s career. The crew were chiefly Spaniards,
with a few Portuguese, South Americans, and half castes. The cook was a
young Guinea negro, with a pleasant countenance, and good humored, with
a sleek glossy skin, and tatooed on the face; and although entered in
the schooner's books as free, yet was a slave. In all there were about
forty men. Her cargo was an assorted one, consisting in part of barrels
of rum, and gunpowder, muskets, cloth, and numerous articles, with which
to purchase slaves.

The Panda sailed from the Havana on the night of the 20th of August; and
upon passing the Moro Castle, she was hailed, and asked, "where bound?"
She replied, St. Thomas. The schooner now steered through the Bahama
channel, on the usual route towards the coast of Guinea; a man was
constantly kept at the mast head, on the lookout; they spoke a corvette,
and on the morning of the 20th Sept., before light, and during the
second mate's watch, a brig was discovered heading to the southward.
Capt. Gilbert was asleep at the time, but got up shortly after she was
seen, and ordered the Panda to go about and stand for the brig. A
consultation was held between the captain, mate and carpenter, when the
latter proposed to board her, and if she had any specie to rob her,
confine the men below, and burn her. This proposition was instantly
acceded to, and a musket was fired to make her heave to.

This vessel was the American brig Mexican, Capt. Butman. She had left
the pleasant harbor of Salem, Mass., on the last Wednesday of August,
and was quietly pursuing her voyage towards Rio Janeiro. Nothing
remarkable had happened on board, says Captain B., until half past two
o'clock, in the morning of September 20th, in lat. 38, 0, N., lon. 24,
30, W. The attention of the watch on deck was forcibly arrested by the
appearance of a vessel which passed across our stern about half a mile
from us. At 4 A.M. saw her again passing across our bow, so near that
we could perceive that it was a schooner with a fore top sail and top
gallant sail. As it was somewhat dark she was soon out of sight. At
daylight saw her about five miles off the weather quarter standing on
the wind on the same tack we were on, the wind was light at SSW and we
were standing about S.E. At 8 A.M. she was about two miles right to
windward of us; could perceive a large number of men upon her deck, and
one man on the fore top gallant yard looking out; was very suspicious of
her, but knew not how to