Captain Jacob Dunham, having applied to the Congress of the United States, for relief, on account of losses sustained by him by piratical robbery, We, the undersigned, do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with the said Jacob Dunham, have known him for many years past, that he is a man of truth and veracity, and that his statements are entitled to full faith and credit: Thomas O'Hara Croswell, Post-Master, Catskill. Abel Bruce, M. D. Robert Dorlon, Esq. Orrin Day, President of Tanner's Bank, Catskill. Hon. Malebone Watson, Judge of Supreme Court, New-York. Hon. John Adams. Caleb Day, Esq. J. D. Beers, President of Bank of North America, New-York. Jacob Haight, Treasurer of State of New-York. Hon. Zadock Pratt. T. K. Cooke, Member of New-York Assembly. James Powers, State Senator. Calvin Balis, Alderman of New-York City. W. P. Hallett, Clerk of the Supreme Court of State of New-York. Edwin Croswell, State Printer, Albany, New-York. _Catskill, New-York, December 30, 1839_ EARLY LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. On the twenty-seventh day of April, 1779, in the town of Colchester, in the State of Connecticut, I was launched into the world, and entered on the tempestuous voyage of life. While yet an infant at the breast, FATE snatched me from my mother's arms, viewed me with a scornful eye, and exclaimed, "I doom this babe _a slave to hardships, dangers, and disappointments_." The following pages will show how far the prophecy has been fulfilled. My father, Samuel Dunham, was a Warrant Officer in the American Navy during the Revolutionary War, and followed the sea during almost his whole life-time. Whether the occupation of my father before me has had anything to do in shaping my course in life, the author is not wise enough to say, but leaves it to those who make greater pretensions than himself.