Capture of the Robert E. Lee and other vessels.
--The New York
Herald, of last Saturday, settles the question of the capture of the Confederate steamer
Robert E. Lee.
The
Herald says:
‘
Admiral Lee has communicated to the Navy Department the particulars relating to the recent capture off the
North Carolina coast, from which it appears that the cargo of the
Robert E. Lee consists of two hundred and fourteen large cases and bales of shoes and blankets, some of the bales weighing two tons, one hundred and fifty cases of
Austrian rifles, two hundred and fifty bags of saltpetre, and sixty-one barrels of salt, provisions, pig lead, &c. Of sixty-two persons comprising the officer and crew only fifteen were natives of the
United States.
Among the passengers are
C. E. Stewart, Belgian, Consul, and
Horace H. Webber and
H. W. Rooke,
Lieutenants in the
British royal artillery.
The vessel had no ship's papers.
’
The
Robert E. Lee was discovered by the
James Adger on the morning of the 9th inst., and chase was given, which resulted in the capture of the vessel at half past 7 the same day. The
Lee left
Bermuda five hours after the
Cornubia.
The cargo of the Eila and Anna consists of 480 sacks of salt, 500 sacks of saltpetre, 281 cases of
Austrian rifles, 500 hales and 42 cases of paper.--She had no ship's papers.
Or 38 persons on board only one was a native of the
United States.
The cargo of the
Cornubia consists of munitions of war, arms, saltpetre, and lead, and was solely owned by the C. S. Government.
A quantity of official dispatches — male matter and private and public papers — some of them of considerable interest and value, were picked up in the surf by the boats of the
Niphon, having been thrown overboard or dropped by the enemy.
