PENSACOLA BAY. 



PERSONAL LIBERTY LAWS. 575 



fire of Fort Pickens, this day, was less rapid, 

 ami more efficient. Fort McRea did not tire. 

 One or two gnns of the enemy were entirely 

 silenced, and one in Fort Pickens was disabled 

 by a shot coming through the embrasure. 



About three o'clock tire was communicated 

 to one of the houses in Warrington, and shortly 

 afterwards to the church steeple, the church and 

 the whole village being immediately in rear of 

 some of the Confederate batteries. Of the largest 

 and most valuable buildings along the street, 

 probably two-thirds were consumed. About the 

 same time fire was discovered issuing from the 

 back part of the navy yard, probably in Wolcott, 

 a village to the north and immediately adjoin- 

 ing the yard, as Warrington does on the west. 

 Finally it penetrated to the yard, and continued 

 to burn brightly all night. Very heavy damage 

 was also done to the buildings of the yard by 

 the shot, shell, and splinters. 



The steamer Time, which was at the wharf 

 at the navy yard at the time, was abandoned on 

 the first day. The fire was continued till dark, 

 and with mortars occasionally till two o'clock 

 the next morning, when the combat ceased. 



Fort Pickens, at its conclusion, though it 

 had received a great many shot and shell, was 

 reported in every respect, save the disabling of 

 one gun carriage and the loss of service of six 

 men, as efficient as at the commencement of the 

 combat. Xo serious damage was done to the 

 frigates Niagara or Richmond. The report of 

 Col. Brown, respecting this cannonade, con- 

 cluded with the following observations relative 

 to its results : 



The bombardment of the 22d and 23d has elicited 

 some facts that are of importance, and I notice them 

 that I may in future benefit by them. 



1. That with the most efficient guns of the largest 

 calibre, and served in the best manner, no serious in- 

 jury can be done to stone or brick walls, or to guns in 

 sand batteries, or to troops serving them, unless prob- 

 ably by rifled guns, if properly protected, at a distance 

 of from two thousand to three thousand yards. 



2. The shells and hot shot are not to De depended on 

 for firing even wooden buildings, unless having in 

 them incendiary composition. 



3. That pieces of port fire are nearly useless as such 

 incendiary composition. 



4. That brick buildings covered with slate cannot 

 be fired by either shot or shells at the distance named, 

 except by accident, unless the shells have rock fires. 



5. That the trouble and expense incurred in protect- 

 ing forts by sand bag traverses, &c., are far more than 

 repaid by the saving of the lives of the defenders. 



6. That no dependence is to be placed on James' 

 rifle projectiles, either as it respects accuracy or range. 

 If I had guns to be depended on I could have silenced 

 the most of the enemy s sand batteries and the guns in 

 Barrancas. 



7. That ships with their present armament cannot 

 for an hour contend against rifled guns, and that if our 

 navy is not at once supplied liberally with good rifled 

 guns it will be very likely to be disgraced. 



8. That on service here, and I believe the remark 

 applies with equal force to every river and harbor in 

 the Gulf, a gunboat drawing six feet water and well 

 armed with good rifled guns can do more and better 

 service than a forty gun ship, or than such ships as 

 the Niagara and Richmond. 



9. That sail vessels are utterly useless in enforcing a 

 blockade. 



10. That Parrott's rifled guns are efficient, and that 

 forts should be immediately supplied with them and 

 with a full supply of ammunition. 



I would strongly urge that a dozen of Parrott's 

 thirty-pounders, or, if to be had, of larger calibre, be 

 sent "to this post, with a good supply ot ammunition, 

 as early as possible. I had one which I found to be 

 excellent, but when the navy met with such a mishap 

 on the Mississippi, I was compelled to let Flag-officer 

 McKean have it and one of my twelve-pounder Parrott 

 guns to put on one of hi^ ships to save them from being 

 driven out of the waters by a little steamer having a 

 rifled gun on board. 



PERRYSVILLE, a village in Cecil County, 

 Maryland, is on the east or left bank of the Sns- 

 quehanua River at the head of the Chesapeake 

 Bay, and opposite Havre-de-Grace. It is thirty- 

 seven miles from Baltimore on the line of the 

 Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad. The first 

 troops for Washington after the difficulty at 

 Baltimore were transferred from the cars to the 

 steamboat here and taken to Annapolis, thus 

 avoiding Baltimore entirely. 



PERSONAL LIBERTY LAWS. The Con- 

 stitution of the United States provides that 

 "no person held to service or labor in one 

 State, under the laws thereof, escaping into 

 another, shall, in consequence of any law or 

 regulation therein, he discharged from such 

 service or labor ; but shall be delivered up on 

 claim of the party to whom such service or 

 labor may be due.'' At the session of Con- 

 gress which commenced in December, 1849, a 

 series of measures were adopted which were 

 intended by the authors to be a final settlement 

 of all disputes on the subject of slavery. One 

 of these measures was known as the " Fugitive 

 Slave Law." It was passed under the following 

 title : " An Act to amend and supplementary to 

 the act entitled ' An Act respecting fugitives 

 from justice and persons escaping from the ser- 

 vice of their masters,' approved Feb. 12, 1793." 

 This act excited much disapprobation in many 

 of the Northern States, and led to the passage 

 by the respective Legislatures of certain acts 

 which have been generally designated nnder 

 the expression u Personal Liberty Bills." The 

 portion of the act of Congress which was so 

 unacceptable was the sixth section, and partic- 

 ularly its last clause as follows : 



SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, that when a per- 

 son held to service or labor in any State or Territory 

 of the United States, has heretofore, or shall hereafter 

 escape into another State or Territory of the United 

 States, the person or persons to whom such service or 

 labor may be due, or his, her, or their agent, or attor- 

 ney, duly authorized by power of attorney, in writing, 

 acknowledged and certified under the seal of some 

 legal officer or court of the State or Territory in which 

 the same may be executed, may pursue and reclaim 

 such fugitive person, either by procuring a warrant 

 from some one of the Courts, Judges, or Commissioners 

 aforesaid, of the proper circuit, district or county, for 

 the apprehension of such fugitive from service or labor, 

 or by seizing and arresting such fugitive, when the 

 same can be done without process, and by taking or 

 causing such person to be taken forthwith before such 

 Court, Judge, or Commissioner, whose duty it shall be 

 to hear and determine the case of such claimant in a 

 summary manner, and upon satisfactory proof being 

 made, b"y deposition, or affidavit in writintr, to be 

 taken and certified by such Court, Judge, or Commis- 



