land in sight I intended sending my young son and negroes in a boat and send them home and for him to inform the court there the impossibility of my getting home. No person on board knowing my intention of this I did not see any use in telling them until I saw the land. It is well known I could not take my negroes to Nassau, and after I had got clear of my son and negroes I myself, steamer, &c., to proceed to Nassau, as first intended. In trying to place my property as above stated in safety, as certainly could have been done by me at a proper time if Commodore Mervine had not taken the advantage of the privilege granted me at first by Major French and Captain Craven, which is an advantage taken of their own acts, and in which the Government troops and this island were benefited in being supplied with fresh beef; in short my property was taken and retained until these proclamations were proclaimed, and my other property and family being in the South and I dare not sell my st my own consent, if known at home, and in trying to thus save my property Captain Scott came on me about twenty miles south of Tortugas and took charge.

The wicked and malicious reports in relation to myself and steamer in the public prints sent from here I cannot stop, but all I can say is that ere this it is known what cargo she had on board and, so far as I know and remember will here state from memory, bound for Nassau, viz, 176 bags of coffee, 8 trunks of shoes, said to be women's; 110,000 cigars, probably some more; 2 bottles quicksilver, shipped and belonging to Solar, Carbonell & Co., Havana, and passenger on board in whose charge the same is; 100 sacks coffee shipped and belonging to Ceso & Co., Havana, and I thing in charge of above passenger; 16 cases hats, said to be; 240,000, I think, of cigars, or thereabouts, belonging to and shipped by Hayman & Co., Havana, his clerk or agent on board in charge of same; 1 small old box of linen lint and bandages marked Mordecai & Co., belonging to Doctor Barrett, passenger on board, who was left here; 3 sacks coffee; 4 cases gein; 5,000 cigars and a smal quantity of pineapples and bananas belonging to myself; 1 small geun belonging to steamer and 1 small pistol of my son's. Above is a complete statement to my recollection or knowledge of what was on board. If I desired carrying arms, &c., I could have gone to Matamoras and be well paid but would not.

General, I would not have taken the liberty of troubling you with such a long statement of [my] acts and present condition were it not the fact and knowing within myself that all I desired was to protect my property which I have worked hard for and that I was deprived by the Government or its officials here from doing so when no law or proclamation prevented me from doing so more than the law of might, while that I was really doing all I possibly could do in justice to aid those here of the Government. I am now from home over four months and only about 200 miles from it confined and hom my poor family since I left. Little doubt they are suffering and the little property I had there likey destroyed by the rabble. As to money, I may say I have none. I owe some little money in New York and my steamer was the only thing available I had to dispose of to pay my debts and if any left to remain quiet until I saw how these troubles were to terminate. On the account of my family I am exceedingly anxious to get home and also to have my son who is on the boat North to be sent out here. As regards my boat and negroes my case is before you and I sincerely trust that the Secretary of War will, through your influence and Judge Marvin's, take a liberal view of the case as also order my release