The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-27 00:00:00

27,

THE « PRESIDENT."
We have been favoured by Captain M'Leod, of the Ta-
gus Peninsular Mail-steamer, with the following extracts
from the log-book of the Portuguese brig Conde de Palma,
' from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon. It contains but little in-
formation in addition to that already published, but, in
the present anxious state of the public mind, everything
which may be supposed to bear on the question of the
safety of this long-expected vessel will be read with
interest :
" On Friday, the 2nd day of April, at 4 p.m., in hit.
31 deg. 24 see. N., and long. by chronometer 40 degs.
33- sec. W., of Greenwich, saw a very large steamer under
canvass, without showing her colours or making any sig-
nals ; the paddlewheels were not in motion, nor was any
smoke issuing from her funnel.
"Next morning, at six o'clock, saw her again, tinder
two square topsails (fore and main) and latteen sails (i.
fore and aft), steering N.N.E. ; the wind was at east, with
moderate weather."
On the 25th the wind veered to N.W., and blew strong,
which would prevent the said steamer reaching the Wes-
tern Isles,
The fZillowing questions were asked by Capt. M'Leod
of Captain Almeida of the above-named vessel, and his
answers are annexed :
What number of masts hal the steamer P—Three.
How was she painted ?—All dark colour.
Did she appear to be under her own or jury-masts ?
Her own.
What colour was her funnel ?---Not certain.
Did you observe any water issuing from her scuppers,
as if they were pumping ?—None observed.
What was the nearest distance you were to her at any
time ?—Four English miles.
Did her bulwarks, or any part of her, appear to have
suffered from bad weather ?—Did not appear to have suf-
fered.

Are you positive they did not show any colours, or
make any signal indicative of wishing to speak with you ?
—None whatever.
How many knots an hour do you think they were go-
ing ?—Three or four knots (miles).
Did they appear to hold a good wind, or make a great
deal of leeway ?—A great deal of leeway.
Mention the sails she had set on the first day you saw
her ?—Flying jib, jib, foretopmast, staysail, square fore-
sail, topsail, topgallantsail, and fore and aft foresail.
Mention what sails she had on the second day ?—Fore
and aft mainsail, square maintopsail, and mizen ditto.
Could you have communicated with the steamer on
both days ?—Yes, we could.
Had the steamer a figure-head ?—Could not distinguish.
Did you observe any boats hoisted up on board of her ?
—One quarter-boat.
How long did the northwest wind continue which
sprung up on the 25th 7—Five days ; afterwards it was
west and W.S.W.
When did you make the land, and did it agree with
your reckoning ?—On the sth of May, and agreed ex-
actly with the reckoning.
How did the steamer bear off when you first saw her ?
—N.E. by N. four or five miles.
How did she bear on the morning of the 24th, at six
o'clock, and what distance ?—N.N.W. five or six miles.
Did you view the steamer through a telescope ?—Yes.
REMARKS BY CAPTAIN 11PLEOD.
Captain Almeida appeared to be an intelligent man,
and willing to give every information in his power. I
implored of him to state nothing but what was positive
truth, and he assured me that all he had said was fact ;
and he deeply regretted that he knew nothing of the
President steamer being missing, or he would have
spoken the steamer he saw. On my rigidly examining
him, he declared that the steamer alluded to was as large
as a frigate.
After the most serious and mature deliberation, my
own opinion is, that there are good grounds to suppose
it was the President, and the probable reason for their
not communicating may have been that they had pre-
viously fallen in with some vessel homeward or outward
bound, and transferred their passengers and received sup-
plies from her;; and that they were making the best of
their way to the nearest port in the 'Western Islands.
Whether the President had a square maintopsail or
not when she left New York I don't know ; but that is
no reason that they should-not have fitted one when their
engines, wheels, or boilers, became disabled, and they
were left to depend on their canvass alone.
It will be necessary to ascertain where her Majesty's
steamer I)ee was on the 23d and 24th days of April, as I
was informed at Lisbon that vessel was on her passage
home from the West Indies. When ascertained that it
could not have been that vessel, then I am firmly of
opinion it must have been the President ; and as they
were then in the parallel of latitude where the trade
winds commence, it may be many weeks, from the date
they were seen, till they arrive at any port.
At the date they were seen their nearest port was in
the Island of Fayal, one of the Azores or Western
Islands, bearing from them per compass, E.N.E. 708 miles.
The French Government should be written to to
ascertain whether they had any large steamers that were
likely to be in the parallel of latitude and longitude
where this vessel was seen, going out to or returning
home from any foreign port ; all this would greatly tend
to coming to a conclusion who the stranger was.
The Portuguese brig Conde de Palma must have passed
pretty close to the steamer during the night of the 23d
of April, and not having seen her can only be accounted
for by the haziness of the night, and there being no
moonlight ; for when the Captain saw her again in the
morning, before it became very clear, she was broad on
the lee bow, and he told me she looked like an Indianian
under jury masts ; but as it became clearer he most dis-
tinctly recognised her to be the same strange steamer
they had seen the previous day, now bearing N.N.W. five
or six miles, and under the same sail and circumstances
in every respect.
Captain Almeida had been in Lisbon several days,
when a friend who was dining with him was deploring
the supposed loss of the President steamer, when Capt.
Almeida immediately exclaimed, "I must have seen her,
for we passed a urge steamer about ten days before we
arrived, under canvass, without any smoke coming from
her funnel or wheels in motion, and it is noted in the log-
book ;" the log was sent for, and it clearly proved to
have been inserted ; and this fact was corroborated by
the passengers, one of whom, an officer of engineers,
named Frietas Germanes, told Mr. Vanzeller that he had
made a memorandum of it, which I was most anxious to
obtain, and called on him for that purpose, but he was
unfortunately absent, and I did not get it. We sailed the
same afternoon for England, Monday the 17th of May
the day Capt. Almeida made the previous declaration.