 An English eye-witness and numerous official reports from the American embassy and Portuguese records claim that the British squadron fully intended to seize "General Armstrong" illegally and surreptitiously.Nor would it have made sense for the British to send fully armed launches simply to ascertain the identity of "General Armstrong".This could have been easily done by contacting their own consulate or the American consulate, or simply sending a peace delegation to the ship when it was in dock.