Deposition of James Adams., November 14, 1863.

Deposition of James Adams.

James Adams, formerly a sailor on board the Alabama, states:

I left the Alabama, ran away at Angra Pequena, and came up in the Flower of Yarrow. The Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and Sea Bride were there at the time. The Tuscaloosa landed her cargo of wool and green hides there. The Sea Bride transhipped part of her cargo to the Isabel, belonging to Granger. The Isabel’s boats conveyed the cargo from the Sea Bride to her. There was another vessel there, the Earl of Mar and Kelly, bound to Aberdeen, and she took off a lot of cargo from the Tuscaloosa. The Atlas was there at the time. I am sure the Atlas was there, and Tom Boyes was her commander, and it was he and his crew who landed the Tuscaloosa’s cargo, and I assisted him in doing so. The remainder of the cargo of the Tuscaloosa was at Angra Pequena, on the mainland, when I left in the Flower of Yarrow for Cape Town. While the Sea Bride was there they cut her royal mast short, and altered her in other ways and disguised her, and then called her the Helen, of Hamburg. The Flower of Yarrow took in a part of the Sea Bride’s cargo, namely, some hops and tobacco, and she (the Sea Bride) left some time before we did—I was told for Mauritius. Boyes took out the coals, about two hundred and fifty tons, from the Earl of Mar and Kelly, and landed them on Penguin island, and he left for Ichaboe before I left for Cape Town.

There was a brig there also, while I was there, also bound to Aberdeen; she was loaded up at Ichaboe, and I assisted to load her. Her cargo was guano and nothing else. The Saxon was not there while I remained. The Sea Bride did not take any guano. I was working on board the Isabel for about a fort-night, and I went from Angra to Ichaboe with her and then joined the Flower of Yarrow at Ichaboe, and we took the portion of the Sea Bride’s cargo we had on board from the Isabel at that place. I understood that Bruce was to get part of the Sea Bride’s cargo for his assistance. Bruce goes up country trading. The Earl of Mar and Kelly also took in some guano on top of the wool— she filled up with guano. When we left the Atlas people were still loading her.

I reported what I have now stated to the American consul before the arrival of the Atlas in Table bay. The Vanderbilt had also left before the Atlas arrived.

I was formerly a seaman on board the Conrad, now the Tuscaloosa. The Sea Bride was at Angra about ten days, and the Tuscaloosa rather more than a fortnight. I saw Captain Elmstone on board the Tuscaloosa; he used to come on board there from the Sea Bride to dine with the captain. Captain Low, an officer of the Alabama, was in command of the Tuscaloosa, and left with her before I did.

Mark of JAMES + ADAMS.

Before me,