The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-05 00:00:00

PRICE..... ...4d.
STAMPED ....Ed.

sideut), who does paymaster's duty—but he's not yet quite
up to the work.-

Capt. Maffitt forthwith began an animated recital of his
career and adventures. He is 42 years old, and is the oldest
officer on board. All the officera were born in the Confede-
rate States, and most of them were officers in the United
States Navy before the outbreak of the war. The oldest
officer is not more than 23. Tho men aro not more mixed.
There aro 100 able seamen on board the Florida, and about
13 offieers. Four fine fellows are from the neighbourhood
of Brest. Captain Maffitt says ho has already never taken
a prize but some of the crew of the prize have come forward
to say, " Should like to serve with you, sir." Generally
speaking, he has to refuse—but if he sees a very likely fel-
low he takes him on.

Captain l'Slaffitt was a lieutenant of the United States
Navy before the outbreak, and in that' capacity distin-
guished himself greatly. In 1858 he commanded the brig
Dolphin, when he captured the slaver Echo with 400 slaves
on board, and took her into Charleston. For this feat his
health was drunk at a public dinner at Liverpool ; and it is
a curious fact, for those who maintain that the civil war in
America is founded upon the slave question, that the com-
mander of this important Confederate cruiser should be the
very man who has distinguished himself actively against
the slave trade. In 1859 Captain Maffitt commanded the
United States steamer Crusader, and captured four slavers.
The captain had a great deal to say about his successful
feat at Mobile, In his opinion it has been the greatest naval
feat of modern times. He dwelt long and warmly upon
the incidents of the affair, and pointed proudly to the marks
of shrapnel, which are numerous enough, upon the masts
and smoke stacks. The Florida was struck with three heavy
shots on that occasion, and one can easily perceive in the
side of the ship where the mischief caused by the 11-inch
shell has been repaired. The Florida made no endeavour
to reply to the fire which she received, the sea running too
high to admit of steady aim, and her small crew being too
much occupied in the management of the ship. The captain
showed us a water colour sketch (very well drawn by one of
the midshipmen) of the Florida running the blockade. It
would not have disgraced a professional artist.
The only broadside which the Florida has fired in anger
was against the Ericsson, an armed merchantman, which
she encountered 40 miles from New York. The Ericsson,
a very large vessel, did not reply, but made the best of her
way off, and succeeding in escaping. When they ventured
within 40 miles of New York they did not know that the
arrival of the Taconay (one of the "outfits") had put the
New Yorkers on their guard, and they soon found that
there were about 70 armed vessels out searching for them,
and so were glad to retreat. " We never seek a fight," said
Captain Maffitt, " and we don't avoid one. You see we've
only two vessels against 1,500, so we should stand a poor
chance. Our object is merely to destroy their commerce, so
as to bring about a peace. We've taken altogether 72
prizes,and estimate the value at about 15,000,000 dole. The
Jacob Bell alone was worth 2,100,000 dols." The captain
exhibited a book, in which all the prizes were regularly en •
tered and all particulars relating thereto. He explained
that their mode of procedure was to burn and destroy the
property of the Northern States wherever they found it. I
asked if they took gold and precious articles, and the reply
was, "Pretty quick, when we get them." The papers of
the burnt prizes are all kept and a valuation is made before
the destruction of the vessels, in the expectation that when
peace is restored the Confederate Government will make an
appropriation of money equivalent to the claims of the cap-
tors. In consequence of this arrangement there is very little
actual treasare on board the Florida, and the officers and
crew are working mainly on the faith of the future inde-
pendence and solvency of the Confederacy. " Any wan°
said Captain Moffitt, "we have cost the Government very
little, for we've lived on the enemy. Oh, yes, we've served
them out beautifully." In reply to some questions as to
the method of capture, the captain said, "Wo only
make war with the United States Government, and we re-
spect little property. IV e treat prisoners of war with the
greatest respect. Most of those whom we have captured
have spoken well of us. To be sure we have met with some
ungrateful rascals ; but you meet with those all the world
over. The last prize we took was the Anglo-Saxon, which
we took in the English Channel the other day, in mid-
channel, about 60 miles from Cork. She had coal on board,
and we burnt her. The pilot was a saucy fellow, and
maintained that he was on his piloting ground. He in-
sisted on being landed in an English port, but we could not
do that. I brought him and 24 men here (to Brest), and
sent them to the English Cow ul. If the pilot has any just
claim upon us it will be settled by the Confederate Govern-
ment. That's not my business. My business is to take care
of the ship."

When.the Florida came into Brest she had been at sea for
eight months without spending more than four entire days
in port. Before entering the port of Brest she had not been
more than 24 hours in any one port, although she had visited
Nassau, Bermuda, Pernambuco, and Siorra (Brazil). " Yes,
indeed, Sir I" said the captain, "two hundred and forty-
five days upon solid junk, without repairs or provision.'
During all this time they have only lost 15 men, including
those who were killed and wounded at Mobile, the pay-
master (who died of consumption), and one officer (win was
accidentally drowned). They have come into Brest to re-
pair the engines, which are somewhat out of order, the
shaft being quite out of line. The Emperor has given
orders that the Florida is to be admitted into the port for
all necessary repairs, and is to be supplied with everything
she may require except munitions of war.

In the course of conversation Captain Maffitt gave me an
account of what ho called "the outfits" of the Florida.
These have been three in number. The Clarence was cap-
tured off Pernambuco on the sth of May, and Lieut. Reed
was put on board with 20 men and one gun. These were
afterwards changed to the Taconay, a better vessel, which
was captured shortly after, and (to borrow Capt.Maffitt's ex-
pression) "she captured right and left." Finally, she took
the reventie cutter off Portland Harbour. The other "fit
out" was the Lapwing, on board of which Lieut. Avrett
was put to cruise on the Equator. He made several cap-
tures, and has now returned to his ship.

Capt. MOW showed us over his ship, which was in pretty
good order considering the eight months' almost uninter-
rupted cruise, and he presented us both with a photographic
picture of ber, which was taken at Bermuda. The Florida
mounts only eight guns—six 48-pounders of the Blakeley
pattern, made at Low Moor, and stern bow chasers.
On taking our leave I asked Capt. 'dant whether ho
expected to bo intercepted on leaving Brest, pointing at the
same time to the Goulet, the narrow passage which affords
the only ingress and egress to and from the Rade. "Well,"
replied he, "I expect there will be seven or eight of them
out there before long, but I'm not afraid. I've run eight
blockades already, and it'll go hard but I'll run the ninth."

TEE MOSAIC MINISTRY,
AS DESCRIBED BY A CONSERVATIVE IN THB "NEW
REVIEW" FOR SEPTEMBER.

From one end of the world to the other he is interfering
and intermeddling, lest the world should forget him ; and,
even sinco we wrote the first few pages of this article, he
has given a fresh proof of incapacity and nepotism in the
recall of Si: James Hudson from Turin to make way for a
privileged Elliot I The next thing that we shall hear of will
be the recall of Lord Napier from St. Petersburg to make
way for a companion Phipps!

As Castor and Pollux divided the year,
And held one another in passing eclipse,
An Elliot ascends if a Phipps disappear—
If Elliot is waning we look for a Phipps:
And so, persevering in sunshine or storm,
Without interregnum or Tory eclipse,
We steer in the name and the cause of reform,
By the twin constellation of Elliot and Phipps.

At the Home Office we have seen a minister alike igno-
rant of what to do and what to leave undone ; insulting
and offending, on the most frivolous pretext, the wealthy
and powerful corporation of the City of London; setting
himself perversely against the general feeling of the public
on the question of our criminal population; and com-
mitting the Royal prerogative to the most questionable re-
laxation of justice. At the Exchequer we see Mr. Glad-
stone still playing with the public purse as if it were a toy ;
trying financial experiments either contemptible for frivo-
lity or odious for harshness ; and deferring to still another
day the redemption of his ancient pledges. In Ireland, we
find Lord Carlisle's popularity on the wane. People are
tired of him. Something more is expected of a Viceroy
than a daily attendance at bazaars, cricket matches, flower
shows, and such like. Thus, in addition to those general
causes which favour the progress of Conservatism, we have
special reasons also for diistrusting a Whig Administration.
Nothing practical, on the other hand, was eves urged
against the Conservatives, even by their enemies—except,
of course, by regular Democrats and Dissenters—but the
ono possibility that their foreign policy might be retro-
gressive. Waiving the question of how much there may
be to choose between a retrogressionist and a Russell, we
only care to point out that little can be got out of this cry
more favourable to one party than another. The Conser-
vatives could not well adopt any reactionary foreign policy
—not so much because public opinion would not let them,
as because there are few, if any despotic Governments left
upon the Continent. Austria is constitutional; Russia is, at
all events, becoming Liberal ; Italy is parliamentary ; France
is the most despotic of all. Yet a close alliance with France
has never been supposed to savour of a reactionary spirit.
The Pope is the only ruler left, sympathy with whom
would be so interpreted. And really the temporary power
of the Papacy, besides being a French "idea," is a some-
what slender foundation for so heavy a superstructure to be
reared upon.

CITY EXTENSION OF THE NORTH LONDON RAIL.
wAv.—Mcssrs. Waring and Co. have taken the contraci
for the construction of this branch railway from Kings.
land to Liverpool-greet, City, for the aura of £2162000.—
City Pi -cu.