The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-09-23
&ifhmunh qispattt.
An ENGLISH VISIT TO the rLotlpA.

A correspondent Of the London Times
writes highly interesting account of a
visit to the G. 5. steamer Florida now ".
ing at Brest, France. Wemake some ex.
tracts from the letter which will be found
to repay perusal:
had no difficulty in making ont this now
cc-cDrated vessel, as she lay at anchor among
some OF Inc giants Of the French navv-a
long, low, black, rakish looking craft. not
over smart ia appearance, vet Tsefnl ,vrry
lheh OIL her-a pigmy among these monsters,
ana yet formidable pigmy, even to the up.
pfaclised eye, the palmetto flag flying proud
y from her mizen. We happened to have a
French Vice Admiral, a Russian Vice Admi-
RAJ, and Senator of the Empire on hoard.
ana You may imagine there was an iniiDjty OF
gossip, but no reliable information.
When we landed al the Gale in the harbor
Inc crowd which usually assemblies 10 vel
come or pes1er new corners was fun OF "Lo
ffo,fae and her doings. "EWed," cried au
enthusiastic c0n'iaiSstonaiie to me. .s.Ne n
-Ho'"eM, je eo'ts assure Snr ma Da,,oie Tho0.
ns1h, i"mr den1 millions de ljrjes ste,Fing q
t",n, tout en- of, ie ro,,s assu,I." '.Eh, UOa
DF"! c'ea benucosP"' cried . smart little
mousse from the Turenne. l could not help
agreeing with the 1'oaSss that the sum named
49, vi At"IAIy u y Clt ucsls
mat evening, taided by my fellow traveller,
Mr.. Henry Tuppcr, Vice Consul Of France in
Gnernsey, and one of the jurats of thai
lsiand,) found some of the officers of The
Florida at the Hotel lie Nantes iruc dAio,jl.
lon.) Lieut.. lin"ard IIooie "a younn man
VINO apparently did not number more fhsp
ihrce ana twenty years. received us courte.
ot!siy, and gave lis his card to assure ms nd
mission on board. He stated, however. that
his superior officer, Capt. MafIt, was gene
rally TO be found on board his vessel and
courtesy, and total absence OF boasting. man
Tested by this young officer impressed lis
most fayorably.
All next day 1t blew gale Of wind in The
Rade, and We could not find boat to ven
tnre ont. To-day, however, the weather Was
most propiions, and early morning found
us alongside of the Florida. We sent our
cards TO Capt. Mai.li, and were immediately
admitted on board, the Captain himself com
ing to the top Of the companion to receive
US. Directly Capt. Mafiit understood that
we were British subjects he invited us below
INTO his little cabin, and when I told him
that there were many people in England
who regarded his career with gre It interest
he entered very freely into recital Of his
OF the Captain himself NAV say that he is a
slight ,Iniddle-sized, ,wellknit man, of about A.:
q merry looking man, with ready, deter
mined air, full of life and business-apra.
rcntly the sort Of man who is equally ready
Tor a fight or jollitication, and whose pref
erence for the latter would by no means in
terfere with his creditable conduct of the
former. His plainly furnished little state
room looked as business likes asa merchants
Office. The round table in the centre was
strcwn with books ana innumerable manu-
scripts, and on the shelves were formidable
looking rows Of account books, charts, &c.
may observe of the cabin, as OF every part
of the Florida, that none Of it appears to
have been built for ornament-all for use.
"You see" said the Captain, pointing to the
heaps of papers, letters on files, account
books, DC which literally Uttered the table,
''you see Eve no sinecurc of it. Since my
paymaster died Eve had to be my own pay
master There's young man named Davis,
quo relation to 0nr Fresident,) who does
paymaster's duty; bat he's not yet quite up
to the work"
Capt. Mafit forthwith began an animated
recital OF his careeer and adventures. He is
forty-two years old, and is the Oldest officer
OF board. All the officers were born in the
Confederate States, aud most Of them were
officers in the United States Navy before the
outbreak of the war. The Oldest of the Off
GERS is not mere than twenty three. The
.Aen are more mixed. There are one hun
dred able seamen on board the Florida, and
about thirteen officers. Four fine fellows
are from the neighborhOod Of Rrcst Capt
Mafiit says that he has hardly ever taken
prize. but what some Of the crew of the prize
have come forward to say, "ShOuld like to
serve with you, Sir" GeRerally speaking, he
has to refuse but il he secs very likely fcl-
low he takes him on.
CAM NatI1t waS q fiant nj tho I mi
ted States Navy beft re the outbreak, and in
thai capacity distinguished himself greatly.
In 1858 he commanded the brig Dolphin,
when he captured the SLAYER Echo with 400
slaves on board, and took her into Charles
ton For this feat his health was drunk at a
public dinner at Liverpool; and ii is q curl
Ons fact, for those who maintain that the
civil war in America is founded upon the
slave question, that the commander of this
important Confederate cruiser should be the
very man WHO has distinguished himself
actively against the slave trade. In 1889 Cap
tain Maflit commanded the United States
steamer Crusader, and captured four slavefs.
The Captain had great deal to say about
his successful! feat At Mobile. In his opinion
it has been the greatest naval feat Of mOdern
times. lie dwelt long and warmly upon the
incidents of the affair." and pointed proudly
tO the marks OF shrapntl, which are nnmer-
ous 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 1linch shell has
been repaired. The Florida made no 4Spdea-
yor to reply to the fire which she rect ived,
the sea running too high to admit of steady
aim, and her small crew being too much oc'
cupied in the management OF the ship. The
CAPTAIN showed rs Il watercOlOr sketch
tvery well drawn by one OF the midshipmen)
OF the Florida running the blockade. 1t
would moi have disgraced professional
artist.
The only broadside which the Florida has
fired in anger was against the Ericsson, m
armed merchant man, which she encountered
some forty miles from New York. The
Ericsson, a very large vessel, did not reply,
but made the best Of her way OF, and sue.
ceeded in escaping When they ventured
within forty miles OF New York they did not
know that the arrival of the Tacony zone OF
their "Outtts,') had put the New Workers
on their guard, and they soon found that
there were about seventy armed vessels out
searching for them, and SO were glad TO re
treat. 1--WE never seek a fght,' said Capt
Naflitt, "and We don't avoid one. fou see
we've only two vessels against 1900, SO We
should stand poor chance. Our object II
merely to destroy their commerce, SO as to
bring about peace. We have taken alto
gether seventy two prizes, and estimate the
yalue at $l5 0OO,OOD. The Jacob Bell alone
was worth ~, 100000" !,
The Captain exhibited book in which al
the prizes were regularly entered and all par
ticniars lelating thereto. lie explained that
their mode of procedure was to burn ent
destroy the property OF the Northern States
wherever they found it. asked iftheyt tool
gold and precious articles, and the reply Mas
{ Pretty quick, when We get them" Ths
papers Of the burned prizes are all kept ant