800 
HE commissioner* every where 
met with the greatest hospi- 
tality, and received the politest at- 
tentions from the most respectable 
families. He-was particularly obliged 
to an English Guinea merchant, 
named Allwood, residing at the Ha- 
vanna, through whose influence with 
persons of the highest rank and ap- 
pointments, hehad great advantages, 
many imteresting themselves in pro- 
moting his views. One of them, 
Don Manuel de Seias, the alcade 
provinciale, commanded about six 
and thirty chasseurs, who were in 
the king’s pay. ‘the employment 
of these is to traverse the country, 
for the purpose of pursuing and 
taking up all persons guilty of mur- 
der, and other offences, in which 
they seldom fail of success, no aéti- 
vity on the part of the offenders 
being able to elude their pursuit.— 
An extraordinary instance occurred 
about a month before the commis- 
sioner arrived at the Havanna. A 
fleet from Jamaica, under convoy to 
Great Britain, passing through the 
gulph of Mexico, beat up on the 
north side of Cuba. One of the 
ships, manned with foreigners, 
chiefly renegado Spaniards, being 
a dull sailer, and consequently 
lagging astern, standing in with the 
land at night, was run on shore ; 
the captain, officers, and the few 
British ‘hands on board murdered, 
and the vessel plundered by the 
Spanish renegadoes. ‘The part of 
the coast on which the vessel was 
stranded, being wild and unfrequent- 
ed, the assassins retired with their 
booty to the mountains, intending 
to penetrate through the woods, to 
some remote settlements on the south 
side, where they hoped to secure 
themselves, and elude all pursuit. 
Early intelligence of the crime, how- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
ever, had been conveyed to the Ma- 
vanna, atid the assassins were pur- 
sued by a detachment of twelve 
chasseurs del Rey, with their dogs. 
In a few days they were all brought 
in and executed. ‘The head and 
right arm of each were suspended in 
frames, not unlike parrot cages, 
which were hung on yarious gibbets, 
.at the port and cther conspicuous 
places on the coast, near the en- 
trance of the harbour, 
‘The dogs carried out by the chas- 
seurs del Rey are perfectly broken 
in: that is to say, they will not kill 
the object they pursue, unless resist~ 
ed. Oncoming up with a fugitive, 
they bark at him till he stops, they 
then couch near him, terrifying him 
with a ferocious growling if he stirs, 
In this position they continue bark- 
ing, to give notice to the chasseurs, 
who come up and secure their pri- 
soner. Each chasseur, though he 
can hunt only with two dogs pro- 
perly, is obliged to have three, which 
he maintains at his own cost, and 
that at no small expence. These 
people live with theiy dogs, from 
which they are inseparable. At 
home the dogs are kept chained, 
and when walking with their mas. 
ters, are never unmuzzled, or let 
out of ropes, but for attack. They 
are constantly accompanied with one 
or two small dogs called finders, 
whose scent is very keen, and al. 
ways sure of hitting off a track.— 
Dogs and bitches hunt equally well, 
and the cliasseurs rear ne more than 
will supply the namber required. 
This breed of dogs, indeed, is not so 
prolificas the common kinds, though 
infinitely stronger and hardier. 
The animal is the size of a very 
large hound, with ears ere¢t, which 
are usually cropped at the points ; 
the nose more pointed, but widen- 
ing 
* Sent from Jamaica to Cuba to procure blood hounds, 
