Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-05
CH1NcnA ISLANDS, Sent. Q. 1853.

Some time has transpired since began this
letter, and have much news to tell you. /
am now on my way to Callao. Ileft the islands
yesterday afternoon, and expect to be at Callao
by Sunday; the mail leaves on Monday.
left the Helen McGaw at the islands she will
be loaded by the 18th or 30th. You will hear
BY this steamer of much trouble between the
shipmasters and Peruvians. I will give you
an account of it, as was on board the Def
ance during the whole of the transaction. Cap
tain McCerran, of ship Defiance, has been here
about one hundred days. He is smart man
and a strict disciplinarian, one ofthe New York
packet captains
The first affair occurred about the middle of
August. think it was some of Capt. McCer-
rams men were out fishing and killed pelican
with an oar. 1t was seen from an old hulk
used as guard ship and the residence of the
commandant of the islands. He had the Ame-
rican sailors brought alongside of the hulk,
and confined for killing the bird. Capt. Nc
Cerran, hearing his men were confined there,
went for them and offered to pay the fine of
one dollar for killing the bird. He was told by
the commandant, rigid old halfblood Span
lard, post captain in the Peruvian navy, that
his men had insulted him and that he could
not have them. Capt. McCerran told him to
but the men he must have, and demanded
them. He was refused, and ordered to leave
the guard ship himself. He refused to 60 with
out his men. He was ordered into boat by
soldiers with fixed bayonet, and escorted to his
ship by an armed force.
The next day meeting of most of the cap
tains of the feet took place, and resolved to go
on board the guard-ship in body and ask for
a reason why the men were detained there.
The commandant was not on board, and was
sent for. On his arrival at the ship, he saw
the collection of American captains, and, be-
coming furious, ordered them all of, and would
have nothing to say to them. Several tried
personally 10 converse with him to no avail.
He ordered a file of soldiers to load their mus
kets. There we're some twenty odd shipmas-
ters there and only one narrow gangway to re-
treat from. He then ordered his soldiers to
charge with fixed bayonets on them; some
were stabbed slightly, some knocked overheard
with the butts of their muskets, and several
badly hurt. This caused much hard feeling
here. Some were for attacking the whole Pc
ruvian force here and exterminating them; this
we could easily have done. But these feelings
were restrained, and committee of four ship
masters we're sent to Lima to consult our min
lister there. In the meantime the men were
given up, yet the hard feeling still continues.
The shipmasters were called a set of Id ras-
Gals by the commandant
All now went on well until the Defiance was
loaded and ready to sail. think it was on the
I'd of September. Many of the masters went
on board, as is customary, to assist and see her
of, myself among the number. At p. M
anchor was hove up, sails set, ship holding on
by lines, waiting for wind. We all saw Capt
McCerran had his guns loaded to fire a salute
as many ships had done on leaving. About
p. NJ. a breeze sprung up, but very light; the
ship started little. The first we knew bang
went one of the guns. Capt. McCerran touched
it off with his cigar. The ship had moved only
few times her length when we saw five boats