, in the printed paper though
apparently included in the list submitted by Mason. These figures did in
fact but reveal a situation existing even after 1861. The American
blockading fleets had to be created from all sorts of available material
and were slow in getting under way. Regular ships of the old Navy could
not enforce it being too few in number, and also, at first, directing
their efforts to the capture of shore positions which would render a
large blockading squadron unnecessary. This proved an abortive effort
and it was not until 1862 that the development of a large fleet of
blockaders was seriously undertaken. (See _Fox, Confid. Corresp._, I,
pp. 110, 115, 119 and especially 122, which, May 31, 1862, pays tribute
to the energy with which the South for "thirteen long months" had
defende