For the record, the CSS Sumter steamed into Trinidad harbour on July 30, 1861. Also present in Trinidad harbour was the British vessel HMS Cadmus, Henry Hillyar, commanding.
This information was trivially easy to find. Now, the Leftists like to hide and befog information that undermines their arguments. I should hope that you're not cut from that same bolt of cloth, DoodleDawg.
From the article: "Even worse, an American from the island reported to Seward that 'the officers of the British war vessel Cadmus appeared to be on amicable terms with those of the Sumter.'
While not confirming the conversation between Hillyar & Semmes, it makes it at least quite plausible.
DoodleDawg is correct about Semmes commanding the Sumter and not the Alabama. King appeared to imply it was the Sumter, even though he accurately recounts the Semmes/Hillyar conversation. It appears the conversation did in fact occur, and this is the original source...
http://www.archive.org/stream/serviceafloatwar00semmrich/serviceafloatwar00semmrich_djvu.txt
Page 186 Memoirs of Service Afloat
Monday, August 5th. Weather clear, and fine. Flocks of
parrots are flying overhead, and all nature is rejoicing in the
sunshine, after the long, drenching rains. Far as the eye can
reach, there is but one sea of verdure, giving evidence, at once,
of the fruitfulness of the soil, and the ardor of the sun. At
eleven A. M., Captain Hillyar, of the Cadmus, came on board,
to visit me, and we had a long and pleasant conversation on
American affairs. He considerately brought me a New York
newspaper, of as late a date, as the 12th of July. “ I must
confess,” said he, as he handed me this paper, “that your
American war puzzles me it cannot possibly last long.”
“ You are probably mistaken, as to its duration,” I replied ; “ I
fear it will be long and bloody. As to its being a puzzle, it
should puzzle every honest man. If our late co-partners had
practised toAvard us the most common rules of honesty, we
should not have quarrelled with them ; but we are only defend
ing ourselves against robbers, with knives at our throats.”
“You surprise me,” rejoined the Captain; “how is that?”
“Simply, that the machinery of the Federal Government,
under which we have lived, and which was designed for the
common benefit, has been made the means of despoiling the
South, to enrich the North ; “ and I explained to him the
workings of the iniquitous tariffs, under the operation of
which the South had, in effect, been reduced to a dependent
colonial condition, almost as abject, as that of the Roman
provinces, under their proconsuls; the only difference being,
that smooth-faced hypocrisy had been added to robbery, inas
much as we had been plundered under the forms of law.
“All this is new to me, I assure you,” replied the Captain;
“ I thought that your war had arisen out of the slavery ques-
DURING THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES. 187
tion.” “That is a common mistake of foreigners. The enemy
has taken pains to impress foreign nations with this false view
of the case. With the exception of a few honest zealots, the
canting, hypocritical Yankee cares as little for our slaves, as
he does for our draught animals. The war which he has been
making upon slavery, for the last forty years, is only an inter
lude, or by-play, to help on the main action of the drama,
which is Empire ; and it is a curious coincidence, that it was
commenced about the time the North began to rob the South,
by means of its tariffs. When a burglar designs to enter a
dwelling, for the purpose of robbery, he provides himself with
the necessary implements. The slavery question was one of
the implements employed, to help on the robbery of the South.
It strengthened the Northern party, and enabled them to get
their tariffs through Congress ; and when, at length, the South,
driven to the wall, turned, as even the crushed worm will turn,
it was cunningly perceived by the Northern men, that No
Slavery would be a popular war-cry, and hence they used it.
It is true, we are defending our slave property, but we are
defending it no more than any other species of our property
it is all endangered, under a general system of robbery. We
are, in fact, fighting for independence. Our forefathers made
a great mistake, when they warmed the Puritan serpent in
their bosom ; and we, their descendants, are endeavoring to
remedy it.”
The Captain now rose to depart. I accompanied him on
deck, and when he had shoved off) I ordered the ship to be
gotten under way the fires having been started some time
before, the steam was already up. The Sumter, as she moved
out of the harbor of the Port of Spain, looked more like a
comfortable passenger steamer, bound on a voyage, than a ship
of war, her stern nettings, and stern and quarter boats being
filled with oranges, and bananas, and all the other luscious
fruits that are produced so abundantly in this rich tropical
island. Other luxuries were added, for Jack had brought, on
board, one or two more sad-looking old monkeys, and a score
more of squalling parrots.