Edwin W. Moore to Louis P. Cooke, December 24, 1841

2.

  Lieut W.S. Williamson, that he had put my letter of 26^th August
for Mr Treat, on board of a Spanish Brig the afternoon pre-
vious, and as the Brig was still in sight, and Lieut Will-
iamson had been informed by the Captain of an American
Brig from Vera-Cruz, that the Captain of a Columbian Sch^r
had been imprisoned for taking letters in from this vessel
for the French Minister at Mexico, and French Consul at
Vera-Cruz, from the French Consul at Campeche, which
letters were put on board the Columbian Schooner within
about six miles of the Port; this ship wearing at the time,
American colours, and up to this time we had shewn none
other but American[.] I refer you to Lieut Williamson’s Report
marked B. We both made sail for the Brig, and on
the morning of the 17^th (the wind having been very light,
and all of us having been drifted to the S of Vera-Cruz)
boarded her  and took the letters out, to prevent a similar
occurence [sic] as the one mentioned above with the Captain of
the Columbian Schooner; being at the time, two vessels at anch-
or at Sacrificias[.] [I]t was my intention to stand in under Am-
erican colours, in consequence of the order not to appear off
any of the Mexican Ports; and send a boat on board one of
them, while standing in, and before we had shewn any co-
lours, a Pilot came off, and when on board said that a
Spanish Sloop of War was expected, and that he had been
sent out to pilot her in. [T]he real object was, no doubt,
to ascertain what we were, as I have never before known
a Pilot to go more than a mile outside of the Reefs that
form the Harbour, and we were six or eight  miles outside.
He offered to take in the letters to Her Brittanic Majesty’s
Minister at Mexico, but as he informed me that the two
vessels at Sacrificias were English Brigs of War, I at once
stood in, shewing our own colours (for the first time) and
sent in a boat to Her Brittanic Majesty’s Brig Sappho
Commander Fraser with the letter, this ship being at the
time, within one third of a mile of the Island of  Sacrificias

under