Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 662

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Loss of the Madagascar.

Dec.

Here I received a letter addressed to us at the suggestion of Mr Matheson, by his agent in Canton, Mr. R. an American merchant, acquainting me that arrangements were in progress for our deliver- ance, agreeably to the plan suggested in my letter from Hwuilái. Also that two linguists had been dispatched from Canton to inves- tigate our case, and that he had made a demand upon the govern- or for us. He at the same time gave some useful advice for our gui- dance, and inclosed a line from captain Belcher informning us, that our plan would be adopted. After the investigation which took place on the 16th of October, and which was conducted on the part of the authorities with much care, we succeeded in deceiving them from their partial ignorance of nautical matters, and have reason to be- lieve that at its conclusion they were persuaded we were really Americans. It became imperatively necessary that Mr. R. should be acquainted with the result aud information we had given them. Our Chinese friend managed with much difficulty for the sum of $130 to get this forwarded to Cantou, so as to reach there prior to the official dispatches, that thus he might be enabled to answer any questions that would probably follow. This safely reached its desti- nation, and we received the answer to it in 8 days on the 24th Oct., which gave us to understand that the authorities were preparing to forward us to Canton. We waited anxiously for the order for release to arrive, but eleven days after the official dispatch left, a letter ar- rived from the governor, ordering a second trial to be held to ascer- tain if any letters had passed between us and merchants at Canton. This was done, without their discovering that any communication whatever had passed between us, although they asserted that Mr. R. admitted that he had received a letter from us. The officer who came in charge of us from Hwuilái, and our Chinese friend, were both obliged to proceed to Canton, and by this opportunity I wrote Mr. R. on the 29th October, informing him of all that had occurred, and begging if anything had transpired regarding the letter, to endeavor by some means to turn it to our advantage; for if the governor should discover that I had really sent a letter, the lives of our Chinese friend, as well as of the two carpenters would in all probability he forfeited.

On the 23d of November, I received a letter by the hand of our friend, who, although he had been separated from us by engagements on other duty, managed to keep up the communication with our friends at all hazard. This letter informed me that the governor had made some objection to the wording of the document sent in by