Mr. Smith to Mr.
F. W. Seward
No. 43.]
Consulate of the United States,
Honolulu,
December 27, 1867.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose a certified
copy of the deposition of Manuel Enos, master of the American whaling
bark Java, in relation to his having been driven out of Shantar bay by a
Russian vessel of war.
I have been unable to procure the name of either the Russian vessel or
her commander Shantar bay is situate in the Okhotsk sea, latitude 58°
north. I am informed by the master of the English bark Gobang,that some
Finns, subjects of the Czar, have a whaling station there, keeping two
schooners in the bay, and having their trying works on the shore.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. F. W. Seward, Assistant Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
[Untitled]
Manuel Enos, after being duly sworn, deposes and says, that he is
master of the American bark Java; that on the 27th day of July last
past, while cruising for whales in Shantar bay, standing towards
Silas Richards’ bluff, boiling, we raised a smoke towards Shantar
gut, which I supposed to be another whaler trying out; soon alter,
however, we discovered it to be a Russian steamer coming towards us,
apparently under full steam, hoisting his flag and throwing open his
ports. I ran up my ensign and hauled aback. An officer came on board
and ordered me immediately on board the steamer. On arriving on
board the Russian vessel, the commander wanted to know what I was
doing there. I told him whaling, of course. Without more ado I was
ordered to leave the bays within 24 hours. I told him I had boats in
Mercury bay, and could not leave until I had them on board. His
answer was: “Boats or no boats, within 24 hours you must leave, or you will be taken to Nikolaievsk or
blown out of water, as I shall think proper.” I told the commodore
that I had “whaled it” in these bays for the last 17 years, and had
never heard of any one being driven out, nor even a whisper that
such might be the case at some future time. My boats very
opportunely returned the same night, and I left Shantar bay.
I was afterwards told by some of the crew of the American bark
Endeavor that, knowing nothing of the trouble, they came there a few
days after, and had their boats fired at by the same vessel. They
immediately pulled for their vessel, and were not troubled further
than to receive the same orders that I had.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, on
the 17th day of
December, 1867.
M. L. SMITH, United States
Consul.
[Untitled]
Consulate of the United States
of America, Honolulu, H.
I.,
December 27, 1867.
I, the undersigned, consul of the United States of America for
Honolulu and the dependencies thereof, do hereby certify that the
foregoing deposition, subscribed and [Page 469] sworn to by Manuel Enos, master of the
American bark Java, is a true and faithful copy of the original,
filed in this consulate, the same having been carefully examined by
me, and compared with the said original and found to agree therewith
word for word and figure for figure.
Given under my hand and the seal of this consulate, the day and year
above written.
[seal.] ——— ———, United States Consul.
