Commodore Biddle also came to the coast at that time, and there was some little difficulty (not personal) over the question of which one was to have command, but it was settled by both doing the best they could for the Government while awaiting word from the Navy Department. Every Mexican port north of Acapulco was blockaded, and at Mazatlan the custom-house was administered by the Americans and some $300,000 collected on imports. [Illustration: S. F. Dupont. _From a photograph._] From a naval man’s point of view the most interesting deeds on this coast were a few cutting-out expeditions. The _Cyane_, under Commander Dupont, after landing and spiking all the guns at San Blas, went up the Gulf of California to Guaymas. There Dupont found two Mexican gun-boats and a brig. On seeing the _Cyane_ the Mexicans burned their gun-boats but hauled their brig in close to the beach, where several hundred soldiers were able to cover her from the houses along shore. There were also a number of cannon to keep off invaders. Captain Dupont, however, ordered out his launch and a cutter under Lieutenant G. W. Harrison, Lieutenant Higginson, and Midshipman Lewis. These, under cover of a fire from the _Cyane_, rowed in, cut the moorings and began towing the brig out unmolested. At that the _Cyane_ stopped firing for a few moments, but the instant the _Cyane_ stopped the Mexicans began. Then the _Cyane_ opened again, when the Mexicans fled; but when the _Cyane_ had to stop on account of the line of fire endangering her own men the Mexicans returned and began again. However, the _Cyane_ finally drove them away by firing over her own boats, and the brig was towed out of the Mexican range and burned. [Illustration: The Tabasco Expedition Attacked by the Mexicans from the Chapparal. _From a lithograph designed and drawn on stone by Lieutenant H. Walke, U. S. N._]