Mr. True to Mr. Harvey.
Sir: I take occasion per this steamer to inform you that a screw steam vessel called the Modgo, and pretending to be a yacht, arrived here a day or two ago from Falmouth, and is still in port. She has no look of a yacht, but rather of a strong serviceable brigantine sailing vessel, with steam power added. She looks rather rough and untidy, being a wooden vessel, and has a large house on deck, apparently a temporary fixture; she has, also, four small boat swivel-guns mounted on her bulwarks. Her destination is given out as Porto Cabello, and she manifests four passengers, one of whom is a lady. I have as yet found no one who knows who they are, and the affair looks sufficiently mysterious to lead me to advise you of it, and to suggest that inquiries be made [Page 284] through our consuls at Falmouth, Plymouth, and Portsmouth, and a lookout be kept for her in West India waters. She might be made a very troublesome little cruiser by pitching the deck-house overboard and mounting a pivot-gun in its place.
I do not think that the craft is, as yet, prepared for such work, but it seems to me that she might be. She is about a 150 tons, brigantine, or brig, schooner-rig—stern rather old style, having been ornamented once with carving and gilding, which is now painted out; semi-clipper bow, with a little gilding; very square yards; black funnel close before mainmast; quarter-boats slung pretty high, and one of them varnished wood-color.
We have had for some time in port the Dublin steamer Man, which has procured coal at last on bottomry bond, and will leave to-day probably for Nassau. Last night the fine paddle-steamer Nutfield, only a little over four days from Plymouth—one of the quickest trips on record—arrived here. She is about the size of the famous Calypso, and may prove as troublesome a customer.
Yours, very respectfully,
Hon. James E. Harvey, Lisbon.