Mr. Burnley to Mr. Seward
Washington,
January 31, 1865.
Sir: Upon the receipt of your note of the 4th
instant, respecting two vessels building at Montreal, alleged to be for
the naval service of the co-called Confederate States, I forward a copy
of it to the governor general of Canada.
His excellency has furnished me with a report of the attorney general for
Canada East upon this subject, a copy of which I have the honor to
transmit herewith.
I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your most
obedient, humble servant.
Hon. William H. Seward,
&c., &c., &c.
[Untitled]
Crown Law Department,
Quebec,
January 24, 1865.
The undersigned has the honor to report to his excellency the
governor general that from inquiries made by him, as shown by the
annexed correspondence, relative to the two vessels alluded to by
the United States vice-consul, in his letter of the 9th December
last, addressed to the British minister at Washington, it does not
appear that any suspicion of their destination other than the
ostensible one, was excited in the minds of the customs officers at
Montreal, and that one of these vessels, the Alexandarus had cleared
from the port of Montreal before the date of the vice-consul’s
letter.
The undersigned will duly report to his excellency before the opening
of navigation any further information that may be obtained relative
to the Pinero.
GEORGE G. CARTIER Attorney General, L.
C.
Mr. Futvoyc to Mr. Holmes
Crown Law Department,
Quebec,
December 28, 1864.
Sir: I am directed by the honorable the
attorney general for Lower Canada to request you to make diligent
inquiry as to the trade or objects for which two ships now building
at Montreal, to be called El Almandarus and Pinero are destined, and
to report to him from time to time any reliable information that you
may obtain in relation to them and their destination.
I have, &c.,
GEORGE FUTVOYE, Clerk of Crown Law
Department.
B. Holmes, Esq., Collector of Customs, Montreal.
Mr. Holmes to Mr. Futvoye
Custom House, Montreal,
December 29, 1864.
Sir: In reply to your letter of the 28th
instant, requesting information respecting the steamers Almandarus
and Pinero, I beg for the information of the honorable the attorney
general for Lower Canada to state that the former was built on a
wharf opposite this city, and then taken into the Lachine canal, by
Mr. Augustine Cantin during the last summer. That owing to the
illness of the measuring officer of this port, Mr. O’Meara, of ————,
came up here and measured both vessels, and would, therefore, be
competent to give every information as to whether there was anything
suspicious in their build, or different from similar passenger
steamboats.
These vessels were both registered at this port on the 25th of
November last in the name of the builder, A. Cantin. The Almandarus
was built on account of the General Cuban Steam Navigation Company
of Havana, and the Pinero for Ildefonso Vivanco, merchant, of same
place.
The Almandares, of 630.21/100 tons, J. B. Portias master, cleared
from this port without cargo for Havana on the 7th instant, and by
the latest accounts had reached Canso, where I was informed, at date
of her sailing hence, she would stop for a supply of coal.
[Page 61]
It was intended to have cleared the Pinero, 287 82/100 tons, for the
same port, but owing to the unfinished state of the joiners’ work
some difference arose between the parties interested, which created
a delay of several days, and the season suddenly closing, the vessel
was compelled to return into the Lachine canal to winter.
I would beg to observe that Mr. Cantin, in November, 1858, built a
steam vessel of 437 89/100 tons, called the Colon, for Don Pedro
Sacosta, of Havana, which was transferred to him there, and the
register returned to this port by the British consul.
These vessels were stated to be intended for passenger boats, and the
Almandares was fitting up at date of her clearance with state-rooms,
&c., as in the usual way.
I have, &c.
BENJAMIN HOLMES, Collector.
George Futvoye, Esq., &c., &c., &c.
Mr. Futvoye to Mr. O’Meara
Crown Law Department,
Quebec,
January 17, 1865.
Sir: I am directed by the honorable the
attorney general for Lower Canada to transmit to you the enclosed
letter of the collector of customs at Montreal, and to request you
to return it, at your early convenience, with such further
information as you may be able to furnish on the subject-matter
thereof.
I have, &c.,
GEOEGE FUTVOYE, Clerk of Crown Law
Department.
J. P. O’Meara, Esq., Measuring Surveyor, her Majesty’s Customs, Quebec.
Mr. O’Meara to Mr. Futvoye
Custom House, Quebec,
January 18, 1885.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 17th instant, with enclosures from the
collector of customs, port of Montreal, with a request I would
return it at my early convenience, with such further information as
I may be able to furnish on the subject-matter thereof.
In reply, I have the honor to state that I measured the steamers
recently referred to, namely, the Almandares and Pinero, in
Montreal, in the month of November last. They were represented so me
by Mr. Cantin, the builder, as being intended to carry passengers,
and were then being fitted up for that purpose. I saw nothing at the
time which could have led me to suspect that they were intended for
any other purpose than that represented to me by the builder, and in
fact I remember remarking to Mr. Cantin that from the way in which
they were being fittted up at the time with cane beds, &c., they
appeared admirably adapted for the purpose for which he represented
them to be built, viz: carrying passengers in the tropics.
I have, &c.,
