'Cannon sent in by Americans'
There is precedent for this. The Prioleau Blakely cannon erroneously reported to have fired the first shots of the American Civil War, was British made 'but sent in by the American' Charles Kuhn Prioleau from Liverpool, England.
Please see the attachment.
As I maintain that the Nautilus is inspired by the Confederate American Civil War Commerce raider CSS Alabama then the equivalent of the fictional ship Abraham Lincoln would have been the USS Vanderbilt, donated by the richest man in the world Cornelius Vanderbilt to President Abraham Lincoln in a fruitless campaign to track down the CSS Alabama.
Her year long search took the USS Vanderbilt to the West Indies, South America, St Helena, the Canary Islands and Portugal.
Sadly the USS Vanderbilt had American armaments only on board so here the comparison with the fictional Abraham Lincoln breaks down, if the Vanderbilt had been armed with French cannon then perhaps this would have been a hidden reference by Verne to countries like Britain and France arming both sides in the American Civil War.
Both Cornelius Vanderbilt and Charles Kuhn Prioleau were members of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club of Birkenhead, the club whose yacht Deerhound rescued the Alabama's captain Raphael Semmes from the English Channel after the Alabama was sunk by the USS Kearsarge. The American Civil War was indeed fought by friends who became enemies and then friends once again.
As stated I always try to interpret the Nautilus and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea from a 'CSS Alabama Birkenhead perspective' (see below) as this more than often produces results and I do not think my summary below is just a list of 'coincidences'. Sometimes (like in this case) comparisons with the CSS Alabama do not pay off, but the important thing is that it makes you look and as the Prioleau cannon gained some celebrity at the time I am sure Verne knew of its existence and its symbolic meaning for both the Confederacy and for the Union as a sign of reconciliation after the conflict.
I hope the attachment is of interest
Best John
According
to Jules Verne in his novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
The
hull of the Nautilus was constructed in secret at Lairds
shipyard of Birkenhead and completed on a remote island for Captain Nemo, whose
motto is Mobilis in Mobile. The Nautilus cruised 20,000 Leagues (70,000
miles) in three oceans and sunk numerous ships creating worldwide concern
amongst shipping companies. The
warship Abraham Lincoln of the United States navy under its Captain
Farragut is sent to find what is assumed to be a ‘sea monster’ and a bounty of
$2,000 is put on her head.
According
to Raphael Semmes in his Memoirs of Service Afloat During the War Between
the States (1870).
The
hull of the CSS Alabama was constructed in secret at Lairds shipyard of
Birkenhead and completed on a remote island for Captain Raphael Semmes from
Mobile, Alabama. The CSS Alabama cruised 70,000 miles in three oceans
and sunk over 60 Unionist ships, creating worldwide concern amongst shipping
companies. President Abraham Lincoln put a
bounty of $250,000 on Semmes’s ‘sea monster’ and instructed Admiral Farragut of
the United States navy to find her.