KEARNY, LAWKENCE. 



403 



Through the active exertions of Kearny near 

 Cape Antonio, on the Island of Cuba, the 

 gang of the notorious pirate Gibbs, afterward 

 hanged in chains in New York, was dispersed, 

 and some of the number taken. The chief pi- 

 rate with his principal followers succeeded in 

 escaping at that time, after a long and arduous 

 chase. The American brig Aristides and ship 

 Lucius, with full cargoes from Liverpool, and 

 the English brig Larch, which had been at- 

 tacked by the pirates and partly plundered, 

 were recaptured, and, with the exception of the 

 first named, which had been stranded on a reef 

 of rocks, were returned to their owners. Four 

 schooners and one sloop of the pirates were 

 captured, and subsequently another schooner 

 and three or four barges employed by the 

 pirates in their enterprise. The services 

 rendered by Kearny in breaking up these 

 gangs of pirates and destroying their strong- 

 holds received the highest commendation from 

 insurance companies, merchants, and ship-own- 

 ers, engaged in the commerce of that quarter of 

 the globe, and gave reassurance to those who 

 had been forced almost to give up all effort of 

 trading with the West Indies. After rendering 

 these invaluable services in the West Indies, he 

 was ordered to the command of the U. S. ship 

 Warren on the 2d of December, 1826, and 

 sailed for the Mediterranean February 22, 1827. 

 While in the Levant- in that year, Kearny, learn- 

 ing that the Greek pirates were committing 

 frequent and serious depredations upon the 

 commerce of all nations, resolved to put a stop 

 to it. Through the indefatigable exertions 

 of himself and those under his command, the 

 rendezvous of the pirates was broken up, the 

 gangs dispersed, and commerce relieved of their 

 depredations. One, writing of his exertions 

 and activity at this time, says: "The com- 

 mander of our vessel seemed to be in a peculiar 

 manner suited for this enterprise. He was 

 both sagacious and energetic, and possessed 

 an intrepidity never exceeded. I was filled 

 with admiration at his untiring vigilance, and 

 It would fill a volume to narrate one-tenth of 

 the incidents of our cruise. Our ship ap- 

 peared to possess the power of ubiquity. One 

 day we were looking into Milo, to see if there 

 were vessels there wanting conv6y, and then 

 we would be abreast of Cerigotto. At one time 

 off Syra, and then in the gulf of Suda. We 

 were cruising principally between Cape Mata- 

 pan and Cerigotto, thus guarding the entrance 

 to the Archipelago ; but our captain seemed to 

 take peculiar delight in hovering about Gara- 

 busa. This was the stronghold of the pirates ; 

 the place where they obtained provisions and 

 deposited their plunder. No suspicious sail 

 ever escaped his eagle eye, and vessels of all 

 descriptions, felucca, trutto, and mistico, were 

 overhauled and seized ; and at 6ne time 

 we had more than one hundred prisoners on 

 board our ship. Some idea of the activity of 

 our operations may be formed, when I state 

 that, after capturing a large boat off Garabusa, 



to leeward of the harbor, we immediately 

 went in chase of a brig making to windward. 

 She was soon overhauled, and proved to be 

 a fine vessel of one hundred and eighty tons. 

 The brig was hardly disposed of, when a sus- 

 picious looking craft was seen coming round 

 the west end of Candia ; we immediately pur- 

 sued it, but, getting becalmed while the other 

 vessel was favored with a breeze, we lost her. 

 That night, off Cape Spada, another suspicious 

 sail hove in sight, which we chased all night 

 and a part of the next day up the Gulf of Napoli, 

 when she made her escape either into Spezzia 

 or by bearing away for Hydra. We soon after 

 captured one vessel and burned another in a 

 small bay off the Isle of Andros, and sunk a 

 schooner off Syra. Besides all this, our com- 

 mander frequently landed at different islands, 

 compelling the authorities to disgorge the plun- 

 der deposited with them, and sometimes ex- 

 acting the most signal satisfaction for outrages 

 committed on our commerce." After return- 

 ing to the United States, he was promoted to 

 the rank of captain, and was engaged in mis- 

 cellaneous duties till he was ordered, in 1839, 

 to the frigate United States, and in 1840 to the 

 command of the frigate Potomac, and in 1841 

 while in Brazil was appointed to the command 

 of the East India squadron, and in February, 

 1841, hoisted his broad pennant on board the 

 frigate Constellation, in the harbor of Rio de 

 Janeiro, it being the first instance in the history 

 of our Navy that a broad pennant was raised 

 in a foreign station. On arriving at Macao, in 

 the spring of 1842, his first services were di- 

 rected to the suppression of opium-smuggling. 

 He took measures to secure redress for griev- 

 ances of American merchants in China, who 

 had lost property in the Dutch factory which 

 had been plundered by a Chinese mob, and 

 for which reparation had been vainly sought 

 through the Hongs, and succeeded in bringing 

 about a speedy settlement of these claims, 

 amounting to over two hundred and fifty thou- 

 sand dollars. He learned that a commercial 

 treaty was about being concluded between the 

 English and the Chinese, and, justly fearing that, 

 unless carefully guarded, the interests of the 

 United States might be made to suffer, he at 

 once opened a direct correspondence with the 

 Governor of Canton and the imperial com- 

 missioners on the subject ; these communica- 

 tions resulted in a promise, on the part of the 

 Chinese authorities, to recognize our right to 

 trade and to extend to our merchants the same 

 protection and facilities which were about be- 

 ing granted to Great Britain. These services 

 were afterward communicated to the Senate, 

 and printed in the Senate documents, No. 139, 

 first session, Twenty-ninth Congress. It will 

 be perceived that, while in China, Kearny 

 was afforded an opportunity of negotiating a 

 treaty of commerce with the Chinese, and 

 was only prevented from so doing from the 

 fact that he was not vested by this Govern- 

 ment with the necessary diplomatic power. 



