at the mate
unmercifully, and hung him up by the neck under the maintop. They also
beat the captain severely--broke a large broad sword across his back,
and ran a long knife through his thigh, so that he almost bled to death.
Captain Jackson saw the sloop at Regla the day before.

Captain Jackson informs us, and we have also been informed by other
persons from the Havana, that this system of piracy is openly
countenanced by some of the inhabitants of that place--who say that it
is a retaliation on the Americans for interfering against the Slave
Trade.

About this time the ship Liverpool Packet, Ricker, of Portsmouth, N.H.,
was boarded off Cape St. Antonio, Cuba, by two piratical schooners; two
barges containing thirty or forty men, robbed the vessel of every thing
movable, even of her _flags_, rigging, and a boat which happened to be
afloat, having a boy in it, which belonged to the ship. They held a
consultation whether they should murder the crew, as they had done
before, or not--in the mean time taking the ship into anchoring ground.
On bringing her to anchor, the crew saw a brig close alongside, burnt to
the water's edge, and three dead bodies floating near her. The pirates
said they had burnt the brig the day before, and _murdered all the
crew!_--and intended doing the same with them. They said "look at the
turtles (meaning the dead bodies) you will soon be the same." They said
the vessel was a Baltimore brig, which they had robbed and burnt, and
murdered the crew as before stated, of which they had little doubt.
Captain Ricker was most shockingly bruised by them. The mate was hung
till he was supposed to be dead, but came to, and is now alive. They
told the captain that they belonged in Regla, and should kill them all
to prevent discovery.

In 1822, the United States had several cruisers among the West-India
islands, to keep the pirates in check. Much good was done but still many
vessels were robbed and destroyed, together with their crews. This year
the brave Lieutenant Allen fell by the hand of pirates; he was in the
United States schooner Alligator, and receiving intelligence at
Matanzas, that several vessels which had sailed from that port, had been
taken by the pirates, and were then in the bay of Lejuapo. He hastened
to their assistance. He arrived just in time to save five sail of
vessels which he found in possession of a gang of pirates, 300 strong,
established in the bay of Lejuapo, about 15 leagues ea