The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1854-08-05
The Sicaragur AHair.

The Sicaragui Affair.
We gave in our last short tclcgraphic
account Of the bomba,dncnt and dcstruc.
ton Of Greytown by the L. S. Sloop Of war
Cyane. We have since received the full
particulars Of the affair." which are given be.
low.
1t may be necessary by way ol preface
to explain, that Grcytown is a village at the
mouth ofthe San Juan river, and is the stop
ping place and shipping point on the Allan.
tic side Of the Nicaragua line of California
steamers. 1t is claimed by the government
OF Nicaragua as within its dominion, and al.
so by the King Of Mosquitia, and between
the two, the inhabitants have set up on their
own hook and acknowledge to belong to
neither. The Nicaragua transit company do all
their business at this point have their ware.
houses here, and receive and tranship here
all their passengers and goods going to and
returning from California. Between this
company and the authorities Of GrcytOwn
iiequcnt diiiicultic. have occurred, in refer.
cnce 10 custom charges, transit fees. &c
Frequently these difficulties had given rise
to open hostiliiics between the company and
the authorities Of Grcytown Hon. Solon
Borland, our minister to Central America. a
month or two ago undertook to arrange these
difficulties, and in the course of his efforts in
the matter serious indgnity was offered to
his person by tho people of Grcytown. 1t
was to demand fIl satisfaction and an apolo.
~ for their insult that the Cysnc was sen,
to Greytown.
The account below i, copied from the New
York Tribune, and is somewhat colorcd, hut
the facts are probably in the main correct.
Grcytown consisted Of about eighty hous.
cS, nearly all of them built Of wood, and by
far the greater proportion of them construct
ed in the United States and taken there on
shipboard. One of thcsc--Lyon's hotel
cost ) 1000 Not more than onc.fourth of
the houses in the new part of the town,
which has been built since 1850, were ocCU.
pied. They have heretofore been occupied,
but were deserted from business considera.
tiohS some time previous TO this affair. The
population Of Grcytown consisted of about
300 persons altogether; OF which number
Ten or twelve were from the United States,
about twenty-five were Engli,hmcn, and II
frenchmen and Germans. The remainder
oithe population were Jamaica negroes and
natives. The Americans, English, French
and Dutch were engaged in bookkeeping
and trade
The houses occupied by the natives and
negroes were principally frame buildings,
with roofs of thatchcd palm.loaf
When the Cyane appeared before Grey
town and demanded satisfaction to the
amount of $4,000, threatening lombard
ment If not complied with at given hour,
it was not believed by the inhabitants that
the town was to be demolished, pllagcd and
burned. They expected that few shots
would be fired into the town, that few
houses would be perforated, and then hostil-
tiles would cease. Most Of the huglsh, how
ever, went for protection on board of the
British war schooner Bcrmudas, Capt. jolly,
lying in the harbor. Mr.. Fabcns, L. s.
Agent, together with o or Z Of the Amer
leans, sought protection under the flag of
the United States on board Of the Cyane,
and the remainder OF the inhabitants Of Grey.
town, including all Of the French and ma.
tivcS, together with a few English and AM
orleans, left the place during the night and
morning proceeding its destruction. They
all encamped together on the shore n the
woods about mile distant Not anticipa-
ting the entire demolition Of the town by
bomb-shells and torches, they took but little
of their effects with them. All the proper
ty left was destroyed. Consequently the
houscle,s inhabitants were in great suffering
for the want Of food, and of clothing and
protection from the weather when our infor-
mants left They had stretched up sheets
for tents, and many were obliged to sleep in
the open air, without the least shelter, and
were half furnished for the want of food. A
brig laden with provisions, which had just
arrived as the bombardmcnt commenced has
probably supplied them.
The terms Of Capt lollins not being com
piled with he opened his fire promptly at
the appointed timc--ncarly every shot doing
execution. He fired about two hundred
sh OTIS, but not burning up the town as he
desired, hc sent ashore launch with lieu
tenant and about twenty five men, who pro.
coedcd to set on fire all that remained of
Grcytown. While doing sothcy arc said to
have inspected the interior Of the buildings
rather closely, and piaged as much as they
pleased Before flushing this work they
were pretty thoroughly intoxicated with
wines and liquors, and were constantly cheer
ing. The amount Of property destroyed by
this bombardment is stated to be half mill
ion of dollars.
The day before the bombardmcnt Capt
llollins took possession of the guns which
were for the protection Of the town, and took
them to punta Arenas and placed them in
the keeping Of the agent Of the Transit Com.
pany. During the bombardmcnt two shots
were aimed at the flag staff from which
iloated the Mosquito flag. The first ball
severed the halyards, and down came the
flag to halt mast, and the second ba,l cut the
stalf, from which it was suspended.
While the Cyane was cannonading, a note
was received by Capt Hollins from the Cap
tain Of the British schooner Bermuda stating
that he regretted that he had not British