Chapter III

Communication with the Confederate States through Mexico--The cotton mania--The Brownsville route across the plains--Its difficulties and uncertainties.

Having anchored inside of the fleet of larger vessels and outside of the bar, we signalled for a pilot, and one soon came on board.

He told us that he could not take the vessel in over the bar until about ten o'clock next morning, when it would be high water, the tides here being very small--the rise and fall at ordinary tides seldom exceeding two feet, and only one tide in twenty-four hours, although they are often much affected by strong winds.

Having learned from the pilot that a steamer was going up the river to Matamoras that afternoon, and that the vessel must be entered at Matamoras, I decided to embrace the opportunity to go ashore in the pilot's boat, taking with me the vessel's papers, and after having a look at the place on shore, proceed by steamer to Matamoras.

By paying three dollars I got a passage ashore in their boat, which crossed the bar, entered the river, and proceeded up about half a mile, and landed at a place where lay several small schooners about the same size and class as the _Rob Roy_, and a number of smaller vessels under the Mexican flag, which acted as lighters.

This place was called Bagdad, but from what cause it got that name I do not know, unless from likeness to a port on a river flowing through a sandy desert.

I was very far from being favourably impressed with the place I had come to, but I had not much time to regard it closely, and was soon on the steamer proceeding up the river.

I had been wondering why these small vessels which lay near the mouth of the river choose to discharge and load their cargoes there rather than go up the river to Matamoras direct, as I knew that there was sufficient depth of water in the river for any vessel which could cross the bar; but as soon as I came to observe the nature of the river, and the way in which the steamer had to force her way up, the cause was explained. It would no doubt have been passable for them, and there was no official restriction, but the time and expense would certainly have exceeded any advantage gained.

The river flowing through a level country was exceedingly tortuous, and many of the turns were so sharp that the steamer, though of no great length, could not be steered round them, but often had to butt up against the banks, which caused her head to bound off and pushed her round, and by backing and repeating this several times, she succeeded in getting round the corners.

This showed that it would have been almost impossible to have sailed up, and none seem to have attempted it except some very small vessels, which worked up by the help of oars.

In about three hours after leaving Bagdad the steamer came in sight of Matamoras, and was quite close to it, but there was still about fifteen miles' sailing to do round by the crooked river before we reached it.

Having at length reached Matamoras, I sought out the office of the British Consul, with whom I deposited the register of the vessel and the crew list and a copy of the manifesto of the cargo; but he told me that although the vessel and cargo were consigned to me, that I could not enter the vessel at the custom house myself, and that it would be necessary--if I had no consignee--to get a custom-house broker to get it done, there being plenty of such in the place.

He had the address-cards of several English brokers in the place, one of which he handed to me.

This man, whose name was Westropp, and who called himself an Englishman, was very willing to transact the business, and went with me to the custom house.

The manifesto, which was vised by the Mexican Consul at Belize, was quite in order, and a "Form" for entry handed to the broker to fill up. In this "Form" there was a space for the name of the consignee, and the broker told me that it would require to be filled up by some name, though only for a form, and I might put down the name of any resident in the place--his own name, for instance, would do. I hesitated, and said that if it was necessary for me to have a consignee, I would have a merchant of the place. Whereupon the collector, who understood and spoke English, told me that if I was going to pay the port dues and import duties in advance, there was no need of a consignee, but the broker might put down his name to fill up the space, and show by whom the vessel was entered.

Having paid the duties and port charges, the receipt and permit to discharge was given to me.

I then asked the broker for an account of his fees, which he made out, charging me twenty-five dollars for his commission and trouble and ten dollars for stamped papers and extras, which I paid him, and took his receipt.

Finding that there would be no steamer back to Bagdad for some time, but that a coach would leave for that place on the following day, I employed my time in looking round the place and calling upon some of the merchants, with a view of ascertaining what prospects there might be of disposing of the cargo and obtaining a freight for Havana.

The whole town was enveloped in a cloud of dust. By the long drought the soil on the roads and streets had by the enormous traffic been ground into a fine powder, which covered them to the depth of several inches; this was whirled about by the wind in every direction, and as windows and doors had to be kept open on account of the heat, no place was free from dust. Men looked like millers, with clothes, hair, and beard saturated, so that it was difficult to recognize one from another. Horses and mules shook their heads to throw the dust out of their ears, while the dust adhering to their perspiring hides made them appear all of one colour.

Inside the houses and stores, beds, tables, and other things were covered with dust-cloths, which when the former were required for use, the cloths were carefully lifted by the corners and the dust emptied out.

I thought there must certainly be some strong inducement for people to live in such a place.

The houses were mostly of one story, none more than two, with flat roofs, and were all thickly pitted with bullet-marks, which seemed to have been made at different times, but most of them were the effects of an attack on the town not long previously by a revolutionary party, who had not succeeded in capturing it, but were repulsed by the troops and townspeople.

For this gallant defence an honourable appellation was bestowed upon the town by the then existing government, by the prefix of the letter H. to its name, and all official documents were headed H. Matamoras, signifying "Heroic Matamoras."

On my asking an old resident of the place whether there were many killed, as the marks on the houses seemed to indicate, he replied, "Oh, no! they are great people here for shooting the houses; they don't shoot the people so much."

On my inquiries among the merchants as to the state of business, the reply was the same from all of them.

They said that I had come at a bad time; there had been a great deal of business done lately, but it was now at a standstill. The transportations across the plains was stopped in consequence of the long drought, the water on the way being dried up, and the grass withered, so that there was neither water nor grass to support the beasts on the route; but they were looking forward to a good heavy rain, which would supply water on the way and cause the grass to grow, when trade would revive again.

I found that some of them who were expecting cotton from Texas, and were not bound to ship it by any particular vessel or agency, would prefer to ship it by small vessels, which could cross the bar and go direct to Havana, and save the delay, damage, and high charges for lighterage, and that I might get a freight to Havana if I could afford to wait until trade would revive again; but that depended on the weather, and the prospects were exceedingly remote.

The town was actually blocked up with goods; every place where merchandise could be stored was filled, and many of the inhabitants had let their houses for this purpose.

On the following day I returned to Bagdad. When I got there I found that the vessel had been safely brought in over the bar and lay with the other vessels at the river-bank, in a place safe and convenient enough for all purposes; but the prospect of a market for the cargo was cheerless in the extreme.

The immense piles of goods which had been landed from the ships lay wasting, and on most of them the enormous charges for lighterage, which had been laid on heavily, when added to the freight, port dues, and import duties far exceeded the value of the goods, and in many cases the owners had disowned and abandoned them altogether, leaving those who had made the charges to make the most of them. In fact, everything seemed to be in a state of chaos so far as regarded business, every one trying to grab what he could, and many schemes there were to make money out of the crisis.

Every small vessel that would do for a lighter had been brought to the place, put under the Mexican flag and converted into a lighter; now many of these were lying idle; a few of the most influential had formed a ring, and got this business into their own hands, and by that general unknown influence managed to keep out others, controlled the business, and kept up the charges.

One enterprising Yankee brought to the place a large number of tarpaulins, off which he was reaping a harvest by hiring them out at a dollar each per night for covering goods and other purposes.

Restaurants were conducted under tarpaulins spread over poles, and rough wooden sheds hastily knocked together were used as grocery stores and rum mills, as they were called.

Men employed on lighters and as labourers were paid at the rate of four and five dollars per day, and there were gamblers in abundance ready to divest them of their earnings.

Diversities of fortune were rapid and sudden, some made rich harvests, others lost heavily. I cannot say, however, that lawlessness, riot, or violence to person existed to any extent. The Mexican authorities maintained peace and good order in that respect, and let the trade go on. They took care to exact their moiety in duties and charges, and a rich harvest they made.

I saw all this, but I knew of no other port to which I might go where there was the slightest chance of selling the cargo or getting employment for the vessel, and it was evident to me that whatever might be the loss there was no other course open for me but to lie still and keep my cargo on board, and wait to see if trade would revive again.

I found myself in a very bad and almost ruinous position, for the expenses of the vessel and wages of the crew were going on. I was, however, thankful that I had the vessel for an asylum and as a safe store for my cargo, for I knew that if I landed it here it was certain to become the prey of sharpers.

Even on board it did not seem to be so well protected from this class as I had imagined, for in the course of a few days who should come on board but Mr. Westropp, the broker, claiming to be consignee of the cargo on the strength of his name being entered as consignee in the bill of entry, and asserting that if I did not turn over the cargo to him I must pay him four per cent. as commission on the total value of the cargo.

He had no doubt been actuated to attempt this trick by seeing the many acts of extortion practised upon strangers by sharpers in the general confusion of business.

Such acts, however, were confined mostly to the foreign colony at Bagdad, at the mouth of the river, and among themselves; but this was an act of which the Mexican Government would take cognizance, and on the case coming before the court at Matamoras, the judge nonsuited him and ordered him out of court as a "Chevalier d'industrie," and his license as a broker was revoked. The affair, however, cost me some trouble and expense. Whilst I was at Matamoras attending to this case I became aware of a transaction of a different nature, by which one of the many Confederate officials--who within the limits of the Confederacy acted with rather high hand--was clearly outwitted.

In the large amount of cotton which at this time was brought across the plain out of Texas, it was necessary that each lot of cotton should have a particular mark and number, and its weight shown, to facilitate its passing through the Mexican Customs; and the owner proved his property by producing a bill of sale, corresponding to the marks, numbers, and weights. About this time the Confederate exchequer in the Texas district was getting low, it was resolved to replenish it by purchasing a large quantity of cotton and getting it shipped from Mexico by way of Brownsville and Matamoras. It was purchased by what was called pressing it, that was by forcibly taking possession of it on the plantations and paying the owners in Confederate money, or by a warrant on the Confederate treasury at a price fixed by the Government.

The price allowed was high, and would have been very acceptable to the planter had the money or warrants been good. Of course some had great faith in the ultimate success of the Confederate States, and accepted it readily enough. Others had grave doubts, although they dared not express them openly, but they generally tried, if possible, to sell their cotton at a low price for specie or try and convey it to Brownsville on their own account.

But the great difficulty was the long route across the plains, and then they required a permit from the Government to allow it to go out of the country by crossing the ferry from Brownsville to Matamoras.

The men appointed to carry out this business belonged to what was called the "Cotton Bureau"; many of them were young men holding commissions in the army.

They were generally of the stay-at-home class, and had got these appointments by favour, preferring this kind of duty to taking part with the army in the Held. They were often pompous and overbearing, and endowed more with a sense of their own importance than business tact or discretion.

Their duty in this instance was to take possession of cotton on the plantations, and mules to carry it, and give the owners receipts for it. Many of these officials, fancying themselves armed with absolute power, were not particular about what cotton they seized, but took that which was most handy and could be conveyed to Brownsville with the least trouble.

It so happened that an English agent had been into Texas with a large amount of goods, which he had sold, and bought cotton with the proceeds. This cotton he had proceeded to convey across the plains, but had only got a short part of the way when the teamsters refused to go further till rain would fall and give water for the cattle to drink on the way. No such obstacles were allowed to be thrown in the way of the Government cotton in charge of those officials; it must proceed although a mule or a yoke of oxen should die every half-mile--they had only to press more into service. One of these officials seeing the cotton belonging to this agent, thought it exceedingly handy, and took possession of it. The owner protested, but to no purpose. The official said the cotton was required for the public service, which was paramount to all other rights. He threw him a receipt, and told him to go to the office at the Cotton Bureau, and he would be paid--in Confederate money, of course. He then seized mules wherever they were to be had, and proceeded with the cotton towards Brownsville. He at length reached that place after strewing the route with dead mules and oxen, and boasted loudly of his feat.

Being, as he represented, Government cotton, there was no difficulty about a permit to go out of the country, and it was soon crossed over the ferry to Matamoras.

In the meantime, the party who owned the cotton had been keeping out of sight, but cautiously watching his progress, and as soon as the cotton was crossed to the Mexican side he put in an appearance, and going up to the official, with the bill of sale in his hand, he thanked him for his assistance in bringing the cotton across the plains, but told him that he need not give himself any further trouble as he would now take charge of it himself.

The official fired up, and demanded to know what he meant, but the owner of the cotton pointed across the river to Brownsville, and said, "You had it all your own way over there, but I will have something to say here."

The light now began to dawn upon the official, who seemed to have imagined the power of his commission and authority unlimited, and had never thought it would be affected by the crossing of a small ferry, when an old Texan, standing by, who had been disgusted with the military tyranny in the Confederacy, and had taken refuge on the Mexican side, turned towards the official, and said, in a provoking tone, "Ah, Mr. Ballroom Buttons, that old ferry-boat has shaved your hair off"--referring to Samson deprived of his strength.

The officer, still placing faith in his commission and orders to impress cotton for the benefit of the public service, appealed to the Mexican authorities, but they could recognize no other title to ownership than the bill of sale corresponding to the marks and numbers on the bales.

The agent had thus got his cotton conveyed across the plains very handily; but how the discomfited official reported to his superiors I do not know.

I need not take up the time of the reader with any further accounts of this place, but return to my own position, which was every day becoming more and more straitened.

The other vessels which lay near us were mostly in charge of captains acting for owners in other parts of the world, and they were waiting for freight or orders. They had reduced expenses by getting rid of their crews, with the exception of one or two, including the cook, and they took matters easy.

Some of them expressed their great admiration for the _Rob Roy_, and said if she belonged to them they would soon know what to do with her, meaning that she was most admirably adapted for running the blockade into the Texas ports. I said I would be very glad to sell both vessel and cargo if they desired a vessel for that purpose. But though I found plenty of both seamen and merchants who would like to buy her for that purpose, their terms as to payment did not suit me. They offered a large price, provided I would accept bill or bonds, on the vessel in payment, but none were prepared to come down with the ready cash, and as this offer threw the risk upon me, and the chance of loss of all if the vessel was captured, and all the profits to them if she went free, I declined the offer.

Since we had arrived several small vessels had arrived in the river, most of them from the New England States or from British America, but all bearing the British flag. One of them had been out over fifty days, and had got short of provisions, and she had been boarded by the _Alabama_--some three weeks after the latter vessel had boarded us--who supplied her with some provisions.

A small schooner also arrived from Texas with a cargo of cotton. She had run the blockade out of Brazos River, and put into the Rio Grande as the first neutral port. With her captain and owner, Captain Shaeffer, I had some conversation about the blockaded Texas ports.

Captain Shaeffer soon after bought one of the newly-arrived schooners, a beautiful, swift-looking vessel, and sailed for the Brazos River again, but was chased and run ashore, where he set fire to his vessel, and she was burned to the water's edge.

After laying here for about six weeks I found no alteration in the state of matters--for the better, at least; and as the revival of trade was said to depend upon the weather, and a supply of rain to make the grass grow, the prospects seemed rather remote, and I began to fancy myself in the position of the horse which died of starvation while waiting for the grass to grow.

News had also arrived of the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, and this rather cast a damp on the trade ma Brownsville and Matamoras, as it gave the Federals the command of the Mississippi River, and cut off the communication between Texas and other parts west of the Mississippi River and the other parts of the Confederacy.

Having already had a sufficient share in the strife between the North and South, I had no desire of getting mixed up in any way on either side; but the position in which I was now placed was becoming desperate, and it was plain that I must make some movement.

The Federal Government of the United States had now fully determined to stop or cripple, at least, the trade which was being carried on through Mexico by way of Brownsville.

To effect this they had recourse to some acts which were supposed to involve questions of international law.

During the time we lay here, there was seized, at her anchorage off the mouth of the Rio Grande, a large British steamer called the _Sir William Peel_, which had just completed loading with cotton.

On what grounds she was seized I never learnt exactly. I heard various reasons assigned, one of which was that she had on board a large quantity of cotton which was the property of the Confederate States. It was also reported that orders had been given to the Federal cruisers to overhaul and search vessels at sea, and seize and detain any to which suspicion might attach, whether they were within the limits of the blockaded ports or not. This order, whether given or not, their naval officers did not fail to carry out to the full extent, and many vessels, British and others, were overhauled and seized, although several hundred miles from any blockaded port.

It was supposed that the British at least, who were generally so prominent in maintaining their rights and supremacy on the seas, would take some action in the matter, but although careful notes and depositions were taken of each case any immediate action did not seem to begin. Of course it was not to be supposed that the British Government would make a formal demand, or rush into an international controversy about every little vessel carrying the British flag, which might get itself into trouble, but there were instances of greater importance, such as the case of the _Sir William Peel_ and others, against which there seemed to be no just grounds for seizure, and the apparent apathy of the British Government caused a good deal of astonishment, especially to those connected with trade, in that part of the world. There was one reason which I heard assigned for this apathy which I was inclined to credit, as under it lay considerable diplomatic strategy, international law being based and maintained very much upon precedents.

There had been some important questions long pending between Great Britain and the United States, one of which was the right of searching neutral vessels at sea by belligerents in time of war. The maintenance of this right by Great Britain was one of the chief causes which led to a war between the United States and Great Britain in 1812, but the peace of Europe in 1814 having removed this grievance for the time made the question of less importance. And the "Treaty of Ghent" between Great Britain and the United States was concluded in the same year without the question being definitely settled, and it therefore remained in abeyance.

In the long interval of peace which followed, each nation continued to hold their different views on the question.

During the Crimean War one or two trifling events occurred, or were said to have occurred, which brought out some articles in the American newspapers, strongly condemning the action of some British war vessels, and stoutly maintaining the doctrine that the flag should cover the cargo; but nothing of importance happened until the breaking out of the Civil War in America, when the Federal Government at Washington, acting upon the doctrine maintained by the British Government, turned it to its own account and advantage, and stopped on the high seas and boarded the British mail steamer _Trent_, and took off two passengers, Mason and Slidell, the accredited Commissioners from the Confederate States to the Courts of Great Britain and France respectively. The indignation of the British nation, and the prompt demand for a disavowment of the act, and the immediate delivery up of these men under a threat of war is well known.

The position of the United States was somewhat difficult, but Mr. Seward, who at the time was at the head of the Cabinet at Washington, endeavoured to contrive out of the event the settlement of the international question. So he therefore, in reply to this demand, addressed to the British Minister a voluminous communication, going fully into the question of the right of search of neutral vessels, and readily agreeing to give up the men, with congratulations to both nations, that the vexed question was now definitely settled.

The reply of the British Minister was remarkable for its brevity: it was that he would be prepared to receive the ministers.

While Mr. Seward was most likely congratulating himself on his master stroke of diplomacy, the nation at large was stung with humiliation, and enraged at what they considered Great Britain taking advantage of their position to make an imperious demand, and still more the damaging results to them which might accrue through the influence of the wily commissioners in France and Britain, and the advantage which might be obtained by their enemies the Confederates, who only required free intercourse and supplies to make them a very formidable power.

Meanwhile the Confederates were receiving considerable aid through means of blockade runners and the Mexican route, and the clamour for more vigorous measures to put it down was supposed to have been the cause of President Lincoln giving the orders I have referred to; and as the carrying out of such orders, after the _Trent_ affair, would completely nullify any precedent which would arise out of that case, it was supposed that Britain would not be over-ready to interfere.

It was after reflection, and with a knowledge of the state of matters before me, that I began to consider whether this so-called legitimate trade with the Confederate States through Mexico, or the more dashing and desperate trade through the blockade, was the most tempting.

Blockade running was not regarded as either unlawful or dishonourable, but rather as a bold and daring enterprise. It was no surreptitious breach of any law, but merely defiance of a barrier placed and maintained by no other right than by the force of arms; and those who attempted to brave it did so at their own risk, subject by the laws of war to be fired upon, their vessel sunk or captured, themselves drowned, killed, or wounded in the course of the capture, but that was the extent of the liability.

They had broken no law, and no charge for such could be brought against them, and no punishment beyond confiscation of the vessel and cargo.

It was simply an act of war, subject to the laws of war, and to me who had little or no knowledge or experience in the mercantile line it was much more congenial than the extortions and deceitful wheedling and trickeries of the _legitimate_ trade.

I soon came to a conclusion, and determined, if possible, to stake my fortune in making the attempt.