Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-01-19

back OF his cravat, which he woiHd show to
Mr.. Wales in tho mornlng. After which they
separated, with terrible threats on the part of
Mr.. Spencer of instant death to Mr. Wales
from himself or his acconplices, should Mr..
Wales utter one word Of what Ind passed.
Such was The purport of the. Information
laid before NE by Lieutenant Gansevoort. and
although he was evidently impressed with
the reality Of the project, yet il seemed TO me
so mons,rous, so improbable. that could not
fDIbear treating it with ridIcale. | was I'M
der the impression that Mr.. Spccer had
been reading some piratical storIos, and had
amused himself with Mr.. Wales. Still. lclt
that this was joking on All improper themc,
and determined 10 notice it hereafter, |
ulso considered that duty required me To be-
on my guard, lest there should be- II shadow
of reality in this project, and dnectcd the
first Lieutenant 10 watch Mr.. Spencer mar
rowly, without seeming TO do So. In the
course Of the day, Lieutenant Garseyoort
informed me that Mr.. Spencer bad been in
the wardroom examining chart OF the West
Indies, anG had asked the Assistant Surgeon
some questions about the Isle Of Pines, and
the latter had informed him that Il was n
place much fcQncu,ed by pirates, .Vld drily
asked him If he had any ncInainiaaccs there.
lie passed the day rather sullenfy in one
corner of the sicerage, ms was his Custom
engaged in examining a small pltce. OF paper,
qnd writing on it with his pencil, nRd cca-
sionnlly finding relaxation IN working with
a pcpknife at the tail Of devilhsh, one al
the joipis Of which he had formed ir,o slid
ing ring for his cravnt. Lieut.. Ganscvoon
also made an excuse of duty to 10 How. him To
the foretop, where he found him engaged in
having some love device tat,ooed on his arm
by Benjamin f. Green, ordinary seanlan and
apprentice. Lieutenant Cansevoort also
learned that he had b,cn endsavoring for
some days TO ascertain the rate OF the chgo-
nometcr, by applying TO Midshlpman Rogers,
10 whom II was unknown, aud whJ referred
him to the master. lie had been seem IA Sc
crct and nightly conferences with byatswslIfs
mate F. Cromwell aud seaman elisha Small.
! also heard that he had given moVey TO
several oi the crew, to Elisha Small on the
l2Ih S, p,cmber, the day before our depar-
turc from New York the same day 90 which,
in reply TO Commodore Perry's .injnhclioiis
to reformation, he had made tile most s'Aemn
promises of fanendmcui to Samuel Cronvse II
on The passage to Madeira iirsl: lie hid
been in the habit Of distributing tobacco ek
tcnSivcly among the apprentices, in defiance
of the orders OF the Navy D"parlment, aad
ofmy own often reiterated that .he had. cor
rupied the wardroom steward, caused hffp 10
steal brandy from the wardrOom. mess, wbich
he (Mr. Spencer) had drank himself Ucca.
s,oHeIy getting drunk when removed from
obscrya,lon, and bad also administered 10
several Of the crew iint, GDaliy, he was an
the habit Of amusing the crew by making
music with his jaw. lie had the faculty of
throwing his jaw out Of joint, and by contact
Of the bones playing with accuracy and elc-
gance.a variety OF airs. Servile in his inter-
course with mc, when among the crew he
loaded me with blasphemous vituperation
and proclaimed that 1t would be a pleasing
task to roll Inc overheard off The round house.
lie had some time before dawn brig with
a black flag, and asked one Of the mldship-
men what he thought of II he had repeatedly
asserted, in the carly part of the cruise, that
the brig might be easily taken he had quite
recently examined the hand Of Mldshipman
Rodgers, told his fortune, and predicted ior
hir speedy aud volen, death.
These various circumstances induced me
TO look back and recall all that had heard OF
and observed IN Mr.. Spencer. When he re-
ported himself TO me Tor duty at New York
about the 10th of August, | ut once gave
him my hand and welcomed him on board The
Soiners. ] subsequently heard that he had
quite recently been dismissed with disgrace
ir IN the Brazilian squadron, and compel Jed
To resign for drunkenness aud scandalous con.
duct. THIS fact made me very desrous oI
his removal from The vessel, chiefly on ac.
count OF the young men who were To mess
with and be associated with him, the rather
that two of them were connected with me by
blood and two by alliance, aud the four en-
trusted To my special care.
The circumstance Of Mr.. Spcncer's being
the son of hugh officer Of the Government,
by enhancing his baseGess N my estimation
made me more dcsrous To be rid OF him. or
this poin, | beg that | may not be mlsunder
stood. revere authority; ] recognize IN the
4 exercise of its high functions III this free
! country, the evidence Of genus, intelligence
aud virtue but | have no respect for th,
base son Of an honored father. On the con
trary, ! consider that he who by mlsconduc
sullcs the lusre of an honorable name u
more culpable than the unfrlended ndlv,dna
whose disgrace falls ony on himself. ] wish
however, TO have nothing to do with basenes
in any shape, the Navy is no, the place for It
On these accounts | readily sought the frs
opportunity of getting rit Of Mr. Spencer
When We were on the eve Of sailing, TIVE
mldShpmen who had been with me before
and IN whom ! had confidence, joined III,
vessel. THIS carried TO seven the number Il
occupy space capable of accommodating on
Ily five. Ind heard that Mr.. Spencer hC,
expressed Willingness to be transferred from
the SUmers to the Grampus. ] directed
Leutenan, Gnnsevoor to say to him that
he would apply to Commodore Perry 10 de
tach HIM (there was no tune 10 communicate
with the Navy DepartmenO would secon'
the application. lie made the application,
seconded u, earnestly urging that Il shou
be granted on the score OF! ~ comfort oi tn
young Oflicerr. The cummodOre decline
deinching Mr.. Spencer, but offered TO dctaci
MidshIpman Henry Rodgers, who had bee
last ordered. | could not consent TO par
with Mdshpman Rogers, whom | knew L
bc seaman, an officer, gentleman; yonn!
man OF high atta!nmeuts within lis proiessu
aud beyond It. The Sumers sailed wit
seven IN her stccragc. They could not nj
SIT together round the table. The two old
est aud most useful had no lockers To pa
their clothes IN, and have slept during ll
cruise on the sfceragc deck, the compstool'
the booms, in the tops, or IN the quarter boats
They have submitted to these Inconvenience
without nurmnr. and performed Their out
, tn nv utmost satt-IuCtlDu.