care
thousand
DESCRIPTl! OF DJJTJ^ob- PRIS<^ ENGLAND.
' -- , rfeWe cattle than J - -• 4 J'
tne » r«eive cattle than numan u«"s'
s uJsoftwo | phce of punishment/or various
' ---• — 1 eminent to suffer >Tr,Pnsf"m^.t °3
ito!>wthp'>e sent'ne's- Wifoin'thii^fL?}!*6* w.a" measurin^aorre'mi'le'Tn c?Jle Pj*a'I strongly built of 1 and are 3 eAraent to suiter lmpnwi
—.1. .5i.,.»"uter ^all are goawl.house?ni»»I!i ,ron Pal''sades, distant on lhe inner walfmililary \ men, who are allowed a blanket a
0Use8 P'awd north. .TU ™ a ^J^which are ten feet infht. A<(- f aHy reduced. A small aperture i
™iih * ti, and fronting No. 3. is another
lading from one yftrd to another);
—at 11 o'clock J
stone
i «'»ti Iiuuijjjg XVO. 4
assifto either J (Sundays excepted; ai » «
m 1 8.3rft'i w'hicb is often donepnoy and j p»rt of the market are two stoni
Pied' bv blafL?« 1 au<* 3 on'y ape o^' No 3 S The other bnildingrs attached
""°J * vandg bv ? To enter either of the prison-j
No. 1 (between the inner wall and iron raifings) stands the eontoijio}* 1
tnroitted by individuals; four persons having been sentenced b> thPNk fpf
war,for attempting to blow upa prize. This prison is calculate J°";«
^stead of their ordinary bedding. Their daily allowance of pr(is>o>ft
W"admits the light. Fronting No. 1 yard is a wall separating irj*. js**
Wmg it from the inner barracks. The Market-Square (whitf "WJLji eVeryv
\iare, and will contain five thousand persons. The roarkgso^ theupp^
fes the prisoner* * Tho" "'"-J'"" »" communication may l»
finding void. The mrat JaH whvf0^1" • if Prisons, viz. Nos 1, %, 3, of ^i
- ^ * J*, aVout fif2^^ClL:<lr'.ta,^.No 4. » *°<e'y occupied by bta£ ^Wed
_T_ only areo^ed,No 8 >
" v,w j««j, wmvii contains No 4, is solely occupied by blag*, 4separated from the f yards ^y \ u brought.tne distal
ro stone walls, about fifteen feet in height. The next yard contains Nos. 5,6 a»<$7,ich Nos, 5 and 7 only occupied, . suoerintendance of a physif
o. 6 standing void, 1 La I
iThe inside of the prisons present a melancholy and disagreeable aspect; one touhfeine they were ratbe»culated to o»g y _ n aoKot#
| A. Surgeon's bouse. B. Capt. ShortlandVho[ C. Hospitij W. Barracks.-
We, and will contain five thousand persons. The marne«>v - .. tveupp,
at two. It is productive of no small profit to the country E»re"
V prisoners, and the other for king's stores, &c f ti.e doctof\
houses for the tumkeys, clerks, one for the agent,and»°tn«Jor jr ^*
you must pass through five gates. Fronting the ou«£. ;s under
r means of a canal which supplies the different yards. '• ne ^ ,30 feet
m assistants.—The building^ with numbers attached,are Pnso
\
Her.
iiuard houses.
G. Stor< house.
JOURNAL,
of
A YOUNG MAN OF MASSACHUSETTS,
late
A SURGEON ON BOARD AN AMERICAN PRIVATEER,
who was captured at sea by the british, in may, eighteen hundred
and thirteen, and was confined first,
AT MELVILLE ISLAND, HALIFAX, THEN AT CHATHAM,
IN ENGLAND,
AND LAST, AT DAUT.'IGOIt PEISON.
interspersed with
OBSERVATIONS, ANECDOTES AND REMARKS,
tending to
ILLUSTRATE THE MORAL AND POLITICAL CHARACTERS
OF THREE NATIONS.
to which is added,
A CORRECT ENGRAVING OF DARTMOOR PRISON,
representing the massacre of american prisoners.
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.
•' Nothing extenuate, or set down aught in malice "...Shakespeare.
Printed by Rowe & Hooper....Boston.
MILLEDGEVILLE, (GEO.)
RE-PRINTED BY fe. a- P. GRANTLA:]D.
is i e,
District of Massachusetts, to wit :
District Clerk's Office.
BE it remembered, that on the sixth day of March, A. D.
(L- S.) 1816, and in the fortieth year of ihe Independence of the Unit¬
ed Slates of America, Rowe & Hooper, of the said Districr,
have deposited in this Office, the title of a book, the right whereof they
claim as Proprietors, in the words following, to wit :
" A Journal of a Young Man of Massachusetts, late a Surgeon on board
an American privateer, who was captured at sea by the British, in May,
eighteen hundied and thirteen, and was confined first, at Melville Island,
Halifax, then at Chatham, in England, and last at Dartmoor Prison. In¬
terspersed with Observations, Anecdotes and Remarks, tending to illus¬
trate the moral and political characters of three nations To which is
added, a correct Engraving of Dirtmoor Prison, representing the Mflbsa-
cre of American prisoners. Writien by himself. " Nothing extenuate,
or set down aught in malice Shakespeare."
In conformity to the Act of the Congress-of the United States, entitled
" An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of
Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors ana Proprietors of such Cook's,
during the times therein mention^!:" and also to an Act entitled, " A>n
Aci supplementary to an Act, eunjfed an Act for the encouragement of
learning, by securi* g the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors
and pioprietors of such copie-, during the times therein mentioned; and
extending the benefrs thereof to the arts of designing, engraving and
etching, historical, and other prints."
Wm. S. SHAW,
Clerk oj the District of Massachusetts,
TO THE
COMMON SENSE,
AND
HUMANE FEELINGS
OF THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA,
THIS JOURNAL IS INSCRIBED,
BY
A LATE PRISONER OF WAR WITH THE BRITISH7.
Massachusetts, County of}
Hampshire, 1815. $
JOURNAL.
In December, 4812, I found a schooner fitting out of
Salem, as a privateer. She had only four carriage guns,
and ninety men. By the fifth of January, 1813, she was
ready to sail, and only wanted some young man to go as
assistant surgeon of her. The offer was made to me ;
when, without much reflection, or consultation of friends,
I stepped on board her in that capacity, with 110 other
ideas than that of a pleasant cruise, and making a for¬
tune. With this in view, we steered for the coast of Bra¬
zils, which we reached about the first of February.
Our first land fall was not the most judicious, for we
made the c'oast in the night, and in the morning found
ourselves surrounded with breakers. Fortunately for us,
a Portuguese schooner was outside of us, and we hoisted
out our boat, and went on board her ; and received from
her commander and officers directions for clearing our¬
selves from these dangerous breakers. We were then
about 60 miles below Cape St. Koque. The captain of
the Portuguese vessel kindly informed us where to get wa¬
ter, in a bay then before us. We had English colors fly¬
ing, and all this time passed for a British vessel.
In a few hours we cast anchor in the bay, when our
Captain went on shore ; and when he had discovered the
watering place, he returned on board, and sent his water
casks to be filled : but the inhabitants collected around
our men, and shewed, by their gestures and grimaces, a
disposition to drive us away. It is prohable that they
only wanted to make us pay for the water ; for it is the
way of all the inhabitants of the sea shores every where,
to profit by the distresses of those who are cast upon them.
But pretending not to understand them, we got what wa¬
ter was necessary.
The next day a Portuguese ship of war came into the
bay, on which we thought it prudent to haul off, as we
thought it not so easy to impose on a public ship as a pri-
i
6
JOURNAL.
vate one, with our English colors and uniform. In beat¬
ing up te Pernainbuco we spoke with vessels every day,
but they were all Portuguese. When near to St. Salva-
dore, we were in great danger of capture by a British
frigate, whom we mistook for a large merchantman, until
she came within half musket shot of us ; but, luckily for
us, it died away calm, when we out with our oars, which
seamen call sweeps, and in spite of their round and grape
shot we got clear of her without any serious injury.
We would remark here, that sailors have a dialect of
their own, and a phraseology by themselves. Instead of
right side, and left side, they say starboard and larboard.
To tie a rope fast, is to belay it. To lower down a sail,
or to pull down a color, is to doivse it, and so of many
other things. These peculiar phrazes have been adopted
from the Dutch, and from the Danes, nations from whom
the English learnt navigation. We may occasionally use
some of these terms, when it cannot well be avoided.
Our Captain was not an American, neither was he an
Englishman. He was a little bit of a man, of»a swarthy
complexion, and did not weigh perhaps more than an hun¬
dred pounds by the scale. During the firing, our little
man stood upon the taffrail, swung his sword, d—d the
English, and praised his own men. He had been long
enough in the United States to acquire property and infor¬
mation, and credit enough to command a schooner of four
guns and ninety men. The crew considered him a brave
man and a good sailor, but not over generous in his dispo¬
sition. Whether the following is a proof of it, I cannot
determine.
He allowed the crew but one gill of New England rum
per day, which they thought an under dose for a Yankee.
They contended for more, but he refused it. They ex¬
postulated, and he remained obstinate ; when at length,
they, one and all, declared that they would not touch a
rope, unless he agreed to double the allowance, to half a
pint. The Captain was a very abstemious man himself, .
and being very small in person, he did not consider that a
man four times as big required twice as much rum to keep
his sluggish frame in the same degree of good spirits. He
held out against his erew for two days, during which time
they never one of them so much as lifted a spun yarn.
The weather was, be sure, very mild and pleasant. 1 con-
JOURNAL.
7
fess, however, that I was very uneasy, under the idea that
we might all perish from the obstinacy of the crew, on one
side, and the firmness of the little man on the other. Our
Captain found that his government was democratical ;
and perceiving that the weather was about to change, he
conceded to the large and fearful majority, and New Eng¬
land spirit carried the day against a temperate European
commander.
This habit of ram drinking makes a striking difference
between the military of ancient and modern days. If a
liomiin soldier or a Carthagenian sailor, had his clothing,
his meat, and his bread, and his vinegar, he was content¬
ed, and rarely was guilty of mutiny. But the modern
soldier and sailor must, in addition to these, have his rum
or brandy, and his tobacco ; and deprive him of these two
articles, which are neither food, nor clothing, and he in¬
fallibly mutinies ; that is, he runs the risk ol the severest
punishment, even that of death, rather than renounce
I have observed among sailors, that they bear the
deprivation of rum with more patience than the depriva¬
tion of tobacco. On granting the crew half a pint of rum
a day, they gave three cheers, and went to work with the
greatest cheerfulness and alacrity.
The next day we descried three sail steering for St.
Salvadore. We gave chace to them, but when we came
within gun shot of the sternmost, she fired her stern cha-
cers at us. We brought our four guns on one side to at¬
tack, or to defend ourselves, as we should find ourselves
circumstanced ; but night coming on, we saw no more of
ti: em.
Our water growing short, we determined to gain our
former watering place ; but not being able to reach it ea¬
sily, we anchored off a little settlement, 20 miles distant
from the place where we watered before. Here our cap¬
tain put on a British uniform, and waited on the com¬
mandant of the place, who, although he treated him with
politeness, gave evident suspicions that he was not an
English officer. To prevent the awkward consequences
of a detection, our captain promised to send off a barrel of
hams, and a keg of butter. Under the expectation of the
fulfilment of this rather rash promise, our crafty com¬
mander returned to his vessel, and left the place very
parly next moiuing.
s
JOURNAL.
It was now the middle of March, and we had taken
nothing, neither had we fired our cannon, excepting at a
miserable sort of a half boat and half raft, called a Cata¬
maran, made of five light logs, with a triangular sail.
From the men on this miserable vessel we got information
of a good watering place, where we soon anchored. The
commandant of this little settlement was of the color of our
North American Indians, and so were his family, but the
rest were nearly as black as negroes. He lived in a house
covered and worked in with long grass ; he ottered us
snuff out of a box tipped with silver, but every thing else
looked very rude and simple. While we were getting our
water, the females hovered round us. They had long black
and shining hair, and wore a long white cotton garment,
like a shirt or shift. They seemed to admire our com¬
plexions. One of these women, more forward than the
rest, opened the bosom of one of our fairest young men,
to see if his body was as white as his face. She ap¬
peared to be highly amused with the discovery, and called
her companions to come and view the phenomenon. He
shewed a similar curiosity as it concerned her, but she
shrunk from it with the apparent delicacy of polished
life, before so many men.
Just as we were about embarking, the commandant told
our captain that he had just received a message from the
commandant of Gomora, to seize him and all his crew, and
send them to Pernambuco, but that he should not obey him.
We now set sail for the United States, and had not been
at sea long before we were chased by a frigate, but out¬
sailed her.
On the 20th of May we made Gay Head, which is the
shining remains of an extinguished voleano, on the ^est
end of Martha's Vineyard. The next morning we discov¬
ered a ship and a brig standing for us. We tacked and
stood for the ship, until we found that she was a man of
war, and then we wore round for the brig, she being near¬
est of our own size. We now, for the first time, hoisted
American colors, when the brig gave us a broadside, and
kept up a constant fire apon us ; but we soon left her by
our superior sailing and management. The frigate, for
such she proved to be, was not so easily got rid of. She
was to the M indward of us when we first saw her. She
came within gun shot about nooa. She firing her bow-
JOURNAL.
9
ehacers, and we our stern-chacers. At length she came
almost within musket shot of us, when she tired repeated
broadsides into our little schooner, so as to cut away al¬
most all our rigging, when our brave little captain went
down below, after telling the men to fight it out; but they
prudently struck their colors. A boat soon came on
board of us, with a Lieutenant and twelve marines,
swearing most bravely at the d—d Yankees. But as our
men had, according to custom, when a vessel surrenders,
seized whatever casks of liquor they could come at, soon
filled out a few horns of gin, and passed it round among
the marines, which inspired them with good nature, and
for a moment, they seemed " all hale fellows well met."
The boarding officer did not appear to be so intent in se¬
curing the vessel, as in searching every hole and cornel*
for small articles to pocket." We were soon ordered on
board of his Britannic Majesty's ship the Tenedos, Capt.
Parker.
I had always entertained a respectable opinion of the
British, especially of their national marine. I had read
British history, and listened to British songs, and hail
heard from my childhood of the superior bravery and gen¬
erosity of the British sailor, and had entertained a real
respect for their character ; and being of a family denom-
inated federalists, 1 may be said to have entered the frig¬
ate Tenedos, Capt. Parker, with feelings and expecta¬
tions very different from what I should have felt, had we
been at war with the French, and had it been a frigate of
that nation that had captured us. The French are a peo¬
ple marked by nature, as well as by customs and habits,
a different nation from us. Their language is different;
their religion is different; and so are their manners. All
these things have conspired in making a wall of separa¬
tion between us and that lively people. But it is not so
with the English. Our language, religion, customs, hab¬
its, manners, institutions; and above all, books, have
united to make us feel as if we were but children of the
same great family, only divided by the Atlantic ocean.
All these things have a natural and habitual tendency' to
unite us, and nothing but the unfeeling and contemptuous
treatment of us by the British military generally, could
have separated us. With all these feelings and partiali¬
ties about me, I -went from our schooner over the side of
i*
10
JOURNAL.
the BritisTi frigate with different feelings from what I
should, had 1 been going on board an enemies ship ot the
French, Spanish, or Portuguese nation. But what was
my change of feelings, on being driven with the rest, all
up in a corner, like hogs, and then marched about the
deck, for the strutting captain of the frigate to view and
review us, like cattle in a market, before the drover or
butcher.
When our baggage was brought on board, the master of
arms took every portable article from us, not leaving us a
jack knife, penknife, or razor. We, Americans, never
v'onduct so towards British prisoners. We always respect
liie private articles of the officer and sailor.
On the same day we were put on board the brig Curlew,
Lt. Head, a polite and hunmne gentleman, and much be¬
loved by his own crew. He is, 1 am informed, son of an
English Baronet. He is a plaiu, honest man, with easy,
elegant manners, and very milik-e the sputtering command¬
er of the Tennedos, a man who allowed us to be stripped
of ail our little pocket articles. We were kept very close,
while on board the Curlew, because her crew was very
weak, principally decrepid old men and boys, but then we
were kindly spoken to, and respectfully and humanely
treated by Lieutenant Head, and his worthy surgeon.
We can discover real gentlemen at sea, as well as on
shore.
W e w ere landed in Halifax, the principal British port
of North America, and the capital of Nova feeotia, oil
the 29th of May, 1813. We were soon surrounded by
soldiers, and being joined by a number of our countrymen,
recently captured, we were attempted to be marshalled and
paraded in military order, so as lo make as grand a show
as possible, as-we marched through the streets to prison.
The fust thing they did was to make us stand in platoons,
and then the commanding officer stationed a 9oldier on the
Hanks of each platoon to keep us regular, and to march
and wheel according lo rule. The word was then given
to march, when we all ran up together just as we were
when the strutting Capt. Parker reviewed us on the deck
of I he Tenedos. We were then commanded to halt. As
we have no such word of command on board of an Ameri¬
can privateer, some crowded on, while a few stopped.
The young officer tried again, and made us stand all in a
JOURNAl,
u
t ow. Seme of the crew told their comrades, that when the
captain sung out " halt,'''' he meant - avast," and that then
they siiouid all stop. When we were ail in order again,
the scarlet-coated young gentleman, with a golden swash
on his left shoulder, gave a. second time the word ot' com¬
mand—march"—when we got into the like confusion
again, when he cried oat in a swearing passion, •' /taii"—.
on which some stopped short, and some walked on, when
the whole squad burst out a laughing. L know not what
would have been the consequence of his passion had not a
navy officer standing by observed to him, that they were
not soldiers but sailors, who knew nothing about military
marching, or military words of command, when the young
man told us lo march on in our own way; upon which,
our sailors stuck their fists in their pockets, and scrabbled
and reeled on as sailors always do ; for a sailor does not
know how lo walk like a landsman. On which account I
have been informed, since iny return from captivity, that
all our seamen, that were sent from Boston to Sackett?s
harbor, on Lake Ontario, wern transported in coaches
with four horses, chartered for the express purpose ; and
that it was common, for many weeks together, to see a
dozen of the large stage coaches, setting out from Boston
in a morning, full of sailors goiug up to the lakes, to man
the fleets of Commodores Perry, (Jiiauncey and MkDo-
nough. The former of these commanders told the writer,
that he never allowed a sailor destined for_ his squadron,
to walk a single day. These merry fellows used to ride
through the country with their colours and streamers and
music, and heaving the lead amidst the acclamations of
the country people. While these things were thus con¬
ducted in New England, the people of Old England were
simple enough to believe that the war with England was
unpopular. They judged of us by our party newspapers.
The soldiers marched us about two miles, when we
came to the spot, where we were to take boat for Melvillei
Island, the place of oar imprisonment. When we arrived
at the gates of the prison, hammocks and blankets were
served out to as our names were called over. We
were then ordered into the prison yard. And here I must
remark, that I shall never forget the first impression,
which the sight of my w retched looking countrymen made
on my feelings. Here we were, at once, surrounded by a
12
JOURNAL.
ragged set of quidnuncs, eagerly enquiring, What news?-~~
where we were taken ? and how ? and what success wo
had met with before we were taken ? und every possible
question, for American curiosity to put to a promiscuous
'Set of new comers.
— After satisfying these brave fellows, who felt an uncom¬
mon interest in the events of the war, and the news of the
day, I had time to notice the various occupations of these
poor fellows. home were washing their own clothes ;
others mending them. Others were intent on ridding their
shirts and other clothing from lice, which, to the disgrace
of the British government, are allowed to infest our pris¬
oners. It may, in part, be owing to the nastiness and neg¬
ligence of the prisoners themselves, hut the great fault
and the disgrace, remain with the British. Whoever
could say that criminals, confined in our State prisons,
were infested with vermin ? YV ere our prison ships in
Boston or Salem ever known to be lousy ?
The buildings on Melville Island are constructed of
wood. Beside the prison, there is a cooking house, bar¬
racks for soldiers, and a storehouse ; a house for the offi¬
cers, and another for the surgeon. There are a couple of
cannon pointing towards the prison, and a Telegraph, for
the purpose of giving intelligence to the fort, which over¬
looks this island and the town of Halifax. These build¬
ings are painted red, and have upon the whole, a neat ap¬
pearance. The prison itself is 200 feet in length, and 50
in breadth. It is two stories high ; the upper one is for
officers, and for the infirmary and dispensary ; while the
lower part is divided into two prisons, one for the French,
the other for Americans. The prison yard is little more
than an acre, the whole island being little more than five
acres. It is connected on the south side with the main
land by a bridge. The parade, so called, is between the
Turnkey's house and the barracks. From all which it
may be gathered that Melville Island is a very humble
garrison, and a very dreary spot for the officer who com¬
mands there.
The view from the prison exhibits a range of dreary
hills. On the northern side are a few scattered dwellings,
and some attempts at cultivation; on the southern noth¬
ing appears but immense piles of rocks, with b ushes, scat¬
tered here and there in their hollows and criviees j if their
JOURNAL.
13
summer appearance conveys the idea of barrenness, their
winter appearance must be dreadful in this region of al¬
most everlasting frost and snow. This unfruitful country-
is rightly named New Scotland. Barren and unfruitful as
old Scotland is, our JVova Scotia is worse. If Churchill
were alive, what might he not say of this rude and unfin-
ished part of creation, that glories in the name of New
Scotland ? The picture would here be complete if it
were set off with here and there a meagre, and dried up
highlander, without shoes, stockings or breeches, with a
ragged plaid, a little blue flat bonnet, sitting on a black
rock playing a bag-pipe, and singing the glories of a
country that never was conquered! To finish the picture,
you have to immagine a dozen more ragged raw boued
Scotchmen, sitting on the bare rocks around the piper,
knitting stockings to send to England and America, where
they can afford to wear them. Such is Scotia old and
new, whose sons are remarkable for their inveterate ha¬
tred of the Americans, as we shall see in the course of this
narrative. —
As to the iuside of the prison at Melville Island, if the
American reader expects to hear it represented as a place
resembling the large prisons for criminals in the United
States, such as those at Boston, Charlestown, New York
or Philadelphia, he will be sa41y disappointed. Some of
these prisons are as clean, and nearly as comfortable, as
some of the monasteries and convents in Europe. Our
new prisons in the United States reflect great honour on
the nation. They speak loudly that we are a considerate
and humane people; whereas the prison at Halifax,
erected solely for the safe keeping of prisoners of war,
resembles an horse stable, with stalls, or stanchions, for
separating the cattle from each other. It is to a contriv¬
ance of this sort that they attach the cords that support
those canvass bags, or cradles, called hammocks. Four
tier of these hanging nesls were made to swing one above
another, between these stalls or stanchions. To those un¬
used to these lofty sleeping-births, they were rather un¬
pleasant situations for repose. But use makes every thing
easy.
The first time I was shut up for the night, in this prison,
it distressed me too much to close my ey.is. Its closeness
and smell were, in a degree, disagreeable, but this was
14
JOURNAL.
trifling to what I experienced afterwards, in another place.
The general hum and confused noise fiom almost every
hammock was at first, very distressing;. Some would be
lamenting their hard fate at being shut up like negro
slaves in a guinea ship, or like fowls in a hen coop, lor
no crime, but for fighting the battles of their country.
Some were cursing and execrating their oppressors; oth¬
ers, late at night, were relating their adventures to a new
prisoner; others lamenting their aborrations from recti¬
tude, and disobedience to parents, and head strong wilful¬
ness, that drove them to sea, contrary to their parents
wish, while others, of the younger class, were sobbing out
their lamentations at the thoughts of what their mothers
and sisters suffered, after kuowing of their imprisonment.
Not uufrequentlv the whole night was spent in this way,
and when, about day break, the weary prisoner fell into a
dose, he was waked from his slumber by the grinding noise
of the locks, and the unbarring of the doors, with the cry
of" turn oul—all out" when each man took down his ham¬
mock and lashed it up, and slung it on his back, and was
ready to answer to the roll call of the turnkey. If any,
through natural heaviness or indisposition, was dilatory,
he was sure to feel the bayonet of the brutal soldier, who
appeared to us to hare a natural antipathy to a sailor, and
from what 1 observed, I believe that in general little or no
love is lost between them;
This prison is swept out twice a week, by the prisoners.
The task is performed by the respective messes in turns.
"When the prison is washed, the prisoners are kept out
until it is perfectly dry. This, in the wet seasons, and in
the severity of winter, is sometimes very distressing and
dangerous to health; for there is no retiring place for
shelter;—it is like a stable, where the cattle are either
under cover, or exposed to the weather, be it ever so in¬
clement.
When we arrived here in May, 1813, there were about
nine hundred prisoners; but many died by the severity of
the winter; and the quantity of fuel allowed by the Brit¬
ish government was insufficient to convey warmth through
the prison. The men were cruelly harrassed by the bar¬
barous custom of mustering and parading them in the
v^rest cold, and even in snow storms '! aireiit,
might have alleviated the sufferings of our people, had he
JOURNAL,
13
l»een so disposed, without relaxation of duty. But lie,
as well as the turnkey, named Grant, seemed to take de¬
light in tormenting the Americans. This man would often
keep the prisoners out for many hours in the severest
weather, when the mercury was ten and fifteen degrees be¬
low 0, under a pretext that the prison had been washed,
and was not sufficiently dry for their reception, when in
fact, every drop of water used, was in a moment ice.
People in the southern states, and the inhabitants of Eng¬
land and'Ireland, can form no adequate idea of the fright¬
ful climate of Nova-Scotia. The description of the suffer¬
ings of our poor fellows, the past winter, was enough to
make ones heart ache, and to rouse our indignation against
the agents in this business.
Our people are sensible to kind treatment, and are ready
to acknowledge humane and considerate conduct towards
themselves, or towards their companions ; but they are
resentful in proportion as they are grateful. They speak
very generally of the conduct of Miller the agent, and
Grant the turnkey, with disgust and resentment. A
complaint was made to him of the badness of the beef
served out to the prisoners, upon which he collected the
prisoners, and mounted the stair-case, began a most pas¬
sionate harrangue declaring that the beef \* as good enough,
and a d—d deal better than they had in their own coun¬
try, and if they did not eat it, they should have none. He
then went on as follows :—44 Hundreds of you, d—d
" scoundrels, have been to me begging and pleading that
" I might interpose my influence that you might be the
" first to be exchanged, to return home to your families,
44 who were starving in yoHr absence, and now you have
44 the impudence to tell me to my face, that the King's
44 beef is not good enough for your dainty stomach. Why
44 some of that there beef is good enough for me to eat.
44 You are a set of mean rascals, you beg of an enemy the fa-
44 vours which your own government won't grant you. You
44 complain of ill treatment, when you never fared better in
44 your lives. Had you been in a French prison and fed on
44 horse-beef, you would have some grounds of complaint ;
44 but here in his Brittannick Majesty's royal prison, you
<4 have every thing that is right and proper for persons
44 taken fighting against his crown and dignity. There
44 is a surgeon here for you, if you are sick, and physick
16
JOURNAL.
" to take if you are sick, and a hospital to go t° in*° .t^1'
" bargain, and if you die, there are boards enough (point-
(i ing to a pile of lumber in the yard) for to make you
u coffins, and an hundred and fifty acres of land to bury
44 you in ; and if you are not satisfied with all this you may
" die and be d—d." Having finished this eloquent har-
raugue, orator Miller descended from his rostrum, and
strutted out of the prison yard, accompanied with hisses
from some of the prisoners.
On a re-examination however of the "King's beef." some
pieees were found too much tainted for a dog to eat, and
the prisoners threw it over the pickets. After this, the
supply of wholesome meat was such as it ought to be j
full good enough for Mr. Miller himself to eat ; and some
of the very best pieees good enough for Grant, the turnkey.
In all this business of provision for prisoners of war,
one thing ought to he taken into consideration, which may
he offered as an extenuation of crime alleged against the
British agents for prisoners ; and that is, that the Ameri¬
can soldier and sailor live infinitely better in America,
than the same class of people do in Great Britain and Ire¬
land. Generally speaking, an American eats three times
the quantity of animal food that falls to the share of the
same class of people in England, Hollaud, Germany, Den¬
mark or Sweden. He sleeps more comfortably and lives
in greater plenty of fish, flesh, vegetables and spirituous
liquors. Add to this, his freedom is in a manner unbound¬
ed. He speaks his mind to any man If he thinks he is
wronged he seeks redress with confidence ; if he is insult¬
ed, he resents it; and if you should venture to strike him,
he never will rest quiet under the dishonor ; yet you sel¬
dom or ever hear of quarrels ending in murder. The dag¬
ger and pistol are weapons, in a manner, unknown The
fist, a la mode de John Bull, is commonly the ultimatum
of a Yankee's rage, ./I
'We often hear the British, if they are unsuccessful, la¬
menting the war between England and America ; they call
it an unhappy strife between brethren ; and they attribute
this " unnatural war," to a French influence; and their
friends in Mew England, w ho are denominated tories, use
the same language ; they say that all the odium of the
war ought to fall on our administration and their w icked
seducers, the Frenchj and jet you will find tbat both in
JOURNAL. 17
Englaud and at Halifax, the French meet with better
treatment than their dear brothers the Americans.
We found that there were about two hundred French
prisoners in Nova Scotia. Some had been there ever
since 1803. Few of them were confined in prison. The
chief of them lived in, or near the town of Halifax, work¬
ing for the inhabitants, or teaching dancing, or fencing,
or their own language. Some were employed as butchers,
and cooks; others as nurses in the hospital; and they
were every where favoured for their complaisance, obedi¬
ence and good humour. They had the character of behav¬
ing better towards the British officers, and inhabitants
than the Americans, and I believe with reason; for our
men seem to take a delight in plaguing, embarrassing and
alarming those who were set over them. A Frenchman
always tried to please, while many Americans seemed to
take an equal delight in letting the Nova Scotians know
that they longed to be at liberty to fight them again. I
confess I do not wonder that the submissive, smiling
Frenchmen made more friends at Halifax, than the ordi¬
nary run of American seamen, who seemed too often to
look and speak as if they longed to try again the tug of war
with John Bull.
Sunday being a leisure day among the men of business
in Halifax and its vicinity, the old refugees from the Uni¬
ted States used to come round the prison to gratify their
eyes, instead of going to a place of worship, with the sight
of what they called "refcgis." These are generally
Scotchmen, or sons of Scotchmen, and are very bitter
against the Americans. Some of this class were clergy¬
men, who came occasionally to pray and preach with us
in prison. We paid every mark of respect to every mod¬
est and prudent minister who came among us to perform
divine service; but we never could restrain our feelings,
when one of these refugee gentlemen came among us pray¬
ing for King George and the royal family of England.
The men considered it as an insult, and resented it accord¬
ingly. Some of these imprudent men would fulminate
the vengeance of Heaven, for what they conceived polit¬
ical, instead of moral errors. The prisoners respected
some of these reverend gentlemen highly, while they des¬
pised some others. The priesthood, however, have less
2
JOURNAL.
hold on tlie minds of the people of the United States, than
of any other people on earth.
The Bishops and Church of England are fast destroy¬
ing their own craft, by aiding the sly dissenters in spread¬
ing the Bible through every family in Britain and in
America. In reading this blessed book, the people will
see how Christianity has been corrupted. They will com¬
pare the arch-bishops and dignified clergy of the present
degenerate days, with the plainness of our Saviour, and
wilh the simplicity of the holy fisherman and other of his
disciples. Before this book the facticious institutions and
gorgeous establishments of the modern priesthood will
fade and die, like Jonah's gourd The English episco¬
pacy never has, nor ever will take deep root in the United
States. It can never flourish in the American soil. Even
the Roman Catholic religion is here a humble and ration¬
al thing. Its ministers are highly respected, because
their lives adorn their doctrines; and the parochal care
of their flock, who are principally Irish, is seen and com¬
mended. It is observed throughout our seaports, that the
sea faring people are generous supporters of their minis¬
ters; hut these same people can never be made to pay
tythes, or to hear and support a minister whom they had
not directly or remotely chosen. This is the predominant
sentiment of all the anglo-Americans.
The daily allowance of the British government to our
prisoners is one pound of bread, one pound of beef, and
one gill of pease. Over and above this we received from
the American agent a sufficiency of coffee, sugar, potatoes
and tobacco. The first may be called the bare necessa¬
ries of life, but the latter contribute much to its comforla-
ble enjoyment. Whether the British government ought
not to have found the whole I am not prepared to deter¬
mine; but certainly, before this addition from our own
agent, our men complained bitterly.
- In justire to Mr. Miller, the British agent, I ought to
record that he paid great attention to the cleanliness of
the prison, and to the clothes of the men; and 1 must, at
the same time, say that some of our men were very dirty,
lazy fellows, that required constantly spurring up "to keep
them from being ofteusive. This indolence and careless
disposition was observed to be chiefly among those who
had been formerly intemperate; they felt the loss of their
beloved stimulous, and their spirits sunk, and they had
JOURNAL.
19
rather lay down and rot, and die, than exert themselves.
There were a few who seemed to be like hogs, innately
dirty, <* id »who had rather be dirty than clean. Mr.
Miller had therefore great merit in compelling these men
to follow the rules prescribed to the whole prison. He
has the thanks of every considerate American.
It was a common remark, that the most indolent and
most slovenly men were the most vicious; and a dirty ex¬
ternal was a pretty sure indication of a depraved mind.
Such as would not conform to the rules of cleanliness
were committed to the black-hole, which was under the
prison, and divided into solitary cells. The agent had
the power of confining a prisoner in one of these dungeons
during ten days. It is to the credit of our seamen to re¬
mark that they co-operated with the agent most heartily
in whatever tended to preserve the cleanliness of their
persons, and they applauded the confinement of such as
were disinclined to follow the salutary rules of the prison.
We were one day not a little shocked by the arrival of
a number of American soldiers who were entrapped and
taken with Colonel Boerstler, in Upper Canada. They
exhibited a picture of misery, woe and despair. Their
miserable condition called forth our sympathy and com¬
passion, and I may add excited our resentment against
the authors of their distress. These unfortunate lands¬
men had never been used to rough it like sailors, but had
lived the easy life of farmers and mechanics. Some of
them had never experienced the hardships of a soldier's
life, but were raw, inexperienced militia men. They were
taken at some creek between Fort George and Little York
by the British and their allies the Indians, who stripped
them of most of their clothing, and then wore them down
by very long and harrassing marches; first to Montreal,
and then to Quebec; and soon after crowded them on
board transports, like negroes in a guinea ship, where
some suffered death, and others merely escaped it. It ap¬
pears from their account and from every other account that
the treatment of these poor fellows at their capture, and
on their march, and more especially on board the transports
from Quebec to Halifax, was barbarous in the extreme, and
highly disgraceful to the British name and nation.
We have it asserted uniformly, that the prisoners, who
eame from Quebec to Halifax and to Boston, down the St.
journal.
Lawrence, were treated and provided for in a manner
little above brutes. Colonel Scott, now Major-General
Scott, came by that ronte from Quebec to Boston, i*nd it is
well known that he complained that there was neither
accommodations, provisions, or any thing on hoard the
ship proper for a gentleman. He spoke of the whole
treatment he received with deep disgust and pointed re¬
sentment. If an officer of his rank and accomplishments
had so much reason for complaint, we may easily conceive
what the private soldier must endure.—V
We paid every attention in our power to these poor
soldiers, whose emaciated appearance and dejection gave
us reason to expect that an end would soon be put to their
sufferings by death. They, however, recruited fast; and
we were soon convinced that they were reduced to the
eondition we saw them in, absolutely for want of food.
The account which these soldiers gave of their hardships
was enough to fill with rage and resentment the heart of
a saint. Four men were not allowed more provision than
what was needful for one. They assured us, that if they
had not secretly come at some bags of ship bread, unknown
to the officers of the transport, they must have perished
for want of food. We eannot pass over one anecdote.
Some fish were eaught by our own people ©» the passage,
in common with the crew, but they were compelled to de¬
liver them all to the captain of the ship, who withheld
them from the American prisoners. Some of the prison¬
ers had a little money, and the captain of the transport
was mean enough to take a dollar for a single cod fish,
from men in their situation. This fast has appeared in
several Boston papers, with the names of the persons con¬
cerned, and has never been contradicted or doubted. We
give this as the common report; and as the Boston news¬
papers circulated freely through Nova Scotia and Canada,
we infer that had the story been void of truth it would
have been contradicted.
Those Americans who have no other knowledge of the
English character, but what they gather from books made
in London ; and from their dramatic productions, and
from their national songs, would believe, as I myself once
did. that John BulL (by which name Dean Swift personi¬
fied the whole nation) was a^. humane, tender-hearted,
generous gentleman; but let him be once in the power of
-journal.
21
an Englishman, or what is still worse, of a Scotchman,
and it will correct his erroneous notions. An English¬
man is strongly attached to his King and country, and
thinks nothing on earth can equal them, while he holds
all the rest of the world in comparative contempt. Until
the days of Bonaparte, the people of England really be¬
lieved that one Englishman could flog six Frenchmen.
They at one time had the same idea of us, Americans;
but the late war has corrected their articles of belief.
The humanity of the British is one of the' most monstrous
impositions.
The most glaring feature in the English character is a:
vain glorious ostentation, as is exhibited in their elegant
and costly steeples, superb hospitals, useless cathedrals,
lying columns ; such as the monument near London bridge,
which as Pope says of it,
" Lifts its tall head and lies."
But if you wish to learn their real character, look at their
bloody code of laws, read their wars with Wales, with
Scotland, and with Ireland. Look at India, and their
own West India Islands. Look at the present border war
carried on by associating themselves with our savages;
look into this very prison, ask the soldiers just brought
into it, what they think of British humanity or British
bravery. A reliance on British veracity and humour
caused these poor fellows to surrender, when they found
them worse than the Indians. These things may be for¬
given, but they ought never to be forgotten.
Nova Scotia, or New-England, was formerly called
Chebucto by the native Indians. It is a dreary region.
The country for many miles west of Halifax, is a continued
range of mountains, rising one over the other, as far as
the eye can reach. The winlers are severe, and the
springs backward. The frees appeared to be as bare ou
the 26th of May as the same kind of trees do in the middle
of March. To us there was something hideous in the as¬
pect of their mountains; but this may have been partly
owing to our own hideous habitation, and low spirits. The
same objects may have appeared charming in the eyes of
a Scotch family, just arrived from the fag-end of the Island
of Great Britain.
2*
JOURNAL.
The capital, Halifax, was settled by a number of British
subjects in 1749. It is situated on a spacious and com¬
modious bay or harbour, called Chebucto, of a bold and easy
entrance, where a thousand of the largest ships might
ride with safety. The town is built on the west side of
the harbour, and on the declivity of a commanding hill,
whose summit is 235 feet perpendicular from the level of
the sea. The town is laid out in oblong squares; the
streets parallel and at right angles. The town and sub¬
urbs are about two miles in length ; and the general width
a quarter of a mile. It contained in 1793-, about 4000 in¬
habitants and 700 houses. At the northern extremity of
the town, is the kings's naval yard, completely built and
supplied with stores of every kind for the rojal navy. The
harbor of Halifax is reckoned inferior to no place in Bri»
tish America for the seat of government, being open and
accessible at all seasons of the year, when almost all other
harbors in these provinces are locked up with ice; also
from its entrance, situation, and its proximity to the bay
uf Fundv, and principal interior settlements of the prov¬
ince. This city lying on the S coast of Nova Scotia has
communication with Pictou, 68 miles to the NE on the
gulf of St. Lawrence, by a good cart road finished in 1792.
Jt is 12 miles northerly of Cape Sambro, which forms in
part the entrance of the bay; 27 south easterly of Wind¬
sor, 40 N by E of Truro, SO NE by E of Annapolis, on
the bay of'Fuudy, and 157 SE of St. Ann, in New Bruns-
Vvick, measuring in a straight line. N lat. 44 40, W ion.
03 15.
It was settled chiefly by Scotchmen; and since the rev¬
olutionary war, which secured our independence, they
have received considerable additions from the United
States of a class of men denominated refugees, who exiled
themselves, oil account of our republicanism and of their
own attachment to the best of kings. They show too often
their hatred to rss. To this day they call us "rebels
and th ey speak to us in a stile and tone as if they were
sorry they could not murder us without the risk of being
handed.
It is strange, it is passing strange, that a whole people
should be so strongly attached to the honor, crown and
dignify of their conquerors as the Scotch are to the present
i-ojal family of England, whose ancestor, w as, in fact, an
JOURNAL.
usurper of the crown and dignities of the Scotch race of
kings, the self sufficient Stewarts. The most remarkable
thing in the reign of George (beside that of losing Amer¬
ica) is the perfect concilia!ion of the Scotch hether
this was owing to my Lord Bute, or to his relation, 1 ain
unable to say ; but it is a singular thing in the history of
nations, when we take into consideration the cruel treat¬
ment of the Scotch so low down as the year 1745. As
there is no new thing under the sun, and what has been,
may be again, who knows but that the Cheroke?s and
Choctaws, the Chippewas, the Hurons and Fottuwatto-
mies may hereafter become most attached to our govern¬
ment, and afford us Judges, Secretaries of State, Admi¬
rals, Generals, Governors of Provinces, Grooms of the
Stool, and Historians P Who knows but the day will come,
when there shall spring up from the mud and ooze of our
own trifling lakes, another Walter Scott, who shall sing
as sublimely to the story of onr border wars; and who
shall be able to trace a long and illustrious line of ances¬
try, up to the renowned chief Split-log, WaUc-in-the-water,
Hanging-maw, or to Tecumseh ? Who knows but that
among these American highlanders, we shall find another
Ossian and another Fingal ? For what has been, under
similar circumstances, may be again.
Early in the month of July, we were not a little dis¬
turbed by the arrival of the crew of our ill omened, ill
fated Chesapeake.
The capture of this American frigate by the British
frigate Shannon of equal force, was variously related..
Frotn all that 1 could gather, she was not judiciously
brought into action, nor well fought after Capt Lawrence
fell. It is too much like the British to hunt up every pos¬
sible excuse for a defeat; but we must conclude, and I
have since found it a general opinion in the United States,
that the frigate was by no means in a condition to go into
action. The captain was a stranger to his own crew; his
ship was lumbered up with her cables and every thing
else. She ought to have cruised three or four days before
she met the Shannon, and that, it seems, was the opinion
of the captain of the British frigate; who was every way
prepared for the action.
The rapid destruction of the British sloop of war Pea¬
cock gave Lawrence high reputation ; and he felt as if
M
JOURNAL.
he must act up to his high character. He seemed like a a-
hero impelled, by high ideas of chivalry, to fight, conquer
or die, without attending to the needful cautions and prep¬
arations. His first officer he left sick on shore ; his next
officer was soon killed; soon after which he fell himself,
littering tlie never to be forgotten words, " Don't give up
the ship,'' which has since become a sort of national mot¬
to. While the British captain prudently dressed himself
in a short jacket and round hat, so as not to distinguish
himself from the other officers, our captain Lawrence, who
was six feet and four inehes tall, was in his uniform and
military hat, a fair and inviting mark for the enemy's
sharp shooters. No one doubted his bravery, but some
have called his prudence in question.
This heroic man and his lieutenant, Ludlow, were three
limes buried with great military pomp ; first at Halifax
—then at Salem, and last of all at New York. The
name of Lawrence is consecrated in America, while his
ever unlucky ship is doomed to everlasting ignominy; for
this was the vessel that preferred allowing the British
ship Leopard to muster her crew, instead of sinking, with
her colors flying.
In the month of August, Halifax was alarmed, or pre¬
tended to be alarmed, by a rumor that the prisoners on
Melville Island, which is about three miles, or less, from
the town, meditated a sally, with a determination of seiz¬
ing the capital of Nova Scotia. They immediately took
the most serious precautions, and screwed up their muni¬
cipal regulations to the highest pitch. All the loyal cit¬
izens entrusted with arms, were ordered to keep them¬
selves in readiness to march at a minute's warning to re¬
pel the meditated attack of about a thousand unarmed
yankees, rendered formidable by a reinforcement of a few
dozen half starved soldiers, who were taken by the In¬
dians and British, and sent from Quebec down the river
St. Lawrence, to the formidable American post on Mel¬
ville Island, under the command of turn-key Grant! who
was himself under the command of Lieut. General Mr.
Agent Miller!
It was reported and believed by many in Halifax, that
the prisoners had made arrangements for the attack, and
had sworn to massacre every man, woman and child.
When we found that they really believed the ridiculous
JOURN'ALo
25
story, we must confess that we enjoyed their terror, and
laughed inwardly at their formidable precautions of de¬
fence. They placed a company of artillery, with two pie¬
ces of cannon, on a height south of the prison ; and cleared
up a piece of land, and stationed another corps of artillery
with a cannon so placed as to rake our habitation length-
Avise, while sentries were plaeed at regulated distances on
the road, all the way into the town of Halifax. An addi¬
tional number of troops were stationed on the Island, who
bivouacked in the open air near to the officers' dwellings;
in other words, they were placed there to prevent us from
cutting the officers' throats with clam shells, or oyster
shells, for we had nothing metallic for the purpose.
When we saw these formidable preparations, and re¬
flected on our own helpless condition, without any means
of offence* beside our teeth and nails, we could not but des¬
pise our enemies; and we did not omit to increase their
ridiculous alarm, by whispering together, pointing our
fingers sometimes E. and sometimes W. and sometimes N.
and sometimes S. and rubbing our hands and laughing and
affecting to be in high spirits. The conduct of the agent,
at this threatening crisis of his affairs, did not diminish
our contempt of him. He would often mount his rostrum,
the head of the stair-case, to address us, and assure us,
that we should soon be delivered from aur confinement,
and be sent home. He said that he did not expect to see
any of us in prison six weeks longer; and that our deten¬
tion was then only owing to some delay of ordersfrom admi¬
ral Warren; but that he expected them every moment.
He therefore entreated us to remain contented and quiet a
little longer, and not obstruct the kind intentions that were
in train for our deliverance from captivity ; and he assur¬
ed us, upon his honor, that every thing should be done in
his power to expedite our return home; that there were
then three cartels getting ready to convey us away. In
the meantime every thing was said and done at Halifax,
to make us satisfied and quiet.
While the agent was making his declarations of friend¬
ship, and protesting upon his honor, that we should be
sent home, he knew full well that the greatest part of the
prisoners were to be sent across the atlantie, to suffer the
punishment of the British prisou. The poliey of the Eng¬
lish government was, it seems, to discourage the enlist'
26
JOURNAL.
tnent of soldiers into our service by sending the prisoners;
taken on the frontiers, to England. They meant also to
distress us by accumulating our seamen in their prisons,
and this they imagined would disenable us from manning
our men of war, or sending out privateers. They prefer¬
red every mode of distressing us to that of fair lighting;
for, in fair fight and equal numbers, we have always beat
them by sea and laud.
We were in good humor and high spirits at the prospeet
of leaving our loathsome den, and once more returning
home to see our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers,
and school fellows, and the old jolly companions of our
happy days. We smiled upon Mr. Agent Miller, and he
upon us. We greeted our turnkey, the now and then
smooth tongued Mr. Grant, with a good morrow, and all
feelings of hostility were fast subsiding; and one told him
that he should be very glad to see him in Boston; another
said he should be very glad to see him in Marblehead,
and another at New York, and Baltimore, and so on.
Towards the close of the month of August, and after
Mr. Agent Miller aud the military had taken the most ef¬
fectual method to provide against the possibility of resist¬
ance from the prisoners, reports now and then reached us,
that the expected exchange was unhappily broken oft', and
that it was the fault of the American government. These
things were hinted at with great caution, as not entitled
to entire credit; the next day it was said that the business
of exchange was in a prosperous train. All this was done
by way of feeling the pulse of the most respectable of the
prisoners; those most likely to take the lead in an insur¬
rection. We could easily trace all these different stories
to the cunning Mr. Miller, through his subordinate agents.
On the first day of September, 1813, an hundred of us
pr isoners were selected from different crews, and ordered
to get our baggage ready and be at the gate at a certain
hour. On enquiring of our keeper, Mr. Grant, what was
the design of this order, he replied, w ith his habitual du¬
plicity, that we were " to be sent home." When Mr. Mil¬
ler was asked the same question, he replied, that he had
a particular reason, at that time, for not answering the
question ; but none of us doubted from the selection from
different crews, hut that we were about to be sent to our
belawed country and natal homes. We left the prison with
j OURNAfc.
27
iight hearts, not without pitying our companions, who
were doomed to wait awhile longer before they could be
made so happy as we then felt We stepped on board the
boats with smiling countenances. The bargemen told us
that the ships we were going to were cartels.
Having arrived among the shipping, the officer of the
boat was asked, which of these several ships was the car¬
tel—" there," said he, pointing to an old 41, " is the ship,
which is to take you to Old EnglandHeavens above I
What a stroke of thunder was this ! We looked at each
other with horror, with dismay, and stupefaction, before
our depressed souls recoiled with indignation ! Such a
change of countenance I never beheld 1 Had we been on
the deck of a skip, and been informed that a match was
just ahout being touched to her magazine of powder, we
should not have exhibited such a picture of paleness and
dismay. The deception was cruel ; the duplicity was in¬
famous. The whole trick from beginning to end, was an
instance of cowardice, meanness and villainy, it proves
that cowards are cruel; that barbarity and sincerity never
meet in the same bosom.
We now saw that the rumor of our rising upon our
keepers, and marching to Halifax, was a miserable false¬
hood, spread abroad for no other purpose than to double
our guards, and prevent the imagined consequences of des¬
peration, should it be discovered that we were to be sent
across the Atlantic. It is possible we might have suc¬
ceeded in disarming the soldiers on the island, and taken
their cannon ; but for want of more arms we could have
done but little. Had we all been armed, we could have
entered Halifax, and put to the test the bravery of these
loyalists ; but an unarmed multitude are nothing before an
eighth part of their number of regular soldiers. Military
men, in Halifax, could never have had a moment's serious
apprehension from the prisoners on Melville Island. It is
my firm opinion, however, that had we been apprized of
our cruel destination, we should have risen upon the boats
and attempted an escape, or sold our lives dearly Re¬
venge and desperation have done wonders ; and both
would have steeled the heart and nerved the arm of our
little band of sufferers. Had we not been beguiled with
the lies of the agent and his turnkey, we should have
given our enemies a fresh proof of American bravery, if
j oirnal,
not of imprudence. Had Miller been on board the boat
with us, we should most certainly have thrown him over¬
board. His base and dishonorable artifice, first to raise
our hopes and expectations to the height of joy, aud then
to sink us into despair, was an infamous deed, worthy such
a reward. Speaking for myself, I declare, that my heart
sunk within me, and I came near fainting, it was some
time before tears came to my relief; then in a burst of in¬
dignation. 1 cursed the perfidious enemy, and felt my soul
wound up to deeds of desperation.
CHAPTER II.
Had the agent informed us of the orders of his govern¬
ment, and made us acquainted with our destination, we
should have braced our minds up to the occasion, and sub¬
mitted to our hard fate like men. We should have said
to each other in the language of Shakespeare—" if these
" things be necessities, lefs meet them like necessities
but to be deceived and duped, and cajoled into a state of
great joy and exultation, and then, in an instant, precipi¬
tated into the dark and cold regions of despair, was bar¬
barous beyond expression. As much resentment as 1 feel
towards Miller and his subalterns, I cannot wish either of
them to suffer the pangs 1 felt at the idea of this floating
dungeon.
The late Governor Gerry, in one of his communica¬
tions to the legislature of Massachusetts, when speaking
of the impressment and ill usage of our seamen by the
English, calls a British man of war a " floating Pandemo-
" nium." I never felt the force of that expression until I
entered on board this floating hell.
Afjer some difficulty and delay we got ourselves and
bedding up the side of the ship ; and as our names were
called over, our bedding was served out to us. We In¬
formed the officer that there were but seventy blankets for
an hundred men : to which he replied, that he had orders to
serve out our blankets in the same proportion as they served
out our provisions. To understand this, the reader must
JOTJRXAL.
20
know that the British have been in the habit, all the war,
of giving to their prisoners a less quantity of food than to
their own men. They uniformly gave to six of us, the
same quantity which they gave to four of their own sailors.
If what they allowed to their own men was barely suffi¬
cient, what they gave to as could not be enough to satisfy
the cravings of hunger; and this we all found to be the
case.
The crew of the man of war sleep on the deck, w hich is
next under the gun deck, while our destination was on the
deck under that. It was to the ship what the cellar is to
a house. It was under water, and of course, without win¬
dows, or air holes. All the air and light came through
the hatch way, a sort of trap door or cellar way. In this
floating dungeon, we miserable young men spent our first
night, in sleepless anguish, embittered with the apprehen¬
sion of our suffering a cruel death by suffocation. Here
the black hole of Calcutta rose to my view in all its hor¬
rors; and the very thought stopped my respiration, and
set my brain on fire. In my distress, 1 stamped with my
feet, and beat my head against the side of the ship in the
madness of despair. 1 measured the misery of those
around me by what I myself suffered. Shut up in the
>dark, with ninety-nine distressed young men, like so many
galley slaves, or Guinea negroes, excluded from the bene¬
fit of the common air, w ithout one ray of light or comfort,
and without a single word expressive of compassion from
a.n> officer of the ship. I never was so near sinking into
despair T\ e naturally cling to life, but now I should
have welcomed death. To be confined, and even chained
any where in the light of the sun, is a distressing thing,
especially to very young men, but to be crowded into a
dirty hole in the dark, where there was no circulation
of air is beyond expression horrible. Perhaps my study
of the human frame, and my knowledge of the vital prop¬
erty of the air, and of the philosophy of the vital functions,
may have added to my distress. I remembered what 1 had
read and learnt in the course of my education, viz : that
every full grown person requires forty-eight thousand cu¬
bic inches of air in an hour, or one million one hundred and
fifty-two thousand cubic inches in the course of a day ; and
that if this is once received into the lungs and breathed
oat again, it cannot be breathed a second time, till it is
3
so
jOUKNAI,
mixed with the common atmospheric air. When I con¬
sidered that our number amounted to an hundred, I couhl
not drive from my mind this calculation, and the result of
it nearly deprived me of my reason. The horrors of the
If lack Hole of Calcutta have been long celebrated, because
Mnglishmen suffered aud perished in it. Now the English
Iiave more than a thousand black holes into which they
unfeelingly thrust their impressed men, and their prison¬
ers ol war. Their tenders that lay in the Thames, off
Tower-wharf are so many black holes into which they
thrust their own people, whom their press gangs seize in
the streets of London, and crowd into them like so many
live rabbits or chickens carrying in a cart to market. My
reflections on these things havegreatiy changed my opinion
of the English character in point of humanity.
After passing a wretched night, one of the petty officers
came down to us, by which event, we learnt that it was
morning. I found myself much indisposed ; my tongu®
was dry and coated with a furr; my head ached violeutly,
and I felt no inclination to take any thing but cold water.
A degree of calmness, however, prevailed among my fel¬
low prisoners. They found lamentations unavailing, and
complaints useless. Few of them, beside myself, had lost
their appetites, and several expressed a wish for some
breakfast. Preparations were soon made for this delicious
repast. The first step was to divide us into messes, six
in a mess. To each mess was given a wooden kid, or pig'
gin, as our farmers call them, because it is out of such
wooden vessels that they feed their pigs that are fatting
for the market. A t 8 o'clock one was called from each
mess, by the whistle of the boatswain's mate, to attend at
the galley, the nautical name for the kitchen and fire
place, to receive the breakfast for the rest. But what
was our disappointment to find instead of coffee, which we
were allowed by our own government at Melville prison,
a piggin of swill, for vre farmers' sons can give no other
name to the disgusting mess they brought us. This
breakfast was a pint of liquid which they call Burgoo,
which is a kind of oatmeal gruel, about the consistence of
the swill which our farmers give their hogs, and not a
whit better in its quality. It is made of oatmeal, which
we Americans very generally detest. Our people consider
ground oats as only fit for cattle, and it is never eaten by
JOURNAL.
the human species in the United States. It is said that
litis oatmeal porridge, was introduced to the British pris¬
ons by the Scotch influence,, and we think that none but
hogs and Scotchmen ought to eai it. A mess more repel-
lant to ayankee's stomach could not well be contrived. It
is said, however, that the Highlanders are very fond of it,
and that the Scotch physicians extol it as a very whole¬
some and nutritious food, and very nicely calculated for
the sedentary life of a prisoner; but by what we have
heard, we are led to believe that oatmeal is the staple
commodity of Scotland, and that the highly favored
Scotch have the exclusive privilege of supplying the mis¬
erable creatures whom the fortune of war hn.s thrown into
the hands of the English, with this national dish, so deli¬
cious to Scotchmen, and so abhorrent to an American.
Excepting this gint of oatmeal porridge, we had noth¬
ing more to eat or drink until dinner time ; when we vv«e
served with a pint of pea water. Our allowance for the
week, for it is difficult to calculate it by the day, was four
and a half pounds of bread, two and a quarter pounds of
beef or pork, one and a quarter pounds of flour, and the
liea water, which they culled " soupfive days in every
week. Now let any man of knowledge and observation
judge, whether the portion of food here allotted to each
man was sufficient to preserve him from the exquisite tor¬
tures of hunger; and perhaps there is no torture more in¬
tolerable to young men not yet arrived to their full growth.
"We had been guilty of no crime. We had been engaged
in the service of our dear country, and deserve applause
and not torture. And be it forever remembered, that the
Americans always feed their prisouers well, and treat
them with humanity.
The Regulus'f for that is the name of the ship we were
in, is, if I mistake not, an old line of battle ship, armed
en flute, that is, her lower deck was fitted up with bunks,
or births, so large as to contain six men in a birth. The
only passages for light or air were through the main and
lore hatches, which were covered with a grating, at
which stood, day and night, a sentinel. The communica¬
tion between our dungeon and the upper deck was only
through the main hatch way, by means of a rope ladder,
that could be easily cut away at a moment's warning,
should the half starved American prisoners ever conclude
JOURNAL*
to rise and take the ship, which these brave British taf^
seemed constantly apprehensive of. You may judge of
their apprehensions by their extraordinary precautions—
they had a large store of muskets in their tops to be ready
lor their marines and crew should we y&nkees drive them
from the hull to seek safety above. They had two car-
ronades loaded with grape and cannister shot on the poop,
pointing forward, with a man at each ; and strict orders
were given not to hold any conversation with the Ameri¬
cans, under the penalty of the severest chastisement.
However improbable the thing may appear, we discussed
the matter very seriously and repeatedly among ourselves,
and compared the observations we made when on deck, in
our council chamber under water. It seems that the Bri¬
tish are apprized of the daring spirit of the Americans.;
they watch them with as much dread as if they were so
many tigers.
Just before we sailed, our old friend, Mr. Miller, eamc
on board, and we were all called upon deck to hear his
last speech aud receive his blessing. We conceited that
he looked ashamed, and felt embarrassed. It is probable
that the consciousness of having told us things that were
not true, disconcerted him. He however, in a milder man¬
ner and voice than usual, told us that we were going to
England to be exchanged, while there were some in another
ship going to England to be hanged. Beside this enviable
difference in our situation, compared with those traitorous
Irishmen, who had been fighting against their king and
country, we were very fortunate in being the first selected
to go, as we should, of course, be the first to be exchanged
and sent home. He told us that he thought it probable
that we should be sent home again before spring, or at
farthest in the spring; he therefore exhorted us to be good
feoys during the passage, and behave well, and obey or¬
ders, and that would insure us kind and humane treat¬
ment ; but that if we were mutinous, or attempted to resist
lite authority of the officers, our treatment would be less
kind, and we should lose our turn in the eourse of ex¬
change, and that our comfort and happiness depended en¬
tirely on our own submissive behavior. He every now
and then gave force to his assertions by pledging his honor
that what he said was true, and no deception.
As this was probably the last time we should have an
JOURNAL.
33
opportunity of a personal communication with Mr. Agent
Miller, we represented to him that there were several of
the prisoners destitute of comfortable clothing; that the
clothes of some were not even decent to cover those parts
of the body that even our savage Indians conceal, and ho
promised to accommodate them; but we never heard any
more of him or the clothing. However it may be account¬
ed for, we saw this man part from lis with regret. It
seemed to be losing an old acquaintance, while we were
going we knew not where—to meet we knew not what.
Previous to our sailing we had applied to Mr. Mitchell,
the American agent, for a supply of clothing; but from
some cause or othef, he did not relieve the wants of our
suffering companions. Mr. Mitchell may be a very good
man"; but every good man is not fit for every station. We
had rather see old age, or decrepitude, pensioned by the
government we support, than employed in stations that
require high health and activity. Disease and infir¬
mity may check or impede the benevolent views of our
government, and cast an odium on the officers of adminis¬
tration. After all, we may find fault where we ought to
praise. It is possible that we may not have made due al¬
lowance for Mr. Miller, the British agent, and we may
have sometimes denounced him in terms of bitterness,
when he did not deserve it. Ilis general conduct, however,
we could not mistake.
On the third of September, 1813, we sailed from Hali¬
fax in company with the Melpomene, a man of war trans¬
port, armed en flute. On board of this ship were a num¬
ber of Irishmen, who had enlisted in our regiments, and
were captured in Upper Canada, fighting under the colors
of the United States of America ; or, in the language of
the English government, found fighting against their king
and country. The condition of these Irishmen was truly
pitiable. Unable to live in their own oppressed country,
they, in imitation of our fore-fathers, left their native
land to enjoy liberty, and the fruits of their labor in
another. They abandoned Ireland, where they were op¬
pressed, and chose this country, where they were protected
and kindly treated. Many of them had married in America,
and considered it their home. Here they chose to live,
and here they wished to die. As few of them had trades,
they got their living as laborers, or as seamen. The em¬
s'*
JOUHNAL.
bargoes and the war threw them out of business, and many
«jf them enlisted in our army ; that is, in the army ot the
country which they had ehosen, and had a right to choose.
Neither our nor their consciences forbade them to fight
for us, against the English and their allies, the Indians.^
in their eyes, and in the eye of our laws, ho imputation ot
crime could be attached to their conduct; yet were these
men seized from among other prisoners, taken in battle,
and sent together in one ship, as traitors and rebels to
ihf-ir country. We fled from our native land, said these
unfortunate men, to avoid the tyranny and oppression of
our British task-masters, and the same tyrannical hand
has seized ns here, and sent us back to be tried, and per¬
haps executed as rebels. Beside the privations, hunger '
!\nd miseries that we endured, these poor Irishmen had be¬
fore their eyes, the apprehension of a violent and igno¬
minious death. W hile we talked among ourselves of the
hard fate of these brave Hibernians, we were ashamed to
lament our own.
I cannot help remarking here, that the plan of retalia¬
tion determined by President Madison, merits the respect
and gratitude of the present and future generations of men.
It was litis energetic step that saved the lives, and insur¬
ed the usual treatment of ordinary prisoners of war to
these American soldiers of Irish birth. This firm deter¬
mination of the American executive arrested the bloody
hand of the British. They remembered Major Jindre,
and they recollected Sir James Jlsgill, under the adminis¬
tration of the great Washington, and they trembled for
the fate of their own officers. May eternal blessings here,
and hereafter, be the reward of Madison, for his righteous
intention to retaliate on the enemy any public punishment
that should be executed on these American soldiers, of
Irish origin. While we feel gratitude and respect to the
head of the nation for his scheme of retaliation, we cannot
suppress our feelings of disgust towards the faction in
our own country, who justified the British government ill
their conduct towards these few Irishmen, and condemned
our own for protecting them from an ignominious death. I
speak it with shame for my country, the ablest writers of
the oppositionists, and the oldest and most eelebrated
ministers of religion, employed their pens and their voices
13 condemn Mr. Madison and to justify the British dot-
JOURNAL.
trine. This is a deep stain on the character of our cler¬
gy ; and the subsequent conduct of the British, may serve
to shew these ever meddling men, that our enemies des¬
pised them and respected Madisou.
Our voyage across the Atlantic afforded but few inci¬
dents for remark. Every day brought the same distressed
sensations, and every night the same doleful feelings,
arising from darkness, stench, increased debility and dis¬
ease. l'he general and most distressing in the catalogue
of our miseries, was the almost unceasing torment of hun¬
ger. Many of us would have gladly partaken with our
father'shogs, in their hog-troughs. This barbarous system
of starvation reduced several of our kale and hearty young
men to mere skeletons. What with the allowance of the
enemy, and the allowance from our own government, in
which was good hot coffee for breakfast, we were gener¬
ally robust and hearty at Melville Island Some of our
companions might well be called fine looking fellows, when
we came first on board the Regulus, but before we arrived
on the coast of England they were so reduced and weaken¬
ed, that they tottered as they walked. It was the opinion
of us all, that one young man absolutely died for want
of sufficient food I Yes ! Christian reader, a young Amer¬
ican, who was carried on board the Regulus, man of war
transport, perished for want of sufficient to eat. In this
insufficiency of food, complaint was made to the Captain
of the Regulus, but.it produced no increase of the scanty
-allowance ; and had the common sailors possessed no more
humanity than their officers, we might all have perished
with hunger. You who never felt the agonizing torture of
hunger, can have no idea of our misery. The study of my
profession had acquainted me, that when the stomach is
empty and contracted to a certain degree, that it, in a
measure, acts upon itself, and draws all the neighbouring
organs into sympathy with its distress : this increases to
an agony that end9 in distraction ; for it is well known
that those who are starved to death, die raving distracted!
Some of us in the course of this horrid voyage could have
eaten a puppy or kitten eould we have laid hands upon
either.
Our constitutions, mind and body united, were so con¬
stantly impressed and worried with the desire of eating,
that the torment followed us in our sleep. We were eon-
3*
JOURNAL.
stantly dreaming of tables finely spread with a plenty of all
those good and savouring things with which we used to be
regaled at home, when we would wake smacking our lips,
and groaning with disappointment, 1 pretend not to
say, that the allowance was sufficient to keep some men
pretty comfortable, but it was not half enough for some
others. It is well known in common life, that one man
will eat three times as much as another. The quality of
the bread served out to us on board the flegulus, was not
fit and proper for any human being. It was old, and
more like the powder of rotten wood than bread-stuff,
and to crown all, it was full of worms. Often have I
seen our poor fellows viewing their daily allowance of
bread, with mixed sensations of pain and pleasure, with
smiles and tears, not being able to determine whether they
had best cat it all up at once, or to eat it in small portions
through the day. Some would devour all their bread at
once,worms and all, while others would be eating small
portions through the day. Some picked out the worms,
and threw them away, others eat them, saying that they
might as well eat the worm as his habitation. Some rea¬
soned and debated a long time on the subject. Prejudice
said, throw the nasty thing away, while knawing hunger
held his hand. Birds, said they, are nourished by eating
worms, and if clean birds eat them why may not man ?
"Who feels any reluctance at eating of an oyster, with
all its parts, and why not a worm ?-v...
One day while we were debating the subject, one of OHr
jack tars set us a laughing, by crying out—" Retaliation
by G—•, these d—d worms eat us when we are dead, and so
me will eat them first." This shews that misery can some¬
times laugh. I have observed that a sailor has generally
more laughter and good humour in him than is to be found
among any other class of men. Thpy have beside a great¬
er share of compassion than the soldier. We had repeat¬
ed instances of their generosity ; for while the epauletted
officers of this British ship treated us like brutes, the
common sailors would, now and then, give us of their own
allowance ; but they took care not to let their officers
know it.
The Regulus had brought British soldiers to America,
and among the rags and filth left behind them were my¬
riads of fleas. These were at first a source of vexation,
JQUENAL.
37
nut at length their destruction became an amusement.
We could not, however, overcome them; like the perse¬
cuted Christians of old times, when you killed one, twen¬
ty would seem to rise up in his place. Had I have known
■what 1 have since learnt, and had been provided with the
essential oil of peBn) royal, we should have conquered all
these light troops in a few days. A few drops of this es¬
sential oil, dropped here and there upon the blankets in¬
fested with fleas, and they will abandon the garment. The
effluvium of it destroys them.
Confined belaw, we knew little of what was goiug 012
upon deck; some of us, however, were more or less there
every day. Nothing occurred worthy notice during our
passage to England, excepting the retaking of a brig cap¬
tured a few hours before on the Grand Bank by the fri¬
gate President, Commodore Rodgers. From information
obtained from the midshipman who commanded the prize,
we learnt the course of the President, whereupon we al¬
tered ours to avoid being captured. A few hours after
this, we tell in with the Bellerophon, a British seventy-
four, who went, from our information, in pursuit of the
President. We could easily perceive that the fame of
our frigates had inspired these masters of the ocean with
a degree of respect bordering on dread. We overheard
the sailors say, that they had rather fall in with two
French frigates than one American. We thought, or it
might be conceit, that we were spoken to with more kind¬
ness at this time. I have certainly had occasion for re¬
marking, that prosperity increases the insults and hard
heartedness of the British, and that we never received so
much humane attention as when they apprehended an at¬
tack from us, as in the case of alarm at Halifax. I was
brought up, all my life, even until i left my father's house,
and came off without calculation, or reflection on this wild
adventure in a privateer, in the opinion that the English
were an humane, generous and magnanimous people, and
that none but Turks, Frenchmen and Algerines, were
cruel; but my experience for three years past has cor¬
rected my false notions of this proud nation. If they do
not impale men as the Algerines and Turks do, or roast a
man as the Indians do, and as the Inquisitors dp, they w ill
leave him to starve, and linger out his miserable days
in the hole of a ship? or in a pri*on; where the bles&eil
JOURNAl
air is changed into a poison, and where the articles giren
him to eat, are far worse in quality than the swill, with
which the American farmer feeds his hogs How can
an officer, how can any man, holding in society the rank
of a gentleman, set down to his meal in his cabin, when
he has a hundred of his fellow creatures, some of them
brought up with delicacy and refinement, and with the
feelings of gentlemen—1 say, how can he sit composedly
down to his dinner, while men, as good as himself, are
suffering for want of food There is in this conduct,
either a cold blooded cruelty, or a stupidity and want of
rejection, that does no honour to that officer, or to those
.who gave him his command.
It happened, when some of us were allowed, in our turn
to be on deck, that we would lay hold and pull or belay
a rope when needed. When we arrived at Portsmouth,
which was the fifth of October, we were visited by the
health officer ; and when we again weighed anchor to go
to tae quarantine ground, the boatswain's mate came to
tell us, that it was the captain's order, that we should
tumble up, and assist at the capstan. Accordingly three
or four went to assist; but one of our veteran t&rs bid him
to go and tell his captain, that hunger and labour were
not friends, and never would go together j and that from
prisoners who subsisted three days in a week on pea-water,
could only give him pea-water assistance. This speech
raised the temper of the officer of the deck, who sent down
some marines, who drove us all up. There was among
us a Dutchman, who was very forward in complying with
the officer's request j but being awkward and careless
withall, he differed himself to be jambed between the end
of the capstan-bar and the side of the ship, which hurt
him badly. Some of the prisoners collected round their
wounded companion, when the officer of the deck ordered
them to take the d—d blunder-headed fellow below, and
let some American take his place; but after this expres¬
sion of brutality towards the poor jambed up Dutchman,
not a man would go near the capstan, so one of their own
crew tilled up the vacancy made by the wounded Hol¬
lander.
A Mr. S- , who had some office of distinction in
Newfoundland, if I mistake not he was the first in com¬
mand of that dreary island. This gentleman, who I think
JOURNAL.
Ihey called General Smith, was passenger on hoard the
liegulus ; one day, when 1 was upon deck, he asked me
how many of the hundred prisoners could read and write.
1 told him that it was a rare tiling to find a person, male
or female, in New England, who could not write as well
as read. Then, said he, New England must be covered
with charity schools. I replied, that we had no charity
schools, or very fetv; at which he looked as if he thought
1 had uttered an absurdity. I then related in a few words
our school system. I told him, that the primary condi¬
tion of every town in Massachusetts, and 1 believed in the
other four New England States, was a reserve of land,
and a bond to maintain a school or schools, according to
the number of inhabitants; that the teachers were sup¬
ported by a tax, in the same way as we supported our
clergy; that such schosls were opened to every child,
from the children of the first magistrate down to the chil¬
dren of the constable; and that there was no distinction,
promotion or favour, but what arose from talent, industry
and good behaviour. I lold him that the children of the
poorest people, generally went to school in the winter,
while in the spring and summer they assisted their par- •
ents.
He walked about musing awhile, and then turning back,
asked me if the clergy did not devote much of their time
to the instruction of our youth—very seldom, sir—our
young students of divinity and theological candidates very
often instruct youth; but when a gentleman is once ordain¬
ed and settled as a parish minister, he never or very rarely
keeps a school. At which the general appeared surpris¬
ed. I added that sometimes episcopal clergymen kept a
school, but never the presbyterian, or congregational min¬
isters. He asked why the latter could not keep school as
well as the former; I told him, because they were expect¬
ed to write their own sermons, at which he laughed. Be¬
sides parochal visits consume much of their time, and
when a congregation have stipulated with a minister to
fill the pulpit, and preach two sermons a week, visit the
sick and attend funerals, they think he can have no time
to write sermons, they moreover consider it derogatory to
the honour of his flock to be obliged to keep a school-
when 1 told him that our clergymen bent all their force to
instructing youth in morality and religion, he said* then
40
JOURNAL.
they attempt to raise a structure before tliey lay a founda¬
tion for it He seemed very strenuous that our priests
should be employed in the education of youth, as he con¬
ceived that hired school masters had not the pious zeal
thai the. priest would have. 1 suspect, said General S.
that your priests are too proud and too lazy. I perceived
his idea was, that a school master, hired to undergo the
drudgery of teaching boys, was too much of an hireling
to fill up to the full the important duties'of a teacher;
but he judged of them by the numerous Scotch school
masters lure and there in Canada, Nova Scotia, the West
India islands and every where, teaching for money merely.
He did know that our New England school masters were
men of character and consequence. Some of our very first
men in the United States, have been teachers of youth.
At this present time some of the sons of the first inen in
Massachusetts are village school masters; that is. t?hey
keep a school in the winter vacations of the University;
some of them for the first year after leaving college.
I was much pleased with the general; and have since
learnt, that he was a very worthy and benevolent man;
and that he had paid great attention to the education of
youth in Newfoundland ; and that.it was, in a degree, his
ruling passion. I wish I had then known as much of our
school system, and of our system of public education at
our Universities, as 1 do now ; for I might have gratified
his benevolent disposition by the recital. The ignorance
of English gentlemen of the people of America, is indeed
surprising as well as mortifying. By their treatment of
us, it is evident they consider us a sort of white savages,
with minds as uncultivated, and dispositions as„ferocious
as their own allies, with their tomahawks and scalping
knives. Afterconversing with this worthy Englishman,
about the education of the common people in America, I
could not but say to myself, little do you, good sir, and
your haughty, unfeeling captain imagine, that there are
those among the hundred miserable men whom you keep
confined in the hold of your ship like so many Gallipago
turtles, and who you allow to suffer for w ant of sufficient
food ; little do you think that there are among them those
who have sufficient learning to lay the whole story of their
sufferings before the American and English people ; littl§
do you imagine that the inhumane treatment of men every
JOURNAL.
41
*vay as good as yourselves, are now recording, and will i;i
due time be displayed to your mortification.
Our sailors, though half starved, confined and broken
down by harsh treatment, always kept up the genuine
Yankee character, which is that of being grateful and
tractable by kind usage, but stern, indexible and resentful
at harsh treatment. One morning as the general and the
captain of the Kegulus were walking as usual on the quar¬
ter deck, one of our Yankee boys passed along the galley
with his kid of burgoo. He rested it on the edge of the
hatchway, while he was adjusting the rope ladder to de¬
scend with his swill. The thing attracted the attention
of the general, who. asked the man, how many of his com¬
rades eat of that quantity for their breakfast? " Si.v,
Sir," said the man, '• but it is jit food only for hugs."
This answer affronted the captain, who asked the man,
in an angry tone, " what part of America he came from ?"
" near to Bunker Hill, Sir—if you ever heard of that
'place." They looked at each other and smiled, turned
about and continued their walk. This is what the Eng¬
lish call impudence. Give it what name you please, it is
that something which will one day wrest the trident from
the hands of Britannia and place it with those who have
more humanity, if not more cultivated powers of mind.
There was a marine in the Regit 1 us, who had been wound¬
ed on boawl the Shannon in the battle with the Chesa¬
peake, who had a great antipathy to the Americans, and
ivas continually casting reflections on the Americans gen¬
erally. He one day got into a high dispute with one of
our men, which ended in blows. This man had served
on board the Constitution, when she captured the Giierriev
and afterwards the Java. After the two wranglers were
separated, the marine complained to his officer, that ha
had been abused by one of the American prisoners, and it
reaching the captain's ears, he ordered the American on
the quarter deck, and inquired into the cause of the quar¬
rel. When he had heard it all, he called the American
sailor a d—d coward for striking a wounded man. " X
am no coward, Sir." said the high spirited Yankee ; I
was captain of a gun on board the Constitution when she
captured the Guerriere, and afterwards when she took tho
Java Had 1 been a coward I should not have been there."
The captain called him an insolent scoundrel, and order-
4-
journal.
t'd him to his hole again. What the British naval com¬
manders call insolence, is no more than the undaun ei ex¬
pression of their natural and habitual indepem ence.
When a British sailer is called by his captain, in an angry
t'iue,on to the quarter deek,he turns pale and trembles, like
a thief before a countrj justice ; but not so the American ;
he, if he be innocent, speaks his mind with a firm tone and
steady countenance ; and if he feels himself insulted, he
is not afraid to deal in sarcasm. In the instances just
mentioned, Jonathan knew full well that the very name of
Hunker Hill, the Guerr'ure and the Java,.was a deep mor¬
tification to John Bull. Actuated by this sort of feeling,
the steady Romans shook the- world.
From this digression, let us return, and resume ouf
Journal. We arrived off Portsmouth the fifth ol October,
1813 ; and were visited by the health officer and ordered
to the Mother-bank, opposite that place, where vessels
ride out their quarantine. The next day the ship was fu¬
migated, and every exertion made by the officers to put her
in a condition for inspection by the health-officer. Letters
were fumigated by vinegar, or nitrous acid, before they were
allowed to go out of the ship. Their attention was next
turned to us, miserable prisoners. We were ordered to
wash, and put on clean shirts. Being informed that many
of us had not a second shirt to put on. the captain took
down the names of such destitute men, but nev#r supplied
them with a single rag.
The prisoners were now as anxious to go on shore, awl
to know the extent of their misery, as the captain of the
Iieguhis was to get rid of us. The most of us, therefore,
joined heartily in the task of cleansing the ship, and in
white-washing the lower deck, or the place we occupied.
Some, either through laziness or resentment, refused to do
any thing about; but the rest of us said, lhat it was al¬
ways customary in America, when we left a house, or a
room we hired, to leave it clean, and it was ever deemed
disreputable to leave an apartment dii ty. The ofiicers
of the ship tried to make thern, and began to threaten
them, but they persisted in their refusal, and ever* att
tempt to force them was fruitless. 1 do not myself "won¬
der lhat the British officers, so used to pronmf and eVen
servile obedience of their own men. were read* to knock
some of our obstinate, saucy fellows, on the head. Vh;*
"OUIINAL.
4o
brings to ;ny mind the concise but just observation of an
lOngtish traveller through tlie Uniter! States of America.
After saying that the inhabitants south of Che Hudson
ivere a mixed race of English, Irish, Scotch, Dutch, Ger¬
mans and Swedes, among whom you could observe no pre¬
cise national character; he adds, "but as to New-[Eng¬
land, they are all true English, and there you see one uni¬
form trait of national manners, habits and disposition.
The people are hardy, industrious, humane, obliging, ob¬
stinate and brave. By kind and courteous usage, mixed
with flattery, you can lead them like so many children al¬
most as you please but, he adds, " the Devil from h-*l,
with fire in one hand, and faggots in the other, cannot drive
them." Neither Csesar, nor Tacitus ever drew a more true
and concise character of the Gauls, or Germans, than this.
Here is seen the transplanted Englishman, enjoying " la -
dian freedom," and therefore a little wilder than in his
native soil of Albion ; and yet it is surprising that a peo¬
ple whose ancestors left England Jess than a century and
a half ago, should be so little known to the present court
and administration of Great Britain. Even the revolution¬
ary war was not sufficient to teach John Bull, that his de¬
scendants Had improved by transplantation, in all those
qualities for which stuffy John most values himself. The
present race of Englishmen are puffed up and blinded by
what they have been, while their descendants in America
are proud of what they are, and what they know they shall
he. —r-
AfteV the ship had been cleansed, fumigated and par¬
tially white washed, so as to be fit for the eye and nose of
the health officer, she was examined by him, and reported
free from contagion ! Now I conceive this line of con¬
duct not very reputable to the parties concerned. When
we arrived off Portsmouth, our ship was filthy, and I be¬
lieve contagious ; we miserable prisoners, were encrusted
with the nastiness common to such a place, as that into
which we had been inhumanly crowded. It was the duty
of the health officers and the surgeon of the Regulus,. to
have reported her condition when she first anchored, and
not have gleaned her up, and altered her condition for in¬
spection. In the American service the eaptaisj, surgeon
and health officer would have all been cashiered for such
a dereliction of honor and duty. This is the way that the
JOURNAL
British board of admiralty, the transport board, the par
liament and the people are deceived ; and this corruption;,
which more or less pervades the whole transport service,
will enervate and debase their boasted navy. We cannot
suppose that the British board of admiralty, or the trans¬
port board would justify the cruel system of starvation
practised on the brave Americans who were taken in Can¬
ada and conveyed iu their floating dungeons down the riv¬
er St. Lawrence to Halifax. Some of these captains of
transports deserve to be hanged for their barbarity to our
men, and Tor the eternal hatred they have occasioned to--
wurds their own government in the hearts of the surviv¬
ing Americans. We hope, for the honor of that country
whence we derived our laws and sacred institutions, that
this Journal will be read in England.
The Ilegulus was then removed to the anchoring place
destined for men of war; and the same night, we Mere
taken out, and put on board the Malabar store ship, where
we found one hundred and fifty of our countrymen in her
Iio!d, with no other bed to sleep on but the stone ballast.
Here were two hundred and fifty men, emaciated by a sys-
tem of starvation cooped up in a small space, with only
an aperture of about two feet square to admit tlie air, and
with ballast stones for our beds ! Although in the har¬
bor, we were not supplied with sufficient water to quench
our thirst, nor with sufficient light to see our food, or each
other, nor of sufficient air to breathe; and what aggravat¬
ed the whole, was the stench of the place, owing to a di¬
arrhoea wilh which several were affected. Our situation
was truly deplorable. Imagine to yourself, christian read¬
er ! two hundred and fifty men crammed into a place too
small to contain one hundred with comfort, stifling for
want of air, pushing and crowding each other, and exert¬
ing all their little remaining strength to push forward to
the grated hatch-way to respire a little fresh air. The
s.trongc&t obtained their wish, while the weakest were
pushed back, and sometimes trampled under foot. God
of mercy, cried I, in my agony of distress, is this a sample
of the English humanity we have heard and read so much
ef from our school boy years to manhood ? If they are a
merciful nation, they belong to that class of nations
44 whose tender mercies are cruelty."
Representations were repeatedly made to the captain
JOURNAL.
45
of the Malabar, of our distressed situation, as suffering
extremely by heat and stagnant air; for only two of us
were allowed to come upon deck at a time ; but he answer¬
ed that he had given orders for our safe treatment, and
safe keeping ; and he was determined not to lose his
ship by too much lenity. In a word, we found the fel¬
low's heart to be us hard as the bed we slept on. Soon af¬
ter, however, our situation became so dangerous and
alarming, .that one of the marine corps informed the captain
that if he wished to preserve us alive, he must speedily
give us more air. If this did not move his compassion, it
alarmed his fears ; and he then gave orders to remove
the after hatch, and iron bars fixed in its place, in order
to prevent us from forcing our way up, and throwing him.
into the sea, a punishment he richly deserved. This- al¬
teration rendered the condition of aur " black hole" more
tolerable; it was nevertheless a very loathsome dungeon :
for our poor fellows were not allowed to go upon deck to
relieve the calls of nature, but were compelled to appro¬
priate one part of our residence to this dirty purpose.
This, as may be supposed, rendered our confinement doubly
disgusting, as well as unwholesome.
1 do not recollect the name of the captain of the Mala¬
bar, and it may be as well that I do not; I only know that
he was a Scotchman. It may be considered by some as
illiberal to deal in national reflections, I nevertheless can¬
not help remarking that I have received more ill-treat¬
ment from men of that nation than from individuals of any
other; and this is the general impression of my country¬
men. The poet tells us, that
" Cowards are cruel, but the brave
" Love mercy, and delight to save."
The Scotch are brave soldiers, but we, Americans, have
found them to be the most hard hearted and cruel people
we have ever yet met with. Our soldiers as well as sail¬
ors make the same complaint, insomuch that " cruel as a
Scotchman," has become a proverb in the United States.
The Scotch officers have been remarked for treating our
officers, when in their power, with insolence, and expres¬
sions of Gontermpt; more so than the English It is said
that a Scotch officer that superintends the horrid whip¬
pings so common in British camps is commonly observed
4*
JOURXAIw
<o be more hard hearted than an English ona* It is cer¬
tain that they are generally preferred as negro-dm ers in
the West ltyilia Islands it has been uniformly remarked
that those Scotchmen who are settled on the Canada
frontiers were remarkable fbr their bitterness towards our
wen iii captivity.
We speak here of the vagrant Scotch, the fortune-hun¬
ters of the Caledonian tribe, at the same time we respect
]ier philosophers and literary men, who appear to us to
compose the first rank of writers. Without mentioning
their Ossian, Thompson and Burns, we n^ay enumerate
their prose writers, such as Hume, and the present associ¬
ation of truly learned and acute men, who write the Edin¬
burgh Revieiv. A Scotchman may be allowed to show
pride at the mention of this celebrated work. As it re¬
gards A mprica, this northern constellation of talent, shines
brightly in our eyes. The ancient Greeks, who once
straggled about Home and the Roman empire, were not
fusr specimens of the refined Athenian^.-^
Our peasantry, settled around our own frontier, and
around the shores of our lakes, have a notion that the
.Scotch Highlanders were, not long since, the same kind
nf wild, huff naked people compared with the true Eng¬
lish, that the Choctaws, Cherokees, Potfowatomies and
luckapoo Indians are to the common inhabitants of these
United States: that less than an hundred years, ago,
these Scotchmen were in the habit of making the like
scalping and tomahawking excursions upon the English
farpier, that the North American savage makes upon the
white people here. This is the idea which our common
people have of what Walter Scott ealls "the border wars "
Some of them will tell you that the Scotch c o half naked
in their own country, and wear a blanket, and kill their
enemies with a knife just like Indians. They say their
features differ from the English as much as theirs do from
ihe Indian. In a word, to suppose the Scotch highlanders
to be a race who have been conquered by the English, who.
have taught them the use of fire arms, and civilized them
in a degree to form themselves into regiments of soldiers,
and this injperfeet idea of the half savage Sawney will not
soon be corrected; and we.must say that the.general eon-
duct of this harsh and self-intereated race towards our
prisoners) will not expedite the period of correct ideas re!-«*
JOURNAL.
47
ative to the comparative condition of the Scotch ami Eng¬
lish. The Americans have imbibed 110 prejudice against
the Irish, having found them a brave, generous, jovial scl
of fellows, full of fun, and full of good kind feelings, the
very antipodes of Scotchmen, who, as it regards those
qualities, are cold, rough and barren, like the land that
gave them birth.
We moved from Portsmouth to the Nore or Noah, for I
krovv not the meaning of the word, or how to spell it.
The place so called is the mouth of the river Thames,
which runs through the capital of the British uation We
were three days on our passage. Here we were transfer^
red to several tenders, to be transported io Chatham. WH
soon entered the river Medway, which rises in Sussex, an®
passes by Tunbridge, Maidstone and Rochester, in KenS
and is then divided iiito two branches, called the east an(F
we-it passage. The chief entrance is the west, and is de¬
fended by »t$>nsidera!>5e fort, called Sheerness. In this
l iver lay a number of Russian men of war, detained here
probably by way pledge for the fidelity of the Emperor.
What gives most celebrity to this river is Chatham, a na¬
val station, where the English build and lay up their fir-st
rate men of war. Tt is but about thirty miles from Lon¬
don ; or the distance of Newport, Rhode Jsland, from the
town of Providence, We passed up to where the prison
ships lay, after dark. The prospect appeared very pleas¬
ant, as the prison ships appeared to 11s illuminated. As
we were all upon deck, we enjoyed the sight as we passed,
and the commander of the tender appeared to partake of
our pleasure. We were ordered on board the Crown
Prince prison ship ; and as our names were called over,
we were marched along the deck between two rows of
emaciated Frenchmen, who had drawn themselves up to
review us. We then passed 011 to that part of the ship
which was occupied by the Americans, who testified their
curiosity at knowing all about us, and sticking t£ their na¬
tional characteristic, put more questions to us iii ten min¬
utes, than we could well answer in as many hours. We
passed the evening and the first part of the night in mu¬
tual communications; and we went to rest with more
pleasure than for many a night before.
Our prison ship was moored in what they called Gilling-
3^ra reach. We would here remark, that the river, and
43
JOURNAL.
Thames, and Med way make, like all other rivers near to
their outlets, many turnings or bendings ; some forming a
more obtuse, and some a more acute angle with their
hanks. This course of the river compels a vessel to stretch
along in one direction, and then to stretch along in a very
different direction. What the English call reaching, we
in America call stretching. Bach of these different courses
of the river they call " reaches." They have their long
reach and their short reuch, and a number of reaches, un¬
der local, or less obvious names. Some are named after
some of their own pirates, which is here and there designat¬
ed by a gibbet; a singular object, be sure, to greet the eye
of a stranger on entering the grand watery avenue of the
capital of the British empire. But there is no room for dis¬
puting eonceiHing our tastes. The reach where ourprison
was moored was about three miles below Chatham; and
is named from the village of Gillingham. Now whether
reach or stretch be the most proper for an effort to sail
against the wind, is left to be settled by those reverend
monopolizers of all the arts and sciences, the JLpndon Re¬
viewers ; who, by the way, and we meution it pro bono
•publico, would very much inci^^/p^e their stock of knowl¬
edge and usefulness^ if they would depute a few missiona¬
ries to pass and rjpass the Atlantic iu a British transport,
containing in its black hole an hundred or two of yankee
prisoners of war. It would, if they should be so fortunate r
as to survive the voyage, make them better judges of the
character of the English nation, and of the American na¬
tion, and of that nearly lost tribe, the Caledonian nation.
- There were thirteen prison ships beside our own, all
ships of the line, and one hospital ship, moored near each
other. They were filled, principally, with Frenchmen,
Danes and Italians. We found on our arrival twelve hun¬
dred, Americans, chiefly men who had been impressed 011
board British men of war, and who had given themselves
up, with a declaration that they would not fight against
their own countrymen, and they were sent here and confin¬
ed, without any distinction made between them and "those
who had been taken in arms. The injustice of the thing
is glaring. During the night, the prisoners were confined
on the lower deck and 011 the-main deck ; but in the day
time they were allowed the privilege of the " pound," so>»
called, and the fore-castle; which was a comfortable ar-*
.rov UN Ar¬
rangement compared with the black holes of the Regulus
and Malabar. There were three officers on board our
ship, namely, a lieutenant, a sailing master, and a sur¬
geon, together with sixty marines and a few invalid, or
superannuated seamen to go in the boats. The whole was
under the command of a commodore, w hile captain Hutch¬
inson, agent fdr the prisoners of war, exercised a sort of
eoutroul over the whole ; but the butts and bounds of their
jurisdiction 1 never knew. The commodore visited each
of the prison ships every month, to hear and redress com¬
plaints, and to correct abuses, and to enforce wholesome
regulations. All written communications, and all inter¬
course by letter passed through the hands of capt. Hutch¬
inson. If the letters contained nothing of evil tendency.,
they were suffered to pass; but if they contained any thing
which the agent deemed improper, they were detained.
Complaints were sometimes made when those who wrote
thein thought they ought not.
We found our situation materially altered for the better.
Our allowance of food was more consonant to humanity
than at Halifax, mueli more to the villainous scheme of
starvation on hoard the Hegulus, and the still more exe¬
crable Malabar. Our allowance of food here was half a
pound of beef and a gill of barley, one pound and a half of
bread, for five days in the week, and one pound of cod-fish^
and one pound of potatoes, or one pound of smoked her¬
ring the other two days; and porter and small beer were
allowed to be sold to us. Boats with garden vegetables
visited the ship daily, so that we now lived in clover com¬
pared with *our former hard fare and cruel treatment.
Upon the whole, I believe that we fared as well as could
he expected, all things considered, and had such fare as
we could do very well with; not that we fared so well as
the British prisoners fare in America. Rich as the Eng¬
lish nation is, it cannot well afford to feed us as wa feed
the British prisoners; such is the difference of the two
countries in point of cheap food. On thanksgiving day,
and on Christmas days, and such like holy days, we used
to treat these Europeans with geese, turkies and plumb
pudding. Many of these fellows declared that they never
in their lives sat down to a table to a roasted turkey, or
even a roasted goose. It is also a fact, that when the
time approached for drafting the British prisoners to sejid
JOURSAr-.
to Halifax to exchange tliem for our own men. several e-f
the patriotic P^nglishmen, and many Irishman, ran away,
and when taken showed as much chagrin as our men
would have felt, had they attempted lo desert and run
home from Halifax prison, and had been seized and
brought back ! This is a curious fact, and worthy the at¬
tention of the British politician." -Jin .American, in Eng¬
land,' pines to get home ; while an Englishman and an Irish¬
man longs to become an American citizen. Ye wise men
of England, the far famed England, the proud island
•whence we originally sprang, ponder well this fact ; and
confess that it will finally operate a great change in our
respective countries, and that your thousand ships, your
vast commerce, and your immense (factitious) riches can¬
not alter it. This inclination, or disposition, growing lip
in the hearts of that class of your subjects who are more
disposed to follow the bent of their natural appetites than
to cultivate patriotic opinions, will one day hoist our " bits
of striped bunting" over those of your now predominant
flag, and you, long sighted politicians, see it as well as I
do. The hard fare of your sailors and soldiers, the
scoundrelism of some of your officers, especially those con¬
cerned in your provision departments ; but above all your
shocking cruel punishments in your navy and in your army,
have lessened their attachment to their native country.
England has, from the beginning, blundered most wretch¬
edly, for want of consulting the human heart, in prefer¬
ence to musty parchments; and the equally useless books
on the law of nations. Believe me, ye great men of Eng¬
land, Scotland, Ireland and Berwick upon Tweed ! that
one chapter from the Law of Human JVature, is worth
more than all your libraries on the law of nations. Be¬
side, gentlemen, your situation is a new one. No nation
was ever so situated and circumstanced as you are, with
regard to us, your descendants. The history of nations
does not record its parallel. Why then have recourse to
hooks, or maritime laws, or written precedents. In the
code of the law of nations, you stand in need of an entirely
New Chapter. We Americans, we despised Americans,
are accumulating, as fast as we well can, the materials
for that chapler. Your government began to write this
chapter in blood, and for two years past wc co-operated
with you in the same way. Nothing stands still within
nj-e-trri x A L .
Ike^pefiTframe of nature. On every sublunary filing mu-
,^-tauihty is written. Nothing can arrest the destined
course of republics and kingdoms.
^ " Westward the course of empire takes its way."
It is singular that while the Englishman and Irishman
are disposed to abandon tiieir native countries to dwell
with ns in this new world, the Scotchman has rarely shown
that inclination. No—Sawney is loyal, and talks as big
of his king, and his country, as would an English eountry
squire, surrounded by his tenants, his horses, and his dogs.
It is singular that the Laplander, and the inhabitant of
Iceland, are as much attached to their frightful countries,
as the inhabitant of Italy, France or England ; and when
avarice, and the thirst for a domineering command leads
the Scotchman out of his native rocks and barren hills, and
treeless country, he talks of it as a second paradise, and
as the ancient Egyptians longed after their onions and
garlics, so these half dressed, raw-boned mountaineers,
talk in raptures of their country, of their bag-pipes, their
singed sheep's head, aud their 4i haggiss." The only way
that I can think of, by way of preventing the hearts blood
of Old England from being draiued oft" in America, is to
people Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with Scotchmen,
where they can raise a few sheep for singeing and for
haggiss; and where they can wear their Gothic habit and
be indulged in the luxury of the bag-pipe, enjoy over again
their native fogs, and howling storms, and think them¬
selves at home. Nature seems to have fixed the great ar¬
ticles of food in Nova Scotia to fish and potatoes ; this
last article is of excellent quality in that country. Then
let these strangers, these hostes, these antipodes to the
Americans, man the British fleet, and fill up the ranks of
their armies, and mutual antipathy will prevent the dread¬
ed coalition. %
But i hasten to return from these people to my prison
ship. Among other conveniences, we had a sort of a shed
erected over the hatch-way, on which to air our ham¬
mocks. This was grateful to us all, especially to those
whose learning had taught them the salutiferous effects of
a free circulation of the vital air. It is surprising, that
after what the English philosophers have written concern¬
ing the property of .the. atmospheric air; after what
JOURNAL.
Koy'e, Mayhew, Hales and Priestley liave written on this
subject ; and after what they ha\e learnt from (he history
of the Calcutta black hdte-; and after what Howard has
taught them concerning prisons and hospitals, it is sur¬
prising that in 1813, the commanders of ships in the Eng¬
lish service, should be allowed to thrust a crowd of men
into those hideous black holes, situated in the bottom of
their ships, far below the surface of the water. I have
sometimes pleased myself with the hope that what is here
written may contribute to the abolition of a practice so
disgraceful to a nation ; a nation which has the honor of
first teaching mankind the true properties of the air; and
of the philosophy of the healthy construction of prisons
and hospitals; and one would suppose of healthy and con¬
venient ships, for the prisoner as well as for their own
seamen.
Our situation, in the day time, was not unpleasant for
prisoners of war. Confinement is disagreeable to all men,
and very irksome to us, yankees, who have rioted, as it
were, from our infancy, in a sort of Indian freedom. Our
situation wa"5 the most unpleasant during the night. It
w as the practice, every night at sun-set, to count the pris¬
oners as they went down below; and then the hatch-ways
are all barred down and locked, and the ladder of commu¬
nication drawn up; and every other precaution that fear
inspires adopted, to prevent our escape, or our rising upon
flur prison keepers ; for they never had half the apprehen¬
sion of the French as of the \mericans. . They said the
French were always busy in some little mechanical em¬
ploy, or in gaming, or in playing the fool; but that the
Americans seemed to be on the rack of invention to escape,
or to elude some of the least agreeable of their regulations.
In a word, they cared but little for the Frenchmen : but
were in constant dread of the increasing contrivance, and
persevering efforts of us Americans They had built
around the sides of the ship, and little above the surface
of the water, a stage, or flooring, on which the sentries
walked during the whole night, singing out, every half
liour, " all's well." Beside these sentries marching
around the ship, they had a floating-guard in boats, row¬
ing around all the ships, during the live long night.
Whenever these boats rowed past a sentinel, it was his
duty to challenge them, and theirs to answer; and this
journal.
was done to ascertain whether they were French or
American boats, come to surprise, and carry by boarding,
the Crown Prince ! We used to laugh among ourselves at
this ridiculous precaution. It must be remembered, that
we were then up a small river, within thirty-two miles of
Loudon, and three thousand miles from our own countiy.
However," a burnt child dreads the fire," and an English¬
man's fears may tell him, that what once happened, may
happen again. About one hundred and fifty years ago,
viz. in 1667, the Dutch sent one of their admirals up
the river Medway, three miles above where %e now lay,
and singed the beard of John Bull. He has never entirely
-got over that fright, but turns pale and trembles ever
xinee, at the sight, or name of a republican.
• CHAPTER III.#
Our prison-ship contained a pretty well organized com¬
munity. We were allowed to establish among ourselves an
internal police for our own comfort and self-government.
And here we adhered to the forms of our own adored con¬
stitution ; for in place of making a King, Dukes and
Lords, we elected a President and twelve Counsellors,
who, having executive as well legislative powers, we calied
Committee men. But instead of four years, they were to
hold their offices but four weeks : at the end of which a new
set were chosen, by the general votes of all the prisoners.
It was the duty of the president and his twelve counsel¬
lors, to make wholesome laws, and define crimes, and
award punishments. We made laws and regulations res¬
pecting personal behavior, and personal cleanliness, which
last we enforced with particular care; for we had some
lazy, lifeless, dirty fellows among us, that required at¬
tending to like children. They were like hogs, whose
delight it is to eat, sleep and wallow in the dirt, and never
work. We had, however, but very few of this low cast;
and they were, in a great measure, pressed down by some
chronical disorder. It was the duty of the president and
tlie twelve committee men, or common council, to define,
5
54
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'^fecisely, every act punisliahle by fine, whipping, or con¬
finement in tJie black hole. 1 opposed, with all my might,
this iast mode of punishment as unequal, inhuman, and
disgraceful to our national character. I contended that
we, who had suffered so much, and complained so loud oi
the black hole, of the Regulus, Malabar, and other floating
dungeons, should reject, from an humane principle, this
horrid mode of torment. I urged, as a medical man, that
the punishment of a confined black hole, was a very une¬
qual mode of punishment; for that some men of weak
lungs and debilitated habit, might die under the effects of
that which another man could bear without much distress.
I maintained that it was wicked, a sin against human na¬
ture, to take a well man, put him in a place that should
destroy his health, and, very possibly, shorten his days,
by engrafting on him some incurable disorder. Some, en
the other side, urged, that as we were in the power of the
British, we should not be oneivil to them ; and that our
rejection of the punishment of the black hole might be
construed into a refreetion on the Englisli government; so
we suffered it to remain in terrorem, with a strong recom¬
mendation not to have recourse to it, but in very extraor¬
dinary cases. This dispute plunged me deep into the phi¬
losophy of crimes and punishments; and 1 am convinced,
on mature reflection, that we, in America, are as much too
mild in our civil punishments, as the British are too se¬
vere. By what 1 have heard, I have inferred, that the
Hollanders have drawn a just line between both.
We used to have our stated as well as occasional courts.
Beside a bench of judges, we had our orators, and ex¬
pounders of our laws. It was amusing and interesting to
see a sailor, in his round short jacket, addressing the com¬
mittee, or bench of judges, with a phiz as serious, and
■with lies as specious as any of our common lawyers in Mas¬
sachusetts. They would argue, turn and twist, evade, re¬
treat, back out, renew the attack, and dispute every inch
of the ground, or rather the deck, with an address that
astonished me. The surgeon of the ship said to me, one
day, after listening to some of our native salt water plead¬
ers, " these countrymen of yours are the most extraordi¬
nary men I ever met with. While you have such fellows
as these, your country will never lose its liberty." I re¬
plied, that this tirni ibr legislation arose from our being
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&H taught to read and write. " That, alone, did not give
them," said he, " this acuteness of understanding, antl
promptness of speech. It arises," said lie, with great
justness, " frotn fearless liberty/'
I have already mentioned that we had Frenchmen in
this prison-ship. Instead of occupying themselves with
formiug a constitution, and making a code of laws, and
defining crimes, and adjusting punishments, and holding
courts, and pleading for, and against the person arraign¬
ed, these Frenchmen had erected billiard tables, and row-
letts, or wheels of fortune, not merely for their own
amusement, but to allure the Americans to hazard their
money, which these Frenchmen seldom failed to win.
These Frenchmen exhibited a considerable portion of
ingenuity, industry and patience, in their little manufac¬
tories of bone, of straw, and of hair. They would work
incessantly, to get money, by selling these trifliug
wares; but many of them had a mueh more expeditious
method of acquiring cash, and that was by gaining at the
billiard tables, and the w heels of fortune. Their skill and
address at these apparent games of hazard were far supe¬
rior to the Americans. They seemed calculated for
gamesters ; their vivacity, their readiness, and their ever¬
lasting professions of friendship, were nicety adapted to
inspire confidence in the unsuspecting American Jack Tar,
who has no legerdemain about him. Most of the prisoners
Mere in the way of earning a little money; but almost all
of them were deprived of it by the French gamesters. Our
people stood no chance with them, but were commonly
stripped of every cent, whenever they set out seriously to
play with them, llow often have 1 seen a Frenchman ca¬
pering, and singing, and grinning, in consequence of his
stripping one of our sailors of all his money; while our
solemn Jack Tar was either scratching his head, or trying
to whistle, or else walking slowly off, with both hands
stuck in his pocket, and looking like John Bull, after con¬
cluding a treaty of peace with Louis Baboon.
I admire the French, and wish their nation to possess
and enjoy peace, liberty and happiness ; but 1 cannot say
that 1 love these French prisoners. Beside common sail¬
ors, there are several officers of the rank of captains, lieu¬
tenants, and. I believe, midshipmen ; and it is these that
are the most adroit gamesters. We have all tried hard to
JUUKXAi,i
respect them; but there is something in their conduct §&
mueh like swindling, that 1 hardly know what to say of
them. When they knew that we had received money for
the work we had been allowed to perform, they were very
attentive* and complaisant, and flattering. Some had
been, or pretended to have been, in America. They would
come round and say, ah ! Boston fine town, very pretty—.
Cape Coil fine town, very fine. Town of Rhode Island su-
perh. Bristol ferry very pretty. General Washington
ires grand homme! General Madison brave hornme! With
these expressions and broken English, they would accom¬
pany, with their monkey tricks, capering and grinning,
and patting us on the shoulder, with, the Americans are
Ibrave men—fight like Frenchmen ; and by their insinuat¬
ing manners, allure our men once more to their wheels of
fortune and billiard-tables, and as sure as they did, so sure
did they strip them of all their money. I must either say
nothing of these Frenchmen, officers and all, or else I
must speak as I found them. I hope they were not a just
sample of their whole nation ; for these gentry would ex¬
ercise every imposition, and even insinuate the thing that
is not, the more easily to plunder us of our hard earned
pittance of small change. Had they shown any generosi-
Jy like the British tar, I should have passed over their
conduct in silence ; but after they had stripped our men of
every farthing, they would say to them—" Monsieur, you
have won all our money, now lend us a little change to
get us some coffee and sugar, and we will pay you when
we shall earn more." " Ah, Mon Ami," says Monsieur,
shrugging up his shoulders, " I am sorry, very sorry, in¬
deed ; it is le fortune du guerre. If you have lost your
money, you must win it back again ; that is the fashion in
my country—we no lend, that is not the fashion." I have
observed that these Frenchmen are fatalists. Good luck,
or ill lack is all fate with them. So of their national mis¬
fortunes ; they shrug up their shoulders, and ascribe all
to the inevitable decrees of fate. This is very different
from the Americans, who ascribe every thing to prudence
or imprudence, strength or weakness. Our men say, that
if the game was wrestling, playing at ball, or foot-ball,
or firing at a mark, or rowing, or running a race, they
should be on fair ground with them. Our fellows offered
\<3 institute this game with them; there should be a strong
JOURNAL.
57
canvass bag, with two pieces of cord four feet Ions ; Hie
contest should be, for one man to put the other in the hag,
with the liberty of first tying* his haads, or his feet, or bolh
if he chose. Here would be a contest of strength and
hardihood, but not of cunning or legerdemain. But the
Frenchmen all united in saying, " No, it was not the fash¬
ion in their country to tie gentlemen up in sacks."
There were here some Danes as well as Dutchmen. It is
curious to observe their different looks and manners,
which I can hardly believe to be owing, entirely, to the
manner of bringing up. Here we see the thick skulled
plodding Dane, making a wooden dish ; or else some of
the most ingenious making a clumsy ship: while others
submitted to the dirtiest drudgery of the hulk, for money ;
and there we see a Dutchman, picking to pieces tarred
ropes, which, when reduced io its original form of hemp,
they call oakum ; or else you see liiiu lazily stowed away
in some corner, with his pipe, surrounded with smoke, and
steeping his senses in forgetftilness while here and
there, and every where, you find a lively singing French¬
man, working in hair 5 or carving out of a bone, a lady, a
monkey, or the central figure of tire crucifixion! Among
the specimens of American ingenuity, I most admired
their ships, which they built from three to five feet long.
Some of them were said, by the navy-officers, to be perfect
as regarded proportion, and exact, as it regarded the min¬
iature representation of a merchantman, or sloop of war.
By the specimens of ingenuity of these people of different
iiations, you could discover their respective ruling pas¬
sions.
Had not the French proved themselves to be a very
brave people, I should have doubted it, by what I observ¬
ed of them on board the prison-ship. They would scold,
quarrel and fight, by slapping each other's chops with the
flat hand, and cry like so many girls. I have often thought
that one of our yankees, with his iron fist, could, by one
blow, send monsieur into his nonentity. Perhaps such a
man as Napoleon Bonaparte, could make any nation cour¬
ageous 5 but there is some difference between courage and
bravery. 1 have been amused, amid captivity, on observ¬
ing the volatile Frenchman singing, dancing, fencing,
grinning and gambling, while the American tar lifts his
hardy front and weather beaten countenance, despising
5.*
(hem all, but the dupe of them ; just about as much dis*
posed to squander his money among girls and fiddlers, as
the English sailor ; but never so in love with it, as to study
the arts and legerdemain to obtain it. I have, at times,
wondered that the hard fisted yankee did not revenge im¬
positions on the skulls of some of these blue-skinned sons
of'the old continent. Is there not a country, where there
is one series or chain of impositions, from the Pope down¬
wards ? There is no such thing in the United States.
That is a country of laws ; and their very sailors are al!
full of rights and wrongs ; of justice and injustice ; and of
defining crimes, and ascertaining the butts and bounds of
national and individual rights.
It was a pleasant circumstance, that I could, now and
then obtain some entertaining books. I had read most of
Bean Swift's works, but had never met with his celebrat¬
ed allegory of John Bull, until I found it on board this
prison-ship. 1 read this little work with more delight
than 1 can express. I had always heard the English na¬
tion, including king, lords, commons, country squires, and
merchants, called " John Bull" but I never before knew
lliat the name originated from this piece of wit of Dean
Swift's. Now I learnt, for the first time, that the English
king, court and nation, taken collectively, were character¬
ized under the name of John Bull / and that of France un¬
der the name of Louis Baboon ; and that of the Dutch of
JVYc/c Frog; and that ef Spain under Lord Strul; that
the church of England was called John's Mother ; the par¬
liament his wife; and Scotland his poor ill-treated, raw-
boned, mangy Sister Peg. While I was shaking my sides
at the comical eharacteristical painting of the witty Dean
of St. Patrick, the Frenchmen would come around me t»
know what the book contained, which so much tickled my
fancy ; they thought it was an obscene book, and wished
some one to translate it to them : but all they could get out
of me was the word " John Bull and Louis Baboon !"
It is now the 3ofh of November a month celebrated to
a proverb in England, for its gloominess. We have had
a troubled sky and foggy for several weeks past. The
pleasant prospect of the surrounding shores has been ob¬
scured a great portion of this month. The countenances
of our companions partake of onr dismal atmosphere. It
has even sobered our Frenchmen ; they do not sino* ami
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caper as usual; nor do they su ing; their arms about, and
talk with strong emphasis of every trifle. The thoughts
of liome obtrude upon us ; and we feel as the poor Jews-
felt on the banks of the Euphrates, when their task-mast¬
ers and prison-keepers insisted on their sinking a song*
"We all hung up our fiddles, as the Jews did their harps,
and sat about, here and there, like barn-door fowls, when
molting.
Our captivity on the banks of the river Medway, bor¬
dered with willows, brought to my mind the plaintive song
of the children of Israel, in captivity on the banks of the
river Euphrates, which psalm, among others, I used to
sing with my mother and sisters, on Sunday evenings,
when an innocent boy, and long before the wild notion of
rambling, from a comfortable and plentiful home, came
into my head. It is the 137th Psalm, Tate and Brady's
version.
When we our weary limbs to rest
Sat down by proud Euphrates' stream,
We wept, with doleful thoughts opprest.
And Salem was our mournful theme.
Our harps, chat, when with joy we sung,
Were wont their tuneful parts to bear,
With silent strings, neglected hung,
On willow-trees, that wither'd there.
Meanwhile our foes, who all conspir'd.
To triumph in our slavish wrongs,
Music and mirth of us requir'd,
"Come sing us one of Zion's songs."
How shall we tune our voice to sing ?
Or touch our harps with skilful hands ?
Shall hymns of joy to God, our King,
Be sung by slaves in foreign lands ?
O, Salem! Our once happy seat!
When I of thee forgetful prove,
Let then my trembling hand forget
The speaking strings with art to movei
I, to mention thee, forbear,
Eternal silence seize my tongue !
Or if I sing one^cheerful air,
Till my dcliv'ranee is my song:.
CHAPTER IV.
I come now to a delicate subject : and shall speak
accordingly, with due caution; I mean the character and
conduct of Mr. Beady, ihe American Agent for prisoners.
He resides in the city of London, thirty-two miles from
this place. There have been loud and constant complaints
made of his conduct towards his countrymen suffering con¬
finement at three thousand miles distance from all they
hold mosl dear and valuable, and he but half a day's jour¬
ney from us. Mr. Beasly knew that there were some
thousands of his countrymen imprisoned in a foreign land
for no crime, but for defending and fighting under the
American flag, that emblem of national independence, and
sovereignty ; if he reflected at all he must have known
these countrymen of his were in general, thinking men;
men who had homes, and " fire places." He knew they
had, some of them, fathers and mothers, wives and chil¬
dren, brothers and sisters in the United States, who liVed
in houses that had " fire places,'' and that they had, ia
general been brought up iu more ease and plenty than the
same class in England ; he knew they were a people of
strong affections to their relatives, and strong attachments
to their country ; and he might have supposed that some
of them had as good an education as himself; he must,
or ought to have thought constantly that they were suf¬
fering imprisonment, deprivations and occasionally sick¬
ness in a foreign country, where he is specially commis¬
sioned and placed to attend to their comfort, relieve, if
practicable their wants, and to be the channel of commu-
iiication between them and their families. The British
commander, or Commodore of all the prison ships in this
river visited them all onee a month, and paid good atten¬
tion to all their wants.
When we first arrived here, we wrote iu a respectful
style to Mr. Beasly, as the Agent from our government for
the prisoners in England. We glanced at our sufferings
at Halifax j and stated our extreme sufferings on the pas¬
sage to England, and until we arrived in the river Med-
way. We remarked that we expected that the govern¬
ment of the United States intended to treat^l&iMiitizens in
captivity ia a foreign land all equally alike£./We reprc-
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sented to him that we were, in general destituteof cloath-
ing, and many conveniences, that a trifling sum of money
would obtain; that we did not doubt the good will, and
honorable intentions of our government; and that he doubt¬
less knew of their kind intentions towards us all.—But he
never returned a word of answer. We found that all those
prisoners, who had been confined here at Chatham from
the commencement of the war bore Mr. Beasly an inveter¬
ate hatred. They accuse him of an unfeeling neglect, and
disregard to their pressing wants. They say he never
visited them but once, and that then his conduct gave more
disgust than his visit gave pleasure. Where there is
much smoke there must be some fire. The account they
gave is this—that when he came on board, he seemed fear¬
ful that they would come too near him, he therefore request¬
ed that additional sentries might be placed on the gang¬
ways, to keep the prisoners from coming aft on the quar¬
ter deck. He then sent for one of their number, said a few
words to him relative to the prisoners ; but not a word of
information in answer to the questions repeatedly put to
liim ; and of Which we were all very anxious to hear. He
acted as if he was afraid that any questions should be put
to him; so that without waiting to hear a single complaint,
and without waiting to examine into any thing respecting
their situation, their health, or their wants, he hastily took
his departure, amidst the hooting and hisses of his coun¬
trymen, as he passed over the side of the ship.
Written representations of the neglect of this nominal
agent for us prisoners were made to the government of the
United States, which we sent by different conveyances ;
but whether they ever reached the person of the Secretary
we never knew. Several individuals among the prisoners
wrote to Mr. Beasly for information 011 subjects in which
their comfort and happiness were concerned, but received
no answer. Once indeed a letter was received from his
clerk in an imperious style, announcing that no notice would
be taken of any letters from individuals, (which was pro¬
bably correct) but those only that were written by the
committee collectively. The Committee accordingly wrote,
but their leiter was treated with the same silent neglect.
This desertion of his countrymen in their utmost need, ex¬
cited an universal expression of disgust if not resentment*
Cut off from their own country, surrounded only by ene-
63
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Snies, swindled by their neighbours, winter coming on, and
no clothing proper for the approaching season, and the
American agent for themselves and other prisoners, with¬
in three or four hours journey, and yet abandoned by him
to the tender mercies of our declared enemies, it is no won¬
der that our prisoners detested, at length, the name of
Beasljv We made every possible allowance for this gen¬
tleman ; we said to each other he may have no funds ; he
inay have the will but not the power to help us; his com¬
mission, and his directions may not extend so high as our
expectations; still we could make no excuse for his
inot visiting us, and enquiring, and seeing for himself our
real situation. He might have answered our letters, and
encouraged us not to despair but to hope for relief; he
might have visited us as often as did the English Commo¬
dore, which was once in four weeks; but he should not
have insulted our feelings, the only time he did visit us,
and humble and mortify us >11 the view of the Frenchmen,
who saw, and remarked that our agent considered us no
wore than so many hogs. The Emperor Napoleon has
visited some of his hospitals in cog. has viewed the situa¬
tion of the sick and wounded, examined their food and
eaten of their bread, and once threw a cup of wine in the
face of a steward, because he thought it not good enough
for the soldier ; but—some of our agents are men of more
consequence, in their own eyes, than Napoleon !
uring the war it was stated to our government that
six thousand two hundred and fifty-seven seamen had been
pressed and forcibly detained on board British ships of
war. Events have proved the correctness of this state¬
ment ; and this slavery has been a subject of merriment,
and a theme for ridicule among the federalists. They say
it makes no more difference to a sailor what ship he is on
board than it does to a hog what stye he is in Others not
quite so brutal, have said—hush! it may be so; but we
must bear it; England is mistress of the Ocean ; and her
existence depends on this practice of impressment; her
naval power must be submitted to—give us merchants
commerce, and these Jack tars will take care of them¬
selves ; for it is not worth while to loose a profitable 'rade
for the sake of a few ignorant sailors, who never hud any
rights, and who have neither liberty, property or homes*
hut what we merchants giye to them!
JOVTLTSXt.
«3
The American seamen on board the Crown Prince, were
chiefly men who had been impressed into the British JV'avy
previous to the war ; but who, on hearing of the Decla¬
ration of war against Great Britain by the people ot' the
United States, gave themselves up as prisoners of war;
hut instead of being directly exchanged, the English Gov¬
ernment thought it proper to send them on board these
prison ships to be retained there daring the war, evidently
to prevent them from entering into our own navy. It should
be remembered that they were all citizens of the United
States sailing in merchant ships ; and yet the merchants,
at least those of Boston, and the other New-England sea¬
ports, have very generally mocked the complaints of im¬
pressed seamen, and derided their representations, and
have even denied the story of their impressment. Even
the Governor of Massachusetts (Strong) has affected in his
public speeches to the Legislature to represent this crying
outrage, as the mere groundless clamor of a party oppos¬
ed to his election! Whether groundless or not, I will
venture to assert that the names of many of the leading
federalists in Massachusetts, and a few others will never
be forgotten by the inhabitants of the prison ships at Chat¬
ham, at Halifax, and in the West Indies.
We are now at peace, and the tide of party has so far
slackened, that we can tell the truth without the suspicion
of political, or party designs. I shall relate only what I
have collected from the men themselves, who were never
in the way of reading onr newspapers, or of hearing of the
speeches of the friends of the British in Congress, or in
our State Legislatures.—I think I ought however, here to
premise, that my family were of that party in Massachu¬
setts called Federal; that is, we voted fer Governor Strong,
and federal Senators and Representatives ; our Clergyman
was also federal and preaehed and prayed federally, and
we read none but federal newspapers, and associated with
none but federalists ; of course we believed all that Gover¬
nor Strong said, and approved all that our Senators and
Representatives voted, and believed all that was printed
in the Boston federal papers. The whole family, and my*
self with them, believed all that Colonel Timothy Picker¬
ing had written about impressment of seamen, and about
the weakness and wickedness of the President and adtnin*
istration; we believed them all to be under the pay and
JOrBNAl/
influence of Bonaparte, who we knew was the first Lien-
tenant of Satan. We believed all that was said about
*' Free trade and sailors' rights,'' was all stutl and nonsense,,
brought forward by the Hepublicans, whom we called De¬
mocrats and Jacobins to gull the people out of their liber¬
ty and property, in order to surrender both to the Tyrant
of France. We believed entirely that the war was unne¬
cessary and wicked, and declared with no other design but
to injure England and gratify France. --We believed also
that the whole of the administration, and every man of the
Republican party, from Jefferson and Madison, down to
our — was either fool or knave. If we did not believe that
every republican was a scoundrel, we were sure and cer¬
tain that every scoundrel was a republican. In some
points our belief was as strong and as fixed as any in the
papal dominions ; for example—we maintained stiffly that
Governor Strong, Lieut. Gov. Phillips, H. G. Otis, and
John Lowell and Francis Blake, Esqrs. were, for talents,
knowledge, piety and virtue, the very first men in the
United States, and ought to he at the head of the nation ;
or—to express it all in one word, as my sister once did,
" Federalism is the politics of a gentleman, and of a lady,
Init Republicanism is the low cant of the vulgar of such
men as your Tom Jeffersons, Jim Madisons, and John
Adams', and Col. Monroe's.
With these expanded and enlightened ideas of men and
things, did I, Perigrinus Jlmericanus, quit my father's
house of ease and plenty, to make a short trip in a Priva¬
teer, more for a frolic than for any thing serious, being
very little concerned whether 1 was taken or not, provided
my capture would be the means of carrying me among the
people who I had long adored for their superior bravery,
magnanimity, religion, knowledge, and justice j which
opinions I had imbibed from their own writers, in verse
and prose. Beside the federal newspapers, I had dipped
into the posthumous works of Fisher Ames, enough to in¬
spire me with adoration of England, abhorrence of France,
and a contempt for my own country ; or to express it all
in fewer words, I was a Federalist of the Boston stamp-
These are the outlines of my preconceived opinions, which
I carried with me into Melville Prison, at Halifax. I
ivas not the only one by many, who entered that abode of
misery with similar notions. How* of\en have I wished
JOURNAL,
that Governor Strong? and his principal supporters, were
here with us, learning wisdom, and acquiring just notions
of men, things and governments.
But to return from the Governor and Council, and oilier
great men of Massachusetts, to the British prison ship at
Chatham —The British had been in the habit of pressing
the sailors from our merchant ships, ever since the year
4759. The practice was always abhorred, and often re¬
sisted, and sometimes even unto death. We naturally in¬
ferred that, with our independence, we should preserve
the persons of our citizens from violence and deep dis¬
grace ; for, to an American, a whipping is a degradation
worse than death. Since the termination of the war with
England, which guaranteed our independence, the British
never pretended to impress American citizens; but pre¬
tended to the right of entering our vessels, and taking from
them the natives of Britain or Ireland, and this was their
general rule of conduct ;—they would forcibly board our
vessels, and the hoaTding-offieer, who was commonly a
lieutenant, completely armed with sword, dirk, and load¬
ed pistols, would muster the crew, and examine the per¬
sons of the sailors, as a planter examines a lot of negroes
exposed for ksale ; and all the thin, puny, or sickly men,
he allowed to be Americans—but all the stout, hearty,
red cheeked, iron fisted, crispy haired fellows, were de¬
clared to be British ; and if such men showed their cer¬
tificates of citizenship and place of birth, they were pro¬
nounced forgeries, and the unfortunate men were dragged
over the side into the boat, and forced on board his float¬
ing prison. Not a day in the year, but there oceurerd
such a seene as this ; and to our shame be it spoken, we
endured this outrage on man through the administration
of Washington, Adams and Jefferson, before we declared
war, to revenge the villany. If an high spirited man,
thus kidnap'd, refused to work, he was first deprived of
victuals; and if starvation did not induce him to work, he
was stripped, and tied up. and whipped like a thief !—and
many a noble spirited fellow suffered this accursed pun¬
ishment. If he seized the first opportunity, as he ought,
-to run away from his tyrants, and was taken, he was se¬
verely whipped ; and for a second attempt tho punishment
■was doubled, and for a third, he was hanged, or shot.
It happened on our declaration of war, chiefly on account
6
63
JOURNAL.
of (.his atrocious treatment of the sailors, that thousands of
our countrymen had been impressed into theBritish navy and
more or less were found in almost every ship ; most of these
informed their respective captains, that being American cit¬
izens, they could not remain in the service of a nation, to
aid them in killing their brethren, and in pulling down the
flag of their native country. They declared, firmly, that
it was fighting against nature for a man to fighl against
Iiis native land, the only land to which he owed a natural
duty. Some noble British commanders admired their pat¬
riotic spirit, and permitted them to quit their ships and go
to prison ; while other captains, of an opposite and igno¬
ble character, refused to hear their declarations, and or¬
dered them to return to w hat they called their dvty;
which they accompanied with threats of severe punish¬
ment if they disobeyed. .Rut some, whose noble spirits
"w ould have honored any man, or station, adhered to their
jirst determination, not to jight against their own brothers,
or aid in pulling doiun the flag of their nation. These
■were immediately put in irons, and fed on scanty allow¬
ance of bread and water: for if any thing can bring dawn
the high spirit of an hearty young man. it is the slow tor-
lure of hunger and thirst; when it was found that this had
not the effect of debasing the American spirit, the young
sufferer was brought upon deck, and stripped to his waist,
and sometimes lower, and — Oh ! my pen cannot write it
ior indignation I resentment, and a righteous revenge
shakes my hand with rage,while I attempt to record the act
of villainy. Yes, my countrymen and my countrywomen, our
noble minded young men, brought up in more ease and
plenty than half the officers of a British man of war, are
violently stripped, and tied fast and immoveable by a rope,
to a cannon, or to the iron railing of wiiat is called the
gang-way, and when;he is so fixed as to stretch the skia
and muscles to the utmost, he is whipped-by a long, heavy
and hard knotted whip, four times inor.e formidable and
lieavy than the whip allowed to be used by the carters,
truck, or carmen, 011 their horses. AVith this heavy and
knotted scourge, the boatswain's mate, who is generally
^elected for his strength, after stripping off his jacket that
lie may strike the harder, lashes this young man, on his
delicate skin, until his back is cut from his shoulders to
Zvis waist! Few nien?.o.f qrdinary feelings of humanity,
JOURNAL.
could bear to see, without great emotion, even a thief, or a
robber so severely punished. But what must be the feel-
sngs of an American, to see such a cruel operation upon the
hody of his countryman, of his mess-mate and companion?
We will venture to say, that if a dog, or an horse, were
tied fast to a post, in any street of any towu in America,
and lashed with such an heavy knotted whip, swung by
the strong arm of a vigorous man, although their skins
were covered and defended by their hair, or fur, we do not
believe that the inhabitants would see it inflicted on the
poor beast, without carrying the whipper before a magis¬
trate, to answer to the law for his cruelty. Yet what is
the whipping of a beast, devoid of reason, and covered
with fur, to this severe operation upon the delicate skin
and flesh of one of our young men ? And all, for what ? For
nobly maintaining and upholding the first and great prin¬
cipal of our nature. Yet has this heroism of our enslaved
seamen been overlooked, and even derided by the federal
merchant and the federal politician, and the federal mem¬
ber of congress, and the federal clergyman ! Some of our
brave fellows have been brought upon deck every punish¬
ing day, and undergone this horrid punishment three or
four times over, until the crews of the men of war were
disposed to cry out shame, upon their own olhcers. Some
of our poor fellows could not sustain these repeated tor¬
tures, which is not to be wondered at, and have finally
gone to work as soon as they recovered from their barba¬
rous usage. Others, of firmer frames and firmer minds,
have wearied out their persecutors, whose infernal dispo¬
sitions they have defied, and triumphed over; such have
been sent out of the ship into our prison-ships; and here
they are to tell their own story, to show to their country¬
men the everlasting marks of their tormenters, the British
navy officers. With what indignation, rage and horror,
have I seen our brave fellows actuated, w hile one of these
heroes of national rights, and national character, has been
relating his sufferings, and showing his degrading scars,
made 011 his body by the accursed whip of a boatswain's
mute, by order of an infamous captain of the Hriiish navy J
You talk of peace, friendship and cordiality with the na¬
tion from whom most of us sprang. It- is well. pern *ps,
that the two nations should he at peace *, hut
can you ever expect cordiality to subsist between our im-
03
J0UBXAL
pressed and cruelly treated sailor,and a British navy officer:'
It is next to impossible. Our ill treated sailor, lacerated
in his flesh, wounded in his honor, and debased by the
slavish hand of a boatswain's mate, never can forget the
barbarians : nor ever can, nor ever ought to forgive them.
The God of nature has ordained that nations should be
separated by a difference of language, religion, customs,
and manners, for wise purposes; but where two great na¬
tions, like the English aud American, have the same lan¬
guage, institutions and manners, he may possibly have al¬
lowed the devil to inspire one with a portion of his own
infernal spirit of cruelty, in order to effect a separation,
and keep apart two people, superficially resembling each
other.
It may be for good and wise purposes, in the order of
Providence, thai there should be a partition wall between
ns and Britain. We have had to deplore that three
thousand miles of ocean is not half enough ; for avarice,
fashion and folly, are continually drawing us together;
and these often drown the still small voice of patriotism,
%vhose language is, " Come out of her, O my people!"
'There is nothing that tends so strongly to keep us asundel'
-as the different dispositions of the two people. The
Americans are a kind, humane, tender-hearted people, as'
free from cruelty as any nation upon earth ; and possess¬
ing as much generosity towards an enemy they have van¬
quished, and who is at their mercy, as any people to be
found on the records of the human kind. Their laws ex¬
press it; the records of their courts prove it; the history
of the war illustrates it; and 3 hope that all our actions
declare it. We may change, atnd become as hard hearted
arid cruel as the English. It may be that we are now in
the chivalrous age, or period of our nation, which is the
generous, youthful stage of a nation's life; this may pass
siway, and we may sink into the cold, phlegmatic, calcu¬
lating cruelty of the present Britons ; and become, like
them, objects of hatred to our own descendants. What¬
ever we may, in the course of degeneration, become, we
assert it, as an incontrovertible fact, that the Britons
are now, and have been for many generations past, vast¬
ly our inferiors on the score of polished humanity. .On
rhis subject we would refer the reader to the history of
England, written by eminent Englishmen and Scotchmen?
JOURNAL.
60
am! to Shakespeare's historical plays, and to the records
of their courts, the annals of Newgate, and of the Tower,
and to their penal eotle, generally; but above all, to their
horrid military punishments, in their army and in their
navy; and then contrast the whole with the history of
America, of her courts, and of her army and navy punish¬
ments.
When the Algerines captured some of our vessels, and
made slaves of the crew, a very high degree of sensibility
was excited. It was the theme of every newspaper and
oration, and the subject of almost every conversation. The
horrors of Algerine slavery was considered as the ne plus
ultra of human misery ; but it has so happened, that we
have many sailors returned again to their country? who
have been enslaved at Algiers, and have been impressed
and detained on board British men of war, and afterwards
thrown into their prison-ships. The united opinion of
these people is, that the Algerine slavery is much more
tolerable than the British slavery. The Algerines make
the common sailors work from six to eight hours in the
day, but they give them good food, and enough of it, and
lodge them in airy places ; and always employ the officers
according to their rank, whereas the British seem to take
a delight in confounding and mixing together, the officers
with their men. As to their punishments among them¬
selves, they will cut off a man's head, and strangle him
with a bow-string, in a summary manner ; but a Turk, or
Algerine, would sicken at the sight of a whipping in the
navy, and in the army of the christian king of England.
There is no nation upon this globe of earth that treats its
soldiers and sailors with that degree of barbarity common
to tiieir camps, garrisons and men of war; for what they
lack in the number of lashes on board a ship, they make
up in the severity of infliction, so as to render the punish¬
ment nearly equal to the Russian knout.
If any one is curious to see British military flogging
treated scientifically, I would refer him to chapter xii,
vol. 2d, of Dr. R. Hamilton's Duties of a Regimental Sur¬
geon, from page -22, to 8& The reading of it is enough
to spoil an hungry man's dinner. We there read of the
suppuration and stench that follows after seven or eight
hundred lashes ; and that some men have complained that
ifs offensiveness was almost equal to the whipping* We
,70
there read of (he surgeon discharging a pound and a hui£
of matter from an abscess, formed in consequence .tf a
merciless punishment. The reader may also be entertain¬
ed with the discussion, whether it is best to wash the cats
elear from the blood, (for the executiouers lay on twenty-
five strokes, and then another twenty-five, and so on, till
the nine hundred, or a thousand, ordered, are finished) or
■whether it is best to let the blood dry on the knots of the
whip, in order to make it cut the sharper. There, too,
yon may learn the advantage of having the naked wretch
tied fast and firm, so that he may not wring and twist
about to avoid the torture, which, he says, if not attended
to, may destroy the sight, by the whip cutting his eyes, or
his cheeks and breasts may be cut for want of this precau¬
tion, He says, however, that in those regiments who pun¬
ish by running the gauntlet, it is almost impossible to pre¬
vent the man from being cut from the nape of the neck to
liis hams. You will there find a description of a neat con¬
trivance, used at Gibraltar, which was compounded of the
stocks and the pillory. The soldiers legs were held firm
in two apertures of a thiek plank, while his body and head
•were- bent down to a plank placed in a perpendicular dU
reetion, to receive the man's head, and two more apertures
to confine his arms. In this immoveable posture, human,
beings, Englishmen, Irishmen and Scotchmen, have had
•iheir flesh lacerated for more than half an hour! But the
Doctor informs ns that the men did not like this new con¬
trivance, as it checked their vociferation and injured their
lungs ; so it was discontinued, and they returned again to
the halberts, where their hands were tied up over their
heads. Some of these poor wretches have been known to
gnaw the flesh of their own arms, in the agonies of torture.
Americans! think of these barbarities, and bless the
memories of those statesmen and warriors, who have sep¬
arated jou as a nation from a cruel people, who have nei¬
ther bowels of compassion, or any tenderness of feeling,
for t! e soldier or the sailor. They value thera and care
,fo? them on (he same principle that we value a horse and
110 more, merely as an animal that is useful to them. I
itave for some time believed that America would be the
s;vave of the British character. Our free presses dare
speak of their military whippings, without fearing the
punishment inflicted on the Editor ol'their Political Re.£*-
iiter.
JOURNAL.
Those pressed men liberated from the British men of
war, and sent on board this ship, the Crown Prince, that
is, sent from one prison to another, are large, well made,
line looking fellows, for such they usually select a9 Eng¬
lishmen. Some of them were men of colour. The follow¬
ing anecdote does honor to the character of Sir Sidney
Smith, as well as to that of our brave tars. Sir Sidney
•was then off Toulon. On the news reaching the crew that,
the United States had declared war against England, all
the Americans on board had determined not to fight against,
their country, or aid in striking its flag; they therefore
asked permission to speak with Sir Sidney, who permitted'
them to come altogether on the quarter-deck; they told,
him they were all Americans by birth, and impressed
against their will into the British service, and forcibly
detained, that although they had consented to do the du¬
ties of Englishmen on board his ship, they could not fight
against their own country. " Nor do I wish you should,"
was the answer of this gallant knight. On being remind¬
ed by one of his officers, that they were nearly all petty
officers, he observed to them, tlva.t they had been promot¬
ed in consequence of their good behaviour ; and that if
they could*, asthe hoped they would, reconcile themselves-
to the service, he should continue to promote them, and
reward their good behaviour. They thanked him ; but
assured him that it was against tkeir principles, as Amer¬
icans, and against a sense of duty towards their beloved
country, to fight against their brethren, or to aid in pulling
down the emblem of their nation's sovereignty. He prom¬
ised to report the business to his superiors, and turning
to one of his officers, said, I wish all Englishmen were as
strongly attached to their country, as these Americans are*
to theirs.
Another instance of a British commander, the opposite
of this, is worth relating. I give it as the sufferer related-
it to us all, and as confirmed by other testimony beside his
own. The man, declared himself to be an American, and
as such, asked for his discharge. The captain said he
lied, that he was no American, but an Englishman, and:
that he only made this declaration to get his liberty ; and
he ordered him to be severely whipped ; and on every pun¬
ishing day, he was asked if he ^till persisted in calling
himself an American? and in refusing to do duty ? The
jocr
man obstinately persisted. At length the captain became
enraged to a high degree ; he ordered the man to be strip¬
ped, and tied up to the gratings, and after threatening him
with the severest flogging that was in his power to inflict,
lie asked the man if he would avoid the punishment, and
do his duty? 44 Yes," said the noble sailor, " I will do
my duty, and that is to blow up your ship the very first op¬
portunity in my power " This was said with a stern
countenance, and a corresponding voice. The captain
seemed astonished, and first looking over his larboard
shoulder, and then over his starboard shoulder, said to his
officers, this is a damn'd queer fellow ! 1 do not believe he
is an Englishman. 1 suppose he is crazy ; so you may
unlash him, boatswain ; and he was soon after sent out of
that ship into this prison-ship. This man will carry the
marks of the accursed cat to his grave !
O, ve Tories ! ye Federalists, ye every thing but what
you should be, who have derided the sufferings of the sail¬
or, and mocked at his misery—had you one half of the he¬
roic virtue that filled and sustained the brave heart of
this noble sailor, you would cease to eulogize these ty¬
rants of the ocean, or to revile your own government for
drawing the sword, and running all risks to redress the
wrongs of I he oppressed sailor. The cruel conduct of the
British ought to be trumpeted throughout the terraqueous
globe ; but we would feign eover over, if possible, the de¬
pravity of some few of our merchants and politicians, who
regard a sailor in the same light as a truckman does his
horse.
Several of these impressed men have declared, that in
looking back on their past sufferings, on board English
men of war, and comparing it with their present confine¬
ment at Chatham, they feel themselves in a Paradise.
The ocean, the mirror of heaven, is as much the element
of an American as of an Englishman. The great Crea¬
tor has given it to us, as well as to them ; and we will
guard its honor accordingly, by chasing cruelty from its
surface, whether it shall appear in the habit of a Briton,
or an Jllgerine.
-JOUIISA.L
CHAPTER V.
It is now (lie last day of the year 1813 ; ami we lire
pretty comfortably. Prisoners of war, confined in an oltl
man of war hulk, must not expect to sleep on beds of down,
Of to fare sumptuously every day, as if we were at home
with our indulgent mothers and sisters. All things taken
into consideration, I believe wc are nearly as well treated
here, in the river Medvvay, as the British prisoners are in
Salem or Boston ; not quite so well fed with fresh meat,
and a variety of vegetables, because this country does not
admit of it ; but we do suffer, as we did at Halifax, and
above all, as we suffered on board the floating dungeons;
the transports, and store-ship Malabar.
Ail the Frenchmen are sent out of the ship, excepting
about forty officers, and these are all gamblers, ready and
willing and able to fleece us all, had we ever so much mo¬
ney. I wonder that the prison-ship police has not put
down this infamous practice. It is a fomenter of almost
all the evil passions, of those particularly which do the
least honor to the human heart. Our domestic faction
liave uttered a deal of nonsense about a French influence
in America. By what I have observed here, I never can
believe that the French will ever have any influence t&
speak of, in the United States. We never agreed with
them but in one point, and that was in our hatred to the
English There we united cordially ; there we could fight
at the same gun, and there we could mingle our blood to¬
gether. The English may thank themselves for this.
They, with their friends and allies, the Algerines and the
Savages of our own wilderness, have made a breach in
that great christian family, whose native language was
the English, which is every year growing wider ami wider.
January, 4814.—YVe take two or three London newspa¬
pers, and through them know a little what is going for¬
ward in the world. We find by them that Joanha South-
cote, and Molenaux, the black bruiser, engross the atten¬
tion of the most respectable portion of John Bull's family.
Not only the British officers, but the ladies wear the or¬
ange colored cockade, in honor of the Prince of Orange,
and because the Dutch have takeu Holland. The yel¬
low, or orange co!or; is all the rage j it has beea even.
JOURNAL.
extended to the clothing of the prisoners. Our sailors
say that it is because we are under the command of a yel¬
low Admiral, or at least a yellow Commodore, which is
about the same thing.
About this time there came on board of us a recruiting
sergeant, to try to enlist some of our men in the service of
the Prince Regent. He offered us sixteen guineas ; but
he met with no success. Some of the men 44 bi>red" him
pretty well. We had a very good will to throw the slave
overboard, but as we dare not, we contented ourselves with
telling him what a flogging the Yankees would give him
and his platoon, when they got over to America.
About five hundred prisoners have recently arrived in
this " reach,'' from Halifax. There are between one hun¬
dred and fifty and two hundred of Colonel Boestler's men,
who were deceived, decoyed, and captured near Beaver
Dams, 011 the twenty-third of June, 1813. These men were
principally from Pennsylvania and Alaryland. It is diffi¬
cult to describe their wretched appearance ; and as diffi¬
cult to narrate their suffering on the passage, without get¬
ting into a rage, inconsistent with the character of an im¬
partial journalist.
To the everlasting disgrace of the British government,
and of a British man of war, be it known, that these mis¬
erable victims to hardheartedness, were crowded together
in the blaek hole of a ship, as we were, just like sheep ia
a sheep-fold. They allowed but two to come upon deck
at a time. They were covered with nastiness, and over¬
run with vermin, for these poor creatures were not allowed
to wash their clothes or themselves. O, how my soul did
abhor the English,- when I saw these poor soldiers! It is
no wonder that people w ho only see and judge of the
Americans by the prisoners, that they conceive us to be a
horde of savages. They see us while prisoners, in the
most degraded and odious light that we ever before saw
or felt ourselves in, J can easily conceive how bad and
seamy food, dirt, vermin, and a slow chronical disease, or
low spirits, may change the temper and character of large
bodies of men. I would advise all my countjymen, should
it ever be their hard lot to be again in British bondage, to
exert themselves to appear as clean and smart in their per¬
sons as their situation ' will possibly admit. I believe a
soldier feels more of tJbe martial spirit when in uniform.
JOURNAL.
75
tlian in a loose drab coat. The same feeling may exfenil
to a judge in his robes, and to a parson in his gown. They
all may feel braver, more consciencious, and pious. for
this 44 outward and visible sign," of what the inward
ought, to be.
These poor soldiers were, of all men among ns, the most
miserable ; they had suffered greatly for want of good and
sufficient food ; as six of them had to feed on that quanti¬
ty which the British allowed to four of their own men.
% what we could gather, the most barbarous, the most
unfeeling neglect, and actual ill treatment, was experi¬
enced on board the Nemesis. This ship seems, like the
Malabar, to be damned to everlasting reproach. I forgot
to enquire whether her Captain and her Surgeon were
Scotchmen.
We turn with disgust and resentment from such ships
as the Regulus, the Malabar, and the Nemesis, and men¬
tion with pleasure the Poictiers, of 74 guns The captain
and officers of this ship behaved to the prisoners she
brought, with the same kindness and humanity, as I pre¬
sume the captain, officers and erew of an American man
of war would towards British prisoners. They consider¬
ed our men as living, sensitive beings, feeling (he incon¬
veniences of hunger and thirst, and the pleasure of the
gratifications of these instinctive appetites; they seemed
to consider, also, that we were rational beings ; and it is
possible they may have suspected that some of us might
have had our rational and improvable faculty increased by
education ; they might, moreover, have thought that we
had, like them,-the powers of reminescence, and the same
dispositions to revenge ; or they might not have thought
much on the subject, but acted from their own generous
and humane feelings. I wish it were in my power to re¬
cord the names of the officers of the Poictiers. Of this
ship we can remark, that she-had long been on the Amer¬
ican station, long enough to know the American charac¬
ter, and to respect it. Her officers had a noble specimen
ef American bravery and humanity, when the American
sloop Wasp took the British sloop Frolic, and both were
soon after taken by the Poictiers. The humane, and we
dare say, brave Capt. Beresford, has the homage of re¬
spect for his proper line of conduct towards those Ameri¬
ca as whom the fortune of war put under his command.
i'OuRVAt.
We drank the healths, in the best beer wc ?> '
the Captain, officers and crew, of his Britannic Majestj s
line of' battle ship, Poicciers.
It may be tedious to our readers, especially if they be
British, but we cannot yet leave the subject of the inhu¬
man Ireatment of the American prisoners of war, while
on their passage from Halifax to Chatham. The condi¬
tion of the soldiers was the most deplorable. Some of
these men were born ir, the interior, and had never seen the
salt ocean ; they enlisted in Boestler's regiment, and were
taken by the British and Indians, somew here between fort
George and York, the capital of Upper Canada. They
were pretty much stripped of their clothing, soon after
they were taken, and their march to Montreal was con¬
ducted with very little regard to their feelings; but wheA
sick, they were well attended to by the medical men of the
enemy; their passage from Quebec to Halifax, down the
river St. Lawrence, was barbarous. They suffered for
victuals, cloths, and every other conveniency. The men
say that they had more instances of real kindness from the
Jnd ians, than from the British. But on their passage
across the atlantic, their situation was horrible, as maybe
well supposed,when it is considered that these soldiers had
never been at sea, and of course could not shift, and shirk
about, as the sailors call it, as could the seamen; they
were of course, sea sick; and were continually grooping
and tumbling about in the dark prison of a ship's hold.
They suffered a double portion of misery compared with
the sailors, to whom the rolling of the ship in a gale of
wind, and the stench of bilge-water, were matters of no
grievance; but were serious evils to these landsmen, who
were constantly treading upon, or running against, and
tumbling over each other. Many of them were weary of
their lives, and some layed down dejected in despair, hop¬
ing never to rise again. Disheartened, and of course sick,
these young men became negligent of their persons, not
earing whether they ever added another day to their
wretched existence, so that when they came on board the
prison ship, they were loathsome objects of disgust. A
mother could not have known her own son; nor a sister
her brother, disguised and half consumed as they were
with a variety of wretchedness. They were half naked'
afltl it was now the middle of winter, and within thirty
journal.
miles of London, in the nineteenth century, an era famous
for biitle societies, for missionary and humane societies and
for all the proud boastings of christian and evangel¬
ical virtue ; under the reign of a king and prince, renowned
for their liberality and magnanimity towards Frencu cath¬
olics, (bul not Irish ones,) and towards Ferdinand the big¬
ot. his holiness the Pope, and the venerable institution of
the holy Inquisition. Alas ! poor old John Bull, thou art
in thy dotage, with thy thousaud ships in the great salt
ocean, and thy half a dozen victorious ones in the serpen¬
tine river, alias the splendid gutter dug out in Hyde Park
for the amusement of British children six feet high. Can
the world wonder that America, in her present age of
chivalry, should knock over these doting old fellows, and
make them the derision of the universe.
I can no otherwise account for this base treatment of
the Americans, than by supposing that the British gov¬
ernment had concluded in the summer and autumn of t.3!3,
that America could not stand the tug of war with Eng¬
land, that Madison was unpopular, and that the federal¬
ists, or British faction in America, were prevailing, espe¬
cially in New-England ; and that, being sure of conquest,
they should oommence the subjugation of the United States
hy degrading its soldiery and seamen, as they have the
"Rrave Irish. They may have been led into this error by
our federal newspapers, which are generally vehicles of
misinformation. The faction may impede and embarrass
for a time, but they never can long confine the nervous
arm of the American Hercules.
Candor influences me to confess, tljat there were more
attempts than one, to rise and take these men of war trans¬
ports I find that several experiments were ihade, but,
that they were always betrayed, by some Englishman, or
Irishman, that had crept into American citizenship. I
hope the time is not far off, when we shall reject from our
service every man not known absolutely to have been born
in the United States. Whenever these foreigners get
drunk, they betray their partiality to their own country,
and their dislike of ours. I hope our navy never will be
disgraced or endangered by these renegadoes. Every man
is more or less a villain, who fights against his own coun¬
try. The Irish are so ill treated at heme, th?t it is no
wonder they quit their native soil> for a laud of luore lib-
JOURNAL.
<;rly and plenty ; and they arc often faithful to the coun¬
try that adopts (hem : but never trust an Englishman, and
above all a Scotchman. It is a happy circumstance that
America wants neither. She had rather have one English
manufacturer than an hundred English sailors. We la¬
bor under the inconvenience of speaking the same lan¬
guage with the enemies of our rising greatness. 1 know by
mv own personal experience,that English books, published
since our revolutionary war, have a pernicious tendency
in anglifying the pure American character. 1 have been
amused in listening to the wrangling conversation of an
English, Irish and American sailor, when all three were
half drunk ; and this was very often the case during this
month of January, as many of our men who had been in
the British naval service, received payment from the gov¬
ernment ; and this hi led our abode with noise, riot, confu¬
sion, and sometimes fighting. The day was spent in gam¬
bling, and the night in drunkenness : for now all would
attempt to forget their misery, and steep their senses in
jbrgetfulness. The French oilicers among us, seldom in¬
dulged in drinking to excess. Our men said they kept so¬
ber in order to strip the boozy sailor of his money, by gam¬
bling.
While the Frenchmen keep sober, the American and
English sailor will indulge in their favorite grog. In
this respect, I see no difference between English and
American. Over the can of grog, the English far forgets
all his hardships and his slavery—yes, slavery; for where
is there a greater slavery among white men, than that of
impressed Englishmen on board of one of their own men
of war ? The American, over his grog, seems equa lly
happy, and equally forgetful of his harsh treatment. The.
Englishman, when his skin is full of grog, glows with
idolatry for his country, and his favorite lass ; and so
does the American : The former sings the victories of
Bembow, Howe, Jervase, and Nelson ; while the latter
sing the same songs, only substituting the names of Pre¬
ble, Hull, Decatur, and Bainbridge, Perry and Macdon-
ough. Our men parodied all the English national songs.
" Rule Britannia, rule the waves," was " Utile Columbia
Stc. " God save great George, our King,"" was sung by
ossr boys, " God save great Madison for every thing
like federalism was banished from our heart? and ears ;
J0U11NAL.
whatever we were before, we were all staunch Mailisoni-
aus in a foreign land. The two great and ruling passions:
among the British sailors and the American sailors, seem¬
ed precisely the same, viz. love of their country, and love
of the fair sex. These two subjects alone entered into all
their songs, anil seemed to be the only dear objects of their
souls, when half drunk. On these two strings hang all
our nation's glory : while, to my surprize, I found, or
thought 1 foHnd, that the love of money was that string
which vibrated oftenest in a Frenchman's heart : but i
may be mistaken ; all the nation may not be gamblers.-**
Remember, politicians, philosophers, admirals, and gen¬
erals, that Love and Patriotism are the two, and 1 almost
sai/1 the only two passions of that class of men, who are
destined to carry your flag in triumph around the terra¬
queous globe, by skilfully controlling the powers of the
w inds, and of vapor.
One word more, before I quit this national trait. The
English naval muse, which I presume must be a Mermaid,
half woman and half fish, has, by her simple, and half the
time nonsensical songs, done more for the British flag than
all her gunnery, or naval discipline and tactics. This in¬
spiration of the tenth muse, with libations of grog, have
actually made the Knglish believe they were invincible on
the ocean, and what is still more extraordinary, the French
and Spaniards were made to believe it also. This belief
constituted a magical circle, that secured their ships from
destruction, until two American youth, Isaac Hull, from
Connecticut, and Oliver H. Ferry, from Rhode Island,
broke this spell by the thunder of their cannon, and anni¬
hilated the delusion. Is not this business of national
songs a subject of some importance ? Love and Patriotism,
daring amplification, with here and there a dash of the
supernatural, are all that is requisite in forming this na¬
tional band of naval music. We all know that " Yankee.
Doodleis the favorite national tune of America, although
it commenced with the British officers and Tories, in de¬
rision, in the year 1775. When that animating tune is
struck up in our Theatres, it electrifies the pit and the
tipper galleries When our soldiers are marching to that
tune, they " (read the air.'' " With that tunc," said
Gen. M—, the same gallant officer who took nine pieces
of cannon from the British, planted on an eminence, at the
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battle of TCridgewater—" with that tune, these felloM*
Mould follow ine into hell, ami pull the Devil by the nose.'"
For want of native compositions, we had sung British
songs until we had imbibed their spirit, and the feelings
and sentiments imbibed in our youth, are apt to stick to
us !iro»a;h life. It is high time we had new songs put in
our mouths.
Unless we attend to the effects of these early impres¬
sions. it is almost incredible, the number of false notions
tl ti we imbibe, and carry to our graves. A considerable
jKuiy in the United States have sung Nelson's victories,
until those victories seemed to be their own. Even on the
day of the celebration of the Peace, the following Ode was
sung in the hall of the University of Cambridge. It was
written by the son of the keeper of the State Prison, in
Massachusetts.
one, $c.
COLUMBIA and Britannia
Have ceafed from Warfare wild ;
No more in battle's rage they meef,
The parent and the child.
Each gallant nation now lament
The heroes -who have died.
But the brave, on the wave ^
Shall yet in friendship ride,
To bear Br itanni a's ancient nam:,
And swell Columbia's pride.
The flag-staff of Columbia
Shall be her mountain Pine;
Her Commerce on the foaming sea
Shall be her golden mine.
Her wealth from every nation borne,
Shall swell the ocean wide,
And the brave, on the wave, &c.. &c.
To Britain's Faith and Prowess,
Shall distant nations bow,
The Cross upon her topmast head,
The Lion at her prow.
No haughty foe shall dare insult,
No Injidel deride ;
For the brave, on the vfltve, &c. &c.
Tor now the kindred nations
Shall wage the fight no more ; i
No more in dreadful thunder dash
The billows to the shore :
Save when in firm alliance bound
Some common foe defied ;
Then the brave, on the wave, See. See-.
JOURNAL.
O L
This captivity in a foreign laud, has been to me a season
of thoughtfulness. Sometimes I thought I was like a des¬
pised Jew, among the sons of the modern Babylon, which
I might have sunk under but for the first principles of a
serious education; for I was born and educated in the
state of Massachusetts, near an hundred miles from Bos¬
ton. The subject of education has greatly occupied my
mind, and I rejoiced that I was born in that part of the
United States, where it is most attended to. It is an in¬
jury to our national character, that most of the books we
read in early life, were written by Englishmen ; as with
their knowledge we imbibe their narrow prejudices. The
present war has, in a degree, corrected this evil, but time
alone can effect all we wish.
A dispute arose1 between us and our commander, rela¬
tive to the article of bread, which served to show Kug'ish-
men how tenacious we, Americans, are on what we consid¬
er to be our rights.
Whenever the contractor omitted to send us off soft
bread, provided the weather did not forbid, said contrac¬
tor forfeited half a pound of bread to each man. The pris¬
oners were not acquainted with this rule, until th:?y were
informed of it by the worthy captain Hutchinson : and
(hey determined to enforce the regulation on the next act.
of delinquency of the contractor. This opportunity soon
occurred. The contractor omitted to send us oft' soft
bread in fair weather; our commander, Mr. O. thereupon
ordered us to be served with hard ship bread. This wa
declined accepting, and contended that the contractor-was
bound to send us off the soft bread, with an additional ha.K'
pound, which he forfeited to us for his breach of punctu¬
ality. Now the contractor had again and again incurred
tiiis forfeiture, which went into Sir O's pocket, instead of
our stomachs, and this ma!-practice we were resolved- to
correct. Our commander then swore from the teeth.ou'f»
wards, that if we refused L-is hard bread, we should have
none; and we swore from the teeth, inwardly, that -we
would adhere to our first declaration, and maintain our
rights. Finding us obstinate, he ordered us all to be driv¬
en into the pound by the marines, and the ladder drawn
up. Some of the prisoners, rather imprudently, cast soriie
reflections on Mr. O. and his family ; in consequence of
^hiciu he ordered us all to be driven below and the iiatdi-
7*
JO U iliS
es closed upon us; and he represented to the commodore
that the prisoners were in a state of mutiny He was so
alarmed that he sent the female part of his family onshore
for safety, and requested a reinforcement of marines. At
the same time we made a representation to the commo¬
dore, and stated our grievances, in our own way, and we
demanded the extra half pound of soft bread, forfeited by
the contractor. In all this business we were as fierce and
as stubborn, and talked as big as a combination of collegi¬
ans, to redress bad commons. We remained in this situ¬
ation two days ; one from each mess going on deck for a
supply of water, was all the intercourse we had with our
superiors. During all this time, we found we had got hold
of the heaviest end of the timber. We found it very hard
contending against increasing hunger, and should have
been very glad of a few hard biscuit. Some began to grow
slack in their resistance ; and even the most obstinate al¬
lowed their ire to cool a little. To lay sach an embargo
on our own bowels was, be sure, a pretty tough piece of
self-denial; for we found, in all our sufferings, that bread
was, literally, the staff of life. We were about taking the
general opinion by a vote, whether it was best to eat hard
biscuit, or starve r Just as we were about taking this im¬
portant vote, in which, 1 suspect, we should have been
unanimous, the commodore and capt. Hutchinson came oil
hoard to inquire into the cause of the dispute ; and this
lucky and well timed visit, saved our credit, and estab¬
lished the yankee character for inflexibility, beyond all
doubt or controversy. These two worthy gentlemen soon
discovered that Mr. O. had made representations not alto¬
gether correct. They therefore ordered the hatches to be
taken off, and proper bread to be served out, and so the
dispute ended.
What added to our present satisfaction was, that Mr.
my Lord Beasly was to allow us two pence half penny
sterling per day, for coffee, tobacco, &c. We now, to use
the sailor's own expressive phrase, looked up one or two
points nearer the wind than ever.
This Mr. O. had been in the royal navy from his infan¬
cy, and now, at the age of ±5, ranks no higher ja
lieutenant. He once commanded a sloop, and had the ehar~
a(Mer of severity. He had an amiable wife and many
children, who lived in the prison ship. Lieut. O. was DotT
JOUHNAL.
the wisest man in all England. He exercised his cunning;
in making money out of his station, but he was under the
immediate controul of two honorable gentlemen, other¬
wise we should have felt more instances of his revenge
than he dared at all times show.
CHAPTER VI.
It is now the last day of February, 1S14. The severity
of an English winter, which is generally milder than the
winters of New England, is past; and we are as comfort¬
able as can be expected on board a prison ship ; we have
a few cents a day to buy coffee, sugar or tobacco; add to
these, we have the luxury of newspapers, which is a high
gratification to the well known curiosity of a genuine Yan¬
kee, by which cant term we always mean a New England
man. We have been laughed at. hy the British travel¬
lers, for our insatiable curiosity ; but sueh should remem¬
ber, that their great moralist, Johnsou, tells us that curi¬
osity is the thirst of the soul, and is a never-failing mark
«f'a vigorous intellect. The Hottentot has no curiosity—
the wooiiy African has uo curiosity—the vacant minded
Chinese has no curiosity—but the brightest sons of Old
England and New, are remarkable for it; insomuch that
they are often the dupes of it. How many thousand guin¬
eas a year are acquired by artful foreigners, in feeding
this appetite of our relation, the renowned John Bull? and
yet he is never satisfied ; his mouth is open still, and so
wide, very lately, that Bonaparte had like to have been
swallowed tip by it, suite and all !
We should have taken, perhaps, more satisfaction in the
perusal of these newspapers, had they not been so excess¬
ively expensive. We took the Statesman, the Star, and
fields Weekly (Messenger ; and some part of the time, the
Whig. The expense of the Statesman was defrayed by
the sale of green fish to the contractor The Star was
taken by the Frenchmen; the Whig and Bell's Weekly
Messenger, by individuals. We pai l twenty-eight shill¬
ings sterling per month, for the btatesman, which is twice
S> JOURNAL.
4
the price of a newspaper in Boston, for a whole year. Be¬
sides, it cost us sixteen shillings per month to get these pa¬
pers conveyed 011 board. The reader will probably say, in
the language of Dr. Franklin's allegory, that considering
our destitute condition, " we paid dear for our whistle.
These newspapers were smuggled, or pretended to he smug¬
gled : (.ur commander's pocket was not the lighter for New
England " quidnunc-ism." But every day afforded instances
of meanness ; scraping misery to the bone, for a few pence.
The United States is the region of all regions of the
earth for newspapers. There are more newspapers print¬
ed in the United States, than in all the rest of the ivorld be¬
sides. We do not mean a greater number of copies of the
same title, but a greater number of different titles ; inso¬
much, that invention is nearly exhausted to afford them
new names. In E ngland, newspapers pay a very high
tax ; in America, they are perfectly free, and their trans¬
port by the mails is nearly so ; and this is because our gov¬
ernment, that is to say, the people, consider newspapers
one of the necessaries of a yankee's life. In the definition
of a New England man, you should always insert that he
is " a go to meeting animuL and a newspaper reading ani¬
mal 1'' TIte sEuns which we poor prisoners paid far one
English newspaper a year, would have paid the board of
a man in t he interior of our own plentiful country.
I thought that, at this time, we were as happy, or as
free from misery, as at any time since our captivity. The
pleasant season was advancing, the days growing longer,
and the nights shorter, and our condition seemed improv¬
ing, when a dreadful calamity broke out upon us ; I mean
the Small pox. There are no people on the face of the
earth, who have such a dread of this distemper as the peo¬
ple of New England. Their laws and their municipal reg¬
ulations prove this. No person can remain in his own
house with this disorder ; but certain municipal officers
take charge of him, and convey him to the small pox hos¬
pital, provided by the laws for the reception of such pa¬
tients. If the disorder has progressed so far as to render
ii, in the opinion of physicians, dangerous to life to remove
him, then the street, where he lives, is fenced up, and a
guard placed so that no one can pass, and a red flag hoist¬
ed on the house. These formidable precautions may have
added to the dread of this loathsome disease.
JOURNAL.
85
When this alarming distemper first appeared in the
ship, the surgeon had all the prisoners mustered, to in¬
quire of them who had had the small pox. and who liio
kine poek ; or, as they call it in England, the cow pock.
He vaccinated a number. But there were several instances
of persons who said they were inoculated with the kine
pock in America, who took the small pox the natural
way at this time. I do not consider this as in any decree
diminishing the value of this important discovery and
practice. Very few practitioners understand this business,
and a great number of people in the United States havo
inoculated themselves, without knowing at what period to
take the matter, and without knowing the true pustule
from the spurious. Many of our prisoners absolutely re¬
fused td be vaccinated, although they believed in its effica¬
cy of guarding them from small pox. I was greatly stir-
prized at this, until I found that they felt no disposition to
preserve their lives any longer. It seemed that their mis¬
ery had so far lessened their attachment to life, that they
were indifferent as to .any fiiethod of preserving it. I was
surprized to find this in some who 1 had considered as
among the most cheecful I was shocked to find among
these a weight of woe I little expected. Several of them
told me that life was a burthen ; that pride of character
kept them from whining, and forced a smile on their coun¬
tenance, while their being penned up like so many dirty
hogs, had chilled their souls, and sunk them, at times, in¬
to despondency. Some said, that nothing but the hope of
revenge kept them alive.
There are two extremes of the mind producing a disre¬
gard for life. The one is, the fever or delirium of battle,
augmented and kept up by the cannon's roar, the sight
of blood, and military music; here a man, being all soul,
thinks nothing of his body. The other case is, where his
body is debilitated, his spirit half extinguished, and his
soul desponding, and his body paralized. Here existence
is a burden, and the attachment to life next to nothing. It
is here that death appears to open the gate of the prison.
I found, to my surprize, that several of our countrymeii
were in that desponding state. '
Some refused to be vaccinated, from a persuasion that
1he kine pock was no security against the small pox.
When I endeavored to convince several of them of their
.WiUHNAL
error, one asked me if a weak man could drive away a
strong one 5 or a small evil drive away a great oner A
man need not desnair in makiii<r a certain class of people
» i 3 A 1
believe any thing but truth-
it is surprizing that when our countryman, Dr. Water-
hoissc, first introduced this new inoculation into America,
in the year 1800. what an opposition the practice met
with ; and nothing hut the most persevering and unweari¬
ed exertions, and public experiments, could overcome the
reluctance," in numbers, to receive this great blessing. The
sane perversity of judgment was observable among indi¬
viduals in this prison ship
As the spring advanced, the men contrary to my expec¬
tation, became more desponding, and the Typhus fever, or
rather tlie jail fever, appeared among them. From four
to six are taken down with it every day We have about
nine hundred men on hoard this ship ; eight hundred of us
wretched prisoners, and one hundred Englishmen. We
are more crowded than is consistent with health er com¬
fort. Our hammocks are slung que above another. It is
warm and oft'c^rve in the middle of our habitation ; and
those who have hammocks near the perts, are unwilling to
have them open in the night. All this impedes the need¬
ful circulation of fresh air. It is a little singular, that it
is the robust and hearty that are seized with this fever,
before those who are weak in body, and, apparently, des¬
ponding in mind.
As the appropriate hospital ship is now crowded with
sick, we are obliged to retain a number in the Crown
Prince. The sickbay of this ship is now arrangedlike to
an hospital ship ; and the hospital allowance served out;
and the chief surgeon visits us every week Our com¬
mittee, composed of the oldest and most respectable men
amongst us, do every thing in their power to keep the ship
and the prisoners clean. Men are appointed to inspect
the prisoners' clothes and bedding ; and even to punish
those who refused or were too indolent to wash themselves
and their clothing; for there were some who were more
like hogs than men; such is the effect of situations and
circumstances. Our most influential wen set the example
of cleanliness ; and endeavoured to instill into t'Rb mfhds
of others the great importance of being free from all kinds
of tilth.
JOUEN'AI..
It is now the first day of April, lSi-1, and (lie small pax
and typhus lever still prevails in the different ships, espe¬
cially on board the ship called the Bahama. One hundred
arid sixty-one Americans were put on hoard her in (he
month of January. She had been used as a prison for
Danish sailors, many of whom were sick of typhus fjver.
These Americans came, like the rest of us, from Halifax ;
feeing weak, weary, fatigued, and half-starved, their de¬
jected spirits and debilitated bodies, were aptly disposed
to imbibe the contagion. Accordingly soon after they
went on board, they were attacked with it. All the Danes
are sent out of her; and her upper.deck is converted into
an hospital; and the surgeon has declared the ship to be
Infectious ; and no one communicates with her but such as
supply the ship~and attend the sick.#
While " sick and imprisoned," Mr. Beasly visited us
not; but sent his clerk, a Mr. Williams, to supply the
most needy with elothes ; and instead of applying to the
committee, who could have informed him correctly who
most needed them, he adopted the mode most liable to lead
to deception and injustice. This Mr. B. seems from the
beginning, to have considered his countrymen as a set of
cheating, lying,swindling rascals ; and a mutual contempt
has existed between them. We wish all our officers and
agents would bear in mind this fact, that complacency
beget:? complacency ; and contempt begets contempt.
We, Americans, have seen and severely felt the highly
pernicious and demoralizing tendency of gambling j and
we have been long wishing to break up the practice ; and
our selectmen, or committee, were determined to effect it.
We accordingly took a vote, agreeably to the custom of
our <fKuritrv, and it was found to be the will of the majori¬
ty to prohibit the practice of it. Wc began with the rou¬
lette table, or as our men called them, " wheels of for¬
tune," After no small opposition from the French offi¬
cers, we succeeded in putting them down ; but we could
not succeed so easily against the billiard tables. It was
contended by many that it was an exercise, and a trial of
skill; and if confined to a halfpenny, or one cent a game,
it could not be dangerous to the morals or property of the
community. On tins a warm and long dispute arose, in
defining gambling. The playing of billiards for a eent a
game, was contended to be a muscular exercise, and not
88
journal.
gambling ; whereas cards were denounced, as a studied,
sedentary contrivance, for the artful to draw money from
the pockets of the artless. 7
The owners of »' the wheels of fortune" were, perhaps,
envied. They made money and lived better than the rest,
and the same remark was made of the owners of the bill¬
iard tab! cs. In the course of dgbate they were tauntingly
called tiie privileged order, and rising from one decree of
odious epithet to another, I could not help laughing, on
hearing one angry orator pronounce this scheme of screw¬
ing money out of the pockets of the artless, and then
laughing at their poverty and distress, to he down right
Federalism. Now it should be known that a Federalist
afid Federalism, are the most odious ideas that can be
raised up in the minds, of every American prisoner in this
river. A law was, therefore, proposed, to fine any Amer¬
ican prisoner, who should call another a Federalist.
This state of contention continued five or six days;
when, I am sorry to say it, the gambling party increased
rather than lessened. At length two of the party ven¬
tured to recommence gambling—one of them was imme¬
diately sent for by the committee, who ordered him to be
confined in the black hole. This lit up a blaze the com¬
mittee little contemplated. The whole body of the com¬
mons cried out against this summary and arbitrary pro¬
ceeding. This was pronounced to be such an alarming
attack on the liberty of the prisoners, that every freeman
in the prison ship was called upon to rise up and resist the
daring encroachment on the birth-right of an American.
A strong party was at once formed in favor of the man
who was imprisoned without a trial. On this occasion the
names of Hanlden, Sydney, and Wilks, were echoed tfrom
all quarters of our prison The liberty of the citizen, ant1
false imprisonment were discanted on in a loud and mov¬
ing manner. Some talked of a writ of habeas corpus, but
others knew not what it meant ; but all agreed that it was
unconstitutional to confine a man in prison without trial.
One man .had the imprudence to say that they would have
French fashions among them, of imprisoning and hanging
a man, and trying him afterwards. This roused the ire
of some , of the officers of that nation, who declared in a
rage that it was not the fashion in France to hang a roan
and try Jbij* afterwards. They all agreed, however, that
JOURNAL.
it was an illegal act to confine the man without trial; and
that this was a precedent dangerous to the liberties of the
prisoner, and that they ought to protest against it. This
was a curious scene to the surgeon, and some other pretty
sensible English officers; one of whom observed to anoth¬
er, in my hearing, these Americans are certainly the most
singular set of men I ever met with. The man who had
been confined, was allowed to come from his confinement,
and speak for himself. He had <' the gift of the gab,"
and a species oftforcible eloquence that some of our law¬
yers might envy. He would have distinguished himself in
any of our town meetings; and with cultivation, might
liave shone in history. He, however, committed that very
common fault among our popular orators, he talked too
much. The President of the Committee was not much of
a speaker ; but he was a man of sense and prudence.
Cool as he was, he was thrown a little off his guard by an
intemperate phrase of the culprit; who, in the ardor of
his defence, accused the President of being a Federalist ;
and this turned the current of favor against the unguard¬
ed orator, and he was from all sides, hissed. When quiet
was restored, the President took advantage of the current
just turned in his favor, and said," Fellow Prisoners ! I
perceive that I have committed an error in confining this
man without a previous trial, and I am sorry for it. At
the time, I thought I was doing right, but I now see that
I was wrong." He then proposed to have the accused
regularly tried, before the full committee, which he hoped
would prove themselves the real representatives of the
community, collected in course of events within the planks
of an enemy's prison ship. He exhorted the committee
not to be influenced by party, prejudice, or local attach¬
ment, but to act justly and independently. The accused
was allowed to speak for himself. He was not an old
Jack Tar, but the son of a respectable New England yeo¬
man, with a clear head, and not destitute of learning, nor
was he ignorant of the law. He defended himself with
real ability, and the spirit of Emmet spoke within him.
Among other things, he said-*—What have J done to
bring down upon me the resentment of the committee, and
the vengeanee of its President ? In attempting to establish
the rights of this little community, I have suffered the ig¬
nominy of a close confinement, by the order of my own
6
90
JOURNAL.
countrymen. While we are suffering oppression, degra¬
dation and insult, from the external enemy, shall we re¬
double our misery, by wrongfully oppressing one another?
I thought it my duty to exert myself in favor of an equal¬
ity of rights among us. I could not. bear to hear the dom¬
ineering language, and see the overbearing conduct of the
purse proud among us ; of a set of cunning, tricking,
slight-of-hand men, who were constantly stripping the un¬
wary and artless American, of the small sums he had ac¬
quired, not by gaming, but by labor and fjood behaviour.
J was an enemy to all this ; but I was a friend to the free¬
dom ofjudgment,andthe freedom of action, provided it did
not injure the whole. If after what has been experienced,
our countrymen will gamble with certain Frenchmen,
above the rank of common seamen, let them do it, and en¬
dure the consequences. It is wrong to attempt to abridge
the liberty of amusement, if that amusement does not
harm, or endanger the comfort of tfte whole." The man
was acquitted, and escorted to his birth in triumph.
It is surprising what trifling things will influence a
crowd ! A few minutes previous to this man's bold har-
rangne, every one, almost, was against him ; but as soon
as he tickled their ears with a flourishing speech, where
much more ability was shewn than was expected, instantly
they clap their hands, admire his talents, applaud his sen¬
timents, and think directly contrary to what they did five
minutes before. From this incident, have I been seriously
impressed with the dangerous effects of eloquence. Here
this man made " the worse appear the better reason."
But how many instances have we of the same effect in the
Grecian, Roman, English and French history !
This trial,, and this specimen of oratory, convinced me
that Liberty is the parent of eloquence. I have noticed
a striking difference between our men and those of Eng¬
land, with all their loud talk of English freedom. When
an American speaks to an officer set over him, he utters
all that he has to say, in a ready and fearless manner;
but when these Englishmen come on board of us to bring
vegetables, or any thing else to dispose of, they stand with
their caps off, scratching their heads, through awe, and
embarrassment; and every other word is, " Yes, your
Honor," or, " Will your Honor have this, or your Honor
have that; and your Honor knows best;" and all sach
JOURNAL.
81
mean and slavish language. It is remarkable that you
never hear this sort of language, and see this servile man¬
ner, in the common savages of our wilderness. It belongs
only to the common people, and I am told, to the shop
keepers of England, and to our negroes. Necessity first
inspires the poor with awe lor the rich, and by and by, it
grows into a principle, y-
A day or two after these transactions, we resumed the
consideration of the practice of gambling, and we turned
the tables against the billiard players ; and they were ta¬
ken down by an almost unanimous consent; whatever
some individuals thought or wished, the general opinion
was so strong, that they dare not express it. The author¬
ity of the committee, and the authority of the President,
were established more firmly than ever.
While writing down these occurrences, I have thought
that we might here see the great characters, and the im¬
portant doings of the Grecian, Roman and American Re¬
publics, in a very small compass. Here we saw the strug¬
gles of vice and virtue, wisdom and folly, and the desire
of distinction, and the ambition of taking the lead, and
the little workings of emulation, amid rags and tatters.
As often as I moaned over wearied moments of captivity,
I do not think the time entirely lost to me. I learnt a
great deal. I saw close to them the first workings of those
springs which set republics, kingdoms, empires, and ar¬
mies in motion ; the winds and tides, without which, the
great ocean of human life would stagnate, and all within,
its vast bounds would perish—until now, I saw the human
heart covered over by pride, encrusted by avarice, or
cloaked round by hypocrisy ; I now saw it exposed, naked
and bare, to the inspection of each man's neighbour.
There are among us, Americans, on board this prison
ship, some men of sense and principle ; but there are ma¬
ny more, especially among the soldiery, some of the low¬
est of the American community ; the very dregs of the
American people. They are lazy, dirty, lying, and prof¬
ligate ; and yet they are total strangers to some of the
worst vices of these Frenchmen. But I forbear to enlarge,
and shall quit this odious subject, by wishing that all
young Americans may stay at home, and if possible, never
mix with these veterans in vice, who inhabit what is call¬
ed the old world. Next to the French, I believe the Irish
92
JOURNAL.
the next in vicious actions. An Irishman appears o e
more spirit than brains. There are only two si ua ions
in which an Irishman seems perfectly happy, v,^'\vlen
he has plenty of liquor to drink, and a number ot iriends
to give it to ; and perhaps we may aud, when he is wran-
slin"' in a uiob. They are amiable, yet bloody ; they have
the noblest feelings, with savage hearts. Their passions
have the most rapid transitions, so that they will hug a
man one minute, and the next knock him on the head. I
speak only from my observations in this confined place
With the same limitation I speak of the Portuguese and
Spaniards, a few of whom are here among us. They are
rattle snakes ; shining, glossy, malignant and revengeful,
beyond any fellows I ever met with. They are void, how-
ever, of one virtue of our rattlesnakes ; they will stab a
man to the heart without giving him any warning. I have
charitably supposed, that when in a violent passion, they
are bereft of reason, and become entirely insane. My ob¬
servations, however, like my remarks on Frenchmen,
are confined to the narrow space of this floating prison.
We should be very cautious in making general or national
censures. I have suspected whether among the Roman
Catholics, the practice of confession and absolution, had
not opened a door for some horrid crimes, such as murder.
It may be, too, that they look upon us, Protestants, as
the Mahomedans do the Christians, a sort of outcasts, the
killing of whom amounts not to the horrid sin of murder.
It is certain that some of these people have been known
to plunge a knife info a man, with no more compunction
than an Englishman or an American would use his fist.
CHAPTER VII.
April 30lht 1814.—The good effects of the abolition of
all the apparatus ot gambling, were more and more ap¬
parent. Those who were heretofore employed merely in
rattling of the dice, and shuffling of cards. Were now occu¬
pied .n matters more becoming a; rational and accounta¬
ble being. They are now busiiy employed in readin-
JOURNAL,
93
writing, drawing, arid in studying arithmetic and naviga¬
tion. Our ship begins to wear the appearance of a semi-
jtuirp of learning; for we have established numerous
schools, in various parts of the ship : arsd there appears a
strong desire for improvement among the younger class of
the prisoners. Every one is now convinced of the perni¬
cious effects of gambling. In order to improve this praise¬
worthy disposition, the committee, which, is in fact a
board of selectmen, applied to the agent, Mr. Beasly, for
stationary ; he accordingly sent us a ream of writing pa¬
per, a few slates, and a few copies of a small treatise on
arithmetic. His supply was bv no means equal to our
needs. Four times the number would have been in con¬
stant use ; for it checked the emulation of some, when they
could not obtain what they wished.
It w as pleasing to see a number of quite young men pre¬
ferring education to gaming, noise and uproar; not but
what we hud among us a set of noisy, thoughtless, gig¬
gling, idle fellows, mere drums, that sounded loud by
reason of their emptiness. I never was so thoroug lily
convinced of the great importance of a good education,
grounded on sound and serious principles, as since I have
formed one among this congregation of wretchedness. I
fear I shall betray my partiality if I should candidly
write down my observations on this subject. We Ameri¬
cans are taught from our infancy not only to believe, but
to think, compare, and hold fast that which we find to
he good. It seems to me that the Roman catholic religion
takes all the trouble of thinking and examining from off
the mind of their believers. It is a seheme of rules and
discipline not very unlike that of the military, and its
punishments horrible. The episcopal church of England
treads close upon the heels of the papal, and has formed
a system all cut and dried, like the catholic, for a man to
believe and be saved. Both of them make religion a sta¬
tionary point, and not a motive of principle, forever pro¬
gressing to perfection. One never dares to think, or speak
beyond llie bounds of that common prayer book, establish¬
ed by the king and his council: whereas an American
reads or hears read the bible from his infancy, and there¬
by acquires a freedom of thinking, unknown even to the
generality of Englishmen. I should never have thought
so much on these subjects had I not remarked the difFet-
8*
JOURNAL.
enee of thinking, and behavior of the different people here
crouded together. I do not presume to say which is best,
or which is worst; I can only say which is the freest from
bigotry, and which is least trameiled by ordinances merely
political.
1 he ragged and despised legislators of the Crown Prince
prison ship, in solemn council, between decks convened,
never adopted a wiser measure than that of breaking up
the dangerous habit of gambling. I had an idea that
gaming often become the ruling passion ; but I never be¬
fore had an idea of its fascinating power. Some of our
crew of reputed good habits became so bewitched with
gaming, that they plundered their companions and return¬
ed to their eards and wheels of fortune with a serious and
anxious ardor, totally void of pleasantry, that seemed to
use to border upon insanity.
After the gaming tables were demolished, some of our
companions amused themselves by running, and tumbling,
and scampering about the ship, disturbing those who were
disposed to read, write and study navigation. Not con¬
tent with this, they hollowed, ridiculed and insulted people
passing in vessels and boats up and down the river. The
commander had no small difficulty in putting a stop to this
disgraceful river-slang.
On receiving a month's pay from Mr. Beasly, our agent,
so called, every prisoner contribuied three peuce towards
a fund for purchasing beer. They formed themselves into
classes, like our collegians, and t4iese appointed persons
to sell it to those who wished for it; and each member of
the class shared his proportion of the profits. This an¬
swered a very good purpose; it checked the monopolizers
and muck worms that infested our ship, and fattened on
our wastefulness. It also benefitted those who did not
choose to drink beer, or porter, as they call it in England.
Some disagreeable and very mortifying occurrences took
place among us in the course of this spring. Four of our
men agreed together to go on to the quarter-deck and offer
themselves to the commander, to enter into the service of
the British. Their intention was discovered before they
Jiad an opportunity of putting it in execution. Two of
them were caught and two escaped. These two were ar¬
raigned and sentenced to be marked with the letter T, with
India ink, pricked into their foreheads, being the initial
joimjial.
93
tJie word Traitor ; after which, one went aft and entered;
the other judged better, and remained with his countrymen.
Had these been Englishmen we should have applauded
them ; and had they been Irishmen, we had no right to
blame them ; but we had the mortification to know that
they were, by birth, Americans. Home thought the pun-
ishment was too severe, and which we had no right to in¬
flict ; others thought that the letter in their foreheads
should have been F, for Federalist ; for this was the*
name they ever afterwards were known by.
The Frenchmen were now (ia the month of May) leav¬
ing the reach. Many of them had been in prison since
1803. These men are going home to live under a govern¬
ment forced upon them by foreigners ! How unlike Amer¬
icans, who had rather perish under tortures. Our French¬
men always spoke in raptures of the Emperor Napoleon,
and w ith contempt of Louis. When we spoke in praise of
Bonaparte, they would throw their arms around us, and
cry out, one bon American ! But these men are all passion
and no principle ; they are fit for any thing but liberty.
I cannot judge of the whole nation ; but those I have seen
here, are an abandoned set of men. I dare not write down
their incredible vices. There has been a great cry of
French influence by the British part) in New England. I
never thought it ever existed, and 1 am very certain that
it uever will exist, unless they and we should become a
very altered people. It is a happy circumstance that
the wide atlantic rolls between us and France;, and between
us and England.
Louis, 18th, passed through Chatham this month for
France. The tops of the carriages, only, were to be seen
by the prisoners. On this occasion, the cannon were fir¬
ing from London to Sheerness. Our Frenchmen looked
blacker than ever. They were,, be sure, obliged to stick
the white cockade on their hats, but they told us they had
Bonaparte's cockade in their hearts. They check the ex¬
pression of their feelings, lest it should retard their liber¬
ation.
On the news of taking of Paris, and of the flight of Bo¬
naparte to Elba, all our prison-keepers were alive for joy.
" Thank God that 1 am an Englishman" says our com¬
mander, lieut. O.—and " thauk Ood I am a Briton says,
our surgeon? who is a Scotchman. John Bull is now oa
36
journal.
the very top of the steeple, huzzaing and swinging his hat,
and crying out to the whole universe, " /'m thinking
Johnny Bull, the magnanimous John Bull, the soul ol the
continental war, the protector of France, the restorer of
his holiness the Pope, and of Ferdinand the Great, the ter¬
ror and admiration of the whole worltL-f-I have nothing
now left me to do, but to flog the yankees, and depose
Madison, and burn the city of Washington, disperse the
Congress, establish in their place the Hartford Convention
and raise Caleb Strong to the high rank his devotion mer¬
its. After this, I will divide the world between me and .
But first, I will read these dispatches from Sir George
Prevost. who is, beyond doubt, at this very moment, at the
city of Hartford, in Connecticut, or at the city of North
Hampton, the capital of my province of Massachusetts.
John Bull* is, be sure, an hearty felltfw, with some very
good points in his character; but, dwelling on an island,
he oft times betrays an ignorance of the world, and of him¬
self, so that we cannot help laughing at him, once in a
while, for his conceitedness. His ignorance of America,
and Americans, is a source of ridicule among us all. An
English lady said to one of the officers who had the care
of American prisoners in England, " I hear, Sir, that the
Americans are very ingenious in the manufactory of many
little articles, and should like to have some of them." The
officer replied that she might herself give directions to
some of the Americans, whom he would direct to speak
with her. " O," said she, " how can that be, I cannot
speak their language!" The individuals of the navy of
England, have pretty correct ideas of us; but the soldiery
of England have betrayed their ignorance in a manner
that is astonishing, and sometimes truly laughable, even
among their officers who have taken prisoners. To this
ignorance of free and happy America, and to the very gen¬
erally diffused blessings of a respectable education, which
we all enjoy, is to be attributed the base treatment we have
experienced in some periods of our painful captivity. Who
could have entertained any respect, or good opinion of a
set of miserable looking, half naked, dirty men, such as we
all were when we arrived in the different ships frori»
* Our youngest readers need not be told, that by John Bull, we mean
the English nation personified. See Dean Swift's admirable history of John
Bull, his wife, and his mother.
JOURNAL.
97
America ? Our own parents, our brothers and sisters,
would not have recognized us as their relatives. The sol¬
diers taken under Boestler, Avere the veriest looking vaga¬
bonds I ever saw. They resembled more the idea I have
formed of the lowest tenants of St. Giles', than American
citizens, born and bred up in a sort of Indian freedom, and
living all their lives in plenty, and never knowing, until
they came into the hands of' the English, what it was to
be pinched for food, or to be infested by vermin. This
short, severe, and for America, most glorious war, has
given ail ranks of the British nation more correct ideas of
that people,who have vanquished them in every contest,the
ill-omened frigate Chesapeake alone excepted. During this
short war, the British have learnt this important truth,
that the Americans are a brave and skilful people, who,
though they appear to differ among themselves, are all
united, against any attack from the English ; and on our side
we have learnt, that to carry on a war as we have done^
is very expensive.
The surgeon of this ship, who is a clever Scotchman,
speaks of the English nation as in a state of starvation
in the midst of her great power, and abounding wealth,
and matchless glory ; for the late capture of Paris, by the
English, with a trifling assistance of the allies, has abso¬
lutely intoxicated the whole nation, so that every man of
them talks as if he were drunk. He told me, " that al¬
though the ship carpenters, at Chatham, received two
guineas a week, (which, by the way, is not so much as our
carpenters receive in America) they were always poor,
and could lay up nothing against the accidents of sickness,
but that when such misfortunes came upon them, they, in
common with the manufacturers of England, with their
families, went upon the parish, or into some hospitals."
He said, " such laboring people laid out too much of their
money in flesh meat and in porter, which was not the cus¬
tom in Scotland : and that there it was considered an in¬
delible disgrace to a family to be maintained by the parish,
but that it was so common in England, that no disgrace
was attached to it. We, in Scotland, (said he) would work
our hands off before any of our family should ask the par¬
ish for assistance to live." He talked* much about the poor
laws, and the taxes to support (he vast number of the poor
in England. I told him that in Massachusetts, which con-
JOURNAL
tuined about lialf a million of people,^ e n°i|
than a thousand persons maintained a ie p „ '
and that this thousand included foreig^rs-Lnghsh,
Scotch, Irish, Germans, Danes, Swedes, and not a few ne¬
groes. He seemed surprised at th« account hut after a
tittle pause he said, " it was just like Scotland, where thev
had very few poor ; and of those very few were so degrad-
Pd in mind, as to go into an alms-house.5'
The Doctor observed, " that the English were full of
money ; that they give large and long credit, and that tay-
iors, shoe-makers and hatters gave a generous credit, and
eould afford so to do." He said, " that the ' capitalists'
ruled and turned the wheels of the government at their
will and pleasure ; they have great influence in the nation,
hut they have no ancestors, nor any thingto boast of but their
money, which gives them all their consequence; for it is
true if they shut their purses, the whole machinery of the
government must stop." I eould have told this discontent¬
ed Caledonian a different story. I could have told him that
all our capitalists, merchants and monied men, especially
in New England, had shut their purses against our admin¬
istration, and yet, in spite of these detestable sons of mam.
inon, our governmental machine went steadily on, while
we vanquished our enemy by land and by sea; but I did
not wish to mortify a civil, friendly man. " In England,"
continued he, u the merchant governs the cabinet; and the*
cabinet governs the parliament; and the sovereign governs
both; bat, (said he) the capitalists, (by which, he meant
the mercantile interest) govern the whole." I did not
choose to controvert his opinions; but, " thinks-I-te-my-
self," ah J Sawney, thou art mistaken; America, demo¬
cratic America, has proved that the most democratica!
government upon the terraqueous globe, have gone stead¬
ily on to greatness to victory and to glory, with the capi-
talists or mercantile .merest, i„ ,|i,-e°et ^poshicr. to ils
wondrous measures J
"J
strongly attached to hi. tribe ■ from
never spent much money in buying mi ; '
He talked much of the nacl/ine 'hSI ' TS *
ment; from all which I concluded, th&t tha S g°yern-
James', was the hub, or nave, where all the snT^ °i V'
e spokes ot the
JOURNAL.
99
great wheel of tlie machine terminated ; and that the la¬
boring people, manufacturers, and mer#hants were doom¬
ed, all their days, to grease this wheel. It is remarkable
that David, the royal Psalmist, among the severest of the
curses of his enemies expressly says, " Lord, make them
like- unto a wheel."
CHAPTER VIII.
The month of April, which is just past, is like our April
in New England, raw, cold, or as the English call it, sour.
But their month of May, which is now arrived, is pleas-
anter by far, tjian ours. By all that I can observe, I con¬
clude that (he vernal season of this part of the Island of
Britain, is full fifteen days, if not twenty, earlier than
that of Boston. I conjecture that this spot corresponds
with Philadelphia.
The Medway, though a small river in the eyes of an
inhabitant of the new world, is a very pleasant one. The
moveable picture on its surface, of ships, tenders, and
barges,* is very pleasing, while its banks are rich and
beautiful. Oh what a contrast to horrid Nova-Scotia,
with her barren hills, and everlasting bleak mountains !—
The picture from the banks of the river to the top of the
landscape, is truly delightful, and beyond any thing I ever
saw in my own counlry, and this is owing to the hedges,
which are novelties in the eyes of an American. In our
country, the fields, meadows and pastures are divided by
stone walls, or the rough post and rail fence j but here
their fields, pastures and enclosures, which are very small,
compared with ours, are made by hedges, or living grow¬
ing vegetables,of a deep and most beautiful green. It gives a
richness to the English landscape,beyond all expression fine.
How happens it, I wonder, that hedges have never been
introduced into New England, who has copied so closely
every thing belonging to Old England ? Should I ever be
permitted to leave this Babylonish captivity, and be al¬
lowed once more, to see our own Canaan, the enclosures of
hedge shall not be forgotten.
100
JOURNAL.
Nearly opposite our doleful prison stands the village of
Gillingham, adorned with a handsome church ; on the side
next Chatham,, stands the eastle defended by more than an
hundred eannon. These fortifications were erected soon
after the Dutch republicans sailed up to Chatham, and
siuged John Bull's beard,since which it is said, he changes
countenance at the name of a republic. We are told in
the history of Gillingham, that here the famous Earl Good¬
win murdered six hundred Norman gentlemen belonging to
Ihe retinue of Prince Alfred. But some such shocking
story is told of almost every town in England that has an
old castle, an old tower, or an old cathedral. This village
once belonged to an Archbishop of Canterbury, vestiges of
whose palace are yet to be seen. This place is also noted
for making what is absurdly called copperas, which is the
erystalized salt of iron, or what is called in the new che¬
mical nomenclature, sulphate of iron ; or ip common par»
lance, green vitriol; which is manufactured, and found
uative in our own country.
Near to this village of Gillinghani, is a neat house with
a good garden, and surrounded by trees, which was be¬
queathed by a lady to the oldest boatswain in the Royal
Navy. The present incumbent is 80 years of age. With¬
in our view is a shepherd attending his flock with his
canine lieutenants, who drive them into thei^pe#in the
evening, just as our shepherd does us on board the Crown
Prince. In a clear day the inasts of the ships can be seen
passing up and down the Thames. This brings "to our
minds our own gallant ships, whose decks we long once
more to tread.
Britain pursues a malignant policy, in confining us in a
loathsome prison. The Britain^ know, probably, that a
long and lingering imprisonment weakens the body, and
diminishes the energy of the mind ; that it disposes to
vice, to a looseness of thought, and a destruction of those
moral principles inculcated by a careful and early educa¬
tion. Such a sink of vice I never saw, or ever drpamt of,
as 1 have seen here. Never was a juster saying than that
of •" Evil communications corrupt good manners.'' One
vicious fellow may corrupt an hundred, even if he speaks
another language. I have been thoroughly convinced of
the wisdom of solitary imprisonment. By what J have
seen and heard in this ship, where there are generally
JOURNAL.
from seven to nine hundred men that such collections are
so many hot-beds of vice and villany. s«t is a college of
Satan, where degrees of wickedness are conferred e meri-
to. Here we hare freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and
seniors, in roguery, together with Bachelors, Masters of
Arts, and Doctors.
Is it not a shame and a disgrace to Christian natives,
that because a man has had the virtue to step forward iu
the cause of his country, in the cause of free trade and sail¬
ors' rights, or from that glow of chivalry that tiils a
youthful bosom, or the sound of the warlike drum and
trumpet, and the sight of the waving flag of his insulted
country ; is it not a shame that such a young mau of pure
morals and careful education, should be plunged into
such an horrid prison as this P amid vice, and roguery,
and every thing else, debasing to the character of so mor¬
al a people as the Americans really ar£ ?
The prisoners and the commander had lived in pretty
good harmony, until very lately. Some of our men had
absolutely cut a hole through the ship, near her stern,
and cut the copper all round the hole, excepting at the
under side, which enabled them to bend down the copper
at their pleasure, and open a passage into the water, and
to re-close it in such a manner as to escape detection. It
was effected with a great deal of art and good management.
The first dark night after this newly contrived stern-
port was finished, sixteen of the prisoners passed through
it into the water, and swam safely on shore, notwithstand¬
ing a sentinel was stationed directly above the hole. Tliey
took care, however, to allure him as far forward as they
could, by singing droll songs, and handing about some
grog, which had been provided for that purpose. Sixteen
was thought to be as great a number as could be prudent¬
ly ventured to escape at once ; for one night the copper
which operated like a door upon its hinge, was considera¬
bly ruptured, and the prisoners gave over the attempt,
and retired to their hammocks again.
The next evening the prisoners were to be counted; and
it was of the first importance to keep up the entire num¬
ber, and prevent the detection of our plot. To this . jid
■we cut a hole through one deck, big enough for one man
to pass from one enclosure of prisoners to the other.
There was always a number of prisoners left on eaeh
103
J OUllNAL.
deck, who were counted by the sergeant below ; while the
serjeant passscd from the lower deck to the next aliove it,
sixteen men slipped through the hole, and were counted
over again ; and this deception kept the numbers good, and
this trick was practised several times with success. The
nights were now too light for a second attempt to escape.
When they became sufficiently dark again, we prepared
for a second attempt. After drawing lots for the chance,
each man was provided with a little bag of cloths, piais-
tered over with grease, to keep them water tight, they
passed agreeably to lots drawn, to the hole near the stern
of the ship. Two got well into the water, but one of
them was tender and timid. Trepidation and the eold-
rsess of the water made him turn back to regain the hole
he crept out of. In coming near the staging where the
sentinel was posted, he heard the poor fellow breathe,
and at length got sight of him Ah,"sayspaddy," here
is a porpoise, and I'll stick hi;ii with my bayonet."—On
which the terrified young man exclaimed—•' don't kill
me, I am a prisoner." The sentinel held out his hand
and helped him on to the staging, and then fired his gun to
give the alarm. The guard turned out, and the officers
ran down in a fright, not being able to conceive how the
man could have got over board, surrounded with a plat¬
form, and guarded as this ship was They ran here and
there, and questioned, and threatened, and rummaged
about; at length they discovered (he sally port of the en¬
emy. The officers stood in astonishment at the sight of a
hole big enough for a man to creep through, cut through
the thick planking of a ship of the line. While they star¬
ed and looked pale, many of the prisoners burst out a
laughing. None but an American could have thought
and executed such a thing as this. One of the officers
said he did not believe that the Devil himself would ever
be able to keep these fellows in hell, if they determined
on getting out!
The poor fellow who had crept out, and crept back
again, was so chilled, or petrified with fear, that he could
give the officers no account of the matter. In the mean
time, muskets were fired, and a general alarm through
the fleet of prison ships, fifteen in number. The river
was soon covered with boats, but not a man could they
find. The next day the man who escaped was found dead
JOURNAL.
103
on the beach, where he lay two daySin the sight of us all.
At length a coroner's inquest was held upon him 5 hut no
one was examined by the jury, excepting the crew of the
boat, who first discovered him. It was said that there
were bruises about his head. His ship-mates said that he
was one of the best swimmers they ever knew. It was
strongly suspected that he was discovered swimming, and
that some of the marines knocked him on the head, in re¬
venge for turning them out of their hammocks in the
night. His clothing, his money, and his watch were tak¬
en by lieutenant Osmore, the commander of this prison
ship. It was disgraceful to the people and to the civil
authority, to allow the man to lay such a long space of
time, unexamined and unburied, 011 the shores of a chris*
tian people.
When the prisoners were called to answer to their
names, those absent were called over several times; when
some of the prisoners answered that the absentees had
been paroled by the commander, and gone on shore. This
saucy answer enraged the commander, excited his resent¬
ment, and laid the foundation for future difficulties.
I must needs say, that some of our young men treated
Mr Osmore, the first officer of this prison ship, in a man¬
ner not to be excused, or even palliated. If they did not
love him, or esteem him, still, as he.was the legally con¬
stituted commander of this depot of prisoners, he was en¬
titled to good manners, which he did not always receive,
as the following anecdote will show. Not long after tha
escape of the sixteen men, our commander and his family
were getting into the boat to go on shore, when a boy looked
out of a port near to him, and cried out baa ! baa J This,
Mr. Osmore took as an insult, and ordered the port to be
shut down; but the messes that were accommodated by
the light from it, forced it up again. Now the origin of
this ludicrous and sheep-like interjeclion was this ; a story
was in circulation that lieut. O. had taken some sheep
from the neighboring marshes, without leave or license,
and converted them to his own use, and that the owner be¬
ing about to prosecute him, the affair was made up by the
interposition of friends, on compensation being made.
Now it is probable that there was not a word of truth iit
this story ; but that was the report. The commander,
therefore, on finding his orders resisted by the prisoners,
S OURNAJLi
directed some marines to shut the port and confine if down
with spikes, and ordered the sentinel to fire into the port
if t hey forced it open again. Upon this, some of the pris¬
oners t .re up a large oaken bench, with which they forc¬
ed open the port, and kept the bench out, so as to keep up
that valve, or heavy shutter, sustained on hinges, that
when down, closes the port hole, at the same time the
sheepish note of baa J baa ! baa! was uttered from every
part of the ship; sounding like an immense flock of sheep,
that might ha\e been heard full a mile Although none
t,f js could help joining in the loud laugh, for laughter is
contagious, the most prudent of our countrymen condemn¬
ed the conduct as highly improper. It is said, if one
jnan is determined to insult another, let him do it and
p.bide the consequences, hut never insult a man in presence
of his family. If we Americans are in the habit of rid¬
iculing ribands, and garters and keys, and crowns and
sceptres, and mitres, and high sounding titles, let us never
attempt to diminish the dignity of patriarchal rank.
* The riot did not end here ; for when the commander
found that he could not keep the port entirely shut, he
ordered the marines to drive the prisoners off the forecas¬
tle down into the pound, which occasioned the boys to sing
oi:t as before ; and even to be more insulting. This lie
was determined to bear 110 longer; and he therefore drove
them all below, allowing only the cooks-to remain in the
galley, and the caterers to go upon deck, to get water
i'rom the tanks. The market boats were forbidden to
come near us, and in this sta^te of embargoAve remained
during two days, all the ticSe confined merely to the gov¬
ernment allowance of food. At length, the committee re¬
quested the commander to transmit some letters for them
to the American agent for prisoners, and to the British
commodore. This lie could not well refuse. These two
officers accordingly came down to us. They requested the
president of the committee to state to them the cause and
course of the dispute. Mr. Osmore stated his complaint,
and the president of our committee replied, and stated
ours ; and among other things, observed that the word
" baa'' had no more meaning than a thousand other sense¬
less cries, uttering constantly from the throats of idle,
thoughtless boys ; and begged Mr. Osmore to explain how
gucli an unmeaning sound could be construed into an in-
JOURNAL.
105
suit : that if he and his officers should cry baa! baa! baa !
all day, none of the Americans would think themselves in¬
jured or affronted. As to forcibly keeping the port open,
the president observed, that however offended he might bw
with a saucy hoy, the men did not deserve to be deprived
of the light of heaven, and to be confined below, and re¬
duced to a smaller allowance of food. The result was,
the hatches were ordered to be taken off, and we were all
restored to our former situation. Capt. Hutchinson ac¬
quired an additional stock of popularity with the prison¬
ers for this decision in our favor. The prisoners are dis¬
criminating and not ungrateful. The sailing-master, who
is a Scotchman, has always treated us with great tender¬
ness and humanity. He has atteuded to our little conven¬
iences, and forwarded our letters. Mr. Barnes never de¬
scends to little contemptible extortions ; nor is he on the
continual watch, lest his dignity should suffer by a look,
a tone, or a playful interjection. When Osmore is absent
and Barnes gives orders, it is instantly and cheerfully
obeyed. If there is any disorder, this worthy Scotchman,
can, by a word, restore harmony, of which we might give
many instances. In reprimanding a boy the other day,
for ill behavior, he said to him, " I expect better things of
you as an American ; I consider you all in a different light
from that of a d—d set of French monkies."
Mr. Galbreath is, likewise, a Scotchman ; and he, too,
is a very worthy man. These two worthy Caledonians
operate together in alleviating our hard lot; and they do
as much to please us, as the jealous and revengeful dispo¬
sition of some body else will admit of. We are all pretty
healthy, and the hospital arrangements on board are brok¬
en up; some few remain on board the hospital ship.
Tenders are daily passing down the river, filled with
seamen and marines, bound to America. As they pass by
us, they play " Yankee Doodle,'' and cry out to us, that
they are bound to America, to flog the yankees. We hol¬
low to them, in return, and tell them what they will meet
there, and predict to. them their fate. Some of these fel¬
lows have been seven years at sea, and would desert to
our colour the first opportunity. These white slaves ex¬
pected to enjoy a little something like freedom, at the
conclusion of the peace; but instead of setting their feet
8*
105
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on shore, they are now sent off to leave their hones ia
America, without a moment's notice of their destination.
June 30th, 1814. Early in this month three men con¬
cealed themselves in the water tank, through the conniv¬
ance of the corporal of the guard, and so escaped from
prison. More would have gone off by the same convey¬
ance, had not one of the fugitives written an ironical let¬
ter to the commander, thanking him for his tenderness,
humanity and extreme kindness, and foolishly acquainting
hiin with the method he took to effect his escape j and this
let! to his re-capture. Another fellow had the address to
conceal himself in an old worn out copper, that was sent
to the dock to be exchanged for a new one. This man got
safe out of the copper, hut he found himself as bad off in
the dock as in the prison ship. After roving and ramb¬
ling around the dock, he was taken up by the guard, and
rather than be sent on board a man of war, he confessed
that he had broke out o^Jthe prison ship ; and he was im¬
mediately brought back to his former companions.
A rage exists for cutting holes through the wood work
ami copper of the ship : but no one has succeeded in es¬
caping through them. The holes were always discovered
as the men were ready to enter the breach, which led us
to suspect that we have secret informers among our crew,
perhaps some Irish, Dane, or Dutchman.
A most daring attempt to escape was made on board
the commodore's ship, the Irresistible, by four American
prisoners. It is worth relating for its boldness ; for it
"was in the open day, when all eyes were upon them. The
jolly-boat lay near the stairs, with her oars in, under the
care of a sentry. Notwithstanding she was thus guarded,
four brave Americans resolved to seize her in spite of
musketry, and row on shore, and run for it. One of them
•was from Rhode Island, being an Indian of the Narragan-
set tribe; he was a man of Iar^e stature and remarkable
strength ; and it was agreed that he should lead the way,
in the bold enterprize. This stout man, whose name I
wish I could remember, saw, as he thought, a favorable
moment, and went down the side of the ship, followed by
three others ; he seized the sentry, and, in a moment, dis?.
armed him, and threw him into the jolly-boat, which was
below the stageing, where the sentinel was placed. He
immediately jumped in after him, the other three closely
JOURNAL.
107
following him, when they instantly pushed off, snatched
up the oars, and rowed direct for the shore, with the abil¬
ity of so many Nantucket whalemen. The rapidity and
complete effect with which all tins was done, was aston¬
ishing to the British. They were, however, soon t\red.
upon by all the sentries, who had any chance of reaching
them, from all the ships as they passed. They got out
their numerous boats with all speed, and placed in the bow
of each as many marines as could well stand, and these
kept up a continued fire of musketry upon the four fugi¬
tives in the jolly-boat, ballasted with a British prisoner,
Notwithstanding the close and heavy firing, they wound¬
ed but one of the four; so that three of them were able to
run for it when the boat reached the shore. As soon as
they sat foot ou shore, they made directly for the fields.
The marines, soon followed, firing every few moments up¬
on them, but without hitting them. Uur men so complete¬
ly distanced them, that we all thought they would make
their escape from his majesty's marines ; and they would
have effected it, had not the country people poured out of
the farm-houses, and the brick-yards. In a few minutes
the fields appeared covered with people. They outran
the marines, and pursued our brave adventurers so closely
from all points, that they exhausted them of breath, and
fairly run them down, all except the nervous Indian, and
he did honor to the Narraganset tribe, and his brave an¬
cestors, so renowned in New England history.* We saw
him from the Crown Prince prison ship, skipping over the
ground like a buck, and defying his pursuers ; but unfor¬
tunately for this son of the forest, he sprained his ancle
in leaping a fence, which compelled, him to surrender ;
otherwise he might have ran on to London, in fair chaee?
before they could have come up. with him.
While sittiug on the ground, and unable to walk, by
reason of his dislocated bone, the country people ap¬
proached him with caution. They did not think it quite-
safe to come close up to a man of his extraordinary stat¬
ure and commanding aspect. He was, however, soon sur¬
rounded by a large number of marines, who had the great
honor of recapturing a lame Indian, and conducting hi in,
baek again to his Britannic majesty's fleet of three deck¬
ers, at anchor oft' his royal deck of Chatham !
* Set Dr. Holrofs' Annals,
108 JOURNAL.
We made several attempts to gain our liberty while ly¬
ing in the river \Iedwuy ; but none of our daring teats
equalled this of the Indian. We gave him the tm>n ot
Baron Trenck, and pronounced him his superior ; lor he
had to pass the fire of several ships ; and the jolly-boat ap¬
peared to be surrumded in a shower of shot, and yet only
one man was wounded in the leg. When the Indian had
made the fields, and was ascending the rising ground, all
the prisoners in our ship gave him three cheers. We
cheered him as he came along back in the boat with his
comrades, and drank their healths in the first liquor we
obtained. It is for deeds of bravery, and indications of a
commanding mind, and superior strength and agility of
body, that our aboriginals in North America appoint their
kings ; and certainly there is more sense and reason in it,
than making the son a king, because his father was king.
This Indian was, by nature, a commander.
It was, be sure, an extraordinary sight, mixed with
something of the ludicrous—to see three white Americans
and one Indian, with a disarmed British red-coat under
their feet, in the jolly-boat, not daring to raise his head,
while about thirty boats, with above 250 seamen, and
nearly as many marines, were rowing, and puffing and
blowing, and firing and loading, and loading and firing at
a small boat, containing three American seamen and one
Indian, without any weapon or instrument, except the oars
they rowed with. While the British marines were ruff¬
ling the water around the flying boat with their bullets,
•we, on board the prison ships, sensible of their danger,
felt as much interest, and probably more apprehension,
than the fugitives themselves. It was an anxious period
of hope, fear and animating pride, which sometimes petri¬
fied us into silence, and then caused us to rend the air with
acclamations, and clapping of hands. The Indian, was,
however, the hero of the piece. We saw, and admired
his energetic mind, his abhorrence of captivity, and his
irresistible love of freedom. This fellow was not, proba¬
bly, at all below some of the Grecian captains, who went
to the siege of Troy ; and he only wanted the advantages
of education, and of modern discipline, to have become a
distinguished commander. The inspiring love of liberty
was all the theme, after the daring exploit of our coun¬
trymen, and it made us uneasy and stimulated us to can-
JOURNAL.
template similar aets of hardihood. We had now become
pretty nearly tired of cutting holes through the ship's bot¬
tom and sides, for it was always detected, and we were
made to pay for repairing the damage out of our provis¬
ions. After seeing what four men could effect, our thoughts
turned more upon a general insurrection than upon the
partial escapes of a few We perceived, clearly enough,
that our keepers dreaded our enterprising spirit; and we
could discover that they knew that we despised them, and
ridiculed them. Some of our saucy boys, studying arith¬
metic, with their slates and pencils in their hands, would
say out loud, as if stating a sum, " if it took 350 British
seamen and marines to catch four yankees, how many Brit¬
ish sailors and marines would it take to catch ten thousand
of us
We could perceive a general uneasiness throughout our
ship ; even our good friend, Mr. , the worthy
Scotchman, said to me about this time, your countrymen
are such a restless, daring set of beings, that it it is not
safe to befriend you, and 1 wish you were all safe and hap¬
py in your own country, and all of us at peace. A change
of situation was foretold, but of what kind we know not.
The next chapter will inform us all about it.
END OF PART FIRST.
PART SECOND.
CHAPTER I.
IN consequence of various attempts to escape prison,
and of the late daring enterprise at noon-day, the officers
of this ignoble fleet of prison ships grew very uneasy.
They, doubtless, felt that there was neither honor nor
pleasure, but much danger in this sort of service. It was
often said among them, that tliey felt perfectly safe when
they had several thousand French prisoners under their
charge. These lively people passed their time in little in¬
genious manufactures, and in gaming, and seemed -to wait
patiently until their day of liberation should come; but
these Americans, said they, are the most restless, contriv¬
ing set of men we ever saw ; their amusement seems to
be contriving how to escape, arid to plague their keepers.
They seem to take a pleasure in making us uneasy, and in
exciting owr apprehensions of their escape, and then they
laugh and make themselves merry at our anxiety. One
of ihe officers said that the American prisoners had sys-
tematised the art of tormenting. There is a sort of mis¬
chievous humor among our fellows, that is, at times, rath¬
er provoking, to officers habituated to prompt obedience,
and a distance and deference bordering upon awe, whicli
our countrymen never feel for any man.
It seems that the British government, or the admifaltj
department, were fully acquainted with this state oftW)9$
and with the difficult task which the miserable officers o
this miserable Med way fleet had to perform. The gev
ernnient did not seem to wish to exercise a greater 'k^rei
of rigor over the American prisoners, because th< ; ww
and all Europe knew, that the United States t<-<\.-. \ triei
prisoners with distinguished humanity ; and yet t?.~v firm
lv believed, that unless more rigor was exercised, th
JOURNAL.
Ill
Americans would rise upon their keepers before the win¬
ter commenced.
The rumor is, that we are to be sent to Dartmoor prison.
Some of our crew have lately received a letter from a pris¬
oner in that depot of misery, for such he describes it. He
tells us that it is situated in the most dreary and unculti¬
vated spot in England ; and that to the sterility of the soil
are added the black coloring of superstition.
A Moor, a word not used in America, is used in Eng¬
land to denote a low, marshy piece of ground, or a sterile
spot, like our pine barren's, divested of every thing like a
pine tree. It denotes something between a beach and a
meadow. It is a solemn faced truth-in this country of our
superstitious ancestors, that every extensive and dreary
moor, in England, is haunted by troubled ghosts, witches
and walking dead men, visiting, in a sociable way. each
other's graves. It is really surprising, and (o an intelli¬
gent American, incredible, that stout, iiearty, and other¬
wise bold Englishmen, dare not walk alone over the drea¬
ry spot, or m*or, where the prison now stands, in a dark
and cloudy night, without trembling with horror, at a
nothing J Beside the stories of witches flying about in the
air, and dead men strolling over the moor, the letter con¬
tained an account of the origin of this new famous prison.
It stated that this Dartmoor belonged to that beautiful
gambler, the Dutchess of Devonshire,* who lost it in a
game of hazard with the Prince of Wales, who, to enhance
the value of it, (he being, as ail the world knows, a con¬
triving, speculating, economical, elose fisted, miserly gen¬
ius) contrived to have erected there a species of a fortress,
enclosing seven very large buildings, or prisons, for the
reception of captured seamen ; from which establishment
its royal landlord received a very handsome annual rent;
and this princely anecdote is as firmly believed as the sto¬
ries of the witches, and the walking dead men. S'he only
remark we would make upon it here^is, that Dartmoor has
a dismal idea associated with it—and that was sufficient
to make our people conceive of it as a Pi ace doleful as a
eoal-pit.
Not long after the receipt of this letter, one hundred and
* The letter writer, we suspect, bad not studied, carefully, the laws and
customs of England, where all landed property belongs to the king, wh®
allows the eldest male of a family to possess it during his good behavior.
112
JOURNAL.
fifty of our countrymen were sent off by wafer, to this
Dartmoor Prison ^ but the measles appearing among
tliem, they were stopped at the JS/'ore, which is at the en¬
trance of the Thames. They are every day drafting more,
which are destined for the dismal prison house. VY'e are
all struck with horror at the idea of our removal from our
ships in the river Medway, which runs through a beauti¬
ful country It is " the untried scene," that fills us with
dread, " for clouds and darkness rest upon it." Last
year we vere transported from inhospitable Nova Scotia,
over the boisterous Atlantic, and suffered incredible hard¬
ships in a rough winter passage ; and now we are to be
launched again on the same tumultuous ocean, to go four
hundred miles coast-wise, to the most dismal spot in Eng¬
land. W ho will believe it ? the men who exercised all
their art and contrivance, and exerted all their muscular
powers to cut through the double plankings and copper of
a ship of'the line, in hopes of escaping from her, now leave
the same ship with regret. 1 have read of men who had
been imprisoned many years in the Bastile, who, when lib¬
erated, sighed to return to their place of long confinement,
and felt unhappy out of it. I thought it wondrous strange;
but 1 now cease to be surprised. This prison-ship, through
long habit, and the dread of a worse place, is actually
viewed with feelings of attachment. Of the hundred men
who were sent hither last year, from Halifax, there are
only about seventy of us remaining on board the Crown
Prince. The next draft will lessen onr numbers, and
separate some of those who have been long associates in
bondage. It is not merely the bodily inconvenience of
being transported here and there, that we dread, so much
as the exposure to insult and sarcasm of our enemies. NVe
have been, and still dread to be again placed in rows, on
hoard of a ship, or in a prison yard, to be stared at by tlie
British vulgar, just as if we were Guinea negroes, ex¬
posed to the examination of some scoundrel negro mer¬
chants. commissioned to re-stock a plantation with black
cattle, capable of thinking, talking, laughing and weep¬
ing. This is not all. We have been obliged often to en¬
dure speeches of this sort, most commonly uttered in the
Scotch accent—*' My life on't that fellow is a renegudo
Englishman—-or Irishman—an halter will be. 1 hope, his
portion. D—n all such rebel looking rascals." Whatev-
JOURNAL.
er our feelings and resentments may be on account of im¬
pressment, inhuman treatment, and plundering our fobs
and pockets, and of our clothing, we never speak of the
British king and government in terms of gross indecency ;
whereas, we American prisoners of war, are often assailed
with the bitterest sarcasms and curses of the President of
the United States, tha Congress, and some of our military
commanders.
I have already mentioned that all my family, as well
as myself, were what they called 44 Federalists," or fault¬
finders, and opposers of Madison's administration ; and
that I, afld all the rest of us, dropt every trait of federal¬
ism in the British prisons, where, to call a man a Feder¬
alist, was resented as the deepest insult. I appeal to all
my companions in misery, for the accuracy of this opin¬
ion. A man who is willing to expose his life to the balls
and bayonets of his country's foes, to the enemies of his
government, and to the independence and union of his na¬
tion, holds his country and the government of his ehoice,
in higher estimation than his life. Such a man cannot
hear the United States, and their President, spoken of in
terms of contempt, without feeling the keenest anguish.
This I have felt, and have remarked its effects in the
countenances of my insulted comrades. Situated as we are,
it would be great imprudence to resent what we are often
obliged to hear. Captivity, under British prison keepers,
and British captains of transport men of war, are th«
proper colleges for teaching the love of our republican
government, and strong attachment to its administration ;
and they are proper places to make the rankest federal¬
ist abjure his errois, and cling to the constituted authori¬
ties of the country whose flag he adores, and for whose
defence he exposes his life. It is inconceivable how closely
we are here pressed together in the cause of our dear coun¬
try, and in honor of its high officers. Were all the in¬
habitants of the United States as unanimous in their po¬
litical sentiments, as we are, in the river Medway, they
would all be ready to exclaim, each man to his neighbour,
Rouse, and revive your ancient glory,
Unite—and drive the world before you.
July lsfj 1S13.—Our feelings are all alive at this joy¬
ous season, for we are now making preparations for cele-
10
ill
JOURNAL.
brating the birtli-day of our nation ; and though in cap¬
tivity, we are determined not to suffer (lie glorious Fourth
of July to pass over without testifying our undivided at¬
tachment to our beloved country, and to the cause it is
fighting for. Each mess are making arrangements in, be-
sare, a small and humble, but a hearty way, for the cele¬
bration ; and it is a curious spectacle, to see the pleas-
isreabie anticipations of the prisoners in a feast of good
things, all of which would not amount to so plentiful a re¬
past, as that which the criminals in our State Prison, near
Boston, enjoy every day, the plenty of good porter except¬
ed. Application has been made to Capt. Hutchinson, for
an additional allowance of beer and porter, which request
lie has granted, with his usual goodness. Every brain is
at work to know how to spend what we have been accu¬
mulating for the Fourth of July, with the most pleasure
and the most propriety.
The Fourth of July, 1813, is past. We petitioned the
commander to allow us to hoist the American flag, but he
refused to gratify us. Application was then made to the
Commodore, who gave permission that we might hoist our
national colors, as high as the top of our railings ; and
the same permission was granted to all the other prison-
ships. We had obtained a drum and fife ; and being all
assembled on the forecastle, and such other parts of the
ship as were accessible to us, prisoners, we in the morning
struck up the animating tune of Yankee Boodle, and sa¬
luted the Nassau prison-ship with three cheers, which
was returned ; the ships more distant caught the joyful
sound, and echoed it back to its source. The fife and
drum, the latter ornamenjted with the king's arms, played
the whole forenoon, while the jovial prisoners drank, in
English porter, Success to>the American cause !
At twelve o'clock, an Oration, hastily prepared, and
rather too inflammatory for about a tenth part of our au¬
dience, was delivered, by a prisoner of respectable talents;
a man, who, having been impressed into the British ser¬
vice, had been promoted to the rank of boatswain of a
frigate ; and liberated from the service in consequence of
his declaring it against his honor and conscience to fight
against his countrymen, or aid in pulling down the colors
of his nation. This man very deliberately mounted an el¬
evation, and with great force, and with a characteristic
JOURNAL.
freedom, pronounced an Address, which the prisoners list¬
ened to with profound silence, excepting the clapping of
hands, and sometimes cheers, at the end of such sentences
as warmed and overpowered their silence. At the closo
of the whole, the orator was greeted with three times
three cheers, throughout the ship, and reached even (o the
shores. The oratory of the boatswain seemed to electrify
the officers and men set over us. The master and the
surgeon appeared really pleased ; even Osmer, our jailor,
" grinn'd horribly a ghastly smile."
After the Oration, we returned below to our prepared
dinners, at which our reverend orator asked a blessing,
with more fervor than is commonly observed in our Cos¬
sack clergymen; and we fell to, with a zest and hilarity
rarely to be found among a large collection of prisoners.
If, like the captive Jews on the Euphrates, we had hung
our harps upon the willows of the Medway, we took them
down on this joyous occasion. We felt the spirit of free¬
dom glow within us ; and we anticipated the day when
we should celebrate our anniversary in that dear land of
liberty, which we longed to see, and panted after, as tho
thirsty hart pants after the water brooks.
The Fourth of July was celebrated in a very becoming
manner, on board the Nassau prison-ship, by similar acts
of rejoicing. I have obtained a copy of the Oration, de¬
livered by a seaman, on that day. Among the audience,
were several ladies and gentlemen from the neighborhood.
AN ORATION,
Delivered by permission, on board the, Nassau prison-ship,
at Chatham, England\s by an American Seaman, prisoner
of war.
my fellow prisoners, and beloved countrymen,
We are assembled to commemorate that ever memorable Fourth of July,
1776, when our forefathers, inspired with the love of liberty, dared to d/-
vest themselves of the shackles of tyranny and oppression:; yes, my friend s,
on that important day/these stripes were hoisted on the standard of liberty^'
as a signal of unity, and of their determination to fight under them, unt il
America was numbered among the nations of the globe, as one of them,' a
free and independent nation. sYes, my countrymen,; she wis determined
to spare neither blood nor treasu/e, until she had accomplished the grand
object of her intentions; an object,.my friends, which she was prompted
by Heaven to undertake, and inspired by all that honor, justice, ;?nd patri¬
otism could infuse ; her armies were then in the field, with a Washing-
116
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ton at their head, whose upright conduct and valorous deeds you ha>e
often heard related, and the memory of whom should be held sacred in the
breasts of every true-born American.—Let his heart beat high at the name
of Washi ngton ! Sacred as the archives of heaven ! for he was a man of
truth, honor, and integrity, and a soldier fostered by the gods to be the sa¬
viour of his country.
The struggle was long, and arduous; but our rallying word was, "Lib¬
erty or Death!" Torrents of blood were spilt; towns and villages were
burnt, and nothing but havoc, devastation and destruction was seen from
one end of the continent to the other ; and this was not all; but, to com¬
plete the horrid scene, an infernal horde of savage murderers was prompt¬
ed by our enemy to butcher our helpless wives and children! Then did
our fathers' patriotic hearts swell in their bosoms, and they were ten-fold
more resolved to break the yoke of the tyrant.
I recite these things, my countrymen, that you may know how to prize
your liberty, that precious gem for which your fathers fought, wading in
rivers of blood, until it pleased the Almighty to crown their arms with suc¬
cess ; and,igloriousto relate, America was acknowledged free and independ-
ent by all tne powers of Europe. Happy period ! then did our warriors
exult in what they had so nobly achieved ; then commerce revived, and the
thirteen stripes were hoisted upon the tall masts of our ships, and displayed
from pole to pole ^emigrants flocked from many parts to taste our free¬
dom, and other blessings heaven had bestowed upon us ; our population
increased to an incredible degree ; our commerce flourished, and ourcoun-
try has been the seat of peace, plenty and happiness for many years. At
length the fatal blast reached our land] America was obliged to unsheath
the sword in justification of her violated rights. Our ships were captured
and condemned upon frivolous pretensions; our seamen were dragged
from their lawful employment; they were torn from the bosom of their
beloved country; sons from their fathers; husbands from their wives and
children, to serve with reluctance for many years, under the severity of a
martial law. The truth of this many of you can attest to, perhaps with in¬
ward pining and a bleeding heart!
My countrymen ! I did not mount this rostrum to inveigh against the
British; only the demagogues, the war-faction I exclaim against. We all
know, and that full well, that there are many honest, patriotic men in this
country, who would raise their voices to succour us, and their arms too,
could they do it with impunity. The sympathetic hearts of the good, feel
for the oppressed in all climes. And now, my countrymen, it is more
fhan probable that the land of your nativity will be involved in war, and
deluged in blood for some time to come; yes, my friends, thathappy coun-
t ry, which is the guardian of everything you possess, that you esteem, near
and dear, has again to struggle for her liberty. The British war-faction are
rushing upon us with their fleets and armies, thinking, perhaps, to crush us
in a moment. Strange infatuation ! They have forgotten Bunker's Hill!
They have forgotten Saratoga, and Yorktown, when the immortal Wash¬
ington with his victorious army chased them through the Jerseys, under
the muzzles of their ship's cannon for protection ! They have forgotten
that the sons of America have as good blood in their veins, and possess as
sound limbs and nerves as they; strange infatuation! I repeat it, if they
presume to think that eight millions of free people will be very easily di¬
vested of their liberty; my word for it, they will not give up at the sight
of their men-of-war or their red coats ; no, my friends, they will meet the
^ds who will play them the tune of yankee doodle, as well as they did at
JOURNAL.
117
Lexington, or Bunker Hill. Besides, my countrymen, there is a plant in
that country, (very little of which grows any where else,) the infusion of
which stimulates the true sons of America to deeds of valour. There is
something so fostering in the very sound of its name, that it holds superior¬
ity wherever it grows; it is a sacred plant, my friends, its name is liber¬
ty, and may God grant that that plant may continue to grow in the United
States of America, and never be rooted out so long as it shall please Him to
continue the celestial orb to roll in yon azure expanse.
Ah! Britons! Britons! had your counsellors been just, and had they lis¬
tened with attention, and followed the advice of the immortal * William Pitt,
Britain and America might have been one until the present hour; and they,
united,in time might have given laws to the inhabitants of this terrestrial ball.
Many of you, my friends, have voluntarily embraced this loathsome pris¬
on rather th?n betray *your country; for by the laws of your country, to
aid or give any assistance to an enemy, is treason, is punishable with death.
I therefore hope that your country will reward you abusdantly for your
toil. And one and all let us embrace the icy arms of death, rather than
cherish the least symptoms of an inclination to betray our country. Some
have done it, who have pretended to be Americans, so far as to shield them¬
selves under the name. Whether they were real Americans or not, is hard
for me to say ; but if they were, they have put their hand to the plough,
and not only looked back, but have gone back. I have not the least doubt
but they will meet their reward ; that is, they will be spurned at by those
very people that laid the bait for them. Such characters will for ever be
condemned, and held in detestation by both parties. Therefore all you
who feel the tide of true American blood flow through your hearts, I hope
never will attempt to flee from the allegiance of your country. It is cow¬
ardice, it is felony ; and for all those who have done it, we may pray that
the departed spirits of their fathers, who so nobly fought, bled, and fell in
the conflict to gain them their liberty, will haunt them in their midnight
slumbers, and that they may feel the horrors of conscience and the dread
of a gallows ! also, that they may have no rest, but like the dove that Noah
sent out of the ark, be restless until they return to the allegiance of their
country. And now, my countrymen, let us join in unison to correct our
own morals; let us be sober, let us be vigilant over ourselves while in this
situation. And although it is not in our power to assist our countrymen
in the present conflict, yet if we are good the power of Heaven will fight
for us ; for the good must merit God's peculiar care. The powers of Hea¬
ven fought for us ; they assisted us to gain our liberty, it is evident from
the very circumstance, that in our struggle with Great Britain for our lib¬
erty, we had no navy, or none of any consequence, yet Great Britain lost
more line of battle ships in that war than she did with France, although
Prance is a great naval power. And we should be thankful to God for fill
the blessings he hath bestowed upon us from time to time, and in particu¬
lar for the blessings of that unity which we are recently informed prevails
among our countrymen in America ; united they stand, nor will th* pow¬
ers of hell be able to. overthrow them. And now let us appeal to the God
of Sabaoth, that is, the God of armies—let us appeal to Him who holds the
balance, and weighs the events of battles and of realms, and by his decision
w« must abide. And may He grant us htalth, peace and unity in this our
disagreeable situation; and let us all join in concord to praise the Ruler
and Governor of the universe. ^inen. Amen.
* The celebrated Earl of Chatham.
10*
IIS.
j -j L H N A I...
Among the songs sung on this occasion, were several
composed by seafaring people, in our own country. The
following drew tears from the eyes of our generous heart¬
ed sailors. It pathetically describes what many of them
had experienced, the impressment of an American sailor
boy, by a British man of war, the tearing up of his legal
protection, and of his sinking under a broken heart. It
was written by Mr. John De Wolfe, of Rhode Island.
The Impressment of an American Sailor Boy.-
A SONG,
$ung on board the British prison-ship, Crown Prince, the
Fmirlh of July, 1813, by a number of the American
prisoners.
The youthful Sailor mount3 the bark,
And bids each weeping friend adieu ;
Fair blows the gale, the canvass swells;
Slow sink the uplands from his view.
Three mornings, from his ocean bed,
Resplendent beams the God of day ;
The fourth, high looming in the mist,
A war-ship's floating banners play.
Jler yawl is launch'd ; light o'er the deep,
Too kind, she wafts a ruffian band ;
Her blue track lengthens to the bark,
And soon on deck the miscreants stand;
Around they throw the baleful glance ;
Suspense holds mute the anxious crew«—
Who is their prey ?—poor sailor boy I >
The baleful glance is fix'd on you.
Nay, why that useless scrip unfold ?
They damn the " lying yanku scrawl
rl orn from thine hand, it strews the wave»
1'hey force thee, trembling, to the yawl'.
Sick was thine heart, as from the deck,
The hand of friendship wav'd farewell j
Mad was thy brain, as, far behind,
In the grey mist, thy vessel fell.
©ne hope, yet, to thy bosom clung,
The captain mercy might impart ;
Vain was that hope, which bade thee look
For mercy in a Pirate's heart.
JOURNAL.
What woes can man on man inflict,
When malice joins with uncheck'd pow 'i ;
Such woes, unpitied and unknown,
For many a month, the sailor bore.
Oft gem'd his eye the bursting tear,
As mem'ry linger'd on past joy ;
As oft they flung the cruel jeer,
And damn'd the " chicken-liver'd boy."
When sick at heart, with •' hope deferr'd,"
Kind sleep bis wasting form embrac'd,
Some ready minion ply'd the lash,
And the iov'd dream of freedom chac'd*
Fast to an end his miseries drew ;
The deadly hectic flush'd his cheek ;
On his pale brow the cold dew hung,
He sigh'd, and sunk upon the deck !
The sailor's woes drew forth no sigh ;
No hand would close the sailor's eye ;
Remorseless, his pale corps they gave,
Unshrouded, to the friendly wave.
And, as he sunk beneath the tide,
A hellish shout arose ;
Exultingly the demons cried,
" So fore all Albion's rebel foa
\
The power of music and of song, on such occasions,
has been witnessed in ali ages of the world, especially in
the youthful, or chivalric period of a nation's existence,
whieh is the present time, in the history of the United
States. We all have felt and witnessed the animating ef¬
fects of the simple national tune of Yankee; Doodle. Our
New England boys cannot stand still when it is played.
To that tune our regiments march with an energy that no
other music inspires. At its sound, the sentinel on hia
post shoulders his musket, and marches his limits with a
smartness, that shows that his brave heart pulsates to the
warlike drum. Such a people, thus animated and united,
is absolutely invincible, by all the powers of Europe com¬
bined.
Time, situation and circumstances, will give us national
song3. Many ages passed away, before England was ani¬
mated by a national hymn. The Americans have paro¬
died this hymn, substituting, « Gop save great Washing¬
ton &c.
Our orator, considering where he was, and that he had
an hundred British hearers, used pretty harsh language.
He apostrophised the English thus : " Haughty nation !
with one hand thou art deluding and dividing thy victim*
in New England, and with the other, thou bearest the
weapon of vengeance ; and while employing the ruthful
ravage, with his tomahawk and scalping knife, thou art
boasting of thy humanity, thy magnanimity, and thy reli¬
gion ! Bloody villains ! detestable associates ! linked to¬
gether by fear, and leagued with savages by necessity, to
murder a christian people, for the alledged crime of fight¬
ing over again the battle of independence. Beware, bloody
nations of Britons and savage Indians, of the recoiling
vengeance of a brave people. For shame—talk no more
of your Christianity, of your bible and missionary societies,
when your only aim is to direct the scalping knife, and
give foree to the arm of the savage. No longer express
the smile of pleasure, on hearing a stupid Governor pro¬
claim you to be " The Bulwark of our Religion!" You
have filled India with blood and ashes ; you have murder¬
ed the Irish for contending for liberty of conscience ; you
continue the scourge of war in Spain ; you pay Russia,
Sweden, Germany and Holland, the price of blood ; and t»
crown all, decorate your colors, and your seats of legisla¬
tion, with scalps, torn from Americans, male and female;
and you are sowing discord, and diffusing a jacobinical
spirit through a pretestant country, which you cannot con¬
quer by force. But, (continued the orator, waving his sin¬
ewy arm, and hard and heavy hand,) the time is not far dis¬
tant, when your guilty nation will be duly appreciated, and
justly punished j" and saying this, he drove his iron fist
into the palm of his left hand, and stamped, with his foot
on the capstan, where he stood, while his admiring coun¬
trymen rewarded the herculean orator with three cheers.
There is no disguising it, these Englishmen not only re¬
spect us, but fear us. They perceive a mighty difference
between Us, and the cringing, gambling Frenchmen. If
they are tolerably well informed, and think at all, they
must conclude that we Yankees, are filled with, and keep
up that bold and daring spirit of liberty, which made Eng¬
land what she is, and the loss of which is now perceived by
their surrendered ships and beaten armies in America.
All these things will hereafter be detailed by some future
JOURNAL.
121
Gibbon, in the history of the Decline and Fall of the Brit¬
ish Empire.
We closed the day, on this memorable fourth of July,
pretty much as we began it; we struck our flag at sun set
and saluted the other ships with three hearty cheers.
Throughout the whole, the prisoners, even to the boys, be¬
haved with becoming decorum, and the whole was con¬
cluded without any disagreeable accident, or any thing like
a quarrel; and in saying this, we desire to acknowledge
the extraordinary good behaviour of a)l the British officers
and men on board the Crown Prince",
Excepting the apprehensions of being sent off to Dart¬
moor prison, of which we entertained horrid ideas, we
were tolerably happy. After the measles ceased, we
were all very healthy; and there exists a good uuder-
standing between the prisoners and our commander, Os-
more ; which they say, is owing to the influence of his
amiable wife. This worthy woman has discovered that
we are not a gang of vagabonds, but that many of the
American prisoners are not only men of solid understand¬
ing, and correct principles, but men whose minds have
been improved l>y good education. The manner and style
in which we celebrated our national independence, have
created a respect for us. The officers extend a better
course of treatment towards us, and this has occasioned
our treating them with more respect. Politeness gener¬
ates politeness, and insult, insult. They find that coax¬
ing and fair words is the only way to manage Americans.
There is a set of busy-idlers among us, a sort of news¬
mongers, fault-finders, and predictors, who are continual¬
ly bothering* us with unsubstantial rumors. The news¬
papers we take, are enough to confound any man; but
these creatures are worse than the London news-writers.
Sometimes we are told that Baltimore is burnt; and then
that New-York is taken ; and we have been positively
assured that old New-England has declared for the Brit¬
ish ; and that the governor of Massachusetts and his
council had dined on board a British man of war iu Bos¬
ton harbor; and that president Madison had been hanged
in effigy in Boston, Newburyport, arid Portsmouth. At
other times we were told positively, and circumstantially,
•An Irish word, meaning a distraftion of attention by reason of worda
Striking our intelleil through both tars confuseJly.
122
JOURNAL.
that three frigates sent their boats into Marbleiiead, and
after driving out ali the women and children, set fire to
the town, and reduced!; the whole to ashes; and this was
for some time credited. We have a number of fine Mar-
blehead men here in captivity, all staunch friends of their
country's cause. I well remember since that period, that
it was told us, that peace between America and England
•was concluded, and that one of its conditions was giving
up the fisheries on the banks of Newfoundland. This
alarmed the Marbleiiead men more than the report of burn¬
ing their town ; they raved and swore like mad men. "If
that be the case,5' said they, " 1 am damned—Marblehead
is forever damned, and we are all damned; and damnation
seize the peace-makers, who have consented to this con¬
dition." On this subject they worked themselves into a
fever, and were very unhappy all the time the story was
believed. Such like stories were told to us, oft times, so
circumstantially, that we all believed them. When dis¬
covered to be false, they were called galley-news or galley
"packets. These mischievous characters are continually
spurting; with our feelings, and secretly laughing at the
uneasiness they occasion. There is one man who has got
the name of lying Bob ; who is remarkable for the fertili¬
ty of his invention ; there is so much apparent correctness
in nil he advances. He mentions and describes the man
who informed him, states little particulars, and relates
circumstances so closely connected with acknowledged
facls, that the most cautious and incredulous are often tak¬
en in by him. He is a constitutional liar, and the fellow
has such a plausible mode of lying, and wears throughout
*uch a fixed and solemn phiz, that his news has been cir¬
culated by us all, with all our wise reasons, and explana¬
tions, and conjectures, that although we are sometimes
angry enough to knock his brains out, we cannot help
laughing at the hoax. To the name of lying Bob, we
have added that of " Printer to Prince Belzebub''s Royal
Gazette."
This little community of ours, crowded within the
planks of a single ship, is but the prototype of the great
communities on the land. Here we see working, all those
passions, hopes, fears, emulations, envies, and even con¬
tentions for distinction, which, like the winds and tides of
the ocean, keep the human mind healthy, vigorous, and
JOURNAL.
423
progressing to general benefit. Amidst it all, we could
iiscover " the. ruling passion," the love of country, and a
inn belief that our countrymen understood rational liber¬
ty better, and could defend it longer, than any nation now
in existence.
Many people are beguiled with an idea, that sailors
have no serious thoughts of religion, because they use
swearing, and, too often, a profane phraseology, without
any meaning. But seamen generally have as serious
ideas of religion, as landsmen; and are, in my opinion,
full as good. Hypocrisy is not among their vices. They
never pretend to more religion than their conduct pro¬
claims. You see and hear the worse of them, and that
cannot always be said of our brethren on shore. We have
had a methodist preacher exhorting us twice a week, until
lately; but he has discontinued his visits; for he found
the hearts of some of our fellows as hard as their faces,
and he relinquished the hope of their conversion to metlr-
odism. There was, at one time, on board our ship, a lit¬
tle, ugly French surgeon's mate, who had lived several
years in London, and in the southern part of America. He
could speak and read the English language equally well
with his own. He ridiculed all religion, and talked in
such an irreverent style of the bible, of Jesus Christ, and
of the Virgin Mary, that our sailors would not associate
with him, nor, at times, to eat with him. On one occasion
his profanity was so shocking, that he ran some risk of be¬
ing thrown overboard. He was a witty, comical fellow,
and they would listen and laugh at his drollery ; but they
finally stopped his mouth from uttering things, for which
he would be severely punished in England and in America.
Generally speaking, in the religious notions of our sail¬
ors, there is mixed a portion of that superstition which we,
our forefathers, and foremothers brought with tliem from
England, Scotland and Ireland. They believe, for exam¬
ple, in spirits, or ghosts, and that they haunt houses and
ships ; and that they have sometimes appeared with hor¬
rid visage and menacing countenances, at the bed-side of
a cruel captain : and above all, to the false hearted Tar,
who cruelly deserted his too credulous Poll, who drowned
herself in despair. The common sailor often tells such
stories, and sings them in ballads, both which are gener¬
ally ended with the good moral sentiment of the punish-
42*
JOURNAL
ment of craeity and treachery, and the reward of the kind
hearted and humane.
It may appear singular that men whose conduct is gen¬
erally so opposite to the prescribed rules of the Priest,
should have so firm an opinion of another life, after their
bodies are eaten up by sharks, or blown to atoms ; but it
is really the case with the British and American sailors,
for they have the strongest belief in the existence of spi¬
rits, and all their stories and traditions tend to confirm
this superstition. How often have I known them huddled
together in the night, telling stories of feats of danger
and desperation ! a ghost or spirit is generally brought in¬
to the history. Nothing suits these daring set of men
better than a solemn narrative of a supernatural achieve¬
ment, and a supernatural escape ; but to be charming, it
mast have a tinge of the horrible. Shakespeare would
have recognized some of these men as his kindred, and
they him as a relation. Good luck and ill luck, lucky
days and unlucky days, as well as lucky ships, attach
themselves to a sailor's mind. A remarkable instance of
this we have in our ill-fated frigate Chesapeake. Ever
since the British ship, Leopard, fired into this American
frigate, in a period of profound peace, and caused her to
strike her colors, and which led to her being boarded ;
and he: tnen to be mustered by compulsion, and some of
her crew taken and carried forcibly on board the Leop¬
ard, one of which was afterwards hanged ; after this deep
wound on our country's honor, this frigate was ever after
viewed as unlucky.
In confirmation of this nautical curse, she met with a
series of disasters during the war, which were not attrib¬
uted to ill management, but to ill luck. Thus, one time
she was coming up the harbor of Boston, from a cruise,
where she lost spar after spar, and topmast after topmast;
and when in full sight of the town, and not much wind,
over board went her fore-top-mast, and several men were
drowned in their fall from the rigging. This was not
attributed to lack of judgment, but to ill luck. When
this ill-omened ship lay in Boston harbor, previous to her
last and fatal cruise, she could not get men, and that from
the impression on the minds of sailors, that she was an
unlucky ship. This operated to her final misfortune, for
her crew was made up of every thing that offered. Her
JOURNAL.
125
captain was a stranger to his crew, and to his officers ;
liis first lieutenant lay at the point of death when she
sailed ; her motley crew mutinied, on account of their pay,
before they weighed anchor ; her brave, I had like to
have said rash commander, sailed out in a great hurry ;
her cables were not quite stowed away, nor other things
arranged in their places, when she bore down on the cool
and orderly Shannon ; and to crown all, her intrepid com¬
mander, a man six feet, four inches, went iuto action with¬
in half pistol shot, in full uniform, as if he defied the pow¬
er of the British musketry. I have conversed with some
of her officers and men in my captivity, and think that I
am warranted in saying that there was much more high-
toned bravery e&hibited on that day, than good conduct.
The sailors, however, think differently ; they all attrib¬
ute it to that unavoidable fatality which forever adheres,
like pitch, to an unlucky ship. 0,my country !
" It was that fatal and perfidious bark,
" Built in th' eclipse, and rigg'd with curses dark,
" That sunk so low that sacred head of thine !"
Milton's Lycidas,
CHAPTER II.
August 30th.—Drafts continue to be made from this
ship to be sent off to Dartmoor Prison. There are but
few of us remaining, and we are every day in expectation
of removal. All go off with evident reluctance, from an
apprehension that the change will be for the worse. It is
the" untried scene," that fills us with anxiety. We are
more disposed to bear our present ills, than fly to others
M'hieh we know riot of.
Oh, how we envy the meanest looking wretch we see,
crawling on the shore, gathering sticks to cook his fish.
There the beggar enjoys the natural inheritance of man,
sweet Liberty ; if the unfeeling, the avaricious and mo¬
rose, refuse his petition, he can sweeten the disappoint¬
ment with the reflection that lie has liberty to walk where
he pleases. He is uot shut up in the prime of life, and
11
jouknal
cut oft" from all intercourse with those he holds most dear;
he is not lingering out his life and health under the mo¬
rose countenance of an unfeeling jailor. He has not, like
hs, a home, where peace, plenty and every good, await to
welcome us. Who can express the anguish felt by some
of us, wretched prisoners, here crowded together, like
sheep, men who have broken no law of either country,
but who have stood courageously forth in supporting the
sacred cause of our country, and in defending "free trade
and sailors' rightsShould this war continue some years
longer, or should peace be restored, and another war with
Britain commence, I will venture to predict that our ene¬
mies will take but few prisoners alive. My own mind is
entirely irv;ide up on this head. I hope to stand ever ready
to risk my life for the liberty and Independence of ouf
nation, and for the preservation of my own personal lib¬
erty.
The American sailor has a beloved home; he was born
and brought up in a house that had a " fire place" in it.
Many of them here, in captivity, have wives and children,
most of them have parents, and brothers and sisters.
These poor fellows partake, at times, the misery of their
dear relatives, at (hree thousand miles distance. They
recollect their aged mothers, and decrepid fathers, worn
down with age, labor, and anxious thoughts for the wel¬
fare of their absent sons Some have wives, and little
children, weeping for their absent husbands, and suffering
for the good and comfortable things of this life, having
none to help them. In families, neighborhoods, and villa¬
ges, men are supported by leaning on ea.ch other ; or by
supporting each other ; and we have endeavored to do so
too ; but now our numbers are thinning, some of our best,
our steadiest, and most prudent men, have left us, and
gone to Dartmoor Prison. I have felt very low spirited
for some days past. It is true, our numbers are now so
few, that we can run about, and beguile the tedious hours
by a greater variety of exercise and amusement than here¬
tofore ; but then, our soberest men are gone, and left be¬
hind some of the most noisy and disorderly of our w'l0'e
crew ; and young as I am, I am little disposed to make a
riot or noise, merely for noise sake.
A disturbance took place last night, which deprived all
of as of sleep. It was owing to the unaccommodating
JOURNAL.
127
disposition of onr commander, Mr. Osmore. About thirty
prisoners were selected, and called aft, with their ham¬
mocks all tied up, to be ready to go off early in the morn¬
ing, in a tender. The tender did not arrive as was ex¬
pected ; the sergeant was ordered to count us over in the
evening, to go to rest, whereupon the thirty drafted mew
went aft, and requested their hammocks to sleep in ; Mr.
Osmore replied, that, as they were to go off early in the
morning, they would only detain the tender, if they had
their hammocks to take dawn and pack up again, on which
account he refused to let them have theii' usual accommo¬
dations for sleeping. The men went below, very much
dissatisfied at the churlish disposition of the commander;
and as they despaired being able to sleep themselves, on
bare boards, they all determined that Osmore should not
sleep. They waited quietly till about ten o'clock, when
the commander usually went to bed, and then they tore
up the laifge oak benches, tied ropes to them, and run with
them round the deck, drawing the benches after them like
a sled, at the same time hollowing, screaming and yelling,
and making every noise that their ingenuity or malice
could devise. Sometimes they drove these oaken benches
full hut against the aft bulk head, so as to make the ship
tremble again with the noise, like cannon. They jammed
down the crockery belonging to the marines, which was
set up on the opposite side of the cock-pit, and frightened
their wives out of their beds. The noise and jarring were
'so great, that it seemed as if they were breaking up the
ship, for the sake of her iron work. Lieut. Osmore sent
a marine down, to order them to be still and go to sleep.
They replied, that they had no conveniences for sleeping,
and that Osmore had acted like a villain, in depriving;
them unnecessarily of their hammocks, for which brutal¬
ity, they were determined that he should not sleep any¬
more than they. After which they recommenced their
riot and thundering noise, which brought Osmore out of
his cabin, a:id called one of the committee to him, and
told him to tell the men, that if they did not directly cease
their noise, he would confine every man of them below, for
tfiree days. The committee-man replied, that nothing
could then be done, for that the mob had fairly capsized
the government of the ship, and all that he could say,
would only add to the riot and confusion. " Then," said
428
JOUnNAL.
lie, " I'll be <1—d if I (lo not fire upon them/' Some at
the mob answered, " fire, and be d—d." And the com¬
mander hesitated a moment, and returned to his cabin ;
for he saw the men were wrought up to the battle pitch,
and rather wished him to fire, by way of excuse for their
attack upon him whom they most cordially despised.
Directly upon this, they collected all the tin and cop-
pev pans,'pots and kettles, and every sonorous metallic
substance they could lay their hands on. These they tiejl
together, and hitched bunches of them here and there, up¬
on the oaken p'»anks ; and then, what with screaming,
yelling, like the Indian war-whoop, cheering, and the thun¬
dering noise of the planks, grating along the deck, to¬
gether with the ringing and clattering of their metallic
vessels, they made altogether such a hideous " rattle-
rome-twang," that it was enough to raise ail Chatham.
All this was transacted in utter darkness. The officers
doubtless saw that bloodshed and promiscuous death would
be the consequence of firing among the rioters, and pru¬
dently left it to subside with the darkness of the night.
These disorderly fellows would go round the decks twice,
with all this thundering noise and clatter, and then be si¬
lent for about half an hour, or until they thought Mr.
Osmore had got into a doze ; and then they would recom¬
mence their horrible serenade. At length Osmore became
so enraged, that lie swore by his Maker, that he would
order every marine in the ship to fire in among them;
hut on some of the committee observing to hira that he
would be as likely to kill the innocent as the guilty, and
as they were then silent, he went off again to his cabin ;
hut within a quarter of an hour they began again their
shocking serenade, and continued it, at provoking inter¬
vals, all the night, so that none could sleep in the ship.
In the morning the tender came along side, and they
all w ent on board of her. When they had all got in, and
pushed olffrom the ship's side, and while Osmore was su¬
perintending their departure, they all cried out, baa I
baa! baa! until they got out of hearing. The next day
lie betrayed a disposition to punish, in some way, those
prisoners that remained ; but it was remarked to hirti,
that it was utterly impossible for any of them to
the riot, or to keep their disturbers quiet, and that
they, themselves, were equally incommoded with him and
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120
iiis family, lie prudently dropped tlie design. Although
many of us disapproved of this behaviour of the men, noue
of us couJd help laughing at the noise, and its ludicrous
effects. It is a fact, 'hat the officers and marines of the
Crown Prince prison ship, were more afraid of the Amer¬
ican prisoners, than they were of then). This last frolic
absolutely cowed them. One of the officers said to me,
next day, " Your countrymen do not seem to be a bloody
minded set of men, like the Portuguese and Spaniards,
but they have the most d—d provoking impudence I ever
saw, in any men : if they did not accompany it all with
peais of laughter, and in the spirit of fun, I should put
them down as a set of hell-hounds." I told him that I
considered the last night's riot, not in the light of a muti¬
ny, or a serious attempt to wound or scratch any man, but
as a high frolic, without any real malice, and was an evi¬
dence of that boisterous liberty in which they had been
bred up, and arising also from their high notions of right
and wrong. To which the worthy Scotchman replied, I
hate a Frenchman, a Spaniard and a Portuguese; but I
never can hate an American ; and yet the three former
behave infinitely better, and give us far less trouble than
your saucy fellows " Had British prisoners behaved in
this manner, in the prison ships ill the harbor of Boston,
or Salem, would our officers have borne it with more pa¬
tience ?
As there were but few prisoners now remaining, and
ample room to run and jump about for exercise, our men
evidently recruited ; and being in good spirits, the rose of
health soon bloomed again on their manly cheeks. The
soldiers, made prisoners in Canada, evidently gained
strength, and acquired activity. If we compare their
miserable, emaciated looks, on their arrival at Melville
Prison, from their wretched voyage down the St. Law¬
rence, with their present appearance, the difference is
striking. The wretched appearance of these new made
soldiers, reflects no c-redit on the British. The savages
of the forest never starve their prisoners, i he war de¬
partment of the United States having ordered these men
a portion of their pay, they appropriated it chiefly to pur¬
chase comfortable clothing, which has been productive of
great good, and has probably saved the lives of some of
tliem ; others squandered away their money in dissipate
decree of tranquility prevailed on board
this prison ship, during my residence in it On i^th
«f September, we were all sent on board the Bahama pm-
on-shio, which lay farther up the reach. Here we found
about'three hundred of our countrymen, who received us
Vith kindness, and many marks of satisfaction. 1 could,
at once., perceive that their situation had been less pleas¬
ant than ours in the Crown Prince. Little attention had
been paid to cleanliness, and gambling had been carried to
as great excess as their means would admit of. They
aeemed to lack either the power, or the resolution of ad¬
hering to, and carrying into effect, good and wholesome
regulations. I never saw a set of more ragged, dirty men
in my life; and yet they were disposed to sell their last
rag to get money to game with. Their misfortune was,
they had too few men of sense and respectability among
them. They had no good committee men; not enough to
hear down the current of vice and folly. We dread the
contagion of bad example. Some of our meB soon resort¬
ed to their detestible gambling tables, and pursued their
old vices with astonishing avidity. We seriously expos¬
tulated with our companions, on their returning to the per¬
nicious practice of gambling, after they had had the vir¬
tue of refraining on board the Crown Prince ; and our ad¬
vice induced nearly all of them to renounce the destructive
practice. I had read, but never saw convincing evidence
before, of gaming being a passicn, that rages in propor¬
tion to the degrees of misery, until it becomes a species of
insanity.
We, " new comers," introduced certain measures that
had a tendency to harmonise our sailors an&soldiers. The
disorders on board the Bahama arise, principally, from
having on board a number of these two classes of men.
Our sailors view u soldier as belongingto an order of meii
below them ; and it must be confessed that our first crop
of recruits, that were huddleu together soon after the dec*
Jaration of war, in some measure juslified this notion.
They were, many of them, idle, intemperate men, void of
character and good constitutions. The high flyi™ federal
clergy, among other nonsense, told their flocks that the
war would demoralize the people; wherein it Lad the cod-
JflUUXAI/.
trary effect, as it regarded the towns an hundred miles
from the sea coast. It absolutely picked out all the rags,
dirt, and vice, from our towns and villages, and transport¬
ed them into Canada, where they were either captured,
killed, or died with sickness, so that our towns anil villa¬
ges on the atlantic were cleared of idlers and drunkards,
and experienced the benefit of their removal. The second
crop of recruits, in 1814, were of a different cast The
high bounty, and the love of country, induced the embar¬
goed sailor to turn soldier ; to these were added young me¬
chanics, and the sons of farmers. These were men of
good habits, and of calculation. They looked forward to
their bounty of land, with a determination of settling on
their farms at the close of the war. These were moral
men, and ihey raised the character of the soldier, and of
their country. These were the men who conquered at Chip¬
pewa, Bridgewater, Erie, and Plattsburg. Of such men
was composed that potent army of well disciplined mili¬
tia, who reposed within twenty miles of the sea shores of
New England—especially of Massachusetts and Connecti¬
cut; and who, had the British attempted a landing, would
have met them, with the bayonet, at the water's edge, and
crimsoned its tide.
Our captivated sailors knew nothing of this fine army;
they only knew the first recruits, and it is no wonder they
viewed them as their inferiors, as they really were. Even
the officers were, generally speaking, much inferior to
those who closed the war. The American sailor appears
tc be a careless, unthinking, swearing fellow ; but he is
generally much better than he appears. He is generally
marked with honor, generosity, and honesty. A ship's
crew soon assimilates, and they are all brother tars, em¬
barked together in the same bottom, and in the same pur¬
suit of interest, curiosity or fame ; w hile the rigid disci¬
pline of an army does not admit of this association and as¬
similation. A sailor, therefore, greets a sailor, as his
brother ; hut has not yet learned to greet a soldier as his
brother ; nor has the American soldier ever felt the fra¬
ternal attachment to the sailor. It should be the policy
of our rulers, and military commanders, to assimilate the
American soldier and sailor; and there is little doubt but
that they will amalgamate in time, in France, the sol-,
dier looks down upon the sailor; in England, and iu Amer-
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ica, the sailor looks down on the soldier. We must leant
them to inarch arm in arm.
Confinement, dirtiness, and deprivations, have an evil
operation on the mind. 1 have observed some who had a
little refinement of manners, at the commencement oT their
captivity, and regarded the situation and feelings of oth¬
ers near them, with complacency, have lost it all, and
sunk into a state of misanthropy. We, Americans, exer¬
cise too little ceremony at best, but some of our prisoners
lost ail deference and respect for their countrymen, and
became mere hogs, the stronger pushing the weaker aside,
to get the most swill.
" Jove fix'd ii. certain that the very day
" Made man a slave, took half his worth away."——Homer.
All our industrious men, were well behaved, and
all our idle men were hoggish. Some of our countrymen
■worked very neatly in bone, out of which material they
built ships, and carved images, and snuft' boxes, and tobac-
eo boxes, and watch eases. Some covered boxes, in a very
neat manner, with straw. The men thus employed, formed
a strong contrast to those who did nothing, or who followed
up gambling Our ship afforded striking instances of the
pernicious effects of idleness, and of the beneficial effects
of industry. VVe, on board the Crown Prince, instructed
the boys ; but in this ship, there has been no attention
paid to them, and they are, upon the whole, as vicious in
their conduct, and as profane in their language, as any
boys 1 ever saw. Frenchmen are bad companions for
American boys. They can teach them more than they
ever thought of in their own country.
In January last, three hundred and sixty American
prisoners were sent on board this ship. Great mortality
prevailed among the Danish prisoners, prior to the arri¬
val of our countrymen, on board the Bahama. The Danes
occupied her main deck, while we occupied the lower one.
When our poor fellows were tumbled from out of one ship
into this, they had not sufficient clothes to cover their
shivering limbs in this coldest month of the year. They
M ere, indeed, objects of compassion, emaciated, pale, shud¬
dering, low spirited, and their constitutions sadly broken
down Their system was not strong euough to resist any
impression, especially the contagion of the jail fever, un*
der which the Danes were dying by dozens. Oat of three
JOURNAL.
133
hundred and sixty-one Americans, who came last on hoard,
eighty-four were, in the course of three months, buried in
the surrounding marshes, the burying place of the prison
ships. 1 may possibly forgive, but 1 never can forget tlie
unfeeling conduct of the British, on this occasion. Why
send men on board a crowded prison ship, that they knew
was infected with a mortal contagion ? Their govern¬
ment must have known the inevitable consequences of put¬
ting three hundred debilitated men on board an infected
ship, where th^re were not enough well, to attend on the
sick. If we, Americans, ever treated British prisoners in
our hands, in this cruel manner, the facts have never
reached my ears. Here was an opportunity for redeem¬
ing their blasted reputation, for the horrors of their old
Jersey prison ship, in the revolutionary war. But they
supposed that our affairs were so low, and their own so
glorious, that there was no room for retaliation. The
surrounding marshes were already unhealthy, without
adding the poison of human bodies, which were every hour
put into them Several peisons, now prisoners here, and
I rank myself among that number, had a high idea of
British humanity, prior to our captivity : but vve have
been compelled to change our opinions of the character
of the people from whom we descended. The command¬
er of the Bahama, Mr. W. is a passionate and very hot
tempered man, but is, upon the whole, an humane one.
We have more to praise than to blame, in his conduct to¬
wards us. He is not ill disposed to the Americans, gen¬
erally, and wishes for a lasting peace between the two
contending nations. His mate is the reverse of all this,
especially when he is overcharged with liquor.
As characteristic of some of our imprudent country¬
men, I insert the following anecdote. The Bellecean,
(or Bellauxcean) prison ship, lay next to us. She was
filled with Norwegians, and were detained in England,
while Norwav adhered to a king of their own choice.
The commander of her was a nettlesome, fractious, fool¬
ish old fellow, who was continually overlooking us, and
hailing our commander, to inform him if any one smug¬
gled a bottle of rum from the market boats. His Norwe¬
gians gave him no trouble, they were a peaceable, subser¬
vient people, with no fun in their constitutions, nor any
jovial cast in their composition. They were very differ-
134
] ournal.
ent from the British or American sailor, who will n®ver
be baulked of his fun, if the Devil stands at t lie door. 1 is
imprudent, meddling old commander, of the Bellauxcean,
was forever informing the officer of the deck of every lit¬
tle pickadillo of the American prisoners ; and he, of
course, got the hearty ill will of all the Americans in the
ship Bahama. He once saw a marine connive at the pass¬
ing a couple of bottles of liquor through the lower ports,
and he hailed the commander, and informed bim of it;
and the marine was immediately punished for it. This
roused the Americans to revenge 5 for the British soldier,
or marine, is so much of a slave, that revenge never dare
enter his head. Retaliation belongs alone to the free and
daring American. He alone enjoys the lex talionis, and
glories in carrying it into execution.
Fisb and potatoes constituted the diet of the following
day What does our " dare-devils" do but reserve all
their potatoes to serve as cold shot to fire at the fractious
cemmander of their next neighbor, the Bellauxcean. Ac¬
cordingly when they observed the old man stubbing back¬
wards and forwards his quarter deck, and stopping iftovr
and then to peak over to our ship to see if we smuggled a
bottle of liquor, they gave him a volley of potatoes, which
was kept up until the veteran commander hailed our cap¬
tain and told him thkt if the Americans did not cease
their insult he would order his marines to fire upon them]
but his threatenmgs produced no other effect than that of
increasing the shower of potatoes ; so that this hrave
British tar was compelled to seek shelter in his cabin;
and then the potatoe battery ceased its fire. When all
was quiet, the old gentleman seized the opportunity of
pushing 011 board of us. When he came 011 our quarter
deck, rage stopped all power of utterance,flie foamed and
stamped like a mad man. At length, he asked Mr. Wilson
how he could permit a body of prisoners under his com¬
mand and control, to insult one of his majesty's officers
in his own ship ? To which Mr. Wilson replied, that he.
should use his influence to prevent a repetition of the in¬
sult, and restore harmony, ami that he was sorry that his
men should get into,any difficulty with those of another
ship: and he recommended moderation; but the old
commander swore and raved terriWy, when our worthy
protector reminded him that he was not on hi&owu quarter.
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deck. The coolness of Mr Wilson still further enraged
our exasperated neighbor, and he left the ship execrat¬
ing every one on board, and swearing that he would
make complaint to the commodore.
When the prisoners saw how their own commander
viewed the interference of another, they collected all the
potatoes they could find, and I am sorry to add, pieces of
coal, and as soon as he left the side of the Bahama, they
pelted him till he fairly skulked under cover in his own
prison ship. He directly drew his marines up in battle
array, on his quarter deck, when the captain of the Baha¬
ma seeing his folly, and knowing his disposition, exerted
himself to make every American go below, and enjoined
upon them a cessation of potatoes. We gained, however,
more by this short war, than most of the nations of the
world, for it entirely removed the cause for which we took
up potatoes against one of his Britanick majesty's officers,
within ten leagues of the capital of his empire, lover-
heard capt. Wilson say to the second in command. " these
Americans are the sauciest dogs 1 ever saw ; but damn
me if I can help liking them, nor can I ever hate men who
afe so much like ourselves—-they are John Bull all over.''
In a course of kind and flattering treatment our coun¬
trymen were orderly and easily governed; but when they
conceived themselves ill treated you might as well attempt
to govern so many East India tygers. The British offi¬
cers in this river discovered this, and dreaded their com¬
bined anger \ and yet the Americans are seldom or ever
known to carry their vengeance to blood and murder, like
the Spaniard, Italian and Portuguese.
A Swedish frigate is just arrived in the reach, to take
away those good boys, the Norwegians. King Bernadntte,
sent them two and six pence a piece, to secure their affec¬
tions, anjl provide them with some needed articles for
their passage to Norway. A cartel is hourly expected
from London, to take home some of their soldiers The
Leyden, an old Dutch f>4, is preparing, at the Nore, to
take 11s away.
We are induced to believe that our emancipation is
nigh. We are every day expecting, that we, too, shall be
sent home; but this hope, instead of inspiring us wilh joy
and gladness, has generated sourness and discontent It
seems that the government ef the United States give a
136
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preference to those who had enlisted in the public service
over such as were in privateers. We have felt this dif¬
ference all along. Again, the government are disposed to
liberate the soldiers before the sailors, because their suf¬
ferings are greater than those of sailors, from their former
mode^of life^and occupations. They were farmers or me¬
chanics, or any thing but seamen; and this makes their
residence on ship-board very irksome ; whereas, the sailor
is at home on the deck or hold of the- ship. Most of these
soldiers were from the state of Pennsylvania and New
York, and many from the western parts of the union.
These men could not bear confinement like sailors, neither
could they bear a short allowance of food, nor could they
shirk for themselves like a Jack tar. A sailor could en¬
dure, with a degree of patience, restraints and depriva¬
tions that were death to landsmen. Many of these youth¬
ful soldiers had not long left their native habitations, and
parental care, when they were captured ; their morals and
manners were purer than those of sailors. Such young
men suffered not only in their health, but in their feelings,
and many sunk under their accumulated miseries; for,
nourished by indulgence, in the midst of abundance, many
of them died for want of sufficient food. These miserable
beings were, as they ought to be, the first objects of the
solicitude of government.
The prisoners were seen here and there, collected in
squads, chewing together the cud of discontent, and grumb¬
ling at the imagined partiality and injustice of their rul¬
ers. These discontents and bickerings too often damped
the joy of their prospect of liberation from captivity. The
poor privateers' men had most reason for complaining, as
they found themselves neglected by one side, and despised
; by the other.
The sufferings of soldiers, many of whom were militia,
who were taken on the frontiers of Canada, are not to be
withheld from the public. They were first stripped by
the savages in the British service, and then driven before
them, half naked, to the city of Quebec; from thence they
were sent, in ill provided transports, to Halifax, suffering
ail the way, the torments of hunger and thirst. When they
arrived at'Melville prison, (hey were shocking objects to
the prisoners they found there ; emaciated, weak dirtv.
sickly, and hut half clothed, they excited, in us all com-
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miseration for their great misery ; and indignation, con¬
tempt and revenge, towards the nation who couid allow
sucli barbarity. The cruel deception practised on their
embarkation for England, instead of going home: their
various miseries on ship-board, where as landsmen, they
underwentinfinitelymore than the sailors; for many of them
never had seen the salt ocean ; and their close confinement:
in the hold of a ship, gave them the idea of a floating hell.
The captivity of the sailors was sufficiently distressing ;
but it was nothing to that of the wretched landsmen, who
considered a ship, at all times, a kind of dungeon. The
transporting our soldiers to England, and their sufferings
during their passage, and while confined in that country,
has engendered a hatred against the British nation, that
ages will not obliterate, and time scarcely diminish. We,
Americans, can never be justly accused of want of human¬
ity to the English prisoner.
- I have frequently thought that the over-rated and high¬
ly boasted British bravery and humanity, would find their
graves in America. The treatment these soldiers expe¬
rienced has stigmatised the English character, and de¬
servedly so. It is not in the power of words, and scarcely
in the power of the painter's pencil, to convey an idea of
their wretchedness. They were covered with rags, dirt,
and vermin. They were, to us, objects of pity, but to all
others, .objects of disgust 5 even we, their brothers, recoil¬
ed, at times, on approaching them. Was there any design
in this ? Did our enemies wish to impress their country¬
men with an abhorrence of a yankee ? How else can we
account for a treatment which our people never experienc¬
ed when prisoners of the Indians ? No—the savages never
starve their prisoners, nor deprive them the use of water.
Dispirited, and every way disheartened, our poor fellows
had, generally speaking, the aspect of a cowardly, low
spirited race of men, and much inferior to the British. We
here saw how wretched circumstances, in a short time, de¬
bases a brave and high spirited man.' When people from
the shore visited our ship, and saw our miserable soldiers,
we do not wonder that they despised them. W e some¬
times had the mortification of hearing remarks in the
Scotch accent, to this effect: " So, these are samples of the
hrave yankees that took the Guerriere and Java ; it preves
12
13S
JOURNAL.
to a demonstration, that the American frigates were man¬
ned with British deserters."
The sailors often tried to spirit up the soldiers, and to
encourage them to cleanliness ; but it was in vain, as
most of them were depressed below the elasticity of their
brave souls : yet amidst their distress, not a man of them
would listen to proposals to enter the British service. Ev¬
ery one preferred death, and even wished for it. The
Americans are a clean people in their persons as well as
in their houses. None of them are so poor as to live in
cabins, like the Irish, or in cottages, like the Scotch; but
they are brought up in houses having ehimnies, glass
windows, separate and convenient rooms, and good bed¬
ding; and to all these comfortable things we must add
that the poorest of our countrymen eat meat once ev¬
ery day, and most of them twice. To young men so
ltrought up and uourished, a British captivity on board
their horrid transports, and even on board their prison-
ships, is worse than death. If we, Americans, treat Brit¬
ish prisoners as they treat ours, let it be published to the
world to our disgrace. Should the war continue many
years, I predict that few Americans will be taken alive by
the English.
After ihese poor fellows had received money and cloth¬
ing from our government, they became cheerful, clean,
and many of them seat, and were no bad specimens of
American soldiery. We are sorry to remark, that there
was observed something repulsive between the soldier and
the sailor. The soldier thought himself better than the
Jack tar, while the sailor felt himself, en board ship, a
better fellow than the soldier; one was a fish in the water,
the other a lobster out of-the water. The sailors always
took the lead, because they were at home ; while the dis¬
pirited landsman felt himself a stranger in an enemy's
land, even among his countrymen. It would be well if all
our sea and land commanders would exert themselves t#
break down the partition wall that is growing up between
our sailors and soldiers; they should be constantly re¬
minded that they are all children of one and the same
great family, whereof the President of the United States
is father; that they have all been taught to read the same
bible, and to obey the same great moral law of loving- one
another. I observed, with pain, that aolhino- vexed a
JOURNAL.
139
sailor more, than to be called by a brother tar, a soldier-
lookiug son of a . This term of contempt commonly
led to blows. This mutual dislike bred difficulties in the
government of ourselves, and sometimes defeated our best
regulations ; for it split us into parties, and then we be¬
haved as bad as our superiors and rieher brethren do on
shore, neglecting the general interest to indulge our own
private views, and spirit of revenge. I thought our ship
often resembled our republic in miniature, for human na¬
ture is the same always, and only varies its aspect from
situation and circumstances.
It is now the latter end of September; the weather
pretty pleasant, but not equal to our fine Septembers and
.Octobers in New England. We are, every hour, expect¬
ing orders to quit this river, and return to our own dear
country.
CHAPTER III.
October 2d, 18(4.—We were now ordered to pick up
our duds and get all ready to embark in certain gun-brigs
that had anchored along side of us; and an hundred of us
\ ere soon put on board, and the tide favoring, we gently
drifted down the river Medway, It rained, and not being
permitted to go below, and being thinly clad, we were wet
to the skin. When the rain ceased, our commander went
below, and returned, in a short time, gaily equipped in his
full uniform, cockade and dirk. He mounted the poop,
where he strutted about, sometimes viewing himself, and
now and then eyeing us, as if to see if we, too, admired
him. He was about five feet high, with thick broad
shoulders, and portly belly. We concluded that he would
afford us some fun ; but we were mistaken; for, with the
body of Dr. Slop, he bore a round, ruddy, open and smil¬
ing countenance, expressive of good nature and urbanity.*
The crew said, that although he was no seaman, he ivas a
man, and that a better fellow never eat the king's bread ;
* He was no bad resemblance of our Captain C,
ii-9
that they were happy under his command ; and the only
dread tliey had was, that lie, or they should be transferred
to another ship. Does not this prove that seamen oan be
better governed by kindness and good humor than by the
boatswain's cat? We would ask two of our own naval
commanders, B. and C. w hether they had not better try
the experiment ? We should be very sorry if the infant
navy of our young country, should have the character of
foo much severity of discipline. To say that it is requi¬
site is a libel on our national character. Slavish minds
alone require the lash.
On board this brig were two London mechanics,-recent¬
ly pressed in the streets of the capital of the English na¬
tion—a nation that has long boasted of its liberty and hu¬
manity. These cocknies wore long coats, drab-coloured
velvet breeches, and grey stockings. They Were eon-
stantly followed by the boatswain's mate, who often im¬
pressed his lessons, and excited their activity with a rope's
end which he carried in his hat. The poor fellows were
extremely anxious to avoid such repeated hard arguments,
usul they kept at as great a distance from their tyrant as
possible, who seemed to delight in beating them. It ap¬
peared to me to be far outdoing, in cruelty, the Algerines.
They look melancholy, and, at times, very sad. May
America never become the greatest of naval powers, if to
attain it, she must allow a brutal sailor to treat a citizen,
kidnapped from his family in the streets of our cities,
w orse than we use a dog. 1 again repeat it, for the thou¬
sandth time, the English are a hard hearted, cruel and
barbarous race : and, on this account alone, I have often
been ashamed, thsft we, Americans, descended mostly
from them. When a man is ill used, it invites others to
insult him. One of our prisoners, who had been treated
with a drink of grog, took out his knife, and, as the cock¬
ney's face was the other way, cut off one skirt of his long
coat. This joke excited peals of laughter. When the
poor Londoner saw that this was doue by a roguish Amer¬
ican, at the instigation of his own countrymen, the tear
stood in his eye. Even our jolly, big bellied captain, en¬
joyed the joke, and ordered the boatswain's mate to cut oft'
iiie other skirt, who, after viewing him amidst shouts of
laughter, damned him for a land lubber, and said, now he
had lost his ring-tail, he looked like a gentleman sailor.
JOUKKAI..
141
Although-our good natured captain laughed at this joke,
I confess i could not; all the horrors of impressment rush¬
ed on my mind. This mechanic may have left a wife and
children,' suffering and starving, from having her husband
and their father kidnapped, like a negro oil the coast of
Guinea, and held in worse than negro slavery. But this
is Old England, the residence of liberty and equal laws ;
and the bulwark of our holy religion ! The crimes of na¬
tions are punished in this world ; and we may venture to
predict, that the, impressment of seamen, and cruel military
punishments, will operate the downfal of this splendid im¬
postor, whose proper emblem is a bloated figure, seated on
a throne, made of dead mens* bones, with a crown on its
head, a sword in one hand, and a cup filled with the tears
of widows and orphans in the other.
We passed by Sheerness, and, in our passage to the
Nore, came near several hulks filled with convicts. We
soon came along side theLeyden, an old Dutch 64, fitted
up with births, eight feet by six* so as to contain six per¬
sons ; but they were nearly all filled by prisoners who
came before us, so that we were obliged to shirk wherever
we could.
We found the captain of the Leyden-very much such a
man as the commander of the Malabar. Our allowance*
of food was as short as he could make it, and our liquor
ungenerous. He said we were a damn set of rebel yankees
that lived too well> which made- us saucy.. The first lieu¬
tenant was a kind and humane gentleman, but his captain
was the reverse. He would hear no complaints and threat-
ened to put the bearer of them in irons.
The countenance, and whole form of this man was indi¬
cative of malice; his very step was that of an abrupt and
angry tyrant. His gloomy visage was that of an harden¬
ed jailor; and he bore towards us the same sort of affec¬
tion which we experienced from the refugees in Nova
Scotia. He caused a marni to be most severely flogged
for selling one of the prisoners a liitle tobacco, which he
saved out of his own allowance. The crew were forbidden
to speak with aiiv of us ; but, when they could with safe¬
ty, they described him to be the most odious of tyrants*
anil the most malicious of men. They said he never ap~
p.eared pleased only when his men were suffering the ago-
42*
JOURNAL.
tiies of (he boatswain's lashes. In this he resembled thg
<lemons amung the damned.
Upon calling over our names, and parading ourselves
before eapt. Davie, we eo-ild discover, in a second, thft
harsh temper of the man. We, at length, weighed anchor,
passed a fleet of men of war, and in a few days arrived in
Plymouth harbor. The captain went immediately on
shore and Is ft tiie command to his worthy and humane
lieutenant. The next day a great many boats came off to
us filled with Cyprian dames. They were, generally,
healthy* rosy looking lasses. Their number increased
every iiour, until there were as many on board of us as
there were men. In short, every man who paid the wa¬
terman half a crown had a wife, sa that the ship, belong¬
ing to the bulwark of our religion, exhibited such a scene
as is described by the navigators, who have visited the
South-Sea Islands. We read, with surprise and pity, the
conduct of the female sex, when European ships visit the
islands in the Paeific ocean ; and we are unwilling to give
credit to all we read, because we, Americans, never fail to
annex the idea of modesty to that of a woman; for female
licentiousnes is very rarely witnessed in the new world.
This has rendered the accounts of navigators, in a degree,
incredible ; but we see the same thing in the ports of Eng¬
land—a land of christians—renowned for its bishops and
their church, and for moral writings and sermons, and for
their bible societies, and religious institutions, and for
their numerous moral essays, and chaste poetical writ¬
ings. Yes, christian reader J in this religious island,
whereof George the 3d is king, and Charlotte the queen,,
the yoiuig females crowd the prison ships and take for hus¬
bands the ragged American prisoners, provided they can
get a few shillings by it. What are we to think of the
state of society in England, when two or three sisters
leave the house of their parents, and pass a week on bo{ird
of a newly arrived ship? What can he the sentiments of
the daughters ? What the feelings of their mothers, their
fathers, and their brothers P In the South Sea Islands,
young females know not what modesty means ; neither that
nor chastity is a virtue in those regions. But it is not
quite so in England; there this lewd conduct is a mark of
debasement, depravity and vice. The sea ports of Eng¬
land, and the streets of her capital, and, indeed, of all her
JOURNAL.
large cities, are filled with handsome women, who offer
themselves as wives to men they never saw before, for a
few shillings; and yet this is the country of which our
reverend doctors, from the pulpit, assure us, contaius more
religion and morality than any other of the same number
of inhabitants; nay, more, onr governor has proclaimed
it to the world over, as being the very bulwark of the re¬
ligion we profess. If cruelty to prisoaers, cruelty to their
own soldiers, of kidnappiug their mechanics, by press
gangs, if shocking barbarity be exercised towards prison¬
ers, and if open, shameless lewdness, mark and disgrace
their sea-ports, their capital, and all their large cities, are
the modest aud correct people, inhabiting the towns and
villages of the United States, to be affronted by being told
publicly, that they have less religion, less morality than
the people of England. How long shall we contiuue tu
be abused by folly and presumption ? We, Americans, are
yet a modest, clean, and moral people, as much so as the
Swiss in Europe, and we feel ourselves offended and dis¬
gusted when our blind guides tell lis to follow the exam¬
ple of the English in their manners and sexual conduct.
Could I allow myself to particularise the conduct of
the fair sex, who crowd on board "every recently ar¬
rived ship, and who swarm on the shores, my readers
would confess that few scenes of the kind could exceed it.
The freedom of the American press will give to posterity
a just picture of British morals, ia the reigns of George
the 3d and 4th.
While laying in Plymouth harbor, we received the news
of the capture of the City of Washington, and the burning
of its public buildings. Every body around us believed
that America was conquered, and the war over. After
we had read the account in the newspaper, the Lieuten¬
ant came down among us, and talked with us on the evenf,
and asked us if we did not think that America would now
submit and make peace on such terms as Great Britain
should propose. We all told him with once voice, no !
no ! aud that the possession of the whole sea-coast could
not produce that effect. We explained to him the situa¬
tion of Washington, and described the half built city, and
soon convinced him that the capture of Washington, was
by no means an event of half the importance of the cap¬
ture of Albany, or New York, or Baltimore. We ail
144!
jourittc;
agreed that it would make a great sound in England, and
throughout Europe, but that it was, in fact, oi little con¬
sequence to the United States.
About a week after we entered Plymouth harbor, two
hundred of us were drafted to be sent to Dartmoor Prison^
instead of being seut, as we expected, to America.
We were conveyed in boats, and saw, as we passed, a
number of men of war on the stocks ; and, among others,
the Lord Vincent, pierced for 120 guns. One of our pris¬
oners told the lieutenant that he was in that battle with
Lord St. Vincent, and of course helped him gain the vic¬
tory, and here he was now sailing by a most noble ship,
built in honor of that famous admiral, on his way to a
doleful prison. This man had been pressed on board a
British man of war, and was given up as such; but in¬
stead of being sent home as he ought, he was detained a
prisoner of war; and yet this unfortunate man exposed
his life in fighting for the British oft* Cape St. Vincents,
as much as the noble Lord himself. Such is the differ¬
ence of rewards in this chequered world !
My mind was too much oppressed with the melancholy
prospect of Dartmoor prison, to notice particularly th&
gallant show of ships, and the beautiful scenery whieh the
dock and bay of Plymouth afforded. When we landed a
short distance from the dock, we were received by a file of
soldiers, or rather two files, between whieh we marched
on. This was the first time we touched the soil of Eng¬
land with our feet, after laying under its shores nearly a
year. It excited singular and plaesant sensations to be
once more permitted to walk on the earth, although sur¬
rounded by soldiers, and going to prison. The old women
collected about us with their cakes and ale, and as we all
had a little money we soou emptied their jugs and baskets j
and their cheering beveridge s«on changed our sad coun¬
tenances, and as we marched on we cheered each other.
Our march drew to the doors and windows the enchanting;
sight of fair ladies; compared with our dirty selves, they
looked like angels peeping out of Heaven ; and yet they
were neither handsomer or neater than our sweethearts
au<l sisters in our own dear eountry.
Alter we left the street, we found the road extremely
dusty, which rendered it very unpleasant in walking close
to each other. Before we got half way to the prison^
J"WUR?IALi
145
there was a very heavy shower of rain, so {hat by the time
we arrived there we looked as if we had been wallowing
■in the mud. Our unfeeling conductors marched us nine
miles before they allowed us to rest, never once consider¬
ing how unfit we were, fro in our long confinement, for tra¬
velling. Where we were allowed to stop, a butt of beer
was placed in a cart for sale. Had British prisoners been
marching through New-England, a butt of beer, or good
cider would have been placed for them free of all expense ;
but old England is not New-England by a great deal,
whatever Governor Strong may think of his adorable
country of kings, bishops and missionary societies. Hero
a fresh escort of soldiers relieved those who brought us
from Plymouth. The commanding officer of this detach¬
ment undertook to drive us from the beer-cart before all of
us had a taste of it ; he rode in among us, and flourished
his sword, with a view to "Frighten us ; but we refused fd
stir till we were ready, and some of our company called
him a damned lobster backed —h—, for wishing to drive
us away before every one had his drink. The man was
perplexed and knew not what to do. At last the booby
did what he ought to have done at first—forced the beer-
seller to drive oft* his cart; but it is the fate of British of¬
ficers of higher rank than this one, to think and act at last
of-that which they ought to have thought and acted upon
at first. They are no match for the yankees, in contriv¬
ance or in execution. This beer barrel is an epitome ot*
all their conduct in their war with America. What old
woman put the idea into this officer's head I know not;
but it is a fact, as soon as the beer barrel was driven off",
.we were all ready to march off" too! And few companies
of vagabonds in England ever marched off to prison in bet¬
ter spirits 5 we cheered one another, and laughed at our
profound leader, until we came in sight of the black, bleak,
and barren moor, without a solitary bush or blade of
grass. Some of our prisoners swore that we had march¬
ed the whole length of England, and got into Scotland.
We all agraed that it was not credible that such a hideous,
•barren spot could be any where found in England.
Our old men-of-wars-inen suffered the most. Many of
these had not set their feet on the earth for seven years,
and they had lost in a measure, the natural operation of
their feet and legs. These naval veterans loitered be-
14@
JCURJJXL.
Lint], attended by a guard. In ascending a hiH we were
some distance from the main body, and by turning a corner
the rear w as concealed from the van. I wo young men
look advantage of this, and jumped over a wall, and lay
snug under it; but being observed, the guard fired, which
alarmed those in front, when some soldiers pursued them,
and seeing the impossibility of escaping, the young men
jumped over the wall again, and mixed in with their com¬
panions without their being able to idenlify their persons.
Our driver was extremely perplexed and alarmed at our
daring attempts.
On crawling up the long and ragged hill, we became
wearied, and refused to walk so fast as the guard. No
prudent officer would have driven men on as we were driv¬
en. We should have rested every two or three miles,—
The sun was sinking below the horizon \vh$n we gained
the top of the liill which commanded a view of Difrtirtoor
prison. We passed through a small collection of houses
called Princetown, where were two inns. The weather
was severe after the shower, and we saw the dark-hued
prisons, whose sombre and doleful aspect chilled our blood.
Yonder, cried one of our companions, is the residence of
four thousand five hundred men, and in d few minfttes^we
shall add 10 the number of its wretches. Otheis said, in
in that place will be sacrificed the aspiring^ feelings of
youth, and the anxious expectations of relatives. There,
said 1, shall we bury all the designs of early emulation. I
never felt disheartened before. 1 shed tears when I thought
of home, and of my wretched situation, and I cursed the
barbarity of a people among whom we were driven more
like hogs than fellow men and christians. I had weather¬
ed adverse gales with fortitude ; and never flinched amidst
severities. Ji taught bowstring," was always my motto;
but here I gave way, for a moment, to despair, and wish¬
ed the string to snap asunder and end my misery; for I
had not even the consolation of a criminal going to exe¬
cution to brace up the cord of life. The idea of lingering
out a wretched existence in a doleful prison, dying by
piece-meals, my flesh wasting by hunger, my frame ex¬
hausted by thirst, and my spirits broken down by a tyrant,
and by jostling with misfortunes, I could not avoid. If
death, instead of knocking at my prison door, would en¬
ter it at ouce, I would thank the goal deliverer. I am n<w
JOURNAL.
147
comforted with (he conviction, that nothing but an early
religions education could have preserved me at this, and
some other times of my misery, from destroying myself.
We soon arrived at the gates of this very extensive pri¬
son, and were admitted into the first yard, for it has seve¬
ral. We there answered to the call of our names and at
length passed through the iron gates to prison No. 7. We
requested the turnkey to take in our baggage, as it con¬
tained our bedding; but it was neglected, and rained on
during the night; for on this bleaK and drizly mountain
there are not more than ninety fair days in the year. It
took us several days to dry our duds.
The moment we entered the dark prison, we found our¬
selves jambed in w ith a multitude ; one calling us to come
this way, another that; some halloing, swearing and
cursing, so that I did not know, for a moment, but what I
had died through fatigue and hard usage, and was actual¬
ly in the regions of the damned. Oh , what a horrid night
I here passed!
—The floors of this reproach to Old England were of
stone, damp and mouldy, and smelling like a transport.
Here we had to lay down and sleep after a most weary
inarch of (5 miles. What apology can be made for not
having things prepared for our comfort ? Those who have
be^n enslaved in Algiers found things very different. The
food and the lodging were in every respect superior among
the Mahometans, than among these boasting christians,
and their general treatment infinitely more humane; soma
of our companions had been prisoners among the Barbary
powers, and they describe them as vastly more considerate
than the English.
After passing a dreadful night, we nexl day had oppor¬
tunity of examining our prison. It had iron staneheons,
like those in stables for horses, on which hammocks wera
hung. The windows had iron gratings, and the bars of the
doors seemed calculated to resist the force of inen and of
time. These things had a singular effect on such of us, as
had, from our childhood, associated the idea of liberty
with the name of Old England ; but a man must travel be¬
yond the smoke of his own chimney to acquire correct
ideas of the characters of men and of nations—howev¬
er saw the worst of it at first, for every day our residence
appeared less disagreeable.
148
JOURNAL.
We arrived here (lie 11th of October, and our Jot was
better than that of thirty of our companions, who came on
a little after us from Plymouth. These 30 men were sent
from the West-Indies, and had no descriptive lists, and it
was necessary that these men should be measured and de¬
scribed as to stature, complexion, &c.—Capt. Shortland
therefore ordered them to be shut up in the prison No. 6.
This was a more cold, dreary and comfortless plaee than
No. 7. Their bed was nothing but the cold damp stones,
and being in total darkness they dare not walk «about.
These 30 men had beer, imprisoned at Barbadoes, and they
had supposed that when they arrived at this famous birth
place of liberty, they should not be excluded from all her
blessings. They had suffered much at Barbadoes, aiid
they expected a different treatment in England; but alas!
Capt. Shortland at onee dissipated the illusion and shew¬
ed himself what Britons really are. The next morning they
were taken up to Capt. Shorthmd's office to be described,
and marked and numbered. One of the thirty, an old and
respectable Captain of an American ship, complained of
his usage, and fold Shortland that he had been several
times a prisoner of war, but never experienced such bar¬
barous treatment before. The man only replied that their
not having their beds was the fault of the Turnkey; as if
that could ever be admitted as an excuse among military
men. [iC/® For a minute description of Dartmoor Prison,
see the engraving 1
• n
Dartmoor is a dreary spot of itself; it is rendered more
so by the westerly winds blowing from the atlantic ocean,
which have the same quality and effects as the easterly
wind, blowing from the same ocean, are known to have in
New-England. This highland receives the sea mist and
fogs, and they settle on our skins with a deadly dampness.
Here reigns more than two thirds of the year, the Scotch
mist, which is famous to a proverb. This moor affords
nothing for subsistence or pleasure. Rabbits cannot live
on it. Birds fly from it, and it is inhabited, according to
the belief of the most vulgar, by ghosts and daemons; to
which will now doubtless be added, the troubled ghosts
of the murdered American prisoners : and hereafter will
he distinctly seen the tormented spirit of the bloody Capt.
Shortland, clanking his chains, weeping, wailing and
gnashing his teeth ! It is a fact that the market people
JOURNAL.
14#
have not sufficient courage to pass this moor in the night.
They are always sure to leave PrineetOwn by day light,
not having the resolution of passing this dreary, barren
and heaven-abandoned spot in the dark. Before the bloody
massacre of our countrymen, this unhallowed spot was
believed, by common superstition, to belong to the Devil.
Certain it is, that the common people in this neighbor¬
hood were impressed with the notion that Dartmoor was a
place less desirable to mortals, and more under the influ¬
ence of evil spirits, than any other spot in England. I
shall only say that I found it, take it all in all, a less disa¬
greeable prison than the ships ; the life of a pru¬
dent, industrious, well behaved man might here be
rendered pretty easy, for a prison life, as was the
the case with some of our own countrymen, and some
Frenchmen ; but the young, the idle, the giddy, fun mak¬
ing youth generally reaped such fruit as he sowed.
Gambling was the wide inlet to vice and disorder, and in
this Frenchmen took the lead. These men would play
away every thing they possessed beyond the clothes to keep
them decent. They have been known to game away a
month's provision, and when they had lost it, would shirk
and steal for a month after for their subsistence. A
man with some money in his pocket might live pretty well
through the day in Dartmoor Prison, there being shops and
stalls where every little article could be obtained; but added
to this we had a good and constant market, and the bread
and meat supplied by government were not bad ; and as
good I presume as that given to British prisoners by our
own government; had our lodging and prison-house been
equal to onr food, I never should have complained. The
establishment was blessed with a good man for a physi¬
cian, named M'Garth, an Irishman, a tall lean gentleman
with one eye, but of a warm and good heart. We never shall
eease to admire his disposition, nor forget his humanity.
The Frenchmen and our prisoners did not agree very
well. They quarrelled and sometimes fought, and they
carried their differences to that length, that it was deemed
proper to erect a wall to separate them, like so many game
cocks in different yards. When this Depot wa9 garrison¬
ed by Highlanders, these Scotchmen took part with the A-
mericans against the French. Here the old presbyterian
principle of affinity operated against the papal man of sin.
13
150
JOURNAL.
It cannot be denied there is a deep rooted hatred between
>he Briton and the Frenchman.
While at Dartmoor Prison, there came certain French
officers wearing the white cockade ; their object seemed to
he to converse with the prisoners and to persuade them to
declare for Louis 18th ; hut they could not prevail; the
Frenchmen shouted vive l'Empereur ! Their attachment to
lionaparte was remarkably strong. He must have been a
man of wonderful powers to attach all ranks so strongly to
liiin. Before the officers left the place, these Frenchmen
hoisted up a little dog with the white cockade tied under
Ins tail. Soon after this the French officers, who appear¬
ed to be men of some consideration left the prison.
1 have myself had nothing particular to complain of,
hut the prisoners here speak of Captain Shortland as the
most detestable of men, and they bestow on him the vilest
and most abusive epithets. The prisoners began to dig a
hole under prison No. 6, and had made considerable pro¬
gress towards the outer wall, when a man, who came from
New bury-Port betrayed them to Capt. Shortland. This
man had, it was said, changed his name in America, on
account of forgery.—Be that as it may, he was sick at
Chatham where Me paid him every attention, and subscrib¬
ed money for procuring him the means of comfort. Short-
land gave him two guineas, and sent him to Ireland, or the
prisoners would have hanged him for a traitor to his coun¬
trymen. The hypocritical scoundrel's excuse was con¬
science and humanity, for he told Shortlaud that we in¬
tended to murder him, and every one else in the neighbor¬
hood. Shortland said he know better; that he was fear¬
ful of our escaping, but never had any apprehensions of
personal injury frcm an American : that they delighted in
plaguing him and contriving the means of escape, but he
never saw a cruel or murderous disposition in any of them.
The instant Capt. Sho^ilaud discovered the attempt to
escape by digging a subterraneous passage, he drove all
the prisoners into the yard of No. 1, making them take
their baggage with them; and in a few days after, when
lie thought they might have begun another hole, but had
not time to complete it,he moved them into anotheryard and
prison, and so he kept moving them from one prison to
the other and look great credit to himself for iiis contriv¬
ance; and in this way he harrassed our poor fellows until the
JOURNAL
151
day before our arrival at the prison. ' He had said that lie
was resolved not to suffer {hem to remain in the same build¬
ing and yard more than (en days at a time, and this was a
hardship they resolved not voluntarily to endure j lor the re¬
moval of hammocks and furniture and every little article,
was an intolerable grievance ; and the more the prisoners
appeared pestered, the greater was the enjoyment of Short-
land. It was observed that whenever, in these removals,
there were much jamming and squeezing and contentions
for places, it gave this man pleasure; but that the ease
and comfort of the prisoners gave him pain. The united
opinion of tltf prisoners was, 1 hat he was a very bad heart¬
ed man. He would often stand on the military walk, or
in the market square, whenever there was any difference,
or tumult, and enjoy the scene with malicious satisfaction.
He appeared to delight in exposing prisoners in rainy
weather, without sufficient reason. This has sent many of
our poor fellows to the grave, and would have sent more
had it not been for the benevolence and skill of Dr. Mo
Garth. We thought Miller and Osmore skilled in tor¬
menting, but Shortland exceeded them both by a devilish
deal. The prisoners related to me several instances os
cool and deliberate acts of torment, disgraceful to a gov¬
ernment of christians ; for the character and general con¬
duct of this commander could not be concealed from them.
He wore the British colours on his house, and acted under
this emblem of sovereignty.
It was customary to count over the prisoners twice a
week ; and after the sweepers had brushed out the prisons,
the guard would send to the commander that they were all
ready for his inspection on these occasions, Shortland.
very seldom omitted staying away as long as he conven¬
iently could, merely to vex the prisoners, and they at length
expressed their sense of it; for he would keep them stand¬
ing until they were weary. At last they determined not
to submit to it; and after waiting a sufficient time, they
made a simultaneous rush forward, and so forced their pas¬
sage back into their prison-house. To punish this act,
Shortland stopped the country people from coming into
market for two'days. At this juncture we arrived ; and
as the increase of numbers increased our obstinacy, the
Captain began to relax, and after that, he came to inspect
the prisoner*, as soon as they were paraded for that pur-
152
JOURNAL.
pose. Tt was easy to perceive that the prisoners ha ? m a
great measure conquered the hard hearted, and vindictive
Oapt. Shortland.
The roof of the prison to which we were consigned, was
very leaky, and it rained on this dreary mountain almost
continually, place our beds wherever we could, they were
generally wet. We represented this to Capt. Shortland,
and to our complaint was added that of the worthy and hu¬
mane Dr. M'Garth, but it produced no effect, so that to the
ordinary miseries of a prison, we, for a long time endured
the additional one of wet lodgings, which sent many of our
countrymen to their graves.
We owe much to the humanity of Dr. M'Garth, a very
worthy man, and a native of Ireland. Was M'Garth com¬
mander of this Depot, there would be no difficulty with
the prisoners. They would obey him through affection
and respect; because he considers us rational beings, with
minds cultivated like his own, and susceptible of grati-
tude, and habituated to do, and receive acts of kindness;
whereas the great Capt. Shortland considers us all as a
base set of men, degraded below the rank of Englishmen,
towards whom nothing but rigor should be extended. He
acted on this false idea, and has reaped the bitter fruit of
his own ill judged conduct. He might, by kind and re¬
spectful usage, have led the Americans to any thing just
and honorable, but it was n®t in his power, nor all the Cap¬
tains in his nation to force them to acknowledge and qui-
etly submit to his tyranny.
Dr. M'Garth was a very worthy man, and every prison¬
er loved him ; but M'Fariane, his assistant, a Scotchman,
was the reverse in dressing, or bleeding, or in any opera¬
tion, he would handle a prisoner with a brutal roughness,
that conveyed the idea that he was giving way to the feel¬
ings ©f revenge, or national hatred. Cannot a Scotchman
testify his unnatural loyalty to the present reigning family
of England without treating an American with cruelly
and contempt?
Dr. Dobson, the superinfendant-phySieian of the Hospit¬
al ship at Chatham, was a very worthy and very skillful
gentleman. We Americans ought never to forget his
goodness towards us. Some of us esteem him full as hio-h
as Dr. M'Garth, and some more highly. They are both
Jiowever, worthy men, and deserve well of this country.
JOURNAL.
153
There 13 nothing men vary more in than in their opinion of
and attachment to physicians. Dobson and M'Gurth dot
serve medals of gold, and hearts of gratitude, for their
kind attention to us all.
CHAPTER IV.
The establishment at Chatham is broken up, and the
iast of the prisoners were marched from Plymouth to this
place, the 30ih of November. They were marched from
that place to this, in one day, half leg deep in mud. Some
lost their shoes ; others, to preserve them, took them olF,
and carried them in their hands. When they arrived
here, they were indeed objects of pity ; nevertheless they
were immediately shut up in a cold, damp prison, without
any bedding, or any of the ordinary conveniences, until
they could be examined and described in the commander's
books ; after which they were permitted to mix with the
rest of their countrymen. We found many of them, the
day after their arrival, unable to walk, by reason of their
too long protracted march, in a very bad road. A pru¬
dent drover would not have risked his cattle by driving
them through such a road in a few hours. Such a thing
never was done in America, with British prisoners.
I find all the prisoners here deeply exasperated against
Captain Shortland, and too much prejudiced to hear any
thing in his favor. I presume they have reason for it.
As I have but just arrived, 1 have had but little opportu¬
nity of seeing and judging his conduct. Instead of his be¬
ing a bad hearted man, I am disposed to believe that the
fault is in his understanding and education. I suspect
that he is a man of narrow views ; that he has not suffi¬
cient information or capacity, to form a right judgment of
the peculiar cast and character of the people under his
charge. He has never, perhaps, considered, that these
descendants of Englishmen, the free inhabitants of the new
world, have been born and brought up in, if we may speak
so, Iudian freedom ; on which freedom has been superin¬
duced an education purely democratic, in schools where
13*
L94.
jOTJRSTAi..
degrading punishments are unknown, where if ®:.s.e *
master exercised the severity commou in Liignsn ana
German schools, they would tie the master's hands w it i
his own bell-rope. He lias never considered that our po¬
tent militia ehoose their own officers, and that the people
choose all their officers and leaders from among them¬
selves ; and there are very few men indeed, none, per¬
haps, in New England, who would refuse to shake hands
with a decent yeoman. It is probable that Capt. Short-
land has never lefieeted that there are fewer grades of
men between the lowest white man under his charge, and
the highest in America, tliau there are between him and
the highest ranks in Kugland. lie has never considered
"the similarity between the ancieut Roman republican, and
the republican of the United States of America ; ubr why
hoth republics deemed it abhorrent to inflict stripes on
iheir citizens, Shortland had not sufficient sagacity to
discover that playfulness, fun and frolic, formed a strong
tiait in the character of the .American sailor aud militia
man, for they had hardly become, what is ealied in Eu¬
rope, soldiers ; drilling and discipline had not obliterated
the fiee and easy carriage <»f a bold and fearless Yankee.
Sit- Gny Carlton, afterwards Lord Dorchester, was
Governor of Canada, during the revolutionary war, and
proved himself a wi.«e man. He penetrated the Ameri¬
can character, and treated the American prisoners cap¬
tured in Canada, accordingly ; and by doing so, he came
near breaking up cur army ; for our prisoners were soft¬
ened and subdued by his kindness and humanity; he
sent them home well clothed, and well fed, and luest
uf them declared they never, would fight against Sir Guy
Carlton, fie knew the American character thoroughly,
and was convinced that harshness and severity would
have no other eflect than to excite revenge and hatred.
On the other hand our prisoners could have no very great
respect for a captain, an officer, which they themselves
created by their votes, at pleasure ; add to this, that sev¬
eral of'.he prisoners had the title of captain in their own
country. Had the commander ol* Dartmoor Prison been
an old woman, the Americans would have respected her
sex and years, and obeyed her commands j but they des¬
pised and hated SliortJnnd, for his deficiency of head,
heart, auu education frexn all which origmate'd iilose sad
JUURXAL.
133
events which have disgraced one nation, and exasperated
the other forever. Shortlaud may be excused, when it is
considered that England lost her colonies by not studying
the American character; and the same inattention to the
natural operations of the human heart, is now raising her
gradually up to be the first naval power on the terraque¬
ous globe ; and thus much for contempt.
There was an order that all lights sho'uld be put out
by eight o'clock at night, in every prison, and it was
doubtless proper ; but this order was carried into execu¬
tion with a rigor bordering on barbarity. On the least
glimpse of light discoverable in the prison, the guard
would fire in amongst us, and several were shot Sev¬
eral Frenchmen were wounded. This story was told—
that a French captain of a privateer, the night after he
first came, was undressing him, by his hammock, when
the sentry cried, 4i Out lights!" The Frenchman not
understanding English, kept it burning; the sentry fired,
and scattered hi-> brains over the place ; but this did not
occur while I was there ; bat this 1 aver, that several
were shot, and I wondered that many were not killed, and
I was shocked at the barbarity of the order.
About this time, the Derbyshire militia were relieved
by a regiment of regulars, who had been in Spain. They
were chiefly Irish, and treated us better than we were
treated by the militia. They had infinitely more gener¬
osity and manliness, as well as more intelligence. They
acted plays in the cock loft of No. 5. They have good
music, and tolerable scenery, and charge six pence for ad¬
mission, to defray the expense. This is a very pleasant
way of making the British soldier forget his slavery, and
the American prisoner his bondage. These generous
hearted Irishmen would sometimes give us a song in hon¬
or of our naval victories. O, how we did long to be at
liberty, when we heard songs in honor of the Constitution
and of tha United States.
Some men are about to he sent off to Dartmouth, to re¬
turn to the United States; this has occasioned us to write
letters to oar friends and connexions ; but Capt. Shortland
is very jealous on this head ; he will not aliow us to write
to anv of the neighboring country people. » he English
dare not trust their own people, much more the American
captives.
156
j, v i- R A w
This is the latter part of the month of November ; and
the weather has been generally rainy, dark, dismal and
foggy. Sometimes we could hardly see the sentinels on
the walls. Sorrow and sadness within ; gloom, log, or
drizzly rain without. If the commissioners at liheut do
not soon make peace, nor establish an exchange, we shall
be lost to our country, and to hope. The newspapers now
and then enliven us with the prospect of peace. We are
told that growing dissentions at Vienna will induce Great
Britain to get rid of her transatlantic enemy, in order to
combat those nearer home. W henever we see in the
newspapers an article captioned " News from Ghent"
we devour it with our eyes, but instead of substance, gen¬
erally find it empty wind. We are wearied out. I speak
for myself, and I hear the same expression from others.
Winter is commencing, to add to our miseries. Poor
clothing, miserable lodging, poor, aud inadequate food,
long dismal nights, darkness, foul air, bad smells, the
groans of the sick and distressed, the execrations and
curses of the half distracted prisoner, the unfeeling con¬
duct of our keepers and commander—all, all, all eonspire
to fill up the cup of our sorrow ; but we hope that one
drop will not be added after it is brim full, for then it will
run over, and death will follow.
December. Nothing new worth recording; every day
and every night brings the same sad picture, the same
heart sinking impressions. Until now, 1 could not believe
that misfortune and confinement, with a deprivation of
the accustomed food, ease and liberty of our own dear
country, could have wrought such a change in the human
person. The young have not only acquired wrinkles, but
appear dried up, and contracted in body and mind. I can
easily conceive that a few generations of the human spe¬
cies, passed in such misery and confinement, would pro¬
duce a race of beings, very inferior to what we now are.
The sailor, however, suffers less in appearance than we
landsmen ; for my short cruise in a privateer does not en¬
title me to the name of a sailor. How often have I re¬
flected on my rash adventure .' To leave the house of
plenty, surrounded with every thing comfortable merely
to change the scene, and see the watery world 'To auit
Tf' ha,lf e<1.uc.a,le^ "> dr?ss ""'""is, and cut
Oft iimbs ef those who might be mutilated, was about as
JOURNAL.
157
mad a scheme as ever giddy youth engaged in. But re¬
pining will do no good. I must not despair, but make the
best of my hard lot. If I have lost a portion of ordinary
education, I have passed the severer school of misfortune ;
and should I live to return to America, 1 must strive te
turn these hardships to the best advantage. He who has
not met adversity, has not seen the ino9t profitable part of
human life.
There were times, during my captivity, especially in
the long and cheerless nights, when home, and all its en¬
dearments, rushed on my mind, and when I reflected
on my then situation, I burst into tears and wept
aloud. It was then 1 was fearful that I should lose my
reason, and never recover it. Many a time have I thought
myself into a fever, my tongue covered with a furr, and
my brain seemed burning op within my skull. It was
eompany that preserved me. Had I been alone, I should
have been raving distracted. I had committed no crime ;
I was in the service uf my country, in a just and necessary
war, declared by the people of the United States through
their representatives in Congress, and proclaimed to the
world by our supreme executive officer, James Madison.
On this subject I cannot help remarking the ignorance of
the people of England. In their newspapers, and in their
conversation, you will constantly find this idea held up,
that the war was the work of Mr. Madison and Bona¬
parte. This shows their ignorance of the affairs of our coun¬
try. They are too ignorant to talk with on the constitution
of our government, and orftthe character and conduct of
our administration. It is no wonder that they are aston¬
ished at our victories, by sea and by land, when they are
so totally ignorant of our country, of its endless resources,
of its invincible republican spirit, of its strong govern¬
ment, founded on the affections of the people, and of the
vigor and all commanding intellect that pervades and di¬
rects the whole.
On the 28th of this month, December, 1815, the news
arrived here that a treaty of peace was signed the 24th
instant at Ghent. After a momentary stupor, acclamations
of joy burst forth from every mouth. It flew like wild fire
through the prison; and peace! peace! peace! echoed
throughout these dreary regions. To know that we were
soon to return home, produced a sensation of joy beyond
158 JOURNAL*
the powers of expression. Some screamed. {»,!."
ce<], sung. and capered, like so many t rem'-
stood in amaze, with their hands in their p(K >e , ^
doubtful of its truth. In by far the ajreuter pari., Uo ev¬
er it cave a icW of health and aiuraat.on to the Man
cheek of the half sick, and, hitherto, cheerless prisoner.
Some uniorgiving spirits hail the joyful event as. bnnginS
them nearer the period of revenue, which they longed to
exercise on some of their tyrannical keepers. Many who
had meditated escape, and had hoarded up everv penny
for that event, now brought it forth to spend in celebration
of their regular deliverance. Even hard hearted Short-
land appeared to bend from the haughty severity of his
iailor-like manner, and can now speak to an American as
if he w ere of the same species with himself. He has even
allowed us to hoist our national colors on those prisons,
and appears not to be offended at the sound of mirth and
hilarity, which now echoes throughout these extensive
mansions. 1 say extensive, for 1 suppose the whole of
these prisons, yards, hospitals, stores and houses, are
spread over tw enty acres of ground, [nee the piale.]
We calculate that the ratification of the treaty by the
president of the United States, will arrive in England by
the 1st of April, at which period there will not be an
American left in this place. The very thoughts of it keep
us from sleeping. Amidst this joy for peace, and for the
near prospect of our seeing, onee more, our dear America,
there is- not a inan among us but feels disposed to try again
the tug of war with the Britons, should she ilhpress anil
flog our seamen, or instigate the savages of the wilderness
to scalp and tomahawk the inhabitants of our frontiers.
This war, and this harsh imprisonment, will add vigor to
our arms, should the people of America again declare, by
their representatives in congress, that individual oppres¬
sion, or the nation s wrongs, render it expedient to sail or
inarch against a toe, whose tender mercies are cruelty.
We can tell our countrymen, u}len „e re((jrn ,10ine. wl,at
the Britons are, as their priso„ers can tell the English
them » AmenCa,,S are' " their fruit* shall ye know
to JjS Itave been sent
to tnis prison from Plymouth. 1 hev <.im» ! /• hi
ifax; they- were principally seamen taken out of°prizes".
JOURNAL.
which the English retook. Tliey all make similar com¬
plaints of harsh .tsage, bad and very scanty food, a Jul no
attention to their health or comfort. There are now, at
this depot, about Twenty-Three Hundred and Fifty Amer¬
icans, who were impressed, previously to the war, into the
British service, by English ships and English press-gangs.
They are the stoutest and most hardy looking men in the
prison. This is easily accounted for. When the British
go on board an American merchant ship to look for Eng¬
lish sailors, they adopt one easy rule, viz—they select the
stoutest, most hardy and healthy looking men, and swear
that they are Englishmen. After they have selected one
of these fine fellows, it'Hs'in vain that he produces his pro¬
tection, or any other evidence of his American birth and
citizen ship.
We learn from these seamen, that as soon as conveyed
on hoard the British men of war, they are examined as to
the length of time they have been at sea, and according to
the knowledge and experience they appear to have, they
are stationed; and if they grumble at the duty assigned
them, they are called mutinous rascals, and threatened
with the cat; the warrant officers are charged to watch
them closely, lest they should attempt to pervert the crew
and to prevent them from sending letters from the ship to
their friends. Should any letters be detected on them,
the sailors are charged, on pain of the severest punish¬
ment, to deliver them to some of the commissioned officers.
If they complained of their hard fate to their messmates,
they were liable to punishment, and if they attempted to
regain their liberty, and were detected, they were strip¬
ped, tied up and most cruelly and disgracefully whipped
like a negro slave. Can any thing he conceived more hu¬
miliating to the feelings of men, horn and brought up as
we all are? Can we ever be cordial friends with such a
people, even in time of peace ? Will ever a man of our
country, or his children after him, forgive this worse than
Algerine treatment ?
Several of the most intelligent of these impressed men
related to me the particulars of the treatment, they, at
various times, received, and I had committed them to pa¬
per, but they are too mean, low and disgusting to be re¬
corded. The pitiful evasions, unworthy arts, anil even
falsehoods of some captains of his Britannic majesty's line
160
journal.
of battle ships, when a seaman produced his protection,or
offered to prove his nativity, or identify his person, as
marked in his descriptive roll, were such, as to make me
bless my stars that I did not belong to their service.
There were, however, some instances of noble and gener¬
ous conduct, which came up to the idea we once entertain¬
ed of English honor, before the solid bullion of the Eng¬
lish naval character was beat into such thin, such very
thin gold leaf, as to gild so many thousands of their epau-
letted seamen. The officers of the Poictiers were spoken
of with respect; and, by what 1 could learn, the smaller
the vessel, the worse treatment was experienced by our
prisoners, and impressed seamen ?*3»our little big men being
always the greatest tyrants. Among these small fry of
the mistress of the ocean, " you damned yankee rascal,1"
was a common epithet. Many of the impressed seamen
now here, have told me, that they have been lashed to the
gang-way, and most severely whipped, even to the extent
of three dozen, for refusing to do, what the captain of a
British man of war called, " their duty !" Some ofthese
men have replied, " it is my duty to serve my own coun¬
try, and fight against its enemies and for saying so,
have been farther abused. Have ever the French, Span¬
iards, Portuguese, Italians, Germans, Dutch, Danes,
Swedes, Russians, Prussians, Turks, or dlgerines treated
American citizens in this way ? And yet our federalists
can never hear to hear us speak, in terms of resentment,
against " the bulwark of our religion." 0, Caleb ! Caleb !
thou hast a head and so has a beetle.*
We had all more or less money from the American gov¬
ernment, and some of the impressed men brought money
with them. This attracted the avaricious spirit of our
neighbors ; so that our market was filled, not only with
vegetables, but animal food. There was also seen in our
market, piles of broad eloth, boxes of hats, boots, shoes,
and many other articles. The greatest pick pockets of all
were the Jews, with their watches, seals and trinkets,and
* When we have read in the American newspapers, which
reached Dartmoor pnson, the speeches and proclamations of th* ^
of Massachusetts, some of us have blushed at the deeradmV. c governor
state ; thai state which once took the lead in the ODDoo't." " ouri?at.lve
and that Boston, once considered the cradle of liberty hi« k" f°
us, a name of reproach. Such are the effects of an unprincipled™^]™1'5
JOURNAL.
461
fead books. 'A moral commander would have swept the
prison clean of such vermin. The women who attend our
market are as sharp as the Jews, and worse to deal with,
for a sailor cannot beat them down as he can one of these
swindling Israelites. Milk is cheap, only 4d. per gallon,
but they know how to water it.
The language and phraseology of these market people
are very rude. When puffing off the qualities of their goods,
when they talk very fast, we can hardly understand then.
They do not speak near so good English as our com non
market people do in iVmerica. The best of them use the pro¬
noun hi' in a singular manner—as can he pay me ? Can he
change ? For can you pay me? Or you change ? I am
fully of opinion with those who say that the American peo¬
ple, taken collectively as a nation, speak the English lan¬
guage with more purity than the Britons, taken collective¬
ly. Every man or boy of every part of the United States
would be promptly understood by the men of letters in
London ; but every man and boy of Old England would not
be promptly understood by the lettered men in the capital
towns of America. Is it not the bible that has preserved
the purity of our language in America?
I am sorry to remark that the Christmas holy-days have
been recently marked with no small degree of intoxication,
and its natural consequpnce, quarrelling among the pri¬
soners. The news of peace, and the expectation of being
soon freed from all restraint, have operated to unsettle the
minds of the most unruly, and to encourage riot. Drink¬
ing, carousing and noise, with little foolish tricks, are now
too common. Some one took off a shutter, or blind, from
a window of No. 6, and as the persons were not delivered
up by the standing committee, Captain Shortland punish¬
ed the whole, college fashion, by stopping the market, or
as this great man was pleased wittily to call it, an embar¬
go. At length the men were given up to Shortland, who
put them in the black hole for ten days.
To be a cook is the most disagreeable and dangerous
office at this depot. They are always suspected, watched
and hated, from an apprehension that they defraud the
prisoner of his just allowance One was flogged the oth¬
er day for skimming the fat off the soup. Fhe grand Vi¬
zier's office at Constantinople, is not more dangerous than
a cook's at this prison, where are collected four or five
14
162
j ournal.
thousand hungry American sons of liberty. The prison¬
ers take it upon themselves to punish these pot-skimmers
in their own way.
We have in this collection of prisoners, a gang of hard-
fisted fellows, who call themselves " the hough allies.
They have assumed to themselves the office ot accuser,
judge and executioner. In my opinion, they are as great
villains as could be collected in the United States. I bey
appear to have little principle, and as little humanity,
and many of them are given up to every vice ; and yet
these ragamuffins have been allowed to hold the scale and
rod of justice. These rough allies make summary work
with the accused, and seldom fail to drag him to punish¬
ment. I am wearied out with such lawless conduct.
January 30th. The principal conversation among the
most considerate is, when will the treaty be returned, rat¬
ified ; for kuowing the high character of our commission¬
ers, none doubt but that the President and Senate will rat¬
ify, what they have approved. We are all in an uneasy
and unsettled state of mind ; more so than before the new s
of peace. Before that news arrived, we had settled down
in a degree of despair; but now we are preparing and
planning our peaceable departure from this loathsome
place.
I would ask the reader's attention to the conduct of capt.
Shortland, the commanding officer of this depot of prison¬
ers, as well as to the conduct of the men under his charge,
as the conduct and events of this period have led on to a
tragedy that has filled our native land with mourning and
indignation. I shall aim at truth and impartiality, and
the reader may make such allowance as our situation may
naturally afford, and his cool judgment suggest.
In the month «fJanuary, 1815, captain Shortland com¬
menced a practice of counting over the prisoners out of
their respective prisons, in the cold, raw air of the yard,
where we were exposed above an hour, unnecessarily to
the severity ef the weather. After submitting to this ca¬
price of our keeper, for several mornings, in hopes he
would be satisfied as to the accurate number of the mea
in prison, we all refused to go out again in wet and raw
weather. Shortland pursued liis usual method of stop¬
ping the market; but finding that it had no effect, he de¬
termined on using force; and sent his soldiers into the
JOURNAL.
163
yard, and ordered them to drive the prisoners into prison
in the middle of the afternoon, whereas they heretofore re¬
mained out until the sun had set, and then they all went
quietly into their dormitories. The regiment of regulars
had been withdrawn, and a regiment of Somersetshire mi¬
litia had taken their place, a set of stupid fellows, and
generally speaking, ignorant officers. The regiment of
regulars tvere elever fellows, and Shortland was awed by
their character; but he felt no awe, or respect, for these
irregulars.
The prisoners told the soldiers that this was an unusual
time of day for them to leave the yard, and that they would
Dot tamely submit to such caprice. The soldiers could
only answer by repeating their orders. More soldiers
were sent for, but they took special care to assume a po¬
sition to secure their protection. The soldiers began now
to use force with their bayonets. All this time Shortland
stood on the military walk with the major of the regiment,
observing the progress of his orders. Our men stood their
ground. On observing this opposition, Shortland became
enraged, and ordered the major to give the word for the
soldiers to fire. The soldiers were drawn up in a half cir¬
cle, to keep them from scattering.
We were now hemmed in between No. 7, and the wall,
that divided this from the yard of No. 4.
gave orders to the officer in the yard, to charge bayonet.
This did not occasion our prisoners to retreat; they rath¬
er advanced ; and some of them told the soldiers, that if
they pricked a single man, they would disarm them.
Shortland was watching all these movements from behind
the gate ; and finding that he had not men enough to drive
them in, drew his soldiers out of the yard. After this, the
prisoners went into the prison of their own accord, when
the turnkey sounded a horn.
These militia-men have been somewhat intimidated by
the threatenings of the •' rough allies," before mentioned.
These national guards thought they could drive us about
like so many Frenchmen; but they have found their mis¬
take. A man escaped from the black-hole, who had been
condemned to remain in it during the war, for attempting
to blow up a ship. The prisoners were determined to pro¬
tect him ; and when Shortland found that the prisoners
would not betray him into his hands, he resorted to his
16*
JOUHNAi..
usual embargo of the market, and sent his soldiers in after
the prisoner; but he might as well have sought a needle
in a hay-mow; for such was the difficulty of finding an iri-
dividual among six thousand. They ransacked every
birth, and lurking place, and passed frequently by the man
without being able to identify him. The prisoners mixed
in so entirely with the soldiers, that the latter could not
act, and were actually fearful of being disarmed. ^ When
these Somersetshire militia found that we were far from
being afraid of them, they ceased to be insolent, and tieat-
ed us with something like respect. There was a consider¬
able degree of friendship between us and the late regiment
of regulars, who were gentlemen, compared with, these
militia.
There are about four hundred and fifty negroes in pris¬
on No. 4, and this assemblage of blacks affords many cu¬
rious anecdotes, and much matter for speculation. These
blacks have a ruler among them whom they call Jcing dick.
He is by far the largest, and I suspect the strongest man in
the prison. He is six feet five inches in height, and pro-
portionabiy large. This black Hercules commands re¬
spect, and his subjects tremble in his presence. He goes
the rounds every day, and visits every birth to see if they
are all kept clean. When he goes the rounds, he puts on
2. krgS heaf-sfcia cap, and carries iu his hand a huge
club. If any ef his men are dirty, drunken, or grossly
negligent, he threatens them with a beating, and if they
are saucy, they are sure to receive one. They have sev¬
eral times conspired against him, and attempted to de¬
throne him ; but he has always conquered the rebels. One
night several attacked him while asleep in his hammock j
he sprang up and seized the smallest of them by his feet,
and thumped another with him. The poor negro who had
thus been made a beetle of, was carried next day to the hos¬
pital, sadly bruised, and provokingly laughed at. This rul¬
er of the blacks, this king Richard the IVth, is a man of
good understanding, and he exercises it to a good purpose.
31* any one of his color cheats, defrauds, or steals from his
comrades, he is sure to be punished for it. Negroes are
generally reputed to be thieves. Their faculties^are com¬
monly found to be inadequate to the comprehension of the
inoial system j and as to the christian system, their no¬
tions of it, generally speaking, are a burlesque to eveqr
Journal,
A83
thing serious. The punishment which these blacks are
disposed to inflict on one another for stealing, partakes of
barbarity, and ought never to be allowed, where the whites
have the control of them.
Beside his majesty King Dick, these black prisoners
have among them a priest, who preaches every Sunday.
He can read, and he gives good advice to his brethren ;
and his prayers are very much in the strain of what we
have been used to hear at home. In the course of his ed¬
ucation, he has learnt, it is said, to kuow the nature of
crimes and punishments ; for, it is said, that while oil
board the Crown Prince prison-ship, at Chatham, he re¬
ceived a dozen lashes for stealing some clothing; but we
must make allowance for stories ; for preachers have al¬
ways complained of the calumnies of their enemies. If his
whole history was known and correctly narrated, he might
be found a duly qualified preacher, to such a congregation
as that of prison No. 4.
This black man has a good deal of art and cunning, and
has drawn several whites into his church ; and his per¬
formances have an imposing cast, and are often listened to
with seriousness. He appears to have learnt his sermons
and prayers from a diligent reading of good books ; but,
as to the christian system, the man has no more idea of it
than he has of the New Jerusalem ; but then his good sen¬
tences, delivered, frequently, with great warmth, and his
string of good advice, given in the negro dialect, makes,
altogether, a novelty, that attracts many to hear him; and
he certainly is of service to the blacks ; and it is a fact,
that the officers have heard him hold forth, without auy
expressions of ridieule, while the majority of these miser¬
able people are too much depraved to pay any serious at¬
tention to his advice.
It is jcurious to observe the natural alliance between
king Dick and this priest. Dick honors and protects him,
while the priest inculcates respect and obedience to this
Richard the 4th. Here we see the union of church and
state in miniature. Who told this negro that to maintain
this influence, he must rally round the huge club of the
strongest and most powerful man in this black -gang of
sinners? And who told king Dick that his neivous arm
and massy club, were insufficient without the aid of the
preacher of terror ? Neither of them had read or heard of
iUtJ
J OURM AL
Machiavel. Who taught this black orator, that the
priesthood must seek shelter behind the throne, the
hostilities of reason ? And who told " the rough allies,
the Janezaries of this imperiuin in imperio, that they inusl
assist and countenance both Dick and the priest ? 1 he sci¬
ence of government is nol so deep and complicated a thing
as king-craft and priest-craft would make us believe, since
these rude people, almost deserving the name of a bandit¬
ti, threw themselves into a sort of government, that is to
he discerned in the early stages of every government. The
love of power, of influence, and of distinction, is clearly
discernible, even among the prisoners at Dartmoor.
Beside king Dick, and Simon, the priest, there was
another black divine, named John. He had been a serv¬
ant of Edward, duke of Kent, third son of the present king
of England ; on which account, black John assumed no
small state and dignity. He left the service of his royal
highness, and was found on board an American ship, and
was pressed from thence into a British man of war, where
he served a year or two, in the station of captain's stew¬
ard ; but disliking the service, he claimed his release as an
American, and was sent with a number of other pressed
men, to the prison-ships at Chatham, and he came to this
prison with a number of other Africans. After king Dick,
and Simon, the priest, black John was the next man of the
most consequence among the negroes; and considering his
family connection, and that he knew how to read and
write, it is not much to be wondered at. John conceived
that his influence with his royal highness was sufficient to
encourage him to write to the duke to get him set at liber¬
ty, who actually applied to the transport hoard with that
view; but they could not grant it. He received, however,
& letter from Cap*. Hervy, the Juke's secretary, on the
subject, who added, that as he had been so unwise as to re¬
fuse to serve his majesty, he must suffer for his folly. We
have been particular in this anecdote, and we request our
readers to bear it in mindf, when we shall come to contrast
this prompt answer of the royal duke to the letter of a ne-
jSjro, w ith the conduct of JVIr. B our agent for prisoners.
I he prisoners themselves noticed if, and envied the ne-ro,
while they execrated the haughty, unfeeling a^ent, who
!p !te °r Crer answered lheir Ictte™> or took any notice
w iheic applications* J
JOURNAL",
i m
The poor negro consoled himself for his disappointment
by turning christian ; aad bei-ig >i pretty clever fellow, and
having formerly belonged to the royal*family, it was con¬
sidered an act of kindness add magnanimity, to raise him
to the rank of deacon in Simon's church. Deacon John
generally acts as a privy counsellor to the king, and is
sometimes a judge in criminal cases, wheu his majesty al¬
lows of one, which is not very often ; for he most common¬
ly acts in as despotic and summary a manner as the dey of
Algiers himself. *
King Dsck keeps a boxing-school, where the white men
are sometimes admitted. No. 4 is noted, also, for fencings
dancing and music ; aud, however extraordinary it may ap¬
pear, they teach these accomplishments to the white men,
A person, entering the cock-loft of No. 4, would be highly
amused \Vith the droll scenery which it exhibited, and if
his sense of smelling be not too refined, may relish, for a
little while, this strange assemblage of antics. Here he
may see boxing, fencing*, dancing, raffling, and other
"modes of gambling ; and to this, we may add, drawing with
chalk and charcoal, and tricks of slight of hand, and all
this to gratify the eye; and for the sense of hearing, he
may be regaled with the sound of clarionets, flutes, vio¬
lins, flageiets, fifes, tambarines, together with the "whoop¬
ing and singing of the negroes. On Sundays this den of
thieves is transformed into a temple of worship, when Si¬
mon, the priest, mounted on a little stool, behind a table
covered with green cloth, proclaims the wonders of crea¬
tion, and salvation to the souls of true believers ; and hell
fire and brimstone, and weeping, and wailing, and gnash¬
ing of teeth, to the hardened and impenitent sinner, and
obstinate rebel of proffered mercy. As he approaches the
end of his discourse, he grows warmer and warmer, and,
foaming at the mouth, denounces ail the terrors of the
law against every heaven-daring, God-provoking sinner.
1 have frequently noticed the effect of this black man's or¬
atory upon some of his audience. While he has been thua
thundering and lightning, sullen moans and hollow groans
issue from different parts of the room, a proof that his
zealous harrangue solemnizes some of his hearers, while
the greater part of them are making grimaces, or betray¬
ing marks of impatience; but no one dare be riotous as-
near the preacher sat his majesty king Dick, with bis ter-
16S4
JOURNAL.
rible ciub, and huge bear skin cap. The members o I ie
church sat in an half circle nearest the priest, white lliose
who had never passed over the threshold ol grace, stood
behind diem. . . ,
A little dispute, if not quite a schism, has existed be¬
tween Simon, the priesv, and deacon John. I he latter,
while in tlie I'aimly ot a royal duke, had lea* tied that it was
proper to read prayers, already made, and printed to their
hands; but Simon said, he should make but few converts
if lie read his prayers. He s«id that prayers ought to
spring at once, warn from the heart: and that reading
prayers was too cold a piece of work for him or his church.
But John said, in reply, that reading prayers was practiced
by his royal highness the duke of K.ent, and all the noble
families in England, as well as on board all his Britannic
majesty's ships of war. But Simon, who had never wait¬
ed on royalty, nor ever witnessed the religious exercises of
an English man of war, would not believe this practice of
the British nation ought to have weight with the reformed
christians of the United States. There was a diversity of
opinion in the black church, and the dispute once grew so
warm, that Simon told John, that it was his opinion, that
- lie who could not pray to his God, without a book, would
b<e damned.
His majesty king Dick finding that this dispute might
endanger the peace of the church, and, possibly, diminish
his own influence, advised that the dispute should be left to
the decision of a neighboring methodist preacher, who
sometimes visited the prison, in a labor of love. The
preacher came and heard, patiently, the arguments of both
sides, and finally decided, as king Dick doubtless foresaw,
in favoc of Simon. He said that the reason why his royal
highness the duke of Kent, and ail thp royal family, and
all the nobility and paFliament-men read their prayers,
was, because they had uot time to make them, each one for
himself. Now Deacon John was a better reasoner than
Simon, but Simon had the most cant; and he. of course,
prevailed. It is probable that John had concluded, that if
lie could carry a vote for reading prayers, he, himself
would be the reader, and then he should become as conspic¬
uous as Simon. Emulation, and the desire of distinction
the great, and indeed main-spring of this world, was as
apparent among these degraded sons of Africa, as ainon«-
JOURNAL,
lti'J
any white gentlemen and ladies in the laud. John's am¬
bition, and his envy, operated j,ist like the ambition and
envy of white people. At length, when the deacon Cound
that, since the decision of the methodist, his supporters de¬
serted hitn, lie made his mind up to follow the current, and
to justify his conduct by inculcating a spirit of conciliation
and union. This shrewd fellow knew, that if lie did not
follow the current, he should lose the privilege of sitting
at the end of the table, opposite to Simon, and of leaning
his head on the great bible, while Simon was preaching ;
privileges too great to be slighted in such a church, and
directly after a religious dispute.
Since I returned home, and w hile transcribing this jour¬
nal for the press, I have thought that the conduct of dea¬
con John was from the self same principle with that which
actuated the federalists, since the dissolution and disgrace
of the Hartford Convention. This faction found them¬
selves after the peace, and after the battle of New Orleans,
going fast down the stream of popular opinion ; and then
it was th^t they preached up conciliation, liberality, and
union ; then it was they caught hold of the skirts of the
land and naval heroes ; nay, they went so far as to hail
Jefferson and Madison as brother Unitarians! In shorty
the situation of black John, and the federalists of Massa¬
chusetts, was exactly the same, and their conduct in every
point, similar; and the leading federalists of Boston have
been left, like the deacon of the negro congregation, in
No. 4, Dartmoor prison, to sleep upon the great bible.
Simon, the priest, enjoyed one great and envied privi¬
lege, which John never pretended to, namely, an acquaint¬
ance and intercourse with the angel Gabriel. He had many
revelations from this celestial messenger, and related them
to his church. They related principally to the fate of his
fellow prisoners ; one, in particular, he told to his ehurch
with awe and solemnity.
I saw, said he- a great light, shining only through the
grates of one window, before the hour of day break. I
looked up, and saw something like a man with wings I
was at first frightened, and cried out,who comes dare ;
for I could not see his face. Directly the bars of the win¬
dow bent each way, and his head and shoulders came in,
when 1 knew him to be the angel Gabriel. " Simon," said
he, "I am come to tell you that this prison will be sunk
170
journal.
before forty days, because its inhabitants are so wicked.
Den I tank him, and he drew back his head again, an the
iron bars were restored to their place again, when he
spread out his wings, which were covered with ten thous¬
and stars, which made •<& great light when he flewaway.
Such was the method used, by this artful black man, to
rouse his countrymen out oi the sink of vice, and it h&d
the desired effect. This prediction solemnised several of
the negroes, and had more or less effect upon all of them.
They became more liberal in their contributions, which
enabled Simon to purchase a new green coat. It seemed
as if the most profligate of these fellows, had a secret
dread of Simon's prediction, and were willing to gain his
favor by contributions instead of repentance. Has not this
disposition foundejS churches, monasteries and nunneries?
Many of Simon's cV.urch are strongly impressed wiih the
apprehension, of tlfe prison sinking within forty days.
These blacks have been desirous of having their prison
the centre of amusement. They act plays twice a week,
and as far as close imitation of what they have seen and
heard, and broad grimace, they are admirable, but they
are, half the time, ignoraut of the meaning of the words
they utter. The gate ways and centry boxes are plaister-
ed over with play-bills, announcing—Othello, for the
first time, by Mr. Robinson—Desdejiona, by Mr. Junes.
I seldom failed to attend these exhibitions, and must coin
fess that I never before or since, or perhaps ever shall
laugh so heartily as at these troglodyte dramas. Their
acting was assuredly the most diverting beyond all com¬
parison or example I ever saw. They would cut so many
negroish capers in tragedy, grin and distort their counte¬
nances io such a variety of inhuman expressions, while
they kept their bodies ei'her stiff as so many stakes, or in a
monkeyish wriggle, and ever and anon such a baboon stare
at Desdemona, whose face, neck and hands were covered
with chalk and red paint to make him look like a beauti¬
ful white lady—was altogether, considering that they
themselves were very serious, tlie most ludicrous exhibi¬
tion of two le ged ridiculousness i ever witnessed. In the
midst of iny loud applauses, 1 could not, when my sore
sides would allow me to articulate, help exelaimin°- O !
Shakespeare.' Shakespeare 1—() > Garrick .' GarViek J
tfhat would I not give (a despised American 'prisoner)
JOURNAL.
in
could I raise yen from the dead, that you might see the
black consequences of your own transcendent geniuses !
When Garriek rubbed himself over with burnt cork to
make himself look like a Moor, or with lamp- black to re¬
semble Mungo, it did pretty well; but for a negro man (o
cover his forehead, neck and hands with chalk, and liis
cheeks with vermilliqn, to make him look like an English
or American beauty, was too much. Had I been going up
the ladder to be hanged, I should have laughed at this
sight; for to all this outrageous grimace, was added, a
fantastic habiliment, and an odour from Desdemona and
company, that associated the ideas of the skunk and the
polecat. I presume that their august majesties, the em¬
peror and empress of Hayti, have some means of destroy¬
ing this association of ideas, so revolting to Americans.
After all, this may be in us a disgust grounded more in
prejudice than nature. What we call delicacy is a refine¬
ment of civilization, and of course a departure from na¬
ture. See how the brutes enjoy rolling and wallowing in
what toe call dirt; next to them, we may observe the love
of what we call filth in savages, and of those persons in
our cities who stand nearest to them. Extreme cleanli¬
ness is the offspring of riches, leisure, luxury and extreme
refinement; nevertheless it is true what Swift says, that
" persons with nice minds have nasty ideas." I suffered
greatly, and so did many of our countrymen, on our first
acquaintance with filth and vermin in this our British cap¬
tivity. Many a time have I got up from my dinner as hun¬
gry as I set down, when disgust has been greater than ap¬
petite. I have gradually surmounted antipathies I once
thought insurmountable. I am not the only one who has
often retired from our disgusting repast, to my bunk or
sleeping birth, in silent agony, there to breathe out to my
Maker, woes too great for utterance. O, Britain ! Bri¬
tain ! will there not be a day of retribution for these thy
cruelties J
There are some in this dismal prison, who have been
used all their lives, not to conveniencies only, but to deli¬
cacies ; who are obliged to submit to the disagreeables of
this uncivilized mode of incarcerating brave men, for one
of the first of Grecian, Roman, English and American
virtues, the love of country, or patriotism. These iir.for¬
tunate men, with minds far elevated beyond the officers
172
.JOURNAL.
who are placed here to guard and to torment them, sub¬
mit to their confinement with a better grace than one
could have expected. When these men have eaten their
stinted ration, vilely cooked, and hastily served up, they
return to their hammocks, or sleeping births, and there
try '• to steep their senses in forgetfulnessS' until the recur¬
rence of the next disgusting meal. On the other hand,
some have said that they never before eat with such a
k»:en appetite, and their only complaint has been, that
ther*1 was not one quarter enough for them to devour.
Some have since said, that tliey devoured their daily al¬
lowance at Dartmoor, with more relish than they ever
have since, when set down at tables, covered, as our Amer¬
ican tables are, with venison, poultry, the finest fish and
the best fruits of our country, with choice old cider, and
good foreign wines.
A thing very disagreeable to me, arose from causes not
occasioned by the enemy. I have been squeezed to sore¬
ness by a crowd of rough, overbearing men, who oft times
appeared to be indifferent whether they trampled you un¬
der feet or not. The " rough allies," so called, had no
feeling for men smaller and weaker than themselves.
From this gang, you could seldom get a civil answer.
Their yells, and whooping, more like savages than white
men, were very troublesome. The conduct of these, prov¬
ed that it was natural for the strong to tyrannize over the
weak. I have often thought that our assemblage of pris¬
oners, resembled very much the Greciaa and Roman de¬
mocracies, which were far, very far, beneath the just, ra¬
tional, and wisely guarded democracy of our dear Ameri¬
ca, for whose existence and honor we are all still heartily
disposed to risk our Jives and spill our blood.
As not allowing us prisoners a due and comfortable por¬
tion of clean food, is the heavy charge I have to make a-
gainst the British nation, I shall here, once for ail, at¬
tempt to describe the agonies I myself felt, and observed
others to endure, from cravings of hunge< —which are keen
descriptions in young men, not yet arrived to their full
growth.—The hungry prisoner is seen to traverse the al¬
leys, backwards and forwards, with a gnawing stomach
and a haggard look ; while he sees the "fine white loaves
on the tables of the bread-seller, when all that he possess¬
es cannot buy a single loaf. I have known many men
JOURNAL.
173
tremble, and become sick at their stomachs, at the sight of
bread they could uot obtain. Sometimes a prisoner has
put away a portion of his bread, and sworn to himself that
lie would not eat it until such an hour after breakfast; he
has, however, gone to it, and picked a few crumbs from it,
and replaced it; and sometimes he could no longer resist
the grinding torments of hunger, but devoured with more
than canine appetite; for it must be understood that the
interval between the evening and morning meal was the
most distressing. An healthy, growing young man, feels
very uncomfortable if he fasts five hours ; but to be without
food, as we often were, for fourteen hours, was a cruel neg¬
lect, or a barbarous custom. Our resourse from hunger
was sleep ; not but that the sensations of hunger, and the
thoughts of the deprivation, often prevented me from get¬
ting asleep; and at other times, when wrapt in sleep, I
have dreamed of setting down to a table of the most deli¬
cious food, and most savoury meats, and in the greatest
profusion; and amidst my imagined enjoyment, have wak¬
ed in disappointment, agony and tears. This was the
keeuest misery I ever endured, and at such times, have I
cursed the nation that allowed of it, as being more barba¬
rous than Algerines or wild Indians. The comparative
size of the pieces of beef and bread is watched with a keen
and jealous eye ; so are even t he bits of turnip in our soup,
lest one should have more than the other. 1 have noticed
more acts of meanness and dishonesty in men of respecta¬
ble character, in the division and acquisition of the arti¬
cles of our daily food, than in any other transaction what¬
ever. Such as they would despise, were hunger out of the
question. The best apology I can make for the practice
of gaming is, the hope of alleviating this most abominable
system of starvation. Had we been duly and properly fed,
we never should have run so deeply into the hell of gamb¬
ling. We did not want money to buy clothing, or wine, or
rum, but to buy beef, and bread, and milk, I repeat it, all
the irregularities, and, finally, the horrors and death,
that occurred in a remarkable manner, in this den of des¬
pair, arose from the British system of seanty food for
young men, whose vigorous systems, and habits of being-full
fed, demanded a third more solid flesh meat, than would sat¬
isfy a potatoe-eating Irishman, an oat-feeding Scotchman,
or an half starved English manufacturer. After we have
Iff
JOURNAL.
finished our own dinners in New England, we give to out-
cats and dogs, and other domestic animals, more solul
nourishment, the remnant of our meals, than what we had
often allowed us in the ships and prisons of " the world s
last hope," Pickering's " fast anchor'd, isle."
Among the abuses of Dartmoor prison, was that of al¬
lowing Jews to come among us to buy clothes, and the al¬
lowing some other people, worse than Jews, to cheat us in
the articles we purchased. How far our keepers went
" snacks" with these harpies, we never could know. We
only suspected that they did not enjoy all their swindling
privileges gratuitously. Before the immoral practice of
gambling was introduced and countenanced, it was no un¬
usual thing to see men in almost every birth, reading, or
writing, or studying navigation. I have noticed the prog¬
ress of vice in some, with pain and surprise. 1 have seen
men, once respectable, give examples of vice that I cannot
describe, or even name ; and I am fearful that some of our
young boys, may carry home to their hitherto pure and
chaste country, vices they never had any idea of when they
left it. I believe Frenchmen, Italians, and Portuguese,are
much worse examples for our youth, than English, Irish,
or Scotchmen. I must say of the British that they are
generally men of far better habits and morals than some
of the continental nations. But enough, and more than
enough, en the depravity of the oldest of the European na¬
tions.
February 28th, 1815.—Time hangs heavily on the wea¬
ry and restless prisoner. His hopes of liberation, and his
anxiety, increase daily and hourly. The Favorite J The
Favorite, is in every one's mouth; and every one fixes the
day of her arrival. We have just heard that she was
spoken near the coast of America, by the Sultan, a British
74, on the 2d day of February. If so, then she must ar¬
rive in a few days, with the news of the ratification or re¬
jection of the treaty of peace, by Mr. Madison ; and on this
great event our happiness depends. Some of the English
merchants are so confident that our president will ratify
the treaty, that they are sending vast quantities of Eng¬
lish manufactures out to Halifax, to he ready to thrust in¬
to the ports of America, as soon as we shall be able le¬
gally, to admit them. It is easy to perceive that the Eng¬
lish are much more anxious to send us (heir productions
than we are to receive them. '
journal.
175
Our anxiety increases every day. We inquire of every
one, the news. We wait with impatience for the newspa¬
pers, and when we receive them are disappointed ; not
finding in them what we wish. They, to besure, speak of
the sitting of the Vienna Congress ; and we have been ex¬
pecting, every day, that this political old hen had hatched
out her various sort of eggs. We expected that her mot¬
ley brood would afford us some fun. Here we expected to
see a young hawk, and there agoslin, and next a strutting
turkey, and then a dodo, a loon, an ostrich, a wren, a mag¬
pie, a cuckoo, and a wag-tail. But the old continental hen
has now set so long, that we conclude that her eggs are
addled, and incubation frustrated. During all this time,
the Gallic cock is on his roost at Elba, with his head un¬
der his wing.
We but now and then get a sight of Cobbett's Political
Register; and when we do, we devour it, and destroy it,
before it comes to the knowledge of our Cercebrus. This
writer has a manner sui generis, purely his own; but it is
somewhat surprising, how he becomes so well informed of
the actual state of things, and of the feelings and opinions
of both parties in our country. His acuteness, his wit, his
logic, and his surliness, form, altogether, a curious por¬
traiture of an English politician. We, now an;! then, get
sight of American papers, but they are almost all of them
federal papers, and contain matter more hostile to our
government than the English papers. The most detesta¬
ble paper printed in London is called, " The Times," and
that is often thrown in our way ; but even this paper is not
to be compared to the " Federal Republican," printed at
Washington or Georgetown, or to the Boston federal pa¬
pers. YVhen such papers are shown to us by the English
here, we are fairly brought up, and know not what to say.
I cannot answer, precisely, for the impressions governor
Strong's speeches and proclamations have made on others,
I can only answer for myself. They very much surprised
and grieved me. I was born in the same county where Mr.
Strong resided, and where, I believe, he has always lived,
and I had always entertained a respect for his serious
character, and have, from my boyhood, considered him
amon°* the very sensible men, and even saints of our coun¬
try ; and all my connections and relations gave their votes
for good Caleb Strang, on whose judgment and public con-
JOURNAL.
duct, my parents taught me to rely, with as much confi¬
dence as if he had actually been a thirteenth apostle.
Judge then what must have been my surprise, on reading
his proclamations for fasts and thanksgivings, and his
speeches and messages to the legislature, and his conduct
relative to the general government and the militia: and
above all, for his strange conduct in organizing a conven¬
tion of malcontents at Hartford, in Connecticut. No event
in New England staggered me so much. When we learnt
that he proclaimed England to be '• the bulwark of the ho¬
ly religion ice -profess" 1 concluded that it was a party ca¬
lumny, until 1 saw its confirmation, in the attempts of liis
friends to vindicate the assertion. 1 then concluded, that
one of two things must have existed ; either Mr. Strong
had become superannuated and childish, or that the Eng¬
lish Faction had got behind his chair of government, and
under the table of the counsel-board, and in the hollow
panneis of his audience chamber, and completely bewitch¬
ed our political Burzilla. 1 suspected that gang of Jesuits,
the Essex Junto, had put out his eyes, and was leading
him into danger and disgrace. It is undeniable, that gov¬
ernor Strong has, in his public addresses, sided more with
the declared enemy, Britain, than with his own national
government; and that he has said a great deal, tending to
encourage the enemy to persist in their demands, and to
pursue the war, than he has to discourage them. It ap¬
pears, in truth, that the English consider him, in a great
measure, their friend and well wisher.
Is it possible that governor Strong can he deluded away
by the missionary and bible societies of Old England, so as
io mistake the English for a religious people? 1 am very
confident, that there is less religion, or appearance of it., in
Liondon, and in all their large cities, than in any other civ¬
ilized country, of the same numbers, in Europe. Their na¬
tional churches are empty, while their streets and their
harbors are full of lewdness ; and they have more thieves^
gamblers, forgers, cheats and bawds, than any other na¬
tion upon earth, Add to this, their laws are bloody, be¬
yond modern example, their military punishments horri¬
ble, and their treatment of prisoners of war a disgrace to
the name of christians. Can governor Strong be totally
ignorant of the policy of some in patronizing bible and
missionary societies ? And does he not see the impractica-
JOURNAL.
177
biiity of the scheme contemplated by the latter ? If we di¬
vide the known countries of the globe into thirty equal
parts, five will be found to be Christians, sLv Mahometans,
s\nd nineteen Pagans. It is difficult to believe that the
first man, the governor and commander in chief of the
great and respectable commonwealth of Massachusetts,
can seriously expect that the missionary societies of Eng¬
land and of Boston can effect this immense task ? Or that it
ever was the design of Providence, that all the families of
the earth should think alike on subjects of religion ? Let
ns take things as the sons of men have always found them,
and not presume to oppugn Providence, who has decreed
that there shall be, every where, men of different colours,
countenances, voices, manner of speaking, of different feel ¬
ings and views of things, and also of different languages,
and of different opinions, as it regards the Deity, and his
government of the world; and that among this great, and,
doubtless, necessary diversity of the views of him, we may
have the most pure and rational system of any. Let us
then enjoy that system, encourage a virtuous education,
and love one another, and leave to his direction and con-
troul, the myriads of rational beings on earth, of which,
we, christians, make so small a part. No, no, my coun¬
trymen, if governor Strong will not attend exclusively to
the mere affairs of the state, with its relative duties, and
leave the great world to the legislation of its ;reat Crea¬
tor, you had better allow him to retire to Northampton,
there to study, in silence, how to govern his own heart,
and how to work out his own salvation, instead of contin¬
uing the tool of a turbulent and vicious party. I still
think Mr. Strong is a man of good intentions, and an hon¬
est patriot; but that he has been deluded by artful men,
who in their scheme of governing the whole nation, have
found their account in placing at the head of their party in
Massachusetts, a man of correct morals and manners, and
of a reputed religious cast of mind. But Mr. Strong
should reflect, and being a phlegmatic man, he is able to
reflect calmly, and consider things deliberately. He should
reflect, I say, on the impression his remarkable conduce
must have on the minds of his countrymen, who have risk¬
ed their lives, and are now suffering a severe bondage in
that "-reat national cause of "free trade and no impress-
merit?' which led the American people to declare war
13*
178
JOU11NAL.
against Britain, !>y the voice of their representative, m
congress assembled. How strange and how paintul must
it appear to us, and to our friends in Europe, that the gov¬
ernor of a great state should lean more towards the Prince
Kegent of Britain, than to the President of the United
States. If, therefore, we consider Mr. Strong as a sensi¬
ble and a correct man, and a true patriot, his conduct as
governor of Massachusetts, especially as to the time oi or¬
ganizing a convention, of which the English promised
themselves countenance and aid, must have appeared more
than strange to us in captivity.
If we contemplate the character of the leading men of
that parly which put into office, and still supports Gover¬
nor Strong, and with whom he has co-operated, we can¬
not clear this gentleman of reproach. Previously to'our
late contest with Britain, it was the unceasing endeavor
of the leaders of the federal party to bring into discredit
and eontempt the worthiest and best men of the nation ;
to ridicule and degrade every thing American, or that re¬
flected honor on the American Independence. So bitter
was their animosity, so insatiate their thirst for power
and high places, that they did not hesitate to advocate
measures for the accomplishment of their grand object,
w hich was to get into the places of those now in power.
How often have we seen the party declaring in their venal
prints that the American administration was base,andcow¬
ardly, and tamely suifering the outrages, abuses and con¬
tempt of the nations of Europe, without possessing the
spirit (o resent, or the power to resist them ; and that "we
could vot be kicked into a war." Yet after the administra¬
tion had exhausted every effort to bring England to do
justice, and war was declared, these very federalists call¬
ed the act wicked and inhuman, and denounced the Presi¬
dent for plunging the country into hostilities with the
mistress of the ocean, the most powerful nation of the
earth. They called this act of Congress, " ^Madison's
and did every thing in their power to render that
upright man odious in the eyes of the unthinking part of
the community. This was not all y these arrogant men,
assumed to themselves all the talents and all the virtues
of the country, used every mean in their power to paralyze
the arm of government, and reduce the energies of the na¬
tion, iu the face and front of our adversary. By argu-
JGUHNAI..
179
ments and threats, they induced the monied men in Mas¬
sachusetts,. very generally to refuse loans of money to
government, and to ruin our resources. Did not this par¬
ty, denominated federalists, exult at the disasters of our
arms ; and did they not vote in the Senate of Massachu¬
setts, that it was unworthy a religious and moral people,
to rejoice at the immortal achievements of our gallant sea¬
men ? in the midst of our difficulties, when this power¬
ful enemy threatened us by sea and land, with a powerful
force from Penobscot- another through Lake Chainplain,
another landed at the Chesapeake, while nothing but re¬
sistance and insurgency was talked of and hinted at with¬
in. In this state of things, and with these circumstances,
did not Governor Strong, and the federal party generally,
seize hold of this alarming state of our affairs, to call the
Convention at Hartford, and that not merely to perplex
the government, but to be the organ of communication be¬
tween the enemy and the malcontents ? Did they not then
talk loudly of our worm eaten Constitution, and did they
not call the Union " a rope, of sand," that could no longer
hold together ? If there be a line of transgression, beyond
the bounds of forgiveness, tHe leaders of that party, who
put Mr. Strong up for Governor, have attained it. These
things I gather from the papers, and from the history of
the day, as 1 have collected thein since my return home.
And to all this must be added the damning fact of Te De¬
nnis, orations, toasts, and processions of the clergy, judg¬
es, w ith all the leaders of the federal, or opposition party,
on the success of the Spaniards in restoring the Inquisition,
and recalling the reign of superstition and terror, against
which we have been preaching and praying ever since the
first settlement of our country.
Our American newspapers, if they are not so correctly
written as the London papers, are informing and amusing.
They show the enterprize, the activity, and the daring
thoughts of a free and an intrepid people ; while the Lon¬
don papers are filled with a catalogue of nobles and no-
blesses, who were assembled to bow, to flatter, to cringe,
and to prink at the levee of the Great Prince Regent, the
presumptive Georgfe the IVth, with now and then some ac¬
count of his wandering wife, the Princess of Wales. We
are there also entertained with a daily account of the
health and gestation of Joanna Southcote, for whose repu.
180
JOURNAL.
tation and welfare, thinking Johnny Bull is vastly anx¬
ious, insomuch that were any continental nation to run
obstinately counter to the popular opinion respecting her,
we do deem it not impossible that the majority of the na¬
tion might be led to sign addresses to the Prince to go to
war with them, in honor of Saiut Joanna! Their papers
likewise contain a particular account of the examination of
rogues by the Bow-street officers, highway robberies, and
executions; together with quack puft's and miraculous
cures. These, together with the most glorious and tm-
parralleled bravery of their officers and seamen, and of
their generals and soldiers, with the highest encomiums
on the religion, the learning, the generosity, contentment
and happiness of the people of Britain and Ireland, make
up the sum and substance of all the London papers, fFil-
Ham Cobbett's alone excepted ; and he speaks with a bri¬
dle in his mouth I
This month (February) Captain Shortland stopped the
market for six days, in consequence of some unruly fellows
taking away certain wooden stanchions from Prison No.
6. But the old market women, conceiving that the Cap¬
tain encroached upon their copy-hold, would not quietly
submit to it. They told him that as the men were going
away soon, it was cruel to curtail their traffic. We al¬
ways believed that these market women, and the shop and
stall keepers, and Jews, purchased in some way or other
the unequal traffic between them and us. Be that as it
may, Shortland could not resist the commercial interest,
so that he, like good Mr. Jefferson, listened to the clamor
of the merchants, and raised the embargo.
No sooner was quiet restored, and the eld women and
Jews pacified, but a serious discontent arose among the
prisoners, on discovering that these Jews, of all complex¬
ions, had raised the price of their articles, on the idea, we
supposed, that we should not much longer remain the sub¬
jects of their impositions. The rough allies, a sort of reg¬
ulators, who were too stout, and most common!)' too inso¬
lent, to be governed by our regular and moderate commit¬
tees, turned out iD a great rage, and tore down several of
the small shops, or stalls, where slops were exposed for
sale. These fellows at length organized themselves into
a company of plunderer^ 1 have seen men run from their
sleeping births, ,n wiiicii they spent near/y their whole
JOURNAL.
181
time, and plunder these little shop keepers, and carry the
articles they plundered, and secrete them in their beds.
These mobs, or gangs of robbers, were a scandal to the
American character, and strongly reprobated by every
mau of honor in the prisons. Some of these little mer¬
chants found themselv es stripped of all they possessed in
a few minutes, on the charge of exorbitant prices. We
never rested, nor allowed these culprits to rest, until we
saw the cat laid well on their backs. These plunderings
were in consequence of informers, and there was no name,
not even that of a federalist, was so odious with all the
prisoners, as that of an informer. We never failed to
punish an informer. Nothing but the advanced age of a
man, (who was sixty years old) prevented him from being
whipped for informing Capt. Shortland of what the old
man considered an injury, and for which he put the man
accused, into the black hole. An informer, a traitor, and
an avowed federalist, were objects of detestation at Dart¬
moor.
During the time that passed between the news of peace,
and that of its ratification, an uneasy and mob like dispo¬
sition, more than once betrayed itself. Three impressed
American seamen had been sent in here from a British
ship of war, since the peace. They were on board the
Pelican, in the action with the American ship Argus,
when fell our brave captain Allen. One day, when all
three were a little intoxicated, they boasted of the feats
they performed, in fighting against their own countrymen ;
and even boasted of the prize money they had shared for
capturingthe Argus. This our prisoners could not endure ;
and it soon reached the ears of the rough allies, who seized
tliern, and kicked and cuffed them about unmercifully ;
and they took one of them, who had talked more impru¬
dently than the rest, and led him to the lamp iron that pro¬
jected from one of the prisons, and would in all probabili¬
ty, have hanged him thereon, had not Shortland rescued
him by an armed force. They had fixed a paper on the
fellow's breast, on which was written in large letters, A
Traitor and a Federalist.
It may seem strange to some, but I am confident that
there is no class of people among us more strongly attach¬
ed to the American soil, than nur seamen, who are float¬
ing about the world and seldom tread on the ground. The
182
journal.
sailor who roams about the world, marks the difference of
treatment and exults in the superior advantages of his
countrymen. The American custom of allowing oh board
merchant ships the common sailors to traffic a little in ad¬
ventures, enlarges their views, makes them think and en-
quit e, and excites an interest in the sales ol the whole car¬
go. The common sailor here feels a sort ot unity of in¬
terest ; and he is habituated to feel as a member of the
floating store-house which he is uavigating. It is doubt¬
ful whether the British sailor feels any thing of this.
I have had often to remark on the tyrannical conduct
and unfeeling behaviour of Captain Shortland, but he had
for it the excuse of an enemy; but the neglect of Mr. Beas-
ley, with his supercilious behaviour towards his country¬
men here confined, admits of no excuse. He was bound to
assist us and befriend us, and to listen to our reasonable
complaints. When negro John wrote to his Royal High¬
ness the Duke of Kent, son of king George the 3d, and
brother of the Prince Regent, he received an answer in
terms of kindness and reason; but Mr. Beasley, who was
paid by our government for being our agent, and official
friend, never condescended to answer our letters, and if
they ever were noticed, it was in the style of reproof—His
conduct is here condemned by six thousand of his country¬
men, and as many curses are daily uttered on him in this
prison. It is almost treason in this our dismal Common¬
wealth or rather common misery, to speak in his favour.
If Shortland and Beasley were both drowning, and one
only could be taken out by the prisoners of Dartmoor, I
believe in my soul, that that ona would be Shortland; for
as I said before, he has the excuse of an enemy.
The prisoners have been long determined to testify their
feelings towards Mr. Beasley, before they left Dartmoor,
and the time for it has arrived. The most ingenious of
our countrymen are how making a figure resemblance; or
effigy of this distinguished personage. One has contribu¬
ted a coat, another pantaloons, another a shirt bosom or
frill, another a stuffed out cravat, and so they have made
up a pretty genteel, haughty looking gentleman agent,
with heart and brains full equal, they think, to the person
whom they wish to represent. They called this figure
Mr. B- They then brought him to trial. He was
indicted for many crimes towards them and towards the
journal.
183
character of the United States. The jury declared him
guilty of each and ever^ charge, and he was sentenced by
an unanimous decree of his judges, to lie hanged by the
neck until he was dead, and after that to be burnt. They
proceeded with him to the place of execution, which was
from the roof of prison No. 7, where a pole wis rigged out,
to which was attached an halter. After silen.*e was pro¬
claimed, the halter was fastened round the neck of the ef¬
figy, and then a solemn pause ensued, which apparent so¬
lemnity was befitting the character of men who were con¬
vinced of the necessity of the punishment of the guilty,
while they felt for the sufferings and shame of a fellow-
mortal. After hanging the proper time, the hangman,
who was a negro, cut him down ; and then tne rough al¬
lies took possession of him, and conducted Mm to a con¬
venient spot in the yard, where they burnt him to ashes.—
This was not, like the plunder of the shop-keepers, the
conduct of an infuriate mob; but it was begun and carried
through by some of the steadiest men within the walls of
Dartmoor prison. They said they had no other way of
testifying their contempt of a man, who they supposed had
injured them all, and disgraced their country. Such was
the fact; as to the justness of their charges, I have noth¬
ing to say. I hope Mr. B. can vindicate his conduct to
the world, and I hope this publication may lead to a thing
so much wished for.
During all this solemn farce, poor Shortland looked like
a culprit under sentence of death. Some of the rogues had
written, with chalk, on the walls, be you also ready 1
This commander's situation eould not be an enviable one.
He was, probably, as courageous a man as the ordinary
run of British officers : but it was plainly discoverable that
he was half his time in dread, and during the scene just
described, in terror, which was perceivable amidst his af¬
fected smiles, and assumed gaiety. He told a gentleman,
belonging to this depot, that he never saw, nor ever read,
or heard of such a set of Devil-daring, God-provoking f el-
lows, «s these same yankees. And he added, I had rather
have the charge of jive thousand Frenchmen, than five
hundred of these sons of liberty ; and yet, said he, I love
the dos-s better than I do the damn'd frog-eaters. *;
On the 30th of March we received the heart-cheering
news of the total defeat of the British army before new-
184)
journal.
Orleans, with the death of its commauder in chief, Sir
Edward Packenham, and Generals Gibbs and JCean, with
a great number ot' other officers, and about five thousand
rat>k and tile killed and wounded ; and what appeared to
be nhsolutely incredible, this unexampled slaughter of the
enemj wasachu-ved with the loss of less than twenty kill¬
ed and uounded on our side. Instead of shouting and re¬
joicing, as in ordinary victories, we seemed mute with as¬
tonishment. Yes 1 when we saw the Englishmen walking
with folded arms, looking down on the ground, we had not
the heart to exuit, especially as the war was now ended.
I speak for myself—there was no event that tended so
much to reconciiiation and forgiveness as this immense
slaughter of the English. We felt that this victory was
too bloody not to stifle loud exultation.
We had heard of Generals Dearborn, Brown, Scott, Rip¬
ley, Gaines and Miller, but no onv knew who General JJn~
drew Jackson was; but we said that it was a New England
name, and we had no doubt but he was a full blooded yan-
kee, and that there were many of that name in New Hamp¬
shire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and Con¬
necticut. But I have since heard that he was a village
lawyer in Tennessee, and a native of South Carolina.
The more particulars we hear of this, extraordinary
victory, the more we are astonished We cannot be too
grateful to Heaven for allowing us, a people of yesterday,
to wind up the war with the great and terrible nation, the
mistress of the ocean, in a manner and style that will in¬
spire respect from the present and future race of men.
Nothing now is thought of or talked of, but JSTew Orleans
and Jackson, and Jackson and New Orleans. We already
perceive that we are treated with more respect, and our
country spoken of in honorable terms. The language
now is—we are all one of the same people You have all
JEnglish blood in your veins, and it is no wonder that you
%lit bravely! Sometimes they have uttered the slang of
« The Times,'' and cast reflections on the government, and
on President Madison, but we have always resented it,
nor do we ever allow any one to speak disgracefully of
our illustrious chief magistrate.
- About the middle of the present month, (March) we
received the news of the landing of Napoleon in France
while every one here supposed him snug at Elba The'
JOURNAL,
185
news came to England, arid passed through it like thun¬
der and lightning, carrying with it astonishment and dis¬
may. But as much as they dread, and of course hate Bo¬
naparte, the British cannot but admire his fortune and his
glory. There are a number of Frenchmen yet here, and
it is. impossible for man to shew more joy at this news
from France. They collected together, and shouted Vive
VEmpereur ! and the Yankees joined them, with huzza lor
Bonaparte, and this we kept up incessantly, to plague th^>
British. The English bear any thing from us with more
patience, than our expressions of affection for the Emperor
Napoleon. Now the fact is, we care 110 more for the
French, than they do for us ; and there is but little love
between us ;—yet we pretend great respect and affection
for that nation, and their chief; principally to torment
overbearing surly John Bull, who thinks that we ought to
love nobody but him, while he himself never does any thing
to inspire that love.
About the 20th of this month, we received the heart
cheering tidings of the Ratification of the Treaty
of Peace, by the President of the United States.
This long expected event threw us all into such a raptur¬
ous roar of joy, that we made old Dartmoor shake under
us, with our shouts; and to testify our satisfaction we il¬
luminated this depot of misery. Even Shortland affected
joy, and was seen more than once, like Milton's Devil, to
" grin horribly a ghastly smile "
As there can be now no longer a doubt of our being soon
set at liberty, our attention is directed to the agent for
prisoners for fixing the time and arranging the means.
Mr. Beasley had written that as soon as the Treaty was
ratified, he would make every exertion for our speedy de¬
parture. He must be aware of our extreme impatience to
leave this dreary spot, whose brown and grassless surface
renders it a place more proper for convicts, than an assem¬
blage of patriots.
We are all watching the countenance and conduct of oar
surly keeper, Shortland ; and it is the general opinion that
he is deeply chagrined at the idea of no longer domineer-
ingover us. It may be, also, that the peace may reduce
him to half pay 1, myself, am,of opinion that he is dis¬
satisfied at the idea of our escaping his fangs, with wliole
16
186
JOURNAL.
skins ; and his dark and sullen countenance gathers every
day additional blackness.
JJpril 4th.—The contractor's clerk being desirous to
get off'his hands the hard biscuit, which had been held in
reserve in case of bad weather, attempted to serve it out
to the prisoners at this time ; but the committee refused to
receive it. Nothing but hard bread was served out to
them this day. In the evening, several hundred of the
prisoners entered the market square, and demanded their
.soft bread ; but it was refused. The officers persuaded
them to retire, but they would not, before they received
their usual soft bread. The military officers, finding that
it was in vain to appease them, as they had but about
three hundred militia to guard five or six thousand, com¬
plied with their request, and all Was quietness and content¬
ment.
During this little commotion, Captain Shortland was
gone from home. He returned next day, when he express¬
ed his dissatisfaction at the conduct of the military, who
he said, should not have complied with the demand of the
prisoners. As it was, however, past, and the prisoners
were tranquil, and no signs of disturbance remaining, he
grew pacified.
On tbe4th of April, we received intelligence, which we
supposed correct, that seven cartel ships were to sail from
the Thames for Plymouth, to transport us home, and that
several more were in preparation. This inspired us with
liigh spirits and good humor ; and 1 distinctly remember
that the prisoners appeared to enjoy their amusements,
such as playing ball and the like, beyond what I had be¬
fore observed. We all, in fact, felt light hearted, from
the expectation of soon leaving this dreary abode, to re¬
turn to our dear homes, and adored country. But how
was the scene changed before the light of another day !
Dead and wounded men, blood and horror, made up the
scenery of this fatal evening
t The best account that could possibly be given, is that of
a respectable committee, selected from among the best
characters in this large assemblage of Americanprisoners.
The greater part of this committee, were men of no mean
talents. They were not young men, but had arrived at
that period of life, when judgment is the soundest, and
when passion does not betray reason. *Thc anxiety of all
JOURNAL.
187
to know tlie truth, and the solemn manner in which the
evidence was collected and given, stamped the transaction
with the characters of truth. I did not see the beginning
of tliis affray. I was, with most of the other prisoners,
eating my evening's meal in the building, when I heard
the alarm bell, and soon after a volley of musketry. There
were, I believe, before the alarm bell rung, a few hundred
prisoners, scattered here and there about the yards, as
usual; but I had no idea of any particular collection of
them, nor had I any suspicion of any commotion existing,
or meditated. But I forbear ; and will here insert the re¬
port of the committee, iu the correctness of which 1 place
an entire confidence.
DARTMOOR MASSACRE.
Having seen in print several different statements of the massa¬
cre of tlie American prisoners of war at Dartmoor, and, on perusal,
finding, that, though they corroborate each other, as to the leading facts,
yet it seems the public are noi in possession of all the particulars neces¬
sary to form a pi oper judgment of the same.
While in prison, we having been members of the committee through
whom was transacted all their public business, and through whose iMnds
passed all their correspondence with their agent in London, and having
in our possession several documents relating to the before mentioned
brutal butchery, we deem it a duty we owe to our murdered countrymen
and fellow-citizens in general to have them published.
Respecting the conduct of T. G. Shortlaud, (commander of the
depot of Dartmoo" ) prior to the bloody and ever memorable sixth _oi
April, it was a series of continued insult, injury and vexation to the pris¬
oners generally. Incapable of appreciating the beneficial effects of the
liberal policy of a gentleman, his sole study appeared to be devising means
to render the situation of the prisoners as disagreeable as possible. To
instance a few of his proceedings will sufficiently warrant the foregoing as¬
sertion. His conduct to the American officers was marked with pecu¬
liar baseness and indignity. In the construction of the df-pot at Dart¬
moor, there was a separate prison, built and enclosed for the more com¬
modious accommodation of those officers (prisoners of war) who were
not considered by them t ntitled to a parole. Instead of Shortland allow¬
ing those officers to occupy that prison, they were turned into the otbetr
prisons promiscuously, with their men. His conduct to the prisoners
generally was of the same stamp. There not being, at any time, a suf¬
ficient number to occupy all the prisons, he kept the two best, which
were built by the Frenchmen during their confinement, and more con¬
veniently fitted for the accommodation of prisoners, shut and unoccupi¬
ed, uh le the upper stories of those prisons in which the Americans were
put, were in such a state, that on every rain storm the floors were near¬
ly inundated. The'fternicious eftect this had oa the health of the pi is-
JOURHAt.
oners may be easily judged of by the great raort-aHty that prevailed
among them during the last winter season.
Another instance of his murderous disposition, was his ordering h?3
guards to fire into the prisons, when, at any time, a light was seen burn¬
ing daring the "ight, as specified in the general report. "While the
I'renchmen were confined in that depot, it was a custom for the turnkey,
with a sentry, to go into each prison, and see the lights extinguished at
a stated hour ; although frequently lighted again there was no further
molestation. Instead of pursuing this plan with the Americans, Short-
laud g;ive orders for the guards to fire into the prisons whenever there
should be a light burning. Frequently, on the most trivial occasions, he
■would prevent the prisoners, for ten days at a tin e, from purchasing, in
the market, of the country people, such articles of comfort and conven¬
ience as their scanty means would admit of. His last act of this kind,
■was but a short time previous to tbe massacre, and his alledged reason for
it was, tnat the prisoners would not deliver up to him a man who had
made his escape from the black hole, (a place of confinement for crim¬
inals) and had taken refuge among the prisouers in general. This man
was one of a prize crew, who was confined in that dark and loathsome
cell, on a short allowance of provisions, from June, 1814, until the ratifi¬
cation of the treaty. On that man beiug demanded, the prisoners stated
to Shortland. that they did not presume that the British government
would expect them to stand sentry over each other—that he might send
his turnkeys and soldiers in and look for the man, but they would not
seek him and deliver him up—upon which he ordered the military to
fire upon the prisoners, but owing to the eoolness and deliberation of the
then commanding military officer, in restraining them, this order was
not obeyed.
To sum up the whole in a few words, his conduct, throughout, was
marked by the same illiberal prejudice, overbearing insult, and savage
barbarity, which characterises the majority of English officers when they
have Americans in their power.
The enclosed papers, from No. 1 to 16 inclusive, are the depositions
taken by the committee of investigation on the 7th. Colonel Ayre ar¬
rived from Plymouth and took command of this depot. Shortland sent
in a message to the committee, requesting their attendance at his office,
to which was returned for answer, that considering him a murderer, they
were determined to have no communication with him—but added, if the
oomnaanding officer from Plymouth had any thing to communicate, they
would wait on him; and, at his request, they went up to the gate, where
they stated to him ail the particulars of the affair.
He expressed great regret for what had occurred, and assured the pris¬
oners that no further violence should be usecf upon them. In the mean
time Shortland made his appearance. Instantly the indignant cry of
murderer, scoundrel, villain, burst from the lips of hundreds. The
guilty wretch stood appalled, not daring to offer a syllable in vindication
of his conduct; but with a pallid visage and trembling step, returned to
his guard-house, from whence he was never seen to emerge while we re¬
mained there. In the course of the (lay, a rear admiral and post captain
arrived from Plymouth, sept by Sir J. T. Duckworth, commander in
thief on that station, to enquire into the transaction ; to w hom we like¬
wise fully stated, by the committee, all the particulars, together with
Shortland's previous infamous c'Onduet. Their scandalous misrepresen¬
tation of the same to the admiralty board, as will be seen in their state¬
ment No. 20, is truly characteristic of the British official accounts. We
JOURNAL.
189
likewise wrote to Mr. Beasly on that day, giving him a short history of
the affair, but as he did not acknowledge the receipt of the letter we
concluded it had been intercepted. On the 14th we received a letter
from him tinted the ot which N^o 18 is a copy—in answer to whicli.
No. 19 is a copy. On the 16th we received another from him, of which
No 20 is a copy; in the interim lie had seen a copy of oyr report, sent,
by a private conveyance, which seemed to have greatly alt red his opia>
ian concerning the affoir. In his letter of the 14th was an extract, froiu
the statement or report sent him by the admiralty board Ou receiving
which we wrote to admiral Duckworth, of which No 21 is a copy.
On tbe 2'2d of April, Mr. King, appointed by the American agents at
Londan, and a Mr. Larpeut on the part of the government, with a mag¬
istrate of the county of Devon, arrived at the depot to investigate the af¬
fair; they were employed the greater part of three days in taking the
depositions respecting the same; and though we would not hastily pre¬
judge Mr. King's report, we deem it necessary to state, that our antici¬
pations of it are not '>t the most favorable nature, from his not appearing
to take that interest in the affair which the injuiies his countrymen had
received demanded, as far the greater part of their time was employed
in taking the depositions of Shortland's witnesses, most of whom were the
principal Actors, on that day, and of course were implicated with him iti
his guilt On learning Mr. King was about leaving the depot,,we address¬
ed a note to him, stating, that we iiad a number of witnesses waiting,
■whose depositions we conceived would be of importance, and requested
him to have them taken ; we recehed to this note no answer, and he im¬
mediately left the depot. The particular points on which those depo¬
sitions would have born, related to picking the hole in the wall and break¬
ing the locks of the gate leading into the market square—they would have
exonerated the prisoners generally from having anj- share in those acts,
or even a knowledge of their having been committed. As these were
the two priucipal points on which Shortlaud rested his plea of justifica¬
tion, we deemed it highly necessary that they should have been placed in
a proper point of view. As for an ide.t of the prisoners attempting to
bteakout, a moment's reflection would convince any impartial man of its
improbability. Every prisoner that had a sufficiency of money to defray
his expeases, could obtain his release and a passport, b) applying to Mr.
Beasley, or througn their correspondence in England; those who had
not funds would not have left the depot had the gates been thrown open,
having no means of subsistttnee in a foreign country, and there bting a
Tei-y hot press of seamen at that time, they knew their risk of being kid¬
napped was great, and when, by staying a tew days longer, they were as¬
sured they would be embarked for their native country. I'he infamous
falsehoods circulated in the English prints, of the prisoners having arm¬
ed themselves with knives, clubs, stones, See seized a part ot the guard
and disarmed them, and other similar reports, are unworthy of notice;
for when the disturbance occurred on the fourth ot April, concerning
bread, the prisoners having burst open tbe inner gati s, had thej the least
disposition,they might ha\e immolated the whole garrison, as they were
completely surprised and panic struck.
Tne artful policy of the Biitish officers in coupling the transactions of
the 6th of April with that of burning VIr. Beasley's effigy, may easily be
seen through ; the latter was done a fortnight previous, by a few individ¬
uals, without its being generally known, or the least disturbance concern¬
ing it ; and we deem it butjustice to state, that whatever negligence Mr.
Beaslev may have been guilty of, respecting the affairs oi the prisoners,
fee should be totally exonerated from all blame respecting the massacre.
There was an instance that occurred on 'J.v evening of the 6th, which
lti*
190
reflects so much credit on the Americans, it should not be passed otct >-{j
silence. When tlie brutal soldiery were following the prisoners in th^
yards, stabbing' and firing among them, a lamp lighter, who ln»d come in
a few moments previous, ran into No. 3 prison, to escape being muider-
ed by his own countrymen ; on being recognised, a rope was fixed tor
hanging him immediately. In this moment ot irritation, when their
slaughtered and bleeding countrymen lay groaning around them in the
agonies of dissolution, such an act of vengeance, at that time would not
bn'. e been singular—Iwit on its being represented to them, by some influ¬
ential characters, that sueh a deed would ftain the American name, to
their honor be it recorded, that humanity triumphed over vengeance, the
trembling wretch was released, and told to go—" We disdain to copy al¬
ter your countrymen, and murder you. at this advantage, we will seek a
more noble revenge
We deem it neeessary here to remark, as some editors have manifest¬
ed a disposition to vindicate Shortland's conduct, that, allowing every cir¬
cumstance to be placed in the most unfavorable point of view for the pris«
®nc-rs, suppose, for a moment, it wasthtir intention to break out, and a
number had collected in the market square for that purpose, when, being
charged upon by the military, they retreated out of the square into their
respective prison-yards, and shirt the gates after them without making
any resistance whatever; under such circumstances no further opposi¬
tion could have been expected, and, consequently, their intention must
have been completely defeated. What justification can there then be
made to appear for the subsequent brutal, unprecedented 6utehery and
mutilation ? None! The most shameless and barefaced advocates and
apologizers for British injustice cannot produce any.
WALTER COLT ON, Members of
THOS B. MOTT, £ the
WM. HOBART, J Committee-.
DEPOSITION No. I.
T, Jfddi&on Ifohnes, being solemnly sworn on the holy evangelists of
Almighty God, depose and say—
That on the 6tn of April, About 6 o'clock in the evening, I was in the
market square, where the soldiers were drawn up. Tnere was a num¬
ber of Americans in the square—to the best cf my judgment, between
fifty and a hundred. I distinctly heard Captain Shortland order the sol¬
diers to charge on the prisoners, which they did not do till the order was
repeated by their own officers, when they charged, and the prisoners re¬
treated through the gales, w hich they shut to after them. In this inter¬
im I had got behind a sentry box, in the square, and th« soldiers went
past me. I saw Captain Shortland open the gates, and distinctly heard
him give the word to fire, which was not immediately obeyed, the com¬
manding officer of the soldiers observing, that he would not order the
linen to fire, but that he (Shortland) might do as he pleased. I then saw
€apt. Shortland seize hold of a musket, in the hands of a soldier, which
was immediately fired—but I am not able to say whether he or the sol¬
dier pulled the triggeis At this time I was endeavoring to get through
fhe gate to the prison yard—in so doing several stabs were made at me
-»'ith bayonets, which 1 evaded. Immediately after the firin<* became
general, and I retreated, with the remainder of the prisoners, down the
yard, the soldiers following and firing on the prisoners ; alter 1 had got
int J No. 3 prison, I heard two vollies fired into the prison, that killed one
JUfctt aaii wounded smother—stnd further the deponent saith not.
ADDISON HOLMESv
JOURNAL.
191
We> the Undersigned, being duly appointed and sworn as a committee
to lake the depositions of those persons who were ej e witnesses ot' the
late horrid massacre, certify that the above deponents, being duly and
solemnly sworn on the holy evangelists of Almighty God, did depose and
say as before written, which was severally read to each one who subscrib¬
ed the same.
William B. Orne, Wm. Hobart,
Francis Joseph, James Adams,
Walter Coiton, James Hoggs.
£A certificate similar to the foregoing, is attached to each of the depo¬
sitions. The originals are now in our hands.J
No. IT.
• We, the undersigned, being each severally sworn on the holy evangel¬
ists of Almighty God, depose and say—
That on the 6th April, about six o'clock in the evening, as we were
walking in the yard of No. 1 and No. 5 prisons, just before the usual
time of turning in, we heard the alarm bell ring At this time most of
the prisoners were in the prisons ; a number w<th us ran np the market
square, out of curiosity, to see what was the matter ; there were about
one hundred collected in the square, and a number were standing by the
gaU-s inside the prison yard ; the soldiers were drawn up in the upper
part of the square; orders were given them to charge, on which the
prisoners retreated out of the square, and some of the last which came
through the gales, shut them to ; the soldiers then commenced firing on
them through the iron pailings, and fired several vollies in succession.
The prisoners were, at this time endeavoring to get into their respec¬
tive prisons, when the soldiers perceived that they were all dispersed
from the gates, they followed them into the yard, and continued firing
on them ; and after all the prisoners had got into the prisons, a party of
soldier;? pursuing them, came up to the door of No. 3 prison, and fired
two vollies into the prison, which killed one man and mortally wounded
another.
We further solemnly declare, that there was no pre-concerted plan or
intention among the prisoners to make an attempt to break out, or to re»
sist, in any manner, the authority of the government of the depot.
John T Foster, Charles Ferry, Geo. Stinchecomb,
Elisha Whitten, James Gremilavi, William Perry,
Isaac L Burr, Wm B. Orne, Richard Downing.
Done at Dartmoor Prison, this 7th day of April, 1815.
No III
I, Andrew Davis, Jvn. being solemnly sworn upon the holy evangel*
ists of Almightv God, depose and say—
That on the 6th of April, about six o'clock in the evening, while walk¬
ing it- the yard of No. 3 prison, I heard the alarm bell ring, and I went
up towards the gate : I saw several men bearing a wounded man towards
the gate, whom it appeared had been wounded by the swldiers' bayonets;
when the prisoners were retreating out of the square, I heard Captain
Shortland order a part of them to let go the wounded man, which some
of them did ; one of the remaining remonstrated to Capt. Shortland, say¬
ing that th« man was so badly wounded that it required several to sup¬
port him ; on which Capt. Shortland struck him several blows with his
fists, and he appeared to me, from the whole of his conduct, to be much
intoxicated with liquor—and further the deponent saith not.
ANDREW DAYIS, J bit-
192
journal,
No. IV.
We, the undersigned, depose and say— .
That on the 6tli of April, in the evening, we were in the yard of
1 and No 3 prisons, when we heard the firing at the gates, and saw the
prisoners all endeavoring to get into their respective prisons In going
down towards the lower doors of the prisons, we saw a party of soldiers,
who were posted on the walls, commence fil ing on the prisoners, and
we saw a man fall, who immediaaly died, and several others were badly
wounded before they were able to get into the prisons.
Jimos Cheeney, ' Harris Keeney,
Washington Foxt James Cojjen,
John Smith, I'komus Williams,
Henry Casey.
No. V.
Homer Hull, after being duly sworn on the holy evangelists of Almigh-
ty God, deposeth and saith —
On tlu 6th of Aprilj about six o'clock in the evening, 1 was walking in
the yard of No 7 prison ; a'.l being as tranquil among the prisoners as
usual, 1 observed an unusual number of soldiers mounting the walls;
and one of them called to one of the prisoners and toid liim Tie (the pris¬
oner) had better go into the prison, as the prisoners -would soon be
charged upon. While he was asking the cause of such a proceeding, I
heard the alarm bell ringing; 1 immediately run to the gales leading to
the square, when I saw Capt. Shortland at the head of the armed soldiery
marching down to the gratings, the prisoners at the same time running
to see what was the matter; on the soldiers coming to the gratings, Capt.
Shortland ordered them to charge, which they did ; the prisoners im¬
mediately run to their respective prisons; on passing through the imur
gate they closed it after them. Then 1 heard Captain Shortland order
the soldiers to fire, which they commenced to do in every direction of
the yard, when the prisoners were making every effort to reach their
prisons. I did not see any violence used on the part of the prisoners, nor
do 1 believe any violence was intended or preniediated.
HOMER HULL.
J, Joseph C. Morgan, having been duly sworn, and having read the
foregoing deposition, do declare the statement therein mentioned to be
true. J. C. MORGAN.
No. VI.
We, the undersigned, depose and say—
That on the sixth of April, about six o'clock in the evening, we were
in the market square—we distinctly heard Capt. Shortland give orders to
the soldiers to charge on the prisoners—and after we retreated through
the gates, we heard him give orders to the soldiers to fire, which, on
his repeating several times was executed.
Joseph Reeves, Isaac L. Burr-
James Greenlaw, Thomas Tindul.
No. VII.
We, the undersigned, depo?e and say—
That, on the 6th of A pi il, in the evening, after all the prisoners in No.
1 and S yards had got into their respective prisons, a party of soldier*
came up to the door of No. 3 prison—we were standing near the door at
the time, and saw them fire two vollies into the prison which kill¬
ed one mau and wounded another. '
Wil iam Scanck, John Latham.
James Greenlaw, John Glass.
JOURNAL".
No VIII.
Enoch Burnham. having been duly sworn, deposeth—
That he was standing at the market-gate at the time Capt. Shortland
came into the market square with a large party of soldiers (it being then
about six o'clock.) They immediately formed a line in the square—at
that irne a number of prisoners got into the square from the yar J of No.
1 prison, an 1 had advanced a few steps ; the soldiers then charged, and
the prisoners immediately retreated to their prisons, without the least
resistance. After the prisoners had retired to the yards of the prison,
the soldiery formed a line and commenced firing in the )ards, the pris¬
on gates being closed by the prisoners ; shortly after they kept up a hea¬
vy fire, and I saw one man fall. I immediately hastened to No. 5 prison,
but on reaching No. 7, I found there was a par'y of soldiers on the wall,
firing from every direction. I then got safe in No. 7, wher ;, after re¬
maining at the noi th end window a few moments, I saw a man f a pris¬
oner J leaning against the -wall, apparently -wounded, -with his hands in
a supplicating posture—at the same time, I saw several soldiers present
and fire at the prisoner and he immediately Jell dead on the spot.
ENOCH BURNHAM.
No. IX.
Edivard Coffin, being duly sworn, deposed, that on the sixth of Aprif,
about six o'clock in the afternoon, a few prisoners belonging to No. 5 and
7 prisons, broke a hole through the wall opposite No. 7 prison, as they
said to get a ball out of the barrack yard, which they had lost in their
play. After they bad broke through the wall, the officers and soldiers
that were in the barrck yard, told them to desist or they would fire upon
them. Immediately after that the drum beat to arms, and the square
was filled with soldiers, and withoat telling the piisoners to go to their
prison, immediately commenced to charge and fire upon them. I im¬
mediately started to go to No. 5 prison, and the soldiers on the platforms
oil the walls commenced firing, and 1 should think near forty fired at
myself and three others, as 1 am sure there were no other men in sight
at that time between No's 5 and 6 prisons. In going round No. 5 cook¬
house a prisoner was shot and killed, very near me.
Attest, Henry Allen. EDWARD COFFIN.
No. X.
Thomas B. JWott, having been duly sworn, deposed—
About s'x o'clock in the evening of the 6th of April, 1 wa3 called on by
a number of persons, requesting me as one of the committee to put a stop
to some boys whom they said were picking a hole through an inner w all,
for which, they said, our provisions would be stopped to pay for 1 ask¬
ed what was their intentions in making the hole r they said it was tor the
puruose of obtaining a ball which they had lost in their play. I then re¬
paired with a number of respectable men to make them desist but be¬
fore we got into the yard a quick firing commenced. On my walking
up the yard was met by a number of prisoners retreating to their prisons,
much alarmed ; one of which I observed was badly wounded, he was
bleeding freely from his wound; I could see the yard was clear of pris¬
oners, or not more than two or three to be seen, and they retiring last.
I requested the wounded man to lean upon me, ar\d I would assist hi in
in some medical aid. Wfc had not advanced but a few steps when we
were fired on. I advanced, assuring the soldiery we bad no hostile in¬
tentions. I then took the fainting man in my arms, when a volley of mus¬
ketry was discharged full at us. I then retired imried''ately ; there was
but one of mv prison doors unlocked, which was on the back of the pris-
an. On turning the corner of the cook-house, 1 found myself uuexyeeU
194
JOURNAL.
cdly open to the fire of soldiers on the ramparts of the south wall; their
tire was kept up in so brisk a manner that it appeared almost impossible
to enter without being shot; but finding my situation very dangerous, I
was determined to enter tne prison or die in the attempt. For that pur¬
pose myself, with a number of others that had been standing behind the
wing of the cook-house, sallied out for the purpose of gaining our prison
door, when a vol'ey of musket balls showered in amongst us, killing two
and wounding others. On our entering the prison our doors were shut
to keep them from firing in. Some little time alter the turnkey inquir¬
ed for me; 1 went forward to the window; he requested me to deliver
up the dead and wounded ; I requested him to open the door, w hich he
did, for that purpose. On passing out the dead and wounded, 1 was in¬
sulted by the soldiery, and on my repljing was charged upon, and wi.h
difficulty escaped wkhout being butchered: they likewise insulted the
wounded as 1 gave them up, and threw the dead down in the mud, and
spurned at them in a very unfeeling manner. TllO'S 1$. MOT!'.
No XI.
I, William Mitchell, being duly sworn upon the holy evangelists of
Almighty God, depose and say—
That, on the evening of the 6th of April, when the alarm commenced,
I was in the lower part of No. 1 yard. I walked up towards the gate to
learn the cause; when 1 had got about half way, 1 heard a single musket
fired, and immediately after a whole volley. I then saw several men
carrying one that was wounded, the soldiers keeping up the whole time
a steady fire, and the prisoners all endeavoring to get into the prisons;
the lower doors being closed in the interim ; it was uiih much difficulty
they could g<. t in, the soldiers pursuing thein the whole time and charge
ing them with bajonets; and after getting into the prison, I heard tne
firing of musketry in all directions round the prison—and further the de¬
ponent saith not. WILLIAM .MITCHELL.
t No. XII.
I, John G. Gatchett, having been duly sw orn, depose and say—
That I was walking in the yard towards the gate. The first I knew,
was the soldiers coming into the yard, with Captain Shortland at their
hef.d, when an immediate fire began from the soldiers, and one man tell
within six feet of me. White in the act of rendering this man assistance,
I heard Captain Shortland order the soldiers to kill the damn'd rascal—
meaning me ; immediately the soldiers came and pricked me with their
bayonets, and I was forced to run to the prison at the hazard of my life,
and leave the man that was wounded. JOI1N G. GATCHELL.
No. XIII.
James Taylor, having been duly sworn, deposed), that he was standing
at the gate in the market square, at the time Captain Shortland, with a
iiJe of soldiers, entered the square. Captain Shorthand ordered a pris¬
oner in the square to go into the prison, when he immediately complied.
He then ordered the soldiers to charge; and instantly observed to the
commanding officer of the military—" It is no use to charge on the
damn'd Yankee rascals—FIIiE''—when this commenced immediately.
The prisoners at that time were rushing in the prisons as fast as possible
and principally out of the square. After the prisoners were mostly in the
prison of No. 4, a boy, of ten years of age, was shot through the body
and killed, while in the door passage trying to get in, l.y the soldiers in
the yar.l, in my presence, I being inside the prison ; likewise one other
soaa was shot through the thigh. JAMES TAYL014.
JOURNAL.
195
No. XIV.
Samuel Lotody having been duly sworn, deposeth as follows :
That he was in the yard of prison N:>. 4, at the time Robert Haywood
■*i-as shot by the soldiery He immediately to. k him up, for the purpose
of carrying him to the-hospital. In the square he mt Capt Shortland,
and said, Capt. Shortland, this man is very bidly jvounned — I want to
carry him to the hospital. Capt. Shortland replied, you damn'd son of a
bitch, carry him b-^ck to the pr;son ; and ;>e w.is obliged to comply Af¬
ter getting to the prison, one of the soldiers called him back, ud he went
up to the square with the man, and met Capt. Shortland, who said, heave
him down there, (pointing to a sentry box] an■ i aw ry wiih you to the pris¬
on , at that time they were firing in the different yards. On leaving the '
square, we found the man was dead. SAMUEL I.OWDY.
John Battice having been sworn, corroborates the evidence of Samuel
Lowdy. JOHN BATTICE.
No. XV.
' William Potter, having been duly sworn, deposed—
That while pafling between No. 5 and 6prifons, the foldierscommenced
firing from the walls in three divifions, at a few of us ; at that time there
were only four prifoners in fight. After advancing a few fteps, I found
a man badly wounded. I ftopped and picked the man up ; during which
time the foldiers kept an inceffant file at us, as likewifetill we got to the
prifon of No. 5. WILLIAM POiTER.
No. XVI.
I, David S. Warren, being duly fwo'n on the holy evangelifts of Al¬
mighty God, depof'e and fay—
That, on the evening of the 6th of April, when the alarm commenced, I
was in the lower part of the y-ird No. 1 prifon. 1 walked up to the gate
to learn thecaufe. I there faw there were a number of prifoners in the
market fquare, and a great number of foldiers drawn up acrofs the fame;
foon after they charged on the prifoners, who retreated out of the fquare
into theii ^efpective prifon yards, and fhut the gates after them. I faw
the foldiers advance up to the gates, and heard Capt Shortland order them
to fire, which they nor immediately obeying, I faw him feize hold of a
mufket in the hands of a foldier, and direct it towards a prifoner, and
heard him again repeat, t'fire—God damn you, fire !" Immediately after¬
wards the firing became general ; theprifoneis were all endeavoring to get
into the prifons, which was attended with much difficulty, all the doors
but one being clofed—and further the deponent faith not.
DAVID S. WARREN.
No. XVII.
We, the underftgned, being each feverally fworn on the holy evangelifts
of Almighty G <d, for the inveftigation of the circumftances attending the
late horrid maffacre, and having heard the depofitions of a great number
of witneffes, from our own perfonal knowledge, and from the depofitions
given in as aforefaid,
HEFORT JIS FOLLOWS:
That on the 6th of April, about fix o'clock in the evening, when the
prifoners were all quiet in their refpt&ive yards, it being about the ufual
time of turning in for night, and the greater part of the prifoners being
then in the prifons, the alarm bell was rung, and many of the prifoners
ran up to the market fquare to learn the occafion of the alarm. There were
then drawn up in the fquare feveral hundred foldiers, with Capt. Short-
land (the agent) at their head ; it was likewife obferved at the fame time,
11} 6'
JOURNAL.
that additional numbers of foldiers were pofting themfclves on the walls
round the prifon yards. One of them obferv^d to tlie prifoners, that they
had better go into the prifons, for they would be charged upon directly.
This, of courfe, occafioned confider.ib'.e alarm among them In this mo¬
ment of uncerrainty. they were running in differ^nt'dire&ions, enquiring
thecaufe of tne alarm ; lomc toward their refpe&ive prisons, and fome to¬
ward the market iquare. When about one hundred wcie colletted in the
Square, Capt ShortUud ordered the foldiers to charge upon them, which
order the fuldiers were relu&ant in obeying, as the prifoners were ufing
no violence ; but on the order being repeated, they made a charge, and the
prifoners retreated out of the fqu.re into their prifon yards, and fhut the
gate after tl em Capt. Shortland, Mmfelf, opened the gates, and ordered
the foldiers to fire in among the prifoners, who were all retreating in dif¬
ferent directions towards their refpt ftive prifons. It appears there was
Come hefitation in the minds of the officers, whether or not it was propter
to fire upon the prifoners in that (ituation ; on which Shortland feized a
vnufket out of the hands of a foldier, which he fired. Immediately after
the fire became general, and many of the prifoners were either killed or
wounded. The remainder were endeavoring to get into the prifons, when
gain? towards the lower doors, the foldiers on the walls commenced firing
on them front that quarter, which killed fome and wounded others Af-
ier much difficulty, (all the doors being clofed in the entrance, but one in
each piifon) the furvivors fucceeded in gaining the prifons; immediately
after which, parties of foldiers came to the r'oors of Nos. 8 and 4 prifons,
and fired, feveral vollies into them through the windows and doors, which
killed one man in each prifon, and feverely wounded others.
It likewife appears, that the preceding butchery was followed up with
a difpofition ot peculiar inveteracy and barbarity.
One manvwho was feverely wounded in No. 7 prifon yard, and being
unable to make his way to the prifon, was come up with by the foldiers,
■whom he implored for mercy, but in vain ; five of the hardened wretches
immediately levelled their pieces at him, and (Hot him dead on the fpot.
The foldiers who were on the walls, manifefted equal cruelty, by keeping
up => conftant fire on every prifoner they could fee in the yards endeavoring
to get into the prifons, when their numbers were vety few, and when not
the leaft fhadow of refiftance could be made orexpefted. Several of them
had got into No 6 prifon cook houfe, which was pointed rut by the fol¬
diers on the walls, to thofe who were marching in from the fquare They
immediately went up and fired into the fame, which wounded feveral.—
One of the prifoners ran oat, with the intention of gaining his prifon, but
was killed before he reached the door.
On an impartial confideration, of all circumftances. of the cafe, we are
induced to believe that it was a premeditated fcheme in the mind of Capt.
Shortland, for reafons which we will now proceed to give. As an illuci-
d itiou of its origin, we will recur back to an event which happened fome
days previous Captain Shortland was at the time, abfent at Plymouth;
but before going, he ordered the contra&or, or his clerk, to ferve out one
pound of indifferent, hard bread, inftead of one |:ound and an half of foft
bread, their ufual allowance. This the prifoners refufed to receive. They
waited all day in expectation of their ufua) allowance being ferved out ;
but at fuiiset. finding this would not be the cafe, burft open the lower
gates, and went up to the ftore, demanding to have their bread
- The officers of rtic garrifon, on being alarmed, and informed of thefe
proceedings, obferved that it was 110 more than right the prifoners fhould
Journal,
197
have their lifual allowance, and ftrongly reprobated captain Shortland, in
withholding it from them. They were accordingly fcrved with theii
bread, and quietly returned to their prifon. This ci rcumftance, with the
cenfiires that were thrown on hisconduft, reached the ears of Shortland,
on his return home, and he mufl then have determined on the diabolical
plan of feizing the firft flight pretext to turn in the military, to butcher
the prifoners for the gratificat ion of his malice and revenge. It unfortu¬
nately happened, that in the afternoon of the fixth of April, fome boys
who were playing ball in No 7 yard, knocked their ball ovei into the
barrack yard, and on the fentry in that yard refusing to throw it back to
them, they picked a hole in the wall, toget in after it.
This afforded Shortland his wifhed for pretext, and he took his meaf-
ures accordingly. He had all the garrifon drawn up in the military walk,
additional numbers ported on the walls, and every thing prepared, before
the alarm-bell was rung ; this he naturally concluded would draw the at¬
tention of a great number of prifoners towards the gstes, to learn the caufe
of the alarm, while the turnkeys were difpatched into the yards to l^ck
all the doors but one, of each prifon, to prevent the prifoners retreating out
of the way, before he had fufficiently wreaked his vengeance.
What adds peculiar weight to the belief of its being a premeditated, de¬
termined maffacre, are,
Firjl—The fanguinary difpofition manifefted on every occafion by
Shortland, he having prior to this time, ordered the foldiers to fire into
the prifons, through the prifon windows, upon unarmed prifeners afleep
in their hammocks, on account of a light being feen in the prifons ; which
barbarous act was repeated feveral nights fucceflively. That murder was
not then committed, was owing to ar. overruling Providence alone ; for
the balls were picked up in the prifons, where they pafTed through the
hammocks of men then afleep in them. He having alfo ordered the fol-
diers to fire upon the prifoners in the yard of No. 7 prifon, becaufe they
would not deliver up to him a man who had efcaped from his cachot, which
order the commanding officer of thefoldiers refufed to obey ; and general¬
ly, he having feiztfd on tvery (light pretext to injure the prifoners, by
flopping their marketing for ten days repeatedly, and once, a third part of
their provifions for the fame length of time.
Secondly—He having been heard to fay, when the boys had picked the hole
in the wall, and fometime before the alarm bell was rung, while all the
prifoners were quiet asufual in their refpedtive yards—" /'// fix the damn'd
rafcals directly.'
Thirdly—His having all the foldiers on their pods, and the garrifon fully
prepared before the sferm bell rung It could not then, of courfe, be
rung to affemble the foftiers, but to alarm the prifoners, and create confu-
fion among them.
Fourthly—The fold iers upon the wall, previous to the alarm bell being
rung, informing the prifoners that they would be charged upon direflly.
Fifthly—The turnkeys going into the yard and clofing all the doors but
one, in each prifon, while the attention of the prifoners was attracted by
the alarm be'l. This was done about fifteen minutes fooner than ufual,
and without informing the prifoners it was time to ftiut up. It was ever
the invariable praftice of iheturnkeys, from which they never deviated be¬
fore that night, when coming into the yard to (hut up, to halloo to the
prifoners, fo loud as to be heard throughout the yard, « turn n, turn in !"
while on that night it was done fo fecretly, that not one man in a hundred
knew they were (but; and in particular, their (hutting the door of No4
198
JOURNAL.
% prifoners ufually go in and out at, and which was formerly always
clofed laft, and leaving one open in the other end of the prison, which was
expofed to a crofs fire from the foldiers on the walls, and which the prifon¬
ers had to pafs in gaining the prifons.
It appears to us that the foregoing reafons fufficiently warrant the con-
clufion we have drawn therefrom.
We likewife believe, from the depofitions of men who were eye wif-
Tiefies of a part of Shortland's conduct, on the evening of the 6th of April,
that he was intoxicated with liquor at the time ; from his brutality in beat¬
ing a prifoner then fupporting another feverely wounded, from the black¬
guard and abufive language he madeufeof, and from his frequently having
been feen in the fame ftate. His being drunk was, of courfe, the means of
inflaming his bitter enmity againft the prifoners, and no doubt was the
caufeof the indifcrinu'nate butchery, and of no quarter being given.
We here folemnly aver, that there was no pre-concerted plan to attempt
a breaking out. There cannot be produced the Jeaft fhadow of a reafon or
inducement for that intention, becaufe the prifoners were daily expe&ing
to be Teleafed, and to embark on board cartels for their native country.
And we likewife folemnly aflert, that there wasno intention of refilling, in
in any manner, the authority of this depot.
N. B. Seven were killed, thirty dangeroufly wonnded, and thirty (light¬
ly do. Total, fixty-feven killed and wounded.
flVm. B. Orne, Wm. Hobart,
p j James Boggs; James Adams,
§ <j J. F. Trowbridge, Francis Joseph, KCcmmiltcc.
2 : John Rust, Henry Allen,
02 [.Walter Colton, Thomas B. Mott, J
No. XVIII.
Letter from Mr. Beajly, agent for American prifoners of war at Loudon, to the
Committee of American prifoners of war in Dartmoor prifon.
Agency 'or American prifoners of war,,
London, April 12, 1815.
-Gentlemen—It having been ftated in fomeof the newfpapers publifli-
ed here, that the American government intended to fend fomefhipsof war
bound to the Mediterranean, to this country, for the purpofe of complet¬
ing theircrews from among the prifoners; and having been informed that
this idea has got among the prifoners, it becomes my duty to requeft, that
you will inform them that the faft is not fo ^ * •
1 have already informed you of the meafures which had been taken to
provide conveyances for the prifoners. You will let them know, that
eight large tranfports have been engaged, fome of which muft be now at
Plymouth ; others will follow, until the whole of the prifoners are fent off.
It is much to be lamented, that at a moment when every exertion was
making to reftore them to their country, theyfhoidd havefallen into an excefs
which has proved fatal to fome. And I am at a lofs to conceive how they
could, under fuch circumftances, pretend to fay, that the caufe of this un¬
fortunate but ftiameful conduft, was the negleft of their government or its
agent. This, I am informed, they have ftated to the officers who were
ffnt to examine into the affair. I am, gentlemen, yourohedient fervant,
. „ R. G. BEASLEY.
The Committee of the American prifoners, Dartmoor,
JOURNAL*
19B
No. XIX.
Dartmoor, April 14, 1815.
Sir—"Yours, of tl-e 12th iust. came to hand this morning. It is with a s-
fonifftment-we note its contents, that the officers who came to inquire into
the circ'imftnnces of the late unfortunate affair, {hould have informed vou
that the priloners dated to them, the caufe of that event was that their gov¬
ernment or its agent had ne^letted them. This is a moft deliberate falfe-
hood, let your authors be who they may. We deny not, that the anxiety
of the prifoners to get releafed from here has been great; they have evencen-
fured you as being dilatory in your preparations for that purpofe—but
their government they have never implicated—and you may reft allured,
that they have too much of the genuine fpirit of Americans, to apply to the
officers of a foreign government for relief, or to make them a party in any
difpute with the government or its agents.
We folemnly allure you, that whatever anxiety among the prifoners, or
■want of confidence in your exertions, as above ftated, may have exifted
among them, that it can in no way be conftrued to have any collufion or
connection with the late event, and was exprefsly fo ftated to the admiral,
who came here from Plymouth.
We. on the contrary, in the name of the live thoufand prifoners confined
here, accufe Shortland of a deliberate, pre-determined aft of atrocious mur¬
der—we have fufficient evidence in our poffeflion to prove it to the world,
and we call on you (there being at prefent no accredited minifter or charge,
ties affaires at the court of London) to make ftrift inquiries into the cir-
cumftances ol the cafe, and procure all the evidence neceflary for a proper
inveftigstion inio the fame; for well do we feel affured, that our govern¬
ment will not thus fuller its citizens to he facrificed, for the gratification of
national prejudice, malice or revenge of the petty officers of a foreign itat£.
We are at no lofs to impute the mifrepiefentation of the Britifh officers,
to their proper motives. They artfully wifh to excite in your breaft, a
fpirit of enmity and refentment againft the prifoners, that you might ufe
lets perfeverance, or feel yourfelf lefs interested in making the proper in¬
quiries into the late affair.
With much refpeft we remain, fir. your moft obedient and humble
fervants,
WILLIAM HOBART,
WALTER COLTON,
HENRY ALLEN.
JR. G. Beajley, Efq. Agent for Prifoners, London.
No. XX.
2 d Letter from. Mr. Beajley to the American Committee.
Agency for American Prifoners of War,,
London, April 14, 1815.
Gentlemen—My letter to you of the 12th inft. on the fubje&oftJie
melancholy event, was written under an impreflion which I received from
a report of it, tranfmitted to me by this government: I have fince received
your report of the circumftances. Had I been in pofleffion of the infor¬
mation therein contained, the letter would have been differently expreffed.
I am, gentleman, your obedient fervant, R G. BEASLEY.
Committee of American Prifoners, Dartmoor. -
P S. I fubjoitvan extract of the report alluded to trom the Lords Com®
iniflionersof the Admiralty :
200
tOUHNAl/.
" The rioters, it appears, endeavored to overpower the guard, to fotee
the prifon, and had actually feized the arms of fome of the foldiers, and
made a breach in the walls of the depot, when the guard found itfelf obli¬
ged to have recourfe to their fire arms, and five of the rioters were killed,
and thirty-four wound«d, after which the tumult fubfided, and the depot
was placed in a (late of tranquility and fecurity.
Admiral Sir J. T. Duckworth, Commander in Chief at Plymouth,
having received information of this unfortunate event, loft no time in di¬
recting Rear Admiral • Sir Jofias Rowley, Baronet, K. C. B. and Schorn-
berg, the two fenior officers at thai port, to proceed to Dartmoor, and to
enquire into the circumftances. Thofe officers accordingly repaired to the
depot, where they found, on examination of the officers of the depot, and
alt the American prifoners whouiere called before them, that the circumftances
of the riot were as before ftated ; but that no rxcufe could be affigned for
the conduit of the prifoners, but their impatience to be releafed ; and the
Americans unanimoufly declared, that their complaint of delay was not
againft the Britifh government, but againlt their own, which ought to have
fent means for their early conveyance home, and in replies to diftinct quef-
tions to that effett, they declared they had no ground of complaint what¬
soever."
No. XXI.
dartmoor, april 17, 1815.
To Rear Admiral Sir J. T. Duckworth,
Sir—The officers whom you fent to this place to inqu're into the
circumftance of the unfortunate occurrence of the 6th infl. whatever right
they had to reprefent the eonduft of Capt S'nortiand in the mod favorable
manner, we conceive it an a£l of grofs injustice that they fhould have giv¬
en to you fuch a falfe and fcandalous reprefentation of what they were
told by the prifoners.
In the report from the admiralty board to Mr. Beafley, (a copy of which
he has tranfmitted to us) it is ftated that the prifoners, when called upon to
give an account of the circumftances of the 6th, exonerated Capt Shortland
and the Englifh government from any blame refpefling the fame, and ac-
cufed their own government and its agent of being the caufe.
We, on the contrary, folemnly declare that it was exprefsly ftated to Ad¬
miral Rowley, that whatever anxiety might have exifted among the prir-
oners for a fpetdy releafe, could, in no way whatever, be conftrued to have
had any collufion or connexion with that event. That the prifoners, fo
far from having any idea of attempting to break out, if the gates had been
opened, and every one fufh-red to go who might with to do fo, not one
in a hundred would have left the prifon, having no means of fubfiftence in
a foreign country, and being likewife liable to impressment, when by
liayingafew days longer, they would, probably, be enabarked for their
native country.
They, on the contrary, accufed Capt. Shortland of being the fole mover
and principal perpetrator of the unprovoked and horrid butchery.
Conceiving, from your well known charter in ihe Britifh navy for
integrity and candor, that you would not wifh to have your name thtf me¬
dium of impofing fuch a grofs mifreprefentation and fuch dire&falfehoods
on the admiralty board and the Brit ifh public, we have taken the liberty of
thus addrelling you, and have the honor to fubfciibe ourfelves your moft
obedient and ve;y humble fervants,
IVm. Hibart, Walter Colton, Henry Alien, Thomas B.
Molt, Wm. B. Orne,
Committee of African Prisoners, Dartmsc-,
JOURNAL.
201
i_In addition to the documents furnifhed by the committee of the Dart
moor priforicrs. we lay the following affidavit of Archibald Taylor befor<
trie public. Will people doubt this evidence alio ? Is it likely that com-
mon foldiers, hired alLifins, would make ufe of fimilar expreilions from
their own impulles ? or is it not much niore conformable to common
fenfe to believe that this was the language held by their officers, and thai
they echoed it.]
City of New York, ss,
Archibald Taylor, late commander of the Paul Jones private armed vef-
fel of war, being duly fworn, doth depofe and fay-
That he was a prifoner in Dartmoor prifon at the time of the late maf-
sacreof the Americans ; that after the affair of the 6th of April, and oil
the night of the faint day, he was in the prifon No. 3, aflifting Thomas
Smith, late his boatfwain, who was (hot through his leg by the foldiers in
the yard, when an order was received to have all the wounded removed
from the priions to the hofpital ; and while this deponent was carrying
the faid Thos. Smith to the door of the prifon, to deliver him to the
guards fele&ed to receive him, fome of the foldiers obferved to this de¬
ponent, " this is in turn for the affair at New Orleans, where you killed,
our men, and now we have our revenge"—and further this deponent faith
not. ARCHIBALD TAYLOR.
Sworn before me, this 28th June, 1815.
AARON H. PALMER, Notary Public.
KING AND LARPENT'S REPORT,
Plymouth, l%th April, 18IS.
We the undersigned commissioners, appointed on behalf of our
respective governments, to inquire into and report upon, the unfortu¬
nate occurrence of the 6th April inst. at Dartmoor Prison; having
carefully perused the proceedings of the several courts of inquiry, in¬
stituted immediately after that event, by the orders of Admiral S>ir
John T Duckworth and Major-General Brown, respectively, as well
as the depositions taken at the coroner's inquest upon the bodies of
the prisoners, who lost their lives upon that melancholy occasion; upon
which inquest the jury found a verdict of justifiable homicide; pro¬
ceeded immediately to the examination upon oath in the presence of
one or more of the magistrates of the vicinity, of all the witnesses,
both American and Engligh, who offered themselves for that purpose;
or who could be discovered as likely to atiord any material informa¬
tion on the subject, as well as those who had been previously exam¬
ined before the coroner, as otherwise, to the number in the whole of
about eighty. We further proceeded to a minute examination of die
prisons, for the purpose of clearing up some points which, upon the
evidence alone, were scarcely intelligible; obtaining from the prison¬
ers, and from the officers of the depot, all the necessary assistance
and explanation; and premising, that we have been from necessity
compelled to draw many of our conclusions from statements and evi¬
dence highly contradictory, we do now make upon the whole proceed-
ings the following report:—
During the period which has elapsed since the arrival in this coun¬
try of the account of the ratification of the treaty of Ghent, an increas¬
ed degree of restlessness and impatience of confinement appears to
±7* ■
2(y2
JO URN Alt,
have prevailed amongst the American prisoners at Dartmoor, wr»icii>
though not exhibited in the shape of any violent excesses, has been
principally indicated by threats of breaking out if not soon released.
On the 4th of this month in parti»ular,only two days previous to the
events which are the subject of this inquiry, a large body of the pri¬
soners rushed into the market-squave, from whence, by the regula¬
tions of the prison they are excluded, demanded bread i-nstead of bis¬
cuit, which had on that day been issued by the officers of the depot;
their demands having1 been then almost immediately complied with,
they returned to their own yards, and the employment of force on
that occasion became unnecessary
On the evening1 of the 6th, about six o'clock, it was clearly proved
to us, that a breach or hole had been made in one of the prison walls,
sufficient for a full sized man to pass, and that others had been com-
rnenced in the course of the day near the same spot, though never
completed.
That a number of the prisoners were over the railing erected to
prevent them from communicating with the centinels on the walls,
which was of course forbidden by the regulations of the prison, and
that in the space between the railing and those walls they were tear¬
ing up pieces of turfj and wantonly pelting eash other in a noisy and
disorderly manner.
That a much more considerable number of the prisoners wa3 col¬
lected togecher at that time in one of their yards near the place where
the breach was effected, and that although such collection of prison¬
ers was not unusual at other times (the Gambling Tables being com¬
monly kept in that part of the yard) yet, when connected with the
circumstances of the breach, and the time of the day, which was after
the h 'vn the signal for the prisoners to retire to their respective pri¬
sons had ceased to sound, it became a natural and just ground of
alarm to those who had charge of the depot
It was also in evidence that in the building formerly the petty offi¬
cers' prison, but now the guard barrack, which stands in the yard to
which the hole in the wall would serve as a communication, a part of
the arms of the guard who were off duty, were usually kept in the
racks, and though there was no evidence that this was, in any re¬
spect, the motive which induced the prisoners to make the opening
in the wall, or even that they were ever acquainted with the fact, it
naturally became at least a further cause of sucpicion and alarm, and
an additional reason for precaution*
Upon these grounds Capt. Shortland appears to us to have been
justified in giving the order, which about this time he seems to have
given, to sound the alarm bell, the usual signal for collecting the offi¬
cers of the depot and putting the military on the alert.
However reasonable and justifiable this was as a measure of pre*
raufion, the effects produced theieby in the prisons, but which could
not have been intended, were most unfortunate, and deeply to be re¬
gretted. A considerable number of the prisoners in the yards where
no disturbance existed before, and who were either already within
their respective prisons, or quietly retiring as usual towards them,
immediately upon the sound of the bell rushed back from curiosity
■;as it appears) towards the gates, where by that time the crowd hud
SOVIiliAi.:
20#
assembled, and many who were at the time absent from their yards,
Were also from the plan of the prison, compelled, in order to reach
their own homes, to pass the same spot, and thus that which was
merely a measure of precaution, in its operation increased the evil
it was intended to prevent- Almost at the same instant that the
alarm bell rung", (bur whether before or subsequent is upon the evi¬
dence doubtful« though Capt. shortland states it positively as cne of
his lurther reasons for causing it to ring) some one or more of the
prisoners broke the iron chain, which was the only fastening of No. 1
.gate, leading1 into the market square by means of an iron bar; and a
very considerable number of the prisoners immediately rushed towards
that gate; and many of them began to press forwards as fast as the
opening would permit into the square.
There was no direct proof before us of previous concert or prepar¬
ation on the part of the prisoners, and 110 evidence of their intention
or disposition to effect their escape on this occasion, excepting that
which arose by inference from the whole of the above detailed circum¬
stances connected together.
The natural and almost irresistible inference to be drawn, however,
from the conduct of the prisoners by Capt. Shortland and the military
was, that an intention on the part of the prisoners to escape was oil
the point of being carried into execution, and it was at least certain
that they were by force passing beyond the limits prescribed to them
at a time when they ought to have been quietly going in.for the night,
It was also in evidence that the outer gates of the market square were
usually opened about this time to let the bread waggons pass and re¬
pass to the store, although at the period in question they were in fact
closed.
Under these circumstances, and with these impressions necessarily
operating upon his mind, and a knowledge that if the prisoners once
penetrated through the square, the power of escape was almost to a
certainty afforded to them, if they should be so disposed; Capt. Short-
land in the first instance proceeded down the square towards the pri¬
soners, having ordered a part of the different guards, to the number of
about fifty only at first, (though they were increased afterwards) to
follow him. For some time both he and Dr. Magrath endeavored by
quiet means and persuasion, to induce the prisoners to return to their
own yardsj explaining to them the fatal consequences which must en¬
sue if they refused, a9 the military would in that case be necessarily
compelled to employ force The guard was by this time formed in
the rear of Capt. Shortland, about two thirds of the way down the
square—the latter is about one hundred feet broad, and the guard ex¬
tended nearly all across. Capt Shortland, finding that persuasion
was all in vain, and that although some were induced by it to make
an effort to retire, others pressed on in considerable numbers, at last
oi'dered about 15 file of the guard, nearly in front of the gate which
had been forced, to charge the prisoners back to their own yards.
The prisoners were in some places so near the military, that one oi
tlie soldiers states that he could not come fairly down to the charge;
and the military were unwilling to act as against an enemy Some
strufftjline ensued Lfetween the parties, arising partly from intention^
but mainly from the pressure of those- behind preventing those in troat
20A
JOURNAL.
from getting back. After some little time, however, tins charge ap¬
pears to have been so far effective, ai)d that with little or no injury to
the prisoners, as to have driven them for the most part quite down
out of the square, with the exception of a small number who continued
their resistance about No 1 gate.
A great crowd still remained collected after this in the passage be¬
tween the square and the prisoners' yards, and in the part of those
yards in die vicinity of the gates.—This assemblage still refused to
withdraw, and according to most of the English witnesses and some
of the American, was making a noise, hallowing, insulting and pro¬
voking, and daring the military to fire, and according to the testimony
of several of the soldiers, and some others were pelting the military
with large stones, by which some of them were actually struck. This
cir cumstance is, however, denied by many of the American witnesses ;
and some of the Engligh, upon having the question put to them, stated
that they saw no stones thrown previously to the firing, although their
situation at the time was such as to enable theim to see most of the
proceedings in the square.
Under these circumstances the firing commenced—With regard to
any order having been given to fire the evidence is very contradictory.
Several of the Americans swear possitively, that Capt Shortland gave
that order; but the manner in which from the confusion of the mo¬
ment, they- described this part, of the transaction, is so different in its
details that it is very diliicult to reconcile their testimony. Many of
the soldiers and other English witnesses, heard the word given by
some one, but no one of them can swear it was bv Capt Shortland,
or by any one in particular, and some, amongst whom is the officer
commanding the guard, think, if Capt. Shortland had given such an
order that they must have heard it, wlcch they did not. In addition
to this Capt. Shortland denies the fact; and from the situation which
he appears to have been placed at the time, even according to the
American witnesses, in front of the soldiers, it may appear somewhat
improbable that he should then have given such an order.
But, however, it may remain a matter of doubt whether the firing
first began in the square by order, or was a spontaneous act of the
soldiers themselves, it seemed clear that it was continued and renewed
both there and elsewhere without orders; and that on the platforms,
and in several places about the prison, it was certainly commenced
without any authority.
The fact of an order having been given at first, provided the firing
was under the existing circumstances justifiable, does not appear very
material in any other point of view, than as shewing a want of self
possession and discipline in the troops if they should have fired with¬
out order.
With regard to the above most important consideration, of whether
the firing was justifiable or not, we are of opinion, under all the cir¬
cumstances of the case, front the apprehension which the soldiers
/night fairly entertain, owing 1othe numbers and conduct of the prison¬
ers, that this firing to a certain extent was justifiable in a military
point of view, in order to intimidate the prisoners, and compel them
thereby to desist from all acts of violence, and to retire as they were or¬
dered, from a situation in which the responsibility of the agents, and
,the military, could not permit them with safety to remain.
JOURNAL.
205
From the fact of the crowd being so close and the firing at first be¬
ing- attended with very little injury, it appears probable that a force
proportion of the muskets were, as stated by one or two of the witness¬
es, levelled over the heads of the prisoners ; a circumstance in some
respects to be lamented, as it induced them to cry out " blank cart-
ridges," and merely irritated and encouraged them to renew their'in¬
sults to the soldiery, which produced a repetition of the firing- in a
manner much more destructive
The firing'in the square having- continued for some time, by which
several dfthe prisoners sustained injuries, the greater part of them ap¬
pear to have been running- back with the utmost precipitation and
confusion to their respective prisons, and the cause for further firing
seems at this period to have ceased. It appears, accordingly, that
Capt. Portland was in the market square exerting himseif and giving
orders to that effect, and that Lieut. Fortye had succeeded in stop¬
ping the fire of his part of the guard.
Under these circumstances, it is very difficult to find any justifica¬
tion for the further continuance and renewal of the firing.* which cer¬
tainly took place both in the prison yards and elsewhere; though we
have some evidence of subsequent provocation given to the military,
and resistance to the turnkeys in shutting the prisons, and of stones
being thrown out from within the prison doors.
The subsequent firing rather appears to have arisen from the state
of individual irritation and exasperation on the part of the soldiers, who
followed the prisoners into their yards, and from the absence of nearly
all of the officers who might have restrained it, as well as from the
great difficulty of putting an end to a firing when once commenced
under such circumstances. Capt. Shortland was from this time busily
occupied with the tumkevs in the square, receiving and taking care of
the wounded Ensign White remained with his guard at the breach,
and Lieuts Avelyne and Fortye, the only other subalterns known to
have been present, continued with the main bodies of their respective
guards.
The time of the day, which was the officers' dinner hour, will in some
measure explain this, as it caused the absence of every officer from the
prison whose presence was not indispensable there. And this circum¬
stance which has been urged as an argument to prove the intention of
tiie nrisoners to take this opportunity to escape, tended to increase the
confusion, and to prevent those great exertions being made which
might perhaps have obviated a portion at least of the mischief which
ensued
At the safne time that the firing was going on in the square, a cross
fire was also kept up from several of the platforms on the walls round
the prisoners where the centries stand, by straggling parties of sol¬
diers who ran up there for that purpose. A3 far as this five was di¬
rected to disperse the men assembled round the breach, for which pur¬
pose it was most effectual, it seems to stand upon the same ground as
that in the first instance in the square-—That part which it is positively
sworn was directed against straggling parties of prisoners running about
the yards and endeavoring to enter in the few doors which the turnkeys,
accordin g to their usual practice, had left open, does seem, as stated*
to have been wholly without object or excuse, andt® have been a wan*
206
JOURNAL.
ton attack upon the lives of defenceless, and at that time, unoffending
individuals.
In the same, or even more severe terms, we must remark upon what
was proved as to the firing in the door-ways ot the prisons, more par¬
ticularly into that of Xo 3 prison, at a time when the men were in
crowds at the entrance. From the position of the prison and the door,
and from the marks of th<s balls which were pointed out to us, as well
as from the evidence, it was clear this firing must have proceeded
from soldiers a very few feet from the door way ; and although it was
certainly sworn that the prisoners were at the time of part of the firing
at least, continuing to insult and occasionally to throw stones at the
soldiers, and that they were standing in the way of, and impeding the
turnkey, who was there for the purpose of c'osing the door, yet still
there was nothing stated which could, in our view, at all justify sucli
excessively harsh and severe treatment of helpless and unarmed pri¬
soners. when all idea of escape wa9 at an end.
Under these impressions, we used every endeavor to ascertain if
there was the least prospect of indentifying any of the soldiers who
had been guilty of the particular outrages here alluded to, or of tracing
any particular death, at that time to the firing of any particular indi¬
vidual, but without success; and all hopes of bringing the offenders
to punishment would seem to be at an end.
In conclusion, we, the undersigned, have only to add, that whilst
we lament, as we do most deeply, the unfortunate transaction which
has been the subject of this inquiry, we find ourselves unable to sug¬
gest any steps to be taken as to those parts of it which seem to call for
redress and punishment
(Signed) CHARLES KING,
FKANCES SEYMOUR LARPEXT.
Plymouth, April 26, 1815.
Sir—Tn pursuance of the instructions received from Messrs. Clay
and Gallatin, I have now the honor to transmit to you the report pre¬
pared by Mr. Larpent and myself on behalf of our respective govern¬
ments, in relation to the unfortunate transactions at Dartmoor Prison of
War, on the 6th of the present month Considering it of much im¬
portance that the report, whatever i* might be, should go forth underour
joint signatures, 1 have forborne to press some of the points which it
involves, as far as otherwise I might have done, and it therefore may
rot he improper in this letter to enter into some little explanation of
such parts of the report.
Although it does appear that a part of the prisoners were on that
evening in such a state, and under such circumstances as to have jus-
tified in the view which the commander of the depot could not'but
take of it, the intervention of the military force, and even in a strict
sense, the first use of fire arms, yet 1 cannot btit express it as my set.
tied opinion, that by conduct a little more temporising this dreadful
alternative of firing upon unarmed prisoners might have been avoided.
Yet as this opinion has been the result of subsequent examination, and
after having acquired a knowledge of the comparatively harmless state
®f the prisoners, it may be hut fair va <.ons'nler, whether in such a mo.
mejit of confusion and alarm, as that appears to have been, the officer
JOURNAL.
207
commanding could have fairly estimated his danger, or have measured
out with precision the extent and nature of the force necessary to guard,
against it.
Bat when the firing became general as it afterwards appears to have
been, and caught with electric rapidity from the square to the plat,
forms, there is no plea nor shadow of excuse for it, except in the per¬
sonal exasperation of the soldiery, nor for the more deliberate, and
therefore more unjustifiable firing which took place into three of the
prisons, No. 1, 3 and 4, but more particularly into No 3, after the pri¬
soners had retired into them, and there was no longer any pretence of
apprehensions, as to their escape —Upon this ground, as you, sir, will
perceive by the report, Mr Larpent and myself had no difference of
opinion, and I am fully persuaded that my own regret was not greater
than his at perceiving how hopeless would be the attempt to trace to
any individuals of the military these outrageous proceedings.
As to whether the order to fire came from Capt. Sho'rtland, I yet
confess myself unable to form any satisfactory opinion though per¬
haps the bias of my mind is, that he did give such an order But his
anxiety and exertions to stop it after it had continued for some little
time, are fully proved, and his general conduct previous to this occur¬
rence, as far as we eould with propriety enter into such details, ap¬
pears to have been characterized with great fairness, and even kind¬
ness, in the relation in which he stood towards ihe prisoners.
On the subject of any complaints against their own government exist¬
ing among the prisoners, it was invariably answered to several distinct
questions put by me on that head, that none whatsoever existed or had
been expressed by them, although they confessed themselves to enter¬
tain some animosity against Mr. Beasley, to whom they attributed their
detention in this country; with what justice, you sir, will be better
able to judge. They made no complaint whatsoever as to their pro¬
visions and general mode of living, and treatment in the prison.
I have transmitted to Mr Beasley, a list of the killed and wounded
on this melancholy occasion, with a request that he would forward it
to the United States, for the information of their friends at home, and
I am pleased to have it in my power to say, that the wounded are for
the most part doing well.
I have also enclosed to Mr. Beasley, the notes taken by me of the
evidence adduced before us, with a request that he would have them
fairly copied, as also a copy of the depositions taken before the Coro¬
ner, and desired him to submit them to you when in order.
I cannot conclude, sir, without expressing my high sense of the im¬
partiality and manly fairness with which this enquiry has been con¬
ducted on the part of Mr. Larpent, nor without mentioning that every
facility was afforded to us in it's prosecution, as well by the military
officers commanding here and at the prison, as bv the magistrates in
the vicinity.
I have the honor to be, with much respect, your most obedient hum¬
ble servant. (Signed) CHARLES KING,.
His Excellency John ^ Adams, &c. &c.
DARTMOOR PRISON.
A Return of American prisoners of war killed and wounded in nn attempt to force the
mHHarjj guard or the eyenir.i: of'he 6 'h ' f ■ I- 3 91-5-
r.
5 a 2
Whether man
^ ?c 2
Names.
Quality
Ship.
of war. merch
Remarks.
3
© 5 5*
C ZL ""D
vessel, or pri
5
c
r 3
vateer.
1
4384
*
"William Leveridge.
Seaman,
Enterpnze, prize to
Privateer,
2
070
James Mann,
do.
Siro, [Saratoga.
Gavehimselfupfrom
Let.of marque
3134
L_ j John Haywood,
do.
Impres'd.
fti
H M. S. Scipion.
4
1347
Joseph T. Johnson,
do.
Paul Jones,
Privateer,
5
3^36
^John Washington,
do.
Rnlla,
Merch. vessel
1
6520
"Thomas Jackson,
Boy,
Gavehimself upfram
H M S. Prontes
Imp. died
Ap.7,1815
S
2647
James Campbell,
Seaman,
Garehimselfupfront
Imp. died
H M. S. Volontaire-
Ap.7,1815
3
5769
John Gier,
do.
Kambler,
Merch. vessel
4
1722
William Penn,
do.
Dispatch,
do.
Impres'd.
atLondon
5
5003
Cornelius Garrison.
do.
Invincible,
Let. of Marq
6
3614
H. Hontealm,
do.
Homeby, p.G.Tom.
Privateer,
7
1965
Robert Willet,
do.
Gavehimsefupfrom
H.M. SAndromache.
Impres'd.
8
5326
John Peaeh,
do.
Enterprize,
Privateer,
9
2148
Edw. Wittlebark,
do.
Garehimseif utfrom
H M S.Ro.William.
Impres'd.
10
1881
James Thornbull,
Boy.
Elbridge Gerry,
Privateer,
11
3652
James Wells,
Seaman
Thorn,
do.
12
1236
Philip Ford,
do.
Gn himself up fr.H
Mercht. vessel,
Impres'd.
13
685
James Bell,
do.
.1.Barlow,[37 S.Sult.
14
94
John Grey,
do-
St.Martin'sPlanter.
do.
15
436
"©
I'
Wm. Leversage,
do.
Magdalene,
do.
16
1024
1 Edward Gardner,
d<T.
Joseph,
do.
17
1546
l Stephen Phipps,
do.
Zebra.
Let. of Marq.
Impress-
18
486
tD
1 John Roberts,
do.
Two Brothers,
ed at Cork
19
1640
Thomas Smith,
do.
Paul Jones.
Privateer,
Impres'd.
20
1819
Caleb Coddc-
do.
Gavehimselfupfram
H M. S. Surf'sure.
Privateer,
21
5015
Jacob Davis,
do¬
Charlotte.p.toMam-
22
2013
James Esdaille,
do.
G.Toinkins, [moth,
do.
23
380
Peter Wilson,
do.
Virginia Planter,
Mercht.vessel.
24
2884
William Blake,
do.
G.himse:fupfr.HM.
Impres'd.
25
338
John Hogabets,
2d Mate,
Gd-Friends, [SRepu.i Mercht.vessel.
26
4153
Ephraim Lincoln,
Thomas Findlay,
Seaman, Argus, (
do-
27
4493
do.
Enterprise^
Privateer,
28
4109
John Howard,
do.
Flash,
do.
29
1228
Joseph Masick,
do.
Gn himself up from
Impres'fl.
H. M. S. Fwieucc.
30
6123
Robert Fillez,
do.
Jrand Turk,
Privateer.
31
1812
John Willett,
do.
So himself upfront
fmpres'd.
H. M. S. Rosario.
32
3080
John Perry,
do.
Do.fr-H. Af S.Tigcr
tnnirs'd.
si
2662
John Wilson.
do.
~)of H.M.Sbortuna
1 Impres'd.
(Signed) THOMAS GEORGE SHORTLAND, Agent,
(Signed) &EORGE MAGRATH, Surgeon,
JOURNAL.
209
Reply to King and Lvbpent's Report.
To the People of the United States.
Having1 perused, with attention, the report of Mr. Chari.es King,
and Francis Sevmour Larpent, on their examination of the
unfortunate occurrence at Dartmoor, on the 6th of April last—
We, the undersigned, being there at the time this unfortunate oc¬
currence took place, deem it a duty we owe to the surviving suffer¬
ers of that bloody transaction, to our fellow-citizens, and ourselves, to
make some remarks upon such a singular report Although we pre¬
sume the door is forever closed against any further investigation of
that ever to be remembered transaction, we cannot help, however con¬
trary it may be to our wishes to irritate the public feeling, already so
much excited, entering into a detailed investigation of that report.
In the committee's address to the public on the 27th of June last,
preceding the publication of the affidavits of some of the prisoners,
taken on that melancholy affair, they have justly anticipated what
would be the report of the commissioners, after their investigation ;
they drew their conclusions from the singular manner in which the in¬
vestigation was conducted The report commences by stating, that,
after carefully perusing the proceedings of the several courts of inqui¬
ry, instituted immediately after that e\ent, they proceeded immedi¬
ately to the examination, upon oath, of ALL the witnesses, both Amer¬
ican and English, who offered themselves for that purpose. How far
this part of the report is correct, we shall leave the public to judge
On the arrival of the commissioners at the depot, the commit¬
tee of the prison were sent for; after waiting some time at the
door of the room, where the enquiry was held, they were called in
separately and questioned as to their knowledge of the transactions of
the sixth. The depositions of those who were eye witnesses of that
disgraceful scene were taken ; some were questioned as to the gener¬
al conduct of Shortland, previous to that aff air ; it was represented by
them as it would have been by all, as being universally cruel, over¬
bearing and oppressive. After having finished the examination of the
committee, they requested them to bring forward all the evidence
that was likely to cast any light on the subject of enquiry They ac¬
cordingly, returned into the prison, and drew up a list of the names
of some of the eye-witnesses of that day's occurrence.—Although they
could have brought hundreds to the examination, and the sum of
whose evidence would have amounted to the same, yet. the committee
not wishing to impede the progress of the investigation, by a redun¬
dancy of evidence, they were careful to select such men as were most
likely to give a clear and distinct account of all the circumstances, as
they occurred, under their knowledge, taking care, at the same time»
to procure those whose different situations afforded taem an oppor¬
tunity of witnessing that transaction, from the commencement to the
close. Much was the evidence the committee had selected, to the num¬
ber of about fifty, very few of whom were ever examined, although
they were kept waiting in the turnkey's lodge (where they were or¬
dered to stay until called for) during the hours of investigation. In
the course of the enquiry, it seems, the commissioners found it neces-
18
-210
JOURNAL.
sary to survey the particular situation of the prisons, and the points
from which the diff .-rent attacks were made ; they accordingly came
into the yard for that purpose, and after having been shown all the
places from whence the firing was continued, where the crowd of pris¬
oners had assembled on the first alarm, and where the hole, so much
made a handle of, had been made—after a slight survey of these dif¬
ferent places, they retired into their session room, leaving orders, once
more, with the committee to hold their evidence in readiness, as they
would soon be called upon for examination. The committee replied
that they had been in readiness since the commencement of the en¬
quiry, and were then only waiting their orders to appear before them,
feeling happy in the idea of having it in their power to show to the
court, and to the world, by the evidence they had to produce, that the
attack of Shottland on the defenceless prisoners, was premeditated
and unjustifiable in any point of view.
After attending in the turnkey's lodge during the sitting of the com¬
missioners, until the middle of the third day, without having but very
few of the evidences sent for, and being fearful that they might be
waiting for them, the committee sent them word that the witnesses
were still in attendance. No answer being returned to this message
for some time, the committee became uneasy on account of the long
examination of the officers, soldiers, cierks, and turnkeys, attached to
the depot, without admitting the prisoners to an equal privilege ; and
understanding the commissioners were about closing their enquiry,
they again sent word they would be glad to have an interview for a
few moments, for the purpose of explaining the nature of their evi¬
dence, and the necessity of a full hearing on both sides af the question.
No ANSWER BEING RETURNED to THIS RE QUE st, and Still Waiting
with the anxious hope that they would soon send for some of us, when
we were told by one of the turnkeys, that the commissioners were
prepared to depart, having finished the examination Astonished to
think they meant to leave the depot without clearly investigating the
circumstances that were the cause of their meeting, and feeling indig¬
nant that a cause of so much importance should be passed over so
partially, the committee addressed a note to Mr King, begging him
not to shut the door of communication against the prisoners, by clos¬
ing the inquiry without giving them the privilege of a hearing, as the
greatest part of our witnesses were yet unexamined, and theirevidence
they conceived to be of the utmost importance to the investigation.
No reply was made to this note: but, in a few moments, we were told,
that the commissioners had left the depot. How far they are justifia¬
ble in saying they examined all the evidences that offered themselves,
we think is sufficiently shewn.
The commissioners next go on to mention the insurrection of the
prisoners about the bread, on the 4th, two daj s p2*evious to the events,
the subject of that enquiry. AKhough the report correctly states, the
prisoners quietly returned to their own yards, after their demands
having been complied with, Mr King forgot to mention, that it was
clearly represented to him, had the prisoners been so disposed on that
night, they could have easily made their escape. Although that trans¬
action had nothing to do, as relates to the prisoners, with the events of
the sixth, we merely represent this circumstance to shew, that there
TSURNAL.
was no intention whatever on their part to break out of the prison, as
Shortland and his adherents have attempted to prove.
The report now goes on to mention, that on the evening of the sixth
of April, about six o'clock in the evening, a hole was made in one of
the walls of the prison sufficient for a full-sized man to pass, and others
had been commenced, but never completed, and that a number of the
prisoners were over the railing erected to prevent them from commu¬
nicating with the sentinels on the walls, and that they were tearing up
pieces of turf and wantonly pelting each other in a noisy manner
As to the hole made in the wall, we believe the causes and reasons
have been already sufficiently explained by the affidavits laid before
the public. With respect to the prisoners being between the iron pal¬
ing and the wall, it could have been, if it was not, easily explained to
Mr. King, had he given an opportunity. It seems, that on the after¬
noon of the 6th, some of the prisoners having obtained leawe of the sen-
tinels on the walls to go over and lay upon the grass, others seeing
them laying so much at their ease, went over to enjoy the same privi-
' lege; and as the sentinels made no objection to this proceeding, the
number was soon increased to such a degree, that it became no longer
an enjoyment to those who first obtained the privilege ; some scuffling
then ensued among themselves, and they began to pelt each other with
turf and old shoes principally in play, and among so many, no doubt,
their must have been considerable noise; but how they can possibly
connect this circumstance with the hole made in the wall, is entirely
out of our power to conceive, as the iron railings separated them from
the pretended breach in the wall, and distant from it more than half
the length of the yard; of course, had the hole been intended as a
breach, the iron paling would have become a barrier, instead of facil¬
itating the means of an escape.
As to that part of the report which mentions the guard-barracks be¬
ing tke repository for the arms of the guard off duty, and of its stand,
ing in the yard to which the hole in the wall would serve as a com¬
munication, and of its being a further cause of suspicion and alarm to
Captain ShortLir.d —to one acquainted with the situation of the prison^
such an idea woull be ridiculous ; but to those who are not acquainted
with it, it will be only necessary for us to mention, that if the prisoners
had the intention of breaking out through this passage, and had actu¬
ally got into the barrack-) aid, the difficulties they would then have to
encounter would be much greater than to break a passage through
the market square, or the back part of the yard. As to the idea of
their possessing themselves of the muskets standing in the racks in the
guard-barracks (even if they knew of any being there) it is childish ;
for how easy would it have been for the commanding officer, on the
shortest intimation of such an attempt, with one blast of his bugle, to
have called all his guards to the spot before a hundredth part ot the
prisoners could have got into the yard, and by that means instantly
put a stop to any further proceedings on their part.
We cannot conceive how Mr. King can possibly come forward and
say, on these, grounds, it appeared to him that Capt. Shortland was
justified in giving the order for sounding the alarm bell, when, if be
found the prisoners were conducting themselves improperly, had he
seat for the committee (as always had been his custom heretofore,
213
when he had any charge against the prisoners for improper conduct)
and told them that the prisoners were breaking' the wall (which cir¬
cumstance, as has been published before, was not known to one tenth
of the prisoners) and requested them to have represented to those en¬
gaged in it, the consequences that must ensue if they persisted in
such conduct, we have not a moment's hesitation in saying, they would
have put a stop to any further proceedings of that kind.
That part which relates to the breaking of the iron chain which fast¬
ened No. 1 gate, and which follows next in the report, says there was no
evidence to show whether it was done beti re or after the alarm bell
rang. As this was a material point on which they grounded Shortland's
justification, we have to regret that the evidence we had to lay before the
commissioners, and which would, in our opinion, have sufficiently clear¬
ed up that point, was not examined.
On the ringing of the alarm bell, the rush towards the gates leading
into the market square was so great (attracted as has been before stated
by curiosity) that those in front were irresistibly pushed forward by those
in the rear, and if the chain had not broke the lock must have given way
to the pressure, and by this opening, it is but natural to suppose, that a
number must have been shoved into the square in front ot the soldiers,
who were drawn up in a line across the square, with Shortland at their
head.
If, as the report now goes on to state, there was no direct proofbefore
them of a previous concert or preparation on the part ot the prisoners,
and no evidence of their intention or disposition to effect their escape on
this occasion, excepting that which arose by inference from the whole of
the detailed circumstances connected together, had Mr. King examined
the evidence on the part of the prisoners, as minutely as it seems he ex¬
amined those on the part of Shortland, he could not even have drawn the
shadow of an inference of that being their intention.
Where the commissioners got their evidence for asserting that Capt.
Shortland, by quiet means and persuasion, endeavored to persuade the
prisoners to retire into their respective yards, is unaccountable to us, as
those who know Captain Shortland, know he is not a man of persuasion.—
It is correct that Dr. M'Grath used every exertion to persuade the pris.
oners to retire out of the square, which if Shortland had allowed suffi¬
cient time, would have been quietly done—but the erowd, by this time,,
had become so great, and the pressure from the rear so strong, that
those in front could not retreat until time should be allowed for those in
the rear to fall back, but the hasty, haughty, and overbearing temper of
Shortland could not allow him to use such conciliatory means. He or¬
ders (the report says) fifteen file of the guard fronting the open gate, to
the charge; and after some little time the charge was so effectual, with
but very little or no injury to the prisoners, as to drive them, for the
most part, quite out of the square, with the exception of a small number
who continued their resistance about No 1 gate. Under these circum¬
stances, continued the report, the firing commenced.
Here we beg leave to request an attentive perusal of the affidavits of
some of the prisoners, taken by the committee, and which relate par¬
ticularly to this part of the transaction. It is there positively stated that
on the soldiers coming to the charge the prisoners ALL retreated into
the yard and pushed the gate to after them. If the commissioners had
examined that evidence, this part of the report ought to have been Uik
ferently expressed
We cannot conceive how Mr. King finds it difficult to reconcile the
testimony respecting Captain Shortland's giving the orders to firi; when
JOVRNAL.
213
he reports that several of the Americans swear positively,
that Captain Shortland gave that order—and many of the soldiers and
the English witnesses heard the word given by some one, bat could not
swear it was by Capt. Shortland ; and some of them (among whom is the
officer commanding the guard) think, if Capv. Shortland had given
such an order, they must have heard it, which they did not Thus, then,
stands the foundation for this part of the report. An English cfficer
thinks it is not so, and several Americans swear it is so ; and he finds
it very difficult to reconcile their testimony. The lightness with which
they seeoi to have passed over this most important point of that day's
transaction, cannot but be deeply regretted by those who feel for the un¬
happy sufferers, when they go on to state, "It may remain a matter of
doubt whether the firing first.began in the square by an order, or
whether it was a spontaneous act of the soldiers themselves ; it seemed
clear it was continued and renewed, both there and elsewhere, without
orders—and that on the platforms and several places about the prison it
was certainly commenced -without any authority.'" We must once more
request the attention of the public to the affidavits already published ; it
is there sworn by one of the witnesses, that previo us to the alarm bell
being rung, and while walking in the yard, a soldier called to him from
the walls and told him ts go in, as they -would soon be fired upon. How,
then, can it be possible, that a soldier on the walls should know that they
would soon be tired upon, if the order had not been previously given to
that effect ? And had the bugle-man been examined, he could have stated,
that previous to the ringing of the alarm bell, he received orders to
sound to jive ; so that when the soldiers took their stations on the walls,
they were charged and prepared for that purpose With such informa¬
tion, we conceive the committee to stand fully justified in stating in their
report, the belief of its being a pre-concerted plan, on the part of Short-
land; and if the commissioners had possessed themselves with a knowl¬
edge of these circumstances, which they could and ought to have done,
would they, then, reported Shortland as justifiable, even in a mi.itury
point of view ?
The next thing we have to notice in the report is, that very singular
paragraph, which says, " from the fact of the #rowd being so close, and
the firing at first being attended with very little injury, it appears proba¬
ble, that a large proportion of the muskets were, as stated by one or two
of the witnesses, levelled over the heads of the prisoners, a eii cum-
stance, in some respects, to be lamentedIs it, then, to be lamented,.
that the soldiers did not level thuir pieces, on the fii'e, directly into
the crowd, which the> have stated to he so great anil so ciwie that a sol¬
dier declared he couid not come fairly down to a charge ? or is it to be
lamented, that one or two hundred were not killed at the fmt discharge,
and a thousand or two wounded ? If so, we thin'.; it much to be lamented,.
that the reporters were not there, and plycsd foremost in the crowd.
The circumstance of so few being hurt at the first discharge is not
Strange to those who are acquainted with the situation ; and this occur¬
rence alone corroborates the American • videuce, and ought to have beer*
sufficient proof" to the commissioners that the prisoners upon being charg¬
ed upon, retreated through the gates, and shut th-em after before
the firing commenced ; and whieh circumstance, alone, should ha e shut
the door of justification against Shortland for commencing a tire upon
"Ihero, as they were in their own yards. As this was the actual situation
©f the prisoners on the first discharge, and the soldiers having-to re
through the iron paling, and the prisoners retreating, on a descending
ground, of course brought the mus'- ets, when down to a leve , 0,el?
of tl't vumh*"'*—was owing to this fortunate circumstance that
i8*
21-b
JOUKNAL.
so few were injured on the first discharge of the musketry ; ant} it seen»3
the inhuman Shortland was aware of this circumstance, when he was dis¬
tinctly heard to order his soldiers to fire low. This does not appear to
correspond with that part of their report whieh savs, "Capt. Shortland
was in the market square exerting himself in giving orders to stop the
filing."
That there was any provocation given to the soldiers to justify their
subsequent brutal conduct, the commissioners themselves seem to find
it very difficult to trace any evidence, although they say, it appears, that
there was some resistance made to the turnke\s in shutting the prison,
and that stones were thrown at the military. Had they examined the
prisoners sufficiently, they would have been convinced that no resistance
■was made to the turnkeys in shutting the .doors. As to throwing stones
at the military while they were chasing them from corner to corner, and
fil ing at them in every place where they had taken shelter from the
balls, could it be expected but they would seize on something for self-
defence, when they saw the soldiers running at them with their bayo¬
nets, and having no possible means of escape, as it has been before stated,
all the doors in the prisons had been previously closed except one, and
that one, perhaps, the length of the prison from him Is there a man, in
such a situation, but would 9eize on the first weapon £hat offered itself,
and sell his life as dear as possible. How can they, then, make that the
slightest justification for such outrageous conduct on the part of Short-
land or the military ?
As to most of the officers being absent is erroneous; it could have been
proved that there was an officer in every yard, and in one instance where'
lie was heard to give the order to fire on a party of prisoners close by the
d >or, and running and making every exertion to enter the prison.
As to Capt. Shortland being busy in the square with the turnkeys, re¬
ceiving and taking care of the wounded, certainly shows flie commission¬
ers' want of correct information, for it is already before the public, in af¬
fidavit, the cruel manner in which the wounded were treated by him,
and of his abuse to the prisoners who were bearing the wounded to the
hospital gate That part of the report which relates that the time and
commencement of this transaction was the officers' dinner hour, is too
ridiculous for a comment. We do not bflieve that there was a prisoner
i i the depot that knew when or where the officers dined, and therefore,
c;in be no ground for an argument, that the prisoners weie taking thip
opportunity to escape.
The- re|K)rt goes on to state, *• the cross-fire, whieh was kept up from
several of the platforms on the walls round the prison, and directed
ugainst straggling parties'of pri»one s running about the yard, endeavor¬
ing to ent'T the prison by the door which the turnkey left open, accor¬
ding to their usual practice docs seem to have bet n without object or ex¬
cuse, and to have been a wautou attack upon the lives of defenceless,
ami, at the same time, unoffending individuals." In answer to this para¬
graph, we shall only reply that had the commissioners examined ah,
the Ameiican evidence, snd attached the same credit to it, which it ap¬
pears they have done to all the Knglish evidence, similiw expressions
would have been made use of against Shortland's conduct throughout
the whole of their report.
It appeal s to us. after an attentive examination of this report, that the
conimisBioners meant to justify Shortland in commencing his murderous
a'Mck np«n th« prisoners, and to condemn the soldiers for continuing it.
Singular as this idea appears, it is no less strange us, how it can be
p*>,sible they could reconcile it to their feelings to make up a report con-
Guj.w.g. sueli adhcui uu^uauieUJU to reasfor iuiely ff bU»iti»nd
JOURNAL.
2L5
<?nuld he justified in Using coercive measures in the first instance, the
military certainly should be acquitted for the subsequent massacre, as the
whole was conducted under hi9 immediate command ;—and if he had A
bight to kill one, on the same ground he might have extended it to u
thousand. And, on the other hand, if any part of the transaction is to be
condemned, Shortland should answer for the whole ; for what necessity
could there be made to attempt indesitifying any of ihc soldiers i Surely
the commissioners could not think of bringing them to punishment, as
they acted by the direct orders of Shortland and his officers >—and if any
one could or ought to be made to answer for the outrage, it should be
Shortland.
In addition to the contradictions contained in the commissioners'joint
report, Mr King, in his letter to his excellency J. Q. Adams, almost de¬
nies the ground on which they have, in part founded Shortland's justifi¬
cation, when he says (alluding to have heaid several Americans swear,
positively, that Shortland did give the order to fire, and an officer of the
g lard thinking' that he did not, as he should have heard him) " perhaps
the bias ot my mind was, that Shortland did give that order; and wish¬
ing the report to go forth under our joint signatures, I forbore to press
some of the points so far as otherwise 1 might have done."
_ If, then, any part has been neglected, or passed over for accjmmoda-
tion, or any other purpose (and one there certainly has, in not paying
the same attention to the American as was done to the English evidence)
it is to be regretted that Mr. King should so far forget the sacred duties
attached to the appointment of a commissioner to enquire into the mur¬
der ot his countrymen, as to pass over any points which might have
brought to light the means of punishment for the murder, or obtained
in some measure an indemnity for the surviving unhappy sufferers.
Will not the shades of the departed victims haunt him in his midnight
slumbers, and pointing to their lacerated bodies, say, these still remain
unavenged ? Will not the unhappy survivors show the stumps of their
amputated limbs, and say, these wounds fester, and still remain unaion-
ed ? Will not the widow and the helpless orphan raise their innocent
hands to heaven, and cry, why was justiee denied us ? W hy was the heart
so callous to our sufferings ?—And why was the bosom shut to sympathy ?
Let Mr. King point out some means to appease these bitter complaints,
and we shall he satisfied.
We shall now close these unpleasant remarks, by noticing another un¬
accountable error in Mr. King's letter to Mr.. Adams, where he men¬
tions, speaking of Shortland, "and his general conduct, previous to this-
occurrence, as far as I could with propriety enter into such details, ap¬
pears to have been characterised with great fairness and eveu kindness
in t.he relation in which he stood towards the prisoners." We shall not
pretend to ask Mr. King where he obtained the evidence on 'which he
grounds this assertion ; we are sure it was not from the prisoners, who
ought to have been the best jmlges of that circumstance ; but, instead of
all that, all tire Americans who were permitted to express an opinion oil
that subject, at the examination, declared, without reserve, as would alL
the prisoners in the depot, had they been asked the question, that .-short-
land's conduct, from the commencement of his appointment to that sta¬
tion, had been cruel, oppressive, and overbearing, and, instead ot taking
measures to alleviate the distresses of the wretched objec's under him,
as a feeling man would hare done, he seemed to take a pleasure in har.
rassing them whenever he could find the slightest pretext lor so iloiug.
W. Colton, Joseph Swain, ArcKd Taylor, David Ingalls, Reuben
Sherman, ArcKd 1. Maclcay, Philip Black, Homer Hall, James JS.
Mamfte.,1, Abr?m MIntire, Hrm. Cochran, Henry l)olhver,John Jon^s,
M, Weeks, )Ym. JDemevell, Thomas Ward, M ilium &. n hue.
JOURNAL
REMARKS.
In presenting to the world the record of a transaction, probably the
most barbarous which the history of modern warfare can tarnish, we
cannot refrain from remarks —Whatever our feelings may be, upon a
subject so amply calculated to excite the indignation and abhorrence oi
every friend to humanity, and every one who has respect for the laws
of civilized and mitigated warfare, we will, nevertheless, refrain, so far
as the circumstances of outraged humanity will permit, from the
violence of invective,and whouy from unwarranted crimination. Those,
into whose hands these documents may fall, will, however, preserve
them as a monument erected to the memory of their slaughtered coun¬
trymen, and a memento ofthe unfeeling cruelty of our late enemy.
Though we are far from believing that there are not persons of noble
and humane minds in the English nation, yet, a uniformity of conduct, on
the part of the Government and its agents, has taught us to believe that
they, at least, are blood thirsty and cruel.
The incarceration of Americans in the Jersey Prison Ship at New-
York, and Mill Prison, in England, in the Revolutionary war, raised in
the minds of the sainted heroes of those times, the most exalted feelings
of indignation and abhorrence. The history of those prisoners, where
hundreds were compelled to wear out an existence, rendered miserable
by the cruelty of an enemy, professing a reverence for the sublime prin¬
ciples of Christianity, is already familiarized to the minds of the Ameri¬
can people. If the feelings of Americans were then indignant, what
should they be, on beholding those cruelties renewed with more than
ten fold severity ? The conduct of Thomas George Shorthand, the agent
at Dart (Poor Prison, is such as should " damn him to everlasting fame."
Upon what principles the conduct of this man, precedent to the ever
memorable 6th of \pril, 1815, can be justified, we cannot determine.
The indiscriminate confinement of both officers and men in the same pri¬
sons, and those the most unfit, decayed, and loathsome of any which the
Government could furnish, was an infraction of the established laws of
civilized nations for the treatment of prisoners of war. It was equally
abhorrent to the principles of humanity, and only sanctioned by British
governmental agents, and those petty Nations of Savages, whose known
usages of warfare have hitherto kept them beyond the pale of national
law. The history of modern European wars can furnish no parallel
to this part of the history of Dartmoor. But when we arrive at the
slaughter of prisoners on the 6th of April, theclimax of barbarity is com¬
plete, and the mind is saied with the contemplation of principles as
shocking to humanity as the consequences are degrading to the charac¬
ter of the English nation.
An eminent writer upon national law, has formerly extolled the
" English and Prench for their treatment given to prisoners of war," and
at the same time mentions the case of Charles I. King of Naples, who
having defeated and taken prisoner Conrade, his competitor, caused
him, together with his fellow-prisoner, Frederick of Austria, to be be.
headed at^STaples Upon this case our author has the following perti-
nent remarks :—" This barbarity raised an universal horror and Peter
the third', King of Arragen, reproached Charles with It, as a'detestable;
J ournal.
crime, till then unheard of among1 christian princes. However, the
case was of a dangerous rival contending with him fo • the throne. But,
supposing the claims of his fival were unjust, Charles might have kept
him in prison until he had renounced them, and given security for his
future behavior." If this act of Charles raised an •' universal horror,"
what should be the excitement produced by the cold blooded massacre
of a number of unarmed and unoffending prisoners of war in confine¬
ment ? Humanity shudders at the thought, and language furnishes no
appropriate epithet with which to brand the infamous perpetrator of so
foul, so hitherto unheard of a crime. Did that writer now live, he
would 110 longer extol trie humanity of the English nation, but in com¬
mon with the friends of humanity, he would join in the " universal hor¬
ror' which British cruelty has excited.
The complexion of this transaction is rendered still more dark and
barbarous, and its criminality most shockingly enhanced, by the cir¬
cumstances under which many of those unfortunate men became pri¬
soners, and finally were off ered up as victims to gratify the cruel and
insatiate feeling of the British agent They were American Citizens,
who had been impressed into the service and bondage of Great Britain,
in time of peace. They had served that government from a necessity,
arising from the assumed principle of a right to search neutral ves-
sels for British seamen, and the practice of taking Americans and
compelling them to service. We cannot, however, too much ap¬
plaud the magnanimity of those men, in refusing to fight against and
slaughter their countrymen ; nor can we too much detest the conduct
of Great Britain, in confining them as prisoners of war.
This practice, assumed as a right in the first moments of our exist¬
ence as an independent and commercial n t.on . has grown with our
growth," and the evil thereof has in reased in proportion as our
commercial rivalship has become more a'urmiug to thr pride and in¬
justice of Great Britain. It is a practice which cannot be traced to
any principal of justification ; and yet we have seen the legislators of
Massachusetts, clothed with a garb of official sanctity, send to the world
a report, amounting aim st to a denial, that such a practice was in exist¬
ence ! We pretend not to judge of their motives; but we remark, how
soon they are confounded by the report of Shortinnd and Magrath»
By that instrument it appears, that of thirty-eight who were ri-lei or
wounded, twelve were of the number of Impressed Americans, who had
given themselves up as prisoners of war, upon the commencement of
hostilities. If thi3 be the correct proportion of their prisoners, who
have been impressed from American vessels, aad as it is an official doc¬
ument of British authority, we cannot believe the ratio to be less, we
see the advocates of British magnanimity confounded and put to
shame,by the testimony of those same British agents, whose just fication
they have so eagerly, though unsuccessfully attempted. Jt mig.<t, in¬
deed, have been supposed, f at after having so frequently been treat¬
ed with the same contempt, they might have learned sufficient caution,
at least, to stay their measures until the pleasure of their transatlantic
friends should be known. But their overweening anxiety has on y
tended to plunge them in deeper embarrassments, and should teac
fhem, that more prudence aad less zeal in the cause el a nations eue -
21.8
JOURNAL.
my, might secure them a safer retreat in the moments when tho&e
whose friendship they had so anxiously sought, had deserted, and con¬
demned them, '
By the report of the Legislature of Massachusetts upon the subject
of impressments,it would appear, that no more than sixtec*. had been
impressed from this Commonwealth. What must be our conclusion
upon a comparison of this report; with that of Messrs. Shortland and
Magrath ? It is irresistible, either that the former did not report the
full number of impressments, or that the latter have aggravated their
guilt and condemnation, by swelling the number to a degree beyoud
wiiat the facts would justify, from some cause, unknown to their
American advocates, and in favor of the facts and principles, for which
the American government have uniformly contended. A few of those
assumed as facts, by the present do.ninant party in New England,
may aid us in this enquiry, and perhaps conduct vis to a correct con¬
clusion. They have repeatedly told us, that New-England, and more
particularly Massachusetts, has ever been the nurseiy of our seamen.
That this section had furnished more than the whole remaining part
of the United States. Admitting the correctness of the report of
Shortland and Magrath, we are wholly unable to reconcile the report
of our Legislature w'th those which they as5ume as facts, and upon
which the principles of their report were, in part, predicated. It ex-
hibsts to our view a disposition to fritter away the enormities of the
British Government;and a determination to justify them in every act of
barbarity however unjustifiable in its circumstances, 01 however shock¬
ing in its operation.
The report of Messrs. King and Larpent may here c'aitn a portion
of our attention Unpleasant as the task may be. to reflect, even indi¬
rectly upon the conduct of one of our countrymen, acting in the high
and solemn capacity to which Mr. Kin>' was called, we cannot, how¬
ever, without doing violence to our own feelings, and criminating num¬
bers of our countrymen perhaps equally entitled to credibility with
Mr King himself afford our credence to his singular repors; espe¬
cially when we see it contradicted unconditionally, by the unfortu¬
nate witnesses of the unhappy and barbarous transaction.
Even Mr. King himself in his letter to Mr. Adams furnishes a tar¬
dy acknowledgment, that he had not completed the duties to which
he had been called. " Considering it of much importance (he says)
that the report, whatever it might be, should go forth under our joint
signatures, I have foreborn to press son-e of the poir.ts which it in¬
volves as far as otherwise T might have done.' And why did Mr.
King forbear to press every point involved in the report ? Was it
from a disposition to perform bis whole duty o his country ; or. rather,
from a too common admiration of British principles and British char¬
acters.
The numerous affidavits accompanying the report made by the com¬
mittee of the prisoners, together with the reply to the report of Mes¬
srs. King and Larpent, afford the most positive testimony in contradic¬
tion to many of its prominent features. We can form no other opin¬
ion respecting this report, than either that Mr. King was overreached
JOTRVAL.
319
by his colleague, or that lie was predetermined to fritter down the
abuses which the British Government and its agents had lavished upon
their American prisoners Why either JVessrs King or Larpent
should decline the examination of all the witnesses offered by the pri¬
soners, is wholly inexplicable, unless we attribute to them a mutual
and fixed determination to justify the conduct of ohortlansl and his
accomplices, at the expense of criminating hundreds of Americans,
who were no less entitled to credibility than either of themselves.
Hereafter, " let no such men he trustei."
The treatment to the prisoners appears to have proceeded from the
same principles of inhumanity, which have given rise to the hostile
operations of the British Commanders upon our maritime an<* inland
frontiers, during the continuance of the late contest. Such principles
belong only to Savages or their allies. The outrages at the river Rai¬
sin, Hampton, Havre de Grace, Washington »>nd those attempteu at
New-Orleans, it was thought, might have filled the measure of British
barbarities But to the prisons of Dartmoor was transferred the
seen? of its completion. Americans, armed in defence of their soil,
their Constitution, and natural rights, were too invincible to the " ve¬
teran" conquerors of the East* Prisoners of ivar in confinement, and
without arms, were selected as the objects upon vihich they might glut their
malice.
We have heard much from a certain class of our politicians of the
burning of Newark and St David s ; but little have they said of the
destruction ef Buffalo, of Washington City, or the massacre of our un¬
fortunate countrymen at Dartmoor; and that Cttie has been directed to
the justification oj the perpetrators The conflagration of our Capitol,
with the appendages of art and taste, and even the slaughter of our
countrymen, could not excite in those minds one feeling of indignation ;
whilst the unauthorised destruction of a few houses, within the terri¬
torial limits of our enemy, not only excited their warmest sympathies
for the enemy, bur their foulest denunciations of our own Govern¬
ment
We might here attempt a comparison of the treatment of each Gov¬
ernment to their prisoners But the contrast is so evident, that we
shall commit it to our readers without remark.
Where is the American, whose fee lings do not become indignant, af¬
ter a full and dispassionate viewot all the circumstances connected with
this savage transaction ?—Though we may again be told, that Great
Britain is the " Bulwark of ow Religion yet it may be hoped, that
few, indeed, will be found to worship in a temple stained with the
blood of their countrvmen or consign their consciences to the keeping
of the upholders of the the temple of Juggernaut, or the restorers of
Papal power. . .
Though our poh'cv as an Independent Republic is pact fie, yet
should our rights again be assailed, and future wars ensue, WE WiL.1,1
UEMLMHEH DAitTMOQK!
220
j OURNAL.
The night following the shocking massacre was spent
in deep disquietude. As we knew not what had actually
occasioned this, in sow degree, deliberate slaughter, so
we were filled with anxiety as to its final termination. 1 he
horrors of* Paris, under Robespiere, rose to view, and de¬
prived us of sleep ; or if wearied nature got a moment s re¬
lief, many waked up screaming with the impression, that
they were under the hands of a murderer dressed in red.
The gates of our prison were closed up in the morning,
and each one seemed describing to his neighbor what he
had seen and heard ; and every one execrating the villain
who had occasioned the massacre. In the course of the
day, a British colonel, whom we had never before seen,
appeared at the inner gate, attended by the detestibie
Shorlland, who was pale and haggard like ordinary mur¬
derers. The colonel asked us, generally, What was the
cause of this unhappy state of things? We related some
particulars as well as we could ; but all united in accusing
capt. Thomas Shortland of deliberate murder. On Short-
land's denying some of the accusations, the colonel turned
round to him, and said, in a very serious tone, " Sir, you
have no right to speak at this time." Upon which I thought
the valiant captain would have fainted. He, doubtless,
thought of an halter. The colonel went to the other
yards, and received, as we were informed, statements not
materially differing from what he first heard. The colo¬
nel's manner left an agreeable impression on our minds.
He appeared to be seriously grieved, and desirous to find
out the truth.
The next day major general B came up from Plym¬
outh in the forenoon, and made some trifling inquiries in
the afternoon. Soon after came admiral R , and a
captain in the navy, whose name I do not remember. They
went into the military walk over the gates, when the space
below was soon filled with prisoners. The admiral did
not impress us quite so agreeably as the colonel- who
seemed to speak and look his own good feelings ; while
the former appeared to have got his lesson, and have come
prepared to question us, like an attorney rather than like
a frank and open seaman. The admiral informed the
prisoners that he was appointed by the commander in
chief at Plymouth, to inquire, whether the prisoners had
any cause for complaint against the British government, as
journal.
221
to their proyisions ? There ensued a short silence, until
our countryman, Mr. Colton, a man who was neither in¬
timidated by rank, nor disconcerted by parade, answered
Iiim and said, that " the affair of provisions was not the
occasion of their present distress and anxiety, but that it
was the horrid massacre of their unoffending and unresist¬
ing countrymen, whose blood cried from the ground, like
the blood of Abel, for justice. We have nothing now to
say about our provisions ; that is but a secondary concern.
Our cry is for due vengeance on the murderer Shortland,
to expiate the horrors of the Gth of April. We all com¬
plain of his haughty, unfeeling, and tyrannical conduct,
at all times, and on all occasions."——" Thai- we have
nothing to do with," said the admiral, and then repeat¬
ed the former question, relative to the British government
and the provisions ; to which Mr. Colton replied in a still
more exasperated tone of accusation against the murder¬
er and the murder. " Then you do notsaid the admiral,
" complain of the British government for detaining you
here P" " By no means," said our spokesman, " the pris¬
oners, one and all, ascribe our undue attention here, to a
neglect of duty in our own agent. Mr. Beasly." 44 Then
I hope" said the admiral, " that you will all remain
tranquil. I lament as much as you, the unfortunate oc¬
currence that has taken placeUpon this, Mr. Coltou
mentioned particularly the murder of the boy who was
shut up in No. 4, after the prisoners were all driven m
through the doors, and averred that he was killed by the
direct order of a British officer, who came to the door
with some of the guard. " That is the lobster-backed vil¬
lain" exclaimed a young man, " that stands behind you,
sir ! who, I heard deliberately order his men to fere on the.
prisoners, after they had all got into the building. I saw
him, and heard him give the orders, and had liked to have
been bayonetted myself by his soldiers.^ The Admiral
looked round on the officer, who reddened almost to a pur¬
ple, and sneaked away, and was seeu no more ; and thus
ended what was probably calied Admiral R's examination
into the causes of the massacre !
I know of no examination after this, if such an inter¬
view may be called an examination; for on the —ot Ap¬
ril, myself and a few others were set at liberty. We had
Blade application the night before, and passed the night
19
222
journal.
in sleepless anxiety. At 10 o'clock orders vrere sent down
to collect our things. We dare not call our wretched bag¬
gage, by any other than the beggarly name of" duds.""—
3n consequence of this order, the turnkey conveyed us to
the upper gate, where we remained a while fluttering be¬
tween fear and hope. At length the sergeant of the guard
came, and opened the gate, and conducted us to the guard
room, where our fears began to dissipate and our hopes to
brighten. When the clerk entered, he must have seen
anxiety in our countenances, and was disposed to sport
•with our feelings. He put on a grave and solemn phiz,
mixed with a portion of the insolenee of office, as if he
-were about to read our death-warrants, while we cast a
look of misery at each other. At length, with apparent
reluctance, he vouchsafed to hand to each of us, like a
miser paying a debt, the dear delicious paper, the evi¬
dence of our liberty ! on which was written, " by order of
the transport board." This was enough. We devoured
it with our eyes, clinched it fast in our fists, laughed, ca¬
pered, jumped, screamed, and kicked up the dirt like so
many mad men; and away we started for Priucetown,
looking back as we ran, every minute, to see if our cere-
bns, with his bloody jaws, was not at our heels. At ev¬
ery step we toqk from the hateful prison, our enlarged
souls expanded our lately cramped bodies. At length we
attained a rising ground ; and O, how our hearts did swell
■within us at the sight of the ocean J that oeean that wash¬
es the shores of our dear America, as welf as those of
England. After taking breath, we talked in strains of
rapture to each other. This ground, said I,' belongs to
the British ; but that ocean, and this air, and that sun. are
as much ours as theirs; or as any other nations. They
are blessings to that nation which knows best how to de¬
serve and enjoy them. May the arm of bravery secure
them all to us, and to our children forever. Long and
dismal as our captivity has been, we declared with one
voice, that should our government again arm and declare
war for "free trade and sailor''s rightswe would, in a
moment, again try the tug of war, with the hard hearted
Britons; but with the fixed resolution of never being tak¬
en by them alive ; or, at least, unwounded, or inmiutilat-
ed. I see, I feel that the love of country is our ruling
passion and it is this that lias and will give us the su-
JOURNAL.
223
periority in battle, by land and by sea, while the want of
it will cause some folks to recoil before the American bay¬
onet and bullets, as the British did at Chippewa, Erie,
Plattsburg and New Orleans.
While the British prisoner retires from our places of
confinement in good health, and with unwilling and reluc¬
tant step, we, half famished Americans, fly from theirs as
from a pestilence, or a mine just ready to explode. If the
British cannot alter these feelings in the two nations, her
power will desert her, while that of America wi II increase.
After treading the air, instead of touching the ground,
we found ourselves at the Devonshire arms in Princetown,
uhere the comely bar-maid appeared more than mortal.
The sight of her rosy cheeks, shiuing hair, bright eyes,
and pouting lips, wafted our imaginations, in the twink¬
ling of £n eye, across the atlantic to our own dear country
of pretty girls. I struck the fist of my right hand into the
palm of my left, and cried out—" 0, for an horse with
wings!" The girl stared with amazement, and concluded,
I guess, that I was mad ; for she looked as if she said to
herself—poor crazy lad ! who ever saw a horse with
wings ?"
We called for some wine, and filling our glasses, drank
to the power, glory and honor, and everlasting happiness
of our beloved conntry ; and after that to all the pretty
girls in America. During this, we, now and then, looked
around us, to be certain that all this was not a dream, and
asked each other if they were sure there was no red coat
watching our movements, or surley turn-key listening to
our conversation? and whether what we saw were really
the walls of aa house, where ingress and egress were
equally free ? It is inconceivable how we are changed by
habit. Situations and circumstances ennoble the mind or
debase it.
From what I myself experienced, and saw in others, ofi,
the day we left our hateful prison, I do not wonder that
sudden transitions from the depressing effects of imprison¬
ment, sorrow, chagrin, impatience, or feelings bordering
on despair, to that of liberty and joy, should so effect the
vital organs, as to bring on a fatal spasm, or that the sud¬
den exhilarations of the animal spirits, might produce
ph renzy. We were animated anew with a moderate por¬
tion of generous liquor j but absolutely intoxicated with
224)
JOUllNAL.
joy. We asked a thousand questions without waiting for
an answer. In the midst of our rapture we had a message
from Shortland, who seemed to be afraid that we should be
so near him, and yet out of his power, that if we did not
hasten our march on to Plymouth, he would have us
brought back to prison. At the sound of his hateful name,
and the idea of his person, we started off like so many
wild Zebras. We, however, stepped a little out of
the road to an eminence, to take another, and a last look
of the Dartmoor depot of misery, when we saw waving
over it, the American flag, like the colors sans tache, wav¬
ing over the walls of Sodom and Gomorrha. We gave
three cheers, and then resumed our road to Plymouth,
where we soon after arrived.
While dining at the inn, an old man. in the next room,
hearing we were Americans, came in, and asked us if we
knew his son who lived in America, and mentioned his
name. Yes, said one of my companions ; he is a mechan¬
ic ; I think a carpenter—1 know him very well, and he is
a very clever fellow. The old man caught hold of him,
and shook him by the hand as if he would shake his arm
off. Yes, yes, you are right, my son is a ship carpenter,
and it almost broke my heart when he went off to seek his
fortune in a far country. In the fullness of his heart, the
poor old man offered to treat us with the best liquor the
jhouse afforded ; but we all excused ourselves and declined
his generosity. This would have been carrying the joke
too far, for neither of us ever had any knowledge of his
son. We felt happy; and we thought, if we thought at
all, that we would make the old man happy also. The
English and Americans are equally addicted to bantering,
hoaxing, quizzing, humming, or by whatever ridiculous
name we may denote this more than ridiculous folly. I
never heard that the French, Germans, Spaniards, or
Italians, were addicted to this unbenevolent wit, if coward¬
ly imposition ean merit that name.
As we strolled through Plymouth, we gazed at every
thing we saw, as if we had just fallen into it from the
moon. In staring about wo lost our way, and accosted a
grave looking, elderly man, who directed us. As we ask¬
ed him several questions, he thought he had a right to ask
one of us •, when, to our surprise, he asked us if we had
any gold to sell ? We now perceived that we had taken
JOURNAL.
for our director one of the sons of Abraham, whose homfc
is no where, and that he took us to be either privateers-
men or pick-pockets. Piqued at this, we thought we
would be even with him, and we asked hint if his name
was not Shortland ? He said no. We asked him if he
had no relations of that name. He enquired if dit Short-
land vas Jew or Christian ? We told him he was neither
one nor the other. Den, said Moses, he must be Turk ; for
dere be bat three sort of peoples in the vorld; and this
set us a laughing at the expence of the despised Israelite*
until we lost him in some of the dirty alleys of this noisy
seaport.
1 slept that night at the Exchange Coffee House. It
was so long since I had been cut off from the decencies of
life, that 1 could hardly be said to enjoy them. I could
not, at first, reconcile myself to the civil attention of ser¬
vants and waiters. At the hour of sleep, 1 was shown to
such a bed as 1 used to sleep on in my father's house.—-
But who would believe it, that my predominant misery
during this night, was a feather bed and % pillow, render¬
ed uneasy because it was as soft as down ! Yes, astonish¬
ed reader 1 I felt about as uneasy in a feather bed, as Mr.
Beasley, or any other fine London gentleman would, at
laying on a plank, or the ballast of a transport. Such is
the power of habit, and such the effect of custom.
The next morning before I left my bed, I pondered over
the events and conduct of the preceding day, but not wifeh
satisfaction, or self approbation. The seventh chapter of
Eeclesiastes came fresh to my mind. I said to myself,
adversity and constraint are more favourable to wisdom,
than liberty and prosperity; or to express it in better
words—" sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness
of the countenance the heart is made better ; and for this
maxim of wisdom we are indebted to a Jew.
We remained a fortnight longer in Plymouth, and learnt
by degrees to relish civility. We were kindly noticed by
several good people, who seemed to be rather partial to us
Americans than otherwise. While there, I heard but very
little uttered against America, or Americans. We were
spoken to, and treated infinitely better than at Halifax. By
the time of our embarkation, which was the 23d of April,
4815, we felt considerable attachment to the people about
us. We arrived at New-York the 7th of June following}
JOURNAL.
/ning occurring in the passage worth commit-
/, unless it be to record the striking contrast
/gs in our passage to, and from England.
^Jrtions on first setting my loot once more on my
nati?5" soil, were such as I have not power to describe.
Tears gushed from my eyes, and had 1 not been ashamed,
I should have kneeled down and kissed the earth of the
United States. I believe similar sensations, more or
less, fill the bosom of every American, on returning to his
own country from British captivity. It is hardly possible
that I shall, so long as my faculties remain entire, forget
the horrors of the British transports, and several scenes
and sufferings at Dartmoor Prison : yet I hope to be able,
before I quit this world of contention, to forgive the con¬
tempts, the contumely, the starvations and filthiness inflict¬
ed on me and on my countrymen, by an unfeeling enemy,
while we remained in his power as prisoners of war, ai
Halifax, on ship board, and at Dartmoor.
Return ve, from this gloomy view,
To native fcenes, of fairer hue.
Land of our fires ! the Hero's home !
Weary and fick, to thee we come;
The heart fatigued with foreign woes,
On thy fair bofom feeks re pole
Columbia! hope of future times !
Thou wonder of furrounding climes I
Thou laft and only refting place
Of Freedom's perfecuted race!
Hail to thy confecrated domes !
Thy fruitful fields, and peaceful homes ;
The hunter, thus, who long has toil'd
O'er mountain rude, and foreft wild,
Turns from the dark and cheerlefs way,
Where howls the favage beaft of prey,
To where von curls of fmoke afjiire,
Where brifldy burns his crackling fire ;
Towards his cot delighted moves,
Cheered by the voice of thofe he loves,
And welcomed by domeftic smiles,
Sings cheerly, and forgets his toils.
POSTSCRIPT.
SOME, to whom I had »inwn .ny J.j.irnai in .'nanascript, have thought
that I had, now and then, expressed my feelings too unguardedly against
some of tjje subjects of Great Britain, and some of my own countrymen.
In consequence of this friendly remark, I have struck out a few*
passages, but have not been able to comply with all the wishes of my
connexions. But, alter all, had a political cant phrase or two been omit¬
ted. some good people would have been gratifi d. and the publication
not the worse for it. I havo severely suffered, felt keenly, am' express¬
ed myself honestly, and wi hout malice I may not have made due al¬
lowance for the conduct of certain officers and agents [ may not have
entered, as far as^ I ous;ht, into their situations; and there might have
been reasons and excuses, that my chafed feelings prevented me from
attending to. If so, the cool and candid reader both here, and on the
other side the atlantic, will make that allowance which I could hardly
make myself I must, nevertheless, maintain, that I have expressed the
feelings of the moment, and cannot now honestly alter my language; for
whenever my soul calls up many occurrences in my captivity, my tongue
and my pen will be found the taithful organs of my feelings.
I have endeavored to give due credit to the humane conduct of sever¬
al sailors, soldiers, and private subjects of the enemy But, if, at this
period of peace, when it may be supposed that resentment was cooled
down, I try to obliterate ttie impressions made by cruelty and by con¬
tempt, and find I cannot then must the readei take it as a trait of the
imperfect character of a young man, on whose mind adversity has not
had its best effect
If an animosity actually exists between the English and Americans,
do you mend the matter by denying the fact? This animosity has been
avowed to exist, within a few months past, in the parliament of England.
The following article is extracted from a London paper. In a debate,
(Feb 14th, 1816) a member said, "the spirit of animosity in America,
would justify an increase of the naval force in the West Indies." This
called up Lord Castlereagh, who said—"As to America, if it is said
great prejudices exist there against us, it must be recollected that great
prejudices exist here against her. It was," he said, " his most ardent
wish to discountenance this feeling on both sides, and to promote be-
tweenthe two nations feelings of reciprocal amity and regard."
What has occasioned this avowed animosity in us towards the British ?
Our merchants, generally, feel not this animosity; neither is it to be
found, in a great degree, amongst our legislators How came we by it?
Our sailors and our soldiers, who have been in British prisons, and on
board British men of war, and transports, have brought with them this
animosity home to their families and their friends. They tell them their
own storiea in their own artless, and sometimes exaggerated way, and
these are reported with, probably, hi^h coloring, whereas, 1 have made
it a point of honor, a matter of conscience, and a rule of justice, to ad¬
here to truth ; and am contented that the British reader^ Should s^y all
that fairness admits, to soften down the coloring of some pictures of Brit¬
ish barbarity, provided he does not attempt to impeach my veracity.
Beside individual animosity, there may possibly be a lurking national
one, thinly covered over with the fashionable mantle of courtesy The
conflicting interests of Ihe two nations may endanger peace. I he source
of national aggrandizement in both nations, is commerce ; and the high
road to them the ocean. We and the British are travelling the same
way, in keen pursuit of the same objects ; and it i3 scarcely probable,
that we shall be preserved in a state of peace by abstract love of justice.
-I have been disposed to allow that the conduct of our eountrymen,,
228
JOURNAL.
■while on board the prison ship9 and at Cartmoar, was, at times, pro¬
voking to the British officers set over them, bat never malignant, rouch
less, bloody It could be always traced to a spirit of fun and frolic which
our people indulge in beyond all others in the world ; and this ought to
be considered as one of the luxuriant shoots of our tree of liberty ; for
it is too harsh to call it an excrescence. It shows the strength, depth
and extent of its roots, and the richness of the soil.
This Journal has not been published to increase the animosity now
subsid ing bf!ween the American and British people. So far from it,
the writer pleases himself with the idea that this publication may reme¬
dy the t\ ils complained of, or mitigate them ; and cut off the source of
deep complaint against the English, for their treatment of prisoners,
should w ar - age .^gain betw een the two nations. If the present race of
Britons have not l ecoiue indifferent to a sense of national character,
their goveiTimet t will take measures to wipe off the stain from her gar¬
ments Let the nations of Europe inquire how the Americans treat
their prisoners of war If we treat them w ith barbarity publish our dis¬
grace to the wide world, and speak of us accordingly. Let them, at the
same time, inquire how the Engiish treated those of us who have had
the grett misfortune of falling into their hands ; and let them be spoken
of accordingly My serious opinion is, that this little book will aid the
great cause of hum mity.
Although I, with some thousands of my countrymen, were inclosed in
a large prison during the greater part of the war, itfaied with us as
with those people who seldom go out of their houses, who hear more
news than those who are abroad in the world It was, however, pretty
much all of one sort; for we seldom saw any other American news pa¬
pers, than those of the federal, or opposition party. These were gen¬
erally filled with abuse of the Presi de n t, and of the government gen¬
erally, and with praises of the English, which, in our situation, produc¬
ed a strong sensation, as our support, our protection, our pride, our
honor were identified in the person of the President, and his adminis¬
tration. The efforts of the federal party in Massachusetts to embarrass
and tie the hands of our government, and disgrace its brave officers, cre¬
ated in us all a hatred of the very name of federalism 1 record the
fact, and appeal to ail the prisoners who have now returned home, to
confirm my assertion ; and I declare I have erased not a little on this
head out of courtesy to a large and sangtii'ie party, who have erred, and
strayed from the right way, by not knowing the true character of the
English.
I feel no animesity, or disrespect to any gentleman of the federal, or
opposition party ; but they must excuse me for remarking that their
conduct, and their sentiments, as they appeared in messages, proclama¬
tions, speeches and resolves, and their combinations for withholding loans
of money from government, with their denunciations of a war, waged
professedly, and as we knew, really, for " Sailor's Bights," made an
impression o^our minds so decidedly against the federalists, that the
very terr" federalism, was with us all, without one single exception,
a term < jep reproacJi. Let him who doubts it ask any piisoner who
made a pa.'t of the six thousand confined in England during the two
years of our late bitter war with England, and he will be satisfied that
I have " nothing extenuated, or set down aught in malice."
I hope and pray for union among ourselves ; and that all party names
»nd distinctions, may be lost in that of AMERICANS.
" Henceforth let Whig and Tory cease,
And turn a!l pai>tv rage to peace ;
" Ro-sl and revive your ancient glory,
" UNITE, and drive the "worldbefore you