New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-10-01
VOLUME XII.
HAVANA CORRESPONDENCE.
Special to the New Orleans c,escept.1

HAVANA CORRESPONDENCE.
Special to the New Orleans c,escent.l
HAVANA, September ~, 1859.
11essrs. Editors A friend of mine, who resides
the Admiralty" in this city, relates the fol.
lowing with considerable suso. It appears that on
Sunday, 18th inst, he observed an unwonted stir
about the Admiralty" boats going and coming
from the flagship, signals to and from her being
tinually made, and Spanish naval officers, whose
countenances bore the impression Of having important
knowledge, hurrying in and out Of the Admiralty
Offices My FRIEND who possesses an unusual share OF
that quality usually attributed to down easters-cu-
riosity-anxious to know what was " in the wind"
stopped young Spanish naval officer with whom he
is on terms Of intimacy and inquired what was the
matter, and was informed under pledge of secresy
that telegraphic dispatch had been received OF an
American steamer of suspicious character, crowded
with men supposed to be " fbusters," had been
seen off the coast OF this Island making her way to-
wards this port. Whilst this secret being told,
signal was made at the Moro Castle of second
American steamer being In sight-the Cahawba hay
ing been previously recognized being in the oing
" That must be er!" exclaimed the young Spanish
officer, on receiving the intelligence of the signal at
the Moro, and away he hurried in very phrenzy Of
excitement, which became quite general hereabouts
as the strange steamer was observed, she ap-
preached the port to turn her head to the eastward
with the evident intention Of passing the port, which
she did, and the signal at the Moro was hauled
down. was on the wharf at the time, and the curl
osity that had existed among the crowd there to
who the stranger was died away. In short time,
however, the signal for Gan unknown American
steamer in sight again hoisted at the Moro,
and the story about her being fbuster steamer"
bad by this time reached the wharf, at which, OF
course, all sensible people smiled. However, soon
after the Spanish war steamer C0nde de Venadiio,
which had got her steam up expressly for the oc-
casion, passed the wharf under full head of steam
on her way out of the harbor to reconnoitre the
stranger. AT this time, my friend tells me, the
people about tie Admiralty were literally mad with
excitement, the question was discussed whether it
WAS prudent to send out so small a steamer as the
Conde de He1adito upon the occasion, and it was de-
cided that under the protection Of the guns of the
Moro and Punta Castles there could not be any dan
ger and that though the Conde de Venadto might not
be able to fight the stranger she could approach
enough to get good look at her, and then were it
requisite, into port out of harm's way she being
a very fast boat
At dinner time g o'clock) the crowd at the wharf
sensiby diminished. l. however, remained, so as to
obtain at the earliest moment possible knowledge
as to who and what was the stranger.
As the shades Of evening stealing DER us, the
Conde de Venadito returned to the harbor at lower
rate Of speed than she had left it, and in her wake at
short distance followed the stern wheeler America,
laden With live cattle from Galveston. She had en-
| countered the fag end Of hurricane with tre-
mendous sea, which swept her decks, carried away
part Of her bulwarks, injured her rudder, and did
some slight damage to her rigging. She lost 1913 out
of ISL OF her cargo Of cattle. Her object in not
coming direct into the port was to throw over the
carcasses of dead cattle then on board She has
undergone the requisite repairs and has again sailed
for Galveston.
In mentioning in my last letter the arrival of the
Spanish ship Primera de Espana from China with
553 "Asiaticos free coonists believe stated had
not been able to ascertain the number Of deaths che
had on the passage. l have since then learned she
had 1876 deaths during her long passage of 1856 days
from Macao, via Anger and st. Helena.
have the pleasure of handing you herewith an in
teresting tabular statement published originally in
the Diario de la Marina OF this city and transferred
rendered into English-into the Mercantile Weekly
Report of Saturday last, which exhibits the number
| of Asiatcos arrived on this Island since the year
| 1s47-the year when they were first imported-with
| the name, tunnage and flag of ships in which they
came, ports at which they were embarked, numbers
embarked, and numbers landed from each ship, num-
Der of deaths, ETC., etc., on the passage The total
average of deaths is teentwensy per cent. or 1922
out of 50l23 embarked, nearly one man out OF every
| seven. Were there then no other cause than this
dreadful loss Of human life; is it not sufficient to in
duce all Christendom to exert itself to this
horrible traffic in white men to be stopped Were
their skins black we should have all the shriekers
of Exeter Hall exclaimng against it and their
shrieks would be reechoed by the fanatics of Boston
Philadelphia and New York. suppose these traders
In white men, If their trade endeavored to be
stopped, might say in the language of Cicero "Liber
tas est potestas faciendi id quod jure lcet which
would only prove how good axiom may be msap.
piled.
The Caracas correspondent Of the Diario de la
Marina writing under date 8th instant, states that
it was reported that Monagas had landed at Cumana
That Havana correspondent who ia so partial to
pointing out the errors of his confreres has made
another wonderful discovery, viz: that l committed
another error when l wrote you that the Credi!o
obiliaro of this city was going into liquidation So
tickled was be with his discovery, that he has been
running over town, chuckling as he told his friends
Of the mistake, saying "where earth does the man
get his information2" suppose, too, the error will
afford him another pungent paragraph in his next
letter to the New York papers, and, probably also to
one or two papers of New Orleans
will answer his question as to "where get my
Information" by informing him from gentlemen
| men who have never left their country in an oper
boat and who can return to it whenever they desire
to. Will that answer suffice him Besides if he baG
but waited the receipt here of my last letter to ht
Crescent he would have discovered that had already
corrected the error which, indeed, was general re
port in mercantile circles in this city upon its beine
made known that the Managing Director of the
Creaito Iobiliario, Senior Don Jllio Dureye, ther
and l believe at present at the North, had sem
thence his resignation, recommending the concern
should go into liquidation, accompanied by sugges
tions as to to the manner in which he advised that
step should be effected. Having made this expla
natons[;pledge myself not to again notice any of thai
Havana correspondents spiteful remarks. l will
give my best attention to my own business avoid as
much as possible committing errors and hope he will
do the same. There are but six or seven of us cor
respondents of the American press resident in this
city, and until very recently there was nothing but
good fellowship and honest rivalry existing between
US. There used to be weekly meeting of us all, al
which we exchanged "notes,' but one "black
Sheep has destroyed all this uuanimty which was