ALABAMA. 



11 



were out in force, bearing a splendid flag which 

 had been presented to them a day previous, and, 

 with the Independent Eifles, marched to the 

 public square, and fired salvos of artillery. The 

 demonstration at night was designed to corre- 

 spond to the importance attached by the people 

 to the event celebrated. An eye-witness de- 

 clares the display to have been of the most 

 brilliant description. When night fell, the city 

 emerged from darkness into a blaze of such 

 glory as could only be achieved by the most 

 recklessly extravagant consumption of tar and 

 tallow. "The broad boulevard of Government 

 street was an avenue of light, bonfires of tar 

 barrels being kindled at intervals of a square in 

 distance along its length, and many houses were 

 illuminated. Royal slreet shone with light, the 

 great front of the buildings presenting a perfect 

 illumination. Rockets blazed, crackers pop- 

 ped, and the people hurrahed and shouted as 

 they never did before. The " Southern Cross 

 was the most favored emblematic design in the 

 illumination, and competed with the oft-repeated 

 ' Lone Star ' for admiration and applause from 

 the multitude." 



By previous concert with the Governors of 

 Georgia and Louisiana, " all the positions in 

 these three States which might be made to fol- 

 low the fashion set by Fort Sumter" were 

 seized. The arsenal at Mt. Yernon forty-five 

 miles above Mobile, was seized at daylight on 

 the morning- of January 4th ; Fort Morgan was 

 taken on the same day, without opposition! 

 Previously, however, and on the 9th of Janu- 

 ary, five companies of volunteers, at the request 

 of the Governor of Florida, left Montgomery 

 for Pensacola. They were sent to assist in cap- 

 turing the forts and other property there be- 

 longing to the United States. In order to place 

 the city of Mobile in a better state of defence, 

 the Mayor issued a call to the people for a 

 thousand laborers. These were at once sup- 

 plied, and also money sufficient to meet all 

 demands. The Common Council of the city 

 passed an ordinance changing the names of 

 various streets. The name of Maine street was 

 changed to Palmetto street; Massachusetts was 

 changed to Charleston street ; Xew Hampshire 

 was changed to Augusta street ; Rhode Island 

 was changed to Savannah street ; Connecticut 

 was changed to Louisiana street ; New York 

 was changed to Elrnira street ; Yermont was 

 changed to Texas street; Pennsylvania was 

 changed to Montgomery street. 



The Union feeling in the northern part of the 

 State continued very strong. Many delegates 

 from that region refused at first to sign the or- 

 dinance of secession which passed the State 

 Convention, unless the time for it to take effect 

 was postponed to the 4th of March. Some of 

 them withheld their signatures entirely. The 

 sessions of the Convention were conducted 

 wholly in secret, and only such measures were 

 made known to the public as were of such a 

 character as to prevent secrecy. 



On the 29th, the Convention adopted a reso- 



lution instructing the deputies to the Southern 

 Convention to insist upon the enactment of such 

 laws as would forever prevent the reopening of 

 the African slave trade ; and, on the next day, 

 they passed a supplemental ordinance authoriz- 

 ing the Governor to carry into effect the previous 

 ordinance for the protection of the defences in 

 the Gulf of Mexico ; also, an ordinance adopting 

 as the law of Alabama the laws of the United 

 States relative to patents, and securing the 

 right of invention to citizens of all the Slave 

 States. It then adjourned till the 4th of March. 



Thaddeus Sanford, collector of customs for 

 the port of Mobile under the United States Gov- 

 ernment, was appointed to that office by the 

 Convention, and directed to proceed, as hereto- 

 fore, collecting duties, issuing clearances, &c., 

 only in the name and by the authority of the 

 State of Alabama, instead of that of the United 

 States. 



Upon its adjournment, the President made 

 an address, expressing the most decided views 

 upon the permanency of the secession of the 

 State. He said : 



" We are free, and shall any of ns cherish any 

 idea of a reconstruction of the old Government, 

 whereby Alabama will again link her rights, 

 her fortunes, and her destiny, in a Union with 

 the Xorthern States ? If any one of you hold 

 to such a fatal opinion, let me entreat you, as 

 you value the blessings of equality and freedom, 

 dismiss it at once. There is not, there cannot 

 be, any security or peace for ns in a recon- 

 structed Government of the old material. I 

 must believe that there is not a friend or advo- 

 cate of reconstruction in this large body. The 

 people of Alabama are now independent ; sink 

 or swim, live or die, they will continue free, 

 sovereign, and independent. Dismiss the idea 

 of a reconstruction of the old Union now and 

 forever." 



After the adjournment of the Convention, a 

 Commissioner, Thomas J. Judge, was sent by 

 the State authorities to negotiate with the Fed- 

 eral Government for the surrender of the forts, 

 arsenals, and custom-houses, within the limits 

 of the State. It appears that tbe President de- 

 clined to receive him in any other character, 

 than as a distinguished citizen of Alabama. In 

 this capacity he declined to be received, and 

 returned home. The negotiations were con- 

 ducted through Mr. C. C. Clay, to whom the 

 Commissioner writes on the 4th of February : 



" I acknowledge the receipt of your note of 

 the 2d instant, enclosing the correspondence be- 

 tween yourself and his Excellency James Bu- 

 chanan, President of the United States, relating 

 to my mission as Commissioner from the State 

 of Alabama. 



" The President declines to give me an au- 

 dience in the only character in which I sought 

 it, as Commissioner for the State of Alabama, 

 and thereby refuses to receive any proposals 

 from that State for a settlement relating to the 

 public debt of the United States, contracted 

 whilst Alabama was a member of that Confed- 



