AUGUST 6, 1864.]

HARPER'S WEEKLY.

509

Florida.

Rappahannock.

THE ANGLO-REBEL PIRATES—THE "FLORIDA" AND "RAPPAHANNOCK."

REBEL PRIVATEERS.

Tun illustrations of the Florida and the Rappahannock, which we give on this page, have now a peculiar interest from the fact that these vessels are, now that the Alabama is sunk, the only cruisers of any importance left to the Confederacy..

The Florida, which so lately made its presence off our coast known in rather a disagreeable manner, viz., by the capture of half a dozen American vessels, is a British vessel, built by LAIRD, and was launched in the spring of 1862 under the name of the Oreto. LAIRD made affidavit that the vessel., was intended for the King of Sardinia. She was suspected and detained at Nassau, but being released reached Mobile. In the spring of 1863 we find her out on the seas again, capturing and burning our merchantmen. Her first and most valuable prize was the Jacob Bell, carrying 9000 chests of tea, and valued atone and a half million of dollars.

The Rappahannock is also a British ship, origin-ally her Majesty's vessel Victor. The Admiralty permitted her after she was sold to undergo some repairs under the superintendence of the dock-yard officials. It was stated that she was intended for the China trade, and she was ostensibly fitted with that view, while her name was changed to the Scylla, of London. Several suspicious circumstances, however, occurred, and the dock-yard officials made a report to the Admiralty. The result was the receipt of an order at Sheerness directing her to be stopped. The order, however, arrived a few hours too late. Those in charge of the vessel evidently suspected the intentions of the Government, and had her taken out of the harbor. She immediately afterward hoisted the Confederate flag, and she now sails under the name of the Rappahannock. On leaving the Nore the Rappahannock sailed direct for Calais Harbor, which she entered as a Confederate privateer. She went into Calais with-

out armament, at which port she still remains; fitting out, it may be, for a cruise.

We also give a portrait of Captain MORRIS, commanding the Florida. Her former commander was Captain MAFFIT. The portrait is from a photo-graph taken at Brest, for which we are indebted to a gentleman lately captured by the Florida.

THE LATE CONFEDERATE GENERAL J. E. B. STUART.

As a sequel to our portraits of General LEE and General LONGSTREET, published in recent numbers of this journal, we give on this page that of the late General J. E. B. STUART, who received his mortal wound iii a cavalry skirmish with the detachment under General SHERIDAN at Ashland, in the neighborhood of Richmond, on the 11th May. his distinguished cavalry officer was born in Patrick County,

Virginia, in 1835. He was educated at West Point Military Academy, where he graduated in 1854. He first entered the Mounted Rifles as Brevet Second Lieutenant, and was shortly afterward made Second Lieutenant in the First Cavalry; eight months later he was promoted to be First Lieutenant; he distinguished himself in a fight with the Sheerness, June 29, 1857, and received a severe wound; he became a Captain in 1860, and resigned three years ago, when the civil war broke out. He then entered the Virginia State service as a Colonel of cavalry, and had the command of that arm at the first battle of Bull Run. The next month he was made a Brigadier-General in the Confederate service, and was soon promoted to be Major-General. His next performance of consequence was an excursion within the Federal lines on the Pamunky River, during M'CLELLAN'S campaign of 1862, at the head of 1000 horse and two guns. His greatest achievement was during the month of October of that year, (Look Here for Next Page and Rest of this Story)

THE REBEL CAPTAIN C. M. MORRIS, OF THE  "Florida."

THE LATE REBEL GENERAL J. E. B. STUART.