The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-31 00:00:00

United States ship Savannah, San Juan del Norte

Nov. 20, 1858. _.— --.
Sir,—l have the honour of informing you that
since I wrote you this afternoon I have received the
following information :
Two officers from one of the British ships in the
harbour boarded the Washington within 15 minutes
after she eame to anchor, and asked Capt. Churchill
the following questions :—" Where from ?" "How
many passengers have you ?" " How many days
out from New York ?" "Did y olz stop at any port
on your way out ?"
,'
These questions were answered. They then wished
to look at his passenger list. Captain. Churchill re-
ferred them to'his purser. On looking over the list
which they received from the purser they asked,
"How many passengers have you ?" lie answered
by stating the number. "Are they all Americans?"
"No : they are of various nations." "Are they
armed ?" "Not any, to my knowledge." "Did the
American officers who boarded you examine your
hold ?" "No." Mr. King, the first mate, who was
present at the interview, remarked that if they (the
officers) wished any information on the subject they
might obtain it by applying to one of the American
ships of war in the harbour. They replied, " that
their instructions were to obtain their information
direct."

The above is all the information I have received ;
I shall await your further jnstructions upon the
subject.—l am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient
se-Nant,

JOSElqr It. DATis, Captain.
Flag Officer James Mclntosh, Commander-in-Chie.
Home Squadron.

Her Hajesty's ship Valorous, Greytown,
Nov. 28, 1858.
Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of your letter of the 26th inst., inclosing
copy of a. report made to you by Captain Jarvis, of
the United States ship Savannah, relating to the
visit, on the 17th inst., of two officers of her Ma-
jesty's ship under my command to the American
steamer Washington, which had just anchored at
this port.

In reply, I must express my great regret thai
you should-consider the act -of visiting an Ame-
rican merchant vessel within this port, which is
under the protection . of Great Britrin, for the
purpose of obtaining the information which is
usually required by all civilised- nations from ves-
sels entering their harbours, or under their pro-
tection, or in any friendly port, in the same
light as delaying, boarding, and examining of
an American vessel on the high seas in search
of slaves or pirates ; and I still more deeply regret
that my acting •in accordance with established
usages in this respect should cause you to appre-
hend any such grave danger as that to which you
allude.

I trust to remove from your mind any misunder-
standing as to my acts and intentions, and beg to
assure you that, in carrying out my instructions,
which are of a similar nature to those which you
have received from your government, and which
you have been kind enough to communicate to me,
it will be my earnest endeavour and my most pleas-
ing duty to act in a spirit of perfect frankness and
cordiality with the flag officer or any other officers
of the United States farces on the station.
There arc some circumstances which appear to
have escaped your attention, and which I beg to
bring to your notice.
The Washington had been boarded by the United
States ship Savannah previous to my sending a boat
to her, and, as she had been permitted to enter the
harbour, it was evident, judging from the declara-
tions of the United States government against all
illegal invaders, that she was not employed by the
fillibusters, for in that case she would have been
forbidden to enter the port.
After the Washington had anchored in this port
the usual and natural course of sending to make
inquiries and obtain news was followed. No pro-
hibition of friendly intercourse between Ameri-
can merchant or Passengervesselsand her Majesty's
is customary in time of peace among all
ships had been made known tb me; such "inter-
course
civilised d nations, and is never objected to by her
Majesty's officers when practised by United States
men-of-war to English merchantmen. • .
hostile • I beg to point out that such aho • '

their meaning literally ; and if there was sincerity in
them, of which I have not the slightest doubt. I am
happy to say I can see no cause of apprehension on
our part tor a reeurrence of the proceeding.
I was much pleased with both the gentlemen,
and everything was done by Captain Gardner and
myself, which hospitality or kindness could dictate,
to make them comfortable and at home. They
left the ship fully so impressed. •
Sir William Gore Ouseley is expected to reach
this on Monday next in the British mail steamer.
I have to state to you the utter impossibility of
this ship remaining at anchor off San Juan del
Norte during the blowing of a norther. She Las
been more strained in the four days I was there, in
hull, masts, and rigging, than she could have been
in a dozen winter voyages across the Atlantic.
These winds blow in squalls, and when they mode-
rate, the current from the river is running out
with such velocity as to cause the ship to lay di-
rectly in the trough of the sea, and to roll most
heavily, certainly endangering her masts and
straining her engines. It is a bad anchorage even
in the regular trades, for then, as was the case in
the Wabash when she landed her men, the ship
was rolling guns under; but in a norther—and this
is the season for their recurring every few days—it
is simply impossible without the utmost danger. No
ship with too great a draught to enter the river
should be kept there from November to March.
Mr. Burton, the pilot, now informs me that he has
more recently sounded thoroughly the bar, and, as
a constant thing, 23 feet is all that can be found,
but that, occasionally, as was the case some time
since when the Savannah entered the river, 25 feet
were found in two instances. Such a variation
makes it too precarious for this ship ever to enter
the river.

The Jamestown, I regret to say, left here with
our mails before my arrival ; but, as she had fair
winds, and I ordered her immediately back, I hope
to receive any despatches she may have for me in a
few days, and I shall await here her arrival.
I herewith also .transmit the petition of a town
meeting held at San Juan del Norte on the 18th
ult., addressed to Sir W. G. Ouseley, and the re-
sponse of Sir William. These papers I only re-
ceived from Mr. Cotrell, our commercial agent, just
previous to getting under weigh from that place.
(Nos. 4,5, 6.)
I have the honour to be, sir, very respectfully
your obedient servant,
JAS. MCINTOSH,
Flag Officer, Commander-in-Chief Home Squadron.
The Hon. Isaac Toucey, Secretary of the Navy.

Flag-ship Roanoke, off San Juan del North,
Nov. 26, 1858.
Sir,—l inclose you a copy of a report made
to me to-day by Capt. J. R. Davis, commanding the
United States ship Savannah. It relates, as you
will perceive, to the visit to the American steamer
Washington by two of the officers of her Britannic
Majesty's navy, attached to the ship under your
command. I have also a verbal report relative to
the boarding, by Capt. Wainwright, of her Britan-
nic Majesty's ship Leopard, of the American steamer
Catherine Maria, in the Colorado River, in search,
it is said, of filibusters.

Of the last act I am as yet but imperfectly in-
formed. In both cases, however, quite enough has
been ascertained to cause me regret as to the course
pursued, and much anxiety if persevered in, or again
repeated, of maintaining the peaceful relations at
present existing between our two Governments.
My instructions are most rigid in relation to the
boarding, delaying or examining American merchant
vessels by the vessels of war of any other nation,
and I see no difference between the doing so, whe-
ther in search of filibusters or Africans. They look
. to no such difference, and it cannot for a moment be
admitted. These instructions must be executed to
the extent of the power intrusted to my command,
' and I assure you that it will be most agreeable to
me if it can be done without the slightest misun-
derstanding in relation to our respective duties, and
still preserve the peaceful relations which now and
I hope may continue to exist between our two na-
tions. To secure this most desirable end, vessels
under the American flag calling at the ports of
Central America must be exempted from visit or
search on any account.
A part of my duty here, with a portion of the
squadron under my command, is to prevent the
landing in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and the other re-
publics of Central America all filibustering or other
illegal expeditions, should any attempt it, from the
United States, under the American flag; and the
officers in command of the ships of my squadron are
strictly instructed upon, this point. There can,
therefore, be no possible excuse for the interference
by the ships-of-war of her Britannic Majesty's navy
with vessels under the American flag, and it
is to be hoped that the officers commanding them
will desist from creating any unnecessary excite-
ment, and the dander of an interruption of the good
understanding which at present exists, particularly
as I received, under date of the 7th July last, the
assurance of Commodore Kellett, that he has issued
instructions to the respective captains and com-
manders of the ships and vessels under his orders,
"to cease visiting or interfering with American
vessels in these waters."—l have the honour to be,
sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JAMES MCINTOSH,
Flag Officer, Commander-in-Chief Home Squadron.
Sir W.• C. Aldham, K.O 8., Commanding her
Majesty's steam frigate Valorous.