Doc. No.
12
36.
protest of James Smith, late master of the schooner P e r r y of this port, which vessel being taken by some piratical boats, while in the harbor of Old P r o v i d e n c e , has finally got into possession of the Haytian Govern ment, President Boyer. It would appear, from this document, that t h e y will not act in the case unless formally applied to by the Government of the United States. T h i s company, having paid the loss, would be happy to receive the in terposition of the Government, or such direction as might tend to place them in possession of the proceeds of the vessel. Captain Smith, while at P o r t - a u - P r i n c e , understood that she produced $ 1 , 2 0 0 ; that she was condemned as having been guilty of smuggling ; and yet that five of the men detained at A u x Cayes were prosecuted as p i rates. A power of attorney, together with a copy of the register of the schoo ner, w e r e transmitted to Messrs. David Correy & Co., of P o r t - a u - P r i n c e , by Mr. P . A : Guestier, the agent of her late owner, Mr. J o h n C. King, of this city, in March last. On the 8th of April, they acknowledge the receipt of these papers, and say they had applied to an attorney, who was of opinion she would be r e covered. T h e attorney was still of the same opinion on the 7th of M a y ; but Captain Smith says that the house at Port-au-Prince had abandoned the cause, from the determination of the Government of Hayti not to act in it, unless at the instance of the United States. I beg you to pardon the freedom with which I have addressed you, and to accept the homage of the highest respect of your most obedient, h u m b l e servant, A . J. S C H W A R T Z E , President Chesapeake Insurance Company. Hon.
JOHN Q.
ADAMS.
U N I T E D S T A T E S OF A M E R I C A . S T A T E OF M A R Y L A N D , to
wit:
I, John Gill, Notary Public, by letters patent under the great seal of the State of Maryland, commissioned and duly qualified, residing in the city of Baltimore, in the State aforesaid, do hereby certify, attest, a n d . m a k e k n o w n that, on the day of the date hereof, before me personally appeared James Smith, late master, and George C. Botefehr, of the schooner P e r r y , of Baltimore, and made oath on the H o l y E v a n g e l s of Almighty God that,they proceeded, in and with said schooner, from Bal timore, on or about the 17th day of October last, bound for A u x Cayes, and arrived there without any thing material occurring, and proceeded from thence and arrived at Old Providence without any thing material occurring, arriving there on the 20th of N o v e m b e r last, but were prevent ed from landing the cargo of said schooner by. reason of its being the rainy s e a s o n — i t rained every day and night, with little or no intermis sion—and there being no warehouse on shore to put said cargo in, or shel ter it from the rain, there having been a violent gale of wind a little b e fore they arrived, which had done great damage to the houses ; that they