endeavored to destroy us completely, by hoarding; in this he failed, from the loss of his rudder; and our captain having altered his tack by a skilful movement, we got out of the reach of his guns, and sailed off in search of our boat in the direction of Matamoras. We continued thus all niuht, hut without makinu 0 O much headway, on account of the wind, which was against us, and the stale of our rigging and crew; so that at day-break we found ourselves in sight of the coast, and the San Felipe close upon us, aided by the steamboat, which towed her up lo half-cannon-shot from us. Under these circumstances, being without ammunition, our rigging injured, and several of our men being wounded, we saw that it would be impossible to escape by rowing, and that our only alternative was to capitulate with those who acted towards us as enemies. In order to do this I went in the boat on board the San Felipe, whose captain, on being informed of my object, replied that it was no time for offering conditions after we had been beaten; and without farther observation I remained a prisoner on board lhe vessel, whilst they boarded our vessel with a whale boat, and having set ashore the marines and crew, they retained Captain Thompson, the engineer, Edmund Hogan, and three other persons, who were carried on board the San Felipe with me. We remained there at anchor three days, during which they took from us every thing we had, including the thousand dollars, my baggage, some of my own papers, and the sealed papers relating to the service on which I was engaged, delivered to my care by the said commanding general. These, during my imprisonment on board the San Felipe, were taken ashore and examined; they were then returned to me, whether in the whole or in part I know not; but such as they were I had the honor lo place them in your hands on my arrival at this port. After these disagreeable occurrences, and having passed four days in prison on board the schooner San Felipe, they removed us lo our own vessel, which hacl been manned and furnished with the American flag and pendant: we were then, all six of us, without distinction, put in irons, and thus, after eight days sailing, we arrived al the entrance of this port, where was a revenue cutter, (guarda cosla,) whose captain prevailed on them lo take off my irons, without, however, altcrin~ my character as a prisoner, in which I continued until our arr\val al this port; then, after having carried Captain Thompson and a part of his crew to jail, J was told by them that there was nuthin~
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