I then returned to the governor and asked him if there was no way that I could extricate myself from the embarrassment, short of a law suit, which I viewed with abhorrence. He unfeelingly replied, that the law must and should have its course, let the consequence be what it might, either to me or any other person. I had now become perfectly convinced, that they were determined to take every advantage of me that they possibly could, and expressed myself pretty fully and with some degree of warmth on the occasion; telling him what my opinion was of their conduct toward me, and the principles by which they were actuated. I took leave of his excellency and re-crossed the harbour in company with captain Sanborn and several other gentlemen, who were my friends, and were very much interested on my account. I looked around and asked a few questions, and found all who were near me were friendly. They said that their services were at my command and were ready to do any thing for me that was in their power. I duly considered all the consequences, and the importance it would be to me to lose the ship and cargo, and deliberated on the subject more than what had been usual for me to do. I concluded that there was no alternative left, but to go to sea with the ship in defiance of them, and that would be a very dangerous achievement to effect, as she lay under the guns of two heavy batteries. I made up my mind, however, to go to sea or perish in the attempt; my opinion was as Pope says, that "the mind is the standard of the man," and although my mind had been so frequently drawn upon, and so much impaired by troubles, yet I felt confident it would stand the charge, where the object was worthy of the attempt, and this occasion I thought called for such exertion. I made my determination known to three or four of my friends, who seemed much pleased to hear it. They said that nothing would gratify them more than for me to extricate myself from such an unprincipled and rapacious set as they were, and disappoint them in their hopes of robbing me of my property. I requested them to ge on board and make the necessary arrangements with the crew, and to assist me in getting the ship out of the harbour, which we did in spite of all their efforts to prevent us, with⚫ut sustaining but trifling damage.

I have been more particular in describing this transaction, on account of its causing considerable conversation at the time, and many reports concerning it may have got into circulation, which are not correct. I applied to captain Sanborn for the favour of taking from his journal the particulars of this affair, which I knew were taken down by him at the time, and received from him the following letter, which I insert in order that the reader may not depend upon my own story; but have the evidence of a spectator, who was well acquainted with every circumstance.

Bangor, November, 1816.

CAPT. AMASA DELANO.

DEAR SIR,

I FEEL reproved that I have delayed for so long a time to repeat to you the circumstances relating to the recovery of the ship Perseverance, when unjustly seized by the government of St. Bartholomews.

On the 10th September, 1810, as you was closing your business with your commission merchant, an officer from the ship came on shore and hastily informed you, that the searcher had been on board, examined the cargo book, found an omission in the clearance of forty seven puncheons of rum, and that the ship was seized.

You then requested me to accompany you to the collector, we instantly crossed the harbour to his office. You represented the case to him, and he acknowledged that it was evident enough from the contingent circumstances, that there was no design on your part to defraud the revenue. He replied that he was very sorry, but that it was now too late for him to remedy it; that the searcher had been there with the report and had gone to the office of the governor's secretary to libel the ship; and that it would be necessary for you to see him before he arrived there, or it would be too late to stop the libel short of a trial. We therefore set out to find this sable gentleman at his own house, but not finding

The secretary

all representa

him there we proceeded to the secretary's office. then informed you that the ship was libelled, and tion and all arrangement was unavailing with him. His reply was that "the trial must take place, and the ship they would have; but that you might for your satisfaction see the governor on the subject." The governor after hearing your statement, replied, that he did not doubt the truth of it, and after some severe invective against your merchant, said that "he could not help his mistakes, and this was not the first ;" and that there was no way to get the ship unless you could make some compromise with the judge. You accordingly called on the judge alone, and as I then understood it, he thought that a salvo of twenty-five hundred dollars, about the worth of the rum, would be an inducement to him to use his influence with the governor to relieve the ship from her embarrassment; and that he thought that he should succeed. You then returned to the governor and after much dispassionate though unavailing argument and entreaty, you told him that you saw plainly that in the face of all justice and reason they were combined to rob you of your property; and that you was compelled to believe them a set of scoundrels, and quit the abode of his excellency. We then returned to the opposite side of the harbour, and learned, that in the mean time the government had put on board the ship the harbour-master, five soldiers, one or two white and sixteen black seamen, in order to warp her up to the king's or custom-house wharf, to discharge her.

After a half hours silence on your part, and hearing the various opinions of your countrymen present, I was much pleased to hear you say, that you was "determined that she should go to sca in spite

of guns or thunder.”

You then requested or accepted the services of two or three gentlemen present, who went on board and made some little arrangements with the ship's crew. You soon came on board yourself. The captain of the port, Vixell, was then in the act of weighing the ship's anchors, to warp as abovementioned. Ten minutes had not more than elapsed when the negroes were all overboard, the ship's sails unfurled, and she before the wind. The fort commenced its fire upon you, but you was master of your ship again. I shall ever remember with much pleasure, and my heart will ever

applaud the decision, firmness and gallantry with which this affair was conducted.

The ship was under the guns and within pistol shot of a heavy battery, with more numbers on board and armed, than you had to oppose to them, at mid-day, when in full view of the fort, and indeed of the town; with all these disadvantages, to the astonishment of those who thought they had you within their rapacious grasp, as well as to multitudes who beheld you from the hills around with envious eyes, in less than forty minutes your ship was free from their power and out of the reach of their shot, with but little or no injury to the ship, and but one person wounded.

Thus far I have concisely related an affair which your enemies though mortified could but admire, and your friends behold with exultation.

In haste, I am your obedient servant,

GREENE SANBORN.

THE following is an extract from the log-book of the Perseve. rance, which was published in the Boston papers, after her arrival home.

St. Bartholomews, Sept. 10, 1810.

"FIRST part of this 24 hours, light breezes and pleasant weather. At 6 A. M. hoisted the colours half-mast for the searcher to come on board. At 8 A. M. the owner and passenger went on shore. At 11 A. M. the searcher came on board, and found 45 puncheons of rum, which, through mistake, had been omitted in the clearance; which mistake the searcher was convinced of, and ordered the colours to be hoisted up, as a signal for every thing being correct, and the ship cleared. At 1, P. M. the harbour-master came on board, (by order of government) with a guard of soldiers and seventeen negroes, in order to haul the ship to the king's wharf for adjudication. At 2, P. M. the owner came on board without the ship's papers. At 3, P. 4. the harbour-master and crew weighed

the anchor, and, while endeavouring to haul the ship up, the warp parted; in consequence of which, through their ignorance and inability to conduct the business, the ship would have been lost on the rocks had not the owner (capt. Delano) taken possession, in defiance of their numbers, and conducted her out of the harbour, under the continual fire of two strong batteries of twenty-four pounders, which did us much damage in sails and rigging. At 6, P. M. got out of gun-shot, rounded to, and permitted the prisoners to depart. No person hurt on board, except one of the Swedish soldiers, who was badly wounded in defending the ship from being retaken. Latter part, fresh breezes and pleasant weather. At midnight, Dog Island bore N. distant about three leagues. The owner further adds, that the above mentioned mistake happened in consequence of the gross blunder of the broker he employed on shore, whom he ordered to clear the vesssel out; that the said owner waited on the Collector, Governour, and Judge, and convinced them of the mistake, and that it could not be a wilful thing, as the rum was all publicly carried to the custom-house quay, and permitted, by the Collector, to go on board. After offering to pay the duties and any fine, the answers were, that his property must be forfeited, for their law was broke."

After the ship had got out of reach of the batteries, which had kept up a steady fire at her as long as she was within the range of their shot, without doing us any damage except in sails and rigging, we put the harbour-master and his companions into captain Crocker's boat and sent them on shore.

It may be interesting to the reader to give a description of the manner in which the affair was conducted, in clearing the ship of the negroes, and getting her under way. A warp had been made fast to captain Sanborn's vessel, which lay further up the canash than the Perseverance did, and the negroes were set at work in heaving up the anchor. Our people were ordered into the forecastle by their own officers, with instructions to stopper the cable, which ran through that part of the ship, as soon as the anchor was up far enough for the negroes to stop heaving. They were then by signal to sally out of the forecastle, with all the carpenter's tools and other instruments that they could get, and with threats to frighten the negroes overboard; but they were strictly ordered