New York Times - Dec 02, 1851 p. 3                                                   Prometheus was Panama Route steamer owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt

Arrival of the Prometheus
$600,000 in Gold Dust
Five Hundred Passengers

     The steamship Prometheus, Capt. H. Churchill, arrived at her wharf yesterday morning from San Juan [de Nicaragua], via Havana, with 510 passengers, $120,677 gold dust on freight, and $500,000 estimated in the hands of passengers.
     The Prometheus left San Juan at 4 o'clock, P.M. of the 21st ult.; arrived at Havana on the after noon of the 25th, and left that port for New-York on the morning of the 26th.
     Sixty-three passengers were left at Havana, bound for New-Orleans.
     The steamship Pacific, which left San Francisco on the 1st November, arrived at San Juan del Sud on the 16th, with 470 passengers.
     A Mr. Eddy died on board the Pacific on the 9th November. His remains were interred at Acapulco.
     We are indebted to the attention of B.S. Hopkins, the Purser of the Prometheus, for memoranda and papers promptly furnished.
     On Sunday evening, 11 o'clock, Nov. 30th, fifteen miles north of Barnegat, the Prometheus was run into by a schooner, name unknown, standing into the land. Her bowsprit struck the ship a little forward of the foremast, penetrating quite through the ships's side ' she then swung around against the starboard wheel, and bent one of the arms of the wheel, which detained the steamer two hours to repair. At the time of the collision the ship was kept up five points to westward of her course, and the engine was stopped. Captain Churchill says he thinks that they could not have seen him till the moment they struck the ship. The wind was strong N.N.W. The last he saw of the schooner, she was under sail and showed no light.
(Specie List omitted here) Annexed is the List of Passengers:—

The following New-York passengers were accidently left at Havana:—
Rev. R.T. Huddart, W.C. Arman, W.C. Martin, E. Pillett, N. Hunter, S. Sproston, and several other names unknown.

     A letter from Mr. Vanderbilt states that everything was quiet at San Juan del Sur, and that no war, riot or disturbances of any kind existed on that route.
     We have received by the Prometheus, the San Francisco Picayune of the evening of Nov. 1st,—half a day later than by the Cherokee—which announces the arrest of the mate of the Challange, on the morning of that day, nine miles beyond the Mission, on the San Jose road. He was lodged in the county jail, and placed in charge of the United States Marshal. The Picayune expresses the belief that Capt. Waterman would also be arrested.
     On leaving the harbor of San Juan, the Prometheus was fired into by the English brig of war Express, under the following circumstances, as related by the Captain:—

Steamship Prometheus,
San Juan, Friday, Nov. 21, 1851

In order to correct any misstatement that may be made of the circumstances of the English brig of war Express firing into the Prometheus, I beg of you to give the following statement an insertion in your paper:
At 2 P.M., I proceeded to get my ship under weigh to proceed to sea, having but just received the last of our passengers from the Pacific steamer, numbering in all about 500. At this moment the city authorities of Greytown, constituted, as they stated, by the authority of the Musketo King. came on board the ship with a police force, and served a process of attachment on the ship and myself for the amount of $123, claimed by the authorities for present and arrearage port dues charged on the ship, which we supposed to be illegally demanded, and had consequently refused to pay them, as I did in the present instance.
The port dues are made up from the weight of anchorage in the harbor, Captain of the Port's fees and pilotage.
I hove up my anchor and dropped down the harbor with the current, having alongside one of the river steamers, receiving from her the baggage of the passengers. The English brig-of-war laying a short distance from us, immediately got underweigh, made sail for us, and when within a quarter mile from us, fired a round shot over our forecastle, not clearing the wheel-house over ten feet. In a few moments another shot was fired, which passed over the stern so near that the force of the ball was distinctly felt by several of the passengers. I sent a boat on board the brig to inquire the cause of the firing into us.
The Captain stated it was to protect the authorities of Georgetown in their demands ; and if we did not immediately anchor he would fire a bomb-shell into us, and ordered his guns loaded with grape and canister shot ; at the same time, our small steamer left us, and I proceeded under steam back to our anchorage, and anchored. The brig stood up the harbor, and anchored very near us ; sent a boat on board of us with orders that our fires should be put out, and that an officer would be sent to see that the fires were extinguished. The shore authorities then came on board, and, under the circumstances of the case, the amount demanded was paid, under protest, and we were permitted to proceed to sea by the Captain of the brig.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,
Henry Churchill.,
Captain of Steamship Prometheus.

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