Virginia Argus

FROM THE AMERICAN CITIZEN.

MILITARY EXPEDITION.

Before we proceed farther with the trial
of col. Smith, we have deemed it proper to
lay before the reader the following volun-
tary testimony and deposition taken in, the
first proceedings of the United States vs.
Smith and Ogden, that he may have all
the facts necessary to inform his mind
respecting the expedition of Miranda, and
their agency in it.

No I.

Voluntary examination of Mr. Ogden, 1st
March, 1806. this st.

Samuel G. Ogden brought up this mor-
ning upon the warrant issued by me yes-
terday and examined as a party charged
in having provided and prepared the ex-
pedition mentioned in the warrant says:

He is the sole owner of the Leander
Gen. Miranda's name is Francis: he sailed
in her, and she was bound to Jacque-
mel. He prefers not to say what other
place the Leander was to touch, or where
Gen. Miranda was to land. and does not
say. There were 180 persons on board,
including every person. She had 17 can-
non on board mounted as the complement
of the ship. He declines answering any
question relating to the vessels cargo or
what was in her hold.

The persons who went out in the Leander
are set down in a list, a copy of which he
annexes hereto.*

The persons on board were not orga-
nized as a troop to act in any military duty
other than to defend the vessel in case of
attack--He does not admit he has set on
foot or prepared any expedition of a hostile
nature against any foreign state. He first
saw Gen. Miranda the 27th or 28th of
December last, then in New-York, where
he remained principally till he sailed in
the Leander. The General lodged at Mrs.
Avery's, State street, in this city

SAML. G. OGDEN.

Taken and subscribed before me the
first day of March, one thousand eight
hundred and six.

M. B. TALMADGE.

No. 2.

Ogden's Deposition.

District of New-York, to wit:

Samuel G. Ogden, of the city of New-
York, merchant sworn to make true an-
swers touching a certain expedition fitted
out and sailed from this port, the Leander
deposes that Col. Smith had no par-
ticular agency in fitting out the ship Le-
ander or procuring the cargo--the depo-
nent did that himself. Col. Smith and
Gen. Miranda were frequently together;
William Armstrong was the principal a-
gent of this deponent in procuring cer-
tain articles of the cargo of the ship & get-
ting the men on board. There were
pikes, cannon and cutlasses for the use
of the ship on board.--Gen. Miranda
is gone out in the ship as passenger mere-
ly; is bound to a place as he this depo-
nent, thinks in latitude between 10 and
15 n. and longitude between 60 and 75 w.

Gen. Miranda was to land as was inten-
ded either upon an island or on the Spanish
Main within that latitude and longitude.--

That the men on board were at liberty to act
or not to act in any enterprise with Gen.
Miranda as they should agree, or to land
with the general or not to land, at their
pleasure. Gen. Miranda was born, as he
understood, in the province of Carraccas,
and he thinks in the town of Carraccas,
where he had a great number of friends.

That Gen. Miranda shewed this deponent
a great number of papers in the spanish
language, the substance of which, as he
told him, were assurances from his friends
in Carraccas, that they would assist him
in any views he might have when he ar-
rived there; they were papers both re-
cent and old, and some of them very re-
cent and mostly received by Gen. Miranda
while in Europe--that general Miranda
came here from London and brought
with him a letter of credence on Daniel
Ludlow of this city for £800 sterling,
which sum this deponent received from
Mr. Ludlow for Gen. Miranda

The engagement between this deponent
and gen. Miranda is that the Leander
shall carry what she has on board to
the port of destination, and the capt. of
the ship is there to receive for this depo-
nent in cash his price & the amount of the
outfits; and two hundred per cent. ad-
vance on the amount of the cargo & out-
fits* The list of names will be hereafter gi-
ven in its regular order in the course of the
testimony delivered in court at the trial.
This deponent further saith, that in pursuance of the instructions contained in the letter from Messrs. Armstrong & Barnewall, of the 27th of January last, the ship Leander, whereof Caleb S. Lewis is master, cleared out from the port of New-York, on the 2d day of February last, for the island of Jamaica; that the ostensible cargo on board the said ship consisted of staves, logwood, and other articles, to the amount of about $40,000; that the said vessel is then to proceed to Jacmel, & with the cash to purchase a return cargo of coffee. This deponent has seen several bills on London drawn by Gen. Miranda to the amount of £2000 sterling; one on Nicholas Van Stullart and John Turnbull, the others on Trinidad to the amount of £500 sterling, on Joseph Lambert & William Brown, merchants, which he is to give Gen. Miranda credit when paid. This deponent saith the amount of the cargo on board the ship Leander is about forty thousand dollars, the outfits he estimates at thirty thousand more. Gen. Miranda is at liberty to receive or not to receive the cargo when it arrives at the port of destination. The estimated amount to be received there was about two hundred and seventeen thousand dollars.

This deponent further saith, that Gen. Miranda went to Washington not long before he sailed, and as he understood was introduced to the officers of our government; and this deponent understood from Gen. Miranda that he had several interviews with the President and Mr. Madison, and conversed among other general topics with them upon the subject of the situation of South America and the oppression of its inhabitants. That from conversations between this deponent and Gen. Miranda, this deponent understood the Leander was to land her cargo and Gen. Miranda near the town of Caracas, in the province of Caracas, so that the same might be conveyed to that place. That the military force of La Guaira he understands is about five hundred men. This deponent understood from Gen. Miranda that he was on good terms with the British government, and that that government were disposed to promote and second his views upon the Spanish Main. The ship's cargo was furnished at the request and according to the directions of Gen. Miranda, and she is expected to return in all the month of March, and not expected to stay at the port of her destination more than about a fortnight.

Question. What arms were on board the Leander when she sailed?

Answer by this deponent. Pistols, pikes, muskets and bayonets; this deponent does not recollect of any other arms on board. There were between one and three hundred pistols bought of various persons in the city; about four or five thousand pikes; between five and six hundred muskets; between thirty and forty cannon in the hold, among which were two brass pieces, four pounders and carriages for all the cannon—not so many bayonets as muskets—the cannon were procured from Gen. Stevens's, Corp. Ellis and Shaw, Rippey, Center and co. and Bernard Hart—ten or twenty tons of balls, one half a ton of musket balls, one hundred and sixty quarter casks of powder, bought of Low and Wallace, and Jonathan Ogden; about one or two dozen saddles and bridles, blue cloth jackets and Russia sheeting trowsers, such as are worn in the West Indies, made by Mr. Wayman, about one thousand or 1500 in number; the quantity of articles, arms and equipments were purchased according to the advice of Gen. Miranda—all the above articles this deponent believes were put on board before the vessel dropped down to the Narrows, and to the best of this deponent's knowledge, recollection and belief the above warlike articles were designedly omitted to be entered in their proper names or the manifest of the vessel's cargo; this deponent does suppose from his knowledge of the expedition that there was to be some arrangement among the men on board the Leander as to subordination of rank after their arrival to their destination.

Question. Did you not understand from Gen. Miranda that it was his object to heave off the yoke of the present Spanish government from the inhabitants of the country to which he was bound?

This deponent answers that he understood his object was to relieve the people from oppression, but did not understand how this was to be effected by him, and does suppose the above warlike articles were intended as auxiliaries in effecting that object. This deponent further saith that he was introduced to Gen. Miranda by Col. William S. Smith as he recollects.

SAML. G. OGDEN.

Sworn the first day of March, 1806, before me,

M. B. TALMADGE.

No. 5.

Voluntary examination of Col. Smith.

District of New York, ss. William S. Smith brought up by a warrant issued against him upon suspicion of his having been concerned in preparing the means of an expedition against a foreign state, on board of the Leander, on his examination voluntarily says, that he knows Gen. Miranda, his Christian name is Francisco—this examinant has every reason to believe that general Miranda sailed in the Leander, which vessel was bound to Jacmel—Gen. Miranda stated to this examinant that he had been invited by his friends at Caracas, his native country, to return to his native place. Caracas is a Spanish province on the Main in South America. That Gen. Miranda invited this examinant to accompany him there which this examinant declined, unless it should be by the permission of this government. That Gen. Miranda thereupon went to the city of Washington, and as he stated to this examinant communicated the object of his return to Caracas to the President of the United States, and the Secretary of State, and if they should admit him to a second interview, he the said Gen. Miranda was at liberty to ask of them permission or this examinant to return with the said Gen. Miranda to his country; that while general Miranda was at Washington he wrote to this examinant, that he had had those interviews with the President and Secretary of State, and made this request in favor of this examinant aforesaid, that he was answered by the President and Secretary that it would not be correct for them to give this examinant a letter or service as it might commit our government, but that this examinant was at liberty to go if he pleased, and this examinant did thereupon relinquish the idea of accompanying him the said Gen. Miranda; that general Miranda enquired of this examinant about a vessel proper to be employed for his use in returning to his country—this examinant for the purpose of procuring a fit vessel, introduced him to a Capt. Lewis, who had commanded a vessel in the West-India trade, and Mr. Lewis referred him to Samuel G. Ogden, of this city, as the owner of a vessel proper for his use, and as being then in the W. India trade; that this examinant was informed that Mr. Lewis and Gen. Miranda went to Mr. Ogden's to treat with him about the engagement of the said vessel, and this examinant has been informed by the said Gen. Miranda and Lewis, that the agreement was made with Mr. Ogden. that the vessel called the Leander should go out with general Miranda bound to Jacmel, from thence should take him over and land him upon the Spanish Main, as near the town of Caracas as might be, or if this could not conveniently be done, was to bring him back again to the city of New-York—that this examinant has been a long time an intimate friend of general Miranda, and when this examinant was by him solicited to suffer the son of this examinant, William Steuben Smith, to accompany the said general Miranda to the Spanish Main; this examinant consented and suffered his son to go with him on board the said vessel Leander, under promises from his said friend the said general Miranda, that the said William Steuben Smith should be taken care of by him as a father—that Gen. Miranda represented to this examinant the distressed and oppressed situation of the people of that country to which he was bound. and that the people were generally desirous that a change should take place as to their political situation, and that the said Gen. Miranda had that object very near his heart, and it was his wish and intention to effect it if it could be done—and the said general Miranda represented to this examinant that on his arrival there he should be in the bosom of his friends, whom he expected would join him in endeavoring to heave off the yoke of the present Spanish government from the people of that country—and this examinant understood from general Miranda, that he was to proceed to extremities to separate that country from the Spanish government, if he found the people favorable to such an event—that Gen. Miranda told this examinant that he had freely and openly communicated his views and plans to the President of the United States, and Mr. Madison, upon the subject of his return to his native country, and that the President and Secretary told him the said general Miranda, that they were not now ready to go to war, and could not give him any public aid or countenance, but that they had no objection on that any individual citizens of the U. States, should engage in such an enterprise, provided they did not thereby infringe any of the laws of the United States—that on the Saturday before the said general Miranda left this city on board the said Leander, he wrote two letters, one to the President of the U. States, and the other to the Secretary of State of the United States, which this examinant saw and read, and which this examinant put himself into the post office of this city, to be forwarded, the contents of which were, that the said general Miranda had finished his business in this city in a decorous manner, and in a way he hoped that would be pleasing to them, the President and Secretary; but that the said letters did not explain what that business was, nor what he the said general Miranda had done—that general Miranda informed this examinant that he was on good terms with the British government, and had been some time in England, and lately came from there to this city, and that the said British government were not favorable to the project of liberating the said Spanish country from the oppression of that government. That this examinant's son went with Miranda as a companion, who was to take care of him and provide for him for life, and it was left to General Miranda, in case there was a necessity to proceed to extremities in favor of his friends, and to free his native country, to provide for this examinant's said son as he should think fit in relation to promotion and command. This examinant does not know how many men were on board the Leander, that she cleared out with one hundred and fifty men in her manifest, but this examinant understood from Capt. Lewis that there were more than one hundred and fifty men on board, to wit. one hundred and eighty—that about 30 of this last number were passengers on board, and went as attendants of general Miranda. That this examinant at the request of Gen. Miranda asked and engaged about fifteen or twenty men himself to accompany him—and this examinant also desired John Fisk of the

Query

land,

butcher, to engage some more men, and who thereupon did engage about 23 to go on board as part of the crew of the Leander. The ordinary crew of the vessel is about 150 men, that the monthly compensation and payment of the 150 men, who went on board as aforesaid, were to have common wages, fifteen dollars per month; but those who went as attendants on the general were not stipulated with as to their wages or compensation—that the aforesaid men who were engaged by Mr. Fink were to serve as marines on board of the ship, and obey the orders of Capt. Lewis, and on the land obey the orders of the general—that the name of the general was not mentioned to the said men—that subordination of rank was contemplated to be made while on board of the said vessel. and to take effect in case they should land and go into land service—that in the organization of these men, those fifteen or twenty mentioned as attendants of Gen. Miranda, were to have command as officers, and be subject to the arrangement of the general in that respect; the others who were engaged by Mr. Fink, were to attend the general on land on horseback as a body guard—that not a man of those engaged on board as aforesaid. knew where they were to go or the nature of the service, and all were engaged without any knowledge of the object of the enterprize. This examinant does not know that any of them signed any articles to go, and all except those who were particularly to attend Gen. Miranda, were engaged at ordinary seamen's wages, 15 dollars a month. This examinant is positive that there were no representations made or authorised by him, that the engagement was for the service of the United States, nor any false objects held out to view he service was declared to be secret and optional—that this examinant received of S. G. Ogden aforesaid, the advance of a month's pay to all the men engaged by Mr. Fink, which he this examinant gave to Mr. Fink to pay the said men, the whole sum being about three hundred and twenty dollars, and which Mr. Fink receipted to this examinant as received from Captain Lewis, as payment of part of the crew under his command and on board the Leander. The men were told they were to have horses provided for them where they should land—this examinant was told by the captain there were arms and ammunition on board the Leander. This examinant did not make any advances to his son, except pocket money to equip or prepare him to go; he is nineteen years old—but this examinant gave him letters of credit, authorising him to draw upon this examinant in case he should wish to return, for his accommodation and expenses home. This examinant was informed of the bargain between Miranda and Ogden for the voyage of the Leander, and her cargo very soon thereafter; he thinks next day. This examinant thinks the residue of the men on board the Leander not engaged as aforesaid by himself, and Mr. Fink, were engaged by the captain thereof, and several by a Captain Armstrong, who is himself on board. This examinant knew that this expedition was going on from the time of the return of general Miranda from Washington, and supposed it was with the knowledge and consent of the President and Secretary. This examinant was informed by general Miranda that he had fully communicated the views and objects of his enterprize to Rufus King, of this city, who this examinant was informed thought well of the expedition.

W. S. SMITH.

The above examination was taken and subscribed before me this first day of March, 1806.

MATTHIAS B. TALMAGE.

(To be continued.)