Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-11-18
The Capture Of the Florida.
One Of the most daring Naral Achiere
mentS vn record.
A VISIT TO THE KEARsARGE.

VISIT TO THE KEARsARGE.
The news which We announced yester
day morning, that the arrival Of the ia
nous steamer Kearsarge at this poin
had brought the intelligence of the cap
ture in Brazilian waters by the Unio
gunboat Wachusett Of the notorious re
sel cruiser Florida, sent thrill of sur
prise and delight through the community
even in the midst of the excitement aut
anxiety of presidential election day
The joyful news spread over the city lik'
widfre. and it was the universal subjec
of discussion and of mutual congratua
tion, until the interests of the congress
ional and national elections seemed al
most forgotten in comparison. One o
our reporters paid a visit to the Hears
arge during the day, and by the kint
courtesy OF her officers, Paymaster j. 4
Smith being especially obliging, was Ell.
singular affair in the bay of Bahia, com.
prising all the particulars which are &c.
cessibe to the public.
The confederate war-steamer Florida
arrived at Bahia, Bay of San Salvador
Brazil, October 9TH, having captured and
burned the barquc Mondamon, from Rio
off Pernambuco on the 2Sth of Septem.
Der. The Uuited States steamer Wachu.
sett, Captain Napoleon Collins, had
been lying several days in the port of
Bahia, and the Florida at first anchored
in the ofling. The brazilian Admiral
Immediately sent her message request.
ing her to come inside. which she did,
anchoring in the midst of the Brazilian
feet, and close under the guns of the
principal fort, which is located upon an
island in the middle Of the harbor.
Certain parties in Bahia, which is a
commercial city of considerable impor-
tance with one of the best harbors in the
world, being interested in American af-
fairs, bestrred themselves to bring about
an engagement between the Wachusett
and Florida, firm y confident that the re-
suit Of such an encounter would be
another Union victory as complete as
that won last summer i'll the British
Channel On the morning Of the 9th OF
October they carried challenge to
Captain Morris of the Florida, to move
outside the limits of Brazilian -jurisdic-
ton and fight the Wachusett. The rebel
commander declined to receive the missive
which the Brazilian residents had prepar-
ed. on account of some inlormality in its
address. During the afternoon of the
same day Hungarian citizen living in
Bahia aud sympathizing with our govern.
ment in its struggle with rebellion, wait
ed upon Captain Morris, and endeavored
to induce him to consent to an action be-
tween his ship and the Union gauboat
but without success. Captain Morris
however stated that if he happened to
f,ll in with the Wachusett during a
cruise, he should willingly engage in Il
contest with her. but that on no account
would he consent to leave safe harbor
for the express purpose of having an en-.
"a cment.
All efforts OH the part Of outside
parties to bring ON a naval battle in open
water between the two vessels proving
unaeailing Captain Collins promptly took
into consideration the other means which
suggested themselves for ridding the seas
of the most dangerous enemy of our com-
merce. In the evening Of the same day
above Mentioned, Thursday, October 9th,
he called council of his officers to de-
bate the subject. An important clement
in the consideration was the fact that the
convenient harbor Of Bahia has three
openings into the Atlantic, by any one OF
which the Florida could make her escape
whenever the darkness of the nj ght favor
ed her purpose, without the possibility
of one Union vessel preventing it. 1t is
stated that the council Of officers were
also possessed of information that the
Florida had repeatedly seized and burned
American ships within three miles Of the
coast of Brazil, in defiance Of every law
of neutrality, without the slightest ob-
lection of my sort being made by the
Brazilian authorities. Taking into con-
sideration all the facts in the case, the
council advised, with but one dissenting
vote among all the officers of the Wach-
usett that the scheme proposed of seiz'
ing the rebel cruiser at her anchorage
should be carried out. Capt. Collins
Immediately gave the orders tor ac-
complishing the design agreed upon, say
ing that with the very deepest regret ht
felt that the conduct of the Brazilian
government in permitting piracles within
the shadow of its shores had made the
step an imperatively necessary one. II
may be remarked here that it was found
after the seizure of the Florida, that ar
rangements had been made for her escape
from the harbor on the very next nj ght
for new career of depreciation upon oul
shipping.
The preparations for the encounter
were made with great celebrity and COM
plete seeresy, and at about three O'Clock
IN the morning Of Friday, October 7th
the cables were slipped, and the Wach'
usett bore down upon the rebel vesse
under full head of steam. So little ex
pectation was there of such proceeding
that one halt the officers and crew of the
Florida, seventy III number and incudin:
Captain Morris, were carousing on shore
and the remainder, having just returret
from similar absence, were in no con
i ~. hn Elnr 10