The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-20 00:00:00

THE CRUISE OF THE FLORIDA.

The brief stay of the Confederate vessel of war,
the Florida, at Bermuda, afforded an opportunity
for the collection of some particulars respecting her
recent career. Those details have just arrived in
this country, and are all the more interesting at the
present moment from the fact of the celebrated
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up to the 11th of May last, managing to elude 13
Federal vessels of war specially sent to cruise in
pursuit of her. The list of the vessels destroyed or
released on bond by the Florida during the last six
months includes the following names ;—Estelle,
Corris Annie, Star of Peace, J. M. Colcord, Com-
monwealth, Kate Dyer, Clarence, Southern Cross,
J. B. Howie, Windward, Jacob Bell, Aldebaran,
Lapwing, Oneida, Henrietta, Crown Point, Red
Gauntlet, ship Sunrise, and the schooners V. H.
Hill, Wm. B. Nash, and Hull. Many of the above
were large and valuable clipper ships engaged in
the California, China, and East India trades. The
four vessels last named were taken within some 50
or 60 miles of New York, and while in that neigh-
bourhood Maffit sent an expedition along the New
England coasts with a view of seeing if anything in
his line was stirring in that direction. The expe-
dition was very successful, 27 vessels, great and
small, including a revenue cutter, being captured
and destroyed. This brilliant feat was performed
under Lieutenant Reed. A terrible panic exists
along the Yankee shore. The Sound steamers are
afraid to run without an escort, fishing vessels are
kept in port, and some 50 men-of-war are cruising
off the different Northern ports looking after the
Florida. In fact, so great a panic has never existed
off the New England coast. A large portion of the
Yankee merchant vessels has been transferred to
the English flag. The New York Herald of the
Bth inst. also notices, as a deplorable fact, that
Federal ships, in large numbers, are being placed
under the protection of the Brazilian flag, the naval
resources of the Washington Government being
found totally inadequate to the protection of the
mercantile marine. There is much talk of an em-
bargo.
When the Florida arrived at Bermuda from Mo-
bile, she showed indications of hard service; but her
supplies were of the most ample and varied descrip-
tion, as cash, sails, provisions, &c., had been libe-
rally contributed by the Yankee vessels. The crew
are described as being as crack" as the Florida
herself—fine weather-beaten fellows, much attached
to the ship. The following is an account of the pro-
ceedings of the Florida from the date of her depar-
ture from Mobile to her arrival in Bermuda—the
cruise lasting about six months. The account is in
the form of a newspaper letter from a Mr. Wilson,
one of the Florida's men, and is dated "St. George's,
Bermuda, July 21 :"

" You and your readers are doubtless well aware
that this steamer ran out of the harbour of Mobile
on the 16th day of January, 1863, so I will say
nothing on that head, but endeavour to give you a
full account of what we have done since. Our first
work was the herm. brig Estelle, of Boston, on her
first voyage and homeward bound from Santa Cruz,
with a full cargo of sugar and honey for the good
people of Boston. But we consigned her to OH
Father Neptune.' She was valued at 138,000 dols.
In Havana we received our coal, stores, &c. At
daylight on the morning of the 22d of January we
tatted our anchor and ran along the coast eastward,
and at 11 a.m. captured and burned the herm. brig.
Windward, from Matanzas, bound to Portland, and
just at sunset we sent the herm. brig Curls Annie,
of Philadelphia, on the same (fiery) road. She was
within two hours' sail of her destination, which
was Cardenas. We left the Cuban coast for the
Banks, and on the 26th dropped our anchor in the
harbour of Nassau. Here we also took in coal,
and our hull looking anything but Christianlike,
we went to Green Keys to ' paint ship.' On the
28th January came to an anchor, and for two or
three days all hands were busy as bees, scrub-
bing the whitewash from our sides, and on the first
day of February we started on a cruise. But a
sail being reported, and proving to be the
Yankee gunboat Sonoma, and being of heavier
metal than us, we showed our heels. For
forty-eight hours she chased us, but got nothing for
her pains, for on the third morning she could hardly
be seen from the masthead. From the time of elud-
ing the Sonoma till the 12th of February we saw no
Yankee vessels, and all the boys were getting
im-
patient for a prize, or 'even a sail, when we heard
the masthead look-out sing out, Sail, ho Steam
was raised and our propeller lowered, and at four
p.m. we boarded her, and found that she was indeed
a prize. Her name was the Jacob Bell, from Foo-
chow, bound to New York, with a valuable cargo of
teas, silks, &c. We burned her, and then went to
Barbadoes. Our next prize was the Star of Peace,
which we captured on the 12th of March; she was
from Calcutta, bound to Boston, with saltpetre. The
schooner Aldebaran was the next victim of the
pirate Florida. For fifteen days did we look for
another, and she brought us the most needful article,
and that was coal. The Lapwing was captured on
the 28th, and sent a cruising against Yanks, and
captured the ship Kate Dyer, and bonded her for
40,000 dole. On the 30th March fell in with the
bark M. J. Colcard, from New York, bound to Cape
Town, and she was burned. On the Lice we met
the Oreto (Lapwing), coaled, and then took a cruise
along the Line, and on April 17th burned the ship
Commonwealth, from New York for San Francisco.
On the 23d April burned the barque Henrietta,
from Baltimore for Rio Janeiro. The next day
(24th) burned the ship Oneida, from Shanghai for
New York, with tea. May 6, took berm, brig
C.arence, put one 12-pounder howitzer, 20 men, and
two officers on board, and sent her on a cruise. What
execution Lieut. Reed did I refer you to the papers
about. The Tacony was one of her prizes. On the 10th
of May we were in Pernambuco; sailed on the 12th.
Next day (Mayl3) burnt ship Crown Point, another
San Francisco packet from New York. We then went
to Seara, where we again coaled, and started for the
Northern coast; and on the 6th June burnt chip
Southern Cross, from San Francisco, bound to New
York. On the 14th June burnt the shin Red Gaunt-
let, from Ilmon to Hong Kong. From her we