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Telescope 5 protest with Governor W.L. Birch. Before the protest could be acted upon, on the night of December 15, 1862, the DIXIE slipped her anchor cable and set sail, without first bothering to obtain clearance papers. The fort fired a few shots at her, but she was not struck. The following day an examination of the RETRIBUTION by Danish authorities found that vessel to be in good order. Early on the morning of December 18, 1862, the Confederate ves- sel left St. Thomas, after first inducing some twelve or fifteen men from American merchant vessels then in port to join her. Accordingly, the two vessels rendezvoused at the island of Blanquillo, where arms and ammunition were retransferred. The DI)CIE then left for Turks' Island, loaded a cargo of salt,and ran the blockade to a Southern port.The RETRIBUTION was now armed with a 20-pounder rifle and two smoothbore 12-pounders. She also refitted her rigging and made ready for her role as a privateer. On January 3# 1863, s^e appeared off St. Thomas, and chased back into port the American brig GILMORE MEREDITH of Baltimore, and the schooner WESTWARD of Bangor, Maine. Many American vessels in St. Thomas stayed there, afraid to sail for fear of b9ing captured. The RETRIBUTION then sailed north, and on January 10, 1363, suc- ceeded in capturing her first prize,the American brig J.P. ELLICOTT of Bucksport, Maine, bound from Boston for Cienfuegos. A prize crew of five seamen and two officers were put on board with orders to remain close-by overnight. The next morning, the privateer not being in sight, the prize crew overcame the officers, Gilbert Hay and Thomas Gilbert (the ELLICOTT's crew, with the exception of her captain'3 wife,having been taken to the privateer the night before), the vessel was brought about and headed for New York. The two officers were put in irons. Bad weather and the leaky condition of the brig forced the leaders of the conspiracy, Thomas Coin and John Wilson, to turn back and put into St. Thomas, where the offenders were taken into custody by officers from the U.S.S. ALABAMA. Coin and Wilson, who had deserted from an American vessel In St, Thomas, who had received twenty-five dollars in advance, and a promise of fifty dollars more should they have been successful in running the blockade, requested clemency, which was granted. Hay had been captured once before, while commanding the privateer BEAUREGARD, and Gilbert had deserted from the brig MEREDITH, of which he had been second mate. Gilbert was to have received twenty-five dollars per month and two shares in prizes. The RETRIBUTION landed the crew of the ELLICOTT at Dominica, near the end of January, and they were later transported back to their vessel. The U.S.S. ALABAMA was sent in pursuit and narrowly missed catching her quarry at Blanquillo on the morning of January 2)j., l363oThe warship learned that the night before, the privateer had appeared off the island, but had been unable to reach a suitable anchorage due to strong currents and light winds. It might also be added that the search was intensified as the Confederate raider 290, or C.S.S. ALABAMA, was thought to be in the vicinity. On January 31> 1863, the RETRIBUTION took her second prize, the schooner HANOVER of Boston.The captured vessel was taken to Fortune Island, where she was run ashore and loaded with salt. Her cargo, consisting of boxes of fish, were In part taken by the captor, and In part given to the inhabitants of the island. The HANOVER under John T. Gordon was then sent to Wilmington, North Carolina. She was run aground near there, under the guns of Fort Fisher,while eluding