The following appeared in the Halifax 'Recorder' about ten days ago. Mr. Editor - Would you kindly furnish me, or give me any information in regard to the schooner "Conquest" which was purchased here by Ben BUTLER of the State of Mass., U.S. about nine years ago. This has since been a mystery to me and also to a number of widows left here in Halifax. A good many mysterious reports were in circulation at that time in regard to her receiving arms and ammunition. Could she have been taken by pirates, or did Ben have an eye to conquest in some of the southern islands, and in the attempt his crew fell a prey to the savages? Please call at 138 Argyle Street and relieve the widow by giving some information. - This led to an investigation into the matter, with the following result, as detailed by a contemporary. - The middle of August 1881, the schr. "Conquest", 102 tons, sailed from Halifax with clearance papers for Madagascar. She has never been heard from to this day and the fate of her captain and crew of ten men has never been made known. She was not even spoken of after leaving port. The previous history of the "Conquest" was: She had been ashore on the coast of Newfoundland and was purchased as she lay for $100, and afterwards sold to George E. Forsyth & Co. and proved a staunch schooner and a good sailer. It was this firm that sold her to the parties who fitted her out for Madagascar. It was said that she was going on a filibustering expedition to Cuba. It was known that General Butler was interested in the schooner, and his yacht, lying in port a few days previous to the sailing of the "Conquest", put to sea a few days before the schooner. Hints were thrown about of a meeting at sea and a transhipment thereof of a large quantity of arms and ammunition. Some time previous to 1882, a Newfoundland captain was engaged in a trading voyage to the South Pacific, loaded with a rich cargo of oil, etc., was cast away on a desolation island in the South Pacific and he was the only man saved, it is said. He succeeded, so the story goes, in having a large part of the cargo, amounting to between $20,000 and $30,000 worth. At last he was picked up by a passing vessel and brought home. He did not forget the wealth he had left behind, however, and he interested a number of Gloucester shipping men in a project to fit out a vessel to the Southern sea and recover it. Gen. Ben Butler was also interested, and it was he who advanced the necessary cash. Capt. TARR of Gloucester came to Halifax in search of a suitable craft for the work, The schooner "Conquest" was purchased, amply provisioned and fitted out, and put in command of Capt. John ESMOND, the man with whom the secret lay as to the whereabouts and the extent of the booty. He shipped the following crew: William HICHEY, 22, P.E.I., mate; $25 per month; Frederick HILCHEY, 22, P.E.I., 2nd mate, $20 per month; Peter M. OLSEN, Norway, cook and steward, $20 per month and $1 per tun. on oil; Joseph MATTHEWS, 38, St. John's, cooper, $25 per month and $1 per tun of oil; James SPICER, 46, England, $18 per month; John CARRIGAN, 32, Elmsdale, $16 per month; John HAMILTON, 40, Maine, $16 per month; 50 cents per tun. on oil; James DEADY, 20, St. John's, $18 per month; Donald FRASER, Halifax, $16 per month; Edward LITTLE, Halifax, $18 per month; John PURCELL, 19, St. John's, $18 per month; John BAKER, St. John's, $18 per month; P. BYRNE, 31, Halifax, cooper, $18 per month and 50 cents per tun on oil. Matthew, Hamilton and Purcell did not sail and thus saved their lives. James Spicer and John Harrigan besides some of the others were married and left widows to hope for weary months and for news from the sea which never came. The treasure, so far as the "Conquest" was concerned and probably any other vessel, if indeed it existed, is still unrecovered.