Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1841-12-20
Lord palmers,on 10 M. sletlnsol
FoREIcN Orricr, Aug. 27.

Lord PaImers.on 10 NJ sltttnsod
FOREIGN OFFICE, Aug. q, ls4i.
The undersigned, Her Ma estys Principal Secrsiary
Of State Tor Foreign Affairs has had under his considers
lion The note WHICH Mr. Stevenson. Envoy Extrasrdina-
~ and Minister PlcupoteGiiay Of lie tinted States,
did him the honor 10 address him. under date Of the
10th oil May, lSl0. complaining oi the detention Vi 4
brig under American colors, called the MARY" by Her
Naiesiy's ship Forester.
In this MIR. Stevenson assuming the information
furnished TO the United States Government by Mr.
lrsi. their consul for indemnity the owner of thb
MARY, aud asks for the exemplary punishment oftha
commander Of the Forester" and those co,cerned in
tile proceedings qkcnby that officer against the Mary
proceedings which, in Mr.. Sevensons opinion seem u
want nothing 10 give them the character of most fla
Grant and daring outrage. and very little If any thing to
SINK them lnio an ncl OF open and direct piracy
lie uler5gued las now the lonor to inform Mr..
Stevenson that the particular Information Whieh
has been furnished to Her lajesys Government M tn
ms vessel places the question in very different light
irom Thai IN which II has been presented 10 The Govern
mcnt Of the United States and the UNDERSIGNED trusts
That the following statement will satisfy Mr. Stevenson
That although the vessel herself belfy III bst, might
have been incndcd actually convey negroes from tho
coast oi Africa yet she in reality the property Of
Spanish slave dealer aud was employed by him Tor tho
purposes ol slave trade
The papers found on board this vessel by tho COM
niandcr o the Forester" showed tat on the 2lth Of
january, 1850, bill otsac prepared at the IIayan-
II by Mr. j. A. smith, the Ice Consul of The United
staes AT that port, setting i1r that permanent Ameri-
can register (No lS had been granted the brig Ma.
ry, Of Philadelphia, on the l1,h Of jane 1897 and that
the brig waa at that time owoed by Joseph j. Snow
'en, Of fla'clphia, and was commanded by j. H. la
ven.
JoecphJ J. Snowd,n, the crginel owner, lhen gave a
power oi attorney and substitution 10 Charlie. Snowdcn
who again nominated Pedro Mnnogn the notorious slave
dealer, but who was described in that doc,m,ni merely
merchant at The Havana to sell and transfer tho
MARY"
Fight days afterwards, Pedro Maneaat professcIly
sold The MARY to person named Pero Saba;c, of
Ne" Orleans, who. the I'd Of May. appointed as hor
hasler Charles Snowden the same person who, three
months before. had named Pedro Aareat a. his agent
10 sell The MARY and on the 18th oil june Pedro Sa-
bate replaced snowdcn by appointing David ronfiason
10 the command
This Pedro Nancgat. the pretended -cllc- br so.l
purchaser Of the Mary IL the same individual Whe,
IN like manner owned the following noninaliy American
vessels, The HMperion" which left the Havana in de-
eember lS AS American vessel. and was afterwards
condemned as the Spanish schooner Isabel - tho
schooner "Ia.md," which was detained and erroneous
y released in February. 1899 under circumstances SINH
lar To those which mark the Of the Marry" and
the . Octaria,' also condemned Spanish property
which last named vessel Pedro Maneeat had only en-
p'oynd as he did the MARY namely. to carry goods
or the purchase Of slaves TO agents the cast.
Tho Spanish MASTER Thomas Escilcyerra and
Spanish crew, shipped ON board the ..Mary" a.
passeneers among them were several individuals who
we're recognised as having been f1rmery captured in
Of tho Spanish schooner NORMA when that vessel
captured with 234 slaves on board The ships ar
cles SET forth that the engaged navigate
the Mary from the port Of fInvana she Ganas or
,rhercrcr else the master may direct = ~
In two or three papers which the master Dard Tom
ison produced to prove his American citizenship he il
styled Iils ". 16n,iimerty. and in the third r. u.
1omi'son; while In tho hog, enclosed in Mr.. Steven
note. he is called Captain fhomasor'.
The clearance and bills Of lading show that tho owners
oi the cargo Blanco Caryetho. Pedro Martinez
* Co, Pedro Manegat, and Tomas Escheverria the
Spanish captain all well-known slave traders and tho
cons;gnccs. Tomas Rodriguez Baron. lgnaco p. Rolo,
and Theodore Canot, of the Gallnas. long and well
known the naval officers employed in supprcssnp the
slave trade the factors for the purchase and
shipment of slaves.
Thus the papers produced 10 the captain Of the Focs-
ter. by Tomnso were OF hemselv sufficient to show
that this one Of the then frequent in which
the flag Of the United States had brca fraudulenty
sumed and all doubt removed the real char
acter OF the undertaking in which the vessel
poyed, when, on farther search. there were found
board OF her slave coppers two bags Of shacks, largo
watereaguers, and aslaye deckthe latter being noted
shipped under the denomination Of five hundred feet
vi lumber.
Under these circumstances, the undersigned is Of opin-
ION that the commander Of Tier Majesty ship Pores
ter fully justified in considering the MARY" to
be Spanish vessel and consequently taking her te-
fore the British and Spanish court and, accordingly,
when the British commissioners reported to Her Aaes
the MARY TO be hbelled in that cirt. Under the i'm
preston that the fact Of her having the American
llag hoistcd should have protected her om visitation
and search by British cruiser, the British commission
were told that there was, in the opinion Of Her Ma
jasy Is Government. TO suppose that tho Nlary''
was Spanish. and an American vessel, and that
the judges ought therefore. Rave allowed her to be
libccd in the British and Spanish court fur that. al
though British ships of not authorized " visit
and search American vessels the high seas, yet if
vessel which there is good reason to suppose is in re-
atty Spanish property. is captured and brought into
port in which mixed British and Spanish curt il sit
ting. the commissioners may properly investigate the
case; and, upon sufficient proof being adduced Of the
Spanish character of the vessel and Of her having bern
guilty Of breach of the ray between Great EsE.ain
and Spain for the suppression Of the slave trade. she
court may condemn her, notwithstanding that she wss
sailing under the AmercanGag, and had Anscricanrs-
pers on board. sH- 4s - & 81 80 49,
With respect the general question Of the search Of
vessels under the America Gag by British cruisers tbs
undersigned bees to refer Mr.. Stevenson 10 his other
note Of this day date, relative The Of the S
SAM, in which the undersigned has fully and he hoppe
satisfactorily, replied TO the representations made BY Sir.
stevenson on that SUBJECT as - LA
The undersigned bcgs "a re,rrn e Mrsstcteasps tho
bx 1y,,tt,r