The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-21 00:00:00

The Tallahassee,

The diary of the volunteer on board the Talla-
hassee, to which we alluded the other day, begins
with her start and running out on the 6th of Au-
gust, and ends with her runein on the 25th. On the
11th the writer enters in his log :—" We are now
about 20 miles from Long Island. Seven sail in
sight. Towards 9 o'clock a pilot boat appeared and
ran down towards us, thinking we were in want of
a pilot. When alongside a boat was lowered and
sent off, in which was a large well-dressed man,
with a heavy watchguard, a massive ring on his little
finger, and the air of a genuine New York butcher
boy. He was prepared to take us into port—having
his clean shirt in a bundle under his arm, and a few
copies of the Herald and Times. We had the Stars
and Stripes Hying as he pat off from the schooner,
but just as he came under the stern they were
lowered and our ensign raised. My God said he,
glancing up at it, ' what is that?' What ship is
this ?' he asked, as he stepped upon the quarter-deck.
' The Confederate cruiser Tallahassee,' replied Cap-
tain Wood. Upon hearing this the fellow was
frightened out of his wits. His face turned deadly
pale, his knees shook violently, and drops of perspi-
I started from every pore. I never saw a more
perfect picture of abject misery than he presented
when told his boat would be burnt. This was the
James Funck, or pilot boat, No. 22. Being a
beautiful and fast sailing schooner, Captain Wood
put a prize crew upon her, keeping her as a
tender. We obtained some Fulton market beef,
mutton on ice, fresh vegetables, and a quantity of
stores from this boat." On the 12th an acci-
dent happened. " The 22' was cast off and
sent after some vessels in the distance, while we
steer for a large ship on our starboard bow. When
alongside she was ordered to heave to, and in doing
so swept down upon us and struck us before we
could get away; but fortunately very far aft. Our
mainmast fell, and the deck was swept clean of
everything standing, carrying away even the iron
bulwark rail. Being a very large ship, towering
high above us, she would have inevitably sunk us
had she struck amidships. The mast fell over the
side, and the rigging being cut away swung round
under the propeller. It was some time before this
could be extricated. All being clear we moved
ahead a short distance, and Lieut. Gardner was sent
on board after the captain and his papers. In a
few moments he came over the side with a very
confident air, feeling sure that he, being an Eng-
lishman, would be allowed to go on with his ship.
This was the Adriatic, from London for New York,
with 163 passengers. There was great consterna-
Ition among these people when told that the ship
was to be destroyed, and they were ordered to
gather up their private baggage to go on board a
barque the 22' was then bringing in. I shall
never forget the scene, and yet it was a trific com-
pared to what I saw when the enemy took posses-
sion of the town of Fredericksbwg. Women and
children wept, screamed, and prayed, while men
cursed, laughed, and got drunk. Two or three '
elderly women went into hysterics, while others
were running here and there with clasped hands,
asking us to spare them. It was some time before
they could comprehend that we did not intend
burning them with the ship ; but when they did all
went quietly to work packing their things. They
were allowed to take everything they desired,
and frequently a whole boat was taken up
by two or three persons with their luggage.
It was a bustling scene when they cama to go
over the ship's side. Tne women were lifted
into the boats as carefully as possible, and the
disagreeable business conducted as well and better
than could be expected. Three or four men were
so drunk that they hal to be slung over the side,
Captain Moore among the number. It was with
great difficulty he was got out at all, as he preferred
going to sleep in his bunk to the exertion of chang«
ing ships. It took nearly two hours to clear her,
and then she was burnt with her valuable cargo on
board. The baggage these people carried was of
the strangest description— broken pots and pans,
jars, crockery, cracked vases, birdcages, cats, dogs,
and other pets brought with them from the Oid
'Arorld. These they all insisted upon taking, but in
many instances they had to be refused. Women,
after having become reconciled to leaving, went to
the side cheerfully enough, but became obstreperous
when not permitted to take an old straw bed or a
basket of dishes worth less than fire dollars. It was
a sad sight to witness the trouble of these poor
creatures, who, in many instances, had their all on
board. Perhaps one half the number were able-
bodied young men who will be found in a month's
time in the army of Virginia. The barque Suliote,
which was bonded, took the passengers and our
other prisoners on board."

The diary proceeds with an account of the vari-
ous captures, some burnt or scuttled, and some
bonded :

"August 13th.—It was scarcely daylight when
two sail were reported, and in a few moments both
were alongside. One was an old English vessel,
which of course we could not touch ; the other, the
barque Glenavon, of Thomaston, Maine, from Glas-
gow to New York, with a cargo of pig iron. This was
a fine, new barque, with splendid spars and double
topsail yard. The captain had his wife on board—a
brave, good woman—and a female servant. There
were two passengers in the cabin, an old sea captain
and his wife, the latter a perfect termagant, and very
offensive :to all on board. Her tongue Was never
idle, and her time about equally divided between
abusing her husband, who bore it like a lamb,
and distributing Testaments and tracts among
our men. The art of making everybody disagree-
able was carried to perfection with this horrible
woman, and the ecoldings she gave the poor captain
who was tied to her apron strings struck every one
dumb with astonishment. The last act of revenge
on the poor man was just as she was leaving the side
when the old lady, in a fit of anger, tore of her new
bonnet and threw it in the sea. We get a quantity
of mess stores from the Glenavon, a few luxuries,
some hams, a coop of chiekens, and two pigs. After
removing all thin
so of immediate service to us Lieut.
Ward
hat ner scuttled, and she sank rapidly. It
seemed a pity to destroy such a noble craft, and I
looked upon our work with sorrow. I spoke of Mrs
Watts, the captain's wife. She was, indeed, a brave,
sweet woman, and bore her losses without a murmur,
and, at the same time, the taunts of the other woman.
Only once did she give way to her feelings, and
then when speaking of their loss in connexion with
her children. Poor fellow,' said she, looking fondly
towards her husband, he has been going to sea for
30 years, and all his earnings were in this ship. We
were saving for our dear little children at home, five
of them,' then her eyes filled with tears, and a single
drop trickled down her still fair cheeks. She said
that since the beginning of the war she had read
with sorrow of the sufferings of the noble Virginian
ladies, and only wished her loss might do them some
good. This and similar sympathising expressions,
together with a little wholesome abuse of Lincoln,
the Zantippe threatened to report to the police the
moment they arrived in New York. I should have
remarked that soon after the burning of the Adria-
tic, the 22,' being no longer of any use to us, was
destroyed. We have a few prisoners on board to-
day—the officers and crew of the Lamot du Pont.
They are genuine Yankees. Upon the quarter-deck
is a large pile of baggage belonging to these few
men, and .1 contrast their treatment with my own
when a prisoner in the hands of the enemy.
Everything was taken from me, even to an old and
much worn toothbrush, and not even a change of
underclothing allowed me.
" 15th—Captured the fishing schooner Floral
Wreath, of Maine, with over 3,000 dole. worth of
cured fish on board. The captain, named Jewett,
was a genuine Yankee, and the loss of his Vessel

went very hard with him. He repeatedly declared
he would rather have lost his wife than that
schooner.' This was thought to be a joke at first,
but he repeated it so often we saw he was in ear-
nest. But by breaking up the fishing trade we
destroy the great industrial pursuit of the New
England coast. At 3 p.m. took the fishing schooner
Restless, returning from the Gulf of St. Lawrence
with 175 quintals of cod fish, homeward bound, and
within one day's sail of home. These rough hardy
fishermen are a timid set, and show much terror
when taken on board. Several have shed tears, and
others with faces deadly pale ask what will be done
to them. The appearance of several mirages of re-
markable beauty and distinctness have afforded us
some pleasure. The fog clouds that hang low upon
the water play fantastic tricks with the sails be.
neath or in them. Sometimes the facsimile of a
vessel is seen reversed upon a cloud, apparently
high in the air; sometimes it appears cut in half,
one part towering, like a marble column, 100 ft in
the air. Sometimes again they look like little toy
boats floating a few feet above the surface of the
water, and then, when the mist is thick and the
vessel near, it looms up largely, making a fishing
schooner look as large as a line of battle ship. I
was much interested by the strange tricks of these
phantasmagoria.
" 16th—The schooner Sea Flower was overhauled
and let loose on condition our prisoners should be
taken into some port, there being at this time a
large number on board. Among them was a genuine
Yankee girl, some 17 or 18 years of age, who was
cook upon her father's vessel. She was a good-
looking, black-eyed girl, who, after her first fright
was over, was not unwilling to give her smiles to a
few rather handsome pirates, who seemed disposed
to converse with her. One of these gave up his
room to her while on board, and this she insisted on
putting to righta before leaving, saying she had
' allers ben accustomed to work to home.' The men
were mach frightened when first taken, but when
assured they would be well treated and soon re-
turned began to davelope their Yankee traits ;
speaking in a very loud tone of voice and with a
nasal twang ; cursing, using slang words and very
peculiar idioms, they caused us no little amusement.
One expression was common to all—i.e., to home—
they speak of going to home,' when I was to
home,' &c. They spoke of their wives as the old
woman, and the man who said he 'would rather loose
his wife than his schooner' was not the only one
who showed singularity in his conjugal relations.
flat boat was all I had in the world,' said one,
and I've put five years' hard work in it. Now it's
all gone.' Yes,' I replied, 'and your people have
destroyed not only what we had gained in our
whole lives but our ancestors for over 100 years.'
"17th.—Returning along the coast of Maine we
saw two small fishing schooners a few miles ahead,
which, as soon as the flames of the Achome blazed
up in sight, turned in shore. We put on full steam
and soon came up with them, and just in time to
see the crews of both take to their small boats and
pull towards a little island a few miles away. The
schooners were entirely deserted. We headed off
the boats and ordering one back brought the other
alongside. When asked why they forsook their
vessels they replied they were afraid we should kill
them. Indeed, they were very badly frightened and
hardly one out of a dozen men was able to talk in.
telligibly. The schooners were the D. Ellis slid
Diadem, of II irwick, Massachusetts, returning from
a fishing trip in the Bay of Cheleur. Such a
pack of cowards I. never saw ; some were cry-
iug, and asking if they were to be killed, or what
was to be done with them. All disclaimed any
connection with the war, and vowed they had
always been opposed to Abolitionism and the Go-
verntnent. The information was volunteered, and
with Puritan solemni'y and air they called with
impious frequency upon God to witness the truth
of their declarations. They were Method Protest-
ants and boasted of their piety. One said, I hope
God may strike me dead if I ever had anything to
do with the war.' Bat,' said I, you carried a
torch in that Black Republican procession in Ha-
wick. How came that ?' Yea, yes,' he stammered,
' but I didn't mean anything by it.' lie told the
truth, because ho was too much confused to tell a
lie. The prisoners were paroled and told to get in
their boats and make a straight course for home."
" When the captain of the Howard was with us,
there was a Herald on board, containing a list of
pretended atrecit :es committed by us. The captain
admitted that these stories were inventions of the
reporters, and said that when he was taken by the
Florida, while returning with a cargo of fruit, Cap.
tain Morris purchased some, and paid him in gold
more than he would have received in greenbacks in
New York. The papers stated the fruit was stolen
from him after the bond had been E secuted. He
sent a letter contradicting this, and saying that he
was treated kindly and courteously ; in a few hours
he was waited upon by a person in the employ of
the Government, and told that if he wished to keep
out of Fort Lafayette he had better hold his tongue.
"It is truly amusing to see how eager all these
people are to ho paroled, asking over and over if
it will protect them from the draught. They fold
their paroles away very carefully, and look upon
them like bank bills. This is worth 350 dots.
to me,' said one; 'I would not take 1,000 dols.
for mine,' said another. One skipper declared
if it would protect him from the army he was
willing to give his vessel for it, and the
captain of a bonded vessel brought his whole crew
on board for the purpose of obtaining paroles. It
is ridiculous, indeed, to hear them converse about
the draught and their fears of being taken fea a
soldier." Want of coal now drove the Tallahassee
into Halifax, concerning which we are told :—The
people generally are very friendly to the South,
but in many instances I can but think it an inte-
rested friendship. They derive great benefit from
Southern trade, and undoubtedly are honest in
their sympathy with and their admiration for Con-
federate valcur. A few men can be mentioned who
have done a great deal for our cause, and have
shown their sympathy in something else besides
empty words. The British officers are unanimous
in their expressions of friendship, but I notice a
great change. Policy seems to control them, and
the fear of their Yankee neighbours is evident.
There is also the dislike of slavery. Every day it
becomes more evident that we have no hope from
any friendly feeling in England or her colonies.
Early in the evening, without a word of warning,
several armed boats and launches were sent down
to 71 s , with orders to go to sea at once, and forbid.
ding us to take over 100 tons of coal—enough, it
*as said, to take the vessel into the nearest Con-
federate port. A navy officer was put on board to
see that all despatch was used, and the boats an-
chored alongside. I learnt that the Queen's Coun-
cil had decided Oat vessels of a belligerent Power
must only stay in a neutral port long enough to get
coal and make necessary repairs, and 24 hours
afterwards." Accordingly the Tallahassee left in
haste, and made for Wilmington, but does not ap.
pear to have been put half a mile out of her course
from Halifax harbour to Fort Fisher. The run
into Wilmington we have already described, In
one of the adventures of the month the Tallahassee
by mistake gave chase to a Federal frigate, only
discovering that the anticipated prize was an armed
man-of-war when the two vessels were nearly
alongside each other ; " not caring"—so runs the
diary—" to interfere with such a respectable craft
we bore a way with full head of steam, and per-
mitted her to go on unreolestsd."

FRIGHTFUL OCCURRENCE.--A terrible accident
has just occurred on the site of the late extensive fire on the
premises of MM. Mery Sanson and Fleuriot, at Lisieux
(Calvados). About 20 persons, most of them females, were
two days ago occupied amongst the ruins in picking out the
parts of the bales of wool in part spared by the flames, when
a large piece of brickwall, which was considered perfectly
secure, fell with a tremendous crash. Thirteen of them
were buried under the mass. A number of men were ha.
mediately set to work, and all were got out ; but s.x were
dead, and the others more or less seriously injured.
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COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday a meeting of the Court of Common Counci
was held at he Guildhall; the Lord Mayor in the chair.

THE EDICT OF THE SULTAN OF MOROCCO.

Mr C. ROBINSON objected to the minutes of the last
meeting, as published and sent round to the members of
the Court, upon the ground of their incorrectness in one
essential particular—namely, the omission in the transla-
tion of the edict of the Sultan of Morocco of all reference to
the liberty granted to the Christians as well as to the Jews.
This edict was one of a very important nature, as read at
the time of the presentation to Sir Moses Montefiore, and
he was anxious to know whether the translation as pub-
lished was a literal one, because as it stood at present in
our language it referred only to the Jews.

The TOWN CLERK replied that it had been carefully col-
lated with the original, and that he believed the translation
to be correct.

APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS.

Upon the motion of Mr Deputy HOUGHTON, Mr Wm,
Turquand, Mr Henry Croysdell, and Mr John Ball were
appointed auditors, under the City of London Sewers Act,
to audit the accounts of the Commissioners of Sewers for
the year ending Sept. 29 last.
STATE OP LONDON-BRIDGE.

Mr M 'GEORGE called attention to the dusty state of Lon-
don-bridge, and asked what the arrangements were for
keeping the footways clean and the roadways watered.
Mr WEBBER. replied that the footways were under the
direction of• the Bridge-house Estates Committee, and that
the roadways were under that of the Commissioners of
Sewers. It seemed very desirable that the whole should be
placed under one management. There was no doubt the
footways were often in a very disgraceful state, but this was
frequently caused by the force of the wind blowing the dust
from one side to the other. He believed the watering of the
roadway was not so bad at present as it had been during the
dry summer. The whole subject of the better management
of the bridge had been referred to the architect, and there
was no doubt that some plan would shortly be suggested by
that gentleman which would prove satisfactory to the public.