5033. Mr. _W. Patten_.] Can you state briefly the nature of the orders?--His Lordship stated that the Queen’s advocate was of opinion that the court was justified in making use of information obtained by the search of vessels under the American flag. The court had decided, that having no right to search vessels sailing as American, and recognised as American by American authorities, they could not make use of any information which they obtained by unauthorised and illegal acts, and Lord Palmerston considered that they had a right. 5034. _Chairman._] You held that the papers protected the vessel?--I did. 5035. Mr. _Forster_.] Then it is those condemnations which are appealed against at present by the American government?--I have not seen any appeal of the American government except against the general right exercised by the British cruizers. 5036. The complaint is, of seizing vessels as connected with the slave trade, which, from their papers, ought not to have been subject to that suspicion?--I am not aware of any appeal in any case of that kind. 5037. Mr. _Aldam_.] Have any vessels with strictly American papers been condemned?--You can hardly call them strictly American papers where the papers have been applied for, and given through fraud. The American authorities at the Havannah who gave them, knew very well that the vessel had no more claim to be styled an American vessel than a Dutch vessel. 5038. _Chairman._] But as far as the documents themselves showed, those vessels were American?--Yes, they had an American register, just in the same form as any vessel sailing from New York, or Baltimore; indeed it was a copy of the same document. 5039. What indication was there in other papers taken, to lead you to know that the property was not _bonâ fide_ American?--It appeared, from the very strict overhauling these vessels received from the cruizers, that in many of those cases there were papers on board showing that the man who appeared as the American captain was only a passenger, and that the 30 Spanish passengers who took out passengers’ licences at Havannah were the real crew; and there were also instructions, found on board, to the pretended captain, what he was to answer to the cruizers when they boarded him. The whole thing was a complete fraud without any doubt whatever. There were many of those cases where it was quite plain that the vessels were only Spaniards in disguise; that they only kept the American flag until their cargo was ready. In some cases the vessels that were boarded one day by the cruizers under the American flag, were boarded two or three days afterwards with the Portuguese or Spanish flag hoisted, and full of slaves. 5040. And condemned?--Yes.