Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/292

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282 H. L. Janes Captain Bullock that he had twelve hours in which to correct his papers, but that in the meantime the discovery that had been made would have to be reported to the collector of the customs. The captain retorted that, as the goods were on their way to Xew York, Havana had no interest in them ; whereupon he was informed " that the bales that he was carrying should be declared in transitu, accord- ing to the customs regulations, which he must be well acquainted with inasmuch as he came frequently to the port." ' It was bruited about that the captain had aboard a cargo of contraband.^ At twelve o'clock on this same day, Tyng, the ship's agent, sent his clerk to the customs office with orders to secure a pass for Alorro Castle so that the steamer might resume its northern journey. He was then told that the vessel was under suspicion. Roca, the col- lector, states that he sent a message immediately after the visit of de Santiago to the ship apprising Tyng and Company of the turn affairs had taken. A second visit of inspection was commanded in order to ascertain the correctness of the report of de Santiago; and the pass requested was refused pending the result of the re- examination of the hold of the steamer. Of course an enormous unmanifested cargo was found on board the Black Warrior. When the second official visit was paid to the vessel, Roca, after consulting with his superior officer, the intendcntc, and upon Tyng's refusing to go on the captain's bond, ordered the immediate seizure of the cargo and the arrest of the captain. Roca was careful to stipulate " that this [discharge of the ship's cargo] should proceed with the despatch that the case required in order that the said boat might suffer no delay ". All this occurred before four o'clock in the afternoon of the day of the arrival of the steamer. ' Tyng now hurried to the consulate of the United States, which was at the time in charge of Acting Consul William H. Robertson. This official showed an activity all through the affair which the Spaniards characterized in very severe terms and which won for him the cordial dislike of the authorities of the country. The gov- ernor looked upon him as the type of the objectionable American 1 Ibid. ^Justo Zaragoza, Las Insurrecciones en Cuba: .4punles para la Historia Polilica de esta Isla en el presenle Sigh (Madrid, 2 vols., 1872-1873), I. 660; Miguel Estorch, Apuntes para la Historia sobre la .Admiiiislracion del Marquis de la Pc:ticla en la Isla de Cuba, desdc 3 de diciembre dc iSf,^ liasia Ji de seliembre de 1854 (Madrid. 1856), p. 46. 3 Roca to the General .^dininistrator of the Royal Customs of Havana (i. e., the Mar<|ues de la Pezucla himself), signed at four o'clock in the afternoon, February .8 1854.