Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1864-03-29
Commander Preble's OmcIaI Report of
the Escape OF the Pirate Florida.

Commander Prebie's Omcial Report of
the Escape OF the Pirate Florida.
The Navy Department has received the following
from Commander Prebls;
| UNITED STATES SLooP-oF.wAR ST. LOUIS
FUNCHAL ROADS, MADEIRA,
March !, ~ A. NJ, 1854
sm The Florida has succeeded In getting to sea.
shall follow at once, though hopeless OF catching
her out Of port. Nelson said the want OF frigates
| In his squadron would be found impressed on his
engraven on mine. Had the ST. Louis been a
steamer, would have anchored alongside OF her,
and, unrestricted BY the twenty.four hour rule my
old foe could not have escaped me The Cover.
nor, true to his declared intention, would only
allow her to take 90 board twenty tons OF coal
sufficient to take her TO the nearest port. Her CON-
mAnder plead for sixty tons, next foIty asserting
that he needed that much to ballast his vessel
The Governor told him, at the suggestion of Mr..
Bsyman, that he came in without II, and he
thought he could 70 without II; bot Il bslaEt was
needed, there was plenty Of stone on the beach
As It was supposed that She would 20 to pea
during the night and certainly in the morning and
pour in q broadBide, I Ehotfed and oLHt loose nv
guns, and had men to man themj got sllp-rope on
thechain, and stationed lookouts all oyer the shin
and In the tops cautioned the officers to extra
vigilance, and was repeatedly on deck myself to
watch, and see that my orders were executed The
night was dark and squAny. The Florida lay close
Into the beach, and under the high land, with all
her lights covered, and, Notwithstanding all this
vigilance, she orept out, unseen, to the eastward
and her departure was not discovered until the
| mora rose, few minutes sInee. A blockade Iun-
| JullA, Wnlcn arrived In the afternoon, e.
ports the kearsAge having left CadiZ three days
| ago, destination unknown. The Florida gave out
that they were going TO CAdZ for Goals; but think
not and shall go direct to TeneTitfe, hoping, II
do not find her there, to put the Sacramento on her
| track.
The prevailing winds would not permit me 10
get to CAdiz from Madeira in GeAson TO do her any
injury, even II thought that port her
The authorities here have done all they could to
| hasten her departure and prevent her full supply
and do not imagine that the island will be tfou.
bled by the presence Of rebel vessels oEwAr very
| soon again. waited on the Governor to inform
him OF her intention to ship men TO complete her
crew. He assured me that 1t should GOt be allowed
| though II might be done olAndeBtinely, which he
| could not help. have reason to believe that she
statement OF my gg's crew that three of the men
she brought with her deserted Her crew iG de-
seribed TO me as made up OF SpAniarGs, French
and Portuguese, with few EngllBhmen, and but
one American. Her First Lieutenant is Thomas
A, Dernin, formerly midshipmAn in our service
notice no change in the appearance Of the Flo
rida since last saw her, except that no Ehe has
yards on her mAinmast; then she had none. anl
nhe has changed her billet-head for n sLieM sur
rounded by Icroll-work, In which 10 5rpe the arms
OF tho rebel states My men hG-s sein eid 10 f0hL
and dre0 ne hof from ~ qua he ddy she came iR
fearing MAJ, In heD trCnenoai, they trOBd FIRE info
her pLom oTder gHd break he neutrality Of his poTt
One thing e certain, the Fotila does not inteLd
70 hgat unless the chsnee5 are Largely In her favor
toE she skulked away from the old st. Louis.
u am, very respectfully, your sbedient servant,
GEO. HEKRY PREBLE,
Commander, u. $. n.
hoH. GIDEON WELLEs, Secretary OF the Navy,
Washington, d. Z.