Affidavit of Michael Quin—

     Personally appeared before me the Undersigned, Edward Mortimer Archibald, H. B. M. Consul for the State of New York, Michael Quin, who being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists to depose the truth, testified and declared as follows: I am a native of the County Tyrone, Ireland, & am a subject of H. B. Majesty. I am of the age of 19 years. I arrived at Portland from Ireland, in the month of January last, by the Steamer "Hibernia"— My sister in law, Rose Quin, accompanied me— We came for the purpose of proceeding on directly to California—the passages of both of us to California being paid by my brother Daniel H. Quin, who is in California— I have been brought up as a farm servant, and never was at sea before I came away from Ireland. My sister-in-law and I came on from Portland to N. York. We arrived here on Wednesday. I went out the same day to Newark, to see my Uncle John Quin, who resides there. The next day my sister-in-law and I went to the Montreal Company's office here, to see about our going on to California— The Agent said the full amount of the passages of both of us, had not been paid. It was decided, that my sister-

in-law should go on to California, and Thomas Quin wrote a letter by my sister-in-law—to my brother to send on the balance of my passage money— All my baggage had not come on from Portland—and I waited for it—as well as for the passage money to be sent to me. I then went to stay at Henry Wards in Franklin Street— This was on a Friday. During the following week I called several times at the Montreal Company's Office to enquire for my baggage, but it had not come forward. On the Monday week, after my arrival here, I called again at the Montreal office— the baggage had not yet come— The Agent gave me a ticket and told me to call in three days. I then went down to one Sullivans, No 8. West Street—to see if he would take charge of my trunk, when it should come— As I was coming out of Sullivan's door again, a man tapped me on the shoulder, and asked me my business— I told him about my box which was coming from Portland, and how I was going to California, and my passage was not all paid, and that I was waiting till the money came;— "Oh" said he, "I am a sailor on the California Steamer, if you will come along with me, you can go half way and come back; you will get $14 each voyage, you may be gone three weeks or may be a month," "come along with me," he added,

"I will give you a suit of clothes, and I will take care of you. I will get you new clothes and you can lay your own by" He further said, if I would serve a year, I would have more than enough to take me to California— I told him I would not, for my brother would send enough money. He urged me to go along with him, and said I must be wholesome to pass the Doctor, as I would have to tend on the passengers going along. I did not want to go at all and told him so— But he said, as I was only going "half roads" to California and back., I could earn some money and be back in three weeks, before my brother's money came on— He asked me if I could read I said not. he asked me how old I was— I said I was 19 when I left home. He told me to say 21, if I was asked, when passing the Doctor. He then took me to what they called the rendezvous and changed my clothes. There were three men sitting in the room—. One asked me if I could write— I said I could neither read nor write— They told me I must put my hand to the pen.. I put my finger to a pen. They never read anything to me. I did not know what it was; but I thought it was to go in the California Steamer I was stripped and examined by some

one there. Now said the man who took me there, "Come and I'll show you the ship, and then I will take you back to Henry Wards, and will not call on you till Friday week, when the ship will sail."— We then went over to Brooklyn, and he took me to the "North Carolina."— When we got to the vessel, he turned back— I wanted to go back too—but the soldiers would not let me go— I saw then I was in a Man-of-War— I began to cry— And when they called my name I would not answer to it— The first day I was there the soldiers saw me crying—and one of them told me I was "shanghaied". I did not know what that meant— One of the men who was guarding me told me not to swear in— He got another boy to write a letter for me, to my uncle— The next morning they came round—the Captain and another officer with the book, for us to swear allegiance— I said I should never swear in— I would die first— that I was "shanghaied"— And that my passage was paid for the California Steamer, by my brother— I refused to swear in— They did not press me— They put me down in what they called the brig— Two days afterwards my Uncle John came about noon— He spoke to the Captain about me—

I never would answer to my name and almost every morning the Captain said mine was a bad case—that I would get out soon— He said this several times, for more than a fortnight— No officer came to make any enquiry— They never said anything to me about going to Cairo— No one ever asked me if I was willing to go to the Mississippi Flotilla. I was down in the "brig."— They brought me up and handcuffed me with a man named Bennison— He never swore in either— They never told us where we were going. This was on a Friday. I did not know where we were going— They took us to the cars— Bennison and I were seperted—hand-cuffed to the seats of the carOur right hands fastened to the seat. We went a night and day until Sunday. On Sunday we were unloosed from the seat and handcuffed together— When allowed to go out for any necessary thing we were closely watched— What was given us to eat was when we were chained to the seat. We took it with our left hands— There were no other men at all

from the North Carolina so chained as we were— On the Sunday we two were handcuffed together— We were loosed from the seat—My right hand to his left— On Monday, about 5 o'clock, we were near a Station in Illinois. We both went together into a water closet of the car— Bennison said, we might have a chance of getting out. His hand was very small, with some effort he pulled it out of the handcuff— He then got through the window of the water closet. The train was going as hard as it could fly— Bennison jumped out first—and I immediately afterwards— It must have been a long time before I came to my senses— I was very much hurt— I was lying by the side of the track— I crawled along and got to a house near by—a house of a farmer named Pettinger,—near Salem in Illinois— My right leg was very badly cut and injured. I was hurt in my body worse than my leg for many days— My left arm was also very badly strained, and I was otherwise bruised. Mr. Pettinger got a Doctor Finlay to attend to me— This was a Monday night—

his
Michael Quin.
mark.

Sworn before me by the said
Michael Quin being first
read over & fully understood
by him, this 13th day of June,
A. D. 1863.

E. M. Archibald
H. B. M. Consul.