Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1824-07-20
cprr,styc FOR PIRATES.

CRUISING FUN ffRA CD.
rae following report OF lone OF the off,
sa,s o. Com. Pofter's squadron, With Coz
! ofwbich we have been politely fur
M. d blythe Navy Department, affords a
,,ieSas e idea of lhe nature Of the service
10 which tue smaller vessels OF our West
.uula squadron are engaged;
il. ). SCHR. JACKALL,
SisaI, .May IL. 1924.
SIR-f have the honor to report to
you, that. for the purpose of execnt-
.ag your orders to me ION the 25th OF
AnriI. the Iackall and Wild Cat sail
Cd nm the 10th Of that iRanth from
rannpspn's Island. On the follow
ing day We made the coast of Cuba,
flIshia Hpnda.) and passing Cape
intomio in the night, We were una
HE To look in there, although felt IA
preat desire to do 50. On the 29th
arrived off Cape Catoche. and on tha
same afternoon anchored between the
i land of Contoy and the main land.
This island is small and thinly wood
ed. so that il required bu a few hours
30 examine every part tit; we could
discover no traces of any persons
ha,iag been there, except two thatch-
81 I,uts, in a very deeayed state
Early on the morning OF the 30th,
we lett that ISLAND, and approaching
As near the shore as the safety of the
vessels would permit, We proceeded
70 the island of .Auseres, and in the
night anciiored between its south.
vest end and the main land. On the
following mornipg, aaving found the
watering place. the vessels were re-
moved 10 IT. aud at the Same time de-
tachments of men were sent ON shore
for the purpose at commenting an
examination. This island is larger.
more thlckly wooded, and much more
J!ificult ot access than Csntoy; and
we're consequently compelled to pro-
coed at a comparatively slow rate;
bat, sir, lean safely say, that at the
expiration Of two days, almost every
foot If Mugercs has been trayersed.
We found here six Indians, from the
vicinity OF Slsal. They stated that
they made annual visits to this island
for the purpose of making salt, large
quantities OF which were piled up on
tho borders of the salt ponds in the
interior. While at Mugeres, we
were visited by several parties of In-
dams from the main, aud the islands
of Caukum. | could CLEAN nothing
satisfactory FROM these men respect
ing piracy; the stories they told were
50 very contradictory, an.t seeming
ly without foundations that it was
impossible to reconcile them with
each ether, or with truth; but from
all Icould hear, and from my own
osseryationS. Mugeres has not, for
the last two years, been the resort of
pirates. A severe gale detained US
at anchor three days longer than was
necessary; and this circumstance at
iorded an opportunity OF visiting the
plain land, which was done by 1t.
Com. Legare and Lieut.. Percy, tho
without discovering any thing more
than few uninhablted fishing hn.s.
On the 9TH of this month We sailed
from Mugeres, and passing again by
Contoy, anchored near Cape CatoChe,
and here our researches were as lit
lie to our satisfaction, as they hat
been hiiher,o, nothing was tn be seen
but an old diIapltated church and a
fishing hut. From thence We con-
tinued our COARSE towards New Ma
kga, examining the coast as We went
alosg, and arrived there on the af.
ternoon of the Stb. Some of the IN.
dl.lis had informed ME ihat u pratt
cal vessel was fitting out at this place
ba' no such vessel was there on our ar.
hsi; and the commandaDt, who Is ap.
parsntly respectable man, assured me
That the Fox was ne last vessel he had
seens On the 9th we left New Mala-
"a, and coasted it along within two
m,ss Of the shore, looking into all the
'aiets. and communicating with almost
ssery settlement between Malaga and
eHai, uotil our arrival at the latter
place late Oh the llIh. From the time
commenced our examination of the
eoa's, we have never sailed during the
o'sht, except once in the chase of a
'eh0Oner, which proved to DO priva'
ess, httsd out at Sisal. At this port
Tue COmma ndanf has heen hardly civil