The Enquirer

CHARLESTON, June 16.

Capt. Torrey, of the Pilot Boat schr. Virginia, arrived here on Thursday night from Savannah. In his passage from this port to St. Jago de Cuba, he was boarded off the West Caicos by a French privateer, name unknown, the capt. refused to give either his or that of his vessel, who brought him to anchor, broke open the hatches, hoisted out the cargo, and otherwise ransacked the vessel, sent for his papers, and broke open all his letters;—the officer on board then proceeded to plunder the cargo of one barrel of beef, one barrel of pork, two cases of gin, and a ham; saving, in an insulting manner "The Lord knows when you'll get paid for these, for we dont !" and then permitted him to proceed.

The two succeeding days proving calm, he made but little way, and on the third day he was again brought too by a French privateer, called the Petite Estelle, Almand, of Martinique, showing English colours, who sent on board a boat with five armed men, and took possession of the Virginia, landing captain Torrey and mate on board the privateer, paying no attention to the papers whatever, but saying that he wanted just such a vessel for a privateer, as his own did not sail fast enough, and that she was a very good prize for him. He had at that time a schr. and a sloop in co. which had also been captured. They proceeded with the Virginia to the Spanish Island of Porto Rico, and came to anchor on the 29th of April in the Bay of Mariaguay, where the Virginia's cargo without even the shadow of legal process, was landed during the course of the two following nights, and the schr. before capt. T. left the island was fitting out for a privateer.

Capt. Torrey, and his people were turned ashore in a strange country, without a dollar, or any means, but such as chance or humanity offered, of procuring subsistence, or of returning to America : being so totally destitute of money he was unable to get his people away, and with difficulty procured for himself a passage up to St. Thomas, in a small smuggler, where he had nearly died of sickness contracted by his ill-treatment on board the privateer. Capt. T. was so fortunate as to obtain a passage gratis, to Havanna, and again from thence to Savannah, in Georgia. His crew, he believes are still in Porto-Rico, without the means of returning, or of communicating with their friends and families.