The Eventful History Of The Mutiny And Piratical Seizure by Sir John Barrow

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'When a survey was made of what provisions had been saved,
they were found to consist of two or three bags of bread, two
or three breakers of water, and a little wine; so we subsisted
three days upon two wine-glasses of water, and two ounces of
bread per day. On the 1st September we left the island, and on
the 16th, arrived at Coupang in the island of Timor, having
been on short allowance eighteen days. We were put in
confinement in the castle, where we remained till October, and
on the 5th of that month were sent on board a Dutch ship bound
for Batavia.

'Though I have been eight months in close confinement in a hot
climate, I have kept my health in a most surprising manner,
without the least indisposition, and am still perfectly well
in every respect, in mind as well as body; but without a
friend, and only a shirt and pair of trousers to put on, and
carry me home. Yet with all this I have a contented mind,
entirely resigned to the will of Providence, which conduct
alone enables me to soar above the reach of unhappiness.'

In a subsequent letter to his sister he says,
'I send you two little sketches of the manner in which his Majesty's
ship _Pandora_ went down on the 29th August, and of the appearance
which we who survived made on the small sandy key within the reef,
about ninety yards long and sixty broad, in all ninety-nine souls;
here we remained three days, subsisting on a single wine-glass of
wine or water, and two ounces of bread a day, with no shelter from
the meridian and then vertical sun. Captain Edwards had tents
erected for himself and his people, and we prisoners petitioned him
for an old sail which was lying useless, part of the wreck, but he
refused it; and the only shelter we had was to bury ourselves up to
the neck in the burning sand, which scorched the skin entirely off
our bodies, for we were quite naked, and we appeared as if dipped
in large tubs of boiling water. We were nineteen days in the same
miserable situation before we landed at Coupang. I was in the ship,
in irons, hands and feet, much longer than till the position you
now see her in, the poop alone being above water (and that knee
deep), when a kind Providence assisted me to get out of irons and
escape from her.'

The treatment of these unhappy men was almost as bad at Batavia as in
the _Pandora_, being closely confined in irons in the castle, and fed on
very bad provisions; and the hardships they endured on their passage to
England, in Dutch ships, were very severe, having, as he says, slept on
nothing but hard boards on wet canvas, without any bed, for seventeen
months, always subsisting on short allowance of execrable provisions,
and without any clothes for some time, except such as the charity of two
young men in the ship supplied him with. He had during his confinement
at Batavia learned to make straw hats, and finished several with both
his hands in fetters, which he sold for half-a-crown a-piece; and with
the produce of these he procured a suit of coarse clothes, in which,
with a cheerful and light heart, notwithstanding all his sufferings, he
arrived at Portsmouth. How he preserved his health under the dreadful
sufferings he endured, and in eight months' close confinement in a hot
climate, is quite wonderful.

On the second day after the arrival of the _Gorgon_ at Spithead the
prisoners were transferred to the _Hector_, commanded by Captain (the
late Admiral Sir George) Montague, where they were treated with the
greatest humanity, and every indulgence allowed that could with
propriety be extended to men in their unhappy situation, until the
period when they were to be arraigned before the competent authority,
and put on their trials for mutiny and piracy, which did not take place
until the month of September.

In this period of anxious and awful suspense, a most interesting
correspondence was carried on between this unfortunate youth and his
numerous friends, which exhibits the character of himself and the whole
family in the most amiable and affectionate colours, and in a more
particular manner, of that adorable creature, his sister Nessy, who, in
one of her letters, accounts for the peculiar warmth of her attachment
and expressions by their being nearly of the same age, and engaged in
the same pursuits, whether of study or amusement in their juvenile
years. The poor mother, on hearing of his arrival, thus addresses her
unfortunate son:--

'_Isle of Man, June 29th,_ 1792.

'Oh! my ever dearly-beloved and long-lost son, with what
anxiety have I waited for this period! I have counted the
days, hours, and even minutes, since I first heard of the
horrid and unfortunate mutiny which has so long deprived me of
my dearest boy: but now the happy time is come when, though I
cannot have the unspeakable pleasure of seeing and embracing
you, yet I hope we may be allowed to correspond; surely there
can be nothing improper in a liberty of this sort between an
affectionate mother and her dutiful and beloved son, who, I am
perfectly convinced, was never guilty of the crime he has been
suspected of by those who did not know his worth and truth. I
have not the least doubt but that the all-gracious God, who of
his good providence has protected you so long, and brought you
safe through so many dangers and difficulties, will still
protect you, and at your trial make your innocence appear as
clear as the light. All your letters have come safe to me, and
to my very dear good Nessy. Ah! Peter, with what real joy did
we all receive them, and how happy are we that you are now
safe in England! I will endeavour, my dearest lad, to make
your present situation as comfortable as possible, for so
affectionate and good a son deserves my utmost attention.
Nessy has written to our faithful and kind friend, Mr.
Heywood, of Plymouth, for his advice, whether it would be
proper for her to come up to you; if he consents to her so
doing, not a moment shall be lost, and how happy shall I be
when she is with you! Such a sister as she is! Oh! Peter, she
is a most valuable girl,' etc.

On the same day this 'most valuable girl' thus writes:--[21]

'MY DEAREST AND MOST BELOVED BROTHER--Thanks to that Almighty
Providence which has so miraculously preserved you, your fond,
anxious, and, till now, miserable Nessy, is at last permitted
to address the object of her tenderest affection in England!
Oh! my admirable, my heroic boy, what have we felt on your
account! yet how small, how infinitely trifling was the misery
of our situation when compared with the horror of yours! Let
me now, however, with confidence hope that the God of all
mercies has not so long protected you in vain, but will at
length crown your fortitude and pious resignation to His will
with that peace and happiness you so richly merit. How blest
did your delightful and yet dreadful letter from Batavia make
us all! Surely, my beloved boy, you could not for a moment
imagine we ever supposed you guilty of the crime of mutiny.
No, no; believe me, no earthly power could have persuaded us
that it was possible for you to do anything inconsistent with
strict honour and duty. So well did we know your amiable,
steady principles, that we were assured your reasons for
staying behind would turn out such as you represent them; and
I firmly trust that Providence will at length restore you to
those dear and affectionate friends, who can know no happiness
until they are blest with your loved society. Take care of
your precious health, my angelic boy. I shall soon be with
you; I have written to Mr. Heywood (your and our excellent
friend and protector) for his permission to go to you
immediately, which my uncle Heywood, without first obtaining
it, would not allow, fearing lest any precipitate step might
injure you at present; and I only wait the arrival of his next
letter to fly into your arms. Oh! my best beloved Peter, how I
anticipate the rapture of that moment!--for alas! I have no
joy, no happiness, but in your beloved society, and no hopes,
no fears, no wishes, but for you.'

Mr. Heywood's sisters all address their unfortunate brother in
the same affectionate, but less impassioned strain; and a
little trait of good feeling is mentioned, on the part of an
old female servant, that shows what a happy and attached
family the Heywoods were, previous to the melancholy affair in
which their boy became entangled. Mrs. Heywood says, 'my good
honest Birket is very well, and says your safe return has made
her more happy than she has been for these two and forty years
she has been in our family.' And Miss Nessy tells him, 'Poor
Birket, the most faithful and worthiest of servants, desires
me to tell you that she almost dies with joy at the thought of
your safe arrival in England. What agony, my dear boy, has she
felt on your account! her affection for you knows no bounds,
and her misery has indeed been extreme; but she still lives to
bless your virtues.'

The poor prisoner thus replies, from his Majesty's ship _Hector_, to his
'beloved sisters all':--

'This day I had the supreme happiness of your long-expected
letters, and I am not able to express the pleasure and joy
they afforded me; at the sight of them my spirits, low and
dejected, were at once exhilarated; my heart had long and
greatly suffered from my impatience to hear of those most dear
to me, and was tossed and tormented by the storms of fearful
conjecture--but they are now subsided, and my bosom has at
length attained that long-lost serenity and calmness it once
enjoyed: for you may believe me when I say it never yet has
suffered any disquiet from my own misfortunes, but from a
truly anxious solicitude for, and desire to hear of, your
welfare. God be thanked, you still entertain such an opinion
of me as I will flatter myself I have deserved; but why do I
say so? can I make myself too worthy the affectionate praises
of such amiable sisters? Oh! my Nessy, it grieves me to think
I must be under the necessity, however heart-breaking to
myself, of desiring you will relinquish your most affectionate
design of coming to see me; it is too long and tedious a
journey, and even on your arrival, you would not be allowed
the wished-for happiness, both to you and myself, of seeing,
much less conversing with, your unfortunate brother: the rules
of the service are so strict, that prisoners are not
permitted to have any communication with female relations;
thus even the sight of, and conversation with, so truly
affectionate a sister is for the present denied me! The
happiness of such an interview let us defer till a time
(which, please God, will arrive) when it can be enjoyed with
more freedom, and unobserved by the gazing eyes of an
inquisitive world, which in my present place of confinement
would of course not be the case.

'I am very happy to hear that poor old Birket is still alive;
remember me to her, and tell her not to _heave aback_, until
God grants me the pleasure of seeing her.

'And now, my dear Nessy, cease to anticipate the happiness of
personal communication with your poor, but resigned brother,
until wished-for freedom removes the indignant shackles I now
bear, from the feet of your fond and most affectionate
brother, P.H.'

In a subsequent letter to his sister, he says, 'Let us at present be
resigned to our fate, contented with this sort of communication, and be
thankful to God for having even allowed us that happiness--for be
assured the present confinement is _liberty_, compared with what it has
been for the fifteen months last past.' On the 15th July, Commodore
Pasley addresses the following business-like letter to Miss Heywood.

'I received your letter, my dearest Nessy, with the enclosure
[her brother's narrative], but did not choose to answer it
until I had made a thorough investigation; that is, seen
personally all the principal evidences, which has ever since
occupied my whole thoughts and time. I have also had some
letters from himself; and notwithstanding he must still
continue in confinement, every attention and indulgence
possible is granted him by Captain Montague of the _Hector_,
who is my particular friend. I have no doubt of the truth of
your brother's narrative; the master, boatswain, gunner, and
carpenter, late of the _Bounty_, I have seen, and have the
pleasure to assure you that they are all favourable, and
corroborate what he says. That _fellow_, Captain Edwards,
whose inhuman rigour of confinement I shall never forget, I
have likewise seen; he cannot deny that Peter avowed himself
late of the _Bounty_ when he came voluntarily aboard; this is
a favourable circumstance. I have been at the Admiralty, and
read over all the depositions taken and sent home by Bligh and
his officers from Batavia, likewise the court-martial on
himself; in none of which appears anything against Peter. As
soon as Lieutenant Hayward arrives with the remainder of the
_Pandora's_ crew, the court-martial is to take place. I shall
certainly attend, and we must have an able counsellor to
assist, for I will not deceive you, my dear Nessy, however
favourable circumstances may appear, our martial law is
severe; by the tenor of it, the man who stands neuter is
equally guilty with him who lifts his arm against his captain
in such cases. His extreme youth and his delivering himself
up, are the strong points of his defence. Adieu! my dearest
Nessy; present my love to your mother and sisters, and rest
assured of my utmost exertions to extricate your
brother.--Your affectionate uncle, T. PASLEY.'

This excellent man did not stop here: knowing that sea-officers have a
great aversion from counsel, he writes to say, 'A friend of mine, Mr.
Graham, who has been secretary to the different Admirals on the
Newfoundland station for these twelve years, and consequently has acted
as judge-advocate at courts-martial all that time, has offered me to
attend you; he has a thorough knowledge of the service, uncommon
abilities, and is a very good lawyer. He has already had most of the
evidences with him. Adieu! my young friend; keep up your spirits, and
rest assured I shall be watchful for your good. My heart will be more at
ease, if I can get my friend Graham to go down, than if you were
attended by the first counsel in England.'[22] Mr. Graham accordingly
attended, and was of the greatest service at the trial.

Nessy Heywood[23] having in one of her letters inquired of her brother
how tall he was, and having received information on this point,
expressed some surprise that he was not taller. 'And so,' he replies,
'you are surprised I am not taller!--Ah, Nessy! let me ask you
this--suppose the two last years of _your_ growth had been retarded by
close confinement--nearly deprived of all kinds of necessary
aliment--shut up from the all-cheering light of the sun for the space of
five months, and never suffered to breathe the fresh air (an enjoyment
which Providence denies to none of His creatures) during all that
time--and without any kind of exercise to stretch and supple your
limbs--besides many other inconveniences which I will not pain you by
mentioning--how tall should you have been, my dear sister?--answer, four
feet nothing: but enough of nonsense.'

Nessy Heywood had expressed a strong desire to see her brother, but was
told the rules of the service would not allow it; also, that it would
agitate him, when he ought to be cool and collected, to meet his
approaching trial. This was quite enough:--'But as for myself,' she
says, 'no danger, no fatigue, no difficulties, would deter me--I have
youth, and health, and excellent natural spirits--these and the strength
of my affection would support me through it all; if I were not allowed
to see you, yet being in the same place which contains you, would be joy
inexpressible! I will not, however, any longer desire it, but will learn
to imitate your fortitude and patience.'

Mr. Heywood of Maristow, and his daughter, Mrs. Bertie, had intimated
the same thing. These excellent people, from the moment of young
Heywood's arrival, had shown him every kindness, supplied him with
money, and what was better, with friends, who could give him the best
advice. To this worthy lady, Miss Nessy Heywood thus addresses herself.

'Overwhelmed with sensations of gratitude and pleasure, which
she is too much agitated to express, permit me, dearest Madam,
at my mamma's request, to offer you hers and our most sincere
acknowledgements for your invaluable letter, which, from the
detention of the packet, she did not receive till yesterday.
By a letter from my beloved brother, of the same date, we are
informed that Mr. Larkham (whom I suppose to be the gentleman
you mention having sent to see him) has been on board the
_Hector_, and has kindly offered him the most salutary advice
relative to his present situation, for which allow me to
request you will present him our best thanks. He also speaks
with every expression a grateful heart can dictate of your
excellent father's goodness in providing for all his wants,
even before he could have received any letters from us to that
purpose.

'Ah! my dear Madam, how truly characteristic is this of the
kind friendship with which he has ever honoured our family!
But my beloved Peter does not know that Mr. Heywood has a
daughter, whose generosity is equal to his own, and whose
amiable compassion for his sufferings it will be as impossible
for us to forget, as it is to express the admiration and
gratitude it has inspired. It would, I am convinced, be
unnecessary, as well as a very bad compliment to you, Madam,
were I to presume to point out anything particular to be done
for our poor boy, as I have not the least doubt your goodness
and kind intention have long ago rendered every care of that
sort on our part unnecessary. I shall only add, that my mamma
begs every wish he forms may be granted, and sure I am, he
will not desire a single gratification that can be deemed in
the smallest degree improper.

'In one of my brother's letters, dated the 23rd, he hints that
he shall not be permitted to see any of his relations till his
trial is over, and that he therefore does not expect us. I
have, however, written to Mr. Heywood (without whose
approbation I would by no means take any step) for permission
to go to him. If it is absolutely impossible for me to see him
(though in the presence of witnesses), yet even that
prohibition, cruel as it is, I could bear with patience,
provided I might be near him, to see the ship in which he at
present exists--to behold those objects, which, perhaps, at
the same moment, attract his notice--to breathe the same air
which he breathes.--Ah! my dearest Madam, these are
inestimable gratifications, and would convey sensations of
rapture and delight to the fond bosom of a sister, which it
is far, very far beyond my power to describe. Besides, the
anxiety and impatience produced by the immense distance which
now separates us from him, and the uncertainty attending the
packet, render it difficult and sometimes impossible to hear
of him so often as we would wish--and, may I not add (though
Heaven in its mercy forbid it--for alas! the bare idea is too
dreadful, yet it is in the scale of possibility), that some
accident might happen to deprive us of my dearest brother: how
insupportably bitter would then be our reflections, for having
omitted the opportunity, when it was in our power, of
administering comfort and consolation to him in person. For
these reasons, I earnestly hope Mr. Heywood will not judge it
improper to comply with my request, and shall wait with eager
impatience the arrival of his next letter. Think not, my dear
Madam, that it is want of confidence in your care and
attention which makes me solicitous to be with my beloved
brother. Be assured we are all as perfectly easy in that
respect as if we were on the spot; but I am convinced you will
pardon the dictates of an affection which an absence of five
years, rendered still more painful by his sufferings, has
heightened almost to a degree of adoration. I shall, with your
permission, take the liberty of enclosing a letter to my
brother, which I leave open for perusal, and at the same time
request your pardon for mentioning you to him in such terms as
I am apprehensive will wound the delicacy which ever
accompanies generosity like yours; but indeed, my dearest
Madam, I cannot, must not, suffer my beloved boy to remain in
ignorance of that worth and excellence which has prompted you
to become his kind protectress.

'I have the honour to be, with every sentiment of gratitude,
&c., &c, &c,

'NESSY HEYWOOD.'

Among the numerous friends that interested themselves in the fate of
this unhappy youth, was his uncle, Colonel Holwell. The testimony he
bears to his excellent character is corroborated by all who knew him
while a boy at home. About a fortnight before the trial he writes to him
thus:--

'_21st August_, 1792.

'MY VERY DEAR PETER,--I have this day received yours of the
18th, and am happy to find by its contents that,
notwithstanding your long and cruel confinement, you still
preserve your health, and write in good spirits. Preserve it,
my dear boy, awful as the approaching period must be, even to
the most innocent, but from which all who know you have not a
doubt of your rising as immaculate as a new-born infant. I
have known you from your cradle, and have often marked with
pleasure and surprise the many assiduous instances (far beyond
your years) you have given of filial duty and paternal
affection to the best of parents, and to brothers and sisters
who doated on you. Your education has been the best; and from
these considerations alone, without the very clear evidence of
your own testimony, I would as soon believe the Archbishop of
Canterbury would set fire to the city of London as suppose you
could, directly or indirectly, join in such a d----d absurd
piece of business. Truly sorry am I that my state of health
will not permit me to go down to Portsmouth to give this
testimony publicly before that respectable tribunal where your
country's laws have justly ordained you must appear; but
consider this as the _touchstone_, my dear boy, by which your
worth must be known. Six years in the navy myself, and
twenty-eight years a soldier, I flatter myself my judgement
will not prove erroneous. That Power, my dear Peter, of whose
grace and mercy you seem to have so just a sense, will not now
forsake you. Your dear aunt is as must be expected in such a
trying situation, but more from your present sufferings than
any apprehension of what is to follow,' &c.

With similar testimonies and most favourable auguries from
Commodore Pasley, the Rev. Dr. Scott, of the Isle of Man, and
others, young Heywood went to his long and anxiously expected
trial, which took place on the 12th September, and continued
to the 18th of that month. Mrs. Heywood had been anxious that
Erskine and Mingay should be employed as counsel, but Mr.
Graham, whom Commodore Pasley had so highly recommended, gave
his best assistance; as did also Mr. Const, who had been
retained, for which the Commodore expresses his sorrow, as sea
officers, he says, have a great aversion to lawyers. Mr. Peter
Heywood assigns a better reason; in a letter to his sister
Mary he says, that 'Counsel to a naval prisoner is of no
effect, and as they are not allowed to speak, their eloquence
is not of the least efficacy; I request, therefore, you will
desire my dear mother to revoke the letter she has been so
good to write to retain Mr. Erskine and Mr. Mingay, and to
forbear putting herself to so great and needless an expense,
from which no good can accrue. No, no! Mary--it is not the
same as a trial on shore; it would then be highly requisite;
but, in this case, _I_ alone must fight my own battle; and I
think my telling the truth undisguised, in a plain, short, and
concise manner, is as likely to be deserving the victory, as
the most elaborate eloquence of a Cicero upon the same
subject.'

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