The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-06-07
BuenOs Ayres.
[Corrsspondence Of the Herald.l

ROADS OF BuENos AYREs, March 20, 1884,
| Spanish Outrage and american Energy-Apology
and Pay-DeGription of Patagones-Ydnkee
Migrations-T Value ofthe Napyto our Commerce.
| SIR Our little schooner has been cruising In
this river for the last six months, during which time
we have visited every city and village on the
banks Of the river, and once we extended our visit
as far south as the =" Rio Negro" some five or six
hundred miles south of Cape St. Antonio. There
] s small town called Patagones, situated on the
Rio Negro, where considerable number OF
whalers put in for provisions in the course of the
year.
! You will wonder what business a vessel at
tachcd to the Brazilian squadron could have far
south, and you may well do so, there being but one
precedent, in the case of the Lexington" Capt.
Duncan having visited the Falkland Island in 1881,
to punish the Governor Vernet for capturing Ameri-
seaers AS the object of our visit to Patagones
bears some affinity to the above, will give it
you in few words
| Some months since the American schooner
| Ohio, of Newport, was wrecked near the
mouth Of the Rio Negro, and the Captain and
crew barely saved themselves by floating ashore
on fragments of the wreck; the captain ha one of
his feet nearly cut off, and was obliged to hurry to
the town to obtain assistance, and thereby his
foot. While he was absent chest containing some
money and chronOmeteI, another chest contain
ing supply of slops for the cruise, and number
| of casks containing bread and provisions hoated
| ashore, and were Immediately seized and secreted
| by man named Crespo, who owned the place
| where they.came ashore. This man did NOT give
| the usual notice to the commandant of the town,
nor to the captain of the wrecked vessel; his offence
was, therefore, by the laws of every civilized
| ton, piracy. Shortly after this occurrence, some
| of the crew of an American vessel lying at Pata-
cones, took boat one evening, and went on an
L
abounds in the neighborhood; while on the island
! they were attacked by its owner, whose name is
also Crespo, and two other men one Of the sea.
man, was killed, another was shot in the arm and
thereby made cripple for lite. Two OF these men,
the one that was shot and another, were subse-
quenty arrested at the instigation OF this Crespo,
and have been confined in the fort since, about
IL months. Not long since two other American ves-
sells were lest in the vicinity of Rio Negro, and the
captains with their respective crews, reached Pata
cones. The captains have since reached Buenos
Ayres and from the account they gave the COM
| mOdOre, OF these matters, 1t was determined that
we should proceed to Patagones and set matters
| right We accordingly sailed from BuenOs Ayres
on the 9th Feb last, and after so passage of IA
days, including two which we spent in lying off and
| on the mouth Of the river waiting for pilot, we
arrived safe at this aforementioned town of Pata-
cones.
And now for a description. Well, we came
up the river on very pleasant afternoon when
| the ebb tide was about half down, and the wind
| having hauled little, we were obliged to an
i
sequence was, when the ebb tide was done, we
were high and dry on shore. We waited until the
| tide made on the following morning, and stood on
way Up h w, 3
banks on either side About n O'Clock we rounded
a bluff in the river, and behind it discovered what
appeared to be mud huts, one story high, but upon
Of sun burnt bricks, and we found several of them
! actually white washed. We were completely
taken aback when the pilot ,(who by the bye is.
town. and ordered the anchor let go. When
we went on shore,we found the place little more
respectable than would suppose from its looks,
the generality of the inhabitants being " civilized
beings" although this place is the southern ex-
| tremity of American civilization. The women
were sociable, and many of them very pretty
Spanish brunettes, Ito whom the REFERS soon made
love, but very few OF them are creoles OF the
place. There is no school of any kind here
there are but six persons in population of several
hundred who read or write The cOmmandant
Of the town cannot write his own name, nor does he
| know letter of the aphabet-neither is the JUS
tice Of the peace any better of; you will per-
ceve with what an Ignorant set we had to deal
with, and deal too in qsite important and delicate
| matters. We found that Capt. Smiley, late master
of the Ohio, at present master of the schooner
Sarah Ann, was absent on a voyage to the Falk-
land Islands, but his return daily expected and
were to wait his arrival before could stir in the
business which brought us to this place. There
was but one vessel in the river when we arrived,
| the American schooner Jersey: On the 22d Feb.
we had quite "blow OUT the schooner was
dressed in flags, and at meridian we fired the usual
salute, which was answered from the fort. During
the day all the respectable people in the place came
on board by invitation, to inspect the vessel this
being the first vessel of that visited this
place. We, of course, did our best to show her
mp to the best advantage, and lbeheve we succeed
ed, as all hands, male and female, appeared much
pleased. In the evening we had an exhibition Of
fireworks on board, when We used Uncle Sans
false fire rockets, blue lights %c, without any re-
Capt: Smiley for several days, when he finally ar
rived, and after consulting him, our business was
| made known to the authorities.
| After considerable negotiation the matter
the property from the wreck of the "Oho,"
| agreed to make Smiley full indemnlication
| for the same Pedro Crespo and his negro,
who shot the American seaman, were arrested and
confined in the fort, to be tried by the laws OF the
Argentine confederation; the former obtained bail
| TO a large amount, and is allowed to 60 at large
until the commandante hears from Coy; Rosas on
the subject. Our captain having formally demand
| ed the release of the two men who have been con-
fined for SO long time, they were Immediately set
at liberty and taken board this schooner. They
each received $500 at damage for, their illegal
Imprisonment; the amount was small for SUCK an
offence, but the men were glad to get even that:
These matters being disposed Of 1t only remained
for us to pick up the American seamen adrft here,
Negro the 9Th March, and arrived here safe and
sound on the 1lih inst. AS | said before, when
we arrived, there we found but one vessel and left
five, four OF the five being Yankees. w. A. j.
LATE FROM SANTA FE-Three gentlemen arrived
in town on Monday night last, direct from Santa Fe
The frontier port. still closed against all traders from
this country. Indeed, they than closed if pos
sibs for them be for under late regulation no
person is allowed to bring away any bullion gold sill
coin from the country without first paying govern
ment officers sir per the amount brought away
This taken in connexion with former acts the part Of
the Mexican authorities 10 peculiarly hard upon
liar Init he Arut xsvt
Try required to close his business and quit dealing by
special time this regulation forced many American
des dispose of their stock OF goods reduced prices
and in many instances at heavy sacrifice. Then it 10
required OF every trader after thus dsposing Of his goods
to pay to government tar Of sir per for the prvi
We are also informed that exciting disturbances has
broken Sonorah and that several skrmishes had
taken place between the hostile parties in which good
many lives Lost both edcs. No cauaa known