was ignorant of the existing state of things within. Not distinguishing the signal made to her to keep to sea, she attempted with the flood tide to run over the bar, and was deliberately fired at by the Miguelite batteries. Perceiving that he was the object of the fire from the fort, the lieutenant commanding the cutter hove in stays, thereby evincing the most ready disposition to put back to sea; but still the cannonade was provokingly continued until he got clear out of reach of shot. In reply to the joint remonstrance of Commander Glascock and the British Consul, the Miguelite General assumed somewhat of a lofty tone; yet, though he attempted to justify the act, it was manifest in his answer to their subsequent protest, that he did not altogether divest himself of that subtlety and subterfuge so characteristic of Portuguese diplomacy. The Visconde asserted that the continued fire of which the protest complained was not directed at the Raven, but at Don Pedro’s fort, St. John’s, on the opposite side of the entrance of the river, which fort, he said, returned a fire upon his battery with a view of protecting the British cutter. In addition to Commander Glascock’s testimony, as well as that of the officers of the Orestes, we have seen depositions on the subject from Commanders Lord George Paulet and Edward Belcher, of the Nautilus and AEtna; the former stating, that “to the best of his knowledge, the number of shot fired in the direction of the Raven must have amounted to fifteen, the greater number of which were fired after she had put about with an intention of returning over the bar;” and the latter, “firmly believing the shot were intended for the cutter, as they were not in the direct line for St. John’s, and struck the water near the cross rock between his boat and her whilst she was standing to seaward.” We should observe, that Commander Belcher, perceiving the Raven could not distinguish the signal to keep to sea, proceeded down the river in his boat, and reached alongside when the forts were still firing at the cutter, “whose blue ensign, pendant, and pilot-jack were during the whole time flying.” On the 20th Nov. the commander-
