E. M. Archibald to Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, January 21, 1804

Mr. Archibald to Lord Lyons.

My Lord: I have the honor to report to your lordship, that the Unit States supply steamer Newburg arrived here from Wilmington on Saturday. last, bringing, as is reported in the newspapers, fifty-one prisoners, said to have been captured from the steamers Antoniquos and Dare. These prisoners were handed over to the custody of the United States marshal.

I have not been enabled to ascertain the nationality of the Antonica. I believe her to be a foreign vessel. The Dare was a small British steamer, and was driven ashore and destroyed while attempting to violate the blockade at Wilmington. I have to-day made inquiries at the marshal’s office, and also at the county jail and house of detention, but cannot discover that any of the crew or passengers of the Dare have been brought to this port.

In the announcement in the New York Herald of Monday last, of the arrival of these prisoners, the following statement is made, to which I beg leave to call your lordship’s attention: “Connected with this affair, it may be well to state that Mr. Gideon Welles, the Secretary of the Navy, has sent a letter to the United States marshal, ordering that henceforth British blockade violators will not be released, but detained, and any orders which you may have received inconsistent with this are hereby revoked.”

I have, &c., &c., &c.

E. M. ARCHIBALD.

Lord Lyons, &c., &c., &c.

P. S.—I have just received from Mr. J. J. Edgecumber, the capture of whose vessels the expeditions formed the subject of my despatches of June 21, and of July 13, 1863, a letter written from the county jail, stating that he was on board the Antonica, which vessel was wrecked on the Frying Pan shoals on the 20th ultimo, while on a voyage from Nassau to Wilmington, and the crew were picked up by one of the United States blockading vessels. He does not state whether the Antonica is a British vessel or not.