Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session Thirty-eighth Congress, Part I
The Secretary to the Admiralty to Mr. Hammond.—(Received January 29.)
Sir: I am commanded by my lords commissioners of the admiralty to send you herewith, for the information of Earl Russell, and with reference to previous correspondence, a copy of a letter, dated the 17th ultimo, from Rear-Admiral Sir Baldwin W. Walker, Bart., respecting the seizure of the British colonial vessel Saxon, at Angra Pequena, by the United States ship-of-war Vanderbilt, together with copies of the statements of the master and crew of the Saxon of the circumstances attending the seizure.
I am, &c.,
Rear-Admiral Sir B. Walker to the Secretary to the Admiralty.
Sir: Referring to my letter, dated the 17th ultimo, reporting the seizure of the British colonial vessel Saxon, on the 30th October last, by the United States ship-of-war Vanderbilt, at Angra Pequena, on the southwest coast of Africa, I beg to enclose, for their lordships’ information, the statements of the master and crew of the Saxon, who have since returned to Cape Town, containing full particulars of the proceedings of the American officers and of the death of the chief mate of the Saxon, who was shot by one of them after the seizure of the vessel.
[Page 270]It is alleged that Penguin island, at Angra Pequena, near to which the Saxon was lying, is British territory. I find, on inquiry, it was annexed to this colony in August, 1861, together with Ichaboe and others, as a guano island, by a proclamation of Sir George Grey, subject to the approval or disapproval of her Majesty’s government, but it does not apppear to have been confirmed or noticed in any way from home.
I have, &c.,
Statement of the master of the Saxon.
I sailed from Ascension on the 26th September, and arrived at Angra Pequena on the 16th October.
On the 27th I commenced taking in cargo—skins and wool. On October 30, at 11 a. m., we finished loading. The carpenter then commenced to batten down the hatches, the men being employed in clearing decks, and securing spars, and getting ready for sea.
About 1 p. m. we saw a steamer rounding Angra Point, which proved to be the federal man-of-war Vanderbilt She came to an anchor abreast of Penguin island, lowered a boat, and sent it on board the Saxon, with two officers and a boat’s crew, all armed. At 1.30 p. m. she boarded us, and the officer asked where I was from. I told him from Ascension.
He then asked how long I had been at Angra Pequena, and I told him. He also asked what my cargo consisted of, and I told him.
He then requested me to show him my papers. I asked what authority he had to look at my papers. He said Captaia Baldwin had sent him to look at the ship’s papers; and added, “It is of no use, captain; I must see your papers.” I then showed him the ship’s papers; he read them and said, “Skins and wool; that will do,” and went on deck, taking the papers with him.
He looked down the hold, and asked me if I knew where the skins and wool came from. I told him that all I knew about it was, that I had come there to take it in. He then told me he must take my papers to Captain Baldwin, and would leave an officer on board to make a signal in case I should attempt to move the ship. I told him I was ready for sea, and would go, papers or no papers, and take with me the officer he might leave. He then said I had better try it, as the steamer would go faster than we could. He then left the ship, leaving a junior officer on board. At the same time that the officer left my ship, a second, boat, with another officer and crew, all armed, put off from the steamer. They came on board about 2.30 p. m. and took charge, placing armed men all round the ship, and driving my crew below.
The officer never reported to me that he had come to take charge until I went to him and asked him what he had come to do. His answer was, “Who are you, sir?” I told him that I was the master of the ship. He replied, “You are now no more master of this vessel, and I will thank you to go below, and give no more orders, sir; further, I will not allow you to speak to any of the ship’s company.” I told him he might as well have behaved as a gentleman, and have come to me and told me what his business was, instead of taking charge without acquainting me with his intention, and before Captain Baldwin had seen my papers. He then ordered me below. About 4 p. m. the island men that were helping to load the ship came alongside in a boat with some fish, and asked for some meat and bread, as they had had nothing to eat since breakfast. I told my chief officer he might give them some, but that he must first ask the officer [Page 271] in charge of the ship. He did so; and the officer in the first instance said they might have some, but afterwards changed his mind, and with impious imprecations said they should not have a bit. I then said to the officer, “Let us go forward and give them some.” He said, “No, you shall not go forward, and they shall not have anything from the ship.” I then said, “They shall have something to eat,” and was going forward, when the officer ordered his men to stop me and take me below, which they did, the officer at the same time saying. “My fine fellow, if you don’t go below I will very soon put you where the dogs won’t bark at you.” I had been below about nine or ten minutes, with a sently over me, when I heard the report of a pistol. I instantly rushed on deck, and was told they had shot the mate. I went to support the mate in my arms; he never moved or spoke; he was shot dead. I said to the officer in charge, “Why have you shot my mate?” His reply was, “It was an accident.” I then asked the junior officer who shot the mate, and why he did it? He said, “Poor fellow, I am sorry for him; but I must obey orders.” They then hove up the anchor and dropped the Saxon abreast of Penguin island.
The Vanderbilt at this time was in chase of another vessel that hove in sight. She returned next morning. Captain Baldwin sent for me on board the Vanderbilt. Upon my going on board, Captain Baldwin addressed me thus: “You are Captain Sheppard, of the bark Saxon?” “Yes, sir,” I replied. “Well, captain,” he continued, “I am very sorry for you, but your papers are not satisfactory to me, and I must make a prize of the Saxon, and send her to the prize authorities at New York. We know that it is the Tuscaloosa’s cargo that you have on board. It was brought here by the confederates, and it is American property. That is the ground upon which I make a prize of your ship. I must do my duty to my country, and protect American property.”
The Vanderbilt steamed into Penguin island when I was on board of her, and commenced taking in coals that was on shore there. I told Captain Baldwin the island was British territory. He replied, “I cannot help it; I want coal, and must have it.” Captain Baldwin had a coffin made for Mr. Gray, the chief officer, and he was buried on the main land on the 31st October, by the Vanderbilt’s men. They would not allow any of the ship’s company, except myself, to follow him. On the 1st November they landed me and my crew on the main land, with a little bread and water, not sufficient for one day, and our personal effects.
We walked along the coast to the shore opposite Halifax island, to which we crossed in a boat. We arrived in the evening. On November 3, the schooner Isabel, of Cape Town, Captain Roe, came in and took us on board. We proceeded to Ichaboe, and then to Hottentots’ bay, where we arrived on 10th November. On November 13 we went on board the Lord of the Isles, bound to Table bay, where we arrived on 21st November.
Statement of the crew of the Saxon.
About 11 a. m. on the 31st October, while lying at anchor at Angra Pequena, we saw a large steamer, which afterwards turned out to be the Vanderbilt, rounding the point. She dropped anchor and lowered a boat, which pulled for us and boarded us. The officer, after looking at the ship’s papers, said he would take them on board the Vanderbilt, which he did, after leaving a junior officer in charge, with orders not to allow the anchor to be weighed. Captain Sheppard told him that he was quite ready for sea, and he intended getting under way immediately after dinner. The officer said he could not, as he had his [Page 272] papers. Captain Sheppard said he would go, papers or not. The officer then went on hoard the Vanderbilt, but returned almost immediately with another boat’s crew, when he took charge.
About this time a whale-boat’s crew (belonging to an island called Halifax) came on board with some fish, when they asked Captain Sheppard for some bread and meat, as they had none in the boat.
The captain asked the American officer, who said that they might have some, but soon after changed his mind, and said they might not. The men then appealed to Captain Sheppard, who said, “Heave it into the boat; if they stop you I can’t help it.” The American officer then came to Captain Sheppard and touched him on the shoulder, saying, “You had better go aft; you are giving too many orders here;” adding, “If you don’t I’ll put you where the dogs won’t bark at you,” laying his hand on his revolver at the same time.
The captain then went aft and was confined to his cabin under a sentry’s charge.
A short time afterwards, Mr. James Gray, the chief officer, went aft to go on the poop, but had only got to the top of the ladder, when a junior American officer, a Mr. Donohoe, told him to go down; Mr. Gray did not go immediately, not exactly knowing what was the matter, when the officer repeated the order, saying, “If you do not, I will shoot you,” at the same time shoving him. Mr. Gray’s foot caught in one of the steps of the ladder, when he turned half round and looked up in the officer’s face, who then drew a revolver and shot him dead. We attempted to go aft to pick up Mr. Gray, when the senior officer told his men to draw swords and drive us forward, which they did, abusing us at the same time. We went aft afterwards and found Captain Sheppard and the second mate supporting the mate’s head. The ball had entered behind the left ear and gone down into his body. The officer who shot him said he was sorry for the man, but he should obey orders, adding, “There is some humbug about that boat,” meaning the whale-boat, adding that five men came off in her, and seven were going on shore; that they were all Alabama’s men, and they “ought to go on shore and do for the b———dy lot of them. He then pointed his pistol to the body of Mr. Gray, saying, that is one of the Alabama’s men too. We were kept below all night, with orders not to come on deck without hailing the sentry, if we did not want to be shot.
They buried the body of Mr. Gray late in the morning opposite Penguin island. The bark was dropped down where the Vanderbilt had been lying, (but which was then in chase of a vessel in sight.) The Vanderbilt came in next morning, and went inside Penguin island, where she took in a lot of coals that were there, and went to sea next morning. We were landed on Sunday morning, and about a quarter of a bag of bread and a small keg of water. We then walked over the main land to a place opposite Halifax, when the men on the island came for us in a boat.
We stayed two days on the island, when the schooner Isabel came in and took us down to Ichaboe, where we stayed a few days, when we went to Hottentots’ bay, where we went on board the brig Lord of the Isles, and came to Cape Town.