The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-23

\ HAVANA, June l5 1858.
The seizure of the American schooner Cortex by the
British gunboat Forward and the preliminary proceed
ings for her consation as Shaver by the British gov
eminent, may be very serious matter for the parties
concerned in it, by the official information which
propose now to give you, Il appears that there
sides TO the story. HF Tyt# Vl'f
have been furnished with the following abstract of
testimony of passengers by the Coez taken in the Con-
sulate Of the United States by Don Juan Alberti
the deponents L subsequently compared il with the
original file in the United States Consulate found
it to conform in every particular as to word and fact
Don Juan Alber deposed, that he took passage in
the schooner Cortez with regular passport from the
government of Cuba, and in charge of the cargo on
board Of the schooner bound to the island Anabon
lawful trading voyage, and sailed from the port of
Havana the morning of the 18th of April That he
had with him on board in his trunk beside his wearing
apparel and other small articles for his USE the
of eight thousand five hundred dollars that is five hun
dred doubloons that the cargo of this schooner under
his charge consisted Of empty casks and provisions
to the value of twenty thousand hundred and ninety
dollars that on the following morning her Britannia
Maestys gunboat Forward captured the schooner Corte
that the boat of the man-of- war alongside the
schooner, and an officer with detachment of came
deck the officer demanded the vessels papers, which
were exhibited to him after which the American flag
hauled down, but the mate nterfered and some
remarks made by him he hoisted the flag but it was
after focby lowered away by the British officer
his men, and the British flag up in its place that
HIMSELF tho other passengers the mate and others Of the
men and subsequently himself and the others were
conveyed board of the gunboat with all their baggage
and effects.
son arrival on board of the man of war the American
mate and seamen handcufed and imprisoned. On
the third day after being taken board the Forward
the commander and his deprived him and all the
rest of everything they possessed except small portion
of their clothing that previous to this last act of abuse
he with the others, compelled to strip almost
naked and their persons searched with unnecessary vo
ence and shamelessness. At this time the manofwar
off Cayo Pied the entrance of the bay of Car
denas The boat of the Cardenas pilots lying there
and the passengers asked the pilots stop for them but
not being willing to be detained by the officers of the
gunboat the beat about starting for Cardenas when
the British commander hailed them, SAYING ''wat few
moments the spanards have plenty of doubloons, and
after they have been well stripped you may take them
away" After this as the British officer very much
intoxicated he treated the passengers and in the
most outrageous manner assisted by his officers and men,
if they had been found guilty of the most henous
crimes The officer then returned three watches of no
great value Of them the property of his deponent
and at about o. p M himself and the other passengers
and of the Cotez crews, put the pilot boat
and sent away. "
The other protestants--viz Don Manuel Vidal Perez
Don Miguel Solcr and Don Antonio Flores-say s'that
they have heard the above statement of Don Juan Aber
ii that they all passengers together board Of
the schooner Cotez had regular passports from the gov
eminent of Cuba, and were bound lawful voyage,
and that they had to suspect that the schooner
aforesaid not lawful trader that the facts set
forth by Albert to their knowledge, true and
rect although they do not know the amount of money
that taken from him board of the gunboat but
that it large in gold Spanish douboons that
they experienced the brutal treatment from the
British officers and men of the gm-b Forward
Manuel Vidal Perez further states 'that he had on
board the Corez the of six thousand dollars which
was taken from him."
Miguel Sober says that be robbed by the officers
and of the cruiser aforesaid of the of four hun
bred and twenty Spanish doubloons ounces which
he had with him " and Don Antonio Flores states 'that
he Ri If he took
him, with violence, two thousand dollars. {"
They all declare that they all the ships papers Of
schooner Cortez well their passports from the
of Cuba In the hands of the commander Of
the gunboat in the cabin of the Cortcx immed
ately after he first board that he read and ex
amined them carefully and retained them and subsc-
quenty denying to them, their demanding of him to
return their passports that he had had in his pos
session any papers board of the Cortez They pre-
sumed that the commander of the gunboat destroyed all
the papers, although they could not it, they
had not him in the act of destruction They do
that nobody else had possession of the papers a
ter he board of the Corez and they were placed
in his hands, They all did and do protest against the
unustable and illegal acts of her Britannia Majestys
gunboat the Forward, her officers and men, and
seveally declare that they hold her Britannia Majesys
responsible for the moneys and effects taken
from them individually also for damages for the wrong
full imprisonment and other injuries to which they
subjected by her Britannia Majesty officers and servants
well to the injury Of their business by virtue of the
detention to which they subjected and the total dis
rupon OF their lawful voyage of business which they
proceeding. They do therefore, in addition to the
sums of money, property and goods taken from them
demand indemnity from the government aforesaid. The
deposition is signed and to by Juan Alber Man
uel Vidal Perez, Miguel Soler, and Antonio Flores
The mate Archibod and Sailors named in the previous
history of the Cortez also deposcd that everything
done in the power of the British officers and crew. in the
four five days that the Corez kept cruising with
the Forward before she despatched for jamaica to
impair her honest appearance that her lockers emp
tied many of her pipes the same, and much of the
taken board the Forward for the free of the
crew. and many of the goods for trading purposes An
abon, well provisions for legal traffic. broken
up, thrown overheard and taken board the Forward
for use, &c.
All these things done in the presence Of Lent
Henry Davis, commander of the boat who to
the necessary dispositions for before the Vice Admir-
atty Court which to hold session the 14th ult
No doubt the British government will fully investigate
the matter.