Kennebunk, formerly commanded by
Captain Perkins, she was from Port-au-Prince, via Campeachy,
where he was boarded by a pirate schooner of about forty tons,
manned by forty ruffians. 'They stabbed Captain Perkins in a
cruel manner and cut off one of his arms; he then told them
where the money was, which amounted to two hundred doubloons;
after which they cut off his other arm and thigh, placed oakum
dipped in oil under his body and in his mouth, and set fire to
it, which soon put an end to his life. The mate had a sword
thrust through his thigh, and the vessel was robbed of
everything moveable, such as cables, anchors, charts, books,
rigging, sails, &c.' It would seem by these accounts, which
have all come to hand the past week, that our squadron was of
little or no use in those seas. The true way we think would be
to put armed crews on board of merchantmen, at sea, after they
had left the port they sailed from, and in this way the pirates
could get no intelligence of vessels destined to go against
them.

"Captain Harding, of the Schooner Aspray, who arrived at Boston
last Monday, from Havanna, in twelve days, informs that he was
chased out of the Bay of Matanzas by two piratical boats, and
running down for Havanna threw off her deck load to get clear
of a piratical schooner. Brig Alert, of Portsmouth, from New
Orleans, had just arrived off the Moro with a deck load of
hogs. She was boarded in the night by two piratical boats, with
six men each, and Captain Charles Blunt was murdered and thrown
overboard; the cook was stabbed, thrown among the hogs and
partly devoured by them. The crew were maltreated, and the
vessel plundered. Captain Harding states, that when she sailed
from Havanna it was hourly expected that orders would be issued
for the detention of French vessels in port."

CHAPTER XXV.

Schooner Frances.

On the sixteenth day of July, 1824, I made a contract with one Captain
Oliver C. Murray, master of the Schooner Frances, of New-York, to
proceed with him on a trading voyage to the Musquitto Shore, Chagres,
Porto Bello, St. Blas, &c. as a pilot and assistant trader.

We took on board an assorted cargo, and sailed from New-York about the
last of July. After being at sea some three days Captain Murray was
taken sick, when he called the mate and crew i