200 



The Committee on a communication of Mr. Borden, ap- 

 pointed 6th January, 1843, was, on motion, discharged. 



On motion, Professor Vethake was excused from the duty- 

 assigned him of preparing an obituary notice of the late Mr. 

 Nicklin. 



The list of outstanding Committees on obituary notices, 

 was read. 



Dr. Patterson laid before the Society sundry specimens of 

 dollars found in the w^eck of the San Pedro, destroyed by fire, 

 thirty years ago, off the coast of Venezuela. He read the fol- 

 lowing note by Mr. Du Bois. 



Early in 1815, a naval armament was fitted out in Spain, by Fer- 

 dinand VII., for the purpose of reducing the rebellious colonies in 

 South America. The military force of this expedition amounted to 

 10,000 men, of whom 2000 were on board the flag-ship San Pedro. 

 This vessel was also freighted, to a large amount, with gunpowder, 

 cannon balls, and specie. The fleet touched at the island of Mar- 

 guerita, near the coast of Venezuela, where, with a variety of other 

 plunder, the San Pedro took on board eight casks of spirits. Having 

 left the islandj and making for the main land, which was within six 

 hours' sail, the vessel was discovered to be on fire. The flame, how- 

 ever, was in a fair way of being extinguished, when the steward in- 

 cautiously opened one of the vessels containing ardent spirits to re- 

 fresh the hands. The fire, by some accident, came in contact with 

 the rum, and instantly the flames spread so far as to become unman- 

 ageable. The ship burnt four hours, until the powder magazine was 

 reached by the fire, when an explosion took place, and the wreck 

 went down, involving in its destruction the fives of 400 men. 



The right of working the wreck having not long since been granted 

 by the government of Venezuela to a company of gentlemen in Balti- 

 more, designated as the " San Pedro Company," measures were taken 

 to recover the specie, and other valuables known to have been on 

 board, and a vessel, with diving-bell and workmen, was sent out in 

 February last. The wreck was found sunk in 60 feet water, and 4 

 or 5 miles from the main land. It was also found that the vessel had 

 rested on a hard bed of coral; on this, (subsequently to the catastro- 

 phe,) a layer of thick mud was deposited ; and over this was grown 

 another stratum of coral, which has to be pierced to arrive at the re- 

 mains of the ship. 



The diving-bell (which is 5 feet diameter and 5 feet high) is sent 



