AN INCIDENT AT TAMATIVE

Colonist, Volume XXVI, Issue 3701, 4 September 1883, Page 4

AN INCIDENT AT TAMATIVE

The Mauritius correspondent of the * Natal Mercury' gives the following account of an incident which occurred during the recent misunderstanding between the French and English naval officers at Tatnative, which might have led to serious consequences:— "The captain of the Taymouth Castle states that when he reached Tamative, the French Admiral came on board and informed him that he had taken Tamative, He, the Admiral, would not allow the Taymouth passengers to land, and would only permit the cargo to be disembarked on condition that the captain consented to pay duty to' the French Government. He then put a sentry on board the Taymouth. The captain declined to land cargo on: the terms offered, and conveyed it to Mauritius.. The commander of H.M.B Dryad wished to send important secret; dispatches Home by the Taymouth,: but the French Admiral would,not, allow direct communication, and if; dispatches were sent; through French: channels they were opened. In order; to get over the difficulty,1 the coin-; mander of the Dryad instructed ,the: captain of the Taymouth, when he got \ under weighs to steam under the stern • of the man-of-war, and while doing so • dispatches would be parsed abq<ird> i This plan wasadbpfced.and as the (tuae I approached the Dryad's decks were I cleared, steam got up, and all made leady for action, it being the full inteuiion of the Dryad's commander to open fire on the French attempted to interfere with hir plan. No attempt, however, was made by the French, and the dispatches were successfully naesed on board." ,