Mayo, Isaac (1791-1861) to Mr. Knight
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04604.21 Author/Creator: Mayo, Isaac (1791-1861) Place Written: Pensacola, Florida Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1 August 1830 Pagination: 2 p. ; 25.1 x 19.8 cm. Order a Copy
Written by Lieutenant Commander Mayo as commander of the schooner U.S.S. Grampus to Mr. Knight of Havana, Cuba. References Knight's letter of 26 June 1830. Says he has made a request that is so out of line that he cannot comply with it. The request involved the slave ship "Feris" and Mayo says that the only explanation for the request must be Knight's lack of knowledge of the ship's character. Says "The slavers are now almost the only Pirates afloat, and they will be dealt by accordingly." Says the ship will never reach Cuba because it will never be cleared from New Orleans. Even if the ship could leave there are two English ships off the coast waiting to pick her up. Is sorry if any problems arise out of the situation but that "my duty to our country is paramount to all others, for we know that it is the object of our government to put down this infamous traffic."
The U.S.S. Grampus was involved in the Amistad incident in 1840. The ship was ordered by President Martin Van Buren to New Haven, Connecticut's harbor in January 1840 to smuggle the captive Africans back to the Spanish in Cuba. The ship did anchor in the harbor, but the plan was never implemented.
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