 In addition to her passengers and cargo, "De Soto" also acted as a conduit for news between Cuba and the United States.Most of the news conveyed by "De Soto" was of a mundane character—for example, reports of activity on the Havana sugar market—but sometimes it was of more interest.In October 1860 for instance, "De Soto" reported the interception at Sierra Morena, Cuba of an illegal slave ship carrying 800 African slaves.