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On the 18th of April, I received notice that a schooner called Two Friends had slipped out of St. Thomas’ harbor during the night between the 13th and 14th under circumstances making it probable that its intention was to engage in piracy. Additionally, the harbormaster’s declaration was transmitted showing that this schooner had been guarded from the 8th , when suspicion arose, until the 11th, when nothing suspicious had been found onboard and when the wind blew so southerly that the harbormaster considered it impossible to maneuver against the wind out of St. Thomas’ harbor; additionally, the commandant reported that a military inquiry had commenced at the garrison and court marshal scheduled to determine how it could come to pass that the schooner was not sighted from the fortress or Prince Frederik’s Battery and to punish the guilty ones; finally, it was reported that on the 17th, first lieutenant Rosenørn had departed to pursue the schooner The Two Friends, which was presumed to be in the vicinity of St. Thomas.-
Thereafter, I received the enclosed reports from the commandant on St. Thomas and Commodore Krieger dated the 20th of April to which I replied as shown on attachments Number 3 and 4.-
On the 25th of April, the outcome of the judgment of the court marshal was reported from the commandant according to which, it was found that no fault could be attached to the guard on the fortress as the darkness of the night and the many vessels in between made it impossible for him to have seen the schooner where it passed, that no regular night guard had been ordered to be placed at Muhlenfels Battery, but that on Prince Frederik’s Battery |