Friday, August 16.— Morning clear, with passing trade clouds and a fresh wind from E. S. E., which has continued all the past night. At 5 a.m. dispatched the junior lieutenant and the paymaster to pay my respects to the governor, and ascertain whether I could be supplied with coal. These officers having proceeded to the town in a boat, were not permitted to land for want, as was alleged, of a bill of health certified from our last port, the governor rejecting as insufficient the certificate signed by surgeon and countersigned by myself, of the perfect state of health of the crew. The officers were informed that we might communicate with the town if we would undergo a quarantine of five days, but as they were also informed (by the captain of the port) that there was no coal to be had, the government yards not containing a sufficient supply for the steamers on the station, which were, on the contrary, awaiting the arrival of seven coal-laden ships from France, I did not think it worth while to pay the penalty of five days to visit the penal settlement of Cayenne, as I had no hobby on prisoners and prisons. In this matter of the coal there was a little discrepancy withal between the pilot and the officials, as the latter had told us there was plenty of coal on hand and of the best quality at two or three places in the colony. Coupling this with the fact that there was a Yankee consul at hand (the dealer in beef of the station) and two or three Yankee skippers, it may be just possible that the Frenchman lied politely when he said there was coal in the dockyard. The boat on her return to the ship had a hard pull against the wind and current. In one hour after her return we were under way. About 6 p.m. passed Salut (three islands), a French military station. Running along the coast toward Surinam in 9 and 10 fathoms water. Cayenne and health laws were certainly a novelty! The coolie trade flourishes here, a ship having arrived a few days before us with 500 onboard. Humane Louis Napoleon! to substitute the white slave for the black!
Extracts from the journal of Commander Semmes, C.S. Navy, commanding C.S.S. Sumter
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