New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-03-23
Washington, March II
The Black Warrior Affair.

LETTER FROM CONSUL noBeRTsos TO SECRETARY MARCY
We copy the following official account of the
seizure of the steamship Black, Warrior, receiv-
ed at the State Department from Col Wm. H.
Robertson, our acting Consul at Havana:
CossuL.TE OF THE UsITEp srArEs
HAyANA, March 8, 1854.
Sir-By the United States steamer CorWin,
which I dispatched to Charleston on the 1st#
instant, oonceiving that the Importance of the
intelligence had to communicate justified that
course, advised you of the seizure by the Gus
tom house authorities here, apparently, or
rather evidently, with the consent and appro-s
baton of the supreme authority of the Island,
of the cargo on board the steamer Black War
rior, of New York, and of the attempt to lay n
very heavy fine upon the Captain Of the vessel,
which fine is said to be double in amount to the
value of the cargo--all this under the pretence
of his having made false entry, towit that
he stated his ship to be lin ballast, when she
had cotton on board in fransitu. i feel it to
be my duty to repeat the circumstances of the
case, to correct any errors that l may have
communicated in my dispatch before mention
ed, numbered "a. - i5.s ,-55A44 ++
The steamer was expected here from Mobile.
on her way to New York, on the 26th ult
Messrs. Tying & Co., her eonsignees, on the day
before, i25th, Saturday, entered and cleared
her in ballast This has been customary for
steamers of the Law and British mail lines i
am informed that tho Black Warrior has been
entered and cleared in ballast since she com
menced to run, now about eighteen months
past making two trips per month, without any
objection on the part of the Custom house ati-
thorities, who cannot plead Ignorance Of the
fact, for Immediately that a steamer drops her
anchor, two Custom house guards, and an nn-
limited number of policemen, public and secret,
ava1o hnar TN oh
or package on the ship. No attempt has ever
been made, that am aware of, to conceal the
cargo. Furthermore, the Captain of the Black
Warrior has been in the habit to deliver to the
authorities, on arrival, several numbers of the
public journals of New York or Mobile, of the
latest dates, which contained the advertisement,
of the Black Warriors being about to sail on
such a date, expressing the cargo she carried
for her port of destination.
The ship arrived here on the morning Of the
28th. The Captain delivered his manifest in
ballast, as had been customary He assures
me that he had always been under the impress
sion that special concession existed which ex
empted his vessel and other steamers from the
formality of manifesting their cargo in transitu;
he thinks that the owners Of the ship entertain
the same belief, On the same day (2Sth) at
about IL o'clock, Mr., Tying sent his clerk to the
custom-honse for the dispatch of the steamer, to
thhc tHd sbHle u tHo Gdpbdin ol tAt 4 oFb, W
procure the pass for her to leave the port; il
was refused to him, and he was informed that
the ship was stopped by order of superior
authority of the royal exchequer. Upon this
MIR. Tying, with the Captain, came to my office
and informed me of the state of the case.
Whilst the former was entering a protest, i
took the latter with me to the Captains General.
The object of this interview was to lay before his
Excelleney all the circumstances OF the oase
II, Al. II.
been, on the part of Captain Bullock, or any
one concerned in the ship, the least intention of
violating any law of Spain or regulation of the
port. His Excetleney courteously listened to
me, and replied that no report had been made
to him on the subject; he also recommended
that should give him my statement in a me-
mortal or official communication Immediately
returned to my office and prepared my letter to
the Captain General. Of this letter, in my
anxiety TO bring the affairs to a satisfactory
settlement without delay, keptno copy, which
i regret.
In the meantime Mr.. Tying went to the
custom house, finding that the cause of the
difficulty was the omission Of the cargo in
-fransftu in the manifest, and thinking that as
the twelve hours allowed by Law TO amend mani
tests had not elapsed, and that by making the
amendment the difficulty would be terminated
he applied to the collector, stating that in the
course of fifty minutes or half an hour he would
be prepared to present the correct manifest
The collector replied that it could not and
should net be admitted, because he had already