496 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 



[Sub-Inclosure 4.] 



Custom-House, Sydney, December 23, 1844- 

 Sik: T beg to state with reference to the complaint of Doughty, 

 late master of the United States schooner ''Argus,' 1 that on the after- 

 noon of the day on which that vessel was placed in custody of the 

 customs, having occasion to go into the town, I met two seamen in 

 conversation with a gentleman, to whom, in very excited language, 

 they were telling the story of that vessel's capture, and asserting that 

 you had been guilty of great harshness to the crew. 



I was at once referred to as the proper person to whom any com- 

 plaint should be made, and then asked the man who he was and what 

 he knew of the affair. He said he was the master of a fishing 

 schooner belonging to the same owners as the i Argus f that he had 

 been fishing in company with her, concealed by a fog-bank at the time 

 of the ' Argus ' seizure ; that having learned she had been captured 

 by the Sylph, he thought it right to come to Sydney and render the 

 crew of the Argus any assistance that they might require. As you 

 were not then in town, I did not communicate with you on the sub- 

 ject, but on the following morning Doughty was sent for to attend 

 at the custom-house, and I then related to him the rumor circulated 

 by the master of the other craft, and closely examined as to the truth 

 of such and of all the circumstances connected with the seizure. He 

 then expressed very strong feelings of indignation at the baseness 

 of the authors of any report prejudicial to you. He assured me that 

 no fault whatever could, be found either with you or the Sylptts 

 people, and twice or thrice repeated to me, " Mr. Dodd has behaved 

 to us like a gentleman." At this moment, the man's earnestness of 

 manner and these expressions, are most vividly impressed on my 

 recollection. 



To weigh the degree of accuracy which may be supposed to attach 

 to the other assertions made by Doughty, I will remind you that it 

 was on the morning of the 7th August, (not July as stated in the 

 affidavit) that the Argvs was placed in charge, the crew were not 

 interfered with on that day, but were instructed to place themselves 

 in communication with the United States consul ; but on the day fol- 

 lowing the usual inventory was taken of the vessel's cargo, stores, 

 sails, rigging, anchors, cables, and general fittings; and having given 

 a receipt to you for these (copy being also offered the master) I (not 

 you as stated in the affidavit) desired the waiter and searcher of the 

 port to request the personal baggage of the crew should then be re- 

 moved, as the vessel required to be anchored in the stream, to prevent 

 her being damaged as she must be where she then lay ; the waiter at 

 the same time offered the Queen's warehouse for the temporary re- 

 ception of the baggage. After I had given this order, you may 

 probably recollect bringing the master up to the custom-house and 

 joining him in an application to allow the crew to remain on board 

 the Argus, and the reasons I assigned for refusing these were: First, 

 that having been a receipt to you, and also to Doughty I had become 

 personally responsible for all the goods named in the inventory; that 

 in a former case the Hero, of Eastport, seized in 1838, under similar 

 circumstances the crew had been thus billeted on the vessel and took 

 away everything movable, for which I was of course accountable, 

 and Doughty himself said he would expect everything returned to 



