expediency of causing immediate proceedings to be instituted against the principal actors in this disgraceful scene.

I beg, sir, that you will accept the renewed assurances of my distinguished consideration.

H. U. ADDINGTON.

HALIFAX, September 9, 1824.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit to you a copy of a letter, dated the 26th ultimo, from Captain Hoare, of his Majesty's sloop Dotterel, with its enclosure from Mr. John Jones, master of that sloop; also copies of two letters from Captain Hoare, dated the 2d instant, one of them containing a copy of the affidavit therein mentioned.

By the first of these communications you will perceive that two American vessels, called the Reindeer and Ruby, were seized by the master of the Dotterel in Two Island Harbor, Grand Manan, on the 26th of July, for a breach of the treaty between Great Britain and the United States; and that on the evening of the same day, when abreast of harbor De Lute, proceeding to St. Andrews, an attack was made on the vessels in question. by two schooners and an open boat, under American colors, full of armed men, with muskets and fixed bayonets, amounting to about one hundred, having the appearance of militia men, and headed by Mr. Howard, of Eastport, who is said to be a captain in the United States militia; in consequence of which the master thought it most prudent to surrender to such superior force.

Captain Hoare's next letter mentioning his having, on the 29th ultimo, on his passage to Halifax, fallen iu with the American schooner Madison, (by her papers Ansel Coggens, master,) which he was informed was one of the vessels to which the men belonged who rescued the before-mentioned vessels from his master, and that, finding on board this vessel a man named David Rumney, whom one of the marines of the Dotterel identified as one of the persons concerned in the rescue, Captain Hoare thought proper to detain the vessel and take Rumney on board the Dotterel as a prisoner.

Captain Hoare's other letter refers to the Pilgrim, an American fishing vessel, seized by him at Grand Manan in June last, for a breach of the treaty, which vessel was afterwards rescued by some of her crew, in conjunction with one of the men whom Captain Hoare had put in charge of her; and the said vessel having been fallen in with on the 29th ultimo, and a man named Winslow, who Captain Hoare was informed was one of those actively engaged in the forcible rescue of the said vessel, she was taken possession of and the man (Winslow) put on board the Dotterel as a pri

soner.

As in these transactions his Majesty's officers have been assaulted in the execution of their duty by armed subjects of the United States, and the property of which they had in his Majesty's name taken lawful possession rescued from them, in violation of the treaty subsisting between Great Britain and the United States, I consider it necessary that the subject should be brought officially before the American government, in order that steps may be taken to prevent the continuance of such proceedings, and

therefore request you will be pleased to adopt such measures on the occasion as shall appear to you to be necessary. I have the honor to be, &c.,

H. U. ADDINGTON, Esq.,

W. T. LAKE,

Rear Admiral and Commander-in-Chief.

His Majesty's Charge d'Affaires.

HIS MAJESTY'S SLOOP DOTTEREL,

August 26, 1824.

SIR: I have the honor to enclose the copy of a letter from the master of his Majesty's sloop under my command, detailing the circumstances of his having been attacked off Campo Bello by two armed schooners, under American colors; and that two American fishing vessels he had detained were taken from him and carried into Eastport.

I have the honor, &c.,

REAR ADMIRAL LAKE,

RICHARD HOARE, Commander.

Commander-in-chief, &c., &c., Halifax.

HIS MAJESTY'S SLOOP DOTTEREL'S BOAT,
St. Andrew's, N. B., July 27, 1824.

SIR: I beg leave to represent that on 25th instant, when cruising in the yawl, in pursuance of your orders, off the Grand Manan, for the protection of our fisheries, I received information of several American fishing vessels being at anchor at Two Island harbor, and that two of them, namely, Reindeer and Ruby, of Lubec, were at White Island harbor on the 24th, where they got their wood and water, and that on their anchoring they fired their muskets and told the inhabitants they were armed, and would not allow any man-of-war's boat to board them, and after they had their supplies they shifted to Two Island harbor, Grand Manan.

I made sail from Gull cove, and at daylight, the 25th, observed four schooners at anchor at Two Island harbor, which vessels got under weigh on our appearing; when I got close to three of them they lashed along side each other, and all hands, about thirty in number, went on board the middle one with their fire-arms and fish spears. I desired them to separate, which they refused to do until I threatened to fire on them. On boarding, they proved to be the Reindeer, master's name Small, and Ruby, master's name Small, (brothers,) of Lubec, two fishing vessels, and Friend's shallop, of the same place.

It being fine weather, and they not being in want of wood or water, I detained the Reindeer and Ruby, and put their men, with the exception of the masters, on board the two American schooners with provisions for a passage to Lubec, and made sail in the Reindeer and Ruby for St. Andrews through East Quady. About 6 p. m., when abreast of Harbor De Lute, I observed two schooners and an open boat full of armed men, muskets and fixed bayonets, hoisting American colors; one of them went along side

Mr. Tonzeau in the Ruby, boarded and took the arms from him and his three men; the one abreast of me was kept off for about a quarter of an hour, when they commenced firing into us. Though with great reluctance I thought it most prudent to surrender to such superior force, having but four men, one musket and three cutlasses.

On delivering them up, I found there were in the two schooners about a hundred armed men, (including the crews of the schooners, about thirty in number,) the rest having the appearance of militia men, and headed by a Mr. Howard, of Eastport, said to be captain in the United States militia. I have the honor to be, &c.,

To Captain HOARE,
His Majesty's Sloop Dotterel.

JOHN JONES, Master.

HIS MAJESTY'S SLOOP DOTTEREL,
Halifax, September 2, 1824.

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that while running past the outer bank of the Grand Menan, on the 29th ultimo, on my way to this port, I fell in with the Pilgrim, American fishing schooner, taken by one of my boats on the 16th of June, at Grand Menan, for infringing the treaty, but was retaken by the crew, aided by John Martin, one of the two men put in charge of her. I have taken possession of and ordered her to this port. Enclosed, sir, is a copy of an affidavit made by William Paine (marine) and the other man in charge of the Pilgrim, on their arrival at Lubec, by which affidavit you will see, sir, that a man by the name of Winslow, one of the crew of the Pilgrim, was the most active person in retaking her, and that he forced the cutlass from William Paine, and obliged him to go below. Under these circumstances I felt I should be justified in considering him a prisoner, and as such he now remains on board the Dotterel. That he ought to be punished in some way that may deter others of his nation from committing the same offence under similar circumstances, I am sure, sir, you will think necessary. I have therefore to request you will be pleased to solicit the advice of the attorney-general on this important point, that I may be governed thereby in my proceedings.

I have the honor to be, &c., &c.,

RICHARD HOARE, Commander.

Copy of the Enclosure in the foregoing Letter.

William Paine, one of the marines belonging to his British Majesty's brig Dotterel, maketh oath and saith: That on Wednesday last the American fishing-boat Pilgrim was seized for a violation of the treaty between the United States and Great Britain, and the deponent, with James Martin, seaman, put on board to take charge of her. That on the night of the 21st instant, between the hours of eleven and twelve, it being Martin's watch, he, this deponent, was awoke from sleep by the roll of the vessel; that he attempted to go on deck, but found the companion doors shut. This deponent then broke open the companion doors, armed himself and went on

deck, and ordered Captain Woodward, the master of the boat, then at the helin, to put the boat about; he refused. Martin was rowing; this deponent went forward and ordered him to drop the oar, but he would not, till this deponent threatened to cut his head off if he did not. While the deponent was thus endeavoring to get the vessel about, Winslow and Martin suddenly sprung upon him and obliged him to go below. This deponent was then brought to the place in the said boat Pilgrimn, against his will, and against all the exertion in his power to make.

his

WILLIAM × PAYNE. mark.

Benjamin Scott, one of the hands on board the Pilgrim, on oath saith: That the foregoing statement of Mr. William Paine is, according to his best knowledge and belief, substantially true. That he was below when Mr. Paine armed himself and went on deck, and soon after he returned and said he rad been overpowered and his arms taken from him. That the Pilgrim was taken by Woodward and Winslow, aided by Martin, to Lubec. This deponent further saith, that Woodward and Winslow both acknowledge that Mr. Paine discharged his duty to the utmost of his power; that superior force alone caused him to surrender his arms.

To all to whom these presents may come: Know ye that on the 27th day of June, A. D. 1824, before me, Sol. Thayne, notary public by legal authority, duly commissioned and sworn, and residing at Lubec, personally appeared the aforenamed William Payne and Benjamin Scott, and made solemn oath that the delarations by them personally made and signed were just and true.

In testimonium veritatis.

I, the undersigned, one of his Majesty's justices of the peace in and for said county, residing in Campo Bello, do hereby certify that on the 23d day of June, 1824, Willian Paine, the person in the annexed instrument mentioned, appeared before me and declared the facts therein contained, which appear to me to be correct. That Solomon Thayne is a notary public for the county of Washington, in the State of Maine, United States, duly appointed, and that full faith and credit may be given to his attestation. D. OWEN, Justice of the Peace.

HIS MAJESTY'S SLOOP DOTTEREL,
Halifax Harbor, September 2, 1824.

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that while running past the outer bank of the Grand Menan on the 29th ultimo, on my passage to this place, I fell in with the Madison, American fishing schooner, (by her papers, Coggens, master,) and as I was informed by Winslow, one of the crew of the Pilgrim, American fishing vessel, and who was then on board the Dotterel, that she was one of the schooners that attacked the master off Harbor de Lute on the 26th July, and the master having affirmed that the name of the vessel that attacked him was the Madison, though he cannot swear to the vessel, as all that description of vessels are so much alike, but he believes her to be the same, and on the crew coming on board the Dotterel, one of them, Daniel Rumney, was immediately recogised by William Vickery, one of the mariners in the boat with the master, as being one of those who were in and took an active part in the vessel that attacked them, and on boarding the said Madison it was discovered the master had left her, and as she had her boat out I have no doubt he had gone on board one of the other fishing vessels to escape detection, as he would have been immediately recognised by the master; and as some dates on the back of the papers relative to her arrival and leaving Lubec at different periods, prove her to have been at Lubec about the time of the master having been attacked; those circumstances together, left no doubt in my mind of her being the Madison that, with another schooner named the Diligence, attacked the master off Harbor de Lute on the 26th July, and I therefore took possession of her and ordered her to this port. As it appears to me, sir, that this circumstance of two armed schooners attacking, and taking from a British officer and British crew two vessels he had legally detained, is an act of piracy, and all those concerned therein ought to be punished.

I have for the present detained Daniel Rumney on board, and I have to request you will be pleased to solicit the advice of the attorney general on this important subject, that I may be guided thereby in my proceedings relative to the said Daniel Rumney.

I have the honor to be, &c., &c.,

Rear Admiral LAKE,

RICHARD HOARE, Commander.

Commander-in-Chief, &c., &c., &c.

Mr. Addington to Mr. Adams.

WASHINGTON, February 19, 1825.

SIR: On the 8th and 21st of September last, I had the honor of receiving from the Department of State two letters, in which my good offices were requested in behalf of certain individuals of the State of Maine, engaged in the fishing trade, who desired redress and reparation for injury done to them by the seizure of their vessels by his Majesty's sloop Dotterel, while employed in cruizing on the coasts of his Majesty's North American possessions.