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22.
myself
in any manner[.] I have always distinctly stated
to them
that any of their vessels coming out of a Central
Govt, or found
at sea with a clearance from a Central Govt, would
be
treated as Central vessels. This question I have
been frequently
asked, both here, and at Campeche, and I have always
given a
distinct answer. The Resolutions of the Congress
of Yucatan
are important and
I regret that they could not have reached
Austin in the early part of the Session of Congress.
The affair of saving the persons from
the wreck of the
“Segunda Fama” has put it out of the
power of even the Centralists
to call us “Pirates” and “Robbers”
any longer. I respectfully suggest
the propriety of publishing in Austin, the letter
of thanks from
the Passengers, together with my letter to the Captain
General
at Tampico, and his reply to the same.
I would beg leave to call particular atten-
tion of the Department to the peculiar situation
of the Officers
of the Navy, not one of whom has a Commission, and
it will
be impossible to keep efficient men, and men of
proper feeling,
together much longer without commissions. I am pleased
to
say, and I do it with great confidence, that the
officers com-
posing our Navy would do credit to any service[.]
They
are young men without an exception of good morals,
and
many of them have the ground-work of excellent officers.
I would respectfully suggest that the numbers, or
relative
Rank of the Lieutenants be left blank, to be filled,
as will
be determined by the examination, which it has been
im-
possible for me to have held, up to this time, in
conformity
with the orders received by me, to that effect.
The Patent Repeating fire Arms of Colts [sic]
Invention, have
on repeated occasions been very much exposed, and
they excel
by far, my expectations of them, which I must say,
were, before
they have stood, very sanguine. I have known them
to have
been used in landing through a Surf where they got
wet, and
two months after, I have known these arms to be
fired,
when at least four fifths of the Cylinders
went off, and as a
boarding
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