The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-06-01
ne 1,r,,,.a =, ,c.c.- ,osclal Documents

The British searches OfIicial Documents
| E0n the 10th inst. in answer 10 reso'nuen =
the "senate, calling for information concern' ~,
the recent search or seizure Of American sesee's
by foreign armed cruizers In the Gulf OF meA'.s.
humber Of documents were commnn'es'e" :
Congress by General cass giving particulars IN re
! lason to the vessels n. b. Borden, OF fal. n''e''
Massachusetts; the A. A.. Chapman, of New Or
icans; the Mobile of New Orleans; the Irop'c
Bird, of Philadelphia aud the Cortes,of New YORK.
al alleged 70 have been outraged by British crns
ers In the Gulf of Mexico. The statement OF the
mate Of the Cortes shows pretty conclusiveiy 'ha'
the Captain of the vessel which fitted out Tor
the coast Of Africa sold her to the British cruiser
by surrenderipg her as a SLAYER. shewas boarded
by tho British gnnboat Forward, and the captain
resented the inaignity, but afterwards came to
some sort Of understanding with the commander
of tina, vessel. The mate 10 his statement says:
The British commander took Captain Durana
down into the schooners cabin, and remained
there for some time. | was not present during
their interview 10 the cabin. Can't. Durand came
nm on deck and ordered me 90 haul down the caors.
which did. Captain Durabd ordered me 10 lay
there until he came back and then, with the
British captain, he proceeded on board the manor
war In her boat. Captain Durand remainsi about
some 20 minutes; white he was away, told one
OF the crew TO tell the passengers to look ont ior
them selves, for though the tain was going 10
sell the vessel. When Captain Durand returned
on board with the British captain, was ait py Tue
wheel. lie told me, / am no longer I'D sbarge'
have no longer any control over you tnis iuan 10
yoar master; you must obey nm, poin.n s 49,
master. who with six men-ofwar sailors. haa uecn
left on board. / said that had been lawfully SNIP
ped at the American consulate: that the snip 80
far rs was aware, had been lawfully cleared, anu
was bound on lawful voyage, aud thai wouid
rfff oh n
other foreign nation that l shipped under the
American flag, aad would go under no other -
The British master then said, II you VIII not WORK
I will send you on board the man of-war. toid
him II he took me out of the schooner it would be
against my will Captain Durand remarked-"If
you go with those damned Spaniards, they IL put
knife into you" The passengers had previously
been taken out aud conveyed TO the manor war !:
and as refused to work, was also sent on ooafu
the gun boat, where was put in irons. when l
was in irons the captain of the man-ofwar e1fereo
me the sum of 1--WE hundred dollars provided l
would sign paper certifying That was going
upon q shaving voyage to the coast OF africa, ana
he would release me from the irons aud ianu me
wherever liked, and said that if would not do
tthat as was an Englishman, as Capt. Durand had
told him, hs would keep me on board the gun
boat and was liable TO be hung; for Il Will not
let YOU go ON shore, for IL You 90 to Havana you
will make plenty of trouble for me-" had some
other words with him; he threatened "to heaye
four dozen into me-" if would not sign the paper.
refused to sign it, and demanded that he should
land me where | could get to my Consul. He
made the same offer a second time; he even put one
of his engineers TO get me drunk, and furnished
liquors of all kinds, but was aware OF his OBJ
ject, aud took care of myself "hen captain
Duraud came on board the nan-ofwar he was
much intoxicated. and told the English captain to
secure me, saying / was o great ruffian, and
would knife every man on board. The English of
ficer aud myself again had quarrel. because he
accused me of having money in my pocket which !
had received as bonus for engaging upon an M
lawful voyage. / told him he was a liar; that
had received one months advance, and that l
had been paid off in Havana from the vessel in
which had come with $3.50; British officer took
away from me seven Spanish doubloons, and al
most every thing had was robbed by the British
Sailors so we're the passengers The British cap
tain was so drunk he could hardly stand. In the
meantime he hal got to Cayo Piedra. on Cardenas
where sent on board Spanish steamboat
bound to Havana. left captain Dnrand on board
a gun, boat; the passengers bad been put on board
pi,o. boat. ThefBritish captain first gave me ore
ioubloou, and upon my demonstrating with him ht
gave ME another. He was drunk, very drunk
One pair of shoes was returned to me also; almost
everything else was taken from me.
When the British captain first came on board
the Cortes he was not drunk, but soon after be
came intoxicated, and continued so until LEFT
him. Captain Durand was kept in the same con
dtion; the rest of the officers and crew Of the
Forward. with one or two exceptions, were ast
drunk and behaved more like pirates and thieves
thar men belonging to war vessel. l arrived
in Havaue s,e 3d. two of our crew came with me in
the stean.lf..; another was sent with the passen-
gers s.sird the pilot boat, the steward and one
man remained on the COrtes. do not know wha
amount of nuney taken from the passengers
but it was 4 large sum. The passengers and my
self were made to strip almost naked on the man
of-war. and our persons were carefully searched
Four of the passengers were put in irons the rest
we're not; aud We got very little food, and that no
OF the best kind.
Mr.. Blythe, in reference to the above case, says
The "Cortes" arrived here on the 10Th of Marcel
from New York. under the command of her sol'
esuer. Adam A. Smaller on the 9th he appointed
his mate. James VI. Durand, master of the echooD
en- and executed at this office in favor of said Do
rand power of attorney authorizing him to sci
the schooner if he could, or charter her. Sh'
cleared at this Office the 18th inst, for Annoho
bon with an assorted cargo, and sailed on the mex
morning.
Captain Duraud's conduct, as disclosed by thu
| testimony, seems to have been very strange. /
seems to be the fixed opinion of the mate that h.
sold the vessel for consideration. What wer,
the contents of the per which the mate and mel
| say was signed by the captain, have not beer
| able to ascert in. If the vessel was really bounC
on slave voyage, then the captain should certain
| ~ be punished for prostiutiug the flag of oul
| country for such purpose; if she was not, II
| her commander 10 represented her for considera
tion, then be is equally guilty, and should certain
| iy be punished.