Daily National Intelligencer

GEN. M'GREGOR.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE SOUTHERN PATRIOT.

"Aux Cayes, Aug. 8, 1819.

"Annexed you have the details of events relative to M'Gregor's expedition, since the last communication on the subject:

"On the 14th July, the brigs El M'Gregor and Tarantula left their moorings, and anchored off the Isle of Nache, when a dreadful malady raged on board both vessels, carrying off 4 or 5 men per day. On the 19th, the M'Gregor got under way, and, in coming in, ran aground, a little to windward of Turtle Fort, and on the 23d she bilged and fell over on her larboard side, when the Creoles commenced plundering her of sails, rigging, &c. and soon left her perfectly stript of every thing; and her patriotic crew plundered one another such a scene of villainy and distress has perhaps never before been witnessed. When the brig fell over, there were in her cabin, gun room, &c. about 25 sick men and women, who were suffered to drown without a single effort to save them; among the number was a French major. Since the distressing circumstance several dead bodies have floated ashore in the harbor almost opposite our counting house.

After the M'Gregor came in, we sent a pilot to the Tarantula, who brought her into Flamand Bay. On the 20th, the Tarantula's boat, under the direction of Dr. M'Kabe, brought the body of the unfortunate Col. M'Carthy on shore, who had died that morning of the prevailing disease and, although he was second in command to the expedition, the General paid his remains no more respect than he would have done to a dog. I had him decently interred in the church yard of this place. Since my last, upwards of 60 officers and men have died, and been buried by private subscription. Such has been the humanity of Gen. M'Gregor!

" 'Tis clearly ascertained that M'Gregor got possession of the Register and Gun Licence of the Hero (now the M'Gregor) by very unfair means; that a fellow who had held some petty station on board the Hero, of the name of Launor, broke the desk of Capt. Hudson, commander and proprietor of the brig, during a severe attack of the fever, and took thence those documents, placed them in the hands of M'Gregor, who accordingly took possession of the vessel as his property; and when, on the recovery of Capt. H. he made application to the President of Hayti for the restoration of his property, the reply was, "you came in under the flag of a government we do not recognize, (New Grenada,) and I cannot interfere; had you have continued under British colors, I could have acted in the case." Capt. Hudson immediately employed a vessel to carry him to Jamaica, to complain to the British authority; and has written to Mr. Macintosh, of this place, that he hourly expected that a frigate would be dispatched in pursuit of M'Gregor and the brig; but, alas, the carcase of the former, and the hull of the latter, is all he can ever get to remunerate him for his loss.

"There evidently appears to have been a design in running the brig on shore, as no kind of effort was made to get her off, (a thing entirely practicable) and all assistance for that purpose promptly refused,

"M'Gregor's next design was to get possession of the Tarantula, in Flamand Bay, and sent a few days ago a boat and 25 men with that intention; but Captain Poolman hearing of his plan in time, sent orders to his mate to defend the brig to the last extremity, and at no time, or on any account, to suffer an individual to come on board without a written order from him. This order was promptly obeyed; and when M'Gregor's boat came within hail, they were threatened with a broadside if they did not sheer off; this they thought best to do, and returned without having accomplished their object.

"The charter treaty of the Tarantula having been violated in many respects by the agents of the government of M'Gregor, and the captain having formally protested against them, he determined on quitting M'Gregor and his disastrous enterprise. During the 4th inst. having learned that the Captain General intended making another and more determined effort to get possession, he went on board in the evening, and early next morning went to sea, (with about 30 patriots who had abandoned the service) and left the Captain General and 25 or 30 men on shore, and thus happily rid himself of a service commenced in folly and ending in disaster and disgrace. I do not believe, that, out of the two detachments which have been raised in Great Britain for M'Gregor's service, and which formed an aggregate of about 900 men, that at present more than 150 survive. The first, of about 500 men, have been totally destroyed at Porto Bello, so say the Jamaica papers, and the second, of 400, have nearly all died of famine and pestilence at this place."