JANUARY 22, 1865: The steamer Ajax, with Lt. John Low, CSN, aboard as a "passenger", put out of Dublin, Ireland, for Nassau. The Ajax had been built for the Confederacy in Dumbarton, Scotland, for use in harbor defense.
She had been detained in Dublin for more than a week because the U.S. Consul there suspected that the light draft vessel was bound for the South. However, two inspections failed to substantiate this belief and the 340 ton would-be gunboat was released.
Nevertheless, Charles F. Adams, the American Ambassador in England, and Secretary of State Seward prevailed upon British Foreign Minister Earl Russell to prevent the armament of Ajax in Halifax, Bermuda, or Nassau.
--Too Late Anyway. --Old B-R'er
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