Here ensued a long controversy with the British government concerning the seizure of the Alabama's tender, the Tuscaloosa. The matter was finally amicably settled by the release of the Tuscaloosa, and Semmes continued on up the West African coast.

The Alabama had now been cruising almost two years. In this short time she had practically driven the United States commerce from the sea, and had even had the rare experience of fighting and defeating a United States man-ofwar.

She had cruised in every ocean on the globe, and had made, all told, some seventy captures. But the long and continued service had told severely on the staunch little craft. Her boilers were burn out and every seam and joint was loose and open. All these things seriously affected her speed, and Semmes at last decided to put into some European port and have her thoroughly overhauled and refitted.

With this object in view, he steered for the coast of France and, entering the harbor of Cherbourg on the eleventh of June, 1864, sought dockage for his ship. But unfortunately, all the Cherbourg docks were owned by the French government, and it was necessary to communicate with the Emperor before their use could be obtained. This circumstance occasioned a delay, and the Alabama dropped anchor and awaited the reply of the French authorities.

While she was thus laying to, her crew was not a little excited by the appearance in the harbor of the United States ship of war, Kearsarge. This ship had been lying off Flushing as the Alabama entered the harbor, and her appearance here was not unexpected. Her purpose in coming in had been to take on prisoners sent ashore by the Alabama, but against this Captain Semmes protested, since such a procedure would violate the laws of neutrality by augmenting the enemy's crew in a French port. The authorities upheld Semmes in his objection, and the

Kearsarge steamed out of the port, keeping well over to the other side of the harbor.

Semmes summoned his commanding officer and discussed with him the probabilities of a fight with the Kearsarge. The advantages of both ships were closely reviewed. A careful summing up of the strong points of both boats showed that the Kearsarge was the Alabama's superior, both in crew and battery. Still, Semmes thought he had a fair chance of defeating his enemy in open battle. Besides, there was no way out of the difficulty other than a fight, for a delay in the port would mean a blockade by a fleet of Union gunboats. Consequently, Semmes sent word to Captain Winslow, commander of the Kearsarge, that if he would wait until the Alabama could coal up, he would come out and give battle. The defiance was, of course, accepted.

Captain Semmes now set about putting the Alabama in fighting trim. This occupied a day or two, but by the morning of the nineteenth of June everything was in the best of order, and the decks were cleared and sanded. These final preparations being completed, the Alabama went out to meet her foe. When she had cleared the harbor, and the Kearsarge had started to meet her, Semmes called all hands together and addressed them as follows:

"Officers and seamen of the Alabama ! You have at last another opportunity to meet the enemy-the first that has been presented to you since you sank the Hatteras. In the meantime, you have been all over the world, and it is not too much to say, that you have destroyed and driven for protection under neutral flags, one-half of the enemy's commerce, which at the beginning of the war, covered every sea. This is an achievement of which you may well be proud; and a grateful country will not be unmindful of it. The name of your ship has become a household word wherever civilization extends. Shall

that name be tarnished by defeat? The thing is impossible! Remember, that you are in the English Channel, the theatre of so much of the naval glory of our race, and that the eyes of all Europe are at this moment upon you. The flag that floats over you is that of a young republic, which bids defiance to her enemies whenever and wherever found. Show the world that you know how to uphold it! Go to your quarters!"

Great, noble Semmes! How was he to know that the faithful little craft he had so long commanded was going out to fight her last battle? He could not tell that the boat he was about to encounter was an ironclad and immeasurably his superior. The Kearsarge's true strength had been so cleverly concealed by the best of mechanics, that even a telescope had failed to reveal the fact that she carried a metal armor. And Semmes was hurrying forward in his little wooden craft to fight against an armored cruiser!

The Kearsarge was now well under way and the two ships drew rapidly together. When a distance of about a mile separated them, the Alabama opened fire with her starboard battery. The Kearsarge quickly replied, and both boats were soon enveloped in the smoke of battle. Both were working in a circle round a common center, and firing their broadside batteries. Gradually the circle became smaller and smaller and the ships came closer and closer together. The heavy shells from the Kearsarge were doing serious execution on board the Alabama, and, to make matters worse, it was found that the ammunition being used against the Kearsarge was defective, and was not exploding. Semmes then ordered solid shot to be used, but even these failed to penetrate the armor of the Union boat. The Southern commander then realized that the day was lost, and after a futile attempt to lay the Kearsarge by the board, he ordered on all steam for the coast of France.

But even in this last refuge the fates were against him. A heavy shell crashed into the engine room, just below the water line, and the engineer rushed on deck to report that the water had extinguished the engine room fires, and was rising beyond control of the pumps. The Kearsarge was now getting into position to pour a raking fire into the Alabama, and Captain Semmes, realizing that all was lost, cast his sword into the sea and ordered the colors lowered. This, however, did not stop the fire of the Kearsarge, and five more shots were thrown into the sinking ship.

A

It was now apparent that the Alabama could float only a little longer, and as the Kearsarge was making no effort to come to the rescue, Semmes ordered all hands to save themselves. few moments later, the wounded ship reared her prow high in air and plunged downward to her last resting place. In the general swim which followed, ten of the Alabama's men were drowned. Semmes himself was rescued by a private yacht, the Deerhound, and was taken to England. Though he was not seriously disabled, his right arm had been badly injured by a flying piece of shell.

In England, he received the most generous treatment, and a party of British officers presented him with a handsome sword, inscribed, "To replace the one so gallantly won, defended, and lost." He also received, as a mark of esteem, a Confederate flag, which was presented to him by a noble English lady.

But his stay in England was short, and after a brief tour on the Continent he returned again to America and the service of his Southland. Arriving in Richmond during February of 1865, he was placed in command of the demoralized James River Squadron, with the rank of rear admiral. But no fighting was done by the squadron, and on the second of April, Semmes received a telegram advising him that Lee had evacuated Richmond. He was ordered to fit

his men for field service, destroy his fleet, and join the Confederate forces at Danville, Va.

He at once set about carrying out these orders, and early on the morning of the 23rd, the explosion caused by the destruction of the Confederate fleet lit up the surrounding country for miles. The crews disembarked at Richmond, and Semmes then faced the real difficulty of the work. With an ill-assorted company of sailors, loaded down with pots, pans, and sundry other camp outfit, he was to join forces with the Confederates at Danville, some hundred and twenty-five miles distant. However, the problem was solved by the discovery in a neighboring freight yard of two small engines and a string of flat cars. By means of this improvised train, Danville was reached the following night.

Ten days of anxious waiting followed and then came the fatal news of Lee's surrender. Semmes dispersed his command, and surrendered with General

Johnston's army as Admiral and Brigadier-General.

Thus ended the war-time career of Raphael Semmes. Raphael Semmes. For four years he had devoted his life and energies to the struggle which his land was making for independence. The fact that his efforts had not been in vain, even though the great cause was lost, is beautifully expressed by General Bradley T. Johnson, when he said:

"His exploits make a record for brilliancy and efficiency unequaled in the annals of war upon the high seas, in the history of the world. He captured and ransomed or burnel eighty-nine merchant vessels bearing the United States flag, and literally obliterated the commerce of the United States from the high sea. He carried the Confederate battle flag into the face of four continents and surrendered it in a blaze of glory that will glow as long as chivalry shall nerve the hearts of men, or the story of gallant deeds stir the pulses of the human race."

THA

HAT Arizona possesses possesses every qualification requisite for statehood-area, resources, and population is indisputable. It extends from Utah on the north, to the Republic of Mexico on the south, a distance of some four hundred miles; and from Mexico on the east, to California on the west, a distance of some three hundred and fifty miles. Arizona contains a greater area in square miles than any other state of the Union, except the states of California, Texas and Montana. Its area of square miles exceeds that of all six of the New England states, with Pennsylvania thrown in. It is an Empire within itself, with resources enough, when fully developed, to support a population of several millions of people.

Arizona has for the last few years led all the states and territories in the United States in the production of copper. It has one great copper mine in the northern part of the territory, known as the United Verde, owned by ex-Senator Clark, of Montana, which has paid more than $24,000,000 of dividends, and which is regarded as being one of the very greatest copper mines in the United States, if not in the world.

In the extreme southeastern portion of the territory, in Cochise county, near the city of Bisbee, are located the immense copper mines of Phelps, Dodge & Company, which paid in dividends last year the sum of $6,000,000. These mines have been in operation since 1880, and have produced many million of dollars worth of copper.

The copper deposits of Arizona are not confined to any particular section, but are widely diffused throughout the entire territory; with the great United Verde in the north; the Copper Queen

(Phelps, Dodge & Company), the greatest dividend-paying copper mine in the United States, in the south; the famous Clifton and Morenci mines in the east, which have been in active operation since 1880 and have contributed many millions of dollars to the wealth of Arizona; and near central Arizona lies the Globe mineral belt, which bids fair to be not only the greatest copper producing section of the territory, but in the United States.

It is predicted by men well informed in copper mining that when Arizona's vast copper deposits are developed fully it will lead, not only all the other states of the Union, but all countries in the production of that ore.

Arizona is noted for its great production of gold and silver. Tombstone, which sprang up as if by magic and became so famous in the early '80's, has a record of $40,000,000 to its credit, and its mines are still operated. Many other gold and silver mines could be mentioned, which have produced their millions, and well it has been said that "Arizona is the great mineral storehouse of the West."

Arizona is not only famous for its great mineral resources, but it possesses some of the richest agricultural valleys of any state in the Union, not even excelled by the Valley of the Nile.

It was in Arizona that the United States Reclamation Service first began its great work for the storage of water for irrigation, and, as a result of that work, Arizona can boast today of having the largest artificial reservoir in the world-the great Roosevelt dam, which stores sufficient water to irrigate 240,000 acres of land in the Salt River Valley, which in productiveness is unexcelled in any part of the world.

The Reclamation Service is also con