Salem offered their friends of Boston the free use of their wharves and stores until the act should be repealed, or the dispute settled.

Salem, with the neighbouring towns, Marblehead and Beverly, were foremost in taking out letters of marque and reprisal, and were wonderfully successful. The records of these early times show that the bravery of these hardy adventurers was a theme of praise throughout the colonies, and also among their enemies. When peace arrived, and our independence was acknowledged, the merchants of Salem, as has appeared in this chapter, were among the first to explore new channels of trade, disdaining to confine themselves to the narrow track of a colonial commerce, such as they had been restricted to when under Great Britain. With a few erroneous maps and charts, a sextant, and "Guthrie's Grammar," they swept round the Cape of Good Hope, exhausted the markets of the Isles of France and Bourbon, and pushing onward, entered the Straits of Babelmandel, and secured the trade of the Red Sea. They brought from Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay, the best of their staples, and had their choice of the products of Ceylon and Sumatra.

They had also a double share of the Canton trade; in fact, their ships were seen in every part of the Indian Seas, and were held in respect by all commercial nations. Much credit is due to the foremost in these enterprises. Derby, Gray, Crowningshield, Peale, White, Forrester, and others, were followed by Thorndike, Peabody, Pickman, West, Silsbee, the sons of the elder Derby and of Crowningshield, and many other enterprising merchants.

While engaged in this profitable commerce, they were assiduous in gaining a knowledge of the countries they visited, and gathered many curiosities and antiquities of the east, of which they have formed a splendid museum for the benefit of science and the arts, and the gratification of the curious who visit their

town.

"The Salem East India Marine Society is composed of persons who have actually navigated the seas beyond the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn, as masters or supercargoes of vessels belonging to Salem. It was founded in October, seventeen hundred and ninety-nine, and obtained an act of incorporation in eighteen hundred and one. Two hundred and eighty-two members have been admitted, ninety-one have died, and seven have retired

from the society; so that at present it consists of one hundred and eighty-four members, of whom one hundred and thirty-two still reside in Salem."

The chief objects of the institution are, to assist the widows and children of its members, when they need it, from the funds of the society; to collect facts and make observations, which may tend to the improvement and security of navigation; and to form a museum of natural and artificial curiosities, to consist chiefly of such as are brought from beyond the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn.

The very nature of these voyages gave a peculiar character to the people. The length of time they passed on the ocean, gave the officers in these ships fine opportunities to improve their minds in various branches of knowledge. From among the masters, supercargoes, and other officers of these Indiamen, it is said there have been, from the town of Salem, a great number of the members of each branch of the legislature of the state we know there have been three members of congress, two secretaries of the navy, a United States senator, and a great mathematician, second to no one in ancient or modern times; one who has corrected the works of Newton, and enlarged the heavens of La Place; and, in fine, many distinguished minds in every walk of life. Whatever our success in commerce hereafter may be, the enterprise of Salem will still continue an era in our annals, worthy the pen of the first commercial historian.

CHAPTER XIII.

Sumatra Effects of the Potomac's visit illustrated by facts-Piratical practice's of the Natives previous to that event, and their good conduct since-Their former frequent attempts and failures proved by their own confessions, and the testimony of Shipmasters-Their triumphant boasting respecting the Friendship, and threats of future aggressions-Effect of that event on our eastern commerce-Revival of that commerce after the attack on Quallah-Battoo-Anecdote of Mahommed Bundah-His visit to the Potomac-Respect and admiration of the American character-Hints to Government on the protection of our commerce.

BEFORE We take a final leave of Sumatra, it may be well to pause a moment and to inquire, what will be the effect of the Potomac's visit to the pepper coast, and whether it will tend to the security of our commercial interests, and to the personal safety of our countrymen, in their future intercourse with the natives of that place. These are momentous inquiries, and they not only deserve to be treated with the greatest attention, care, and frankness, but also to be illustrated by every fact that can throw a single ray of light upon a subject of such paramount importance.

We are now ready to meet these questions promptly and fairly; for up to the present moment we have reason to believe that the minds of no inconsiderable portion of the American people, who take an interest in such matters, have been misled with regard to the true merits of the case and the inevitable result of this highly important enterprise. We are now prepared to determine the point, and to prove by the strongest testimony of which the case is susceptible, that the Potomac's visit to the western coast of Sumatra has resulted decidedly and unequivocally in the complete attainment of the objects contemplated by our government; and that the enterprise was not only wisely conceived, and faithfully and ably executed, but that any deviation from the course actually pursued, must have been followed by an almost inconceivable train of evils. The time has arrived when we can speak knowingly on the subject.

While in the Pacific Ocean, we fell in with a vessel which had visited Quallah-Battoo after the departure of the Potomac. Since

our return to the United States we have made it a point to go any distance, and in almost every direction, for the purpose of seeing, conversing with, and closely examining the intelligent masters, supercargoes, and officers of such American vessels as have been in the habit of trading and holding intercourse with the inhabitants, both previous and subsequent to our attack on QuallahBattoo, on the sixth of February, eighteen hundred and thirty-two.

In prosecuting this investigation, the points to which our inquiries have been especially directed are, the general deportment of the Malays before the outrage on the Friendship; the effect of that successful act of piracy along the coast, previously to the arrival of the Potomac; and the apparent feelings and deportment of the same people since the occurrence of that event.

To all these respectable and intelligent individuals we have uniformly propounded the same questions, and have received their distinct, separate, and individual replies, without the knowledge or possibility of concert with each other. These answers have afterward been carefully compared; and from more than twenty written documents, taken from the mouths of our informants, it is scarcely possible to select the least item of discrepance; a very material fact, which goes far to confirm the following views, which we now give as the abstract and substance of their united testimony. Of the fidelity of our statements they will be able to judge.

It is agreed that piracy had become a system with many petty chiefs on the coast, and particularly at Quallah-Battoo. Three or four years previous to the capture of the Friendship, they had attempted to cut off, or manifested evident intentions to do so, almost every vessel that had entered their ports. We shall only mention a few, out of many cases that might be cited.

A Salem brig was on the coast with specie, but had not commenced loading: the captain had never traded with the Malays, and was a stranger to most of the inhabitants of Quallah-Battoo. A proa was fitted out by them, for the express purpose of capturing his vessel while she lay at anchor; but he most fortunately suspected their designs, and would not permit them to come alongside. On their return to Battoo, they made no secret of the object of their unsuccessful expedition; the leader of which has lately been executed by the Dutch for piracy.

Another American brig was trading at Quallah-Battoo, a few weeks before the disaster of the Friendship, with weights so much lighter than are required for a Malay picul, that several of them who owned no pepper, and who saw that the captain was entirely ignorant of trade, advised him to make them heavier. A plan was also projected to take this vessel in the same manner they afterward did the Friendship, by sending a greater number of Malays with the pepper to the vessel. This was prevented by one of the native clerks, who takes an account of the pepper; and who knew that if they succeeded, his only means of support would be cut off, in consequence of vessels avoiding the port; and embracing a moment when no one was observing him, said to the captain, "Twenty bags pepper-twenty-five men—take care!" A boat usually carries one hundred bags and seven men.

The clerk had good reasons to be cautious; as, not long before, it is said another had been poisoned for giving a similar intimation of an intended act of piracy; and it is often owing to the clerks that so many projected schemes of villany have been frustrated. In the present instance, the captain being thus apprized of his danger, took immediate measures to defeat the nefarious intentions of the conspirators; who, in this instance, had certainly no provocation. The same captain afterward went to Soo-soo; where they detained him on shore, under some frivolous pretext, and he was finally compelled to pay two hundred dollars for his release or

ransom.

These unsuccessful attempts at cutting off vessels on the coast had become so common, that the utmost vigilance was necessary on the part of every shipmaster engaged in the trade. One of our intelligent informants was marked as the prey of the pirates, on his first voyage to Sumatra. Soon after his arrival on the coast, before he had opened any dealings with them, a large proa was sent from Quallah-Battoo to capture his vessel. Quick in their discrimination of strangers, they presumed upon his supposed ignorance of their character, and had made powerful arrangements for carrying their nefarious design into execution.

The captain, however, had not come upon the coast without his precautionary lesson; and, therefore, suspecting mischief, instead of permitting the well-manned proa to lie alongside, he compelled them to anchor at a distance. He had but eight men