About this time there was a very great excitement raised in the city in consequence of the circulation of counterfeit coin, in imitation of the government silver, and a story had been circulated that a considerable quantity of this spurious silver was expected from Baltimore. As several vessels arrived from that place soon after, they were strictly searched, by boring barrels of flour, breaking open boxes and packages of goods, by custom house officers, and otherwise searching them. After some days it was discovered that the counterfeit coin was brought from Jamaica by a Jew, who had been lurking about the city. He was arrested and brought before the president for trial, and a report circulated that he would certainly be hanged. The president sent for a silver-smith to examine the coin, who pronounced it to be one-half pure silver, while the government coin was only one-tenth part silver: upon which the president said, "Damn him, let him go, for his money is better than ours."
The laws of this country are very arbitrary, although they help to encourage industry and suppress idleness and dissipation. The president makes donations from the public lands to all poor individuals who will cultivate them. After they take possession of a lot he obliges them to cultivate it. To accomplish this, he sends a small military guard through the new settlements, accompanied by an officer, who stops at every house, where he makes the following inquiries: "Is this your house and plantation?" which being answered in the affirmative, he proceeds, "How large is your family?" The man answers, a wife and —— children. The officer then compels him to go and show him the plantation, and to point out the number of coffee trees he has planted, &c. If, on examining the premises the officer finds only a few trees, and is convinced of the indolence of the occupant, he says, "You cannot maintain your family by this, and must be a cheat, or steal, you must therefore go with me," and he is obliged to join the army or navy.
The farmers being out of the cities and villages, are not allowed to come to market except two days in each week, say Sundays and Wednesdays, without a special permit. All persons found drinking or rioting about public places or grog shops are immediately taken up under the vagrant act, sent to prison, and then transported to the army or navy as a punishment. The authorities of cities and villages license a limited number of butchers in each town, and compel them to keep the market supplied with meat every day, and limit the price to twelve and a half cents per pound.
Since my last voyage to this Island the president, at the head of his army, had many engagements with the royalists under the emperor Christophe, whom he conquered, and had obtained possession of all his dominions. The emperor, fearing he should be taken prisoner, committed suicide by blowing his own brains out with his pistol. The president took possession of his castle, where they found about seven millions of dollars. By their wars with the French, and their internal wars among themselves, they have reduced the male inhabitants so much that they now estimate there is eleven females to one male, throughout all their dominions.
Having disposed of my cargo and got a return freight on board, I sailed for the port of Jerimie, where we arrived the twenty-fourth of July. Here I collected about eight hundred dollars in coffee, which was due from my last voyage. I sailed for New-York on the twenty-eighth, and arrived at Staten Island after a passage of twenty-two days, where we were compelled to perform a quarantine of thirty days, at the expiration of which time we proceeded to the city, where I disposed of my cargo and then returned with the schooner to Catskill, when we refitted her previous to the next voyage.
CHAPTER XXII.
Schooner Combine.—Third Voyage.
We loaded the schooner's hold with an assorted cargo, and her deck with twenty-eight horses, about fifty hogs, a number of coops of poultry; and taking on board three passengers bound for the Island of Trinidad, sailed from Catskill the tenth of November, 1822, and arrived in New-York after a passage of two days, where I shipped a crew and prepared for the voyage. About the seventeenth of November we sailed from New-York, bound to the Island of Trinidad. After we got under weigh I found the greater part of my crew so badly intoxicated that they could not stand upon deck, but having fair wind and good weather I proceeded to sea; the mate, cooper, and cook, being sober, I thought we could manage the vessel until the crew could attend to their duty. We passed the night without getting any assistance from them. The next morning I ordered the mate to go into the fore-castle, where they slept, and search for liquor, and if necessary, break open all the seamen's chests, and if he found any he was to break the bottles or heave them overboard. He returned to the cabin with one bottle containing about a pint, being all he could find. We learned afterwards that they had some more secreted, which he was not able to discover. Towards evening the second day we were able to get them all at work but one. About eight o'clock in the evening that one came on deck and appeared somewhat bewildered with delirium tremens.
I was then called to my supper, being much fatigued, having stood at the helm over twenty-four hours, while the mate, cooper, and cook took care of the stock on deck. Within two minutes after I entered the cabin I heard the cry, "He is overboard," when I jumped on deck and threw over many articles of lumber, long lines, &c. but the night being dark, and a heavy sea running, we soon lost sight of him. This seaman's name was James Currie, who said he was born in Rhode Island, and I found by the papers he left, that he had lately been discharged from the Frigate Constellation. One of his shipmates informed me that he had just arrived from a three years' cruise, and had received three hundred dollars when he was paid off, but had spent the whole of it in three weeks, and was indebted to his landlord about seventeen dollars more. My seamen were all sober and at their duty in a couple of days, and we proceeded on the voyage without any other occurrence worth recording, and arrived, after a passage of thirty-five days, at Port Spain, in the Island of Trinidad, where we landed our horses, which had stood on their feet the whole passage. Many of them had the heaves badly when they were taken on board, but were perfectly cured when they landed. This being the third time of successful experiment with diseased horses as a veterinarian, I pronounced a sea voyage a perfect cure for the heaves, whether in horses or other animals.