his to Declared to before me this 4th day of June, A. D. 1863, June 6, 1863

Declaration of William Hanna.

Bahama Islands, Eleuthera.

Be it remembered, that on this 4th day of June, in the year of our Lord 1863, personally came and appeared before me, Ormond Drimmie Malcolm, notary public, by lawful authority appointed, duly admitted and sworn, residing and practicing in the city of Nassau, in the island of New Providence, one of the said Bahama islands, William Hanna, of James’s Point, in the island of Eleuthera, one of the said Bahama islands, farmer, who, of his own free will and accord, did solemnly declare (such declaration being made in pursuance of the laws of the Bahama islands made for substituting a declaration in lieu of an oath in certain cases) in manner following, that is to say:

I reside at James’s Point, a settlement on the island of Eleuthera, one of the said Bahama islands. I am a farmer, but occasionally go to sea. The settlement of James’s Point is bounded on the north and south by the sea, being about two miles in width, that is, from the north to the south.

On Saturday morning past, the 30th day of May last, I left my residence at James’s Point in my boat on the south side of the settlement for the purpose of fishing; Thomas Mackey, a resident of the said settlement, went with me. After fishing for some time we started on our return home. When we were about a mile from the settlement I heard the reports of several heavy guns, the same seeming to be fired from a northeasterly direction. When about two hundred yards from the place where I intended to land in order to proceed to my house, I heard the report of a gun, and about five or six seconds after a cannon-shot went past the boat in which we were, and fell in the water, having come across the land in a northerly direction, about thirty yards from a boat in which one Theodore Cuvillier of the same settlement was.

I landed at the settlement about 3 o’clock on this day, Saturday, the 30th, and on landing was informed that a steamer was on shore on the northern side of the settlement. Upon hearing this I climbed to the roof of my house, which is about thirty-five feet from the ground, and on looking across the land to the northern side of the settlement I saw two steamers, one of them being ashore on a reef a few hundred yards from the shore, and the other lying-to about three hundred yards from the one on shore, with an American flag flying from her main peak. The steamer on shore had no flag flying.

I then came down from the roof of my house, and proceeded, in company with several others, to the beach on the northern side of the settlement, where I found two ladies and several gentlemen, who had just landed from the steamer on shore on the reef. The captain, mates, and crew of the said steamer landed while I was there.

After I had been on the beach about two hours, two boats put off from the steamer with the American flag flying, and came to the steamer on shore, rowed around her, and then returned. Both of these boats had American flags in their sterns. An officer was in each boat, having gold lace on his cap and gold buttons on his coat. There were guns on board of the steamer with the American flag flying. I could see them run out through the port-holes in her side. I could plainly see the men moving about her decks. I should say she was about six or eight hundred yards from the shore. She remained in the position and place that I have described until dark. I did not notice when she left.

Bahama Islands, New Providence.

To all to whom these presents shall come: I, Ormond Drimmie Malcolm, notary public, by lawful authority appointed, duly admitted and sworn, residing and practicing in the city of Nassau, in the said island of New Providence, do hereby certify that the annexed paper writing is a true copy of a notarial declaration made before me by William Hanna, therein named, of the island of Eleuthera, as the same appears of record in my notarial register, book A, pages 9 to 12.