Mr. Le Gendre to Mr. Seward
Sir: I have the honor to bring to your notice (art. 576, Consular Manual,) that on the 26th of March, 1867, and with a view to rescue such of the survivors of the American bark Rover, wrecked near the southern coast of Formosa, on the 12th of March last, that might be left in the hands of the aborigines, Commander Broad, of her Britannic Majesty’s sloop-of-war Cormorant, having the only known survivor of the crew on board, (a Chinaman,) started for the scene of this painful occurrence.
Commander Broad found the place, and saw the Rover’s small boat still on the beach, but, in attempting to land, was fired on from the jungle, which was so dense that it would have been folly to attempt to penetrate it, and the boats returned to the ship. A few shells drove the aborigines from the cover of the jungle to the higher and more open ground beyond; but nothing further was attempted, the force that Commander Broad had at his command being quite inadequate to the task. In this attempt Alfred Flagg, A. B, standing by the side of Commander Broad, was wounded by a spent slug in the abdomen.
On hearing of this I immediately wrote to her Britannic Majesty’s consul at this port, requesting him to offer my sincerest thanks for the promptness, daring, and rare courage exhibited by Commander Broad on this occasion, stating that I would transmit a proper statement of these facts to you, to be laid before his Excellency the President of the United State?, who alone could make suitable acknowledgment to Captain Broad and such of his crew who have especially distinguished themselves on this occason, and whose names I begged him to furnish me with at an early date. Enclosure No. 1 is the copy of Commander Broad’s answer to me, received through her Britannic Majesty’s consul, with a list of those that were present when the commander’s party were subjected to the fire of the Formosa Indians. I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.