was a British cruiser and at once set the American flag. That settled her fate, for she was a legitimate prize to an American warship. The Portuguese captain put on his hatches, but no sooner had the American naval officer boarded her than they were taken off and the "slaves gave a shout that could have been heard a mile.”
A remarkable fact about this ship was that she had no slave-deck. About eight hundred and fifty of her cargo had been stowed in bulk on the water-casks and provision barrels in the hold. Eighteen had died during the night. In the fourteen days that elapsed while going to Monrovia one hundred and fifty more died, and eight died while in the harbor before they could be landed.
Foote’s chief prize was a big ship called the Martha. The Perry arrived at Ambriz on June 5, 1850, in search of her flagship, John Adams, but learned that she had gone to Loanda, Sailing thence the Perry, while at sea, next day, saw a big ship standing in for the coast and at four o’clock in the afternoon brought her to. At this time the Perry had not shown her flag and the stranger hoisted the American flag. Her name and port, "Martha, New York," were painted across her stern.;
Accordingly a boat was sent to her, when her captain saw, by the uniform of the boat’s officer, that the Perry was an American cruiser. At that the Martha’s American flag was hauled down and the Brazilian hoisted, while a writing-desk was thrown overboard on the side of the Martha opposite the boat.
A Portuguese who claimed that he was captain protested when Lieutenant Rush, the American boarding
