The present supplies of those necessities, for the national and
commercial marine, are to be obtained at the Cape de Verd group of
islands, only from the
[Page 135]
British
consul at St. Vincent, whose undisguised sympathy and partial
proceedings during the existence of the late rebellion were frequently
made the subject of complaint to this legation by those who had
experienced exceptional treatment at his hands.
Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State.
Messrs. Burnay and Martins to
Mr. Harvey
Sir: We, the undersigned, ask permission to
lay before your excellency certain facts concerning the
establishment of a coal depot in the Cape de Verd islands, which
facts we most respectfully pray your excellency to make known to the
proper authorities in the United States.
For more than a year we have been engaged in the preliminary
arrangements for establishing a coal depot at Porto Praya, a safe
and excellent harbor of St. Jago, the capital island of the group
known as the Cape de Verd. We obtained from the Portuguese
government, in the month of June this year, in the name of one of
the undersigned, the enclosed grant, from which your excellency will
see that we have every desirable privilege as to wharves, coal,
depot, &c. We ought here to remark, that though the present
concession is in the name of but one of us, we are, nevertheless,
partners in the enterprise, and the Portuguese government will
before long cause the documents to be duly amended.
To one acquainted with the Cape de Verd islands it would be
superfluous to say that St. Jago is the most fertile of the group.
It contains about 25,000 inhabitants; abounds in vegetables, fruit,
and excellent water, and is, moreover, the seat of government. Only
once in the memory of man has St. Jago been visited by the dreadful
dry season which has frequently been so disastrous to the other
islands.** ** *
We intend to keep a constant supply of the best American anthracite,
Cardiff, and New Castle coal, at a uniform rate, not varying with
the necessities of the steamers, or the whim of our agents or
employés. By the end of January we shall be able to supply
vessels-of-war and merchant steamers on the African coast, or those
bound to the Cape of Cood Hope, or from southern Europe to the
Brazils. There is but one other coal depot in the Cape de Verd, at
the barren island of St. Vincent. Till now this has been a monopoly,
and sometimes a burdensome one, enabling the proprietors to take
advantage of the necessities of steamers.
A few considerations will show the desirableness as well as
superiority of a coal depot at Porto Praya:
1. The competition of the new will be a wholesome check on the old
establishment.
2. The water at St. Vincent, according to the testimony of every
captain, is of very inferior quality, having often proved unfit for
cooking after it has been brought on board; so that men-of-war,
after coaling at St. Vincent, have frequently gone to Porto Praya
for water. On the other hand, the water at Porto Praya is of the
best quality, and can be put alongside ship for $1 per hogshead,
that of St. Vincent costing from $1 50 to $2 per hogshead.
3. St. Vincent is a barren, volcanic island, obtaining all its
supplies either from Europe or from some other more favored islands.
All stores, therefore, are high. Porto Praya, on the contrary, has
had at all times (except the one dry season referred to) plenty of
vegetables—as sweet potatoes, turnips, cabbage, squashes, pumpkins,
&c.; and abundance of fruit—as oranges, lemons,, bananas,
&c.
4. Porto Praya is no further out of the way than St Vincent in the
voyage from America to Africa or China.
5. At first, coals will be shipped with the same rapidity as at St.
Vincent, but when our machinery (for which one of us will go to
America, the other to England) is all in operation we shall be
enabled to do it much quicker.
In conclusion, we may say that one of us (J. B. Burnay, from Belgium)
is a merchant of long standing in this city, and your excellency can
easily be satisfied of his capabilities and responsibility. The
other partner (C. Martinez) is a naturalized American, of the State
of Massachusetts, though a native of Porto Praya, and speaks English
fluently. Mr. Martinez was for a long time on the coast of Africa,
as agent of Charles Hoffman, esq., of Salem, Massachusetts, the
well-known merchant in the hide trade; he was also American consul
at Bissau, west coast of Africa.
Submitting this memorandum to your excellency’s judgment, and hoping
that your excellency may see no objection to laying these facts
before the government of the United States, we remain your
excellency’s most obedient servants,
JEAN BTA. BURNAY.
CLARIMUNDO MARTINS.
His Excellency James E. Harvey, Esq.,
Minister of the U. S. of America at the
court of his Majesty the King of Portugal.
