Page:The American Slave Trade (Spears).djvu/195

 the commander of the American squadron for the suppression of the slave-trade on the coast of Africa in a letter to Secretary A. P. Upshur, dated September 5, 1843:

"I cannot hear of any American vessels being engaged in the transportation of slaves; nor do I believe there has been one so engaged for several years.”

He deliberately ignored the cases of the Illinois and the Shakspeare. Moreover that was in 1843, when a condition of affairs prevailed at Rio Janeiro that led the United States Consul, a Wise of Virginia, to write, a little later: “We are a byword among nations — the only people who can fetch and carry any and every thing for the slave-trade without fear of the English cruisers" — a condition wherein the slavers were allowed “to pervert our glorious flag into the pirate’s flag.”

We can now see how if happened that Perry was honored with the command of the Gulf squadron in the war with Mexico, and with the command of the Japan expedition in later years. The name of Oliver Hazard Perry will be held in honor while glorious deeds afloat are remembered; the name of his brother Matthew C. Perry brings the flush of shame to the face of everyone who is proud of the navy’s glory, The system of patrol was utterly wretched and Perry was a fit man for commodore under such a system.

After Commodore Perry the next naval officer in interest to this history was Admiral Andrew Hull Foote, in those days a lieutenant-commander, who was sent to the coast as captain of the brig Perry.

Foote was a sincere man, but, being of a sanguine temperament, he was mistaken as to what was really