ocean-going merchant steamers was entertained by Congress. But if the privateers, with which we may have to deal are mail steamers converted into lightly-armed men-of-war, it is not necessary for its to build, at an enormous cost, special vessels, such as the 'Shah,' or the 'Raleigh,' when, as Captain Waddilove has pointed out, we might employ the Cunard steamers, which would be much more efficient, for the same service. If the Cunard steamers cannot attain the extreme speed of the 'Raleigh,' they can maintain a speed of 14 knots for a much longer period; and in coal- carrying capacity they are infinitely superior.
Privateers would not be of large tonnage.It is not probable that privateering would be undertaken by men of large capital, who would be disposed to spend considerable sums on individual ships. The more reasonable presumption is that the privateers would be of moderate size, of high but not extreme speed, rarely exceeding 12 to 13 knots, and that they would be formidable, not so much from their numbers or their individual power, as from the exceeding difficulty of intercepting and pursuing them. They would avoid probably the most- frequented tracks, where alone the six 'Inconstants' demanded by Sir Spencer Robinson could be employed, while our commerce would be imperilled in every other part of the world.
To protect commerce numbers more necessary than extreme speed.To sweep the seas in search of these wasps it would be essential to scud forth a numerous fleet. The 'Inconstant' could never venture to use her extreme speed when cruising in search of an enemy. Her speed
