Thursday, July 18.—Fresh trade wind and clear. Employed refitting and repairing the small damages of our late cruise. Sent a lieutenant with my card to call on the governor and to excuse my not calling in person on account [of] indisposition. I was visited to-day by a Venezuelan, who spoke English and who represented himself as a messenger or agent of President Castro, who is now here in exile with four of his cabinet ministers, and who proposed to me, on the part of Castro, to take him (Castro ) and some twenty officers with some arms and ammunition to the mainland opposite. I declined this proposition, first, because I was not going in the direction indicated, and, second, if I were it would be an undue interference on the part of a neutral with the revolutionary parties now contending for the control of Venezuela. It was remarked that Castro was the de jure president, to which I replied that we did not look into these matters, the opposite party being in the de facto possession of the Government. No arrival in the harbor.
Extracts from the journal of Commander Semmes, C.S. Navy, commanding C.S.S. Sumter
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