Spans n265-n268 (verified by reading past the chunk boundary; ends at n268, stamp 267 / hand 264). Rubric: 'Jose Velasquez a Arrillaga - Sobre prision pr. haber canoneado a una Fragata Americana' [= on his imprisonment for having cannonaded an American frigate]. The gunner's own account of the Lelia Byrd action: 'Jose Velasquez, Cabo 1o. del Rl. Cuerpo de Artilleria y actualmte. arrestado en el P. de Sn. Diego pr. el Comandte. de el, impelido de la natural defensa, con la mas rendida sumision a V. hace presente' [= arrested by his commandant, moved by natural self-defence, submits]. He says a frigate - which he calls 'una Fragata Inglesa' - arrived 'el 16 del prmo. anterior Mzo.' and sailed on the 22nd without landing the guard of a sergeant and four soldiers the commandant had put aboard, her captain having disarmed them because 'pr. armas (pr. fuerza) se habia llevado a su bordo los tres hombres qe. el Comandante habia dejado amarrados en la Barraca, la precedente noche'; the sergeant sent word ashore to make the artillery ready and not let the frigate out. Velasquez 'cumpli tirando ocho tiros con bala, y cesando de hacerle fuego cuando el Sargto. desde la Fragata... me grito con la vocina diciendo: qe. no tirara, qe. ya los iban a echar en tierra' [= fired eight ball rounds and stopped when the sergeant hailed him through the speaking-trumpet from the frigate]; the Spaniards were put ashore with their swords returned. The commandant then asked whether he had fired and 'pr. qe. no la habia desarbolado y echado a pique: le respondi qe. pr. no tener palanquetas' [= why he had not dismasted and sunk her: because he had no bar-shot], and arrested him five days later. He protests that witnesses were not questioned and that no declaration was taken from him: 'Esto me hace prudentemte. juzgar, pase este jefe a manos de V. un parte compuesto a su gusto, contrario a la equidad y atribuyendome la culpa (como sospecho) pa. disculparse' [= he suspects his commander sent up a report doctored to suit himself, blaming him to excuse himself]; begs release, or failing that that the instancia be forwarded to the Viceroy. Signed San Diego, Jose Velasquez.
| Date | 1803-04-11 (exact) |
|---|---|
| From | Jose Velasquez, Cabo 1o of the Real Cuerpo de Artilleria, under arrest at San Diego |
| To | Gov. Jose Joaquin de Arrillaga |
| Place | San Diego |
| Series | Provincial State Papers |
| Tomo | XVIII |
| Original tomo page | pp. 648-50 |
| Savage copy page | 264 [stamp] / 261 [hand] |
| Scan leaf | n265–n268 |
| Document type | petition / self-defence statement (instancia) from arrest |
| Source | Savage abstract |
Read this leaf on the Internet Archive ↗ · leaf n265–n268
Jose Velasquez, Cabo 1o of the Real Cuerpo de Artilleria, under arrest at San Diego to Gov. Jose Joaquin de Arrillaga, San Diego, 1803-04-11, Provincial State Papers, XVIII, pp. 648-50, Archives of California, C-A 11, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.Cite the document by series, tomo and original tomo page, as the literature does; the C-A number locates it in the repository. To cite this catalogue entry itself, use https://archivesofcalifornia.com/record/ca11/ca11-d297.html