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MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE LATE 
 
 CAPTAIN PETER HEYWOOD, R. N. 
 
 WITH EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 HIS DIARIES AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 BY 
 
 EDWARD TAGART, 
 
 l 
 
 Who is the happy Warrior ? Who is he 
 That every man in arms should wish to be ? 
 'Tis he whose law is reason ; who depends 
 
 Upon that law as on the best of friends ; 
 
 Who, if he rise to station of command, 
 Rises by open means ; and there will stand 
 
 On honourable terms, 
 
 And therefore does not stoop, nor lip in wait 
 For wealth or honours, or for worldly state ; 
 A soul whose master- bias leans 
 To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY EFFINGHAM WILSON, 
 ROYAL EXCHANGE. 
 
 1832. 
 
SATHER 
 
 PRINTED BY GEORGE SMALLF1ELD, HACKNEY. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE word c Memoir' is prefixed to this Volume 
 only because the work appeared too long for a hum- 
 bler title. Notices of Captain Heywood's life have 
 already been laid before the public in Marshall's 
 Naval Biography, in the United Service Journal for 
 April 1831, and in the History of the Mutiny of 
 the Bounty. Of these sources of information the 
 author of this volume has freely availed himself; 
 he trusts not in a manner for which this general 
 acknowledgment will not be considered satisfactory. 
 Having been favoured with the perusal of the family 
 volume containing the transactions and correspon- 
 dence which took place at the time of the trial, 
 he had formed the design of drawing up a sketch of 
 Captain Hey wood's character and eventful history 
 before the two last-mentioned writings appeared. 
 That correspondence is of itself quite worthy of 
 appearing in a detached form. Had there been no 
 important additions to make to what was already 
 before the public, two inducements to attempt this 
 presented themselves to his mind ; one, to afford to 
 many of his own friends a portion of the pleasure 
 which he had himself experienced in his acquaint- 
 
 A 
 
 796944 
 
ii PREFACE. 
 
 ance with the subject of this Memoir, combined with 
 'some -particulars respecting him which they would 
 probably never gain from any other source; the 
 other, to avail himself of the interest attached to 
 Captain Heywood's life, and the respect very wide- 
 ly felt for his character, to draw attention to those 
 religious views which certainly were a marked 
 feature in that character, were mainly connected 
 with his vigorous intellect and right feelings, and, 
 in the author's opinion, are the only true founda- 
 tion of that love to God and love to man which 
 constitute the essence of the gospel. 
 
 Yet the author is sensible that he owes some 
 apology to Captain Hey wood's family, and to many 
 respected friends, for venturing to set forth a work 
 to which he cannot be qualified to do justice. 
 With regard to Captain Heywood's merits as an 
 officer, as a scientific, intelligent, and honourable 
 member of the naval profession, he can merely re- 
 peat what has been already said of him, or gather a 
 little from some very imperfect memoranda. His 
 contemporaries in the service are probably aware 
 that he manifested talents of a very superior order 
 on various occasions, which do not appear in any 
 writings respecting him, and which, if they did ap- 
 pear, the author of this volume, from his wholly 
 different sphere of pursuit, would be incapable of 
 properly appreciating. 
 
LIST OF CHARTS. 
 
 THE following list of Charts, constructed by the late 
 Captain P. Hey wood, of the Royal Navy, has been kindly 
 furnished to the Author by Mr. Horsburgh. It appears 
 to be a proper accompaniment to this volume. 
 
 1. A Chart of Rio de la Plata, with complete Sailing 
 Directions for that river. The latter were published by 
 the Committee of Lloyd's ; and are also inserted in 
 Horsburgh's India Directory. The Chart has not been 
 engraved. 
 
 2. A large Chart, in two sheets, of South Africa and 
 the Madagascar Seas from the Cape of Good Hope to the 
 Equator. Published by James Horsburgh. 
 
 3. A Chart of the Malabar Coast from Goa to Cape 
 Comorin. Published by the late Mr. Dalrymple, Hydro- 
 grapher to the Admiralty. 
 
 4. A Plan of Mergee River, on the Malabar Coast. 
 Published by the late Mr. Dalrymple, Hydrographer to 
 the Admiralty. 
 
 5. A Chart of the South and East Coast of Ceylon 
 from Colombo, round to Point Pedro, the N.E. point 
 Published at the Hydrographical Office, Admiralty. 
 
 6. A Survey made by himself, under the authority of 
 Admiral Rainier, of Point Pedro Shoal, at the N.E. ex- 
 tremity of Ceylon, and from thence along the Coast of 
 Coromandel to Karical. Published by Mr. Dalrymple. 
 
 7. A Chart of the Bay of Bengal. Not engraved. 
 
332 
 
 8. A Chart of the Coasts embracing the Gulf of Mar- 
 
 taban. Not engraved. 
 
 9. A Survey of the Typa of Macao (Canton River). 
 
 Published in 1826, by R. Laurie. 
 
 10. Track Chart among the Philippine Islands and 
 Bashees. Not published. 
 
 11. A Chart of the Straits of Basseelan. Published 
 by Mr. Dalrymple. 
 
 12. A Plan of Pollock Bay, Mindanao. Published by 
 Mr. Dalrymple. 
 
 13. A Chart of the Straits and Islands near the West 
 end of Timor. Not engraved. 
 
 14. A Chart of the Banda Sea, and dangers between 
 Timor and New Holland, the latter explored by Captain 
 Hey wood. Not published. 
 
 15. A Chart of Sangir and Togalando Passages, North 
 of Celebes. Published by Mr. Dalrymple. 
 
 Exclusive of the above, Captain Heywood delineated 
 some other plans of shoals, and anchoring places, of which 
 no copy is in my possession. But the positions or geo- 
 graphical situations of many places and dangers, through- 
 out the Eastern seas, were furnished to me by my late 
 much-esteemed friend Captain Heywood, which, together 
 with his valuable observations made in navigating those 
 seas, have essentially contributed to render my Sailing 
 Directory for the Indian navigation much more perfect 
 than it would otherwise have been. 
 
 JAMES HORSBURGH. 
 
 G. SMALLFIELD, PRINTER, HACKNEY. 
 

PREFACE. iil 
 
 Captain Hey wood was among the first who paid 
 particular attention to the use of Chronometers at 
 sea, and aided in bringing that art to perfection. 
 The arrangement of the signals at present in use in 
 the English Navy is understood to have been in- 
 debted to him for some very beneficial suggestions. 
 He constructed many valuable Charts of seas whose 
 navigation was wholly unknown before he register- 
 ed his observations. But perhaps his chief excel- 
 lence as an officer was the activity and singleness 
 of his attention to the duties of his station -his 
 conscientiousness in their discharge together with 
 an entire freedom from ordinary weaknesses of cha- 
 racter, from selfish ends and aims, which gave him 
 an easy superiority in command, and invariably at- 
 tached all around him to his person. 
 
 It was the author's chief wish to exhibit his cha- 
 racter as a man. But for this also, his qualifica- 
 tions are feeble. Acquainted with him only a short 
 time before his death, and that when his health was 
 declining, how many traits of character must have 
 escaped his knowledge ! A great and good charac- 
 ter, like one of nature's varied landscapes, may be 
 admired at the first glance, but it requires to be seen 
 in every variety of light and shade, to be again and 
 again contemplated from one advantageous position 
 and another, before all its value can be appreciated. 
 How many scenes are there, that can never appear 
 at first to the eye of the most ardent and tasteful 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 lover of the beautiful works of God with that deep 
 and peculiar feeling of fond admiration, that com- 
 prehension of all their latent sources of interest and 
 value, which time and familiarity have wrought for 
 them in the heart of one who has been their com- 
 panion from the rising to the going down of the 
 sun, who has watched their varying aspect in 
 stillness and in storm ! Captain Heywood's was 
 no ordinary mind. With that reserve which is al- 
 ways more or less the accompaniment of self-respect, 
 never obtruding himself on the attention, he had 
 4 that within which passeth show/ He was one of 
 those richly-endowed beings, with respect to whose 
 minds every succeeding interview impresses upon 
 you the conviction, that there is still many an un- 
 discovered vein of valuable ore to become the prize 
 of some further acquaintance. 
 
 While the author confesses these disqualifica- 
 tions, he will be happy to see his omissions sup- 
 plied, his errors corrected, by others who have en- 
 joyed superior opportunities. Aware that many of 
 Captain Heyw r ood*s letters are in the possession of 
 his friends, and that a large collection of them has 
 been made, he has of course been often tempted to 
 wish that he could have enriched his volume with 
 more of Captain Hey wood's correspondence. The 
 author owns he has no reason to make the observa- 
 tion from experience ; but it is a difficult and deli- 
 cate thing to apply as a stranger to strangers more 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 especially when the purpose of the applicant might 
 be viewed with a very doubtful eye. He has been 
 checked, too, by the remembrance of Captain Hey- 
 wood's peculiar modesty and reserve, his disincli- 
 nation to have his name and sentiments paraded 
 before the public eye a disinclination sufficiently 
 manifested by the fact that he destroyed a consider- 
 able number of manuscripts before his death, per- 
 haps the only materials for a faithful representation 
 of his whole mind. 
 
 To the Mutiny of the Bounty the author owes 
 more than general acknowledgment. With a few 
 verbal alterations, the general arrangement and con- 
 necting links of the correspondence which took 
 place previous to the trial have been adopted from 
 that volume. It appeared unnecessary to attempt an 
 improvement. But in the course of transcription 
 for the press, some passages have escaped that refer- 
 ence to their source which ought to have been ob- 
 served, particularly the introduction of the quota- 
 tion from Lord Byron, with the preceding remarks 
 in the narration of the shipwreck of the Pandora, 
 which appeared too apt to be torn from their asso- 
 ciation ; and the observations on Christian's motives 
 for detaining Hey wood, with the note, pp. 150 
 152. Yet in this part of the Memoir some addi- 
 tions have been made to the correspondence from 
 that family volume to which the historian of the 
 Mutiny of the Bounty acknowledges his obligations. 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 The author has only to add, that for the appear- 
 ance of this volume and its contents he alone is re- 
 sponsible. The diaries, from which some extracts 
 are given, were entrusted to his hands by Mrs. 
 Hey wood out of regard to the interest which that 
 lady knew the author to feel in Captain Heywood's 
 memory, and to enable him to see better what Cap- 
 tain Heywood was, but without any view to publi- 
 cation. Upon himself, therefore, must entirely rest 
 the blame, if there be any, arising from their ap- 
 pearance. He has endeavoured to avoid every 
 thing w r hich could apply otherwise than pleasantly 
 to any living individual. To have done otherwise 
 would have been injustice to Captain Heywood's 
 memory as well as to the parties concerned. 
 
 He hopes that, although he may not have been 
 successful in giving a perfect picture of this beloved 
 and respected man, there may yet be found in this 
 volume a sufficiently rude outline of his life and cha- 
 racter to render it not unworthy the occasional con- 
 templation of those who knew and loved him best. 
 4 Passing sweet are the domains of tender memory ;' 
 and in these domains no spots are sweeter than 
 the haunts of departed worth the spots where we 
 can meet and converse again with the honoured and 
 virtuous dead. 
 
( vii ) 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Page 
 
 Birth and parentage of Peter Hey wood makes his first voyage 
 in the Bounty Mutiny unfavourable sentiments of Lieu- 
 tenant Bligh Pandora sent in search of the Mutineers 
 Heywood hastens on board the Pandora, and is confined in 
 irons wreck of that vessel, and Heywood's sufferings 
 Heywood's letter to his Mother from Batavia Miss N. Hey- 
 wood's letters to Mr. Heywood, of Maristow, and Commo- 
 dore Pasley Heywood's arrival at Portsmouth after great 
 sufferings ----..---------- 1 52 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Correspondence of Peter Heywood with his Mother and Sisters 
 during his confinement on board the Hector awaiting his 
 trial letters from Commodore Pasley to Miss N. Heywood 
 and Peter Miss N. Heywood anxious to visit her brother, 
 but is dissuaded lines composed by Peter Heywood at Ota- 
 heite Peter Heywood's letter to his Mother, correcting the 
 story of his swimming off to the Pandora, and describing his 
 conduct on the island letters from Colonel Holwell, Dr. 
 Scott, and Commodore Pasley ..-. 53 95 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 The trial evidence of the witnesses Mr. Heywood's defence 
 Heywood found guilty, and is sentenced to death, but re- 
 commended to mercy remarks Nessy Heywood's impa- 
 tience to join her brother Mr. Graham's consolatory letter 
 to Dr. Scott Heywood's letter to the same, expressing his 
 resignation touching letter to his mother Nessy Heywood 
 visits Mr. Graham in London Peter Heywood's remarks on 
 material points of the evidence transmitted to the Earl of 
 Chatham Nessy Heywood's letter accompanying them 
 despatch of the warrant granting a full and free pardon to 
 Heywood consequent correspondence Heywood's restora- 
 tion to his family lines written by Mr. Heywood on the 
 days of his condemnation and pardon 96 163 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Page 
 
 Heywood re-enters the navy -his gradual promotion takes 
 the command of the Vulcan at Amboyna surveys the island 
 of Ceylon Admiral Rainier's honourable testimony to his 
 services returns to England in company with James Hors- 
 burgh, Esq. becomes Captain of the Polyphemus in 1806 
 proceeds to the Rio de la Plata description of Port Praya 
 and Cape Town of the climate and country of Monte Video 
 returns to England assists Mr. Horsburgh in constructing 
 charts engaged for a short time on the French coast, and 
 receives the thanks of the Admiralty for his conduct in the 
 presence of a French squadron receives a commission for 
 the Nereus, and joins Lord Collingwood in the Mediterra- 
 nean procures the admission of British forces into the for- 
 tress of Ceuta returns to England with the remains of Lord 
 Collingwood employed in the Rio de la Plata on various 
 confidential services account of Tristrian D'Acunha, Gough's 
 Island, and Benguela observations on the contest between 
 the Junta of Buenos Ayres and the Government at Monte 
 Video various transactions on that station honourable tes- 
 timonies of the British merchants to Captain Heywood's ser- 
 vices returns home paper on the commerce to the Rio de 
 la Plata is again employed on the South American station 
 observations on the government and inhabitants of Buenos 
 Ayres letters to Lord Melville on the state of Chili Capt. 
 Heywood prevails on the Government of Buenos Ayres to 
 permit the exportation of specie he returns to England, 
 and again receives the thanks of the merchants for his re- 
 marks on the Rio de la Plata is appointed to the command 
 of the Montagu, and ordered to the Mediterranean letter 
 describing his meeting with two unfortunate Taheitians 
 opinions on American naval officers the Montagu paid off 
 at Chatham seaman's farewell to H. M. S. Montagu Capt. 
 Heywood retires from professional duty 164303 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Captain Hey wood's marriage letter to Lord Melville declining 
 the rank of Commodore letter on the state of Greece and 
 its subjection to the priesthood his moral excellence and 
 religious views his last illness and death 304333 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 P. 94, Hue 12, for " sed tout," read set taut. 
 
 P. 288, line 3 of note, for " meeting," read mutiny 
 
MEMOIR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PETER HEY WOOD, the fourth son of Peter John 
 Heywood, Esq., was born at the Nunnery, near 
 Douglas, on the 6th of June, 1773. His father 
 was a Deemster of the Isle of Man, and Seneschal 
 to his Grace the Duke of Athol. 
 
 No particulars of his early years have reached us, 
 except that he was educated by the Rev. Mr. 
 Hunter, at Nantwich. Were it possible to trace 
 the history of his boyish days, there is every thing 
 in his subsequent life to inspire the belief, that he 
 would be found honourably distinguished among his 
 compeers by various traits of superior talent and 
 generous disposition. 
 
 At the early age of fifteen, he entered the Naval 
 Service, on the llth of October, 1786. Even at 
 that age he was the object, not only of the warmest 
 affection, but of the entire confidence and unquali- 
 fied esteem of his family. In the words of a be- 
 loved sister, who will shortly be introduced to the 
 reader's acquaintance, " Nothing but conviction 
 from his own mouth could possibly persuade her, 
 
2 
 
 that he would commit an action inconsistent with 
 honour and duty." It is certain that his behaviour 
 and letters, under the extraordinary and awful 
 scenes of suffering which awaited him on his very 
 entrance into life, display a strength and nobleness 
 of soul to which no epitaph can do justice ; which 
 must reflect great credit upon his domestic training, 
 and, without other evidence, attract our respect 
 towards that family of which he was a member. 
 Indeed, his conduct and sentiments, whilst he was 
 yet a boy, exhibit a spirit so rare and extraordinary, 
 as almost to justify the conviction, that the natures 
 of some human beings are of a superior quality, 
 setting them at once above the common level of 
 their species that, in the language of the great 
 poet of human nature, "they are born great," and 
 that circumstances are but the occasions of develop- 
 ing this native greatness this inherent dignity, 
 which attaches to them from the cradle to the 
 
 grave. 
 
 Peter Heywood made his first voyage as a Mid- 
 shipman in the Bounty, a ship of about two hundred 
 and fifty tons' burthen, which had been fitted up by 
 government, under the care of Sir Joseph Bankes, 
 for the purpose of conveying the Bread Fruit and 
 other plants from Otaheite to the West Indies. 
 This was done in consequence of the representations 
 of the merchants and planters, that essential benefit 
 would be derived from their introduction into the 
 West-Indian colonies. 
 
On the 23d of December, 1787, the Bounty 
 sailed from Spithead, under the command of Lieu- 
 tenant William Bligh. The melancholy issue of 
 the voyage is very generally known. For the 
 details of its history, the character of Bligh, and the 
 circumstances which sowed the seeds of discord 
 between the crew and their commander, the reader 
 may be referred to the twenty-fifth number of the 
 Family Library, and Marshall's Naval Biography. 
 It suffices here to mention, that, after a hazardous 
 and unsuccessful attempt to sail round Cape Horn, 
 the Bounty turned away towards the Cape of Good 
 Hope, touched in Adventure Bay, Van Diemen's 
 Land, August the 20th, 1788, and anchored in 
 Matavia Bay, October 26th, where she remained 
 six months. The vessel was on her way home, 
 laden with bread fruit and other plants, in flourish- 
 ing condition, having so far fulfilled the object of 
 her voyage, when between the hours of 4 and 8, 
 A. M., on the 28th of April, 1789, the unhappy 
 catastrophe, fraught with so many terrible conse- 
 quences, took place. 
 
 Mr. Christian, the master's mate, who, in conse- 
 quence of his skill as a seaman, had been doing 
 lieutenant's duty the greater part of the voyage, was 
 called at the appointed hour to relieve the watch. 
 His mind had been deeply wounded by some angry 
 and insulting words that had fallen from his com- 
 mander in a dispute two days before ; and it ap- 
 pears that he had formed the design of quitting the 
 
 B 2 
 
ship the first opportunity, having prepared with 
 that view a stout plank and staves for a raft, deter- 
 mined at all risks to commit himself to the waves. 
 When he came on deck to take the command of the 
 watch, he found the two midshipmen, who were 
 mates of the watch, Hay ward and Hallet, asleep. 
 Relying on the disaffection of many of the crew, he 
 instantly changed his purpose of quitting, into the 
 far more daring one of seizing the shi"p. Under 
 pretence of wanting to shoot a shark, he obtained 
 the keys of the arm chest from the gunner, and, 
 placing arms in the hands of those whom he could 
 trust, he effected his purpose without resistance 
 and without delay. Lieutenant Bligh and eighteen 
 innocent companions were cast adrift in the launch, 
 a boat scarcely large enough to sustain the burthen ; 
 with such scanty provisions as the compassion of 
 the more tender-hearted part of the crew supplied, 
 and opportunity enabled them to throw into the 
 boat. To the astonishment of all concerned, and 
 of those, too, who read the interesting account of 
 their sufferings in one of the most extraordinary 
 voyages eyer made, twelve out of the nineteen lived 
 to reach their country and their homes. 
 
 Young Heywood, now in his sixteenth year, 
 awoke from his sleep in the midst of these transac- 
 tions. To his surprise, his eye was caught by the un- 
 usual sight of a seaman sitting on an arm-chest, with 
 a drawn cutlass in his hand. In reply to his in- 
 quiries respecting the cause of it, he heard that the 
 
ship had been taken from the captain, who was 
 already confined, and was to be sent home a pri- 
 soner. Heywood then ran on deck, and in a 
 stupor of amazement beheld the proceedings. For 
 some minutes he stood uncertain whether to com- 
 mit himself to what appeared to be certain death, 
 by going with his lieutenant in the boat, or to 
 remain in the ship ; but, as was natural, he inclined 
 to the latter. Upon the representation of a com- 
 panion of the probable danger of remaining, he ran 
 down to his berth to fetch some clothes, with a final 
 resolution of accompanying the launch, when his 
 companion, Mr. Stewart, and himself were forcibly 
 kept below by one of the crew named Churchill, 
 who presented a pistol at the breast of the first that 
 attempted to mount. Thus Mr. P. Heywood, who 
 had not yet completed his sixteenth year, and of 
 whom Lieutenant Bligh declares, that previous to 
 this time, " his conduct had always given him 
 much pleasure and satisfaction," arid upon whom 
 it really appears, that his greatest hopes of sup- 
 pressing the mutiny rested, was numbered with the 
 guilty mutineers, " compelled, by circumstances 
 over which he had no controul, to associate for 
 a time with the misguided men who so grossly 
 offended against the laws of their country." 
 
 Lieutenant Bligh, singularly preserved from a 
 complication of dangers, landed at the Isle of Wight 
 on the 14th of March, 1790. Soon after his arrival 
 he published a Narrative of the Voyage and Mutiny, 
 
in which every thing is naturally represented in the 
 light most favourable to himself; and great allow- 
 ance must surely be made for the colouring of a 
 mind exasperated, by the remembrance of suffering, 
 against the authors of his losses and disappoint- 
 ments, and of all the miseries which he and his com- 
 panions endured. But, as the author of the History 
 of the Mutiny justly observes, no excuse can be 
 found for one who deeply and unfeelingly, without 
 provocation and in cold blood, inflicts a wound on 
 the heart of a widowed mother, already torn with 
 anguish and tortured by suspense for a beloved 
 son, whose life w r as in imminent jeopardy. 
 
 About the end of March, 1790, two months 
 subsequent to the death of a most beloved and 
 lamented husband, Mrs. Heywood received the af- 
 flicting information, but by report only, of a mutiny 
 having taken place on board the Bounty. In that 
 ship Mrs. Heywood's son had been serving as mid- 
 shipman, who, when he left his home in August, 
 1787, was under fifteen years of age, a boy de- 
 servedly admired and beloved by all who knew him, 
 and to his own family almost an object of adoration, 
 for his superior understanding and the amiable 
 qualities of his disposition. In a state of mind 
 little short of distraction, on hearing this fatal in- 
 telligence, which was at the same time aggravated 
 by every circumstance of guilt that calumny or 
 malice could invent with respect to this unfortunate 
 youth, who was said to be one of the ringleaders, and 
 
to have gone armed into the captain's cabin, his 
 mother addressed a letter to Captain Bligh, dictated 
 by a mother's tenderness, and strongly expressive of 
 the miseries she must necessarily feel on such an 
 occasion. The following is Bligh's reply : 
 
 'London, Aprils, 1790. 
 c MADAM, 
 
 ' I received your letter this day, and feel for you 
 very much, being perfectly sensible of the extreme 
 distress your must suffer from the conduct of your 
 son Peter. His baseness is beyond all description, 
 but I hope you will endeavour to prevent the loss 
 of him, heavy as the misfortune is, from afflicting 
 you too severely. I imagine he is, with the rest of 
 the mutineers, returned to Otaheite. 
 
 4 1 am, Madam, 
 (Signed) c WM. BLIGH.' 
 
 Colonel Holwell, the uncle of young Heywood, 
 had previously addressed Bligh on the same melan- 
 choly subject, to whom he returned the following 
 answer : 
 
 ' March 26, 1790. 
 
 <SlR, 
 
 4 1 have just this instant received your letter. 
 With much concern I inform you that your nephew, 
 Peter Heywood, is among the mutineers. His in- 
 gratitude to me is of the blackest dye, for I was a 
 father to him in every respect, and he never once 
 
had an angry word from me through the whole course 
 of the voyage, as his conduct always gave me much 
 pleasure and satisfaction. I very much regret that 
 so much baseness formed the character of a young 
 man I had a real regard for, and it will give me 
 much pleasure to hear that his friends can bear the 
 loss of him without much concern. 
 
 c I am, Sir, &c. 
 (Signed) <WM.BLIGH.> 
 
 c The only way of accounting for this ferocity 
 of sentiment towards a youth, who had in point of 
 fact no concern in the mutiny, is by a reference to 
 certain points of evidence given by Hayward, Hal- 
 lat, and Purcell on the court-martial, each point 
 wholly unsupported. Those in the boat would no 
 doubt, during their long passage, often discuss the 
 conduct of their messmates left in the Bounty, and 
 the unsupported evidence given by these three was 
 well calculated to create in Blights mind a prejudice 
 against young Heywood ; yet, if so, it affords but a 
 poor excuse for harrowing up the feelings of near 
 and dear relatives/ 
 
 The following letters exhibit a very different 
 spirit, but shew how dark was the view which even 
 those most interested in young Heywood's favour 
 took of his conduct and situation. 
 
 * Mutiny of the Bounty. 
 
W.S. STANHOPE, JSs^., to Capt. SHUTTLEWORTH. 
 
 4 Grosvenor Square, April 13, 1790. 
 
 4 MY DEAR S. 
 
 4 I have made all the inquiries I could respecting 
 the ship Bounty and the circumstances of the late 
 
 Mutinv 
 
 / 
 
 c With respect to young Heywood in particular, I 
 have been able to learn nothing further than that, 
 as he was not one of those who were sent off with 
 Captain Bligh, he is presumed to be among the 
 mutineers. The consequence of such a mutiny is 
 very alarming, of which his friends appear to be very 
 sensible ; but, on the other hand, the particular 
 circumstances of this mutiny are unknown, the 
 possibility that young Heywood may have had little 
 to do with it, but have been kept on board on ac- 
 count of his youth, the possibility also of escape, 
 and in case of the worst, there being, I believe, a 
 senior officer to him on board in the same predica- 
 ment, who is nearly related to a man in high office, 
 are circumstances which may administer some little 
 hope of comfort to his family in their present dis- 
 tressful state/ 
 
 His warmly-attached sister, Miss Nessy Hey- 
 wood, with an ardour peculiarly her own, and with 
 a pen that never rested in his service, from the first 
 delayed not to make every inquiry respecting her 
 brother. Her uncle, J. M. Heywood, Esq., thus 
 replies to that young lady : 
 
10 
 
 c London, April 14, 1790. 
 c DEAR MADAM, 
 
 * I should have given an earlier answer to the 
 favour of your letter if I had not waited to see Lieut. 
 Bligh. I yesterday had the good fortune to meet 
 with him, when I obtained all the intelligence I 
 could respecting your unfortunate brother. When 
 I inquired what his behaviour and conduct had been 
 previous to the arrival of the ship at Otaheite, he 
 told me he had no reason to find any fault with him, 
 but expressed his astonishment at his having been 
 of the number of those who deserted, after having 
 shewn him always great kindness and attention. I 
 believe Mr. Bligh and the whole of the ship's crew, 
 who came away with him, are unanimous in ascrib- 
 ing this horrid transaction to the attachments un- 
 fortunately formed to the women of Otaheite. He 
 has no idea of any other, and believes that the plan 
 of the mutiny had not been concerted many days 
 before it was carried into execution. He particu- 
 larly told me that your brother was not one of those 
 who entered his cabin, which circumstance gave 
 
 me great satisfaction I have only to add that 
 
 I sincerely sympathize in the sufferings of poor Mrs. 
 Heywood and your whole family. It is happy for 
 her that she is ignorant of the true cause of your 
 brother's not returning ; * and I hope she will ever 
 remain so. As the unfortunate and uncommon 
 
 * Mr. Bligh's letter to Mrs. Heywood was concealed from her. 
 
11 
 
 situation into which his strange conduct has thrown 
 him, may prevent, for a length of time at least, his 
 return to England, the only consolation I can hold 
 out to you is, that when he does return, his general 
 good conduct and character, previous to this unhappy 
 business, may, with some allowance for the un- 
 bridled passions of youth, plead for his pardon* 
 You must have the philosophy at present to con- 
 sider him as lost for ever. But I trust that Provi- 
 dence will restore him to you, and enable him by 
 his future good behaviour to make atonement to his 
 country, and to those shipmates who have suffered 
 such extreme hardships, and so narrowly escaped 
 death. With my best wishes to all your family, 
 6 I remain, my dear Madam, 
 
 6 Your most faithful, humble servant, 
 
 ' J. M. H.' 
 
 The following letter from Mr. Hallet, one of the 
 midshipmen, who came home with Lieutenant Bligh, 
 though dated somewhat later, may be placed here 
 to shew how the feelings of the Heywood family 
 were harassed by the worst views of Peter's con- 
 duct. 
 
 Mr. HALLET to Miss N. HEYWOOD. 
 
 c Loch Ryan, 29^ March, 1792. 
 c MADAM, 
 
 c Your affecting letter of the 15th February did 
 not come to hand till the 15th of this month, which 
 
12 
 
 I take the earliest opportunity of answering, and 
 assure you that I sympathize strongly in your grief, 
 and will, as far as in me lies, answer your different 
 interrogations. I shall begin with saying, that be- 
 fore the unfortunate period at which the mutiny in 
 the Bounty took place, the conduct of your brother 
 was such as to have procured him our universal 
 esteem. But what were the unpropitious motives 
 by which he was induced to side with the criminal 
 party, I am totally ignorant of, nor can I (as you 
 may readily conceive it was a time of great confu- 
 sion among us) declare positively the part he acted 
 in it. Should I ever be called upon to give my 
 evidence, w r hich you must be sensible will be a dis- 
 tressing thing for a person to give against those 
 with whom he had formerly lived in habits of inti- 
 macy, notwithstanding the friendship I had for your 
 brother, I shall be strictly bound by oath to adhere 
 to truth, though I hope, if ever a trial should take 
 place, that the consideration of his youth, at the time 
 he committed the rash act, which might, as has too 
 frequently been the case, lay him open to be led 
 away with wrong notions by those who had arrived 
 at more mature years, will plead with the jury in 
 his favour. 
 
 4 I am, Madam, 
 
 4 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 4 J. HALLET/ 
 
 4 His Majesty's government were no sooner made 
 
13 
 
 acquainted with the atrocious act of piracy and 
 mutiny, than it determined to adopt every possible 
 means to apprehend and bring to condign punish- 
 ment the perpetrators of so foul a deed. For this 
 purpose the Pandora frigate, of twenty-four guns, 
 and one hundred and sixty men, was despatched, 
 under the command of Captain Edward Edwards, 
 with orders to proceed, in the first instance, to Ota- 
 heite, and not finding the mutineers there, to visit 
 the different groups of the Society and Friendly 
 Islands, and others in the neighbouring parts of the 
 Pacific, using his best endeavours to seize and bring 
 home in confinement the whole or such part of the 
 delinquents as he might be able to discover/* 
 
 On the 23d of March, 179 1 5 just eighteen months 
 after the Bounty's last departure from Matavia Bay, 
 the Pandora arrived there in search of that ill-fated 
 ship. Scarcely had she anchored when Messrs. 
 Heywood and Stewart paddled off in a canoe, and 
 made themselves known to her commander, who 
 instantly ordered them to be put both legs in irons, 
 and treated them as though they had been c piratical 
 villains/ as he then thought proper to designate 
 them ; a sufficient proof that Lieutenant Bligh, 
 when reporting the loss of his ship, had made no 
 discrimination between the innocent and the guilty. 
 
 The other survivors of the Bounty, twelve in 
 number, who were then at Otaheite, being shortly 
 
 * Mutiny of the Bounty. 
 
after collected from different parts of the island, 
 handcuffs were made and fitted to the wrists of the 
 whole party ; and a sort of prison, appropriately 
 styled Pandora's Box, being only eleven feet in 
 length, was built upon the after-quarter of the deck, 
 in order that they might be kept separate from the 
 crew, and the more effectually prevented from hav- 
 ing any communication with the natives. Such of 
 those friendly creatures as ventured to look pitifully 
 towards them, were instantly turned out of the 
 ship, and never again allowed to come on board. 
 Two sentinels were kept constantly upon the roof 
 of the prison, with orders to shoot the first of its 
 inmates who should attempt to address another in 
 the Otaheitian dialect. A midshipman was sta- 
 tioned in front of the bulk-head, through which 
 the only air admitted found its way by two iron 
 gratings, each about nine inches square. The mas- 
 ter-at-arms received directions not to converse with 
 the prisoners on any other subject than that of their 
 provisions. Spare hammocks supplied the place of 
 beds until they became crowded with vermin, after 
 which the sufferers were obliged to sleep on the 
 bare deck. The heat of the prison, during calm 
 weather, was so intense that the perspiration ran in 
 streams from their bodies ; and to add to their mi- 
 sery, they were incessantly assailed by the effluvia 
 proceeding from two tubs placed near them. In 
 short, nothing was wanting to render their situation 
 truly deplorable. 
 
15 
 
 From Otaheite the Pandora proceeded to the 
 westward, cruising among the different islands in 
 her route, but without gaining any intelligence of 
 the Bounty. During this search she lost a mid- 
 shipman, and several men who were blown out to 
 sea, when returning from Palrnerstoii's Isles in the 
 jolly boat, and thereby exposed to a lingering death, 
 through hunger. The schooner which had been 
 built by the Bounty's people, and commissioned as 
 a tender by Captain Edwards, also parted company 
 in a gale of wind ; but after encountering many 
 dangers, succeeded in reaching the island of Java. 
 
 c The Pandora arrived on the 29th of August on 
 the coast of New Holland, and close to that extra- 
 ordinary reef of coral rocks, called the 6 Barrier 
 Reef/ which runs along the greater part of the 
 eastern coast, but at a considerable distance from 
 it. Her second lieutenant was immediately sent to 
 ascertain if any opening existed through which she 
 could pass. At 5 P.M. he made a signal in the 
 affirmative, but Captain Edwards wishing to be 
 well informed on the subject, continued lying too 
 until 7 o'clock, by which time the current had set 
 the ship so near to the reef, that soundings were 
 obtained with fifty fathoms of line, although no 
 bottom could previously be found with more than 
 double that quantity. The main-yard was then 
 braced up, in order to stand off; but before the 
 courses could be set, she struck with great violence 
 upon a patch of coral, and almost instantly bilged. 
 
16 
 
 The sails were scarcely furled, and boats hoisted 
 out, when the carpenter reported that she had nine 
 feet water in the hold. 
 
 ' Three of the Bounty's people, Coleman, Nor- 
 man, and M'Intosh, were now let out of irons, and 
 sent to work at the pumps. The others offered 
 their assistance, and begged to be allowed a chance 
 of saving their lives ; instead of which, two addi- 
 tional sentinels were placed over them, with orders 
 to shoot any who should attempt to get rid of their 
 fetters. Seeing no prospect of escape, they betook 
 themselves to prayer, and prepared to meet their 
 fate, every one expecting that the ship would soon 
 go to pieces, her rudder and part of the stern-post 
 being already beat away. 
 
 c About ten o'clock, however, she beat over the 
 reef, and was brought to an anchor in fifteen fathoms 
 water. At this dreadful crisis, the wind blowing 
 very strong, and the ship surrounded by rocks and 
 shoals, all the people who could be spared from the 
 pumps were employed thrumbing a sail to fodder 
 her bottom ; but this scheme was soon abandoned 
 in consequence of one of the chain pumps giving 
 way, and the water gaining rapidly upon the other, 
 which rendered it necessary for every person to bale 
 at the hatchways in order that she might be kept 
 afloat till day-light. Whilst thus engaged, one man 
 was crushed to death by a gun breaking loose, and 
 another killed by a spar falling from the skids into 
 the waist. All the boats excepting one, were in 
 
If 
 
 the mean time kept at a distance from the ship on 
 account of the broken water, and the high surf run- 
 ning near her. 
 
 c About half an hour before day-break, a consulta- 
 tion was held among the officers, who were unani- 
 mously of opinion that nothing more could be done 
 to save the ship, and that every effort should be 
 directed towards the preservation of the crew. Spars, 
 hen-coops, and every thing buoyant, were accord- 
 ingly thrown overboard to afford them support till 
 the boats could come to their aid ; but no notice 
 was taken of the prisoners, although Captain Ed- 
 wards was entreated by Mr. Heywood to have 
 mercy upon them, when he passed over their prison 
 to make his own escape, the ship then lying on her 
 broadside, with the larboard bow completely under 
 water. Fortunately, the master-at-arms, either by 
 accident or design, when slipping from the roof of 
 " Pandora's Box" into the sea, let the keys of the 
 irons fall through the scuttle or entrance, which he 
 had just before opened, and thus enabled them to 
 commence their own liberation, in which they were 
 generously assisted, at the imminent risk of his own 
 life, by William Moulter, a boatswain's mate, who 
 clung to the coamings, and pulled the long bars 
 through the shackles, saying he would set them 
 free, or go to the bottom with them. 
 
 4 Scarcely was this effected when the ship went 
 down, leaving nothing visible but the top-mast 
 cross-trees. The master-at-arms and all the sen- 
 
18 
 
 tinels sunk to rise no more. The cries of them and 
 the other drowning men were awful in the extreme ; 
 and more than half an hour had elapsed before the 
 survivors could be taken up by the boats. Among 
 the former were Mr. Stewart, John Sumner, Richard 
 Skinner, and Henry Hillbrant, the whole of whom 
 perished with their hands still in manacles. 
 
 'On this melancholy occasion, Mr. Hey wood was 
 the last person but three who escaped from the pri- 
 son, into which the water had already found its way 
 through the bulk-head scuttles. Jumping over- 
 board, he seized a plank, and was swimming towards 
 a small sandy quay (key) about three miles distant, 
 when a boat picked him up, and conveyed him thi- 
 ther in a state of nudity. It is worthy of remark, 
 that James Morrison endeavoured to follow his 
 young companion's example, and, although hand- 
 cuffed, managed to keep afloat until a boat came to 
 his assistance. 
 
 'This account would appear almost incredible. 
 It is true, men are sometimes found to act the part 
 of inhuman monsters, but then they are generally 
 actuated by some motive or extraordinary excite- 
 ment ; here, however, there was neither ; but on the 
 contrary, the condition of the poor prisoners ap- 
 pealed most forcibly to the mercy and humanity of 
 their jailor. The surgeon of the ship states, in his 
 account of her loss, that as soon as the spars, booms, 
 hen-coops, and other buoyant articles, were cut 
 loose, " the prisoners were ordered to be let out of 
 
19 
 
 irons." One would imagine, indeed, that the offi- 
 cers on this dreadful emergency would not be wit- 
 ness to such inhumanity, without remonstrating 
 effectually against keeping those unfortunate men 
 confined a moment beyond the period when it be- 
 came evident that the ship must sink. It will be 
 seen, however, presently, from Mr. Heywood's own 
 statement, that they were so kept, and that the 
 brutal and unfeeling conduct which has been im- 
 puted to Captain Edwards is but too true. 
 
 c It is an awful moment when a ship takes her last 
 heel, just before going down. When the Pandora 
 sunk, the surgeon says, " the crew had just time to 
 leap overboard, accompanying it with a most dread- 
 ful yell. The cries of the men drowning in the 
 water was at first awful in the extreme ; but as they 
 sunk and became faint, they died away by degrees." 
 How accurately has Byron described the whole 
 progress of a shipwreck to the final catastrophe ! 
 He might have been a spectator of the Pandora, at 
 the moment of her foundering, when 
 
 f She gave a heel, and then a lurch to port, 
 And, going down head foremost sunk 
 
 Then rose from sea to sky the wild farewell ! 
 
 Then shriek'd the timid and stood still the brave ; 
 Then some leap'd overboard with dreadful yell, 
 
 As eager to anticipate their grave ; 
 And the sea yawn'd around her like a hell, 
 
 And down she suck'd with her the whirling wave, 
 Like one who grapples with his enemy, 
 And strives to strangle him before he die. 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 And first one universal shriek there rush'd 
 
 Louder than the loud ocean, like a crash 
 Of echoing thunder ; and then all was hush'd, 
 
 Save the wild wind and the remorseless dash 
 Of billows ; but at intervals there gush'd, 
 
 Accompanied with a convulsive splash, 
 A solitary shriek the bubbling cry 
 Of some strong swimmer in his agony.' 
 
 The survivors being all assembled on a sandy 
 key, only ninety yards long and sixty wide, it was 
 found that thirty-nine men, including the above, 
 had met with a watery grave. The only articles of 
 provision saved from the wreck were three bags of 
 biscuit, a small keg of wine, and several barracoes 
 of water : the number of persons to subsist thereon 
 was ninety-nine, and the distance they had to pro- 
 ceed in four open boats, before a fresh supply could 
 be hoped for, at least 1100 miles. Thus circum- 
 stanced, the strictest economy became necessary, 
 and orders were accordingly given that only two 
 ounces of bread and one gill of wine, and the same 
 quantity of water, should be served to each man, 
 once in twenty-four hours. The weight of the 
 bread was accurately ascertained by a musket-ball 
 and a pair of wooden scales made for each boat. 
 
 The boats 5 sails were now r converted into tents 
 for the Pandora's crew, most of whom had landed 
 in a very exhausted state, and required a little rest 
 previous to their departure. The prisoners, how- 
 ever, were kept at a distance from them without 
 the least covering to protect their naked bodies 
 
21 
 
 from a vertical sun by day, and the chilling effect of 
 heavy dews at night. A spare sail, which was 
 lying useless in the key, being refused them by 
 Captain Edwards, they tried the experiment of 
 burying themselves neck deep in the sand, which 
 caused the skin to blister and peel off from head to 
 foot, as though they had been immersed in scalding 
 water. The excruciating torture -which they suf- 
 fered from thirst, aggravated as it had been by in- 
 voluntarily swallowing salt water, whilst swimming 
 from the wreck, was, if possible, increased by the* 
 sight of rain and their total inability to catch any of 
 it. Exposed in this manner to alternate heat and 
 cold in the latitude of 1 1 S., some conception 
 may be formed of their sufferings, but words will 
 be found wanting to describe them. 
 
 The damages sustained by one of their boats 
 having been repaired, and such other preparations 
 made for the voyage as circumstances would admit, 
 the whole party embarked on the 31st of August, 
 and proceeded towards the island of Timor, which 
 they saw on the 13th of the following month. In 
 a miserable condition they arrived at the fort of 
 Coupang on the night of the 15th of September. 
 Whilst there, Mr. Heywood and the other thirteen 
 prisoners were closely confined in the castle, but al- 
 though for several days treated with great rigour 
 by their Dutch gaolers, they do not at any time 
 appear to have suffered so many privations at once, 
 as when in the sole custody of a British captain. 
 
22 
 
 Having remained here three weeks, they embarked 
 on the 6th of October in the Rembaug, a Dutch 
 Indiaman, and on the 30th anchored at Samarang. 
 On the 7th of November they arrived at Batavia, 
 after a very dangerous passage of thirty-three days, 
 during which the ship was twice nearly driven on 
 shore, and proved so leaky as to render it necessary 
 for every person on board to work at the pumps, 
 a species of liberty which the prisoners were allowed 
 to enjoy until their strength entirely failed them, 
 when they were again placed in irons, and suffered to 
 rest their weary limbs on an old sail, alternately 
 soaked with rain, salt water, and the drainings of 
 a pig-stye, under which it was spread. 
 
 At Batavia, Captain Edwards distributed the 
 purchase-money of the schooner among his people, 
 in order that they might furnish themselves with 
 nankeen apparel : and the prisoners, having their 
 hands at liberty, availed themselves of this opportu- 
 nity to obtain some articles of clothing by making 
 straw hats for sale, and acting as tailors for those 
 who had become comparatively rich by the produce 
 of their labour as shipwrights. It was in a suit 
 thus purchased that Mr. Hey wood arrived at Spit- 
 head, after an absence of four years and a half, all 
 but four days. 
 
 At Batavia, Hey wood availed himself of the first 
 opportunity to write to his mother. The following 
 letter was sent off by one of the Pandora's men, who 
 was to sail in the first ship. It breathes a spirit 
 
23 
 
 of manly fortitude and resignation, and shews that 
 his mind had attained no common strength. The 
 charges of ingratitude, mutiny, and desertion, under 
 which he knew himself to be suffering, were suffi- 
 cient of themselves to shake the strongest nerves ; 
 and the patience arid fortitude evinced by him at 
 that early period of life, excited the just admiration 
 of his family and friends. But the uses of adversity, 
 in a form, too, that w r ould have crushed a weaker 
 frame either of body or of mind, had been already 
 sweet to him. His tender youth passed through 
 these, and even more appalling scenes, not only 
 unscathed, but rising superior to difficulties, as if 
 the enmity of fate had no power to disturb an equa- 
 nimity and rectitude of feeling which philosophy 
 and religion aspire, too often in vain, to teach ; or 
 rather, as if a chastening but protecting Providence 
 had addressed him w r ith the words, 6 My son, give 
 me thine heart/ and had designed to shew in him 
 how well that voice could be obeyed. 
 
 < Batavia, November 20//2, 1791. 
 
 ' MY EVER-HONOURED AND DEAREST MOTHER, 
 
 ' At length the time has arrived when you are 
 once more to hear from your ill-fated son, whose 
 conduct, at the capture of that ship in which it was 
 my fortune to embark, has, I fear, from what has 
 since happened to me, been grossly misrepresented 
 to you by Lieutenant Bligh, who, by not knowing 
 the real cause of my remaining on board, naturally 
 
24 
 
 suspected me, unhappily for me, to be a coadjutor 
 in the mutiny ; but I never, to my knowledge, 
 whilst under his command, behaved myself in a 
 manner unbecoming the station I occupied, nor so 
 much as even entertained a thought derogatory to 
 his honour, so as to give him the least grounds for 
 entertaining an opinion of me so ungenerous and 
 undeserved ; for I flatter myself he cannor give a 
 character of my conduct, whilst I was under his 
 tuition, that could merit the slightest scrutiny. Oh ! 
 my dearest mother, I hope you have not so easily 
 credited such an account of me ; do but let me vin- 
 dicate my conduct, and declare to you the true cause 
 of my remaining in the ship, and you will then see 
 how little I deserve censure, and how I have been 
 injured by so gross an aspersion. I shall then give 
 you a short and cursory account of what has hap- 
 pened to me since ; but I am afraid to say a hun- 
 dredth part of what I have got in store, for I am not 
 allowed the use of writing materials, if known, so 
 that this is done by stealth ; but if it should ever 
 come to your hands it will, I hope, have the desired 
 effect of removing your uneasiness on my account, 
 when I assure you, before the face of God, of my 
 innocence of what is laid to my charge. How I 
 came to remain on board was thus : 
 
 4 The morning the ship was taken, it being my 
 watch below, happening to awake just after day- 
 light, and looking out of my hammock, I saw a man 
 sitting upon the arm-chest in the main hatchway, 
 
25 
 
 with a drawn cutlas in his hand, the reason of which 
 I could not divine ; so I got out of bed and inquired 
 of him what was the cause of it. He told me that 
 Mr. Christian, assisted by some of the ship's com- 
 pany, had seized the captain and put him in con- 
 finement ; had taken the command of the ship and 
 meant to carry Bligh home a prisoner, in order to 
 try him by court-martial, for his long tyrannical and 
 oppressive conduct to his people. I was quite 
 thunderstruck ; and hurrying into my berth again, 
 told one of my messmates, whom I awakened out 
 of his sleep, what had happened. Then dressing 
 myself, I went up the fore-hatchway, and saw what 
 he had told me was but too true ; and again I asked 
 some of the people, who were under arms, what was 
 going to be done with the captain, who was then on 
 the larboard side of the quarter-deck, with his hands 
 tied behind his back, and Mr. Christian alongside 
 him with a pistol and drawn bayonet. I now heard 
 a very different story, and that the captain was to 
 be sent ashore to Tofoa in the launch, and that those 
 who would not join Mr. Christian, might either 
 accompany the captain, or would be taken in irons 
 to Otaheite and left there. The relation of two 
 stories so different, left me unable to judge which 
 could be the true one ; but seeing them hoisting the 
 boats out, it seemed to prove the latter. 
 
 c In this trying situation, young and inexperienced 
 as I was, and without an adviser, (every person 
 being as it were infatuated, and not knowing what 
 
26 
 
 to do,) I remained for awhile a silent spectator of 
 what was going on ; and after revolving the matter in 
 my mind, I determined to choose what I thought the 
 lesser of two evils and stay by the ship ; for I knew 
 that those who went on shore, in the launch, would 
 be put to death by the savage natives, whereas the 
 Otaheitans being a humane and generous race, one 
 might have a hope of being kindly received, and 
 remain there until the arrival of some ship, which 
 seemed, to silly me, the most consistent with reason 
 and rectitude. 
 
 < While this resolution possessed my mind, at the 
 same time lending my assistance to hoist out the 
 boats, the hurry and confusion affairs were in, and 
 thinking my intention just, I never thought of going 
 to Mr. Bligh for advice ; besides, what confirmed 
 me in it was, my seeing two experienced officers, 
 when ordered into the boat by Mr. Christian, desire 
 his permission to remain in the ship, (one of whom, 
 my own messmate, Mr. Hayward,) and I being 
 assisting to clear the launch of yams, he asked me 
 what I intended to do. I told him, to remain in 
 the ship. Now this answer, I imagine, he has told 
 Mr. Bligh I made to him ; from which, together 
 with my not speaking to him that morning, his sus- 
 picions of me have arisen, construing my conduct 
 into what is foreign to my nature. 
 
 6 Thus, my dearest mother, it was all owing to 
 my youth and unadvised inexperience, but has been 
 interpreted into villany and disregard of my coun- 
 
27 
 
 try's laws, the ill effects of which I at present, and 
 still am to, labour under for some months longer. 
 And now, after what I have asserted, I may still 
 once more retrieve my injured reputation, be again 
 reinstated in the affection and favour of the most 
 tender of mothers, and be still considered as her ever 
 dutiful son. 
 
 < How it grieves me to think I must be so expli- 
 cit when I have such a burthen to go on with ! but 
 necessity obliges me. However, to continue my 
 relation : 
 
 6 I was not undeceived in my erroneous decision 
 till too late, which was after the captain was in the 
 launch ; for while I was talking to the master-at- 
 arms, one of the ringleaders in the affair, my other 
 messmate whom I had left in his hammock in the 
 berth, (Mr. Stewart,) came up to me, and asked me, 
 if I was not going in the launch. I replied, No 
 upon which he told me not to think of such a thing 
 as remaining behind, but take his advice and go 
 down below with him to get a few necessary things, 
 and make haste to go with him into the launch ; 
 adding that, by remaining in the ship, I should incur 
 an equal share of guilt with the mutineers them- 
 selves ; upon which he and the master-at-arms had 
 some altercation about my messmate's intention of 
 going into the boat. I reluctantly followed his ad- 
 vice I say reluctantly, because I knew no better, 
 and was foolish ; and the boat swimming very deep 
 in the water the land being far distant the thoughts 
 
28 
 
 of being sacrificed by the natives and the self-con- 
 sciousness of my first intention being just all these 
 considerations almost staggered my resolution ; how- 
 ever, I preferred my companion's judgment to my 
 own, and we both jumped down the main-hatchway 
 to prepare ourselves for the boat but no sooner were 
 we in the berth than the master-at-arms ordered the 
 sentry to keep us both in the berth till he should 
 receive orders to release us. We desired the master- 
 at-arms to acquaint Mr. Bligh of our detention, 
 which we had reason to think he never did, nor 
 were we permitted to come on deck until the launch 
 was a long way astern. I now, when too late, saw 
 my error. 
 
 6 At the latter end of May we got to an island to 
 the southward of Taheite, called Toobouai, where 
 they intended to make a settlement, but finding no 
 stock there of any kind, they agreed to go to Ta- 
 heite, and, after procuring hogs and fowls, to return 
 to Toobouai and remain. So, on the 6th June, we 
 arrived at Taheit6, where I was in hopes I might 
 find an opportunity of running away, and remaining 
 on shore ; but 1 could not effect it, as there was 
 always too good a look-out kept to prevent any such 
 steps being taken. And besides, they had all sworn 
 that should any one make his escape, they would 
 force the natives to restore him, and would then 
 shoot him as an example to the rest ; well knowing 
 that any one by remaining there might be the means 
 (should a ship arrive) of discovering their place of 
 
29 
 
 abode. Finding it therefore impracticable, I saw 
 no other alternative but to rest as content as pos- 
 sible and return to Toobouai, and there wait till the 
 masts of the Bounty should be taken out, and then 
 take the boat, which might carry me to Taheite, and 
 disable those remaining from pursuit.* But Provi- 
 dence so ordered it, that we had no occasion to try 
 our fortune at such a hazard, for, upon returning 
 there and remaining till the latter end of August, in 
 which time a fort was almost built, but nothing 
 could be effected ; and as the natives could not be 
 brought to friendly terms, and with whom we had 
 many skirmishes, and narrow escapes from being 
 cut off by them, and, what was still worse, internal 
 broils and discontent, these things determined part 
 of the people to leave the island and go to Taheit, 
 which was carried by a majority of votes, 
 
 4 This being carried into execution on the 22d 
 September, and having anchored in Matavai bay, 
 the next morning my messmate (Mr. Stewart) and 
 I went on shore, to the house of an old landed pro- 
 prietor, our former friend ; and being now set free 
 from a lawless crew, determined to remain as much 
 apart from them as possible, and wait patiently for 
 the arrival of a ship. Fourteen more of the Bounty's 
 people came likewise on shore, and Mr. Christian 
 
 * ' Morrison mentions, in his Journal, a plan to this effect, contrived 
 by Heywood, Stewart, and himself, but observes, " it was a foolish 
 attempt, as, had we met with bad weather, our crazy boat would cer- 
 tainly have made us a coffin." ' 
 
30 
 
 and eight men went away with the ship, but God 
 knows whither. Whilst we remained here, we were 
 treated by our kind and friendly natives with a ge- 
 nerosity and humanity almost unparalleled, and 
 such as we could hardly have expected from the 
 most civilized people. 
 
 * To be brief having remained here till the latter 
 end of March, 1791, on the 26th of that month his 
 Majesty's ship Pandora arrived, and had scarcely 
 anchored, when my messmate and I went on board 
 and made ourselves known ; and having learnt from 
 one of the natives who had been off in a canoe, that 
 our former messmate, Mf. Hayward, now promoted 
 to the rank of lieutenant, was on board, we asked 
 for him, supposing he might prove the assertions of 
 our innocence. But he (like all worldlings when 
 raised a little in life) received us very coolly, and 
 pretended ignorance of our affairs ; yet formerly he 
 and I were bound in brotherly love and friendship. 
 Appearances being so much against us, we were 
 ordered to be put in irons, and looked upon oh, 
 infernal words ! as piratical villains. A rebuff so 
 severe as this was, to a person unused to troubles, 
 would, perhaps, have been insupportable ; but to me, 
 who had now been long inured to the frowns of for- 
 tune, and feeling myself supported by an inward 
 consciousness of not deserving it, it was received 
 with the greatest composure, and a full determina- 
 tion to bear it with patience; ascribing it to the 
 corrective hand of an All-gracious Providence, and 
 
31 
 
 fully convinced that adversity is the lot of man, sent 
 to wean him from these transient scenes, and fix his 
 hopes on joys more permanent, lest, by a too long 
 round of good fortune, he should forget the frailty of 
 his nature, and the existence of a Supreme Omnipo- 
 tent Being. 
 
 Had my confinement been my only misfortune, 
 I would patiently have resigned myself to it. But 
 one evil seldom comes unaccompanied. Alas ! I 
 was informed of the death of the most indulgent 
 of fathers, which I naturally supposed to have been 
 hastened by Mr. Blights ungenerous conduct. This 
 thought made me truly wretched. I had certainly 
 been overpowered by my grief had not Mr. Hay- 
 ward again assured me, that he had paid the debt of 
 nature before the news of the Bounty's fate arrived 
 in England, and that he had the news by letter from 
 my best-beloved Nessy, which made me somewhat 
 easier, and I endeavoured to bear it as I ought. 
 Yet I have still my fears on my dear mother's ac- 
 count, lest such an account of me, when added to 
 her recent affliction, might overpower her spirits 
 and constitution, and make her grief too poignant 
 and burdensome for life. But may God of his 
 infinite mercy have ordered otherwise ! and that 
 this may find you, and all my brothers and sisters, 
 as well as I could wish, and have the desired effect 
 of rooting in you a belief of my innocence, and 
 eradicate your displeasure, the thought of which 
 makes me most unhappy. 
 
32 
 
 * My sufferings, however, I have not power to 
 describe ; but though they are great, yet I thank 
 God for enabling me to bear them without repining. 
 I endeavour to qualify my affliction with these three 
 considerations; first, my innocence not deserving 
 them ; secondly, that they cannot last long ; and 
 thirdly, that the change may be for the better. The 
 first improves my hopes ; the second my patience ; 
 and the third my courage. I am young in years, 
 but old in what the world calls adversity ; and it 
 has had such an effect, as to make me consider it 
 the most beneficial incident that could have oc- 
 curred at my age. It has made me acquainted with 
 three things which are little known, and as little 
 believed by any but those who have felt their 
 effects : first, the villany and censoriousness of 
 mankind; secondly, the futility of all human hopes ; 
 and thirdly, the happiness of being content in what- 
 ever station it may please Providence to place me. 
 In short, it has made me more of a philosopher 
 than many years of a life spent in ease and pleasure 
 would have done. 
 
 fc Should you receive this, do assure my much- 
 respected friend, Mr. Betham, of my innocence of 
 the crime laid to my charge. His disinterested 
 kindness to me is deeply rooted in my mind. 
 Make him acquainted with the reason of my re- 
 maining in the ship. Perhaps his assistance in 
 interceding with his son-in-law, Mr. Bligh, in my 
 behalf, might undeceive him in his groundless 
 
33 
 
 opinion of me, and prevent his proceeding to great 
 lengths against me at my approaching trial. If 
 you should likewise apply to my uncle Pasley, and 
 Mr. Heywood, of Plymouth, their timely aid might 
 be the means of rescuing me from an ignominious 
 lot. 
 
 4 As they will no doubt proceed to the greatest 
 lengths against me, I being the only surviving 
 officer, and they most inclined to believe a prior 
 story, all that can be said to confute it will pro- 
 bably be looked upon as mere falsity and invention. 
 Should that be my unhappy case, and they resolved 
 upon my destruction as an example to futurity, may 
 God enable me to bear my fate with the fortitude of 
 a man, conscious that misfortune, not any miscon- 
 duct, is the cause, and that the Almighty can attest 
 my innocence. Yet why should I despond ? I 
 have, I hope, still a friend in that Providence which 
 hath preserved me amidst many greater dangers, 
 and upon whom alone I now depend for safety. 
 God will always protect those who deserve it. 
 These are the sole considerations which have 
 enabled me to make myself easy and content under 
 my past misfortunes the relation of which I shall 
 now continue. 
 
 c Twelve more of the people who were at Ota- 
 heite having delivered themselves up, there was a 
 sort of prison built on the after-part of the quarter- 
 deck, into which we were all put in close confine- 
 ment, with both legs and both hands in irons, and 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 were treated with great rigour, not being allowed 
 ever to get out of this den ; and, being obliged to 
 eat, drink, sleep, and obey the calls of nature here, 
 you may form some idea of the disagreeable situ- 
 ation I must have been in, unable as I was to help 
 myself, (being deprived of the use of both my legs 
 and hands,) but by no means adequate to the 
 reality. 
 
 c On the 9th May, we left Otaheite, and pro- 
 ceeded to the neighbourhood of the Friendly Islands, 
 where we cruised about six weeks in search of the 
 Bounty, but without success, in which time we 
 were so unfortunate as to lose a small cutter and 
 five hands. About the beginning of August we got 
 In among the reefs of New Holland, to endeavour 
 to discover a passage through them ; but it was not 
 effected ; for the Pandora, ever unlucky, and as if 
 devoted by heaven to destruction, was driven by a 
 current upon the patch of a reef, and on which, 
 th,ere being a heavy surf, she was soon almost 
 bulged to pieces ; but having thrown all the guns 
 on one side overboard, and the tide flowing at the 
 same time, she beat over the reef into a basin and 
 brought up in fourteen or fifteen fathoms ; but she 
 was so much damaged while on the reef, that 
 imagining she would go to pieces every moment, 
 we had contrived to wrench ourselves out of our 
 irons, and applied to the captain to have mercy on 
 us, and suffer us to take our chance for the pre- 
 servation of our lives. But it was all in vain he 
 
35 
 
 was even so inhuman as to order us all to be put in 
 irons again, though the ship was expected to go 
 down every moment, being scarcely able to keep 
 her under with all the pumps at work. 
 
 4 In this miserable situation, with an expected 
 death before our eyes, without the least hope of 
 relief, and in the most trying state of suspense, we 
 spent the night, the ship being by the hand of 
 Providence kept up till the morning. The boats 
 by this time had all been prepared ; and as the 
 captain and officers were coming upon the poop or 
 roof of our prison, to abandon the ship, the water 
 being then up to the combings of the hatchways, 
 we again implored his mercy ; upon which he sent 
 the corporal and an armourer down to let some of 
 us out of irons, but three only were suffered to go 
 up, and the scuttle being then clapped on, and the 
 master-at-arms upon it, the armourer had only time 
 to let two persons out of irons, the rest, except 
 three, letting themselves out ; two of these three 
 went down with them on their hands, and the third 
 was picked up. She now began to heel over to 
 port so very much, that the master-at-arms sliding 
 overboard, and leaving the scuttle vacant, we all 
 tried to get up, and I was the last out but three. 
 The water was then pouring in at the bulk-head 
 scuttles j yet I succeeded in getting out, and was 
 scarcely in the sea when I could see nothing above 
 it but the cross trees, and nothing around me but a 
 scene of the greatest distress. I took a plank (being 
 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 stark-naked) and swam towards an island about 
 three miles off, but was picked up on my passage 
 by one of the boats. When we got ashore to the 
 small sandy key, we found there were thirty-four 
 men drowned, four of whom were prisoners, and 
 among these was my unfortunate mess-mate (Mr, 
 Stewart) ; ten of us, and eighty-nine of the Pandora's 
 crew, were saved. 
 
 c 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. 
 
 6 After a very tedious and dangerous passage, the 
 ship being twice near drove ashore, and so very 
 leaky as to be scarce kept above water with both 
 pumps constantly going, on the 30th we anchored at 
 Samarang, in the isle of Java, and on Monday, the 
 7th, anchored here at Batavia. I send this by the 
 first ship, which is to sail in about a week, by one 
 of the Pandora's men. We are to follow in a week 
 after, and expect to be in England in about seven 
 months. 
 
4 Though I have been eight months in close con- 
 finement in a hot climate, I have kept my health in 
 a most surprising manner, without the least indis- 
 position, 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 con- 
 tented mind, entirely resigned to the will of Provi- 
 dence, which conduct alone enables me to soar above 
 the reach of unhappiness. You will most probably 
 hear of my arrival in England (should it ever hap- 
 pen) before I can write to you, which I most ear- 
 nestly long for, that I may explain things which I 
 now cannot mention ; yet I hope this will be suffi- 
 cient to undeceive those who have been so ungenerous 
 as to express, and others who have been so credulous 
 as to believe, all that is laid to my charge. I can 
 say no more, but remember me to my dearest 
 brothers and sisters, &c., and believe me still to be 
 4 Your most dutiful and ever obedient son, 
 
 ' PETER HEYWOOD/ 
 
 Before this interesting narrative reached his 
 home, various were the thoughts and fears, and 
 various the rumours and opinions, respecting poor 
 Hey wood's fate and conduct, which harassed his 
 afflicted family. 
 
 c I hear/ says Mr. J. M. Hey wood, in a letter to 
 Miss N. Heywood, dated May 12, 1792, < that your 
 brother will probably return in the Crown man-of- 
 
38 
 
 war, and you may be assured that I will pay every 
 attention to his situation as soon as I am informed 
 of his arrival. The circumstance of his having 
 swam to the Pandora, will, I trust, be strong in his 
 favour, and make his conduct appear in a much 
 better light than that of the other young men who 
 were so unfortunate as to remain on board the 
 Bounty when Mr. Bligh was so ill-treated . 
 
 Miss N. HEYWOOD to J. M. HEYWOOD, Esq. 
 
 '- Isle of Man, June 3, 1792. 
 
 c I will not attempt, my dear Sir, to express the 
 gratitude at this moment felt by myself and every 
 one of our family for your most friendly letter, and 
 the generous promise it contains of support and 
 protection to my most dear and unfortunate 
 brother. 
 
 c The occasion of my again troubling you on the 
 subject is a letter I yesterday received from the 
 father of Mr. Thomas Hayward (one of the mid- 
 shipmen who came with Mr. Bligh in the boat, 
 after the fatal mutiny). He informs me that on 
 his arrival at Batavia, after great sufferings, Cap- 
 tain Edwards agreed for three Dutch ships to con- 
 vey the crew of the Pandora to Europe, giving a 
 lieutenant to each division, the first of which had 
 arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, before the 
 Thames frigate sailed thence on the 10th February. 
 The Crown man-of-war has since arrived in En- 
 gland, and, as far as I can learn, without bringing 
 
39 
 
 any account of the Pandora's people, though she 
 must have remained some time at the Cape, where 
 she arrived only two days before the Thames sailed. 
 It is certainly a little surprising that the two 
 other divisions of the Pandora's people, which 
 were then hourly expected,, had not arrived at 
 the Cape before the Crown sailed. A para- 
 graph in the Gazetteer of 24-th last month, says, 
 several of the crew of the Pandora are brought to 
 Dover by the Swan, a Dutch ship, from Batavia, 
 but I have not seen the account confirmed. I fear 
 it is a premature report. We have, therefore, in 
 addition to our former anxiety, ten thousand dis- 
 tracting apprehensions for my dear brother's safety. 
 Permit me, dear Sir, to trespass a little longer on 
 your patience by transcribing a paragraph from Mr. 
 Hay ward's letter : " I will therefore take the liberty, 
 my dear young lady, of requesting you to make all 
 possible interest with all .your friends, that appli- 
 cation be made to his Majesty, so as to be prepared 
 against the most fearful consequences of the im- 
 pending trial, as I well know that Mr. Bligh's 
 representations to the Admiralty are by no means 
 favourable." This paragraph, my dear Sir, you 
 will readily believe, has alarmed me beyond ex- 
 pression, as we find that, notwithstanding my bro- 
 ther's extreme youth and perfect innocence, (which 
 no one who knew him will for a moment doubt,) he 
 must when the trial takes place be in the most 
 imminent danger. Forgive me, my dear Sir, for 
 
40 
 
 troubling you with this long letter, as it is the subject 
 in which of all others my heart is most deeply in- 
 terested. 
 
 C I am, my dear Sir, with every sentiment of 
 gratitude, 
 
 "Your most obliged and affectionate, 
 
 HEYWOOD/ 
 
 On the same day she writes the following letter 
 to her beloved brother : 
 
 c Isle of Man, 3d June, 1792. 
 
 4 In a situation of mind only rendered support- 
 able by the long and painful state of misery and sus- 
 pense we have suffered on his account, how shall I 
 address my dear, my fondly-beloved brother ! how 
 describe the anguish we have felt at the idea of this 
 long and painful separation, rendered still more dis- 
 tressing by the terrible circumstances attending it ! 
 Oh ! my ever dearest boy, when I look back to that 
 dreadful moment which brought us the fatal intelli- 
 gence that you had remained in the Bounty after 
 Mr. Bligh had quitted her, and w r ere looked upon 
 by him as a mutineer! when I contrast that day 
 of horror with my present hopes of again beholding 
 you, such as my most sanguine wishes could expect, 
 I know not which is the most predominant sensa- 
 tion, pity, compassion, and sorrow for your suf- 
 ferings, or joy and satisfaction at the prospect of 
 their being near a termination, and of once more 
 embracing the dearest object of our affections. 
 
41 
 
 4 1 will not ask you, my beloved brother, whether 
 you are innocent of the dreadful crime of mutiny ; 
 if the transactions of that day were as Mr. Bligh 
 has represented them, such is my conviction of your 
 worth and honour, that I will, without hesitation, 
 stake my life on your innocence. If, on the con- 
 trary, you were concerned in such a conspiracy 
 against your commander, I shall be as firmly per- 
 suaded his conduct was the occasion of it. But, 
 . alas ! could any occasion justify so atrocious an 
 attempt to destroy a number of our fellow-crea- 
 tures ? No, my ever dearest brother, nothing but 
 conviction from your own mouth can possibly 
 persuade me that you would commit an action in 
 the smallest degree inconsistent with honour and 
 duty ; and the circumstance of your having swam 
 off to the Pandora, on her arrival at Otaheite (which 
 filled us w r ith joy to which no words can do justice), 
 is sufficient to convince all who know you, that 
 you certainly staid behind either by force or from 
 views of preservation. 
 
 6 How strange does it seem to me that I am now 
 engaged in the delightful task of writing to you ! 
 Alas ! my beloved brother, two years ago I never 
 expected again to enjoy such a felicity, and even 
 yet I am in the most painful uncertainty whether 
 you are alive. Gracious God, grant that we may 
 be at length blessed by your return ! But, alas! the 
 Pandora's people have been long expected, and are 
 not even yet arrived. Should any accident have hap- 
 
42 
 
 pened, after all the miseries you have already suffered, 
 the poor gleam of hope with which we have been 
 lately indulged will render our situation ten thou- 
 sand times more insupportable than if time had 
 inured us to your loss. I send this to the care of 
 Mr. Hayward, of Hackney, father to the young 
 gentleman you so often mention in your letters 
 while you were on board the Bounty, and who went 
 out as third lieutenant of the Pandora, a circum- 
 stance which gave us infinite satisfaction, as you 
 would, on entering the Pandora, meet your old 
 friend. On discovering old Mr. Hayward's resi- 
 dence, I wrote to him, as I hoped he could give me 
 some information respecting the time of your arrival, 
 and in return he sent me a most friendly letter, and 
 has promised this shall be given to you when you 
 reach England, as I well know how great must be 
 your anxiety to hear of us, and how much satisfac- 
 tion it will give you to have a letter immediately on 
 your return. Let me conjure you, my dearest Peter, 
 to write to us the very first moment ; do not lose a 
 post ; 'tis of no consequence how short your letter 
 may be, if it only informs us you are well. I need 
 not tell you that you are the first and dearest object 
 of qur affections. Think, then, my adored boy, of 
 the anxiety we must feel on your account ; for my 
 own part, I can know no real joy or happiness in- 
 dependent of you, and if any misfortune should now 
 deprive us of you, my hopes of felicity are fled for 
 ever. 
 
43 
 
 4 We are at present making all possible interest 
 with every friend and connexion we have, to insure 
 you a sufficient support and protection at your 
 approaching trial ; for a trial you must unavoidably 
 undergo, in order to convince the world of that 
 innocence, which those who know you will not for 
 a moment doubt. But, alas ! while circumstances 
 are against you, the generality of mankind will 
 judge severely. Blights representations to the 
 Admiralty are, I am told, very unfavourable, and 
 hitherto the tide of public opinion has been greatly 
 in his favour. 
 
 ' 'Tis now time, my dear Peter, to give you some 
 account of our own family. If you have not al- 
 ready heard it, be not too much shocked when I 
 tell you, that we have no longer the blessing of a 
 father. Alas ! my beloved Peter, he did not live 
 to hear (and fortunately for himself he did not, for 
 it would have broken his heart) the fatal account of 
 that horrid mutiny which has deprived us of you 
 so long. His severe fits of the gout, and distress of 
 mind from the repeated disappointments he met 
 w r ith, put an end to his existence on the 6th of 
 February, 1790. He died blessing you, and in- 
 cessantly talked of the pleasure he should feel if he 
 lived till your return. My mamma is at present 
 well, considering the distress she has suffered since 
 you left us ; for, my dearest brother, we have ex- 
 perienced a complicated scene of misery from a 
 variety of causes, which, however, when compared 
 
44 
 
 with the sorrow we felt on your account, was 
 trifling and insignificant ; that misfortune made all 
 others light, and to see you once more returned, 
 and safely restored to us, will be the summit of all 
 earthly happiness. 
 
 c Farewell, my most beloved brother ! God grant 
 this may soon be put into your hands ! Perhaps 
 at this moment you are arrived in England, and I 
 may soon have the dear delight of again beholding 
 you. My mamma, brothers, and sisters, join with 
 me in every sentiment of love and tenderness. 
 Write to us immediately, my ever-loved Peter, 
 and may the Almighty preserve you until you 
 bless with your presence your fondly affectionate 
 family, and particularly your unalterably faithful 
 friend and sister, 
 
 (Signed) c NESSY HEYWOOD/* 
 
 * Previous to the writing of this letter, the following copy of 
 verses shews how anxiously this young lady's mind was engaged on 
 the unhappy circumstances under which her brother was placed : 
 
 ' On the tedious and mournful Absence of a most beloved BROTHER, 
 who was in the BOUNTY with Captain BLIGH at the Time of the 
 FATAL MUTINY, which happened April 28th, 1/89, in the South 
 Seas, and who, instead of returning with the Boat when she left 
 the Ship, staid behind. 
 
 ' Tell me, thou busy, flatt'ring Telltale, why- 
 Why flow these tears why heaves this deep-felt sigh ? 
 Why is all joy from my sad bosom flown, 
 Why lost that cheerfulness I thought my own ? 
 Why seek I now in solitude for ease, 
 Which once was centred in a wish to please, 
 When ev'ry hour in joy and gladness past, 
 And each new day shone brighter than the last ; 
 
45 
 
 Among the many anxious friends of the Hey- 
 woods was Commodore Pasley, to whom this affec- 
 tionate young lady addressed herself on the melan- 
 choly occasion ; and the following is the reply 
 which she received from this officer : 
 
 4 SheernesS) June 8, 1792. 
 
 * Would to God, my dearest Nessy, that I could 
 rejoice with you on the early prospect of your 
 brother's arrival in England ! One division of the 
 Pandora's people are arrived, and now on board the 
 
 When in society I loved to join ; 
 When to enjoy, and give delight, was mine ? 
 Now sad reverse ! in sorrow wakes each day, 
 And grief's sad tones inspire each plaintive lay : 
 Alas ! too plain these mournful tears can tell 
 The pangs of woe my laboring bosom swell ! 
 Thou best of brothers friend, companion, guide, 
 Joy of my youth, my honour, and my pride ! 
 Lost is all peace all happiness to me, 
 And fled all comfort, since deprived of thee.' 
 ***** 
 
 ' Though guiltless thou of mutiny or blame, 
 And free from aught which could disgrace thy name ; 
 Though thy pure soul, in honour's footsteps train'd, 
 Was never yet by disobedience stain'd ; 
 Yet is thy fame exposed to slander's wound, 
 And fell suspicion whispering around. 
 In vain to those who knew thy worth and truth, 
 Who watch'd each op'ning virtue of thy youth ; 
 When noblest principles informed thy mind, 
 Where sense and sensibility were join'd; 
 Love to inspire, to charm, to win each heart, 
 And ev'ry tender sentiment impart ; 
 Thy outward form adorn'd with ev'ry grace ; 
 With beauty's softest charms thy heav'nly face, 
 Where sweet expression beaming ever proved 
 The index of that soul, by all beloved ; 
 
46 
 
 Vengeance (my ship). Captain Edwards with the 
 remainder, and all the prisoners late of the Bounty, 
 in number ten, four having been drowned on the 
 loss of that ship, are daily expected. They have 
 been most rigorously and closely confined since 
 taken, and will continue so, I have no doubt, till 
 Blights arrival. You have no chance of seeing him, 
 for no bail can be offered. Your intelligence of 
 his swimming off on the Pandora's arrival is not 
 founded. A man of the name of Coleman came 
 off ere she anchored ; your brother and Mr. Stewart 
 
 Thy wit so keen, thy genius form'd to soar, 
 
 By fancy wing'd, new science to explore ; 
 
 Thy temper, ever gentle, good, and kind, 
 
 Where all but guilt an advocate could find : 
 
 To those who know this character was thine, 
 
 (And in this truth assenting numbers join,) 
 
 How vain th' attempt to fix a crime on thee, 
 
 Which thou disdain'st from which each thought is free ! 
 
 No, my loved brother, ne'er will I believe 
 
 Thy seeming worth was meant but to deceive ; 
 
 Still will I think (each circumstance though strange) 
 
 That thy firm principles could never change ; 
 
 That hopes of preservation urged thy stay, 
 
 Or force, which those resistless must obey. 
 
 If this is error, let me still remain 
 
 In error wrapp'd nor wake to truth again ! 
 
 Come, then, sweet Hope, with all thy train of joy, 
 
 Nor let Despair each rapt'rous thought destroy 5 
 
 Indulgent Heav'n, in pity to our tears, 
 
 At length will bless a parent's sinking years ; 
 
 Again shall I behold thy lovely face, 
 
 By manhood form'd, and ripen'd ev'ry grace ; 
 
 Again I'll press thee to my anxious breast, 
 
 And ev'ry sorrow shall be hush'd to rest. 
 
 f NESSY HEYWOOD. 
 ' Me of Man, Feb. 25th, 1792.' 
 
47 
 
 next day. This last youth, when the Pandora was 
 lost, refused to allow his irons to be taken off, to 
 save his life. I cannot conceal it from you, my 
 dearest Nessy, neither is it proper I should your 
 brother appears by all accounts to be the greatest 
 culprit of all, Christian alone excepted. Every ex- 
 ertion, you may rest assured, I shall use to save his 
 life, but on trial I have no hope of his not being 
 condemned. Three of the ten who are expected 
 are mentioned in Bligh's narrative as men detained 
 against their inclination. Would to God your bro- 
 ther had been one of that number ! I will not dis- 
 tress you more by enlarging on this subject. As in- 
 telligence arises you shall be made acquainted with 
 it. Adieu, my dearest Nessy. Present my affec- 
 tionate remembrances to your mother and sisters, 
 and believe me always, with the warmest affection, 
 
 c Your uncle, 
 
 6 THOMAS PASLEY.' 
 
 In the same kind tone to Nessy, but containing 
 the same or still darker views of Peter's con- 
 nexion with the mutiny, are letters from J. C. Cur- 
 wen, Esq., and J. M. Hey wood, Esq., to both of 
 whom she applied for aid. 6 His extreme youth/ 
 says the former, is much in his favour, and I wish 
 to God, for your sakes, it may extenuate a fault, the 
 
 extent of which I dare sav was not foreseen or con- 
 
 */ 
 
 sidered. It would be cruel to flatter you ; and how- 
 ever painful, I think it just to say, that unless some 
 
48 
 
 favourable circumstances should appear, any interest 
 which can be made will be of little avail.' * Though 
 you have every reason to believe that he has been 
 in this instance drawn aside to join in the mutiny/ 
 says Mr. Hey wood, ' the goodness of his heart will 
 I fear avail him little when he is convicted of a 
 crime, which, viewed in a political light, is of the 
 blackest dye, highly aggravated by the circumstan- 
 ces of cruelty to his commander and the crew who 
 were driven from the ship/ 
 
 By one of that division of the Pandora's men, 
 whose arrival in the Vengeance is mentioned by 
 Commodore Pasley, the letter from Peter, contain- 
 ing an account of himself up to his arrival at Ba- 
 tavia, must have been delivered to Mrs. Hey wood. 
 On its receipt Miss N. Hey wood thus writes to 
 Commodore Pasley ; and every reader of sensibility 
 will sympathize in the feeling she displays : 
 
 'Isle of Man, ^d June, 1792. 
 c Harassed by the most torturing suspense, and 
 miserably wretched as I have been, my dearest 
 uncle, since the receipt of your last, conceive, if it 
 is possible, the heartfelt joy and satisfaction we 
 experienced yesterday morning, when, on the ar- 
 rival of the packet, the dear delightful letter from 
 our beloved Peter (a copy of which I send you 
 inclosed) was brought to us. Surely, myexcellent 
 friend, you will agree with me in thinking there 
 could not be a stronger proof of his innocence and 
 
49 
 
 worth, and that it must prejudice every person 
 who reads it most powerfully in his favour. Such 
 a letter, in less distressful circumstances than those 
 in which he writes, would, 1 am persuaded, reflect 
 honour on the pen of a person much older than my 
 poor brother. But when we consider his extreme 
 youth, (only sixteen at the time of the mutiny, and 
 now but nineteen,) his fortitude, patience, and manly 
 resignation, under the pressure of sufferings and 
 misfortunes almost unheard of, and scarcely to be 
 supported at any age, without the assistance of that 
 which seems to be my dear brother's greatest com- 
 fort a quiet conscience, and a thorough conviction 
 of his own innocence when I add, at the same 
 time, with real pleasure and satisfaction, that his 
 relation corresponds in many particulars with the 
 accounts we have hitherto heard of the fatal mutiny ; 
 and when I also add, with inconceivable pride and 
 delight, that my beloved Peter never was known to 
 breathe a syllable inconsistent with truth and ho- 
 nour ; when these circumstances, my dear uncle, 
 are all united, what man on earth can doubt of the 
 innocence which could dictate such a letter? In 
 short, let it speak for him : the perusal of his artless 
 and pathetic story will, I am persuaded, be a strong- 
 er recommendation in his favour than any thing I 
 can use. 
 
 c I need not tire your patience, my ever-loved 
 uncle, by dwelling longer on this subject (the dear- 
 est and most interesting on earth to my heart) ; let 
 
 E 
 
,50 
 
 me conjure you only; my kind friend, to read it, and 
 consider the innocence and defenceless situation of 
 its unfortunate author, which calls for, and I am 
 sure deserves, all the pity and assistance his friends 
 can afford him, and which, I am sure also, the good- 
 ness and benevolence of your heart will prompt 
 you to exert in his behalf. It is perfectly unneces- 
 sary for me to add, after the anxiety I feel, and 
 cannot but express, that no benefit conferred upon 
 myself will be acknowledged with half the gratitude 
 I must ever feel for the smallest instance of kind- 
 ness shewn to my beloved Peter. Farewell, my 
 dearest uncle. With the firmest reliance on vour 
 
 v 
 
 kind and generous promises, I am, ever with the 
 truest gratitude and sincerity, 
 
 4 Your most affectionate niece, 
 
 * NESSY HEYWOOD.' 
 
 The letter of Peter Hey wood was forwarded 
 
 / 
 
 from Batavia. His treatment, and that of his fellow 
 prisoners, was almost as bad there as in the Pandora. 
 They were 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 ; sleeping 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 were supplied 
 by the charity of two young men. It is extraor- 
 
51 
 
 dinary that he preserved his health under the dread- 
 ful sufferings he endured, during eight months' close 
 confinement in a hot climate. Mr. Heywood was 
 removed into the Gorgon, of forty-four guns, lying 
 in Table Bay, March 19th, 1792, and from that 
 period till his arrival in England he appears to have 
 been allowed the inestimable indulgence of walking 
 upon deck for six or eight hours every day, whilst 
 at other times he was confined with only one leg in 
 irons. On the 21st of June, two days after his 
 return to Spithead, he was transferred to the Hector, 
 seventy-four. From the Gorgon, at Spithead, he 
 directed a letter to Richard Betham, Esq., contain- 
 ing a detailed statement respecting the mutiny of 
 the Bounty, and of his conduct, similar to that in the 
 letter already given. By the same post which brought 
 the above were received also two other letters one 
 to Mrs. Heywood, and the other to his sister Nessy, 
 both of which have been lost. In them he related 
 all the particulars of his voyage from Batavia, to 
 which we have in part alluded above. He had, 
 during his confinement, learned to make straw hats, 
 and that with both his hands in fetters. He finished 
 several, which he sold for half-a-crown a-piece, and 
 with the product 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. There, in the Hector, commanded 
 by Captain (the late Admiral Sir George) Montague, 
 the prisoners were treated with the greatest hu- 
 
 E 2 
 
52 
 
 manity, 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 trial for mutiny and piracy. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE trial did not take place until the month of 
 September. In this period of anxious and awful 
 suspense, a most active and interesting correspond- 
 ence was carried on between this unfortunate youth 
 and his numerous friends, which exhibits the charac- 
 ter of himself and the whole family in the most ami- 
 able colours. Mrs. Bertie, (then resident at Ports- 
 mouth,) a daughter of Mr. Heywood, of Maristow, 
 became from the moment of Peter's arrival his warm 
 and attentive friend, and in a letter to his mother, 
 dated 28th of June, 1792, says, c I take the liberty, 
 though a stranger, of addressing you, to tell you that a 
 friend of mine, whom I sent to see him this day, give 8 
 the most favourable account of his looks and health, 
 which he assured him he enjoyed perfectly. He 
 was in want of a few things which, at my father's 
 request, he has been and w r ill be supplied with. He 
 expressed a great hope that neither you nor any of 
 his friends would come to see him in his present 
 situation, trusting on his trial to make his innocence 
 appear. My motive for writing is, that, as his let- 
 
54 
 
 ters to you may have miscarried, I think it will be 
 a great satisfaction to you to know that he has a 
 friend and relation on the spot who will do every 
 thing she can to make his present confinement as 
 comfortable as possible/ In the same cover, her 
 father, Mr. Heywood, also writes to the family to 
 say that it would be his endeavour to render him all 
 the assistance in his power. This gentleman also 
 wrote to Peter, giving the same assurance, and ad- 
 vising him to keep up his spirits as much as pos- 
 sible, trusting to a consciousness of his innocence, 
 and to the certainty of having an honourable ac- 
 quittal. 
 
 Again Peter writes to his mother, expressing his 
 disappointment at not having yet heard from home. 
 
 H. M. S. Hector, June 29, 1792. 
 4 MY DEAR MOTHER, 
 
 6 From my not having as yet received any answer 
 to the letters I wrote you on the 20th inst., I am 
 apprehensive that by some unforeseen accident they 
 may have miscarried, or perhaps, as I have since 
 heard you are in Whitehaven, (the direction upon 
 them being for Douglas,) the cross postage and con- 
 trary winds which the packets might meet with, 
 have perhaps occasioned the delay. Let me hear 
 from you as soon as possible, and be so good as to 
 get me a couple of registers of my age, 
 
 c An intimate friend of Mr. Heywood,, of Mari- 
 stow, has received instructions from that gentleman to 
 
55 
 
 authorize the first lieutenant of this ship to furnish 
 me with whatever I should be in want of. Oh ! 
 my dear mother, what an instance of generous 
 friendship is this ! and how unexpected ! To come 
 before it was asked is more than I could have hoped 
 even from a father. It will, I hope, be yet in my 
 power to shew myself worthy the patronage of so 
 generous a man. I wrote to him on Wednesday 
 last, and likewise to my uncle Pasley. Alas ! I 
 have heard of the death of my aunt, whose loss I 
 truly deplore. How various are the vicissitudes of 
 this transitory life, and how futile are all human ex- 
 pectations ! This, I think, I have pretty well expe- 
 rienced, when my age is considered, Yet I already 
 find those things which by the w r orld are called 
 evils, to be of benefit to my disposition, and hope I 
 shall reap intrinsic advantage from them. I wish 
 to be informed of the welfare of my dear brother 
 and sisters, and hope I shall yet be able to shew 
 myself deserving of so kind a patron, and the name 
 of, my ever honoured and dearest mother, 
 
 ' Your most obedient and dutiful son, 
 
 < P. H.> 
 
 On the same day, Mrs. Heywood, the afflicted 
 mother, was writing as follows to her son, and the 
 ardent Nessy's pen was also engaged in the same 
 
 service : 
 
 6 Isle of Man, June 29, 1792. 
 6 Oh ! my ever dearly-beloved and long-lost son, 
 with what anxiety have I waited for this period ! I 
 
56 
 
 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 dear- 
 est 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 affec- 
 tionate mother and her dutiful and beloved son, who, 
 I am perfectly convinced, w r as 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 dif- 
 ficulties, 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 endea- 
 vour, 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. Hey- 
 wood, 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 valu- 
 
able girl. What comfort will she give you, and how 
 will she lessen the many tedious hours you must, 
 1 fear, pass in your confinement ! Take care of your 
 health, which is so dear to me, and put your full 
 trust in that Supreme Being who never has nor ever 
 will forsake you. I will not tell you the grief and 
 anguish I and all your brothers and sisters felt when 
 we first heard of the horrid mutiny, and that you 
 were not returned/ An account of the other 
 branches of the family follows, and Mrs. Heywood 
 concludes : ' As Nessy writes, I will leave her to 
 tell you all I may have omitted. May the Al- 
 mighty still protect and, bless you, my dearest boy, 
 is the continual prayer of your most affectionate 
 
 mother, 
 
 4 ELIZABETH HEYWOOD/ 
 
 On the same day this 'most valuable girl' thus 
 writes :* 
 
 * The following lines shew how much her fond mind was fixed on 
 her unfortunate brother : 
 
 ' On the Arrival of my dearly-beloved Brother, Peter Heywood, in Eng- 
 land, written while a Prisoner, and waiting the Event of his Trial, 
 on board his Majesty's Ship Hector. 
 
 1 Come, gentle Muse, I woo thee once again, 
 Nor woo thee now in melancholy strain ; 
 Assist my verse in cheerful mood to flow, 
 Nor let this tender bosom Anguish know; 
 Fill all my soul with notes of Love and Joy, 
 No more let Grief each anxious thought employ ! 
 ****** 
 
 Return'd with every charm, accomplished youth ! 
 Adorn'd with Virtue, Innocence, and Truth ! 
 Wrapp'd in thy conscious merit still remain, 
 Till I behold thy lovely form again. 
 
58 
 
 ' MY DEAREST AND MOST BELOVED BROTHER, 
 
 4 Thanks to that Almighty Providence which has 
 so miraculously preserved you, your fond, anxious, 
 arid, 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 situ- 
 ation 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 forti- 
 tude 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 
 koy, y u could not for a moment imagine we ever 
 supposed you guilty of the crime of mutiny. No, 
 
 Protect him, Heav'n, from dangers and alarms, 
 
 And oh ! restore him to a sister's arms ; 
 
 Support his fortitude in that dread hour 
 
 When he must brave Suspicion's cruel pow'r; 
 
 Grant him to plead with Eloquence divine, 
 
 In ev'ry word let Truth and Honour shine ; 
 
 Through each sweet accent let Persuasion flow, 
 
 With manly Firmness let his bosom glow, 
 
 Till strong Conviction, in each face exprest, 
 
 Grants a reward by Honour's self confest. 
 
 Let thy Omnipotence preserve him still, 
 
 And all his future days with Pleasure fill ; 
 
 And oh 1 kind Heav'n, though now in chains he be, 
 
 Restore him soon to Friendship, Love, and me. 
 
 * NESSY HEY WOOD. 
 * Isle of Man, August bth, 1 792.' 
 
59 
 
 no ; believe me, no earthly power could have per- 
 suaded us that it was possible for you to do any 
 thing inconsistent with strict honour and duty. So 
 well did we know your amiable, steady principles, 
 that we were assured your reasons for staying be- 
 hind 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 pre- 
 cious health, my beloved boy. I shall soon be with 
 you ; I have written to Mr. Heywood (your and 
 our excellent friend and protector) for his permis- 
 sion 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. I hope you have, ere this 
 time, received a letter from me which I wrote before 
 we had your letter from Batavia, and sent to the 
 care of Mr, Hay ward, of Hackney ; but as he in- 
 formed me he could not get it transmitted to you 
 from the difficulty of communication, I took the 
 liberty of requesting Mr. Heywood would send for 
 it, and after reading it, forward it to you, I sent 
 
60 
 
 him also your two last letters, scarcely allowing 
 ourselves time to read, much less (oh ! how great 
 would have been the satisfaction !) to keep them. I 
 have ten thousand things to tell you, my dear Peter, 
 that have happened since our mournful separation? 
 but my mind is at present occupied solely with 
 your idea, and my brother and sisters desire to add 
 a few words. Farewell, for a little while. Recom- 
 mending you to the care of that kind Providence 
 who has hitherto, in his merciful goodness, pro- 
 tected your innocence, I remain, with the fondest 
 love, your most affectionate sister, 
 
 1 NESSY.' 
 
 Mr. Heywood's sisters all address their unfortu- 
 nate brother in the same affectionate, but less im- 
 passioned strain ; and a little trait of good feeling 
 is mentioned, on the part of an old female servant, 
 that shews what a happy and attached family the 
 Hey woods were, previous to the melancholy affair 
 in which their boy became entangled. Mrs. Hey- 
 wood says, c 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, c 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 
 
61 
 
 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 :* 
 
 c July 12, 1792. 
 
 4 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 se- 
 renity 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 de- 
 served ; 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 con- 
 
62 
 
 versing 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 ar- 
 rive) 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. 
 
 6 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. 
 
 c 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 vour fond and most affectionate brother, 
 
 if 
 
 < P. H.> 
 
 In a previous letter, dated July 5, to his eldest 
 sister Mary, Peter says, fc I had a letter yesterday 
 from Mr. Fryer, late master of the Bounty, in answer 
 to one I wrote him, who says, " Keep up your 
 spirits, for I am of opinion, no one can say you had 
 an active part in the mutiny, and be assured of my 
 doing you justice when called upon." I had the 
 honour of a visit from a Mr. Delafons, (a friend of 
 
63 
 
 my uncle Pasley's,) who, after inquiring iqto the 
 particulars relative to my situation, advised me to 
 write a petition to the Lords Commissioners of the 
 Admiralty to grant me a speedy trial, the form of 
 which he was so good as to draw up and send me 
 on Tuesday. I hope it may have the desired effect 
 of speedily making my guilt or innocence known to 
 the world, and of relieving me from the miserable 
 state of anxiety and suspence I am now in/ 
 
 His uncle Pasley was indeed most active and 
 kind in his service, as will best be testified by the 
 following letters : 
 
 To Mr. P. HEYWOOD. 
 
 4 Sheerness^ July 6, 1792. 
 
 c I have letters, my dear Sir, from Sir A. Ham- 
 mond and Captain Montague in answer to mine. 
 I had desired the former to supply you with money, 
 or whatever else you might want, on my account ; 
 but by his letters it would appear that Captain Ber- 
 tie has already taken care on that head. Capt. M. 
 writes me that he has delivered a memorial from 
 you to the Lords of the Admiralty. Mr. Delafbns, 
 my friend, who has been with you, is a very sensi- 
 ble, judicious man ; consult him on every step you 
 take, as no person can be a better judge of the 
 proper mode of defence, I have seen Mr. Fryer 
 the master, and Cole the boatswain, both favourable 
 witnesses. To-day I set off for Woolwich and 
 Deptford to endeavour to see the gunner and car- 
 
64 
 
 penter, and shall try to see, ere I return, Hayward 
 and Hallet. I have tried to get the rigour of your 
 confinement mitigated, but find that at present 
 nothing can be done as to enlargement. The Ad- 
 miralty, I find, have laid your case before the Crown 
 lawyers for their opinion, whether you should be 
 tried by a Naval Court Martial or Admiralty Court, 
 but as yet no ans\ver is returned. Rest assured of 
 my utmost exertions ; whenever you are tried 1 
 shall attend. Believe me, with great truth, your 
 affectionate uncle, 
 
 6 T. PASLEY.' 
 
 To Miss N. HEYWOOD. 
 
 ' July IS, 1792. 
 
 I received your letter, my dearest Nessy, with 
 the enclosure, (your brother's narrative,) but did 
 not choose to answer it till I had made a thorough 
 investigation, that is, seen personally all the princi- 
 pal 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 Mon- 
 tague of the Hector, who is my particular friend. 
 I have no doubt of the truth of your brother's nar- 
 rative ; the master, boatswain, gunner, and carpen- 
 ter, late of the Bounty, I have seen, and have the 
 pleasure to assure you that they are all favourable, 
 and corroborate what he says. Thatfellozv, Captain 
 
65 
 
 Edwards, whose inhuman rigour of confinement I 
 shall never forget, I have likewise seen ; he cannot 
 deny that Peter avow r ed himself late of the Bounty 
 when he came voluntarily aboard ; this is a favour- 
 able circumstance. I have been at the Admiralty, 
 and read over all the depositions taken and sent 
 home by Bligh and his officers from Batavia, like- 
 wise the court-martial on himself; in none of which 
 appears any thing against Peter. As soon as Lieut. 
 Hayward arrives with the remainder of the Pan- 
 dora'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 tenour 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 him- 
 self 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 vour brother. 
 
 V 
 
 c 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, c A friend of mine, Mr. Graham, 
 who has been secretary to the different admirals on 
 the Newfoundland station for these twelve years, 
 
66 
 
 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/ Mr. Graham* ac- 
 cordingly attended, and was of the greatest service 
 at the trial. 
 
 To Mr. P. HEYWOOD. 
 
 c Slieerness, July 15, 1792. 
 
 4 Have courage, my dear young friend, and hope 
 the best. I have no doubt we shall see you ac- 
 quitted whenever your court-martial takes place. Be 
 assured, I will endeavour to procure leave of absence, 
 and attend you at Portsmouth. I have to-day writ- 
 ten to your sister Nessy. When any difficulty 
 arises that I can serve you in, use no ceremony, as- 
 sured that it will afford pleasure to your very affec- 
 tionate uncle, 
 
 'THOMAS PASLEY.' 
 
 Nessy Heywood had expressed a strong desire to 
 see her brother, but was told the rules of the service 
 
 * The late Aaron Graham, Esq., the highly-respected police magis- 
 trate in London. 
 
67 
 
 would not allow it ; also, that it would agitate him, 
 when he ought to be cool and collected to meet his 
 approaching trial. Mr. Hey wood, of Maristow, 
 and his daughter, Mrs. Bertie, had intimated to him 
 the same thing. These excellent people, from the 
 moment of young Heywood's arrival, had shewn 
 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 
 Hey wood thus addresses herself : 
 
 c 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 her and our most sincere acknowledg- 
 ments for your invaluable letter, which, from the 
 detention of the packet, she did not receive till yes- 
 terday. 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 good- 
 ness in providing for all his wants, even before he 
 could have received any letters from us to that 
 purpose. 
 
 c Ah ! my dear Madam, how truly characteristic 
 is this of the kind friendship with which he has 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 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 any thing 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 small- 
 est degree improper. 
 
 c In one of my brother's letters, dated the 23d, 
 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 approba- 
 tion I would by no means take any step) for 
 permission to go to him. If it is absolutely im- 
 possible 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 
 
69 
 
 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 anx- 
 iety and impatience produced by the immense 
 distance which now separates us from him, and the 
 uncertainty attending the packet, render it diffi- 
 cult 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 insupport- 
 ably 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 impa- 
 tience 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 in- 
 closing a letter to my brother, which I leave open 
 
70 
 
 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 in- 
 deed, 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. 
 
 4 1 have the honour to be, with every sentiment 
 of gratitude, &c., &c., &c., 
 
 HEYWOOD.' 
 
 But Peter strongly dissuaded her from under- 
 taking the journey upon which her heart was thus 
 intent. 
 
 4 Hector, July 16, 1792. 
 
 C MY DEAREST NfiSSY, 
 
 c Let me hope this will find you at Douglas, 
 having laid aside all thoughts of your most affec- 
 tionate intention to see your unfortunate brother. 
 Alas ! my love, an interview with those most dear 
 to me on earth is for the present denied me ! 
 Picture then to yourself how great would be the 
 disappointment - to you more especially, as it 
 would be altogether unexpected to me 'twould be 
 nothing more than I have long been inured to. 
 Yet the anxiety I should feel from having one so 
 dear to me, near at hand and unable to see her, 
 would be almost insupportable. Let us then be 
 resigned to our fate, contented with this sort of 
 
71 
 
 communication, and be thankful to God for having 
 allowed us that happiness for be assured my con- 
 finement is liberty compared to what it has been for 
 the last fifteen months, when I am reading the 
 dear and affectionate sentiments of my mother and 
 sisters in the long-wished-for sight of their hand- 
 writing. It grieves me to think how unhappy such 
 a disappointment would have made my dear Nessy, 
 and I shall still be in pain till I hear that my last 
 letter, or one from Mr. Heywood, has prevented it. 
 Long absence, my love, augments the joy we feel 
 at meeting. I send you two little sketches* of the 
 manner in which His Majesty's Ship Pandora went 
 down on the 29th of August, and the appearance 
 we who survived made on the small sandy key 
 within the reef, about ninety yards long and one 
 hundred athwart, in all ninety-nine souls. Here 
 we remained three days, subsisting on a single wine- 
 glass of wine or w r ater, and two ounces of bread, 
 daily, with no shelter from the meridian, and then 
 vertical, sun. Captain Edwards had tents erected 
 for himself and his people, and we prisoners peti- 
 tioned him for an old sail which w r as lying useless, 
 part of the wreck, but though in the latitude of 
 11 south, he refused it, and all the shelter we had 
 was to bury ourselves up to the neck in the burning 
 sand, which scorched the skin (we being .quite 
 naked) entirely off our bodies, as if dipped in large 
 
 * An engraving from one of these is given in the 25th number of 
 the Family Library. 
 
72 
 
 tubs of boiling water. We were nineteen days in a 
 similar miserable situation before we reached Cou- 
 pang. From this you may have some faint idea of 
 our wretched condition. 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 Providence 
 assisted me to get out of irons, and from her. With 
 sincere love and duty to my dear mother, brothers 
 and sisters, I remain, 
 
 4 Your affectionate brother, 
 
 c PETER HEYWOOD/ 
 
 Respecting the abandonment of the intended 
 journey, and in reply to this, Nessy writes as 
 follows : 
 
 'Mr. Heywood has, in his last letter to me, 
 rather disapproved of my intention to go to you ; 
 the reason he urged against it was, that as you will 
 now be taken every care of, and will receive the 
 utmost attention from your friends, among whom 
 the excellent Mr. Bertie is first, I could do you no 
 essential service, and that he feared I might, by 
 seeing you in your present situation, agitate and 
 perhaps injure both you and myself. With respect 
 to you, my love, that reason has great weight with 
 me, because your mind ought for the present to be 
 kept cool and composed: and I would not lessen 
 that composure even by affording you all I could, a 
 painful pleasure in seeing me but as for myself, no 
 
73 
 
 danger, no fatigue, no difficulties would deter me. 
 I have youth, health, and excellent 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 with you would be to me joy 
 inexpressible. However, that very circumstance 
 would be distressing to you, and would only be a 
 source of mortification. I will not, therefore, any 
 longer desire it, but will learn to imitate your forti- 
 tude and patience. Do you know, I envy you 
 exceedingly ? To have borne with such heroism 
 your dreadful misfortunes to become the idol of 
 all your relations and friends, and to be held up as 
 an example of worth and suffering virtue, tell me, 
 my love, is not such a triumph worth the purchase ? 
 Thus speaks my little bravery of spirit. Yet how 
 does my fond affection for my dear brother shrink 
 with horror at the bare recollection of his dangers ! 
 The sweet and pious resignation which has hitherto 
 happily conducted you through them, is, I freely 
 own, just what I expected from you ; for such is 
 my idea of your character, that I should have been 
 disappointed had you acted less nobly. With 
 respect to the event of your trial, I am sure we 
 ought to banish every sentiment of fear, and rest 
 securely on the assistance of a kind Providence, 
 and your own virtue. If there be justice for the 
 innocent on this earth, you will assuredly be re- 
 stored to us with honour. Ah ! my dear Peter, 
 how the idea transports me ! May the Giver of all 
 
74 
 
 good in mercy grant, that such may soon be our 
 happy lot, and that I may at length enjoy the 
 felicity of pressing the best of brothers to the bo- 
 som of his ever faithfully affectionate sister, 
 
 ' NESSY.' 
 
 ' Isle of Man, July S3, 1792. 
 
 4 Yes, my ever-dearest Peter, I am still at Douglas, 
 and shall not, without your express permission, 
 leave it till I have the inconceivable happiness of 
 knowing you are once more restored to liberty. My 
 last letter would, I hope, make you quite easy re- 
 specting my intended journey. A thousand thanks 
 for the sketches of the Pandora, which pleased but 
 yet pained us exceedingly. I will not say the 
 sight of them brought your past sufferings to our 
 minds ; for, alas ! the recollection of them is ever 
 present with us ; and yet how indescribably happy 
 are we to think our beloved Peter has escaped such 
 dangers, and will, at length, meet the reward of his 
 virtues in the bosom of friendship and domestic 
 felicity ! I have another request to make, my dear 
 Peter ; don't you think you could accomplish a 
 sketch of something else for your Nessy ? I mean 
 of that dear face I have so long and so ardently 
 wished to see. It is impossible for me to procure a 
 miniature of you at present, but perhaps you could 
 draw a likeness strong enough to give me an idea of 
 the alteration in your face and person since we 
 parted. Oh ! how happy should I be to gaze on 
 
75 
 
 your portrait, were it even the most distant resem- 
 blance ! Suppose you try ? Perhaps it will amuse 
 you in a leisure hour, and how would the posses- 
 sion of it delight me ! 
 
 Mr. P. HEYWOOD to Miss N. HEYWOOD. 
 
 'Hector, July 31, 1792. 
 6 MY DEAREST NESSY, 
 
 ' I had this morning the pleasure of your last, 
 and am glad to find you liked the sketches I sent 
 you of the Pandora. I could not help laughing 
 heartily at the request you made, to draw my own 
 picture. With what pleasure would I do any thing 
 in my power to afford my Nessy even a momentary 
 happiness ! but that is a part of the art which I 
 never attempted, and am conscious that my insigni- 
 ficant abilities are by no means equal to the most 
 distant likeness of a face. And, in fact, I have not 
 one pencil, nor any colours, they being all lost in 
 Endeavour Straits, with about 80 drawings, besides 
 my little all of property. But wait awhile, and 
 with God's assistance I will present you with the 
 original. Ah ! my dear Nessy, what tranquillity 
 of mind do I feel in thinking that my uncle Pasley 
 and Mr. Heywood, my best friends, still consider 
 me as not altogether unworthy their powerful pa- 
 tronage and attention ! I can only, for the present, 
 say it will be my constant and first study to deserve 
 their friendship. 5 
 
 With a subsequent letter he sends the desired pic- 
 
76 
 
 ture of himself, drawn from recollection, not having 
 seen his face in a looking-glass for a twelvemonth. 
 c However, if the face is not like, the dress is just 
 what I now wear, and the position such as I gene- 
 rally sit in, either reading, writing, or drawing. 
 The straw hat I made myself in the Dutch India- 
 man from Matavia to the Cape, to pass away the 
 tedious hours of confinement/ 
 
 To Miss N. HEY WOOD. 
 
 'Hector, August 9, 1792. 
 
 4 Oh ! my truly dear sister, what an unusual sort 
 of pleasure did I yesterday (when I at length re- 
 ceived the parcel) enjoy from the perusal of those 
 beautiful pieces of poetry contained in the pocket 
 book, the effusions of such a heart as has seldom 
 occupied a human frame ! Can I ever have it in 
 my power to shew, by future actions, that I am 
 worthy of such a sister ? No ; 'tis almost impos- 
 sible. But shall I not then endeavour, by the ut- 
 most exertions, to attain a degree of those per- 
 fections my beloved Nessy has, in her delightful 
 poem, represented me as already possessing ? Cer- 
 tainly. Am I not bound by the strongest ties of 
 blood, friendship and affection ? Then let me ever 
 have you, my sister, before my eyes, that by imi- 
 tating your worth, I may at length deserve the 
 epithets you bestow. Ah ! Nessy, how my heart, 
 at this moment, overflows with gratitude and affec- 
 tion ; then how would it leap within me were I to 
 
77 
 
 behold, to converse with my long-absent and dearly- 
 beloved sister ! But, alas ! I am running on like a 
 silly boy. I have to encounter the greatest diffi- 
 culties, unfavourable prejudice, and perhaps injus- 
 tice, ere that supreme happiness can be mine. Yet 
 have 1 not on my side, truth, conscience, and, above 
 all, that omnipotent Being whose protection I have 
 so often experienced, and whose anger alone I dread ? 
 Therefore, why should I entertain a doubt of his 
 protection now ? No ; I doubt it not. Placing the 
 utmost confidence in his aid, I dare flatter myself 
 with the hope of seeing that long wished-for happy 
 day. 
 
 'In return, I send you some of the sublime. 
 Don't exert your risible faculties at my expense. 
 'Tis but an endeavour at an art I have scarcely any 
 notion of, and upon a subject which I could not 
 describe as it deserved. It happened rather re- 
 markably on that unfortunate day which deprived 
 me of our most regretted parent. The dream which 
 occasioned this poetical attempt I shall never forget, 
 so powerful was its effect upon my mind. I owe 
 to it all my present serenity, and it was this alone 
 which enabled me to bear the many troubles I have 
 had to encounter. I hammered at it while at Ota- 
 heite, and after writing it I learnt it by heart, and 
 now you have it from recollection. Adieu, my 
 dear girl. I hope you keep up my mother's spirits, 
 for I know you are well qualified to do so. My 
 
78 
 
 tenderest love and duty to her, my dear brothers 
 and sisters. 
 
 c Your faithfully affectionate brother, 
 
 4 PETER HEYWOOD/ 
 
 The reader will, perhaps, be pleased to see a 
 portion of this ' poetical attempt/ if not on account 
 of the poetry itself, yet as giving in its style of sen- 
 timent the characteristics of the youthful sufferer's 
 mind. Its title runs thus : c A Dream which hap- 
 pened to Peter Hey wood, February 6, 1790, while 
 he was at Otaheite, an Exile from his Friends and 
 Country, owing to the Fatal Mutiny on board His 
 Majesty's Ship Bounty (in which Ship he was 
 forced to remain against his inclination, and not 
 suffered to accompany the Captain in the Boat) : 
 related by himself.' After a few introductory verses, 
 in which he compares the morals of the Otaheitans 
 and the Europeans, to the advantage of the former, 
 he goes on to speak of himself 
 
 While thus, by care oppressed, at midnight oft 
 (When all was hushed and silent as the grave, 
 When minds at ease take rest beneath the soft 
 And balmy wings of sleep ; and nought else, save 
 
 The wakeful crickets' loud shrill- sounding din 
 Seem'd to disturb the universal peace) 
 In pensive mood, retired he'd walk within 
 Some lonely grove, and there his anguish ease, 
 
 By breathing out his grief without reserve 
 To that Creator, who alone best knows 
 Whom to reward, and who shall most deserve, 
 And anger pours on those who slight his laws. 
 
79 
 
 One evening, musing thus, retired, alone, 
 Under a dark and shady grove of trees, 
 Composed of branching ooroo,* and o'ergrovvn 
 With various shrubs the gazing eye to please ; 
 
 The deep unbroken silence of the night, 
 The stillness which the distant sea displayed, 
 While pale-faced Cynthia's dim and trembling light 
 On the calm surface of the waters played, 
 
 With constant twinkling of the starry train ; 
 This great, this awful and majestic sight 
 Served somewhat to abate his inward pain, 
 And change it into secret, soft delight ! 
 
 He some time thus, in contemplation lost, 
 Sat down upon a fruitful ooroo's foot 
 (His soul with discontented passion toss'd) 
 To ruminate, in meditation mute, 
 
 Upon the station Heaven had him assigned ; 
 But long had not been seated ere his eyes, 
 O'erpower'd with sleep, were shut, and in his mind 
 An edifying dream then 'gan to rise. 
 
 Convey'd by airy fancy to the banks 
 Of a cool murm'ring stream, which softly flowed 
 Through windings of a vale, where blooming ranks 
 Of fragrant orange-trees and myrtles glowed ; 
 
 * * # * 
 
 Onward he there proceeds with easy pace 
 Along the water's edge (within this sweet 
 And bright inviting Paradise), to trace 
 The works of nature in a safe retreat, 
 
 Till to a craggy precipice he came 
 That sudden limits on his course imposed ; 
 Beneath the impending summits of the same 
 A verdant turf he saw, and there reposed. 
 
 While seated there, a sudden gloom o'erspread 
 The atmosphere, the winds their breathing ceased ; 
 A voice which seem'd to issue from o'er head, 
 With hollow tone, to him these words addressed : 
 
 * Bread-fruit. 
 
so 
 
 c Young man, thy secret murmuring forbear ! 
 And wailings that disgrace thy nature, cease ; 
 For know thou this 'tis not for thee to dare 
 God's Providence arraign, but bear in peace. 
 
 >Tis not for man, despairing, to repine 
 At those misfortunes which may him befal 
 In this his present life 'tis God's design 
 Adversity should be the lot of all. 
 
 Know, to each mortal upon earth 'tis sent 
 
 To wean him from these transient scenes of bliss, 
 
 To fix his hopes on joys more permanent, 
 
 And from his mind all grovelling thoughts dismiss. 
 
 Your blessings he withdraws, that man may see 
 His own weak insufficiency, and know 
 That there's a Power above, whose firm decree 
 Rules over all this earthly globe below. 
 
 Nor can there ever happen an event 
 But Providence doth wisely it ordain, 
 And 'tis, by his omnisciency, meant 
 Some greatly good and useful end to gain. 
 
 # * # * 
 
 In future, therefore, rivet in thy mind 
 
 A firm belief of this great truth that God 
 
 Is author of events of every kind, 
 
 Though dark'ning oft with woe life's thorny road. 
 
 Think that in reason we should thank as much 
 The goodness of the Almighty e'en for those 
 Misfortunes we receive, or deem as such, 
 As for the greatest blessings he bestows. 
 
 With pious resignation so depend 
 On God in all conditions, and submit 
 Thyself and thy concerns, till life shall end, 
 To his disposal. * 
 
 And strive to acquiesce in every state 
 Or turn of fortune He appoints, who knows 
 What's best for thee for all. His time await, 
 And he'll deliver thee from all thy woes !' 
 
81 
 
 The sound of these last words had scarcely left 
 His ears, when Somnus from his eyes withdrew. 
 He found his limbs of feeling quite bereft, 
 And stiffened by the cold nocturnal dew. 
 
 Soon he perceived that this mysterious dream 
 Was as an admonition from above; 
 It cheered his soul, and on his heart a gleam 
 Of comfort poured which woke anew his love. 
 
 It cleared away the gloom which shaded o'er 
 His thoughts ; it made him resolute to be 
 More patient than he had been heretofore, 
 More hopefully resigned to God's decree. 
 
 Thus comforted, he rose from off the ground; 
 Then kneeling down upon a grassy sod, 
 He raised his hands, and glancing all around, 
 Poured forth his thanks to his Almighty God. 
 
 From that same moment it was his to feel 
 His mind with shielding wisdom strongly armed; 
 Repining lips he learnt thenceforth to seal, 
 And brightly-kindled trust his bosom warmed. 
 
 PETER HEYWOOD, aged 17. 
 Otaheite, Feb. 6, 1790. 
 
 Mr. P. HEYWOOD to Mrs. HEYWOOD. 
 
 c Hector ', August 15, 1792. 
 
 4 These few lines, my dear and honoured mother, 
 are only to inform you that Lord Hood's fleet is 
 arrived at S pithead, and the amiable Mrs. Bertie 
 sent to inform me that my trial will now, as she 
 imagines, soon take place the fleet being to wait 
 till it is over. Nothing that can give me comfort 
 is she inattentive to. In short, her whole behaviour 
 to me is unequalled. 
 
82 
 
 c The question, my dear mother, in one of your 
 letters, concerning my swimming off to the Pandora 
 is one falsity among the too many about which I have 
 often thought of undeceiving you, and as frequently 
 forgot. The story was this. On the morning she 
 arrived, I, accompanied by two of my friends, (the 
 natives,) was going up the mountains, and having 
 got about a hundred yards from my own house, 
 another of my friends (for I was an universal fa- 
 vourite amongst these Indians, and perfectly con- 
 versant with their language) came running after me, 
 and informed me there was a ship coming. I imme- 
 diately went up on a rising ground, and saw, with 
 the utmost joy, a ship lying to off Hapiano, a dis- 
 trict two or three miles to windward of Matavai, 
 where I lived. It was just after daylight, and think- 
 ing Coleman might not be awake, and therefore 
 ignorant of such pleasing news, living a mile and 
 a half from me, and wishing to give any one such 
 satisfaction as that, I sent one of my servants to 
 inform him of it, upon which he immediately went 
 off in a single canoe. There was a fresh breeze, 
 and the ship working into the bay, he no sooner got 
 alongside than the rippling capsized the canoe, and 
 he being obliged to let go the tow-rope, went astern, 
 and was picked up in the canoe next tack. Thus 
 h$ was the first person taken on board the Pandora. 
 I, along with Stewart my messmate, was then stand- 
 ing on the beach, with a double canoe manned, with 
 
83 
 
 twelve paddles, ready for launching. Therefore, just 
 as she made her last tack into her berth, (for we did 
 not think it necessary to go off sooner,) we put off, 
 and got alongside just as they streamed the buoy ; 
 and being dressed in the country manner, tanned as 
 brown as themselves, and 1 tattooed like them in the 
 most curious manner, I do not wonder at their 
 taking us for natives. I was tattooed, not at my 
 own desire, but theirs ; for it was my constant en- 
 deavour to acquiesce in any little custom which I 
 thought would be agreeable to them, though painful 
 in the process, provided I gained by it their friend- 
 ship and esteem, which you may suppose no incon- 
 siderable object in an island where the natives are so 
 numerous. The more a man or woman there is 
 tattooed, the more respect is paid them ; and a person 
 who has none of these marks is looked upon as 
 bearing a most indignant badge of disgrace, and 
 considered as a mere outcast of society. You may 
 suppose, then, that my disposition would not suffer 
 me to be long out of fashion. I always made it a 
 maxim when I was in Rome to act as Rome did, 
 provided it did not interfere with my morals or 
 religion. By this means I was the greatest favourite 
 of any Englishman on shore, and treated with re- 
 spect by every person in the island, in whose 
 mouths my name ever was an object of love and 
 esteem. Perhaps you may think I flatter* myself, 
 
 * That he did not flatter himself, Captain Bligh's second voyage to 
 
 G 2 
 
84 
 
 but I really do not. Adieu, my dearest mother. 
 Your dutiful son, 
 
 P. H.' 
 
 Miss N. HEYWOOD to Mr. P. H'EYWOOD. 
 ' Isle of Man, August 17, 1792. 
 
 * How shall I thank you, my best-loved brother, 
 for your last dear letter and charming poem ? How 
 has the perusal of it delighted us all ! How have I 
 wept over it, while my attention was divided be- 
 tween admiration at the mysterious interposition of 
 Providence, which I am convinced was the case on 
 that remarkable and lamented day when we were 
 for ever deprived of our beloved parent, and gratitude 
 to a beneficent Being, who has so graciously pre- 
 served, and will, at length, with confidence I speak 
 it, restore you to our wishes, the amiable, the truly 
 perfect character your opening virtues promised ! 
 
 ' I have a letter from my uncle Pasley, by the 
 packet, full of the most favourable accounts. Is not 
 this delightful ? I cannot help contrasting our pre- 
 sent situation with what it has been these five years 
 past, when each dreaded arrival of the packet brought 
 us some distressing intelligence ; now how different ! 
 Its return is impatiently wished for, and every letter 
 is replete with comfort, satisfaction, and happiness ! 
 
 Otaheite proves, from the very many inquiries the natives made about 
 him of the ship's company, and the very great esteem and respect they 
 professed for his memory and character. 
 
85 
 
 You make me blush, my dear brother, by your en- 
 comiums. I dare not flatter myself with any merit 
 but that of endeavouring to deserve them. If I 
 have studied to acquire any new accomplishments, 
 in your absence, believe me, my first pleasure in the 
 attainment of them was, the hope of approving 
 myself in some degree worthy of such a brother. 
 
 # * * * 
 
 ' Your most fondly-attached sister, 
 
 4 NESSY HEYWOOD.' 
 
 Mr. P. HEYWOOD to Miss N. HEYVVOOD. 
 
 ' Hector, August 23, 1792. 
 
 4 My dearest Nessy's of the l?th I have this morn- 
 ing received, and have also information from Mr. 
 Beardsworth, that Mr. Erskine and Mr. Mingay are 
 not retained for me, but a Mr. Const. The contrast, 
 as my dear girl observes, betwixt the past and the 
 present is great, and let us hope ere many weeks it 
 will be much greater. I am glad you like my piece 
 of poetry, I was going to say, and which your par- 
 tiality dignifies with the name of poem ; but don't 
 imagine I am to believe all you say. You flatter 
 me, Nessy, more than I can ever deserve. I have 
 had as yet no authentic intelligence when the trial 
 will be. Lord Hood returned from London last 
 night, and his flag was hoisted this morning, so that 
 I daily expect to receive certain information. When 
 I do, I shall not, I think, inform you of the exact 
 
86 
 
 day on which my fate is to be decided, as it would 
 throw you into the most painful state of anxious 
 suspense. Therefore, let it suffice, my dearest Nessy, 
 to know that it is not far off that I am perfectly 
 
 well, and hope. 
 
 6 Your faithful brother, 
 
 ' P. H.' 
 
 Nessy having, in one of her letters, inquired how 
 tall he was, and having received information on this 
 point, expressed some surprise that he was not 
 taller. c 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 no- 
 thing : but enough of nonsense/ 
 
 Till the moment of the trial, every thought of this 
 sensitive and affectionate sister was absorbed in her 
 brother's fate ; and the following lines were written 
 by her on receiving information that the trial was 
 soon to take place : 
 
87 
 
 ' Oh ! gentle Hope ! with eye serene, 
 
 And aspect, ever sweetly mild ; 
 Who deck'st with gayest flowers each scene 
 In sportive, rich luxuriance wild ! 
 
 Thou soother of corroding care, 
 When sharp affliction's pangs we feel, 
 
 Teachest with fortitude to bear, 
 And know'st deep sorrows' wounds to heal. 
 
 Thy timid vot'ry now inspire, 
 
 Thy influence in pity lend ; 
 With confidence this bosom fire, 
 
 Till anxious, dread suspense shall end. 
 
 Oh ! let not fear invade my breast ; 
 
 JVJy Lycidas no terror knows ; 
 With conscious innocence he's blest, 
 
 And soon will triumph o'er his foes. 
 
 Watch him. sweet Pow'r, with looks benign ; 
 
 Possession of his bosom keep ; 
 While waking, make each moment shine, 
 
 With fancy gild his hours of sleep. 
 
 Protect him still, nor let him dread 
 
 The awful, the approaching hour, 
 When on his poor devoted head 
 
 Fell slander falls with cruel power. 
 
 Yet, gentle Hope, deceive me not, 
 
 Nor with deluding smiles betray ; 
 Be honour's recompence his lot, 
 
 And glory crown each future day ! 
 
 And oh ! support this fainting heart 
 
 With courage, till that hour is past, 
 W T hen, freed from envy's fatal dart, 
 
 His innocence shines forth at last. 
 
 Among the friends who manifested their sympa- 
 thy in his situation at the approaching crisis were 
 Col. Holwell, his uncle. Commodore Pasley, and 
 Dr. Scott. 
 
88 
 
 The first thus writes from Southborough, Tun- 
 bridge, August 21, 1792: 
 
 4 MY VERY DEAR PETER, 
 
 6 1 have this day received yours of the 18th, arid 
 am happy to find 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 imma- 
 culate as a new-born infant. I have known you 
 from your cradle, and have often marked with plea- 
 sure and surprise the many assiduous instances you 
 have given (far beyond your years) of filial duty and 
 fraternal affection to the best of parents, and to 
 brothers and sisters, who doated on you. Your 
 education has been the best ; and from these conside- 
 rations alone, without the very clear evidence of 
 your own testimony, I would as soon believe the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury would set fire to the cky 
 of London, as suppose you could directly or indi- 
 rectly join in such an 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 
 
89 
 
 a soldier, I flatter myself my judgment 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. 
 
 ' Let me know as soon as possible when the court- 
 martial is to be, and who are its members. Ever, 
 with prayers for your health, thine affectionately, 
 
 c J. HOLWELL.' 
 
 Dr. SCOTT to Mr. P. HEYWOOD. 
 
 c Isle of Man, August 27, 1792. 
 
 c MY DEAR YOUNG FRIEND, 
 
 c I was favoured with yours of the 19th, and it 
 gave me true satisfaction to know you are bearing 
 up under a load of misfortunes with that true mag- 
 nanimity which ever attends on the innocent, with 
 the resignation becoming a Christian, and accom- 
 panied by a fortitude rarely to be met with at your 
 years. 
 
 4 Would to heaven it were in my power to offer 
 you consolation under your great trial, or that any 
 thing could fall from my pen which would in the 
 least alleviate your sufferings ! However, my dear 
 Sir, let me admonish you to keep up your spirits, 
 and be assured you have my warmest wishes that 
 your misfortunes may be brought to a speedy and 
 happy conclusion. From the good opinion I always 
 formed of your character, I have ever considered 
 you innocent of the crime that has been laid to your 
 charge, and though some appearances might be 
 
90 
 
 against you, yet the unprejudiced mind acts upon 
 firmer principles than to be biassed by foul-mouthed 
 calumny. On these grounds you have, and ever 
 had, my good opinion. Consider, then 5 what a 
 glorious triumph will be yours when^ cleared of every 
 aspersion that now gives you pain ; liberty will 
 become doubly dear to you by having (undeservedly 
 too) experienced bondage. The joy and affectionate 
 congratulations of your family and friends are pros- 
 pects, which, I trust, will have their due weight in 
 helping to support you in your present calamitous 
 circumstances. With what double relish will you 
 then enjoy prosperity, who have undergone so much 
 the reverse ! That the time may not be far distant, 
 is the sincere wish of, my dear young friend, 
 4 Yours, most cordially, 
 
 ' PATRICK SCOTT/ 
 
 Commodore PASLEY to Miss N. HEYWOOD. 
 
 ' London, September 6, 1792. 
 4 1 set off for town, my dearest Nessy, the moment 
 Lieut. Hayward arrived. All the evidences left 
 town early this morning, and the trial will most 
 probably take place about Monday the 10th. I shall 
 say nothing of what I expect the result will be, but 
 at present appearances are favourable, and I would 
 wish you to keep up all your spirits. Last night 
 I had a meeting with Mr. Const (at his chambers) 
 and my friend Mr. Graham, who will write you 
 the earliest moment possible from Portsmouth. 
 
91 
 
 This gentleman is an intimate and very particular 
 friend of mine, and has (though, I know, attended 
 with great inconvenience to him) voluntarily offered 
 his services, which I most joyfully accepted, know- 
 ing his uncommon abilities, happier, and my mind 
 more at ease, by his attendance than I could have 
 been from that of the first counsel in England. My 
 love to your Mamma and all the family. God grant 
 you may soon have favourable accounts of the re- 
 sult ! I shall myself be most unhappy till I hear it. 
 ' My dearest Nessy, your truly affectionate 
 
 uncle, 
 
 T. P.* 
 
 The SAME to Mr. P. HEYWOOD. 
 
 'London, Sept. 6, 1792. 
 
 4 This will be delivered to you by my very parti- 
 cular friend Mr. Graham, of whose abilities I have 
 the highest opinion, and trust your cause to him 
 with a confidence I should not have done to any 
 man in England the whole bar of counsel not ex- 
 cepted. I request you, my dear young friend, to 
 place your perfect confidence in him, and follow 
 implicitly his advice. It is impossible to know all 
 that may be brought forth, but so far as we do know, 
 I have every reason to think you may look forward 
 with pleasing hopes. I refer you to my friend Mr. 
 Graham for information. Your counsel seems a 
 sensible, clever young man, but my dependence is 
 on Graham. If he had not been so kind as to offer 
 
92 
 
 me his services in this, (for which I shall esteem 
 myself for ever obliged to him,) I would at all 
 events have attended myself. God grant I may hear 
 soon of your honourable acquittal ! it will, believe 
 me, rejoice the heart of your most affectionate uncle, 
 
 'T. PASLEY/ 
 
 On the subject of the employment of counsel, 
 Peter Heywood thus expressed himself in a letter 
 to his sister Mary, dated July 25th : 
 
 4 1 am sorry to find by your letter, my dear sister? 
 that you all seem to be very ignorant of the nature 
 of a naval court-martial, by supposing that the as- 
 sistance of counsellors can be of any use. Mr. 
 Larkham has this moment desired me to assure you 
 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, / 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 
 considered deserving the victory as the most elabo- 
 rate eloquence of a Cicero upon the same subject. 
 1 have not the least fear of being at a loss on my 
 
93 
 
 trial, as my uncle Pasley has most kindly promised 
 to be with me, and will, I make no doubt, assist if 
 permitted. 
 
 ' Your fondly affectionate brother, 
 
 'P. H.' 
 
 Under these auspices conscious that he was an 
 object of the tenderest attachment of his family, and 
 of the warm interest of a large circle of friends, 
 whose approbation he was most anxious to justify, 
 this noble-minded youth awaited his trial. Alas ! 
 the cup of his distresses was not yet full. His last 
 letter before the trial was addressed to his mother. 
 
 Hector, Sept. 11, 1792. 
 
 ' If I had not received my dear mother's letter of 
 the 6th, I should not have written but yet 'tis as 
 well to do so, because I have something to say that 
 will give you pleasure, though my trial is not yet 
 over. On Saturday, the 8th, Mr. Graham came on 
 board to see me, and brought a letter from my ge- 
 nerous uncle Pasley. The next day he came again, 
 accompanied by Mr. Const. With them I had a 
 private conference, by Captain Montague's permis- 
 sion, and from what information I had the happi- 
 ness to receive, I have every reason (as may you, my 
 dear mother) to look forward with the most pleasing 
 hopes of 
 
 ' I need not indeed I should not, say much to 
 you, my dearest mother, on so tender a subject ; but 
 let it suffice to tell you, 
 
94 
 
 * The awful day of trial now draws nigh, 
 When I shall see another day or die. 9 
 
 My next will give you either good news or bad; 
 therefore I know my dear mother will, with the for- 
 titude and resignation of a true Christian, prepare 
 herself for either. Methinks the hint is sufficient. 
 Let me then request, my beloved parent will endea- 
 vour to obtain that tranquil serenity of mind which 
 now is, thank God, possessed by her ever dutiful 
 son, from a trust in that Providence who alone has 
 and ever will, he doubts not, continue to watch over 
 him with paternal care. Tell my sisters to set tout 
 the topping lifts of their hearts, from an assurance 
 that, with God's assistance, all will yet end well. 
 Adieu, my beloved mother. Love to all, and Hope ! 
 ' Your truly dutiful and most filially affec- 
 tionate son, 
 
 ' P. HEYWOOD.' 
 
 The last letter from his beloved Nessy, previous 
 to the awful event, thus concludes : 
 
 ' Adieu, my inestimable brother. My mamma 
 sends her most tender love and anxious maternal 
 wishes for your liberty and safety, and my brothers 
 and sisters desire me to say every thing that is most 
 expressive of boundless affection. May that Al- 
 mighty Providence, whose tender care has hitherto 
 preserved you, be, still your bountiful Protector! 
 May he instil into the hearts of your judges every 
 sentiment of justice, generosity, and compassion ! 
 
95 
 
 May hope, innocence, and integrity be your firm 
 support, and liberty, glory, and honour, your just 
 reward ! May all good angels guard you from even 
 the appearance of danger ! and may you at length 
 be restored to us, the delight, the pride of your 
 adoring friends, and the sole happiness and felicity 
 of that fond heart which animates the bosom of my 
 dear Peter's most faithful and truly affectionate 
 sister, 
 
 'N. H.' 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 ON the 12th of September, 1792, the Court 
 assembled on board His Majesty 's ship Duke, to 
 try the prisoners accused of mutiny. 
 
 In order to understand Mr. Hey wood's defence, 
 it is necessary to give those parts of the evidence 
 which relate to him. 
 
 Mr. Fryer^ the master of the Bounty, deposed, 
 " That he did not perceive Mr. Peter Heywood on 
 deck at the seizure of the ship." 
 
 Mr. Cole, boatswain, deposed, " That he saw Mr. 
 Heywood, one of the prisoners, lending a hand to 
 get the fore stayfalls along, and when the boatswain 
 looked on, spoke something to him, but what it was 
 does not know, as Christian was threatening him at 
 the time. That Heywood then went below, and 
 does not remember seeing him afterwards/' 
 
 He then mentioned four prisoners, who were cry- 
 ing because they were not allowed to go in the boat 
 with Bligh, and the Court then asked if he had any 
 reason to believe that any other of the prisoners were 
 detained contrary to their inclinations? Ans. " I be- 
 
97 
 
 lieve Mr. Heywood was ; I thought all along he was 
 intending to come away ; he had no arms, and was 
 assisting to get the boat out, and then went below ; 
 I heard Churchill call out to keep them below/ 
 The Court 4 Do you think he meant Heywood ?' 
 c I have no reason to think he meant any other/ 
 
 Mr. Purcell^ carpenter, examined. 'Did you 
 see Mr. Heywood standing upon the booms ?* 
 'Yes, he was leaning the flat part of his hand 
 upon a cutlass, when I exclaimed, In the name of 
 God, Peter, what do you with that ? when he 
 instantly dropped it, and assisted in hoisting the 
 launch out, and handing the things into the boat, 
 and then went down below, when I heard Churchill 
 call to Thompson to keep them below, but could 
 not tell whom he meant ; I did not see Mr. 
 Heywood after that/ The Court ' In what light 
 did you look upon Mr. Heyw r ood, at the time you 
 say he dropped the cutlass on your speaking to 
 him?' Witness 'I looked upon him as a person 
 confused, and that he did not know that he had the 
 weapon in his hand, or his hand being on it, for it 
 was not in his hand ; I considered him to be con- 
 fused, by his instantly dropping it, and assisting in 
 hoisting the boat out, which convinced me in my 
 own mind that he had no hand in the conspiracy ; 
 that after this he went below, as 1 think, on his 
 own account, in order to collect some of his things 
 to put into the boat/ The Court c Do you, upon 
 the solemn oath you have taken, believe that Mr. 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 Heywood, by being armed with a cutlass at the 
 time you have mentioned, by anything that you 
 could collect from his gestures or speeches, had any 
 intention of opposing, or joining others that might 
 oppose, to stop the progress of the mutiny ? 3 
 Witness ' No/ The Court <In the time that 
 Mr. Heywood was assisting you to get the things 
 into the boat, did he, in any degree whatever, 
 manifest a disposition to assist in the mutiny ?' 
 Witness 'No/ The Court 4 Was he, during 
 that time, deliberate or frightened, and in what 
 manner did he behave himself ?' Witness 'I had 
 not an opportunity of observing his every action, 
 being myself at that time engaged in getting several 
 things into the boat, so that 1 cannot tell/ The 
 Court c Putting every circumstance together, de- 
 clare to this court, upon the oath you have taken, 
 how you considered his behaviour, whether as a 
 person joined in the mutiny, or as a person wishing 
 well to Captain Bligh ?' Witness ' I by no means 
 considered him as a person concerned in the mu- 
 tiny or conspiracy/ 
 
 Lieutenant Thomas Hay ward > late third lieutenant 
 of the Pandora, and formerly midshipman of the 
 Bounty, deposes, that Peter Heywood was unarmed 
 on the booms. Having stated that when he went 
 below to get some things, he saw Peter Heywood 
 in his berth, and told him to go into the boat, he 
 was asked by the Court, if Heywood was prevented 
 by any force from going upon deck, he answered, 
 
99 
 
 'No.' The Court 'Did you, from his behaviour, 
 consider him as a person attached to his duty, or to 
 the party of the mutineers?' Witness 4 1 should 
 rather suppose, after my having told him to go into 
 the boat, and he not joining us, to be on the side of 
 the mutineers; but that must be understood only as 
 an opinion, as he was not in the least employed 
 during the active part of it/ The Court c D id 
 you observe any marks of joy or sorrow on his coun- 
 tenance or behaviour ?' Witness 4 Sorrow.' 
 
 Lieutenant Hallet, late midshipman of the Bounty, 
 on being asked if he saw Peter Heywood on that 
 day, he replied, once, on the platform, standing still 
 and looking attentively towards Captain Bligh ; never 
 saw him under arms nor spoke to him ; does not know 
 if he offered to go in the boat, nor did he hear any 
 one propose to him to go in the boat ; that when 
 standing on the platform, Captain Bligh said some- 
 thing to him, but what he did not hear, upon which 
 Heywood laughed, turned round, and walked away. 
 
 Mr. Fryer, the master, called in and examined 
 by Mr. Heywood. ; If you had been permitted, 
 would you have stayed in the ship in preference to 
 going into the boat ?' Witness c Yes.' Prisoner 
 4 Had you stayed in the ship in expectation of 
 re-taking her, was my conduct such, from the first 
 moment you knew me to this, as would have in- 
 duced you to intrust me with your design ; and do 
 you believe I would have favoured it, and given you 
 all the assistance in my power ?' Witness c I be- 
 lieve he would : I should not have hesitated a mo- 
 
 H 2 
 
100 
 
 ment in asking of him, when I had had an oppor- 
 tunity of opening my mind to him/ 
 
 The same question being put to Mr. Cole, the 
 boatswain, Mr. Peckover, the gunner, and Mr. Pur* 
 <?//, the carpenter, they all answered in the affirmative. 
 
 Mr. Heywood asked, c What was my general 
 conduct, temper, and disposition on board the ship 
 Witness ' Beloved by everybody, to the best of my 
 recollection. ' To the same question, Mr. Cole an- 
 swers, c Always a very good character/ Mr. Peck- 
 over c The most amiable, and deserving of every 
 one's esteem/ Mr. Pur cell c In every respect be- 
 coming the character of a gentleman, and such as 
 merited the esteem of everybody/ 
 
 Mr. Cole being examined, gave his testimony 
 that he never saw Mr. Heywood armed ; that he 
 did not consider him of the mutineers' party ; that 
 he saw nothing of levity or apparent merriment 
 in his conduct; that when he was below with 
 Stewart, he heard Churchill call out, c Keep them 
 below/ and that he believes Heywood was one of 
 the persons meant has no doubt of it at all ; that 
 Bligh could not have spoken to him, when on the 
 booms, loud enough to be heard ; that Hayward 
 was alarmed, and Hallet alarmed ; that he by no 
 means considers Heywood or Morrison as muti- 
 neers. 
 
 Mr. Purcell being examined, states that, re- 
 specting the cutlass on which he saw Mr. Hey- 
 wood's hand resting, he does not consider him as 
 being an armed man ; that he never thought him 
 
101 
 
 as of the mutineers' party ; that he never heard 
 Captain Bligh speak to him ; that he thinks, from 
 his situation, he could not have heard him ; that he 
 was by no means guilty of levity or apparent mer- 
 riment ; that he heard the master-at-arms call out 
 to keep them below ; that Mr. Hallet appeared to 
 him to be very much confused ; and that Mr. Hay- 
 ward likewise appeared to be very much confused. 
 
 The Court asked, ' As you say you did not look 
 upon the prisoner as a person armed, to what did 
 you allude when you exclaimed, " Good God, Peter, 
 what do you do with that!"' Witness c I look 
 upon it as an accidental thing/ 
 
 Captain Edwards, being asked by Hey wood 
 4 Did I surrender myself to you upon the arrival of 
 the Pandora at Otaheite ? 3 Witness ; Not to me, 
 to the Lieutenant. I apprehend he put himself in 
 my power. I always understood he came volun- 
 tarily ; our boats were not in the water/ Prisoner 
 'Did I give you such information respecting 
 myself and the Bounty as afterwards proved true ?' 
 Witness c He gave me some information respecting 
 the people on the island, that corroborated with 
 ColemanV I do not recollect the particular con- 
 versation, but in general it agreed with the account 
 given by Coleman. 5 Prisoner c When I told you 
 that I went away the first time from Otaheite with 
 the pirates, did I not at the same time inform you 
 that it was not possible for rne to separate myself 
 from Christian, who would not permit any man of 
 
102 
 
 the party to leave him at that time, lest, by giving 
 intelligence, they might have been discovered when- 
 ever a ship should arrive ?' Witness c Yes, but I 
 do not recollect the latter part of it, respecting 
 giving intelligence/ 
 
 The Court having called on the prisoners, each 
 separately, for his defence, Mr. Hey wood delivered 
 his as follows : 
 
 6 My lords and gentlemen of this honourable 
 Court, Your attention has already been sufficiently 
 exercised in the painful narrative of this trial ; it is 
 therefore my duty to trespass further on it as little 
 as possible. 
 
 ' The crime of mutiny, for which I am now ar- 
 raigned, is so seriously pregnant with every danger 
 and mischief, that it makes the person so accused, 
 in the eyes, not only of military men of every de- 
 scription, but of every nation, appear at once the 
 object of unpardonable guilt and exemplary ven- 
 geance. 
 
 c In such a character it is my misfortune to appear 
 before this tribunal, and no doubt I must have been 
 gazed at with all that horror and indignation which 
 the conspirators of such a mutiny as that in Captain 
 Blights ship so immediately provoke ; hard, then, 
 indeed is my fate, that circumstances should so oc- 
 cur to point me out as one of them. 
 
 c Appearances, probably, are against me, but they 
 are appearances only ; for unless I may be deemed 
 
103 
 
 guilty for feeling a repugnance at embracing death 
 unnecessarily, I declare before this Court and the 
 tribunal of Almighty God, I am innocent of the 
 charge. 
 
 c I chose rather to defer asking any questions of 
 the witnesses until I heard the whole of the evi- 
 dence ; as the charge itself, although I knew it gene- 
 rally, was not in its full extent, nor in particular 
 points, made known to me before I heard it read by 
 the Judge Advocate at the beginning of the trial ; 
 and I feel myself relieved by having adopted such a 
 mode, as it enables me to set right a few particulars 
 of a narrative which I had the honour to transmit to 
 the Earl of Chatham, containing an account of all 
 that passed on the fatal morning of the 28th of April, 
 1789, but which, from the confusion the ship was 
 in during the mutiny, I might have mistaken, or 
 from the errors of an imperfect recollection I might 
 have misstated ; the difference, however, will now 
 be open to correction ; and I have great satisfaction 
 in observing, that the mistakes but very slightly 
 respect my part of the transaction, and I shall con- 
 sequently escape the imputation of endeavouring to 
 save myself by imposing on my judges. 
 
 6 When first this sad event took place I was sleep- 
 ing in my hammock ; nor, till the very moment of 
 being awakened from it, had I the least intimation 
 of what was going on. The spectacle was as sudden 
 to my eyes, as it was unknown to my heart ; and 
 both were convulsed at the scene. 
 
104 
 
 4 Matthew Thompson was the first that claimed 
 my attention upon waking : he was sitting as a 
 sentinel over the arm-chest and my berth, and in- 
 formed me that the captain was a prisoner, and 
 Christian had taken the command of the ship. I 
 entreated for permission to go upon deck; and soon 
 after the boatswain and carpenter had seen me in 
 my berth, as they were going up the fore-hatchway, 
 I followed them, as is stated in their evidence. It 
 is not in my power to describe my feelings upon 
 seeing the captain as I did, who, with his hands 
 tied behind him, was standing on the quarter-deck, 
 a little abaft the mizen-mast, and Christian by his 
 si,de. My faculties were benumbed, and I did not 
 recover the power of recollection until called to by 
 somebody to take hold of the tackle-fall, and assist 
 to get out the launch, which I found w r as to be given 
 to the captain instead of the large cutter, already in 
 the water alongside the ship. It were in vain to 
 say what things I put into the boat, but many were 
 handed in by me ; and in doing this it was that my 
 hand touched the cutlass, (for I will not attempt to 
 deny what the carpenter has deposed,) though, on 
 my conscience, I am persuaded it was of momen- 
 tary duration, and innocent as to intention. The 
 former is evident, from its being unobserved by 
 every witness who saw me upon deck, some of 
 whom must have noticed it had it continued a single 
 minute ; and the latter is proved by the only person 
 who took notice of the circumstance, and has also 
 
105 
 
 deposed that, at the moment he beheld me, I was 
 apparently in a state of absolute stupor. The poi- 
 son, therefore, carries with it its antidote ; and it 
 seems needless to make any further comment on 
 the subject, for no man can be weak enough to sup- 
 pose, that if I had been armed for the purpose of 
 assisting in the mutiny, I should have resumed 
 a weapon in the moment of triumph, and when the 
 ship was so completely in the possession of the 
 party, that (as more than one witness has emphati- 
 cally expressed it) all attempts at recovering her 
 would have been impracticable. 
 
 ' The boat and ship, it is true, presented them- 
 selves to me without its once occurring that I was 
 at liberty to choose, much less that the choice I 
 should make would be afterwards deemed criminal ; 
 and I bitterly deplore that my extreme youth and 
 inexperience concurred in torturing me with appre- 
 hensions, and prevented me from preferring the 
 former ; for as things have turned out, it would 
 have saved me from the disgrace of appearing be- 
 fore you as I do at this day it would have spared 
 the sharp conflicts of my own mind ever since, and 
 the agonizing tears of a tender mother and my 
 much-beloved sisters. 
 
 4 Add to my youth and inexperience, that I was 
 influenced in my conduct by the example of my 
 messmates, Mr. Hallet and Mr. Hayward, the 
 former of whom was very much agitated, and the 
 latter, though he had been many years at sea, yet, 
 
106 
 
 when Christian ordered him into the boat, was 
 evidently alarmed at the perilous situation, and so 
 much overcome by the harsh command, that he 
 actually shed tears. 
 
 6 My own apprehensions were far from being les- 
 sened at such a circumstance as this, and I fear- 
 fully beheld the preparations for the captain's de- 
 parture as the preliminaries of inevitable destruc- 
 tion, which, although I did not think could be more 
 certain, yet I feared would be more speedy, by the 
 least addition to their number. 
 
 6 To shew that 1 have no disposition to impose 
 upon this Court, by endeavouring to paint the situ- 
 ation of the boat to be worse than it really was, I 
 need only refer to the captain's own narrative, 
 wherein he says that she would have sunk with 
 them on the evening of the 3rd May, had it not 
 been for his timely caution of throwing out some 
 of the stores, and all the clothes belonging to the 
 people, excepting two suits for each. 
 
 ' Now what clothes or stores could they have 
 spared which in weight would have been equal to 
 that of two men ? (for if I had been in her, and the 
 poor fellow, Norton, had not been murdered at 
 Tofoa, she would have been encumbered with our 
 additional weight) ; and if it be true that she was 
 saved by those means, which the captain says she 
 was, it must follow that if Norton and myself had 
 been in her (to say nothing of Coleman, M'Intosh, 
 Norman, and Byrne, who, 'tis confessed, were desi- 
 
107 
 
 rous of leaving the ship), she must either have gone 
 down with us, or, to prevent it, we must have light- 
 ened her of the provisions and other necessary 
 articles, and thereby have perished for want dread- 
 ful alternative ! 
 
 6 A choice of deaths to those who are certain of 
 dying may be a matter of indifference ; but where, 
 on one hand, death appears inevitable, and the 
 means of salvation present themselves on the other, 
 however imprudent it might be to resort to those 
 means in any other less trying situation, I think 
 (and hope even at my present time of life), that I 
 shall not be suspected of a want of courage for say- 
 ing, few would hesitate to embrace the latter. 
 
 fc Such, then, was exactly my situation on board 
 the Bounty ; to be starved to death or drowned ap- 
 peared to be inevitable if I went in the boat ; and 
 surely it is not to be wondered at, if, at the age of 
 sixteen years, with no one to advise with, and so 
 ignorant of the discipline of the service (having 
 never been at sea before) as not to know or even 
 suppose it was possible that what I should deter- 
 mine upon might afterwards be alleged against me 
 as a crime I say, under such circumstances, in so 
 trying a situation, can it be wondered at if I suf- 
 fered the preservation of my life to be the first, and 
 to supersede every other, consideration? 
 
 c Besides, through the medium of the master, the 
 captain had directed the rest of the officers to re- 
 main on board, in hopes of re-taking the ship. Such 
 
108 
 
 is the master's assertion, and such the report on 
 board, and as it accorded with my own wishes for 
 the preservation of my life, I felt myself doubly 
 justified in staying on board, not only as it appeared ^ 
 to be safer than going in the boat, but from a consi- 
 deration also of being in the way to be useful in 
 assisting to accomplish so desirable a wish of the 
 captain. 
 
 6 Let it not for God's sake let it not be ar- 
 gued that my fears were groundless, and that the 
 arrival of the boat at Timor is a proof that my con- 
 duct was wrong. This would be judging from the 
 event, and I think I have plainly shewn that, but 
 for the death of Norton, at Tofoa, and the prudent 
 order of the captain not to overload the boat, nei- 
 ther himself nor any of the people who were saved 
 with him would at this moment have been alive to 
 have preferred any charge against me, or given evi- 
 dence at this trial. 
 
 ' If deliberate guilt be necessarily affixed to all 
 who continued on board the ship, and that in con- 
 sequence they must be numbered with Christian's 
 party in such a strict view of matters it must irre- 
 vocably impeach the armourer and two carpenters' 
 mates, as well as Martin and Byrne, who certainly 
 wished to quit the ship. And if Christian's first 
 intention of sending away the captain, with a few 
 persons only, in the small cutter, had not been given 
 up, or if even the large cutter had not been ex- 
 changed for a launch, more than half of those who 
 
109 
 
 did go with him would have been obliged to stay 
 with me. Forgetful, for a moment, of my own 
 misfortunes, I cannot help being agitated at the bare 
 thought of their narrow escape. ^ 
 
 c Every body must, and I am sure that this Court 
 will, allow that my case is a peculiarly hard one, 
 inasmuch as the running away with the ship is a 
 proof of the mutiny having been committed. The 
 innocent and the guilty are upon exactly the same 
 footing had the former been confined by sickness, 
 without a leg to stand on, or an arm to assist them 
 in opposing the mutineers, they must have been put 
 upon their trial, and instead of the captain being 
 obliged to prove their guilt, it would have been in- 
 cumbent upon them to have proved themselves in- 
 nocent. How can this be done but negatively ? If 
 all who wished it could not accompany the captain, 
 they were necessarily compelled to stay w r ith Chris- 
 tian ; and being with him, were dependent on him, 
 subject to his orders, however disinclined to obey 
 them, for force in such a state is paramount to every 
 thing. But when, on the contrary, instead of being 
 in arms, or obeying any orders of the mutineers, I 
 did every thing in my power to assist the captain 
 and those who went with him, and by all my actions 
 (except in neglecting to do what> if I had done, 
 must have endangered the lives of those who were 
 so fortunate as to quit the ship) I shewed myself 
 faithful to the last moment of the captain's stay, 
 what is there to leave a doubt in the minds of im- 
 
110 
 
 partial and dispassionate men of my being perfectly 
 innocent? Happy indeed should I have been if 
 the master had stayed on board, which he probably 
 would have done if his reasons for wishing to do so 
 had not been overheard by the man who was in the 
 bread-room. 
 
 * Captain Bligh, in his narrative, acknowledges 
 that he had left some friends on board the Bounty, 
 and no part of my conduct could have induced him 
 to believe that I ought not to be reckoned of the 
 number. Indeed, from his attention to and very 
 kind treatment of me personally, I should have been 
 a monster of depravity to have betrayed him. The 
 idea alone is sufficient to disturb a mind where hu- 
 manity and gratitude have, I hope, ever been noticed 
 as its characteristic features ; and yet Mr. Hallet 
 has said that he saw me laugh at a time when, Hea- 
 ven knows, the conflict in my own mind, indepen- 
 dent of the captain's situation, rendered such a want 
 of decency impossible. The charge in its nature is 
 dreadful, but I boldly declare, notwithstanding an 
 internal conviction of my innocence has enabled me 
 to endure my sufferings for the last sixteen months, 
 could I have laid to my heart so heavy an accusa- 
 tion, I should not have lived to defend myself from 
 it. And this brings to my recollection another part 
 of Captain Blights narrative, in which he says, " I 
 was kept apart from every one, and all I could do 
 was by speaking to them in general ; but my endea- 
 vours were of no avail, for I was kept securely 
 
Ill 
 
 bound, and no one but the guard was suffered to 
 
 come near me." 
 
 4 If the captain, whose narrative we may suppose 
 to have been a detail of every thing which happened, 
 could only recollect that he had spoken generally to 
 the people, I trust it will hardly be believed that 
 Mr. Hallet, without notes, at so distant a period as 
 this, should be capable of recollecting that he heard 
 him speak to any one in particular ; and here it may 
 not be improper to observe that, at the time to which 
 I allude, Mr. Hallet (if I am rightly informed) could 
 not have been more than fifteen years of age. I 
 mean not to impeach his courage, but I think if 
 circumstances be considered, and an adequate idea 
 of the confused state of the ship can be formed by 
 this Court, it will not appear probable that this 
 young gentleman should have been so perfectly un- 
 embarrassed as to have been able to particularize 
 the muscles of a man's countenance, even at a con- 
 siderable distance from him ; and what is still more 
 extraordinary is, that he heard the captain call to 
 me from abaft the mizen to the platform where I 
 was standing, which required an exertion of voice, 
 and must have been heard and noticed by all who 
 were present, as the captain and Christian were at 
 that awful moment the object of every one's peculiar 
 attention ; yet he who was standing between us, and 
 noticing the transactions of us both, could not hear 
 what was said. 
 
112 
 
 4 To me it has ever occurred that diffidence is very 
 becoming, and of all human attainments a know- 
 ledge of ourselves is the most difficult; and if, in 
 the ordinary course of life, it is not an easy matter 
 precisely to account for our own actions, how much 
 more difficult and hazardous must it be in new and 
 momentous scenes, when the mind is hurried and 
 distressed by conflicting passions, to judge of ano- 
 ther's conduct! and yet here are two young men, 
 who, after a lapse of near four years, (in which pe- 
 riod one of them, like myself, has grown from a boy 
 to be a man,) without hesitation, in a matter on 
 which my life is depending, undertake to account 
 for some of my actions, at a time too when some of 
 the most experienced officers in the ship are not 
 ashamed to acknowledge they were overcome by 
 the confusion which the mutiny occasioned, and are 
 incapable of recollecting a number of their own 
 transactions on that day, 
 
 ' I can only oppose to such open boldness the 
 calm suggestions of reason, and would willingly be 
 persuaded that the impression under which this 
 evidence has been given is not in any degree open 
 to suspicion. I would be understood, at the same 
 time, not to mean any thing injurious to the charac- 
 ter of Mr. Hallet ; and for Mr. Hayward, I ever 
 loved him, and must do him the justice to declare, 
 that whatever cause I may have to deplore the 
 effect of his evidence, or rather his opinion, for he 
 
113 
 
 hais deposed no fact against me, yet I am convinced 
 it was given conscientiously, and with a tenderness 
 and feeling becoming a man of honour. 
 
 c But may they not both be mistaken ? Let it be 
 remembered that their long intimacy with Captain 
 Bligh, in whose distresses they were partakers, and 
 whose sufferings were severely felt by them, na- 
 turally begot an abhorrence towards those whom 
 they thought the authors of their misery ; might 
 they not forget that the story had been told to them, 
 and by first of all believing, then constantly think- 
 ing of it, be persuaded at last it was a fact w r ithin 
 the compass of their own knowledge ? 
 
 c It is the more natural to believe it is so, from 
 Mr. Hallefs forgetting what the captain said upon 
 the occasion, which, had he been so collected as he 
 pretends to have been, he certainly must have heard. 
 Mr. Hay ward also, it is evident, has made a mis- 
 take in point of time as to the seeing me with Mor- 
 rison and Millward upon the booms ; for the boat- 
 swain and carpenter in their evidence have said, and 
 the concurring testimony of every one supports the 
 fact, that the mutiny had taken place, and the cap- 
 tain was on deck, before they came up ; and it was 
 not till after that time that the boatswain called Mor- 
 rison and Millward out of their hammocks ; there- 
 fore to have seen me at all upon the booms with 
 those two men, it must have been long after the 
 time that Mr. Hayward has said it was. Again, 
 Mr. Hayward has said that he could not recollect 
 
114 
 
 the day nor even the month when the Pandora ar- 
 rived at Otaheite. Neither did Captain Edwards 
 recollect when, on his return, he wrote, to the Ad- 
 miralty that Michael Byrne had surrendered him- 
 self as one of the Bounty's people, but in that letter 
 he reported him as having been apprehended, which 
 plainly shews that the memory is fallible to a very 
 great degree ; and it is a fair conclusion to draw, 
 that, if when the mind is at rest, which must have 
 been the case with Mr. Hayward in the Pandora, 
 and things of a few months' date are difficult to be 
 remembered, it is next to impossible, in the state 
 in which every body was on board the Bounty, to 
 remember their particular actions at the distance 
 of three years and a half after they were observed. 
 
 c As to the advice he says he gave me, to go into 
 the boat, I can only say, I have a faint recollection 
 of a short conversation with somebody, I thought 
 it was Mr. Stewart but, be that as it may, I 
 think I may take upon me to say it was on deck, 
 and not below, for on hearing it suggested that I 
 should be deemed guilty if I stayed in the ship, I 
 went down directly, and in passing Mr, Cole, told 
 him, in a low tone of voice, that I would fetch a 
 few necessaries in a bag and follow him into the 
 boat, which at that time I meant to do, but was 
 afterwards prevented, 
 
 c Surely I shall not be deemed criminal that I 
 hesitated at getting into a boat whose gunnel, when 
 she left the ship, was not quite eight inches above 
 
115 
 
 the surface of the water ! And if, in the moment of 
 unexpected trial, fear and confusion assailed my 
 untaught judgment, and, by remaining in the ship, 
 I appeared to deny my commander, it was in 
 appearance only it was the sin of my head for I 
 solemnly assure you before God, that it was not 
 the vileness of my heart. 
 
 ' 1 was surprised into my error by a mixture of 
 ignorance, apprehension, and the prevalence of ex- 
 ample ; and alarmed as I was from my sleep, there 
 was little opportunity and less time for better re*- 
 collection. The captain, I am persuaded, did not 
 see me during the mutiny, for I retired, as it were, 
 in sorrowful suspense, alternately agitated between 
 hope and fear, not knowing what to do. The dread 
 of being asked by him, or of being ordered by 
 Christian, to go into the boat, or, which appeared 
 to me worse than either, of being desired by the 
 latter to join his party, induced me to keep out of 
 the sight of both, until I was a second time confined 
 in my berth by Thompson, when the determination 
 I had made was too late to be useful. 
 
 6 One instance of my conduct I had nearly for- 
 got, which, with much anxiety and great astonish- 
 ment, I have heard observed upon, and considered 
 as a fault, though I had imagined it blameless, if 
 not laudable I mean the assistance I gave in 
 hoisting out the launch, which, by a mode of ex- 
 pression of the boatswain's, who says I did it 
 voluntarily (meaning that I did not refuse my 
 
 i 2 
 
116 
 
 assistance when he asked me to give it), the Court 
 I am afraid, has considered as giving assistance to 
 the mutineers, and not done with a view to help 
 the captain ; of which, however, I have no doubt 
 of being able to give a satisfactory explanation in 
 evidence. 
 
 f Observations on matters of opinion I will en- 
 deavour to forbear where they appear to have been 
 formed from the impulse of the moment ; but I 
 shall be pardoned for remembering Mr. Hayward's 
 (given I will allow with great deliberation, and 
 after long weighing the question which called for 
 it), which cannot be reckoned of that description ; 
 for although he says he rather considered me as a 
 friend to Christian's party, he states that his last 
 words to me were, " Peter, go into the boat," 
 which words could not have been addressed to 
 one who was of the party of the mutineers. And 
 I am sure, if the countenance is at all an index to 
 the heart, mine must have betrayed the sorrow and 
 distress which he has x so accurately described. 
 
 c It were trespassing unnecessarily upon the pa- 
 tience of the Court, to be giving a tedious history 
 of what happened in consequence of the mutiny, 
 and how, through one very imprudent step, I was 
 unavoidably led into others. 
 
 4 But, amidst all this pilgrimage of distress, I 
 had a conscience, thank heaven, which lulled aw r ay 
 the pain of personal difficulties, dangers, and dis- 
 tress. It was this conscious principle which de- 
 
117 
 
 termined me not to hide myself as if guilty. No 
 I welcomed the arrival of the Pandora at Ota- 
 heite, and embraced the earliest opportunity of 
 freely surrendering myself to the captain of that 
 ship. 
 
 6 By his order I was chained and punished with 
 incredible severity, though the ship was threatened 
 with instant destruction : when fear and trembling 
 came on every man on board, in vain, for a long 
 time, were my earnest repeated cries, that the gall- 
 ing irons might not, in that moment of affrighting 
 consternation, prevent my hands from being lifted 
 up to heaven for mercy. 
 
 c But though it cannot fail deeply to interest the 
 humanity of this Court, and kindle in the breast 
 of every member of it compassion for my sufferings, 
 yet as it is not relative to the point, and as I cannot 
 for a moment believe that it proceeded from any im- 
 proper motive on the part of Captain Edwards, 
 whose character in the navy stands high in esti- 
 mation both as an officer and a man of humanity, 
 but rather that he was actuated in his conduct 
 towards me by the imperious dictates of the laws of 
 the service, I shall, therefore, waive it, and say no 
 more upon the subject. 
 
 c Believe me, again I entreat you will believe 
 me, when, in the name of the tremendous Judge of 
 heaven and earth (before whose vindictive Majesty 
 I may be destined soon to appear), I now assert my 
 innocence of plotting, abetting, or assisting, either 
 
118 
 
 by word or deed, the mutiny for which I am tried - 
 for, young as I am, I am still younger in the school 
 of art and such matured infamy. 
 
 6 My parents (but I have only one left, a solitary 
 and mournful mother, who is at home weeping and 
 trembling for the event of this day), thanks to their 
 fostering care, taught me betimes to reverence God, 
 to honour the king, and be obedient to his laws ; 
 and at no one time have I resolutely or designedly 
 been an apostate to either. 
 
 6 To this honourable Court, then, I now commit 
 myself. 
 
 6 My character and my life are at your disposal ; 
 and as the former is as sacred to me as the latter 
 is precious, the consolation or settled misery of a 
 dear mother and two sisters, who mingle their tears 
 together, and are all but frantic for my situation 
 pause for your verdict. 
 
 c If I am found worthy of life, it shall be im- 
 proved by past experience, and especially taught 
 from the serious lesson of what has lately hap- 
 pened ; but if nothing but death itself can atone for 
 my pitiable indiscretion, I bow with submission 
 and all due respect to your impartial decision. 
 
 c Not with sullen indifference shall I then me- 
 ditate on my doom as not deserving it no, such 
 behaviour would be an insult to God and an affront 
 to man, and the attentive and candid deportment of 
 my judges in this place requires more becoming 
 manners in me. 
 
119 
 
 f Yet, if I am found guilty this day, they will not 
 construe it, I trust, as the least disrespect offered 
 to their discernment and opinion, if I solemnly 
 declare that my heart will rely with confidence in 
 its own innocence, until that awful period when 
 my spirit shall be about to be separated from my 
 body to take its everlasting flight, and be ushered 
 into the presence of that unerring Judge, before 
 whom all hearts are open and from whom no secrets 
 are hid. 
 
 6 P. HEYWOOD.' 
 
 His witnesses fully established the facts which he 
 assumed in this defence. He then delivered to the 
 president a paper, of which the following is a copy : 
 
 4 My Lord, the Court having heard the wit- 
 nesses I have been enabled to call, it will be un- 
 necessary to add any thing to their testimony in 
 point of fact, or to observe upon it by way of illus- 
 tration. It is, I trust, sufficient to do away any 
 suspicion which may have fallen upon me, and to 
 remove every implication of guilt which, while 
 unexplained, might by possibility have attached 
 to me. It is true I have, by the absence of Cap- 
 tain Bligh, Simpson, and Tinkler, been deprived 
 of the opportunity of laying before the Court much 
 that would at least have been grateful to my feelings, 
 though, I hope, not necessary to my defence ; as 
 the former must have exculpated me from the least 
 disrespect, and the two last would have proved, past 
 
120 
 
 &11 contradiction, that I was unjustly accused. I 
 might regret that in their absence I have been 
 arraigned, but, thank heaven, I have been enabled 
 by the very witnesses who were called to criminate 
 me, to oppose facts to opinions, and give explana- 
 tion to circumstances of suspicion. 
 
 6 It has been proved that I was asleep at the time 
 of the mutiny, and waked only to confusion and 
 dismay. It has been proved, it is true, that I con- 
 tinued on board the ship, but it has been also proved 
 I was detained by force ; and to this I must add, 
 I left the society of those with whom I was for a 
 time obliged to associate, as soon as possible, and 
 with unbounded satisfaction resigned myself to the 
 Captain of the Pandora, to whom I gave myself up, 
 to whom I also delivered my journal * (faithfully 
 brought up to the preceding day), and to whom I 
 also gave every information in my power. I could 
 do no more ; for at the first time we were at Ota- 
 heite it was impossible for me, watched and sus- 
 pected as I was, to separate from the ship. My 
 information to Captain Edwards was open, sincere, 
 and unqualified, and I had many opportunities 
 given me at different times of repeating it. Had a 
 track been open to my native country, I should 
 have followed it ; had a vessel arrived earlier, I 
 should earlier, with the same eagerness, have em- 
 braced the opportunity, for I dreaded not an inquiry 
 
 * This journal, it is presumed must have been lost when the Pandora 
 was wrecked. 
 
121 
 
 in which I foresaw no discredit. But Providence 
 ordained it otherwise. I have been the victim of 
 suspicion, and had nearly fallen a sacrifice to mis- 
 apprehension. I have, however, hitherto sur- 
 mounted it, and it only remains with this Court 
 to say if my sufferings have not been equal to my 
 indiscretion. 
 
 c The decision will be the voice of honour, and 
 to that I must implicitly resign myself. 
 
 ' P. HEYWOOD.' 
 
 When the nature of the evidence and this excel- 
 lent and manly defence are considered, it will ap- 
 pear surprising that the prisoner was not acquitted. 
 But the misfortunes of Mr. Heywood's youth and 
 the distresses of his family were consummated by 
 having sentence of death passed upon him, although 
 tempered with the recommendation to the King's 
 mercy. It was a very common feeling that he was 
 hardly dealt with by the Court. 4 It should, how- 
 ever, be recollected/ says the author of the His- 
 tory of the Mutiny, 'that the Court had no discre- 
 tional power to pass any other sentence but that or 
 a full acquittal. But earnestly, no doubt, as the 
 Court was disposed towards the latter alternative, 
 it could not, consistently with the rules and feelings 
 of the service, be adopted. It is not enough, in 
 cases of mutiny, (and this case was aggravated by 
 the piratical seizure of a king's ship,) that the offi- 
 cers and men in his Majesty's service should take 
 no active part to be neutral or passive is consi- 
 
122 
 
 dered as tantamount to aiding and abetting. Be- 
 sides, in the present case, the remaining in the ship 
 along with the mutineers, without having recourse 
 to such means as offered of leaving her, presumes a 
 voluntary adhesion to the criminal party. The only 
 fault of Heywood, and a pardonable one, on ac- 
 count of his youth and inexperience, was his not 
 asking Christian to be allowed to go with his cap- 
 tain his not trying to go in time/ Four of the 
 prisoners, tried on the same occasion, were ac- 
 quitted, because they expressed a strong desire to 
 go, but were forced to remain. They were in pos- 
 session of written testimonies from Bligh to that 
 effect, and so would Heywood have been but for 
 some prejudice Bligh had taken against him in the 
 course of the last voyage home, for it will be shewn 
 that he knew he was confined to his berth below/ 
 
 Allowing to these remarks the weight they de- 
 serve, it is only one instance amongst many of the 
 imperfection of human laws, and how often an ad- 
 herence to their letter, is a violation rather than 
 fulfilment of justice. In the mind of every impar- 
 tial person, the subject of this memoir must be ac- 
 quitted not only of participation in the mutiny, but 
 of any thing dishonourable in his conduct. Indeed, 
 it is probable that if Christian, the violent leader of 
 the mutiny, had entertained the same respect for the 
 midshipmen whom he forced away as for Heywood 
 who was forced at last to remain, had he felt that 
 they would be equally useful in the subsequent ma- 
 
123 
 
 nagement of the ship, the prisoner and the wit- 
 nesses whose evidence was the most unfavourable, 
 might have exactly reversed their relative situations* 
 The family of young Hey wood, in the Isle of 
 Man, had been buoyed up, from various quarters, 
 with the almost certainty of his full acquittal. From 
 the 12th September, when the court-martial first sat, 
 till the 24th of that month, they were prevented, by 
 the strong and contrary winds which cut off all 
 communication with England, from receiving any 
 tidings whatever. But while Mrs. Heywood and 
 her daughters were fondly flattering themselves with 
 every thing being most happily concluded, one even- 
 ing, as they were indulging these pleasing hopes, 
 a little boy, the son of one of their particular 
 friends, ran into the room and told them, in the 
 most abrupt manner, that the trial was over, and all 
 the prisoners condemned, but that Peter Heywood 
 was recommended to mercy ; he added, that a man, 
 whose name he mentioned, had told him this. The 
 man was sent for, questioned, and replied he had 
 seen it in a newspaper at Liverpool, from which 
 place he was just arrived in a small fishing-boat, but 
 had forgotten to bring the paper with him, In this 
 state of dreadful uncertainty, this wretched family 
 remained another whole week, harassed by agonies 
 of mind which no language can express.* During 
 
 * It was in this state of mind, while in momentary expectation of 
 receiving an account of the termination of the court-martial, that 
 Heywood's charming sister Nessy wrote the following lines : 
 
124 
 
 all that time the wind continued contrary, and the 
 packet still remained at Whitehaven. Mr. J. Hey* 
 wood had a few days before gone again to Liverpool, 
 and on Thursday night the following letter was re- 
 ceived from him. 
 
 4 Liverpool, Sept. 24, 1792. 
 6 DEAR NESSY, 
 
 c I arrived here, after a disagreeable passage, and 
 immediately went to see the papers, where I found 
 the inclosed. (The paragraph mentioned above.) 
 You, by this time, must have heard the same dis- 
 agreeable news. How and what can have been the 
 evidence against him is to me astonishing. I had 
 
 ' ANXIETY. 
 
 * Doubting, dreading, fretful guest, 
 Quit, oh ! quit this mortal breast. 
 Why wilt thou my peace invade, 
 And each brighter prospect shade ? 
 Pain me not with needless Fear, 
 But let Hope my bosom cheer ; 
 "While I court her gentle charms, 
 Woo the flatterer to my arms ; 
 While each moment she beguiles 
 With her sweet enliv'ning smiles, 
 While she softly whispers me, 
 " Lycidas again is free," 
 While I gaze on Pleasure's gleam, 
 Say not thou, "'Tis all a dream." 
 Hence nor darken Joy's soft bloom 
 With thy pale and sickly gloom : 
 Nought have I to do with thee 
 Hence begone Anxiety. 
 
 ( NESSY HEYWOOD. 
 * Isle of Man, September 
 
195 
 
 some thoughts of going to London last night, and 
 thence to Portsmouth, but thinking you might wish 
 to go up with me, I shall wait till I hear from or 
 see you. Adieu ! dear Nessy ; remember me to all 
 at home. 
 
 4 Your affectionate brother, 
 
 <J. EL* 
 
 To this the following is a reply : 
 
 ' Isle of Man, Sept. 29, 1792. 
 c MY DEAREST JAMES, 
 
 c There is a vessel going to Liverpool this instant, 
 and I have but a moment to tell you that I received 
 yours on Thursday night ; till then we had heard 
 nothing but by report. The packet is not yet ar- 
 rived, and our friends will not let me go from hence 
 till she brings some certain news. We are in an 
 agony of suspense, and I can scarcely support my 
 own misery, much less keep up mamma's dejected 
 spirits. If there is the least apprehension enter- 
 tained by the people of Liverpool for his life go, 
 for heaven's sake, to Portsmouth, without waiting 
 for me. 'Tis true your being there can do him no 
 essential service, nor will his friends leave anything 
 undone for him, but 'tis natural to suppose he must 
 wish to see some of his own family. It is, how- 
 ever, some comfort that I am able to assure you 
 that every person here to whom we have spoken on 
 the subject, agrees in opinion that there is not the 
 
126 
 
 smallest danger that his being found guilty is not 
 because any thing has been proved against him, but 
 because he, poor fellow, was not able to bring evi- 
 dence sufficiently strong of his innocence, that a 
 recommendation from a court-martial to mercy 
 is exactly the same as an acquittal in any other 
 court; for the martial law is so strict and severe 
 that there is no medium between acquittal and 
 death that there is no instance upon which a par- 
 don from that recommendation has been refused, 
 and that it is asked not as a matter of favour merely, 
 but of justice from the executive power, which is 
 the only way of mitigating too severe a law. This 
 is the opinion here ; but we have hoped too long, 
 and have too much at stake to be satisfied with con- 
 jecture, however well-founded, nor can any thing 
 but a certainty, from his own letters, still our vio- 
 lent apprehensions. This is a calm day, and I hope 
 the packet will at length make her appearance. If 
 she brings not a certainty of his safety, I shall set 
 off for Liverpool immediately but if you have a 
 doubt of that, I again repeat it, do not wait for me. 
 I can go alone. Fear, and even despair, will, in 
 that case, support me through the journey. Yet, if 
 I could listen to reason, which is at present indeed 
 difficult, it is not likely that any thing serious has 
 taken place or will do so, as we should then cer- 
 tainly have had an express. But, my dear James, 
 act as your affection and judgment shall dictate, and 
 
127 
 
 think only of our poor unfortunate and adored boy. 
 The vessel waits. 
 
 ' Your most affectionate sister, 
 
 The packet arrived the same night at twelve 
 o'clock, (Saturday 29th,) and Mrs. Heywood re- 
 ceived the following letter from Mrs. Bertie: 
 
 6 Portsmouth^ September 18, 1792. 
 
 c MY DEAR MADAM, 
 
 * I have the happiness of telling you that the 
 court-martial is this moment over, and that I think 
 your son's life is more safe now than it was before 
 his trial. As there was not sufficient proof of his 
 innocence, the Court could not avoid condemning 
 him; but he is so STRONGLY recommended to 
 MERCY, that I am desired to assure you by those 
 who are judges, that his life is safe; all the princi- 
 pal officers of the Bounty, who were called as evi- 
 dence, gave him the highest character imaginable; 
 therefore, for God's sake, believe nothing but what 
 you hear from hence. * * My dear Ma- 
 dam, keep yourself up as well as you can. Rely 
 on it that God, who has preserved him through all 
 his dangers and sufferings to this day, will not now 
 forsake him. Adieu, my dear Madam. Depend 
 on it, I have told you the honest truth, and hope 
 every thing. Believe me your sincere friend, 
 
 <E. B.' 
 
128 
 
 Early on Sunday morning Dr. Scott called on 
 Mrs. Heywood's family, and brought the following 
 letter, which he had received by the same packet : 
 
 AARON GRAHAM, ESQ., to DR. SCOTT. 
 
 4 Portsmouth, Tuesday , Sept . I8fh. 
 SIR, 
 
 c Although a stranger, I make no apology in 
 writing to you. I have attended and given my as- 
 sistance at Mr. Hey wood's trial, which was finished 
 and the sentence passed about half an hour ago. 
 Before I tell you what that sentence is, I must in- 
 form you that his life is safe, notwithstanding it is 
 at present at the mercy of the king, to which he is 
 in the strongest terms recommended by the Court. 
 That any unnecessary fears may not be productive 
 of misery to the family, I must add, that the king's 
 attorney-general (who with Judge Ashurst attended 
 the trial) desired me to make myself perfectly easy, 
 for that my friend was as safe as if he had not been 
 condemned. I would have avoided making use of 
 this dreadful word, but it must have come to your 
 knowledge, and perhaps unaccompanied by many 
 others of a pleasing kind. To prevent its being 
 improperly communicated to Mrs. or the Misses 
 Hey wood, whose distresses first engaged me in the 
 business, and could not fail to call forth my best 
 exertions upon the occasion, I send you this by 
 express. The mode of communication I must leave 
 to your discretion ; and shall only add that, although 
 
129 
 
 from a combination of circumstances, ill-nature, and 
 mistaken friendship, the sentence is in itself terrible, 
 yet it is incumbent on me to assure you that, from 
 the same combination of circumstances, every body 
 who attended the trial is perfectly satisfied in his 
 own mind that he was hardly guilty in appearance^ 
 in intention he was perfectly innocent. I shall of 
 course write to Commodore Pasley, whose mind, 
 from my letter to him of yesterday, must be dread- 
 fully agitated, and take his advice about what is 
 to be done when Mr. Heywood is released. I 
 shall stay here till then, and my intention is after- 
 wards to take him to my house in town, where I 
 think he had better stay till one of the family calls 
 for him : for heVill require a great deal of tender 
 management after all his sufferings; and it would, 
 perhaps, be a necessary preparation for seeing his 
 mother, that one or both his sisters should be pre- 
 viously prepared to support her on so trying an 
 
 occasion/ 
 
 On the following day Mr. Graham again writes 
 to Dr. Scott, and among other things observes, 6 It 
 will be a great satisfaction to his family to learn, 
 that the declarations of some of the other prisoners, 
 since the trial, put it past all doubt that the evidence 
 upon which he was convicted must have been (to 
 say nothing worse of it) an unfortunate belief, on 
 the part of the witness, of circumstances which 
 either never had existence, or were applicable to 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 one of the other gentlemen who remained in the 
 ship, and not to Mr. Hey wood. 5 * 
 
 On the 20th September Mr. Hey wood addresses 
 the first letter he wrote, after his conviction, to Dr. 
 Scott. 
 
 * HONOURED AND DEAR SIR, 
 
 ' On Wednesday, the 12th instant, the awful trial 
 commenced, and on that day, when in Court, I had 
 the pleasure of receiving your most kind and pa- 
 rental letter; in answer to which I now communicate 
 to you the melancholy issue of it, which, as I de- 
 sired my friend Mr. Graham to inform you of im- 
 mediately, will be no dreadful news to you. The 
 morning lowers, and all my hope of worldly joy is 
 fled. On Tuesday morning, the 18th, the dreadful 
 sentence of death was pronounced upon me, to 
 which (being the just decree of that Divine Provi- 
 dence who first gave me breath) I bow my devoted 
 head, with that fortitude, cheerfulness, and resigna- 
 tion, which is the duty of every member of the 
 church of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer Christ 
 Jesus. To Him alone I now look up for succour, 
 in full hope that perhaps a few days more will open 
 to the view of my astonished and fearful soul his 
 kingdom of eternal and incomprehensible bliss, pre- 
 pared only for the righteous of heart. 
 
 c I have not been found guilty of the slightest act 
 
 * This is supposed to allude to the evidence given by Hallet. 
 
131 
 
 connected with that detestable crime of mutiny, but 
 am doomed to die for not being active in my endea- 
 vours to suppress it. Could the witnesses who 
 appeared on the Court-martial be themselves tried, 
 they would also suffer for the very same and only 
 crime of which I have been found guilty. But I 
 am to be the victim. Alas ! my youthful inexpe- 
 rience, and no depravity of will, is the sole cause to 
 which I can attribute my misfortunes. But so far 
 from repining at my fate, I receive it with a dreadful 
 kind of joy, composure, and serenity of mind; well 
 assured that it has pleased God to point me out as a 
 subject through which some greatly useful (though 
 at present unsearchable) intention of the divine at- 
 tributes may be carried into execution for the future 
 benefit of my country. Then why should I repine 
 at being made a sacrifice for the good, perhaps, of 
 thousands of my fellow-creatures ? Forbid it, Hea- 
 ven ! Why should I be sorry to leave a world in 
 which I have met with nothing but misfortunes and 
 all their concomitant evils ? I shall, on the con- 
 trary, endeavour to divest myself of all wishes for 
 the futile and sublunary enjoyments of it, and pre- 
 pare my soul for its reception into the bosom of its 
 Redeemer. For though the very strong recommen- 
 dation I have had to his Majesty *s mercy by all 
 the members of the Court may meet with his ap- 
 probation, yet that is but the balance of a straw, a 
 mere uncertainty, upon which no hope can be built ; 
 the other is a certainty that must one day happen 
 
 K 2 
 
132 
 
 to every mortal, and therefore the salvation of my 
 soul requires my most prompt and powerful exer- 
 tions during the short time I may have to remain 
 on earth. 
 
 4 As this is too tender a subject for me to inform 
 my unhappy apd distressed mother and sisters of, 
 I trust, dear Sir, you will either shew them this 
 letter, or make known to them the truly dreadful 
 intelligence in such a manner as (assisted by your 
 wholesome and paternal advice) may enable them 
 to bear it with Christian fortitude. The only 
 worldly feelings I am now possessed of are for their 
 happiness and welfare ; but even these, in my pre- 
 sent situation, I must endeavour, with God's as- 
 sistance, to eradicate from my heart, how hard 
 soever the task. I must strive against cherishing 
 any temporal affections. But, my dear Sir, endea- 
 vour to mitigate my distressed mother's sorrow. 
 Give my everlasting duty to her, and unabated love 
 to my disconsolate brothers and sisters, and all my 
 other relations. Encourage them, by my example, 
 to bear up with fortitude and resignation to the 
 Divine Will, under their load of misfortunes, almost 
 too great for female nature to support, and teach 
 them to be fully persuaded that all hopes of happi- 
 ness on earth are vain. On my own account I still 
 enjoy the most easy serenity of mind ; and am, 
 dear Sir, for ever your greatly indebted and most 
 dutiful, but ill-fated, 
 
 ' PETER HEYWOOD.* 
 
133 
 
 His next letter is to his dearly-beloved Nessy. 
 
 ' Had I not a strong idea that, ere this mournful 
 epistle from your ill-fated brother can reach the 
 trembling hand of my ever dear and much-afflicted 
 Nessy, she must have been informed of the final 
 issue 'of my trial on Wednesday morning, by my 
 honoured friend Dr. Scott, I would not now add 
 trouble to the afflicted by a confirmation of it. 
 Though I have indeed fallen an early victim to the 
 rigid rules of the service, and though the jaws of 
 death are once more opened upon me, yet do I not 
 now, nor ever will, bow to the tyranny of base-born 
 fear. Conscious of having done my duty to God 
 and man, I feel not one moment's anxiety on my 
 own account, but cherish a full and sanguine hope 
 that perhaps a few days more will free me from the 
 load of misfortune which has ever been my portion 
 in this transient period of existence ; and that I 
 shall find an everlasting asylum in those blessed 
 regions of eternal bliss, where the galling yoke of 
 tyranny and oppression is felt no more. 
 
 4 If earthly Majesty, to whose mercy I have been 
 recommended by the Court, should refuse to put 
 forth its lenient hand and rescue me from what is 
 fancifully called an ignominious death, there is a 
 heavenly King and Redeemer ready to receive the 
 righteous penitent, on whose gracious mercy alone 
 I, as we all should, depend, with that pious resigna- 
 tion which is the duty of every Christian ; well 
 
134 
 
 convinced that, without his express permission, not 
 even a hair of our head can fall to the ground. 
 
 ' Oh ! my sister, my heart yearns when I picture 
 to myself the affliction, indescribable affliction, 
 which this melancholy intelligence must have caused 
 in the mind of my much-honoured mother. But 
 let it be your peculiar endeavour to watch over her 
 grief and mitigate her pain. ' I hope, indeed, this 
 little advice from me will be unnecessary ; for I 
 know the holy pracepts of that inspired religion, 
 which, thank Heaven ! have been implanted in the 
 bosoms of us all, will point out to you, and all my 
 dear relatives, that fortitude and resignation which 
 are required of us in the conflicts of human nature, 
 and prevent you from arraigning the wisdom of that 
 Omniscient Providence, of which we ought all to 
 have the fullest sense. 
 
 c I have had all my dear Nessy's letters ; the one 
 of the 17th this morning ; but, alas ! what do they 
 now avail ? Their contents only serve to prove the 
 instability of all human hopes and expectations. 
 But, my dear sister, I begin to feel the pangs which 
 you must suffer from the perusal of this melancholy 
 paper, and will therefore desist, for I know it is 
 more than your nature can support. The contrast 
 between last week's correspondence and this is great 
 indeed ; but why ? We had only hope then ; and 
 have we not the same now ? Certainly. Endeavour 
 then, my love, to cherish that hope, and with faith 
 
135 
 
 rely upon the mercy of that God who does as to 
 him seems best and' most conducive to the general 
 good of his miserable creatures. 
 
 ' Bear it, then, with Christian patience, and instil 
 into the mind of my dear and now sorrowful sisters, 
 by your advice, the same disposition ; and, for 
 Heaven's sake, let not despair touch the soul of my 
 dear mother for then all would be over. Let 
 James also employ all his efforts to cheer her spirits 
 under her weight of woe. I will write no more. 
 Adieu, mv dearest love ! Write but little to me, 
 
 !/ 
 
 and pray for your ever affectionate but ill-fated 
 brother. 
 
 4 P. S. I am in perfect spirits, therefore let not 
 your sympathizing feelings for my sufferings hurt 
 your own precious health, which is dearer to me 
 than life itself. Adieu ! ' 
 
 This beautiful spirit of resignation and piety did 
 not shine forth merely in his letters. The friends 
 who visited him, and among them especially Lieut. 
 Spranger and Mr. Delafons, admired and testified 
 the manly and unshaken fortitude which charac- 
 terized all his behaviour at this melancholy time. 
 The following letter to his mother is perhaps the 
 most touching: 
 
 ' September 29, 1792. 
 
 4 1 would not now write to my dear and much- 
 honoured mother, were I not apprehensive that, 
 from my silence, she might entertain a supposition 
 
136 
 
 that I am unable to do that duty, by being too much 
 oppressed with the weight of my own misfortunes. 
 But, my dear mother, harbour not such a thought ! 
 Think not that I am in the smallest degree uneasy 
 in my mind with respect to my own situation. The 
 only anxiety I can at any time feel is, when I pic- 
 ture to myself the truly distressed state into which 
 the relation of the past unhappy conclusion must 
 have thrown you and all my beloved sisters. But 
 let pious resignation to the Divine Will eradicate 
 all despairing ideas, or any thoughts that may even 
 look like an appearance of arraigning the all-wise 
 decrees of unerring Providence. For that God who 
 gave me the life I now enjoy, will, I am conscious, 
 if he sees it best for my future interest, permit me 
 to enjoy it still, in spite of all that man can say or 
 do. But if he judges it proper for me to lay it 
 down, I think I can, with the greatest resignation, 
 and a full hope of his mercy, comply most cheer- 
 fully with his demand. My only desire is to ease 
 my dear mother's mind, which I hope will be the 
 case, when I tell her from my soul I am happy, and 
 may yet be more so. But let us not entertain too 
 sanguine hopes, lest we should again be disap- 
 pointed. 
 
 4 Be assured, I shall ever act as worthy of the 
 family from which I am sprung, and the name of, 
 dear mother, 
 
 * Your dutiful and resigned son, 
 
 'P. H. 
 
137 
 
 Just before the receipt of this letter, a short one 
 came from their kind friend, Mr. Graham, to say 
 that necessary business obliged him to leave Ports- 
 mouth for London ; and Mrs. Heywood's friends, 
 for the situation of her mind rendered her almost 
 incapable of thinking, judged it improper to hesitate 
 a moment longer in accepting Mr. Graham's invi- 
 tation, made in a former letter, that one or both 
 of her daughters should pay him a visit in town. It 
 was determined that Miss N. Hey wood should go 
 to England without delay. On Monday the 1st of 
 October, therefore, while at breakfast, she was in- 
 formed that a small fishing-boat would sail for Li- 
 verpool in half an hour ; and as her impatience to 
 be near her unfortunate brother could only be 
 equalled by her distress on his account, she seized 
 the opportunity (with a contrary wind and very bad 
 weather) of flying to him, 6 We did not arrive 
 here/ she says in a letter to her friends, from Li- 
 verpool on the 3rd of October, ' till noon this day, 
 after a most tempestuous passage of forty-nine 
 hours, with the wind directly contrary the whole 
 way. Yet, notwithstanding that vexatious circum- 
 stance, hard boards, (for I could not prevail upon 
 myself to enter one of their dirty close beds,) and 
 aching bones, together with passing two nights al- 
 most without closing my eyes, let me but be blessed 
 with the cheering influence of hope, and I have a 
 spirit to undertake any thing. At the mouth of the 
 
138 
 
 river this morning we met a small, open, fishing-boat, 
 into which I got, as I was told I should by that 
 means arrive two hours sooner than 1 should other- 
 wise have done, and as the sea was very high, every 
 wave washed over me. 
 
 ' Mr. S. (whom I passed at sea) will inform you 
 that the pardon went down to the King at Wey- 
 mouth some days ago. May we not then encou- 
 rage a hope that I shall find all our miseries at an 
 end ? Oh ! dare I flatter myself it is so, and shall 
 we yet be happy ? The thought is ecstacy. I am 
 just going to write to the worthy Mr. Graham ; you 
 know I told you I should do it at sea ; but I might 
 as well have attempted to build a temple there. 
 Oh ! 'twas well my mind was bent on something 
 else. When I was tempted to repine at the winds, 
 I remembered that they were favourable for Henry.* 
 I reflected on Peter's sufferings, and was content/ 
 
 On the same night this ardent young lady left Li- 
 verpool in the mail, and on the 5th writes from Mr. 
 Graham's residence to assure her mother of her 
 safety, her kind reception, and to repeat to her mo- 
 ther Mr. Graham's account of Peter < that he 
 conducts himself in such a manner as will reflect 
 the highest and most lasting honour on himself, and 
 produces the strongest sensations of pleasure and 
 satisfaction to his friends/ 
 
 * A brother who had just sailed on his first voyage from Liverpool. 
 
139 
 
 While Nessy remained in London, her brother 
 James went on to see and embrace Peter at Ports- 
 mouth, whence the prisoner thus writes : 
 
 'Hector, Oct. 7, 1792. 
 
 c The date of my dearest Nessy's of yesterday 
 surprised me very much indeed, yet I must own I 
 had some idea that either you or James would take 
 a trip to town on receipt of Mr. Graham's letters. 
 What obligation, my dear Nessy, are we under to 
 the inestimable Mr. Graham and a hundred other 
 friends ! You say you must hope. Alas ! my love, 
 it is nothing but a broken stick which I have leaned 
 on, and it has pierced my soul in such a manner 
 that I will never more trust to it, but wait with a 
 contented mind and patience for the final accom- 
 plishment of the Divine Will. You wish to know 
 how I am at present, and to tell you the exact state 
 of my health and spirits, I never was in better ; but 
 recollect that Mrs. Hope is a faithless and ungrateful 
 acquaintance, with whom I have now broke off all 
 connexions, and in her stead have endeavoured to 
 cultivate a more sure friendship with Resignation, 
 in full t ust of finding her more constant. Your 
 mentioning that you left my dear mother in better 
 spirits has exhilarated mine/ 
 
 He desires her to write through her brother 
 James, who is with him ; and says that the reason 
 for his having desired her not to write much was, 
 lest she might injure herself by it, and he adds, 
 
140 
 
 4 from an idea that your exalted sentiments upon so 
 tender a subject ought not to be known by an in- 
 quiring world ; but/ he continues, c do just as you 
 like best : I am conscious that your good sense will 
 prompt you to nothing inconsistent with our pre- 
 sent circumstances. Endeavour, when you write 
 home, to raise my dear mother's spirits, and tell her 
 I have never yet felt the least depression except on 
 her account/ To this she replies in the true spirit 
 of a character like her own : 6 Yes ! my ever dear- 
 est brother, I will write to you, and I know I need 
 not add that in that employment (while thus de- 
 prived of your loved society) consists my only hap- 
 piness. But why not express my sentiments to 
 yourself? I have nothing to say which I should 
 blush to have known to all the world ; nothing to 
 express in my letter to you but love and affection ; 
 and shall I blush for this ? Or can I have a wish 
 to conceal sentiments of such a nature for an object 
 who I am so certain merits all my regard, and in 
 whom the admiration of surrounding friends con- 
 vinces me I am not mistaken ? No, surely ; 'tis 
 my pride, my chiefest glory, to love you ; and when 
 you think me worthy of commendation, that praise, 
 and that only, can make me vain. I shall not 
 therefore write to you, my dearest brother, in a pri- 
 vate manner, for it is unnecessary ; and I abhor all 
 deceit ; in which I know you agree with me. 3 
 
 To her sister Mary, in the Isle of Man, she says, 
 c With respect to that little wretch Hallet, his in- 
 
141 
 
 trepidity in court was astonishing ; and after every 
 evidence had spoken highly in Peter's favour, and 
 given testimony of his innocence, so strong that not 
 a doubt was entertained of his acquittal, he declared, 
 unasked, that while Bligh was upon deck, he (Hal- 
 let) saw him look at and speak to Peter. What he 
 said to him Hallet could not hear, (being at the dis- 
 tance of twenty feet from Bligh, and Peter was 
 twenty feet farther off, consequently a distance of 
 forty feet separated Mr. Bligh and my brother,) but 
 he added that Peter, on hearing what Mr. Bligh 
 said to him, laughed and turned contemptuously 
 away. No other witness saw Peter laugh but Hal- 
 let ; on the contrary, all agreed he wore a counte- 
 nance on that day remarkably sorrowful ; yet the 
 effect of this cruel evidence was wonderful upon 
 the minds of the court, and they concluded by pro- 
 nouncing the dreadful sentence, though at the same 
 time accompanied by the strongest recommendation 
 to mercy. Assure yourselves (I have it from Mr. 
 Graham's own mouth) that Peter's honour is and 
 will be as secure as his own ; that every professional 
 man, as well as every man of sense, of whatever de- 
 nomination, does and will esteem him highly ; that 
 my dear uncle Pasley (who was in town the night 
 before my arrival) is delighted with his worth ; and 
 that, in short, we shall at length be happy/ 
 
 From this time a daily correspondence passed 
 between Peter Heywood and his sister Nessy, the 
 latter indulging hope, even to a certainty, that she 
 
142 
 
 shall not be deceived the other preaching up pa- 
 tience and resignation, with a full reliance on his 
 innocence and integrity. ' Cheer up, then/ says 
 he, ' my dear Nessy ; cherish your hope, and I will 
 exercise my patience.' Indeed, so perfectly calm 
 was this young man under his dreadful calamity, 
 that in a very few days after condemnation his bro- 
 ther says, ' While I write this, Peter is sitting by 
 me making an Otaheitan Vocabulary, and so happy 
 and intent upon it, that I have scarcely an oppor- 
 tunity of saying a word to him ; he is in excellent 
 spirits, #nd I am convinced they are better and 
 better every day/ 
 
 This Vocabulary is a very extraordinary perform- 
 ance ; it consists of one hundred full-written folio 
 pages, the words alphabetically arranged, and all 
 the syllables accented. It appears, from a passage* 
 in the 4 Voyage of the Duff/ that a copy of this 
 Vocabulary was of great use to the missionaries who 
 were first sent to Otaheite in this ship. 
 
 During the delay which took place in carrying 
 
 * The passage is thus given in the Naval Biography : 
 
 * An ingenious clergyman of Portsmouth kindly furnished Dr. 
 Haweis and Mr. Greatheed with a manuscript vocabulary of the 
 Otaheitean language, and an account of the country, which providen- 
 tially he preserved from the mutineers who were seized by the Pan- 
 dora, and brought to Portsmouth for their trial, which was of un- 
 speakable service to the missionaries, both for the help which it 
 afforded them to learn before their arrival much of this unknown 
 tongue, and also as giving the most inviting and encouraging de- 
 scription of the natives, and the cordial reception which they might 
 expect.' 
 
143 
 
 the sentence into execution, Commodore Pasley, 
 Mr. Graham, and others, were indefatigable in their 
 inquiries and exertions to ascertain what progress 
 had been made in bringing to a happy issue the re- 
 commendation to the fountain of mercy : not less 
 so was Nessy Heywood : from Mr. Graham she 
 learnt what this excellent man considered to be the 
 principal parts of the evidence that led to the con- 
 viction of her unhappy brother, which, having un- 
 derstood to be the following, she transmitted to her 
 brother : 
 
 First. That he assisted in hoisting out the 
 launch. 
 
 Second. That he was seen by the carpenter rest- 
 ing his hand upon a cutlass. 
 
 Third. That on being called to by Lieutenant 
 Bligh, he laughed. 
 
 Fourth. That he remained in the Bounty, instead 
 of accompanying Bligh in the launch. 
 
 On these points of the evidence, Mr. Heywood 
 made the following comments, which he sent from 
 Portsmouth to his sister in town. 
 
 4 Peter Hey wood's Remarks upon material Points 
 of the Evidence which was given at his Trial, on 
 Board the Duke, in Portsmouth Harbour. 
 
 4 First. That I assisted in hoisting out the launch. 
 This boat was asked for by the captain and his 
 officers, and whoever assisted in hoisting her out 
 were their friends ; for if the captain had been sent 
 
144 
 
 away in the cutter, (which was Christian's first in- 
 tention,) he could not have taken with him more 
 than nine or ten men, whereas the launch carried 
 nineteen. The boatswain, the master, the gunner, 
 and the carpenter, say, in their evidence, that they 
 considered me as helping the captain on this oc- 
 casion. 
 
 4 Second. That I was seen by the carpenter rest- 
 ing my hand on a cutlass. I was seen in this posi- 
 tion by no other person than the carpenter no 
 other person therefore could be intimidated by my 
 appearance. Was the carpenter intimidated by it ? 
 No. So far from being afraid of me, he did not 
 even look upon me in the light of a person armed, 
 but pointed out to me the danger there was of my 
 being thought so, and I immediately took away my 
 hand from the cutlass, upon which I had very in- 
 nocently put it when I was in a state of stupor. 
 The Court was particularly pointed in its inquiries 
 into this circumstance; and the carpenter was 
 pressed to declare, on the oath he had taken, and 
 after maturely considering the matter, whether he 
 did at the time he saw me so situated, or had since 
 been inclined to believe that, under all the circum- 
 stances of the case, I could be considered as an 
 armed man, to which he unequivocally answered, 
 No ; and he gave some good reasons (which will be 
 found in his evidence) for thinking that I had not a 
 wish to be armed during the mutiny. The master, 
 the boatswain, the gunner, Mr. Hayward, Mr. Hal- 
 
145 
 
 let, and John Smith, (who, with the carpenter, were 
 all the witnesses belonging to the Bounty,) say, in 
 their evidence, that they did not, any of them, see 
 me armed ; and the boatswain and the carpenter 
 further say, in the most pointed terms, that they 
 considered me to be one of the captain's party, and 
 by no means as belonging to the mutineers : and the 
 master, the boatswain, the carpenter, the gunner, 
 all declare that, from what they observed of my 
 conduct during the mutiny, and from a recollection 
 of my behaviour previous thereto, they were con- 
 vinced I would have afforded them all the assistance 
 in my power, if an opportunity had offered to re- 
 take the ship, 
 
 4 Third. That) upon being called to by the captain^ 
 I laughed. If this was believed by the Court, it 
 must have had, I am afraid, a very great effect upon 
 its judgment; for, if viewed in too serious a light, 
 it would seem to bring together and combine a 
 number of trifling circumstances, which by them- 
 selves could only be treated merely as matters of 
 suspicion. It was no doubt, therefore, received 
 with caution, and considered with the utmost can- 
 dour. The countenance, I grant, on some other 
 occasions, may warrant an opinion of good or evil 
 existing in the mind ; but on the momentous events 
 of life and death, it is surely by much too indefinite 
 and hazardous even to listen to for a moment. The 
 different ways of expressing our various passions 
 are, with many, as variable as the features they 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 wear. Tears have often been, nay generally are, 
 the relief of excessive joy, while misery and dejec- 
 tion have, many a time, disguised themselves in a 
 smile ; and convulsive laughs have betrayed the 
 anguish of an almost broken heart. To judge, 
 therefore, the principles of the heart, by the baro- 
 meter of the face, is as erroneous as it would be 
 absurd and unjust. This matter may likewise be 
 considered in another point of view. Mr. Hallet 
 says I laughed in consequence of being called to by 
 the captain, who was abaft the mizen-mast, while I 
 was upon the platform near the fore hatchway, a 
 distance of more than thirty feet : if the captain in- 
 tended I should hear him, and there can be no 
 doubt that he wished it ; if he really called to me, 
 he must have exerted his voice, and very considera- 
 bly too, upon such an occasion and in such a situa- 
 tion ; and yet Mr. Hallet himself, who, by being 
 on the quarter-deck, could not have been half the 
 distance from the captain that I was, even he, I say, 
 could not hear what was said to me : how then, in 
 the name of God, was it possible that I should have 
 heard the captain at all, situated, as I must have 
 been, in the midst of noisy confusion ? And if I 
 did not hear him, which I most solemnly aver to be 
 the truth, even granting that I laughed, (which, 
 however, in my present awful situation I declare I 
 believe I did not,) it could not have been at what 
 the captain said. Upon this ground, then, I hope 
 I shall stand acquitted of this charge, for if the 
 
147 
 
 crime derives its guilt from the knowledge I had of 
 the captain's speaking to me, it follows, of course, 
 that if I did not hear him speak, there could be no 
 crime in my laughing. It may, however, very 
 fairly be asked, why Mr. Hallet did not make 
 known that the captain was calling to me ? His 
 duty to the captain, if not his friendship for me, 
 should have prompted him to it ; and the pecu- 
 liarity of our situation required this act of kindness 
 at his hands.* I shall only observe further upon 
 this head, that the boatswain, the carpenter, and 
 Mr. Hay ward, who saw more of me than any other 
 of the witnesses, did say in their evidence, that I 
 had rather a sorrowful countenance on the day of 
 the mutiny. 
 
 4 Fourth. That I remained on board the ship, in- 
 stead of going in the boat with the captain. That I 
 
 * Captain Bligh states in his journal, that none of his officers were 
 suffered to come near him while held a prisoner by Christian ; and 
 Hallet was, no doubt, mistaken, but he had probably said it in the 
 boat, and thought it right to be consistent on the trial. 
 
 It has been said that Hallet, when in the Penelope, in which frigate 
 he died, expressed great regret at the evidence he had given at the 
 court-martial, and frequently alluded to it, admitting that he might 
 have been mistaken. There can be very little doubt that he was so* 
 But the Editor (of the Mutiny of the Bounty) has ascertained, from 
 personal inquiry of one of the most distinguished flag-officers in the 
 service, who was then first lieutenant of the Penelope, that Hallet 
 frequently expressed to him his deep contrition for having given in ^ 
 evidence what, on subsequent reflection, he was convinced to be incor- 
 rect ; that he ascribed it to the state of confusion in which his mind 
 | was when under examination before the Court ; and that he had since 
 satisfied himself that, owing to the general alarm and confusion during 1 
 the mutiny, he must have confounded Hey wood with some other person. 
 
148 
 
 was at first alarmed and afraid of going into the 
 boat I will not pretend to deny ; but that after- 
 wards I wished to accompany the captain, and 
 should have done it, if I had not been prevented by 
 Thompson, who confined me below by the order of 
 Churchill, is clearly proved by the evidence of se- 
 veral of the witnesses. The boatswain says, that 
 just before he left the ship I went below, and in 
 passing him said something about a bag ; (it was, 
 that I would put a few things into a bag and follow 
 him ;) the carpenter says he saw me go below at 
 this time ; and both those witnesses say, that they 
 heard the master-at-arms call to Thompson " to 
 keep them below." The point, therefore, will be to 
 prove to whom this order, " keep them below," 
 would apply. The boatswain and carpenter say, 
 they have no doubt of its meaning me as one ; and 
 that it must have been so, I shall have very little 
 difficulty in shewing, by the following statement: 
 6 There remained on board the ship after the boat 
 put off, twenty-five men. Messrs. Hay ward and 
 Hallet have proved that the following were under 
 arms: Christian, Hillbrant, Millward, Burkitt, 
 Muspratt, Ellison, Sumner, Smith, Young, Skinner, 
 Churchill, M'Koy, Quintal, Morrison, Williams, 
 Thompson, Mills, and Brown, in all eighteen. The 
 master (and upon this occasion I may be allowed to 
 quote from the captain's printed narrative) men- 
 tions Martin as one, which makes the number of 
 armed men nineteen, none of whom, we may rea- 
 
149 
 
 Soriably suppose, were ordered to be kept below. 
 Indeed, Mr. Hay ward says, that there were at the 
 least eighteen of them upon deck, when he went 
 into the boat ; and if Thompson, thesentinel over 
 the arm-chest, be added to them, it exactly agrees 
 with the number above-named ; there remains then 
 six, to whom Churchill's order, " keep them below " 
 might apply, namely, Heywood, Stewart, Coleman, 
 Norman, M'Intosh, and Byrne. 
 
 ' Could Byrne have been one of them ? JVb, for 
 he was in the cutter alongside. Could Coleman 
 have been one of them ? JVb, for he was at the 
 gangway when the captain and officers went into 
 the launch, and aft upon the taffrail when the boat 
 was veered astern. Could Norman have been one 
 of them ? No 9 for he was speaking to the officers. 
 Could M'Intosh have been one of them ? JVb, for 
 he was with Coleman and Norman, desiring the 
 captain and officers to take notice that they were 
 not concerned in the mutiny. It could then have 
 applied to nobody but to Mr. Stewart and myself; 
 and by this order of Churchill, therefore, was I 
 prevented from going with the captain in the boat. 
 
 c The foregoing appear to me the most material 
 points of evidence on the part of the prosecution. 
 My defence being very full, and the body of evi- 
 dence in my favour too great to admit of observa- 
 tion in this concise manner, I shall refer for an opi- 
 nion thereon to the minutes of the court-martial. 
 (Signed) * P. HEYWOOD.' 
 
150 
 
 There is a note in Marshall's Naval Biography,* 
 furnished by Captain Heywood, which shews one 
 motive for keeping him and Stewart in the ship. 
 It is as follows : c Mr. Stewart was no sooner 
 released than he demanded of Christian the reason 
 of his detention ; upon which the latter denied havr 
 ing given any directions to that effect ; and his as- 
 sertion was corroborated by Churchill, who declared 
 that he had kept both him and Mr. Heywood below, 
 knowing it was their intention to go away with 
 Bligh ; " in which case," added he, " what would 
 become of us, if any thing should happen to you ; 
 who is there but yourself and them to depend upon 
 in navigating the ship ?" It may be suspected, 
 however, that neither Christian nor Churchill told 
 the exact truth, and that Mr. HeywoocPs case is, 
 in point of fact, much stronger than he ever could 
 have imagined ; and that if Bligh had not acted the 
 part of a prejudiced and unfair man towards him, 
 he would have been acquitted by the Court on the 
 same ground that Coleman, Norman, M'Intosh, and 
 Byrne were, namely, that they were detained in 
 the ship against their, will, as stated by Bligh in the 
 narrative on which they were tried, and also in his 
 printed report. It has before been observed, that 
 many things are set down in Bligh's original manu- 
 script journal, that have not appeared in any pub- 
 lished document; and on this part of the subject 
 
 * Vol. II. p. 778. 
 
151 
 
 there is, in the former, the following very important 
 admission : c As for the officers, whose cabins were 
 in the cockpit, there was no relief for them ; they 
 endeavoured to come to my assistance^ but they were 
 not allowed to put their heads above the hatchway? 
 To say, therefore, that in the suppression of this 
 passage Bligh acted with prejudice and unfairness, 
 is to make use of mild terms ; it has more the ap- 
 pearance of a deliberate act of malice, by which two 
 innocent men might have been condemned to suffer 
 an ignominious death, one of whom was actually 
 brought into this predicament ; the other only 
 escaped it by a premature death. It may be asked, 
 how did Bligh know that Stewart and Heywood 
 endeavoured, but were not allowed, to come to his 
 assistance ? Confined as he was on the quarter- 
 deck, how could he know what was going on below ? 
 The answer is, he must have known it from Chris- 
 tian himself; Churchill, no doubt, acted entirely 
 by his leader's orders, and the latter could give no 
 orders that were not heard by Bligh, whom he never 
 left, but held the cord by which his hands were 
 fettered, till he was forced into the boat. Churchill 
 was quite right as to the motive of keeping these 
 young officers ; but Christian had no doubt another 
 and a stronger motive ; he knew how necessary it 
 was to interpose a sort of barrier between himselt 
 and his mutinous gang ; he was too good an adept 
 not to know that seamen will always pay a more 
 ready and cheerful obedience to officers who are 
 
gentlemen, than to those who may have risen to 
 command from among themselves. It is indeed a 
 common observation in the service, that officers 
 who have risen from before the mast are generally 
 the greatest tyrants.* It was Bligh's misfortune 
 not to have been educated in the cock-pit of a man- 
 of-war, among young gentlemen, which is to the 
 navy what a public school is to those who are to 
 move in civil society. What painful sufferings to 
 the individual, and how much misery to an affec- 
 tionate family might have been spared, had Bligh, 
 instead of suppressing, only suffered the passage to 
 stand as originally written in his journal ! 
 
 The remarks of young Heywood above recited, 
 were received and transmitted by his sister Nessy in 
 a letter to the Earl of Chatham, then first Lord of 
 the Admiralty, of which the following is a copy: 
 
 4 Great Russell Street, Oct. 1 1, 1792. 
 c MY LORD, 
 
 4 To a nobleman of your Lordship's known hu- 
 manity and excellence of heart, I dare hope that 
 the unfortunate cannot plead in vain. Deeply im- 
 pressed, as I therefore am, with sentiments of the 
 most profound respect for a character which I have 
 
 * Some few captains were in the habit of turning over a delinquent 
 to be tried by their messmates, and when found guilty, it invariably 
 happened that the punishment inflicted was doubly severe to what it 
 would have been in the ordinary way. This practice which, as 
 giving a deliberative voice to the ship's company, was highly repre- 
 hensible- it is to be hoped has entirely ceased. 
 
153 
 
 been ever taught to revere, and alas ! nearly inte* 
 rested as I must be in the subject of these lines, 
 may I request your Lordship will generously pardon 
 a sorrowful and mourning sister, for presuming to 
 offer the inclosed remarks for your candid perusal. 
 It contains a few observations made by my most 
 unfortunate and tenderly-beloved brother, Peter 
 Heywood, endeavouring to elucidate some parts of 
 the evidence given at the court-martial lately held at 
 Portsmouth upon himself and other prisoners of 
 his Majesty's ship Bounty. When I assure you, 
 my Lord, that he is dearer and more precious to 
 me than any object on earth nay, infinitely more 
 valuable than life itself that, deprived of him, the 
 word misery would but ill express my complicated 
 wretchedness and that, on his fate, my own, and 
 (shall I not add ?) that of a tender, fond, and, alas ! 
 widowed mother, depends, I am persuaded you will 
 not wonder, nor be offended, that I am thus bold in 
 conjuring your Lordship will consider, with your 
 usual candour and benevolence, the " Observations" 
 I now offer you, as well as the painful situation of 
 my dear and unhappy brother. 
 
 4 1 have the honour, &c., 
 
 4 NESSY HEYWOOD/ 
 
 Whether this letter and its inclosure produced 
 any effect on the mind of Lord Chatham does riot 
 appear ; but no immediate steps were taken, nor 
 was any answer given ; and this amiable young 
 
154 
 
 lady and her friends were suffered to remain in the 
 most painful state of suspense for another fortnight. 
 A day or two before the warrant was despatched, 
 that excellent man, Mr. Graham, writes thus to 
 Mrs. Heywood. 
 
 4 MY DEAR MADAM, 
 
 c If feeling for the distresses and rejoicing in the 
 happiness of others denote a heart which entitles 
 the owner of it to the confidence of the good and 
 virtuous, I would fain be persuaded that mine has 
 been so far interested in your misfortunes, and is 
 now so pleased with the prospect of your being 
 made happy, as cannot fail to procure me the friend- 
 ship of your family, which, as it is my ambition, it 
 cannot cease to be my desire to cultivate. 
 
 c Unused to the common rewards which are 
 sought after in this world, I will profess to antici- 
 pate more real pleasure and satisfaction from the 
 simple declaration of you and yours, that " we ac- 
 cept of your services, and we thank you for them/ 3 
 than it is in common minds to conceive ; but, fear- 
 ful lest a too grateful sense should be entertained of 
 the friendly offices I have been engaged in, (which, 
 however, I ought to confess, I was prompted to, in 
 the first place, by a remembrance of the many obli- 
 gations I owed to Commodore Pasley,) I must beg 
 you will recollect that, by sending to me your 
 charming Nessy, (and if strong affection may plead 
 such a privilege, I may be allowed to call her my 
 
155 
 
 daughter also,) you would have overpaid me if my 
 trouble had been ten times, and my uneasiness ten 
 thousand times greater than they were, upon what 
 I once thought the melancholy, but now deem the 
 fortunate, occasion which has given me the happi- 
 ness of her acquaintance. Thus far, my dear Madam, 
 I have written to please myself. Now, for what 
 must please you and in which too, I have my 
 share of satisfaction. 
 
 4 The business, though not publicly known, is 
 most certainly finished, and what I had my doubts 
 about yesterday, I am satisfied of to-day. Happy, 
 happy, happy family ! accept of my congratulations 
 not for what it is in the power of words to ex.- 
 press but for what I know you will feel, upon 
 being told that your beloved Peter will soon be 
 restored to your bosom, with every virtue that can 
 adorn a man, and ensure to him an affectionate, a 
 tender, and truly welcome reception.' 
 
 At the foot of this letter Nessy writes thus : 
 4 Now, my dearest mamma, did you ever in all your 
 life read so charming a letter ? Be assured it is 
 exactly characteristic of the benevolent writer. 
 What would I give to be transported (though only 
 for a moment) to your elbow, that I might see you 
 read it ! What will you feel, when you know as- 
 suredly that you may with certainty believe its con- 
 tents ? Well may Mr. Graham call us happy ! for 
 never felicity could equal ours ! Don't expect con- 
 nected sentences from me at present, for this joy 
 
156 
 
 makes rtie almost delirious. Adieu ! love to all I 
 need not say be happy and blessed as I am at this 
 dear hour, my beloved mother. 
 
 c Your most affectionate, 
 
 N. H.' 
 
 On the 24th October, the king's warrant was de- 
 spatched from the Admiralty, granting a full and 
 free pardon to Heywood and two of his compa- 
 nions. It was, as may well be conceived, the har- 
 binger of inexpressible joy to the family and friends 
 of this excellent young man. The happy intelli- 
 gence was communicated to his affectionate Nessy 
 on the 26th, who instantly despatched the joyful 
 tidings to her anxious mother in the following cha- 
 racteristic note : 
 
 * 
 4 Friday ) %6th October, 4 o'clock. 
 
 c Oh, blessed hour ! little did I think, my be- 
 loved friends, when I closed my letter this morning, 
 that before night I should be out of my senses with 
 joy ! this moment, this ecstatic moment brought 
 the inclosed.* I cannot speak my happiness ; let 
 it be sufficient to say, that in a very few hours our 
 angel Peter will be FREE ! Mr. Graham goes this 
 night to Portsmouth, and to-morrow, or next day 
 at farthest, I shall be oh, heavens ! what shall I 
 be ? I am already transported, even to pain ; then 
 
 * Information that the pardon was gone down to Portsmouth. 
 
how shall I bear to clasp him to the bosom of your 
 happy, ah ! how very happy and affectionate 
 
 c NESSY HEYWOOD/ 
 
 4 1 am too mad to write sense, but 'tis a pleasure 
 I would not forego to be the most reasonable being 
 on earth. I asked Mr. Graham, who is at my elbow, 
 if he would say anything to you ; " Lord \" said 
 he, " I can't say anything." He is almost as mad 
 as myself/ 
 
 Mr. Graham writes,, * I have, however, my senses 
 sufficiently about me not to suffer this to go with- 
 out begging leave to congratulate you upon, and to 
 assure you that I most sincerely sympathize and 
 participate in, the happiness which I am sure the 
 inclosed will convey to the mother and sisters of 
 my charming and beloved Nessy/ 
 
 Nessy next writes to Mr. Const, who attended 
 as counsel for her brother, to acquaint him with the 
 joyful intelligence. 
 
 To F. CONST, ESQ. 
 
 c MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 4 I should think myself ill-deserving of the kind 
 attention you have paid to the interest of my be- 
 loved brother, if I omitted a moment to inform you 
 that I am now very near indeed to the completion of 
 my wishes with respect to his fate. Mr. Graham 
 has, this moment, received a letter assuring him that 
 my brother's pardon went down to Portsmouth by a 
 
153 
 
 messenger from the Admiralty Office this morning. 
 I flatter myself you will partake in the joy which, 
 notwithstanding it is so excessive at this moment 
 as almost to deprive me of my faculties, leaves me 
 however sufficiently collected to assure you of the 
 eternal gratitude and esteem with which I am, dear 
 Sir, your most obliged, 
 
 N. H.' 
 
 To which Mr. Const, after congratulations and 
 thanks for her polite attention, observes, c Give me 
 leave, my dear Miss Heywood, to assure you that 
 the intelligence has given me a degree of pleasure 
 which I have not terms to express, and it is even 
 increased by knowing what you must experience on 
 the event. Nor is it an immaterial reflection that, 
 although your brother was unfortunately involved 
 in the general calamity which gave birth to the 
 charge, he is uncontaminated by the crime, for there 
 was not a credible testimony of the slightest fact 
 against him, that can make the strictest friend de- 
 plore any thing that has passed, except his suffer- 
 ings ; and his uniform conduct under them only 
 proved how little he deserved them/ 
 
 Nor did the friends of the family delay pouring 
 in their congratulations. And among them parti- 
 cularly, Mr. Heywood, of Maristow, hastened to 
 express the sincere joy with which he received the 
 intelligence of his Majesty's pardon. In a letter to 
 Mrs. Heywood he says, ' You have, my dear 
 
169 
 
 Madam, the additional satisfaction of finding your 
 son, notwithstanding the formal sentence passed 
 upon him, perfectly acquitted in the breast of the 
 public, of the crime laid to his charge, and as per- 
 fectly guiltless of any thing which can ever pre- 
 judice his character, as a man of honour/ 
 
 Mr, Graham's impatience and generous anxiety 
 to give the finishing stroke to this joyful event 
 would not permit him to delay one moment in set- 
 ting out for Portsmouth, and bringing up to his 
 house in town the innocent sufferer, where they ar- 
 rived on the morning of the 29th October. Miss 
 Hey wood can best speak her own feelings. 
 
 4 Great Russell Street, Monday Morning, 
 %9th October, half-past ten o'clock the 
 brightest moment of my existence ! 
 
 4 My dearest Mamma, I have seen him, clasped 
 him to my bosom, and my felicity is beyond ex- 
 pression ! In person he is almost even now as I 
 could wish ; in mind you know him an angel. I 
 can write no more, but to tell you, that the three 
 happiest beings at this moment on earth, are your 
 most dutiful and affectionate children, 
 
 4 NESSY HEYWOOD, 
 4 PETER HEYWOOD, 
 4 JAMES HEYWOOD. 
 4 Love to and from all ten thousand times/ 
 
 The worthy Mr. Graham adds, 4 If, my dearest 
 
160 
 
 Madam, it were ever given for mortals to be su- 
 premely blest on earth, mine to be sure must be the 
 happy family. Heavens ! with what unbounded 
 extravagance have we been forming our wishes ! and 
 yet how far beyond our most unbounded wishes we 
 are blest ! Nessy, Maria,* Peter, and James, I 
 see, have all been endeavouring to express their feel- 
 ings. I will not fail in any such attempt, for I will 
 not attempt any thing beyond an assurance that the 
 scene I have been witness of, and in which I am 
 happily so great a sharer, beggars all description. 
 Permit me, however, to offer my most sincere con- 
 gratulations upon the joyful occasion.' 
 
 This amiable young lady, some of whose letters 
 have been introduced into this narrative, did not 
 long survive her brother's liberty. This impas- 
 sioned and most affectionate of sisters, with an ex- 
 cess of sensibility, which acted too powerfully on 
 her bodily frame, sunk, as is often the case with 
 such susceptible minds, on the first attack of con- 
 sumption. She died within the year of her brother's 
 liberation. On this occasion the following note 
 from her afflicted mother appears among the papers 
 from which the letters and poetry are taken. c My 
 dearest Nessy was seized, while on a visit at Major 
 Yorke's, at Bishop's Grove, near Tonbridge Wells, 
 with a violent cold, and not taking proper care of 
 herself, it soon turned to inflammation on her lungs, 
 
 * Mr. Graham's daughter. 
 
161 
 
 which carried her off at Hastings, to which place 
 she was taken on the 5th September, to try if the 
 change of air, and being near the sea, would recover 
 her ; but, alas ! it was too late for her to receive the 
 wished-for benefit, and she died there on the 25th 
 of the same month, 1793, She has left her only sur- 
 viving parent a disconsolate mother, to lament, 
 as long as she lives, with the most sincere and deep 
 affliction, the irreparable loss of her most valuable, 
 affectionate, and darling daughter/* 
 
 But to return to Mr. Heywood. When the 
 King's full and free pardon had been read to this 
 young officer by Captain Montagu, with a suitable 
 admonition and congratulation, he addressed that 
 officer in the following terms, eminently charac- 
 
 * Several elegiac stanzas were written on the death of this accom- 
 plished young lady. The following are dated from her native place, 
 the Isle of Man, where her virtues and accomplishments could best 
 be appreciated : 
 
 * How soon, sweet maid ! how like a fleeting dream, 
 The winning graces, all thy virtues seem 1 
 How soon, arrested, in thy early bloom, 
 Has fate decreed thee to the joyless tomb ! 
 Nor beauty, genius, nor the muse's care, 
 Nor aught could move the tyrant Death to spare : 
 Ah ! could their power revoke the stern decree, 
 The fatal shaft had past, unfelt by thee ! 
 But vain thy wit, thy sentiment refined, 
 Thy charms external, and accomplish' d mind ; 
 Thy artless smiles, that seized the willing heart, 
 Thy converse, that could pure delight impart ; 
 The melting music of thy skilful tongue, 
 While judgment listen'd, ravish'd with thy song : 
 Not all the gifts that art and nature gave, 
 Could save thee, lovely Nessy ! from the grave/ 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 teristic of his noble and manly conduct throughout 
 the whole of the distressing business in which he 
 was innocently involved : 
 
 6 SIR, When the sentence of the law was passed 
 upon me, I received it, I trust, as became a man ; 
 and if it had been carried into execution, 1 should 
 have met my fate, I hope, in a manner becoming a 
 Christian. Your admonition cannot fail to make 
 a lasting impression on my mind. I receive with 
 gratitude my Sovereign's mercy, for which my fu- 
 ture life shall be faithfully devoted to his service/ 
 And well did his future conduct fulfil that promise. 
 
 The following striking and impressive lines were 
 written by Mr. P. Heywood on the day that the 
 sentence of condemnation was passed upon him : 
 
 ' Silence then 
 
 The whispers of complaint, low in the dust 
 
 Dissatisfaction's daemon's growl unheard. 
 
 All all is good, all excellent below ; 
 
 Pain is a blessing sorrow leads to joy 
 
 Joy, permanent and solid 1 ev'ry ill, 
 
 Grim death itself, in all its horrors clad, 
 
 Is man's supremest privilege ! it frees 
 
 The soul from prison, from foul sin, from woe, 
 
 And gives it back to glory, rest, and God ! 
 
 Cheerly, my friends, oh, cheerly ! look not thus 
 
 With Pity's melting softness ! that alone 
 
 Can shake my fortitude all is not lost. 
 
 Lo ! I have gain'd on this important day 
 
 A victory consummate o'er myself, 
 
 And o'er this life a victory, on this day, 
 
 My birthday to eternity, I've gain'd 
 
 Dismission from a world, where for a while, 
 
 Like you, like all, a pilgrim passing poor, 
 
 A traveller, a stranger, I have met 
 
163 
 
 Still stranger treatment, rude and harsh ! so much 
 The dearer, more desired, the home I seek, 
 Eternal of my Father, and my God ! 
 Then pious Resignation, meek-ey'd pow'r, 
 Sustain me still ! Composure still be mine. 
 Where rests it? Oh, mysterious Providence! 
 Silence the wild idea I have found 
 No mercy yet no mild humanity, 
 With cruel, unrelenting rigour torn, 
 And lost in prisonlost to all below !' 
 
 And the following appears to have been written 
 on the day of the King's pardon being received : 
 
 * , Qh deem it not 
 
 Presumptuous, that my soul grateful thus rates 
 The present high deliv'rance it hath found ; 
 Sole effort of thy wisdom, sov'reign Pow'r, 
 Without whose knowledge, not a sparrow falls I 
 Oh ! may I cease to live, ere cease to bless 
 That interposing hand, which turn'd aside 
 Nay, to my life and preservation turn'd 
 The fatal blow precipitate, ordain'd 
 To level all my little hopes in dust, 
 And give me to the grave/ 
 
 Notwithstanding the inauspicious manner in 
 which the first five years of his servitude in the 
 navy had been passed, two of which were spent 
 among mutineers and savages, and eighteen months 
 as a close prisoner in irons, in which condition he 
 was shipwrecked, and narrowly escaped destruction, 
 he re-entered the naval service. 
 
 M 2 
 
164 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE sketch of Captain Hey wood will now be 
 continued very nearly in his own language. The 
 memoranda in Captain Hey wood's hand-writing, 
 from which the following extracts have been made, 
 are indeed exceedingly imperfect, being drawn up 
 at intervals entirely for private use. But, such as 
 they are, they furnish a tolerable abstract of his 
 naval career ; and it appeared to the Editor desirable 
 to preserve as much of his own language as possible, 
 rather than to attempt a less broken, but probably 
 less interesting narrative. 
 
 c After visiting my family and friends, and when 
 my health was completely restored/ says Captain 
 Heywood, c I re-entered the navy by the desire of 
 Sir Thomas Pasley, and at the express recommen- 
 dation of Lord Hood, who presided at my court- 
 martial, and who offered to take me under his own 
 immediate patronage. This, however, my uncle 
 declined ; and on the 17th May, 1793, took me 
 under his own command in the Bellerophon. But 
 service in a frigate being more active than in a ship 
 
165 
 
 of the line, I was on the 9th of July removed into 
 the Niger, then commanded by the Hon. Arthur 
 Kaye Legge, where I did duty as master's mate till 
 the 23rd of September, when I was ordered by Lord 
 Howe to join the Queen Charlotte, where his flag 
 was then flying as comma nder-in-chief of the Chan- 
 nel Fleet. I served in that ship as signal midship- 
 man and master's mate under his Lordship's eye 
 and the commands of Sir Hugh C. Christian and 
 Sir Andrew Snape Douglas, who, together with 
 Sir Roger Curtis, the captain of the Channel Fleet, 
 were all members of the court-martial, and became 
 my most sincere and warm friends, and gave me 
 the strongest and most flattering proofs of their 
 approbation, esteem, and good-will, not only whilst 
 I served under their own immediate observation, 
 but ever afterwards as long as they severally lived. 
 After the defeat of the French fleet on the 1st of 
 June, 1794, (in which action I did my duty on the 
 quarter-deck as one of Sir Andrew Douglas' aids- 
 du-camp,) and we had returned to Spithead, I was 
 appointed, on the 24th of August in Torbay, acting 
 lieutenant in the Robust, 74, commanded by Cap- 
 tain Thornbrough. But a lieutenant having been 
 previously appointed by the Admiralty without the 
 knowledge of Lord Howe, (as we went to sea that 
 day,) I was of course superseded, on our return to 
 Torbay on the 9th of October, 1794, as were se- 
 veral others at the same time and for the same 
 
166 
 
 reason ; and we all consequently returned to the 
 Queen Charlotte, where I remained till the 9th of 
 March, 1795.* 
 
 4 Lord Spencer, who then presided at the Admi- 
 ralty, was pleased to promote me to the rank of 
 
 * Some doubts having arisen about this period as to the propriety 
 of giving naval rank to a person who had been placed in Mr. Hey- 
 wood's late critical situation, his friend Sir Roger Curtis was kind 
 enough to consult an eminent lawyer, whose opinion on that subject 
 we now lay before our readers. 
 
 'July 27, 1794. 
 
 ' The warrant for the execution of some of the offenders, and the 
 pardon of Mr. Heywood, states the charge to have been " for muti- 
 nously running away with the armed vessel the Bounty, and deserting 
 from his Majesty's service." This you will find to be the 15th in the 
 catalogue of offences enumerated in the Act of 22 Geo. II. Cap. 
 xxxiii., and it is thereby enacted that the offender shall suffer death. 
 Nothing is said of any incapacities whatever, and indeed it would be 
 strange to have superadded incapacities to a capital punishment. 
 
 ' The judgments which a court-martial is empowered to pronounce 
 by this Act are of three distinct kinds, the one discretionary, another 
 capital, and a third, incapacity ever to serve in the navy. The last 
 (except so far as it is included in discretionary sentences) is enacted 
 in one instance only. Upon this state of things, it should seem clear 
 that Mr. Heywood having received judgment of death, the only judg- 
 ment which the act empowers the court-martial to pronounce, and 
 his Majesty having been pleased to dispense with the execution of 
 that sentence, the plain principle of the common law ought to take 
 place, by which Mr. Heywood is in point of capacity to hold any 
 station, civil or military, no way now distinguished from any other 
 subject. You will moreover observe, that the directions of this Act 
 must be literally observed, being in a matter highly penal, and that 
 no disabilities or incapacities can be introduced by inference. I 
 should myself clearly conceive, that an offence attended with judg- 
 ment of death having been pardoned by his Majesty, the supposed 
 offender is, in this case, in the same situation as if no such judgment 
 had ever been passed.' Marshall's Naval Biography. 
 
167 
 
 Lieutenant in the Incendiary fire-ship, commanded 
 by Captain John Draper. I remained in her only 
 till the 6th of April following, and on the 7th re- 
 ceived a commission as junior Lieutenant of La 
 Nymphe, Captain George Murray, then employed 
 as one of the cruizers on the coast of France, and 
 who afterwards commanded the advance frigates 
 with the fleet, under Lord Bridport, which defeated 
 that of the French, on the 23d of June, 1795, off 
 the Island of Groais (Groix). I remained in the 
 Nymphe with Captain Murray, and afterwards 
 Captain Geo. Losack, in the North Sea, till she was 
 paid off at Plymouth, about the end of the year, 
 
 6 On the 13th of January, 1796, I was appointed 
 to the Fox, of thirty-two guns, Captain Pulteney 
 Malcolm, and joined her in the Downs. I served in 
 her as thi^d Lieutenant in the North Sea, till we 
 were ordered to the East Indies about June, when 
 I became second, and on our arrival at the Cape of 
 Good Hope, the first Lieutenant being invalided, 
 I became first, and so continued till the 16th of 
 June, 1798, when Captain Malcolm was appointed 
 to command the Suffolk, bearing the flag of Rear- 
 Admiral Peter Rainier, and I was removed to that 
 ship along with him/ 
 
 To Admiral Rainier Mr. Heywood had been 
 previously recommended for promotion by Earl 
 Spencer, the same nobleman who had signed his 
 first commission, and whose good opinion of him 
 
168 
 
 will be seen by the following copy of a letter to 
 Sir Thomas Pasley : 
 
 c Admiralty, Jan. 13, 1797- 
 
 6 1 should have returned an earlier answer to your 
 letter of the 6th instant, if I had not been desirous, 
 before I answered it, to look over, with as much 
 attention as was in my power, the proceedings of 
 the court-martial, held in the year 1792, by which 
 Court Mr. Peter Heywood was condemned for 
 being concerned in the mutiny on board the Bounty. 
 I felt this to be necessary, from having entertained 
 a very strong opinion that it might be detrimental 
 to the interests of his Majesty's service, if a person 
 under such a predicament should be afterwards ad- 
 vanced to the higher and more conspicuous situa- 
 tions of the navy ; but having, with great attention, 
 perused the minutes of that court-martial, as far as 
 they relate to Mr. Peter Hey w r ood, I have now the 
 satisfaction of being able to inform you, that I think 
 his case was such an one, as, under all its circum- 
 stances, (though I do not mean to say that the 
 Court were not justified in their sentence,) ought 
 not to be considered as a bar to his further progress 
 in his profession ; more especially when the gal- 
 lantry and propriety of his conduct, in his subse- 
 quent service, are taken into consideration. I shall, 
 therefore, have no difficulty in mentioning him to 
 the commander-in-chief on the station to which he 
 belongs, as a person from whose promotion, on a 
 
169 
 
 proper opportunity, I shall derive much satisfaction, 
 more particularly from his being so nearly connected 
 with you. 
 
 4 I have the honour to be, &c., 
 
 (Signed) ' SPENCER/ 
 
 4 About the middle of May, 1799, as the Admiral 
 was expecting daily to hear of the fall of Seringa- 
 patam, and the Earl of Mornington, contemplating 
 that event, had previously applied to him for a 
 vessel of war to carry home his despatches, the Ad- 
 miral was pleased to select me for that service. On 
 the 17th he appointed me Lieutenant and Com- 
 mander of the Amboyna, brig of war, off Mangalore, 
 and ordered me to proceed to Madras with all pos- 
 sible despatch, touching at Cannanore, to deliver 
 some letters to Captain Hargood, of his Majesty's 
 ship Intrepid. The next morning I anchored there, 
 and as the account of the capture of Seringapatam 
 had that moment reached Captain Hargood, and he 
 had no means of conveying the important intelli- 
 gence to the Admiral,* I endeavoured to prevail on 
 him to order me immediately back with it, assuring 
 him of the Admiral's approval, as it would enable 
 him to despatch me at once to England, with every 
 probable prospect of arriving there much sooner 
 than any vessel, by which the Earl of Mornington 
 
 * Tippoo Sultan having been slain, and the Mysore capital carried 
 by storm, thirteen days prior to the date of Admiral Rainier' s order. 
 
170 
 
 could have sent his despatches from Madras. That 
 his Lordship had done so, I endeavoured to convince 
 him must be the case long before this time, or at 
 any rate before the Amboyna could possibly reach 
 him. I could not, however, prevail on him to take 
 on himself this responsibility, nor would he allow 
 me to take it on myself, as I told him I would most 
 willingly do, and, contrary to my orders, return to 
 the Admiral at Mangalore. The Southampton was 
 with Captain Hargood, and he said he would send 
 her to the Admiral ; but as all her empty casks had 
 been landed, and she happened to be otherwise so 
 situated as to occasion a loss of much time, there was 
 no chance of getting her off that day. However, I 
 was directed to make the best of my way to Madras ; 
 and though I arrived there in nine days, I found to 
 my mortification, that the despatches had been sent 
 by the Governor-General, before I quitted Manga- 
 lore, in a merchant vessel, which he had been obliged 
 to hire for the purpose. On the arrival of the Suf- 
 folk, I therefore rejoined the Admiral, who would (as 
 I supposed) have been well pleased if Captain Har- 
 good had done as I suggested ; because he had been 
 obliged to send home the Southampton, after so 
 much delay, as made it improbable she could arrive 
 there before the vessel Lord Mornington had des- 
 patched. I remained in the Suffolk till August, 
 1800, when I was appointed to command the Vul- 
 can bomb-vessel, then at Amboyna. I took my 
 
171 
 
 passage in the St. Thome armed transport to join 
 her, and sailed from Madras in company with the 
 Imperieuse, Captain Josias Rowley.' 
 
 From Amboyna Capt. Heywood visited many of 
 the Spice Islands, and amongst others called upon 
 his old friends at Coupang, whose astonishment was 
 great, as may be supposed, at seeing the late wretched 
 prisoner return in command of a King's ship ! 
 
 c Here Capt. Heywood commenced that well- 
 known series of latitudes and longitudes of the vari- 
 ous ports of the Eastern seas, by which their geogra- 
 phy has since been corrected. These he continued 
 till 1805, with the skill and indefatigable ardour 
 which at once stamped his individual reputation, 
 and reflected honour on the service in general. His 
 scientific attainments, however, did not save him 
 from a severe mortification, which we* have often 
 heard him bitterly regret. The late Capt. Astle, then 
 commanding the Virginie, being the senior officer, 
 ordered the Vulcan to Madras, directing her to pro- 
 ceed between Timor and Timorlout, and thence by 
 the open sea. On this our commander ventured to 
 represent that, in the space from Timor to New 
 Holland, the N.W. monsoon was constantly be- 
 tween W.N.W. and W.S.W. with a heavy sea, 
 hard squalls, gloomy weather, and a constant cur- 
 rent to the Eastward ; that shoals and reefs, both 
 known and unknown, were to be expected, and 
 
 * The Editor is indebted to the writer in the United Service Jour- 
 nal for the insertion of these paragraphs. 
 
172 
 
 that the sailing qualities of the Vulcan were so in* 
 different, that the idea of carrying despatches by 
 that route was inconsistent. He also shewed that 
 in the Java Sea, the same monsoon was broken into 
 variable winds, while the water was smoother, and 
 the aids of tides to be taken advantage of; and 
 what was more, refreshments to be every where 
 obtained. But the Commodore was one of those 
 sturdy Rough-knots who did not much relish the 
 " march ;" he considered lunar observations as a 
 species of legerdemain, and held that it was pre- 
 sumptuous to say what wind would blow at any 
 particular time. In this discussion, as he had so 
 very junior an officer to contend w r ith, he scorned 
 to strike ; and all that he would listen to, was 
 Hey wood's advice that duplicates of the despatches 
 should be sent by a country ship then going to 
 Madras through the island channels, arid which, by 
 the way, arrived nearly two months before him. 
 
 c Meantime, the poor old Vulcan bent her weary 
 way into the Channel formed by Timor and New 
 Holland; and the mass of soundings on our present 
 charts mark the time she continued standing from 
 side to side, between the Sahol Bank and Vulcan 
 Point, a head-land which they thought they never 
 could clear. After driving about amongst the 
 Dampier Shoals, and the various coral reefs of the 
 vicinity, he at last reached Madras ; but what with 
 hunger, thirst, sickness, and death, his ship was 
 almost as melancholy as the Pandora had been/ 
 
173 
 
 1 From Amboyna,' continues Captain Heywood, 
 * I returned in the Vulcan to Madras, where I was 
 appointed, on the llth of June, 1801, to command 
 the Trincomale Sloop of eighteen guns. I was em- 
 ployed in her on detached services, chiefly in the 
 Bay of Bengal ; and on my rejoining the Com- 
 mander-in-chief, he gave me a commission for the 
 Trident, of sixty-four guns. At this time Admiral 
 Rainier had his flag in the Leopard, Capt. Surridge, 
 and onh er arrival with the Trident at Trincomale, 
 the sternpost of the latter being found so defective as 
 to render it necessary for her to be sent to Bombay to 
 be taken into dock, and Captain Surridge expressing 
 a wish to be removed into her, the Admiral was 
 pleased to do so, and I was appointed to command 
 the Leopard, of fifty guns, on the 15th of May, 
 1802. In this ship I was ordered to survey the 
 East coast of the island of Ceylon, and more espe- 
 cially the shoals off the N.E. part of that island, 
 and the whole extent between them and Point Ca- 
 lymere, at that time not at all known. 
 
 < On the 29th of September, 1802, Captain 
 Collier, of his Majesty's sloop Victor, having been 
 appointed to the Leopard, by the Admiralty, (be- 
 fore my order was dated,) I was consequently 
 superseded by him ; but Captain Shortland, of La 
 Dedaigneuse, a 36-gun frigate, who brought out 
 despatches, being invalided on account of ill health, 
 on the same day the Admiral gave me the command 
 of that ship, the 30th of September, 1802. In this 
 
174 
 
 ship I was employed chiefly in detached and con- 
 fidential services, and remained in her till the 26th 
 of January, 1805; when, in consequence of a de- 
 bilitated state of health, and the necessity of getting 
 home for the purpose of arranging my private family 
 affairs, owing to the death of my elder brother, t 
 took my passage in the Cirencester, East-Indiaman, 
 and arrived in England in September following/ 
 
 In this ship, also, we gather from the United 
 Service Journal, c he encountered a furious Typhoon, 
 in which she was totally dismasted, and only pre- 
 served from destruction by the singular union of 
 coolness and resource which constituted the talent 
 of the Captain. While the D6daigneuse was refit- 
 ting at Macao, he contrived to find time to make 
 an excellent survey of the Typa/ 
 
 It was on board the Dedaigneuse, too, that he had 
 the mortification of discovering, among the very 
 first things which came into his hands belonging to 
 a younger brother, whom he had taken out with him, 
 and who died on board, a paper, containing a dis- 
 cussion of the question, ' Whether Capt. Hey wood, 
 after all the circumstances of his trial and condem- 
 nation, could possibly succeed to the family pro- 
 perty ?' A singular instance of that ingratitude and 
 unaccountable baseness of feeling, which appearing, 
 as in this case, in a family distinguished by so much 
 of an opposite character, seems to render human 
 nature a strange and dark enigma ! It is easy to 
 conceive how peculiarly painful such an incident 
 
175 
 
 must have been to the pure, honourable, and gener- 
 ous spirit of Captain Heywood. And in a brother 
 too ! < It was not an enemy ; then I could have 
 borne it' might have been his just reflection. 
 
 Captain Hey wood's application for permission to 
 retire, was thus answered by the officer under whose 
 command he had then served for an uninterrupted 
 period of more than eight years : 
 
 Trident, Port Cornwallis, Prince of Wales' s Island, 
 ' SIR January 23, 1805. 
 
 'In answer to your letter of yesterday's date, 
 requesting permission to resign the command of his 
 Majesty's ship La Dedaigneuse, in order to attend 
 to some very pressing and important family con- 
 cerns, the management whereof indispensably de- 
 mands your presence in London, I have to acquaint 
 you, that I think it but justice due to your very 
 meritorious and faithful services, to grant you that 
 permission ; and in farther gratification of your 
 request, I shall, with much pleasure, assure my 
 Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty of my firm 
 persuasion, that your application has arisen from 
 no other motive than that you have stated, which., I 
 have no doubt, will appear perfectly satisfactory to 
 their Lordships, and, when the state of your private 
 affairs will permit, induce them to attend to your 
 solicitation to be again appointed to the command 
 of one of his Majesty's ships. 
 
 C I cannot help testifying my sincere regret on 
 
176 
 
 parting with so able and active an officer as your- 
 self from the squadron I have the honour to com- 
 mand ; and I request your acceptance of my best 
 wishes for the successful accomplishment of the 
 business that has been the occasion of it. I re- 
 main with much respect, Sir, 
 
 6 Your very faithful, humble servant, 
 (Signed) c PETER RAINIER. 
 
 ' To P. HEYWOOD, 
 
 Captain, H. M. S. Dkdaigneuse? 
 
 In addition to the performance of the valuable 
 service already alluded to, the survey of the East 
 coast of Ceylon, Captain Heywood ascertained the 
 exact position of almost every place on the Indian 
 coast, and of the different islands to the Eastward, 
 which enabled him to render material assistance to 
 James Horsburgh, Esq., the present hydrographer 
 to the East India Company. It is mentioned in an 
 account of that scientific gentleman, published in 
 1812, that c Mr. Horsburgh had the good fortune 
 to sail for England in the Cirencester (East India- 
 man), Captain Thomas Robertson, with Captain 
 Peter Heywood, of the Navy, as his fellow-pas- 
 senger. From that experienced and intelligent offi- 
 cer, while arranging his works for publication, he 
 derived great assistance, and since that period he 
 has frequently benefited by communications from 
 the same friendly source,* 
 
177 
 
 Mr. Horsburgh, who still livesto cherish the me- 
 mory of his departed friend, mentions as a pleasant 
 proof of Capt. Hey wood's strength and superior ac- 
 tivity at that period, that, when they touched at St. 
 Helena, on their way home, they set out together at 
 an early hour in the morning, to w r alk round the 
 island, which is about twenty miles in circum- 
 ference, but presents an arduous task to the pedes- 
 trian, by its mountainous character and rocky coast. 
 Conducted by an African slave belonging to their 
 host, Mr. Mason, they passed over a sharp mountain 
 summit, well known by the name of the Horse 
 Ridge , which affords a path just wide enough for 
 one person, on both sides very precipitous, and over 
 which no European, according to their host, had 
 ever passed before. Captain Heywood suffered very 
 little from the day's exertion in comparison with 
 the fatigue experienced by his companion. 
 
 ' On the 20th of October, 1806/ continues Cap- 
 tain Heywood, ' my old friend Sir George Murray, 
 with whom I served as third lieutenant in La 
 Nymphe in 1795, being appointed to the command 
 of a secret and important expedition to South 
 America, hoisted his flag in his Majesty's ship 
 Polyphemus, of sixty-four guns, and did me the 
 honour to select me as his captain in that ship.' 
 
 This ship, attended by a small squadron, arrived 
 at the Cape of Good Hope, and was there joined by 
 a fleet of transports, having on board upwards of 
 four thousand troops, towards the latter end of 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 March, 1807. The military commander, Brigadier- 
 General Craufurd, had just before received a de- 
 spatch from Rear-Admiral Murray, acquainting him 
 that the destination of the armament had been 
 changed in consequence of the reverses sustained 
 by the British army in South America, and that, 
 instead of going by the Eastern route to Lima, as 
 was originally intended, they were now to proceed 
 to the Rio de la Plata, and act in conjunction with 
 the forces to be there assembled for the recovery 
 of Buenos Ayres. 
 
 The island of Terceira and Cape Town are 
 places sufficiently well known, and of which many 
 descriptions may doubtless be found ; yet the fol- 
 lowing notices of them, as they appeared at this 
 time to Captain Hey wood, and in his own language, 
 will probably possess some interest for the readers 
 of this sketch r 
 
 ' PORT PRAYA. January 19, 1807. At one 
 p. M., after the ship's company had dined, we 
 made all sail and shaped a course for Port Praya, a 
 town of Terceira, one of the Azores. On approach- 
 ing the town, the Portuguese flag was displayed on 
 the Fort if a rough stone wall five or six feet high, 
 and surrounding the governor's house, deserves the 
 name. As we were turning up to the anchorage, 
 with light baffling winds off shore, the admiral or- 
 dered a lieutenant to be sent to wait on the Gover- 
 nor to acquaint him of his intention to anchor and 
 remain for the night, and at the same time to in- 
 
179 
 
 quire how, and in what quantity, water, stock, &c., 
 could be procured. 
 
 'From the general, barren, and inhospitable ap- 
 pearance of this island, wherelittle verdure, and scarce 
 a tree was to be seen, I confess I was not a little 
 surprised to hear from the officer, when he returned, 
 that the general and commanding officer of the 
 garrison (a woolly-headed black gentleman, and 
 chief of the place in the absence of the Governor, 
 who was in the country), had told him to inform the 
 admiral, that the ships could be supplied with every 
 thing in plenty, and that to-morrow his people 
 should send every thing off that was wanted, but 
 could not sell any thing to-day, being the sabbath. 
 The town is situated on rising ground, at a small 
 distance from the sea, and the whole surface of the 
 ground appeared to be covered with rocks and 
 stones ; altogether, the place presented to the eye 
 a most dreary aspect. The shore to the East- 
 ward, and down abreast with the tow r n, is steep, 
 bluff, and rocky ; but to the Westward, a low white 
 sandy beach extends to a rounding point, off which 
 there runs out a spit of sand and coral, a few cables 3 
 length, and at a small distance from it there is no 
 sounding at forty or fifty fathoms. 
 
 c 20th. In the evening I went on shore to wait 
 upon the Governor and to examine into the nature 
 and state of the watering-place, and in what man- 
 ner water was, with most ease and expedition, to be 
 got off. 
 
 N 2 
 
180 
 
 ' The town of Praya (and a more wretched-looking 
 place I think I never beheld) is situated upon an 
 eminence between two valleys, in which there is 
 not the least appearance of any vegetation, except a 
 few miserable, unproductive date trees. Indeed, 
 wherever the eye may rest, all is w r aste land and 
 rocky sterility, so that, on first landing, a stranger, 
 as he casts his eyes around, mentally inquires how 
 the inhabitants are supplied with food. The town 
 does not contain a house of the least apparent re- 
 spectability (not even the Governor's), or fit to afford 
 any thing like what could be called comfortable 
 accommodation ; nor is there a gun, a carriage, nor 
 a soldier in the place, (if one may judge of the whole 
 from the partial view I had of some of them,) that 
 would stand long, if opposed by half a dozen boats' 
 crews armed with only their stretchers. The water 
 here is very good, at least we found it so, but pro- 
 cured with much labour and fatigue. The casks 
 must be landed on the beach to the westward of the 
 town, and rolled up to a well, at the distance of 
 more than a quarter of a mile, where they are to be 
 filled by drawing up the water with buckets ; 
 though I think that a pump, taken ashore for the 
 purpose, would be a much more expeditious and less 
 laborious mode. 
 
 6 We did not stay here long enough to procure 
 any bullocks, though I believe w r e might have been 
 well supplied, had we staid a day or two longer. 
 The people informed us that all the cattle were in 
 
131 
 
 the interior of the island, as those in the vicinity of 
 the town had been all devoured by the soldiers and 
 sailors who lay here so long, and were but just 
 gone away, and it would take some time to have 
 them driven in. They also told us, that every kind 
 of fruit might be had in great plenty in a day or 
 two. However, we got some oranges, bananas, 
 guavas, and other fruits, and a few pumpkins for a 
 sea-stock ; but poultry did not seem to be plentiful. 
 
 4 Besides the Governor of Praya, I did not see 
 above half a dozen European Portuguese while I 
 was ashore. The greater part of the natives seemed 
 to be a poor, dirty, indolent, mongrel race, between 
 Portuguese and Negroes, and of such animals as 
 these the main guard of their soldiers, through 
 which I passed, was composed, scarcely one of 
 whom had either a shoe or stocking to his feet, and 
 but very few of their musquets had locks. To 
 prevent the slaves from running away, 1 was in- 
 formed, that the government prohibits to all the 
 inhabitants the use of boats of any kind, and I dare 
 say it is the case, for 1 did not see one ; so that fish 
 (so good and principal an article of food in most 
 tropical countries) is here very scarce and seldom 
 seen, except some small ones, which they catch 
 with rod and line from the rocks near the sea-side/ 
 
 6 CAPE TOWN. April, 1807- Cape Town is 
 situated on the South side of Table Bay, upon a 
 gentle descent and near the shore, having the coun- 
 try open to the Eastward, the sea to the North- 
 west, the Lion's Head and Lion's Rump to the 
 
182 
 
 South-west and West, the Table Mountain and 
 Tiger Hill to the Southward of it. The length of 
 the flat surface of the Table Land is about 2200 
 yards from East to West, and its height above the 
 level of the sea 3564 feet. The castle is situated at 
 the East extremity of the town near the wharf. The 
 Lion's Rump is within a mile and half of it, and 
 the mid height of the Tiger Hill not much above 
 one mile. Somewhat more than a mile to the East- 
 ward of the castle is Craig's Battery, and between 
 them, near the beach, another, connecting a chain 
 of lines which extends towards Tiger Hill. 
 
 c Cape Town is said to contain upwards of 20,000 
 inhabitants ; it is about three-quarters of a mile 
 from North to South, and the same from East to 
 West. The streets are at right angles to each other, 
 and tolerably wide ; many of them have in the 
 centre what the Dutch would call a canal, but they 
 are generally receptacles of dirt and filth, and in- 
 stead of clear wholesome water, are covered at bot- 
 tom with slimy mud. This the Dutch do not care 
 much about. Their cleanliness seems not to ex- 
 tend beyond the terrace in front of their houses, 
 though, to do them justice, these are always neat and 
 clean. They are elevated some steps above the 
 street, and have a stone seat at each end, on which 
 they sit and smoke and otherwise enjoy themselves 
 in the cool of the evening. The houses are well 
 built and commodious, and of most of them very 
 particular care seems to be taken on the outside, 
 by a frequent use of white-wash. They are orna- 
 
183 
 
 merited with green window-shutters, and upon the? 
 whole present an airy, cool appearance, and are 
 adapted to the climate. At the back of the town 
 are some gardens divided in the middle by a long 
 walk formed between two rows of fine dwarf oak 
 trees. About half way up this walk stands the 
 government house, a large edifice, with a flight of 
 steps in front. It was fitted up in its present style 
 while Governor Jansen was at the Cape, and is in 
 tolerably good order. This governor has also much 
 improved the appearance of the East part of the 
 town, by making a very handsome parade between 
 it and the castle. It is in length 450 yards, and 
 breadth 250, inclosed by a wall, near which rows 
 of fir trees are planted, and surrounded by a ditch 
 or canal. A little way further up from this, there 
 are good barracks sufficient for the accommodation 
 of 2000 men, and to the Eastward of the castle and 
 near the beach there is a very good military hospi- 
 tal. Beef, mutton, vegetables, and fruits in great 
 variety, are abundant at all times, and by hauling 
 the seine near the wharf, we alw r ays got as much fish 
 as served the whole ship's company/ 
 
 In June, Captain Hey wood rejoined the squadron 
 at Monte Video, and in his log-book the following 
 remarks are found : 
 
 6 Sept. 1807. During our short stay in the river 
 Plate, peculiar circumstances obliged me to be 
 much more on board the ship than I should have 
 been under any other, and prevented me from ac- 
 
184 
 
 quiring much knowledge of the dangers that are laid 
 down in the Spanish chart, and others said to have 
 been found out since by some of our own ships ; 
 and had not Captain Beaufort, of his Majesty's ship 
 Woolwich, arrived, we should yet have been unac- 
 quainted with the real situation of the Archimedes' 
 bank on which the Diomede struck, and of the North 
 part of the English bank on which the Leda ground- 
 ed, and which, till he examined it, was supposed to 
 be detached from it. * * * 
 
 ' From the accounts I had heard, I was led to 
 expect we should have had very heavy rains, fre- 
 quent fogs, and violent South-west winds, (or pam- 
 peros, as they are called by the Spaniards,) as the 
 time of our arrival in the river was the beginning of 
 the winter. But we had no very heavy rains ; 
 what we had were showers of short duration now 
 and then ; the weather was seldom foggy, and we 
 rode out the hardest pampero we experienced with 
 only half a cable more than usual on the weather 
 anchor, the yards braced by, and the topmasts on 
 end. It was, however, said to be considered by 
 the Spaniards as a winter much more remarkable 
 for mildness than any they had known for many 
 years. There is a peculiarity in the air of this part 
 of South America which resists putrefaction. It 
 absorbs the moisture of the innumerable dead car- 
 cases which lie about the ground in all directions, 
 so that, without acquiring a very offensive smell, 
 they dry up and wither away. Yet, not withstand- 
 
18,5 
 
 ing this purity of the air, there is, perhaps, no part 
 of the world where flesh-wounds are more dangerous 
 and fatal to mankind, and where the lock-jaw is so 
 frequently the occasion of death. This, however, I 
 should be inclined to attribute rather to the state of 
 the blood of patients in this country, owing to the 
 quantity of animal food they eat, than to any at- 
 mospheric cause. The climate, on the whole, dur- 
 ing the short period I had experience of it, may be 
 called a good one for persons of sound constitutions, 
 but for people of delicate habits, the changes of 
 temperature were rather too frequent and sudden, 
 though the thermometer never fell below 48 nor 
 rose above 64^ and the mean height of the $ was 
 about 55 or 56, yet it sometimes changed very 
 quickly when the wind shifted suddenly from the 
 Northward round to South-west. The country 
 around Monte Video is the finest in the world, and 
 it is a pity it were not inhabited by a more indus- 
 trious people, who would set a proper value on the 
 comforts and blessings it might be made to afford 
 them. The present possessors are certainly the 
 most indolent and dirty race under the sun. Sa- 
 tisfied with the flesh of bullocks as almost their only 
 food, they take not the smallest pains to cultivate a 
 soil which, with very little trouble or labour, would 
 produce, in the greatest abundance and perfection, 
 fruits and vegetables of every kind; and though 
 they have in the market at Monte Video cabbages 
 and cauliflowers as fine as are to be anv where 
 
186 
 
 seen, yet they are very dear. Potatoes they have 
 none ; at least I never saw any, though I heard that 
 they have them at Buenos Ayres and up the coun- 
 try. Game of all kinds is remarkably plentiful and 
 cheap in the markets, particularly partridges ; and 
 the wild ducks, teal, and every species of water- 
 fowl, are as fine as any in the world/ 
 
 The campaign for the recovery of Buenos Ayres 
 terminated unsuccessfully and under disastrous cir- 
 cumstances ; and, in Jan. 1808, Captain Hey wood 
 returned to England. In May he was superseded 
 in the command of the Polyphemus, as that vessel 
 was appointed to receive the flag of Rear-Admiral 
 Rowley, who was about to take upon himself the 
 chief command at Jamaica. 
 
 ' Once more, therefore, turned ashore,' says Cap- 
 tain Heywood in his diary, 6 and finding my friend, 
 Mr. James Horsburgh, busily employed in writing 
 a book of directions for the navigation of the Indian 
 seas, rather than be an idle, useless drone, I set 
 myself to work to construct a set of charts to ac- 
 company his directory 5 chiefly from the valuable in- 
 formation contained in it, and the little experience 
 I had been myself able to acquire in those seas. 
 I had finished two of them, which I presented to 
 him as a tribute of my esteem and regard, and was 
 beginning the third, when, on the 3rd of November, 
 I received a letter from my friend. Captain Pulteney 
 Malcolm, of the Donegal, requesting me to allow 
 him to apply to their Lordships to appoint me to 
 
187 
 
 command his ship during the time he might be 
 obliged to remain on shore, as he was ordered to 
 attend as a witness in the inquiry about to be in- 
 stituted relating to the convention of Cintra. The 
 appointment followed his letter. I joined the Done- 
 gal next day at Spithead, and on the 10th anchored 
 at Causand Bay> where I was ordered to join Lord 
 Gambler.* 
 
 Captain Heywood was engaged for a short time 
 on the French coast, until Captain Malcolm re- 
 turned to his ship. Having then no further em- 
 ployment in Lord Gambier's fleet, he returned to 
 London on the llth of March ; and on the 18th, 
 he received the thanks of the Admiralty, conveyed 
 through Rear-Admiral Stopford, for his conduct in 
 the presence of a French squadron, which had 
 escaped from Brest, and for his gallantry in the 
 attack made upon three frigates belonging to the 
 said squadron, which had anchored in the Sable 
 d'Olonne, and were there destroyed on the 23d of 
 the preceding month. 
 
 Captain Heywood, having expressed his readi- 
 ness and desire for immediate employment again, 
 received in May a commission for the Nereus, a 
 new contract-built frigate; and, on June 1st, took 
 the command of her. As soon as the vessel was 
 ready, Captain Heywood sailed to join the fleet, 
 under Lord Collingwood, in the Mediterranean, 
 and he gave that admirable commander much plea- 
 sure by having taken care to bring out with him a 
 
188 
 
 great quantity of stores, of which he had understood 
 the fleet to be in want. During November and De- 
 cember the Nereus was employed in cruizing off the 
 South coast of France ; but the ship being in a bad 
 state, it was deemed necessary to send her to Gib- 
 raltar, and thence to England to be repaired. 
 During the time that the vessel lay off Gibraltar, 
 Captain Heywood had much conversation with 
 General Frazer about the fortress of Ceuta, and the 
 necessity that there seemed to be for its being in the 
 possession of the English, or, at any rate, garrisoned 
 by British troops. After refitting at Gibraltar, 
 Captain Heywood sailed to Ceuta to ascertain the 
 real state of feeling in the Governor and Spaniards 
 of the place towards the English, and in regard to 
 the admission of English troops. He became con- 
 vinced that the feeling was greatly in their favour. 
 
 The following passages in Captain Heywood's 
 diary relate to this interesting subject : 
 
 4 March 16, 1810. I employed my time in sound- 
 ing the bay, and now and then going on shore, as 
 did my officers, to the houses of some of the prin- 
 cipal inhabitants. We did our best to conciliate 
 the minds of the people of all ranks, and to impress 
 them with sentiments favourable to our country- 
 men, and I sometimes thought we had not been 
 altogether unsuccessful/ 
 
 ; March 20. I was very agreeably surprised this 
 morning, whilst I was employed taking some an- 
 gles near the fort St. Catalina, by a visit from my 
 
189 
 
 esteemed and most worthy friend Captain Beaufort, 
 who had run over to Gibraltar in his gig to satisfy 
 the curiosity he had to see Ceuta. Lieutenant 
 Robertson, also, (Aid-du-camp of Major-General 
 Fraser,) of the 9th regiment, came over from Gi- 
 braltar with the order from the Junta to the Go- 
 vernor, to admit the British force that was to be 
 sent over by the Commander-in-chief at Gibraltar. 
 I accompanied Lieut. Robertson to the Governor, 
 and though there was no withstanding this positive 
 order, yet I was sorry to observe that there seemed 
 to be still remaining some symptoms in the minds 
 of a few of the narrow-minded part of the Junta, 
 of a want of confidence in the honour of the En- 
 glish ; for the Governor himself told me, that some 
 of them had even gone so far as to say that, " if the 
 English troops were once admitted within the walls 
 of the fortress, it would be no easy matter to get 
 them out of it again. " In the course of the day, 
 however, every thing was settled about admitting 
 them, and Lieut. Robertson returned with Captain 
 Beaufort, carrying with him a letter from the Junta 
 to General Campbell to that effect. I was afraid 
 that the few illiberal-minded men of the Junta 
 would at any rate endeavour to prevent the grant 
 of the citadel to quarter the troops in, which it 
 would be most desirable to obtain, not only on 
 account of its healthy, but commanding, situation ; 
 and because they would be entirely apart from the 
 Spaniards. Nothing, however, I soon saw, would 
 
190 
 
 be decided on till the troops came over ; and, on 
 the next morning, at 8 A. M., I ran over to Gibral- 
 tar to bring Major-General Fraser and the trans- 
 ports. Whilst getting under weigh, I observed a 
 felucca coming into the bay of Ceuta with some 
 personage of superior rank on board, by the number 
 of flags and streamers they had displayed. Just as 
 I was about to anchor in Gibraltar Bay, Captain 
 Beaufort sent me word that he had General Fraser 
 and suite on board the Blossom. I therefore wore, 
 and after taking them on board the Nereus, stood 
 over to Ceuta, the transports, with the troops (4th 
 regiment) following, and anchored in the little bay 
 about sunset.' 
 
 6 March 23. The next morning I accompanied the 
 General to wait on the new Governor, the Marquis 
 d' Alost, who arrived yesterday from Cadiz, just as 
 we were getting under weigh ; and finding that the 
 necessary ceremonies were about to take place, I 
 sent off word to have salutes ready to be fired ; and 
 established a particular signal for the purpose. The 
 people seemed all highly gratified at my having 
 selected so solemn a moment to do honour to their 
 Governor, and still more so at his return to the 
 house, when at the moment of his entering the door 
 the ship fired another salute to the garrison by sig- 
 nal, and it was afterwards returned with an equal 
 number. These little attentions all I could shew 
 seemed to be very well received. 
 
 c Before we went to church with the new Gover- 
 
nor, as nothing had been decided on about accom- 
 modating the troops, the Major-General made some 
 inquiries about the matter, and, to his no small sur- 
 prise and regret, was shewn some buildings in the 
 suburbs, which had been, and were still, in part 
 occupied by convicts. They were, besides, in a 
 very bad state of repair, and having only paved 
 floors, looked more like stables than the comfortable 
 quarters British soldiers were used to, and would 
 expect. However, there was nothing to be done 
 here by remonstrance and grumbling. Though the 
 Junta had determined that our troops should not, 
 when landed, occupy the citadel on the height, and 
 there seemed to be little chance of getting any other 
 quarters for them than the convicts* barracks, and 
 though General Fraser, therefore, had almost decided 
 otfnot disembarking the troops till another day, in 
 hopes of getting better, he at last consented to let 
 me land them, in the hope that in the present state 
 of the public mind, which was very favourable, the 
 fine appearance of such a regiment as the 4th King's 
 Own, would of itself almost procure them good 
 quarters. We got them every man ashore in one 
 hour at two o'clock ; and somehow or other, by 
 the ability of the General and Mr. Viane, of Gibral- 
 tar, who accompanied him as interpreter, together 
 with such little aid as I had to give, matters were 
 so managed that at three o'clock every desirable 
 point was carried, even with suspicious members of 
 the Junta, and Colonel Bevan had marched his men, 
 
192 
 
 with the full concurrence of every soul in the place, 
 up to the citadel, where the quarters are excellent, 
 and if things are but henceforth carried on as they 
 of course will be, that citadel will never be occupied 
 by any but British troops. I am confident that in 
 the good humour we had the Spaniards in before 
 the end of the day, there might have been landed, 
 had it been wished, 3000 or 4000 men, as easily as 
 the 4th regiment ; and now that the ice is fairly 
 broken, there will be little difficulty in introducing, 
 with the most hearty consent of the Junta and the 
 approbation of all the people of Ceuta, any farther 
 number of troops that may be considered necessary 
 for the defence of this most valuable fortress. If 
 the Peninsula falls under the Buonaparte sway, its 
 importance to Great Britain will be incalculable, 
 for a thousand reasons connected with our policy 
 and commerce, as well as the many local advantages 
 it has, which it would be very unnecessary to men- 
 tion. It will enable us to break the line of the 
 gigantic Napoleon power, at least as far as his extent 
 of sea-coast goes ; and the strength of Great Britain 
 will be greatly increased by thus resting on the 
 pillars of Hercules/ * * 
 
 A description of the bay of Ceuta follows,, and 
 of its navigation, which it is deemed unnecessary to 
 insert. 
 
 On the 29th of March, Captain Hey wood, at the 
 desire of Admiral Purvis, sailed from Gibraltar with 
 
193 
 
 the remains of his late excellent and res pec tec) com- 
 mander, Lord Collingwood, on board. 
 
 On the 19th of April he < passed through the 
 Downs with the flag of Lord Collingwood half 
 staff, and whilst passing the English squadron, the 
 flags of Vice-Admiral Campbell and Rear-Admiral 
 Sir R. Strachan were lowered half-mast, as well as 
 the pendants of the private ships/ 
 
 The remains of Lord Collingwood were con- 
 veyed from the Nore up to Greenwich in the 
 yacht of the Lords Commissioners. 
 
 In June, 1810, the Nereus having been completely 
 repaired in the Dock-yard at Chatham, Captain 
 Heywood endeavoured to make interest at the 
 Admiralty to be sent out again to the Mediterranean. 
 But in this he was disappointed. By order of the 
 Admiralty he sailed from Spithead on the 30th of 
 August, with a convoy of fourteen sail of merchants' 
 vessels for the coast of Brazil; and on the 30th of 
 October, the Nereus anchored in the harbour of Rio 
 de Janeiro, and he placed himself under the orders 
 of Vice-Admiral De Courcy. 
 
 In the Rio de la Plata, Captain Heywood was 
 employed on various confidential services, where 
 his zeal, ability, and integrity, proved of great benefit 
 to British commerce. 
 
 Soon after his arrival he was ordered by the Vice- 
 Admiral to cruize between the Plata and the Cape 
 of Good Hope, in order to warn home-bound vessels 
 from the East Indies of danger from the French 
 
 o 
 
194 
 
 fleet, to protect such vessels, and to gain intelli- 
 gence of the movements of the enemy. The fol- 
 lowing are interesting extracts, relating to the island 
 of Tristian d' Acunha, Cough's Island, and Ben- 
 guela, while on this cruize. 
 
 'TniSTiAN D' ACUNHA. January 4, 1811. 
 I stood in again about half-past four o'clock, close 
 to the N. W. point of the island, a little distance 
 from which lies a rock, having somewhat the ap- 
 pearance of a boat with a large fore-lug set. A 
 little to the Eastward of this rock I bore up, and 
 as we kept within half a mile of the shore, just 
 outside of the sea-weed, w r hich is seen in abun- 
 dance, I observed a great number of sea-elephants, 
 as the Americans call them, though they are, in 
 every respect, like a seal, except being of an enor- 
 mous size. I intended to have anchored here, but 
 the wind hanging too much to the Northward to 
 make it prudent, I hove too, close in off the water- 
 fall, and sent a boat in to see if any of these huge 
 animals' skins could be got. The boat found a 
 good place to land to the Eastward of the cascade, 
 on a black sandy beach protected, by the projection 
 of a small rocky point, from the surf which was not 
 
 JSfc 
 
 very heavy on the shore. On the return of the boat 
 about sunset, the officer informed me that when they 
 landed, the beach was covered with these large beasts, 
 twelve or thirteen of which they had killed, but 
 could not bring away, owing to their enormous size, 
 some of them weighing not less than six or seven 
 
195 
 
 hundred pounds. I therefore determined to send a 
 boat in the morning, should the weather be favour- 
 able, and stood off for the night.' 
 
 'January 5. At daylight sent a boat on shore 
 with officers and a party of men to skin the ele- 
 phants, and, if possible, to get some more to make 
 caps and weather jackets for the men. * * In 
 the afternoon I went ashore and found the people 
 all busy skinning the beasts they had killed yester- 
 day, but to-day they had very few on the shore, the 
 report of the fire-arms having frightened them all 
 off. There were, however, great numbers of them 
 among the rocks and breakers near the shore, anx- 
 iously looking at it as if desirous of coming ashore 
 to bask. In the course of the day, several wild 
 hogs and goats had been seen by some of the peo- 
 ple, who had gone up the hills at the back of the 
 cascade, where there is a piece of ground of tolerable 
 extent, and sufficiently level for any kind of cultiva- 
 tion. The labour of clearing it would not be great, as 
 the trees are not large, and a great part of it is cover- 
 ed only with long coarse grass, and a few large frag- 
 ments of rock which must have been projected at 
 some time down from the mountains above. The soil 
 appeared to be a fine rich mould that would no doubt 
 repay the labourers' pains. On the Eastern side of 
 the cove on which our boats landed, the remains of 
 a house were discovered, near a well of fresh water, 
 also several empty casks, and two or three boilers, 
 
 o 2 
 
196 
 
 which, it was supposed, had been left by some of the 
 American sealers who visit and often remain on 
 this island for months. In the evening came off 
 with all the people, and stood off for the night/ 
 
 c January 6. Daylight discovered to us a ship 
 standing to the Eastward; we made sail in chase of 
 her, and as she altered her course soon afterwards 
 for the North part of the island, closed with her 
 and sent an officer on board. She proved to be an 
 American ship of two hundred and twenty-two tons, 
 called the Baltic, which had sailed from Rio de 
 Janeiro for this island fifteen days before us. From 
 the master of this vessel (Mr. Lovel) we learnt that 
 about eleven months before he had taken away from 
 this island, about one thousand casks of oil, which 
 had been procured by a few men whom he had left on 
 it for a few months. He had left in February last 
 six men with his mate on Gough's island, whither he 
 was now bound to take them off,, and had called off 
 here to land three men, his countrymen, who in- 
 tended to settle on Tristian d' Acunha altogether, if, 
 after a few years 3 trial, they should find it answer 
 their expectations. One of them had been a master 
 of a vessel, and had remained several months on the 
 island before. I had a boat on shore at the time 
 this man landed from the Baltic, and the officer, Mr. 
 Gabriel, directed the boat's crew to give him every 
 assistance to land his goods and provisions. He 
 had brought with him stock of all kinds, potatoes 
 
197 
 
 and various plants and seeds, &c., which he said he 
 intended immediately to put into the ground, and 
 he bad no doubt they would thrive well. 
 
 c The casks and kettles our people had discovered, 
 he was very happy to hear were all safe, for they had 
 been left by him last year ; but he w r as very much 
 disappointed at finding nothing but part of the walls 
 of his hut. By this man's account, the island 
 abounds with wild hogs and goats, and the sea 
 swarms with excellent fish, which may be caught 
 close among the rocks, so that he seemed to be in 
 no apprehension whatever of being ever in want of 
 good food. He seemed a man of about four or five 
 and thirty, and no doubt industrious and persever- 
 ing, and therefore will, I dare say, do well in a few 
 years, by collecting oil and skins for such vessels 
 as will yearly touch at the island to take them off 
 his hands, and in a short time he may return to his 
 country with a moderate, independent fortune, which 
 having been thus acquired by labour and industry 
 and under circumstances of peculiar privation, he 
 will doubly value and enjoy in the society of his 
 family and friends. Poor man ! I sincerely wish 
 him success, and should hereafter be much gratified 
 to hear of it. 
 
 'I 'think the circumference of this island does 
 not exceed nineteen miles; the whole East part of 
 the island is steep and abrupt, but near the S.E. 
 point, and along the South part, the water seemed 
 quite smooth enough, on a sandy beach or two, 
 
198 
 
 where boats could have landed with ease. The sun 
 shone strong on them as we passed, and they were 
 almost covered with these sea elephants. The S. 
 W. point of the island formed rather low, having at 
 a little distance from it a green hill, and between it 
 and the S. E. point there seemed to be two or three 
 spots of tolerably level ground, and clear of trees. The 
 higher parts of this island are beautifully green, but 
 not so well clothed, as the lower ground, with trees. 
 The mountains are cloven and divided in all direc- 
 tions by deep valleys ; but their acclivities seemed 
 rather too steep for cultivation, even if the soil 
 under the verdure should be of a proper quality. I 
 should have liked much to have sent a boat ashore 
 to the S.E. part of the island, but the flurries came 
 down from the hills so heavy at times, with intervals 
 of calm of short duration, that I gave up the idea, 
 and left the island in the evening. 
 
 ' As I was thus far I thought it w r orth while to 
 go to Cough's Island, on the possibility of an out- 
 ward-bound Frenchman keeping in that track even, 
 to avoid our ships going out/ 
 
 c January 8. At day-light, the wind having hauled 
 to the South, the weather cleared up, and Gough's 
 Island was in sight about six leagues from us, the 
 base and extreme points of it only to be seen, the 
 higher parts being obscured by clouds. Made sail, 
 and on approaching observed the rock of the N.E. 
 point, making, as is described, exactly like a church 
 with a spire. The contour of this whole island 
 
> 
 
 199 
 
 is steep, rising up almost perpendicularly from the 
 sea in high cliffs, down the fissures of which fall 
 several beautiful cascades. About eight o'clock, 
 observing a hut in a small cove, sheltered by some 
 of the high-peaked rocks, whose base is completely 
 perforated, and supposing it might be the habita- 
 tion of some of the American seamen whom the 
 master of the Baltic had left here last year, I hove 
 to, and sent a lieutenant away in the cutter with 
 orders to land, if he should find it safely practicable, 
 to try to get some tidings of them, and to offer 
 them any assistance which they might need. He 
 landed just to the Eastward of the large rock, but 
 finding no person in or near the hut, he returned 
 about noon, and just at the same time a boat was 
 observed pulling up from the S.E. part of the island, 
 round the Church Rock, which I bore up for and 
 picked up. In it were the people left by the mas- 
 ter of the Baltic, and not a little overjoyed when I 
 told them, that they might expect to see their ship 
 daily to take them off the island. Not that they 
 had been in want of food, for they informed me that 
 they caught a great variety of excellent birds up in 
 the hills by lighting a fire there in the night, at 
 which they flew in such numbers that they knocked 
 them down with sticks. They had also some of 
 the provisions still left which they landed along 
 with them, and they could always catch more fish 
 than they could eat, in a quarter of an hour. But 
 they had not been so successful as they hoped, when 
 
they first landed, that they should have been, for in 
 all this time they had only been able to fill forty 
 casks of oil, and cure eleven hundred seals'-skins, so 
 that, as they were all on shares, they would scarcely 
 clear as much for their labour as would find them 
 " new gang of rigging/' and truly they needed some, 
 for they were all in a most ragged plight, full of 
 grease, and filth, and clothed chiefly in seal-skins. 
 One of these people, the Mate, (who was, by the 
 bye, an American born in the north of Ireland,) told 
 me that the climate of this island is very mild, even 
 in winter ; nothing like frost was ever seen, and 
 neither hail nor snow ever lay four hours upon the 
 tops of the hills. Rain is very frequent, scarcely a 
 day passing without some. The most prevailing 
 winds were between West and North, seldom South- 
 westerly, and the wind had never been once from 
 the Eastward while he was on the island. The seals 
 have almost all deserted the island, but the penguins 
 are innumerable; for when the lieutenant, whom I 
 sent ashore first landed, the whole strand was so be- 
 set with them, that he found no small difficulty in 
 getting his way picked through among them, as they 
 bit him by the legs as he walked along, but would 
 not move out of the way. On the East side of the 
 island, to the Southward of the Church Rock, there 
 is an islet, at a small distance from the main island, 
 within which these people had, as the Mate informed 
 me, always been able to land with safety, in a small 
 cove they had found ; and being protected by the 
 
201 
 
 N.E. point from the swell and strong winds, he had 
 erected the hut, where he generally took up his 
 quarters. Between this island and the S.E. point, 
 there seemed to be a small bay where he said a ship 
 might anchor in twenty fathoms, half a mile from 
 the shore, in a tolerably good holding sandy bottom. 
 If it had not been growing late in the evening I 
 would have sent a boat to sound about this part of 
 the island, but the weather began to look angry, 
 and I stood away to the Eastward. 
 
 c The surface of Gough's Island, this man in- 
 formed me, is generally covered with a slight coat of 
 moss or turf, but here and there in the valleys, the 
 soil is very good, and fit for agricultural purposes. 
 He had grown, very successfully, potatoes and other 
 vegetables, but seemed to think there was a super- 
 abundance of moisture. In the course of the day, 
 the whole summit of the island was entirely cleared 
 of clouds, and when about five miles from the base 
 of the highest part of it, and at the distance of two 
 miles from the shore, its angle of elevation was 
 8 '08, which will make the height of it about 4385 
 feet above the level of the sea ; at the same time 
 the angle subtended by its N.W. and S.E. points 
 was 83 '26, so that its size is every way much less 
 than Tristian d'Acunha. This island is also very 
 different from Tristian d'Acunha, in having very 
 few trees on it, except here and there, very near the 
 shore. The variation of it was 10 30' westerly. 
 Both these islands, like St. Helena., have evidently 
 
202 
 
 been produced by volcanic eruptions, the appearance 
 of them all being exactly similar as to general for- 
 mation. 
 
 6 From the island of Gough, I made about a true 
 N.E. by E. course, under easy sail, crossing oblique- 
 ly the track of any vessels that might be bound to 
 the Eastward, but we did not fall in with any. From 
 this time we cruized athwart the homeward-bound 
 track from the Cape, and falling in with nothing, I 
 determined, before I went down so far to leeward 
 as St. Helena, to thwart the track between Cape 
 Negro and that island, as it would be a good one 
 for an enemy 's vessel (well navigated) to take, in 
 preference to the usual and direct track from the 
 Cape to St. Helena. As there was no flour in 
 store, nor any to be purchased at Rio de Janeiro 
 before I left it, I was under the necessity of sailing 
 without any, and to take salt meat in lieu. I there- 
 fore considered that it would be an object of great 
 importance to the health of my ship's company, if 
 1 could procure some bullocks at Benguela to take 
 with me to the island of St. Helena, where there 
 could be no chance of getting any. 
 
 ' 29th January, 1811. Arriving at Benguela, the 
 Governor, Antonio Babello de Andrade, sent on 
 board a great quantity of various fruits and vegeta- 
 bles of all kinds, and promised to send off fresh 
 beef; and the next morning I went ashore to wait 
 on the Governor, who said he had given orders for 
 bullocks and every other necessary refreshment to be 
 
203 
 
 brought in from the country, for supplying the ship 
 as soon as possible. After I had breakfasted with 
 the Governor I went on board, and wrote to the 
 Commander-in-chief, by a brig just then about to sail 
 for Rio de Janeiro. In the course of this and the fol- 
 lowing days during which I staid here, the Governor, 
 with a degree of liberality and hospitality very rarely 
 to be met with, sent off a great many fine bullocks, 
 sheep, pigs, goats, and stock of all kinds ; and when 
 the purser went ashore for the purpose of settling 
 the accounts, he would neither accept of bills nor 
 money, and told him to say to me that he neither 
 could nor ought to receive any other remuneration, 
 and all he desired of me was, that on my return to 
 Rio de Janeiro, if I could but consider myself satis- 
 fied with his poor endeavours to serve us, that I 
 would acquaint his Royal Highness the Prince 
 Regent with it. I went on shore again to explain 
 to him the manner in which British men-of-war 
 were usually supplied, and to acquaint him that it 
 was not customary for us to receive, except on pay- 
 ment of some kind; but all I could say made no im- 
 pression on him. I therefore wrote a letter officially 
 to Vice-Admiral De Courcy on the subject, and 
 left it with the Governor, to forward by any oppor- 
 tunity that might occur after I should sail. I wished 
 much to have had the Governor on board to dine 
 with me to-day, 2d February, but he could not 
 come, on account of some particular order which 
 prohibits Portuguese Governors from going afloat 
 
204 
 
 at all until relieved. I had, however, all the officers 
 of the garrison he could spare, and in the evening 
 they went away, apparently very well pleased with 
 their entertainment. 
 
 c The climate of Benguela is considered extremely 
 unhealthy, more especially at this season of the 
 year, on account of the want of rain, and the heat of 
 the weather. I am inclined, however, to think that 
 the mode of living of the inhabitants is the cause 
 why they feel serious effects of climate on their 
 constitutions. They are so afraid of the heat of the 
 sun, and the slightest exposure to it, that they never 
 take any exercise whatsoever, and yet they live in 
 the most full and gross manner on animal food of 
 all kinds, except fish, which nothing can prevail on 
 them to touch, as they told us they considered them 
 a sort of poison, and advised me by all means to 
 prevent the ship's company from eating any. I 
 have sometimes before met with these local antipa- 
 thies to fish, but seldom found them to have any 
 rational foundation, and therefore, as the bay seemed 
 to be absolutely alive with fish of all kinds, we 
 sent to haul the seine every morning, and always 
 caught more than all hands could devour ; nor was 
 there a single instance of any person's health suffer- 
 ing by eating them. The temperature in the heat 
 of the day, in iny cabin, never exceeded 79 ; and 
 as there was a regular, fine, fresh sea-breeze from 
 about ten or eleven o'clock in the forenoon, till 
 about seven or eight in the evening* it was not so 
 
205 
 
 very hot even in the sun as the Portuguese seemed 
 to think, and in the shade it was quite cool enough. 
 From what little I saw of this place, I should have 
 a favourable opinion of the climate, if this be the 
 unhealthy season. The nights were pleasantly cool, 
 though generally quite calm. The Portuguese told 
 me that the best time of the year for ships to visit 
 Benguela is from the month of May till October, 
 when the weather is very cool, and agreeable to 
 the constitutions of Europeans ; and as to blowing 
 weather in the bay at any time of the year, such 
 a thing was never heard of. The Europeans at 
 this settlement seemed to be very few in number, 
 and among them there was not one Portuguese 
 woman, as the climate, they said, was always fatal 
 to women and children. The fort and town are 
 situated at a short distance from the beach, without 
 a tree near any of the houses to shelter them 
 from the sun. For an extent of about six or 
 eight miles from the water-side up to the base of 
 the rising hills, the land is level all along the shore, 
 and inhabited by a numerous race of negroes, who 
 seem to live very comfortably and in peace, under 
 the rule of the Portuguese, though very few of 
 them, as I was informed, have been converted to 
 Christianity. 
 
 The soil is rich, producing almost every fruit to 
 be met with within the Tropics, in the greatest 
 perfection and abundance, as well as some of the 
 finest grapes I almost ever saw. Bullocks, hogs, 
 very fine goats, sheep and poultry of all kinds, are 
 
206 
 
 excellent and abundant; so that any ship making 
 an Eastern passage to the Cape, or going out to 
 India, might get well supplied here. The only ob- 
 jection is the trouble of getting water. That article, 
 indeed, can only be got by bringing it up out of 
 wells, which are too far from the beach for any 
 Europeans to be employed to fill it or roll the casks 
 down to the beach, except it were done in the night 
 time. We took in about ten or twelve tons for 
 stock, but it was all filled and sent off by the Go- 
 vernor's order and slaves. 
 
 The chief, indeed almost the only, staple of trade 
 at Benguela is slaves; but the Governor informed 
 me, that since the Abolition Acts had been passed 
 by the Legislature of Great Britain and other powers, 
 it had dwindled away to nothing, as no purchasers 
 now came for the thousands that could be collected. 
 To my astonishment he told me that not only the 
 Africans, living among and under the government 
 of the Europeans, on the several parts of the coast 
 of Africa, but all those of the interior nations, from 
 whom the slaves are procured, were sorry that the 
 slave-trade had been abandoned by any of the white 
 people, and that they were much distressed by it, 
 for they could now get no sale for the slaves they 
 brought in, nor procure, as they used to do, in ex- 
 change for them, the various articles of European 
 manufacture, which our ships used to bring, and 
 of which they now exceedingly felt the want. He 
 assured me, also, that though it is true the abolition 
 had rendered the wars among the Africans in the 
 
207 
 
 interior less frequent, (as they were, he was con- 
 vinced, sometimes undertaken for the express pur- 
 pose of making slaves of those whom they took 
 prisoners,) yet they were now become shockingly 
 sanguinary ; for finding they got no sale for their 
 slaves when brought in to the Europeans, they put 
 them all to death, to get rid of them. I have no 
 doubt but this may be all very true ; for a prime 
 slave could be purchased at Benguela for about 6, 
 when I was there, and sometimes they were as 
 low as 3. I was surprised to see at this place 
 neither horses, mules, nor asses, and was informed, 
 when I asked the reason, that though horses had 
 frequently been brought to Benguela, yet from some 
 cause or other, which they could not discover, they 
 were always very shortly taken ill and died. 
 
 ' There was no surf on the beach, and we at all 
 times landed without inconvenience. 
 
 6 The bay of Benguela, from the extreme given 
 points, is, I suppose, about eight miles in extent ; 
 and its depth, from a transit line through these 
 points, may be about two or two and a half miles to 
 the beach/ 
 
 After touching at St. Helena, on the llth of 
 February, Captain Heywood returned to Rio Ja- 
 neiro on the 17th of March ; and on the 18th of 
 April received orders from the Admiralty to go to 
 the Plata, c to defend the British commerce in that 
 river from any unjust effects of commotion. 5 There 
 were doubts whether the person at Monte Video, 
 
208 
 
 (General Elio,) then executing the functions of 
 Viceroy, had received, before he left Spain, full 
 and necessary appointment to that post. On this 
 important point, Captain Heywood was unable to 
 obtain satisfactory information. A civil war was 
 at this time raging between the Viceroy and the 
 Junta, the former of whom was established at Monte 
 Video, the latter at Buenos Ayres, from which it 
 was expected the British subjects and merchants 
 might be sufferers. 
 
 It will readily be seen that this service was one 
 of great delicacy and difficulty. A few extracts 
 from Captain Hey wood's diary will display the admi- 
 rable mixture of firmness and courtesy, of prudence 
 and candour towards all parties, by which he caused 
 the British flag to be respected by the Spaniards, 
 and his own character to be universally esteemed. 
 He excited in the English merchants feelings of the 
 warmest gratitude. Bent solely upon the discharge 
 of his duty, with no selfish aim, and actuated by the 
 highest principles of honour and benevolence, he 
 held himself ready for every species of service 
 which his situation and means permitted him to 
 afford to all parties within the sphere of his influ- 
 ence, whether foreigners or countrymen ; and it will 
 be seen in the sequel of the Memoir how highly 
 and justly his character was appreciated. 
 
 On the 2d of May, 1811, Captain Heywood 
 arrived at Monte A r ideo, and immediately waited on 
 Don Xavier Elio, (with Capt. Elliott, who was al- 
 
209 
 
 ready on that station, commanding the Porcupine,) 
 to acquaint him with the chief purport of the orders 
 he was under from the Commander-in-chief, viz. to 
 assist in defending the British in these provinces 
 against any effects of commotion. c Though no 
 idea could be entertained by me/ says Capt. Hey- 
 wood, in his account of the interview, c of impeding 
 his official measures, yet a duty paramount to 
 almost every other made it necessary in me to pro- 
 tect his Majesty's subjects, so long as they should 
 not infringe any positive or known law. That on 
 this incontrovertible principle I was directed to 
 repair to an anchorage near to Buenos Ayres, riot 
 with any intention to press commerce against a 
 Viceroy's interdiction, but to warn the British 
 merchants there of the delicacy of their situation, 
 to recommend to them not to let any consideration, 
 for their own private individual interests, induce 
 them to become partisans in the political dissen- 
 sions at this time existing in these provinces ; and 
 lastly, to aid and assist such of the British mer- 
 chants there as might be desirous of sending away 
 their property, or of quitting the Rio de la Plata. 
 In order to promote these and other results benefi- 
 cial to the commercial interest of my countrymen 
 at Buenos Ayres, and to obviate and remove some 
 of the obstacles thrown in the way of commercial 
 speculation by the unsettled state of the government 
 here, I expressed my hope and confidence that the 
 Viceroy would allow British ships, now laden 
 
210 
 
 or loading at Buenos Ay res, with property belong- 
 ing to his Majesty's subjects, to pass from thence 
 down the river without molestation, and moreover 
 allow them to touch at Monte Video, if they wished 
 it, without being subject to the repayment of any 
 duties whatsoever, which they might have paid 
 before at Buenos Ay res. In reply to the whole, 
 his Excellency observed, that he presumed Captain 
 Elliott, of the Porcupine, would lay before me the 
 various communications that had passed between 
 them. He said that the Junta of Buenos Ayres 
 were traitors to their king, and enemies to Spain. 
 That lie held the sovereign power in these provinces, 
 and was the only legitimate authority, and as such 
 he had declared war against the Junta. That he 
 had declared Buenos Ayres and the ports thereof 
 in a state of blockade, and was determined to pre- 
 vent English commerce, as well as any other, from 
 entering there ; though he w r as desirous of giving 
 to the English every preference consistent with his 
 duty. Therefore, that such ships as had arrived at 
 Buenos Ayres, should, as I desired, be allowed to 
 sail unmolested, but that no more should be per- 
 mitted to enter. The Viceroy seemed to entertain 
 an idea that I could force British vessels away, but 
 I told him that was not in my power; but if the 
 blockading power warned them off, and they should 
 persist in entering, they must abide by the conse- 
 quence. The Viceroy expressed in strong terms 
 his disposition to do every thing to support and 
 
211 
 
 assist the British ; but said, that they must not enter 
 Buenos Ay res, because their commerce had enabled 
 the Junta, by the duties received, to carry on the 
 war. He observed also, that they had even supplied 
 the Junta with boats and vessels fit for war, and 
 moreover had increased the spirit of insubordination 
 among the people of Buenos Ayres, by holding out 
 to them that they would be protected by Great Bri- 
 tain, and by spreading false news of the defeat of 
 the Spanish armies. I concluded by begging to be 
 informed of any new law or regulation the Viceroy 
 might think proper to adopt, which might in any 
 shape affect the interests of British merchants, in 
 order that I might acquaint them with the same. 
 He promised he would, and concluded by offering 
 
 any service in his power/ 
 
 On the 5th, the Viceroy having desired a con- 
 erence, Captain Heywood waited upon him. ' We 
 at down in the study, and the Viceroy said, " Now 
 will have some conversation." Mr. M'Kinnon 
 >vas with me, and the Viceroy sent an Aid-du-camp 
 or Mr. Asavedo. The Viceroy then gave me a let- 
 er to read, which he had received from Lord Strang- 
 brd, the British Minister. This letter contained 
 expressions from his Lordship of great regret on ac- 
 count of the distracted state of these provinces ; 
 offers of every assistance on the part of Great Bri- 
 ain to preserve these colonies to Spain ; and re- 
 commended the Viceroy, in the strongest terms, 
 o endeavour to bring about an armistice between 
 
 P 2 
 
212 
 
 himself and the Junta of Buenos Ayres, till the 
 mediation of Great Britain (which he offered) could 
 be obtained, and assuring the Viceroy that it would 
 be guaranteed by the Commander-in-chief of his 
 Majesty 's ships on this station. I had just read 
 Lord Strangford's letter when Mr. Asavedo entered, 
 and, being introduced by the Viceroy, he asked me, 
 in English, if I was acquainted with the contents of 
 that letter. He was told I had just read it. - The 
 Viceroy then asked me if I had ever read his cor- 
 respondence with the Junta and Cabildo of Buenos 
 Ayres, to which I replied in the negative, and he 
 said he would give me copies of it. He then ob- 
 served, that it was in substance the same as that 
 which had been recommended by Lord Strangford ; 
 that Asavedo had been the bearer of his despatches, 
 with whom the Junta had refused all communica- 
 tion, and whom they treated with the utmost in-* 
 dignity. Asavedo put this question to me, " If the 
 Junta refuse to accept of the mediation proposed by 
 Lord Strangford, and, on the contrary, should the 
 Viceroy agree to it, would you act against the 
 Junta ?" I replied at once that I had no orders 
 to act against the Junta, but, on the contrary, to 
 preserve the most perfect and unqualified neutra-* 
 lity. I told him that I had a letter, similar, I bet 
 lieved, in tenor to that to the Viceroy, to deliver 
 to the Junta, and that I should do so without 
 making any observation whatever; that after this^ 
 should they send for me, as the Viceroy had beeq 
 
213 
 
 pleased to do, I should wait on them, and tell them, 
 as I had told his Excellency, the purport of my or- 
 ders. Here I found some difficulty in explaining to 
 the Viceroy and Mr. Asavedo that I had no political 
 or diplomatic character whatsoever. They incor- 
 rectly imagined, that I was the Commander alluded 
 to in the letter of Lord Strangford, who would 
 guarantee the proposed armistice. It was, however, 
 explained to them that Vice-Admiral De Courcy was 
 meant. The Viceroy then said, that on his part he 
 would accept of the mediation proposed with great 
 satisfaction ; that he would agree to the cessation of 
 hostilities, the basis of which should be the removal, 
 on the part of the Junta, of the troops on this side of 
 the river, and that he would raise the blockade, open 
 the communication, and place every thing on a 
 peaceable and friendly footing; and then refer to the 
 Spanish government under the mediation of Great 
 Britain. That, in regard to himself, if he was person- 
 ally obnoxious to the government, or to the people 
 of Buenos Ayres, he would retire ; that his person 
 should no longer be an impediment to the proposed 
 arrangement, for he was interested only for the good 
 and safety of his country, and desirous of putting 
 an end to war. He continued (in strong terms), 
 that he fully empowered me to pledge myself to the 
 Junta, that he would fulfil these conditions. I then 
 begged to know, clearly, if I was at liberty to say so 
 to the Junta, to w r hich he unequivocally replied, You 
 are. Some conversation now. took place as to the 
 mode of communicating with the Junta, and I told 
 
the Viceroy that unless the Junta should think fit 
 to enter into a correspondence with me, so as to 
 lead to a conference with them, similar to that with 
 which his Excellency had honoured me, 1 should not 
 feel authorized (for want of political character), nor 
 could I presume to propose any thing to them. I 
 observed, at the same time, with all due respect and 
 deference to the Viceroy, that it would be rather in* 
 discreet and unlikely to bring to issue the object in 
 view, to give the Junta the smallest hint that his 
 Excellency had made up his mind to accept their 
 propositions. It was suggested also to his Excel- 
 lency, that if Lord Strangford's letter to the Junta 
 should produce in their minds the same pacific 
 disposition which the Viceroy had shewn, and 
 as much willingness to accept of the mediation of 
 Great Britain, the proposal ought, with more pro- 
 priety, to come from them, than descend from the 
 Viceroy to them. The Viceroy saw it in that light 
 too ; and it was, therefore, thought, that my most 
 proper mode of proceeding, would be to deliver 
 to the Junta the letter with which I was charged, 
 and if, in consequence, they should require a con- 
 ference with me, and should give me their full 
 and distinct sentiments, so as to induce me to be- 
 lieve that Lord Strangford's proposals were agree- 
 able to them, I should then be at liberty to use my 
 own discretion as to introducing any of my autho- 
 rities from the Viceroy to accede to the same. These 
 authorities I should produce whenever I could do 
 so with a good effect. The Viceroy several times 
 
215 
 
 repeated, not only the conditions proposed by my 
 Lord Strangford, but that he would himself be no 
 personal hindrance to the arrangement, for he would 
 embark for Europe, and join his regiment, if, from 
 what had happened formerly, he was unfortunately 
 an object of dislike, 
 
 4 Mr. Asavedo once asked me, " As you acknow- 
 ledge the Viceroy, and as Spain and Great Britain 
 are united in the same war, how comes it that you 
 do not consider those as rebels and enemies whom 
 the Viceroy has declared to be so ?" The question 
 was a pertinent and a home one but I answered it 
 immediately by saying, that it would be arrogance 
 and presumption in the extreme in me, as a British 
 naval officer, without any instructions on this head, 
 nor having any political capacity at all, to give any 
 opinion; and much more presumptuous, nay, pu- 
 nishable, were I, thus circumstanced, to have the 
 temerity to aid or assist any one Spaniard against 
 the other. Towards the conclusion of the conver- 
 sation, the Viceroy spoke with contempt of the 
 troops and forces of the Junta said that the Junta 
 had raised a civil war that they might flatter them- 
 selves to take Monte Video, but that it was impos- 
 sible. However, he said, to keep the country clear, 
 and to prevent the evils which might arise from the 
 mode of warfare adopted, he had thought it his duty 
 to call for the Portuguese troops. A few observa- 
 tions were then made on the subject of the blockade, 
 by Mr. Asavedo, who wished it to be understood that 
 
216 
 
 the date of it was the fifteenth of April last ; the* 
 Viceroy (recollecting, I suppose, his promise to me 
 on the second) said " No such ships as have en- 
 tered up to this time shall not be considered as hav- 
 ing violated the orders of blockade." Also, if any 
 that might be warned off, should still persist on 
 entering, they must take the consequence. I again 
 assured the Viceroy that I was instructed not to 
 force commerce against his interdiction, and that I 
 could not entertain any idea of opposing the order 
 of blockade. I then took my leave^ with a promise 
 to wait on him previous to my sailing/ 
 
 4 8th. I went ashore to take leave of the Vice- 
 roy, who was as good as his word, and gave me an 
 order to the commanding officer of his blockading 
 flotilla to suffer all the vessels now up at Buenos 
 Ayres to pass down the river unmolested, and to 
 continue the blockade of that port as strictly as pos- 
 sible. 3 
 
 On the lOthj Captain Heywood moored his ship 
 off Buenos Ayres, and immediately waited on the 
 Junta to deliver to them the despatches with which 
 he had been charged by the British Minister ; and, 
 without observation or comment, took his leave. 
 He also sent a letter to the merchants there to ac- 
 quaint them briefly with the tenor of such parts of 
 his orders as related to them. 
 
 14th. Captain Heywood waited on Dean Fiines, 
 one of the members of the Junta, to have some pre- 
 paratory conversation with him on the subject of a 
 
memorial shewn to him by some of the merchants, 
 and intended to be presented to the Junta, praying 
 for a reduction of the duties in this port ; and 
 having endeavoured to convince him how beneficial 
 such a reduction w r ould be to the public revenue of 
 Buenos Ayres, as well as to the British merchants, 
 the Dean expressed every desire and inclination to 
 promote it with his influence* 
 
 4 On the 20th, I had/ says Captain Heywood, 
 c an accidental conference with the President of the 
 Junta. He very candidly, and without reserve, 
 opened to me his political opinions, and laid before 
 me the principles on which the Junta had been 
 formed at Buenos Ayres, and now governed 
 there. He assured me, that they had no desire to 
 be independent of Spain further than any one 
 province there was allowed to be independent of 
 another, but that they could not submit to be 
 ruled by a faction of Cadiz merchants, and others 
 under their influence, who would have these Ameri- 
 cas follow the fortunes of Spain, even if it became 
 subject to France, in order that they might preserve 
 to themselves the monopoly of trade to this Western 
 part of the w 7 orld, to the exclusion even of Great 
 Britain. That this faction, or regency as they called 
 themselves, had even gone so far lately as to vomit 
 forth on this land reptiles, in name and guise Span- 
 iards, but w r holly in the interest of France, as 
 governors, to supersede those against whom no 
 complaint had been made. The chief object of 
 
218 
 
 these traitors to their country was, to prepare the 
 minds of the Americans for receiving the yoke they 
 would impose upon them. This, he said, they felt 
 it their duty to endeavour to ward off. They re- 
 vered the name of their king, and had sworn to 
 govern these provinces for him in his name. That 
 they had an equal right with any province in Spain, 
 to form a system of government for themselves, de- 
 clared., as these Americas had been, to form an 
 integral part of Spain. That the eyes of the people 
 of South America were now open ; they had breathed 
 the air of freedom (on which, said he, smiling, you 
 Englishmen thrive so well, and of which you have 
 taught us to estimate the value). No ! we never 
 more can return to that abject state of vassalage, 
 debased as we have been by so many tyrannical and 
 illiberal restrictions for so many centuries restric- 
 tions which went so far as even to forbid us to im- 
 prove the land we live in, or to enlighten by in- 
 struction and knowledge the minds of our children. 
 " Why, Sir \" continued he, warming into energy by 
 the subject, " these Cadiz people would have us con- 
 tinue to be, what I blush to confess to you that my 
 countrymen have been so long, very bullocks, to 
 draw their luxurious carcases through the sloughs 
 of sensuality ! But no ! it must not, cannot, be ; 
 for God, who sees the integrity of our hearts, will 
 be our guide, and Great Britain will be our friend 
 and protectress, on the principles of allegiance to 
 our king, and mortal hatred to France, and every 
 
219 
 
 thing like tyranny, or monopoly, or oppression, in 
 our trade, On these grounds, said he, we stand. 
 These are the rights we assert, and will defend 
 against all opposition with our best blood and trea- 
 sure. And if Great Britain will guarantee them to 
 us, we will accept of her mediation as offered by Lord 
 Strangford, in the despatch brought by you. At the 
 same time. Sir, standing as we do now upon an 
 eminence, we cannot stoop to ask of the man at 
 Monte Video, who calls himself Viceroy of these 
 provinces, or to offer to him terms of any nature." 
 
 6 1 did not think it was at all necessary, after this, 
 to make any communication to the President re* 
 specting what had passed in the conference which 
 took place w r ith the Viceroy, but only observed, that 
 I could not suppose Great Britain would feel any 
 dissatisfaction at sentiments and principles such as 
 he had expressed/ 
 
 While Buenos Ayres was blockaded by the Vice- 
 roy, Monte Video was also closely invested by the 
 forces of the Buenos Ayres Government, who ob- 
 tained some successes. In this posture of affairs 
 Captain Hey wood exerted himself, as opportunity 
 offered, to promote peace and a good understanding 
 between the contending parties, and to serve all 
 ranks, both of Spaniards and Englishmen. On 
 one occasion he procured permission from the Junta 
 for a Captain Obregon, of the Spanish navy, an 
 envoy of the Viceroy, who had placed himself un- 
 der Captain Heywood's protection, to land and 
 
220 
 
 offer terms of pacification. On another, he con* 
 ducted a deputation of the Junta, at their request, 
 down to Monte Video, to confer with the Viceroy, 
 at whose suggestion the Junta availed themselves 
 of the neutrality of the British flag, and the guarantee 
 of its protection on this errand. At his request the 
 Junta permitted a widow lady who had arrived from 
 Cadiz, and had come up the river from Monte 
 Video, to land and reside in Buenos Ayres. He 
 succeeded, also, in obtaining the release of a number 
 of old Spaniards who had been detected by the 
 Buenos Ayres Government in promoting disturb- 
 ances against it, and who were put in irons like com- 
 mon malefactors, though some of them were persons 
 of rank and family. But the following transaction 
 will shew the firmness and promptitude with which 
 he performed his duties as a protector of his coun- 
 trymen. Having heard from some of the British 
 merchants, that during his absence at Monte Video, 
 in consequence of the armed vessels of the Viceroy 
 having thrown some shells into Buenos Ayres, the 
 Junta had taken possession of three or four mer- 
 chant vessels, and were fitting them out at Ensinada, 
 under command of a person of the name of Taylor, 
 an American, he went to the Junta, and informed 
 the President that, situated as he was there, for the 
 express purpose of protecting the subjects of his 
 Britannic Majesty from any unjust effects of com- 
 motion, he could not suffer the masters of these 
 vessels to be ejected from the command of them, 
 
221 
 
 unless with their full and entire consent, and then 
 only with the proviso that they were authorized by 
 their employers so to dispose of their vessels. 
 Hearing nothing immediately from the Junta in 
 reply, and a report prevailing that it was their in- 
 tention to fit and arm the vessels for hostile pur- 
 poses against the Viceroy, Captain Hey wood wrote 
 the following letter : 
 
 *, To the PRESIDENT OF THE JUNTA OF BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 < July, 1811. 
 
 <SlR 
 
 4 It is with no less astonishment than regret that 
 I have been informed, by letters from four masters, 
 that their vessels have been forcibly taken possession 
 of, at Ensinada on the 17th inst, during my absence 
 down this river, by persons in arms acting under 
 orders from their Excellencies, the Junta of Pro- 
 visional Government. This harsh and extraordinary 
 measure is fully described in legal protests made 
 against it by those said masters, and now lying be- 
 fore me. 
 
 'In the first place, I beg leave to acquaint your 
 Excellencies, that being sent to this river for the 
 express purpose of protecting the commerce of His 
 British Majesty's subjects, and of defending their 
 persons and property from every unjust effect of 
 commotion, as far as in me lies, I must consider 
 this act of their Excellencies as of that descrip- 
 tion. My straight line of duty is therefore imme- 
 
222 
 
 diately to set about redressing these grievances 
 complained of by my countrymen. It is not for a 
 British Naval officer tamely to look on and see any 
 subject of his King thus dispossessed of his pro- 
 perty afloat, by any government on earth, if that 
 officer hold in his hand the means of preventing it. 
 I am, therefore, in behalf of the owners of these 
 British vessels, and on the part of the underwriters, 
 to demand of your Excellency, that if these vessels 
 be required for any mercantile purposes, the full 
 value of them, in every sense of that word, may bona 
 fide be paid into the hands of their masters. And 
 yet, unless those masters have the authority of their 
 employers, and be willing to dispose of the said 
 vessels, I see not how I can justly suffer any trans- 
 fer whatever to take place. If, on the contrary, 
 these British vessels should be intended, as report 
 gives out, to be fitted and armed for hostile purposes 
 against those with whom this government is at war, 
 considering the peculiarly delicate situation in which 
 I am placed here, I am sure your Excellency will 
 give me full credit for being actuated by the purest 
 and most honourable motives, when, in the public 
 character I hold, I hereby protest against this illegal 
 seizure, and any such improper use of these said 
 vessels ; and moreover formally require that your 
 Excellency will order immediately to be disembark- 
 ed any armed force that may have been put on 
 board, and now keep illegal possession of them ; 
 that they may be restored forthwith to their proper 
 
223 
 
 owners and masters. Otherwise I shall be under 
 the necessity of considering it as an unwarranted 
 and unauthorized act of hostility against His Bri- 
 tannic Majesty's subjects, and cannot fail to make 
 such a representation of the circumstances, and to 
 adopt such measures, as the nature of the case may 
 require. Meantime I have the honour to be, &c. 5 
 
 P. H.> 
 
 After considerable trouble and delay, this letter 
 had its effect, and the vessels were restored. 
 
 But Captain Hey wood began to feel doubts about 
 the propriety of allowing the blockade of Buenos 
 Ayres, so injurious to the British merchants, to con- 
 tinue, and he thought there was an inconsistency in 
 his orders c not to press commerce against the 
 Viceroy's interdiction/ especially considering Elio 
 as having a nomination only, and not a regular ap- 
 pointment to that post, and knowing that Vice-Ad- 
 miral De Courcy had formerly gone down from Rio 
 Janeiro to La Plata for the purpose of raising the 
 blockade of the port of Buenos Ayres, when declared 
 against it by a predecessor of Elio in the govern- 
 ment at Monte Video. Both parties were desirous 
 of monopolizing to themselves the foreign commerce 
 for the sake of the duties arising from it ; and it ap- 
 peared to Captain Hey wood unjust, that, because 
 they disagreed in politics, one party should be 
 allowed to injure the English by depriving the other 
 of the benefits of the English trade. 
 
224 
 
 With these doubts, he determined to sail to Rio 
 Janeiro to have some conversation with Lord Strang- 
 ford and the Vice-Admiral on the subject. An 
 interview with them confirmed him in the opinion 
 that his doubts were well founded, and led him to 
 believe that the Vice-Admiral had not given his 
 attention sufficiently to the subject, and had been 
 too moderate in his language to the Viceroy, for 
 
 whose disposition strong language was more neces- 
 sary. 
 
 In November, Captain Heywood expected, and 
 soon after received, permission to leave this station 
 and return home. But before he did so, he exerted 
 himself once more for the British merchants in en- 
 deavouring to procure the opening of a register at 
 the Custom House of Buenos Ayres for the expor- 
 tation of specie, many of the British merchants 
 having expressed great anxiety to avail themselves of 
 so good and safe an opportunity as the return of the 
 Nereus afforded to make remittances home. The 
 Government, however, objected to it, on account of 
 the scarcity of money in their own treasury, and 
 because they had already refused to the Spaniards 
 and their ow r n countrymen permission to export it. 
 They expressed regret at being obliged to adopt re- 
 strictive measures, more especially at the juncture of 
 Captain, Hey wood's departure, as it might be in 
 some degree prejudicial to the interests of an officer 
 who, they confessed, had laid them under obligations 
 
22o 
 
 by the assistance which they were pleased to say 
 he had given them, in endeavouring to restore peace 
 between Buenos Ayres and Monte Video. 
 
 On the 10th of December, the Nereus sailed for 
 England with such quantity of specie as could be 
 got off by the merchants, who used every possible 
 exertion to get over the restriction, and arrived on 
 the 22nd of March, 1812, at Spithead. But before 
 his departure, the following highly complimentary 
 letters were addressed to Captain Heywood by the 
 merchants whose interests he had so diligently 
 and scrupulously protected, a diligence, sufficiently 
 proved by the remains of several MS. volumes of his 
 correspondence, called forth by daily occurrences. 
 
 % 
 
 c SlR, 
 
 4 We have received the two letters dated the 21st 
 of July, which you did us the honour of writing to 
 us, accompanied with copies of those you had the 
 goodness to address to his Excellency Don Fran- 
 cisco Xavier Elio, at Monte Video, respecting the 
 British vessels illegally and forcibly detained in" 
 that port,and subjected, in consequence of the siege, 
 to great distress for want of provisions. 
 
 6 We beg leave to express to you our high sense of 
 gratitude for these prompt and energetic exertions, 
 and for the proofs you have been pleased to give us 
 of your constant attention to protect and advance 
 our interests since you came to this station. It is 
 highly satisfactory to us to observe, and truly gra- 
 
 Q 
 
226 
 
 tifying to our minds to confess, that such disposi- 
 tions are guided by judgment, temper, and conci- 
 liating manners ; calculated to overcome difficulties 
 and to fix our entire confidence in you. Being 
 unanimously impressed with these sentiments, we 
 request you will accept our sincere thanks for all 
 the kind attentions you have been pleased to shew 
 to his Majesty's subjects, individually and collec- 
 tively, in the Rio de la Plata, since we have had 
 the happiness of your presence amongst us, and our 
 assurance of the personal esteem and high respect 
 with which we have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient, humble servants, 
 (Signed by) 4 ALEX. MACKINNON, Chairman, 
 
 And the Principals of forty-three Mercantile Houses. 
 
 'To PETER HEYWOOD, Esq.^ 
 
 Captain, R. N. 9 fyc: 
 
 4 SIR, < December 8, 1811. 
 
 c Being now on the point of leaving this station, 
 we cannot, injustice to our own feelings, refrain from 
 repeating to you our sincere thanks for the con- 
 stant and uniform attention you have been pleased, 
 on every occasion, to shew towards our general and 
 individual interests. The respectable manner, go- 
 verned by good sense and temper, in which you 
 have supported the dignity and honour of the 
 British flag, under circumstances of much difficulty, 
 cannot be sufficiently appreciated by private per- 
 sons, but we trust the discernment of our Govern- 
 
297 
 
 ment, and the liberality of our country, will recog- 
 nizeand reward such meritorious conduct. Allow 
 us to assure you, that as we sincerely regret your 
 departure, we have only to express to you the sen- 
 timents of high respect and esteem ; and that we 
 shall ever remember you with the warmest grati- 
 tude. We sincerely wish you a speedy and happy 
 return to England, and uninterrupted success in 
 rising to the summit of your honourable profession. 
 With these unanimous sentiments, we have the 
 honour to subscribe ourselves, Sir, 
 
 c Your much obliged and faithful servants. 
 
 (Signed as before.) 
 c To PETER HEYWOOD, Esq., R.N., 
 
 Captain of H.M. S. Nereus, and Senior Officer 
 in the Rio de la Plata* 
 
 On his return to England, Captain Heywood 
 drew up, with the most disinterested views, a paper, 
 which he designed to address to those whom it 
 might concern, respecting the state of trade in 
 Buenos Ayres and the neighbouring countries. 
 He had formed an opinion, from what he had seen 
 and learnt concerning the trade to South America, 
 that it was unprofitable, and considered it would be 
 blamable in him not to make an attempt at least 
 to give to the public the information which he had 
 acquired, supposing it would be of service to many. 
 A few extracts from this paper will shew the 
 acuteness of his observation and soundness of his 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 
 
 judgment. It contains hints probably still worthy 
 of attention from those concerned in trade with 
 the Spanish states of America. 
 
 ' Nereus, March, 1812. 
 
 'Though I have not the presumption to suppose 
 for a moment, that any opinion which I may con- 
 sider it my duty to offer on a subject foreign to my 
 profession, can have influence on commercial plans 
 already decided on by mercantile men as promising 
 profit ; yet, as it may possibly make some " look 
 before they leap," and, by creating doubt, promote 
 inquiry among the better informed, I trust that 
 this letter will, at all events, do no harm. 
 
 ' Unacquainted with the nature of the engage- 
 ments between merchants in England trading to 
 the Rio de la Plata or Janeiro, and their agents at 
 those places, I am not competent to judge whether 
 the latter ought to endeavour (even if they think as 
 I do) to check inclination at home still to export 
 thither the manufactures of our country. Perhaps 
 we have no right to expect them to make voluntary 
 representations. Nor yet is it to be expected that 
 those merchants at home who have failed in their ex- 
 pectations of profit, or even suffered loss by ventures 
 to South America, will set themselves up as warn- 
 ing beacons to others, if it be commercial policy to 
 conceal failure and loss. Men are generally averse 
 to acknowledge the errors of their professional 
 judgment, and that they have been deceived and 
 
229 
 
 taken in. In such cases they make the best of 
 their bad bargain, and bear the evil in silence. But 
 even were a merchant, from pure good-will to the 
 public, candidly to tell of his ill success in some par- 
 ticular branch of commerce, from which much had 
 been expected generally, and to endeavour to dis- 
 suade others from following his example, is it not 
 probable that some would ascribe his failure to 
 bad management, and that vanity or hope would 
 whisper in their ears, that they might do better ? 
 Nay, some would not even give him credit for 
 liberal or disinterested motives ; but, on the con- 
 trary, perhaps, suspecting him of concealing known 
 advantages from a desire to monopolize, by checking 
 competition, would plunge headlong into the diffi- 
 culties which he warned them to avoid. 
 
 c I therefore venture now to offer such information 
 as I have been able to gather, respecting the com-* 
 merce to South America, and, after stating a fact or 
 two, shall leave it to those whom it may concern to 
 draw their own inference. 
 
 4 The British commerce in the Plata, when I left 
 Buenos Ayres in December last, seemed to me to 
 be in a deplorable state of stagnation. Vessels had 
 been there fourteen months, and their prospects of 
 getting cargoes no better than when they arrived. 
 
 ' In consequence of the free trade allowed in 
 1809, at Buenos Ayres, the importation of British 
 goods soon exceeded, in all proportion, the wants 
 and consumption of its population. The Spanish 
 
930 
 
 merchants, flattering themselves that this free trade 
 would be but of short duration, eagerly invested 
 their disposable capital in British goods, which 
 they either stored up for better times, or sent to 
 distant provinces ; and, under various devices, even 
 to such other viceroyalties as had not then admitted 
 the British commerce. Owing to these circum- 
 stances, sales were made to a greater extent than 
 could reasonably have been expected, but they soon 
 ceased to operate with the same vigour. 
 
 c Intestine political dissensions began, which 
 would sooner have had a pernicious effect on our 
 commerce, had not Chili, following the example of 
 Buenos Ayres, opened its inlets to British com- 
 merce. Without considering the relative poverty 
 and small consumption of Chili, goods were poured 
 into that country as if it were an inexhaustible mine 
 of wealth. The effect was soon evident. Sales 
 could not be made in Chili, even at the prices of 
 Buenos Ayres. At the close of the past year, 1811, 
 the aspect of things entirely changed. Buenos 
 Ayres lost its most valuable province, Upper Peru, 
 which, containing all the metallic riches, not only 
 contributed most effectually to the revenues of the 
 state, but also consumed a large proportion of Eu- 
 ropean goods. That country is separated from the 
 Rio de la Plata by contending armies. But even 
 if it were not, what resource can it hold forth, laid 
 waste as it has been by military excesses, its wealthy 
 population driven away, and its mines neglected ? 
 
231 
 
 Chili is overstocked, and Buenos Ayres can barely 
 purchase sufficient for the consumption of the capi- 
 tal, or of its own immediate provinces. Many, in-, 
 deed most, articles of British goods will not in these 
 countries now realize the prime cost to the propri- 
 etors in England ! In the present unsettled state 
 of the provinces, a return of any sort is most pre- 
 carious ; and without stability in the ephemeral 
 government, such as that at Buenos Ayres has 
 been lately, I am not at all clear that even a British 
 merchant would be always sure of meeting with 
 protection and justice in cases of difficulty, or of 
 avoiding oppression by its subordinate officers. 
 Neither hides nor tallow are now to be had in any 
 quantity ; and the members of the present executive 
 government of Buenos Ayres declared to me, not- 
 withstanding my representations of its illiberality 
 and impolicy, that they would never permit the ex- 
 portation of specie or bullion. And although, 
 since I sailed from Buenos Ayres, the government 
 there has reduced the duties on British imports 
 generally, one-third, its only probable effect will be, 
 a reduction of prices to the consumer, in the same 
 ratio as that of the duty. Those who are at Buenos 
 Ayres may gain by this reduction ; but to the pro- 
 prietor in England, who sends his goods there, the 
 advantage seems to be merely nominal, and calcu- 
 lated to deceive him with fallacious prospects. 
 
 6 1 remain, &c., &c., 
 
 p.H.r 
 
232 
 
 Captain Hey wood sent a copy of the foregoing 
 to a friend, one of the Lords Commissioners of the 
 Admiralty, in order to have the private opinion of 
 that Board as to the propriety of sending it forth 
 among the British merchants, but he was told that 
 their Lordships were of opinion, that it would be 
 improper in him to address himself immediately to 
 the merchants, and was recommended to write any 
 thing he had to say on the subject officially to the 
 Board, when, if thought necessary, it would be 
 communicated to the proper boards or departments 
 of government. <I saw, however/ says Captain 
 Heywood, c that to make such communication was 
 considered by the Admiralty as of a sort likely to 
 check the export trade, (as / indeed intended it 
 should, locally , to La Plata,) and that if I wrote to 
 the Admiralty officially, it would stop there. I did 
 not think it necessary to make any such fuss about 
 a matter that so little concerned me ; and therefore, 
 as I felt it a point of conscience not only not to 
 lead others astray, but to put those in the right way 
 who were, in my mind, out of it, I informed my 
 friend, " that, as an officer, I should move no further 
 publicly in this matter, but, with the impressions 
 made on my mind respecting commerce to La Plata, 
 I should still feel bound as a man to dissuade, pri- 
 vately, all my own friends from pursuing, at least for 
 the present, a line of commerce which I believed had 
 already proved ruinous to but too many in Great 
 Britain."' 
 
233 
 
 Captain Heywood, whilst his ship was in dock, 
 refitting, used his best endeavours to be sent out to 
 the Mediterranean, at that time a scene of more 
 active service. But a recent change of influence at 
 the Admiralty proved unfavourable to his hopes. 
 Many persons who had connexion with commerce 
 to the Rio de la Plata, were desirous that he should 
 be sent out to that station again, and even went so 
 far as to say they w r ould petition Lord Castlereagh 
 for that purpose. In June 1812, he received a 
 letter from his friend, Vice-Admiral Donnett, in- 
 forming him that ' circumstances had occurred 
 which induced government to send him back to 
 S. America, in consequence of his local knowledge, 
 and the very satisfactory manner in which he had 
 conducted matters there before ;' and on the third 
 of the same month came the following from the 
 first Lord of the Admiralty : 
 
 <SlR, 
 
 6 The public service appearing to require that a 
 frigate, not exceeding the Nereus in size and draught 
 of water, should be sent forthwith to the River La 
 Plata, I have been reluctantly compelled to select 
 her at the present moment ; though I am afraid that 
 you would have preferred employment in some of 
 the European seas. I will fairly own to you also, 
 that having great confidence in your experience on 
 that station, and in your discretion in your inter- 
 course with the Spanish Authorities, I have not 
 
234 
 
 felt myself justified on this occasion, with a view to 
 the public interest, in foregoing the advantage to be 
 derived from your services. 
 
 6 I am. Sir, 
 (Signed) 6 MELVIILE. 
 
 4 To Captain PETER HEY WOOD/ 
 
 4 In regard to this letter, as I saw that making diffi- 
 culty or remonstrating would neither be proper nor 
 tend much to mend the matter, I resolved to make the 
 best of my bargain by reconciling my mind to the 
 idea of another long voyage and absence from home, 
 and therefore I wrote to his Lordship, saying, " I felt 
 honoured by the receipt of his letter communicating 
 to me the intended destination of the Nereus to 
 La Plata, and that I hoped my future conduct 
 would continue to be such as to merit his appro- 
 val." I assured his Lordship also, " that, as an in- 
 dividual, no officer was more indifferent as to the 
 quarter of the world he might be sent to than I was, 
 and wherever the service called, I was ready always 
 to go ; but that, for the sake of my young officers 
 and ship's company, I had been induced to endea- 
 vour to promote their desire, in common with my 
 own, to be employed on some station of more profes- 
 sional activity than the one we last left, and were now 
 doomed to return to, and I had therefore solicited 
 to he sent to the Mediterranean, or to be attached 
 to the Channel fleet. That this on my own account 
 alone I should not have done, because in my mind 
 
235 
 
 a notion of impropriety had always attached to the 
 idea of a Captain's presuming to choose a place to 
 serve in.' " 
 
 While Captain Heywood was waiting for his in- 
 structions on proceeding to South America, he 
 received, in a letter from a friend, an intimation 'that 
 he would have had a very complimentary letter on 
 the occasion of his being again sent out to the 
 Plata, had it not come to the knowledge of the 
 Secretary of State, that he had made too many 
 private communications to his friends, private indi- 
 viduals in England.' Now as this laid an impu- 
 tation against his prudence *, in the estimation of at 
 least the Secretary of State, it drew from him a 
 defence of his conduct, of which we give the follow- 
 ing passage as an illustration of his usual indepen- 
 dence of spirit and manly feeling. 
 
 To Admiral * * 
 c Nereus, Spit head r , $th July, 1812. 
 
 'DEAR SlR, 
 
 ' I was ordered by signal back from St. Helen's 
 to this anchorage, yesterday, and had not time, after 
 I received your obliging letter, to say how much I feel 
 myself again indebted to you for the information it 
 contains. I must be free to confess, that on most 
 occasions I believe I am as indifferent as most men 
 to any common, every-day, official compliments ; 
 and on this occasion, especially, I feel very little 
 
236 
 
 concerned at having been debarred from receiving a 
 mere public complimentary letter from any autho- 
 rity whatsoever, when much more substantial proofs 
 have assured me, that my general conduct, while I 
 was last in the Plata, was satisfactory to that au- 
 thority under which I immediately serve. With 
 that, and the approbation of my own heart, I have 
 all that I want/ 
 
 On the 12th of July, 1812, Captain Hey wood 
 received his orders from the Admiralty, and sailed 
 on the 15th, with a convoy of merchant vessels 
 under his care, as far as they had a common course. 
 On the 7th of September he arrived at Rio de Ja- 
 neiro, and placed himself under the command of 
 Rear-Admiral Dixon, and delivered his despatches 
 to the Admiral and Lord Strangford. By these 
 superiors in office he was left very much to his own 
 discretion as to the course he should pursue with 
 the contending governments of Monte Video and 
 Buenos Ayres. On one point, which caused him 
 much anxiety whilst formerly on the station, he 
 had taken care to obtain from the Admiralty parti- 
 cular instructions viz. to ' protect the trade of his 
 Majesty 's subjects to and from Buenos Ayres, not- 
 withstanding any measure taken by the government 
 of Monte Video to obstruct the same, so long as his 
 Majesty's subjects shall desist from carrying to 
 Buenos Ayres articles contraband of war.' 
 
 On the 24th of September, the Nereus anchored 
 
237 
 
 off Monte Video, and letters and intelligence were 
 sent to the Governor, Don Caspar Vigodet. 
 
 * Observing/ says Captain Hey wood in his diary, 
 c several vessels in the harbour dressed in colours, 
 on some occasion of public rejojcing, I sent ashore 
 to inquire the reason. About eleven o'clock, two 
 or three English gentlemen came on board in the 
 cutter, and informed me that the new constitution 
 for Spain, as established and sent out by the Cortes, 
 was to be this day proclaimed in the city ; and as 
 this was an occasion favourable to my desire of con- 
 ciliating the minds of the people of Monte Video, 
 I immediately dressed ship, and joined in their 
 public demonstrations of loyalty by firing a salute 
 of nineteen guns. Afterwards I went on shore to 
 pay my compliments to General Vigodet, and, ac- 
 cepting of his invitation to partake of the feast given 
 in honour of the day, I was under the necessity, in 
 my turn, of giving some appropriate toast. Placed 
 as I was between two contending armies, so inve- 
 terate against each other, I could not but feel some 
 little difficulty to select a sentiment that might at 
 the same time be not only agreeable to the party I 
 was among, but inoffensive to the other at Buenos 
 Ayres, who would, in all probability, hear of it, as 
 well as becoming in my own public character as an 
 officer. I therefore wished, " A speedy restoration 
 of peace and lasting tranquillity to these provinces, 
 on the basis of loyalty to the Sovereign of Spain 
 acknowledged by Great Britain, and a just conces- 
 
238 
 
 sion of Civil Liberty to the natives of these Ame- 
 ricas through the mediation of His Royal Highness 
 George, Prince Regent of England." I was glad 
 to observe that it was received with universal satis- 
 faction by all at table ; the Governor observing to 
 me, that I should find, on reading the new consti- 
 tution of Spain which had just been proclaimed in 
 Monte Video, that the Regency had placed the native 
 population of these Americas on a footing of perfect 
 equality in point of political rights, and the protec- 
 tion of the laws, with that of the mother country ; 
 and there did not now, in his opinion, remain to 
 them any just ground of complaint, or any griev- 
 ances unredressed, to set forth as a plea for separa- 
 tion from the parent state. 
 
 c 25th. This morning I had a good deal of con- 
 versation with General Vigodet, on the subject of 
 the British commerce in the Plata, and found him 
 to be a man of moderation and just principles, fully 
 disposed to afford every possible facility and pro- 
 tection to the commerce of British subjects, direct 
 to and from Great Britain and Europe and this 
 river, under the conditions stipulated ; but " local 
 commerce between the ports subject to Buenos 
 Ayres, and up the river, he felt bound to protest 
 against, as injurious to the Spanish nation, in 
 its endeavours to quell the insurrections," and upon 
 this I did not feel myself at liberty to insist/ 
 
 On the 2d of October, Captain Heywood moored 
 off Buenos Ayres, and found, after gathering all 
 
239 
 
 the information he could of what had been going on 
 since he sailed thence for England, all things in a 
 worse state, much discontent prevailing amongst 
 all classes of people, not only against the govern- 
 ment of the place, but against the English captain 
 who commanded in his absence, for not having 
 given sufficient support to the English in their law- 
 ful commerce, and for not resenting, in a proper 
 manner, some indignities offered by the last govern- 
 ment to his officers, and even to himself. He had 
 suffered the Custom-house officers to search their 
 persons, on suspicion of their having carried off 
 specie, and thereby established a precedent that 
 would be greatly pernicious to them, and degrad- 
 ing to the British naval character. This subject 
 immediately occasioned Captain Heywood much 
 trouble, as he was determined that neither he nor 
 his officers should be subject to this indignity. 
 It was only after a long and arduous correspon- 
 dence, owing to the evasions and prevarications 
 of the authorities on this point, and after a threat on 
 his part immediately to quit the station unless his 
 wishes were complied with, which they saw he 
 would put in execution, that the Buenos Ayres go- 
 vernment consented to allow his officers and himself 
 to pass to and from their ship without interruption. 
 Captain Heywood felt it necessary, in every possi- 
 ble way, to maintain the honour and respect of the 
 British flag and government, as there was a disposi- 
 tion on the part of many in Buenos Ayres consi- 
 
240 
 
 derably to undervalue the British power. Every 
 opportunity was taken by them to circulate reports 
 unfavourable to the English, respecting the war then 
 going on in the Peninsula, and to encourage a more 
 intimate connexion with France and the United 
 States, whose government had just declared war 
 against Great Britain, and whose agents were busy 
 in the South American provinces to injure its in- 
 terests. 
 
 The following extracts, relating to the govern- 
 ment of Buenos Ayres, to the character of its in- 
 habitants, and to the mode in which funds for 
 carrying on the government, and enriching its 
 members, were sometimes obtained, possess con- 
 siderable interest, and may be of use to any one 
 desirous of understanding, or hereafter engaged in 
 drawing up, the history of the Spanish colonies in 
 South America. For the same reason, two letters 
 to the Right Hon. Lord Melville are also given ; 
 if they were not intended as public documents, they 
 may now be considered as containing purely matters 
 of history, at the same time that they shew Captain 
 Heywood's diligent and faithful observation of what 
 was passing around him, and his mindfulness of his 
 duties as a British officer. There can be little 
 doubt but these communications led Lord Melville 
 to form that high opinion of Captain Heywood's 
 merits, of which his Lordship afterwards gave such 
 generous evidence. 
 
 6 October 6, 1812. The town (Buenos Ayres) 
 
241 
 
 was to-day in a very unsettled state, on account of 
 differences of opinion respecting the election of new 
 members for the government, which began yester- 
 day, and in the course of the day another member 
 was chosen, Don Manuel Oblegado, of whom the 
 general voice spoke well and expected much ; but 
 there was an army faction not pleased with this 
 election, and desirous of having some others put at 
 the head of the government, who, like themselves, 
 were more patriotic^ a word much used by these 
 wise people, without attaching any distinct meaning 
 either to it or to liberty. During the night all was 
 confusion, and the next morning, at day-light, troops 
 were in possession of all the avenues to the Plaza. 
 Through the influence of these gentlemen, the mem- 
 bers who had been fairly chosen were voted out 
 again, and they formed a government of their own 
 choice spirits. It is impossible to conceive the dis- 
 gust arid consternation, too, that this business occa- 
 sioned, and as far as respects our commercial con- 
 cerns on shore here, our prospects are worse and 
 worse. For Dr. Paso, who will most likely be all 
 in all at the head of this government, as long at least 
 as it lasts, being one of the chiefs of a faction, the 
 most Jacobinical and violent, is extremely un- 
 friendly to the English. His brother, who is at the 
 head of the searchers at the Custom-house, is said 
 to be ten times worse ; and, besides that, rules Dr. 
 Paso. General Puercedo, who was one of the best 
 of the last government, and whom the generality 
 
 R 
 
242 
 
 of the inhabitants of the city wished to be at the 
 head of the government with the two who had been 
 so fairly chosen, absconded from fear of the rabble. 
 The government, therefore, at present may be con- 
 sidered as quite military, and in every sense of the 
 word much more despotic than ever it W 7 as under 
 the Viceroys* The contributions laid on the peo- 
 ple, Creoles, as well as the old Spaniards, are be- 
 coming so frequent and heavy, that all men of 
 common understanding and substance are beginning 
 to wish for the old order of things. Then they had 
 peace and quietness at least, and had not the prospect 
 of losing both their property and their lives so con- 
 stantly before their eyes. It is distressing to observe 
 the wretched state to which these people have reduc- 
 ed themselves, by entertaining fanciful notions about 
 Liberty and Independence, of which they have no 
 ideas but the names, And as for a free government, 
 so much have they been used to one of a different 
 sort, that under one only very little so, would they 
 be quiet. They are a most infatuated people. They 
 fancy themselves equal to any thing. Yet, during 
 the whole time they have had these provinces under 
 their rule, not a single man of any talents above 
 mediocrity has arisen, and so jealous and suspicious 
 are they of each other, that if a man shews himself 
 by his conduct to possess understanding and mode- 
 ration, he is immediately set down to be a friend to 
 the old Spanish cause. It is not at all likely that 
 such a people as this will ever be able to effect 
 
243 
 
 emancipation or separation from the mother coun- 
 try, if that be their real object, for they do not seem 
 to me to possess any of the resources and qualities 
 absolutely required to bring matters to such an 
 issue, much less to maintain Independence. They 
 would fall an easy prey to any great nation that 
 sought to become their master. For want of some 
 strong and permanent government every thing in 
 this country is going to rack and ruin. The govern- 
 ment which they have at present^ being held only at 
 the precarious tenure of the will of the military and 
 the mob, the people can neither respect nor look up 
 to for protection. Great changes have been effected 
 in the general state of the public mind within the 
 last twelve months. Had a commission of medi- 
 ation been appointed a year ago, I believe they 
 would have had nothing to say to the commissioners. 
 But now, so wearied are the more reflecting part 
 of the people with the unsettled state of things, 
 that I am inclined to think they would willingly 
 accept of the new Constitution for Spain, provided 
 it could be secured to them under the guarantee of 
 Great Britain, as it seems to embrace every object 
 they can either desire or expect. They are, how- 
 ever, extremely averse to trust themselves entirely 
 to their old masters. Within the last ten months 
 several French adventurers have arrived in this 
 country from England, and some Spaniards, who 
 pretend to have left their countries in disgust. 
 They have been appointed to commands in the 
 
 R 2 
 
244 
 
 army, and intrigue deeply, trying, by every under- 
 hand means, to create in the minds of the people 
 distrust of the British government, and suspicions 
 of their views towards these Americas. Too many, 
 I am sorry to say, have received the poison into 
 their minds, and seem less favourably disposed 
 towards British commercial intercourse than they 
 were some time back ; for they are so unreasonable 
 as to expect that we should assist them in their ex- 
 ertions to throw off the yoke of Spain, and are ex- 
 tremely indignant because they have not been taken 
 any notice of by our government/ 
 
 c November 21. I heard to-day that the govern- 
 ment had compelled an old Spaniard of the name of 
 San Valiente, the consignee of a vessel called the 
 St. Anselmo, to pay 50,000 dollars, and some others 
 7000 or 8000 each, because that vessel, in her way out 
 of the river for England, had put into Monte Video, 
 and some old Spaniards, who had permission to take 
 their passage in her to England, had gone on shore 
 there. It appeared that these persons had no know- 
 ledge whatever that the vessel would put in there, 
 and that the master had been compelled to go there 
 by reason of the bowsprit being badly sprung on 
 the passage down the river. The people fined 
 were the nearest relations of the Spaniards who 
 were the passengers in her. Thus a sum of about 
 140,000 dollars was raised for government. An- 
 other large sum was also raised by the government's 
 setting aside the will of a man who had bequeathed 
 
245 
 
 his property to a favourite female who had lived 
 with him some years. This they did on the pre- 
 text that the man (whose real crime was, that he 
 was an old Spaniard) had, as his Excellency said, a 
 wife and children, and as the government was the 
 proper guardian of orphans, the property of their 
 deceased parent ought to be in its hand ! Some of 
 the relations of the people in the St. Anselmo, who 
 were fined, were Creoles ; and, if unable to pay, were 
 confined till their friends could collect the money 
 for them. Thus the property of those who are 
 known to have any, is drawn into the fort by com- 
 pulsion. All who have risen into opulence, by 
 trade, are marked for prey whenever the necessities 
 of the state may require; their property is daily di- 
 minishing, and the Creoles, who are generally poor, 
 as well as the old Spaniards, are, under the present 
 deplorable state of things, deprived of all means of 
 acquiring property. Fear and consternation seem 
 to pervade all classes of the people, as there is a 
 rapid approach to that state of anarchy and confu- 
 sion which takes place in all revolutions when the 
 dregs are stirred up to the surface, and vice and 
 infamy bear sway.' 
 
 4 Nereus, off Buenos Ay res* 
 
 C MY LORD, December^, 1812. 
 
 6 The time which I have had for observation and in- 
 quiry into matters connected with the state of affairs 
 in this quarter, since I had last the honour of addres- 
 
246 
 
 sing your Lordship on that subject, per H. M. S. 
 Bonne Citoyenne, has afforded me, I am sorry to 
 say, many opportunities of being convinced that 
 the opinions which I had formed on my arrival at 
 Buenos Ayres, were too correct. 
 
 6 Events have passed before my eyes, ever since 
 I have been on shore here, which shew the great 
 change that has taken place for the worse, during 
 the last twelve months. 
 
 6 When I left this place, there was something like 
 patriotism in the intentions and conduct of the then 
 growing party, but now patriotism seems to be only 
 a cloak for avaricious and unprincipled men to 
 cover their selfish designs, to enrich themselves 
 at the expense of their fellow-citizens and of their 
 country. 
 
 *I have had a very disagreeable correspondence 
 with this government, concerning a practice which 
 it seems had been begun just before I sailed for En- 
 gland last year, and had become constant and habi- 
 tual during the time the Bonne Citoyenne was here, 
 that of searching the officers of his Majesty's 
 ships, on suspicion of smuggling. After a great 
 deal of objection at first, the government has at 
 length consented to discontinue such a particular 
 and degrading mode of executing this fiscal regu- 
 lation. 
 
 c By two vessels from Rio de Janeiro, we have 
 just received the gazettes of the glorious successes 
 obtained over the French by the allied armies in the 
 

 247 
 
 Peninsula, of which these poor deluded people would 
 not believe one word before, and to which I hardly 
 think they give credit yet. They have here a 
 peculiar propensity to deceive every one about 
 them as well as themselves; to believe every thing 
 that may operate favourably for their cause, but to 
 disbelieve, in toto, good news from Spain. The 
 public attention is, at present, chiefly engaged in 
 discussion on the subject of Independence. Plans 
 for their new Constitution are forming. The depu- 
 ties from the various towns of the province are ex- 
 pected to arrive here in the course of this month, and 
 if this great news from Spain does not work any ma- 
 terial change in the sentiments of those who, at 
 present, hold the power and influence, I have little 
 doubt but they will declare the independence of these 
 provinces next month. Indeed, from all I can gather, 
 the propriety, and even necessity, of this measure is 
 pretty well determined by the inhabitants of Buenos 
 Ayres ; so that, though they may invite and take the 
 opinions of the deputies of other places, I believe 
 they have already made up their minds how to decide. 
 They have been led to expect that great benefit will 
 be derived from taking this step, by some citizens 
 of the United States of America, who have been 
 very busy in the politics of these people, endea- 
 vouring to persuade them that the government of 
 the United States has taken the most lively interest 
 in their concerns, and to make them believe that 
 they may expect the most active assistance from it. 
 
248 
 
 Many of these gentlemen, and particularly a Mr. 
 Poiiisett, who is styled the Consul-general of the 
 United States, and who went over to Chili from 
 hence when I was here last year, are particularly 
 diligent and active in propagating doctrines and opi- 
 nions prejudicial to the British government and 
 subjects. Among other advantages to be gained by 
 a declaration of Independence, they reckon on the 
 government of Great Britain affording them those 
 active succours which, under the present state of 
 circumstances, are withheld from them. At all 
 events it will put to the test whether they are to 
 consider Great Britain the friend or enemy of the 
 cause of Liberty and Emancipation. 
 
 c I am sometimes asked, what I suppose will be 
 the conduct of our government towards them in the 
 event of such declaration taking place, and what re- 
 ception an envoy from this government would meet 
 with in England ? However, as I always cut these 
 questions short, by assuring them that I meddle not 
 in any of these concerns, and should feel it most pre- 
 sumptuous in me to give any opinion, even were I 
 competent to form one, they leave me alone ; but 
 yet they press me on the question of my own con- 
 duct in that case ; to which I always reply, that 
 as I am to suppose the declaration of independence 
 will not make it necessary for this government 
 to alter its conduct, either towards British sub- 
 jects or myself, neither need my conduct be altered. 
 For as they are now acting independently, their 
 
249 
 
 declaration to that effect will be a distinction with- 
 out a difference. They are a most infatuated set of 
 men, I mean the Creoles here, and particularly the 
 people in power, and their partizans. 
 
 4 The unfortunate failure of our expedition against 
 this place, with a force that would certainly be amply 
 sufficient, even now, to reduce the whole province, 
 if properly disposed of and applied, and the time 
 during which they have been going on without any 
 opposition, besides other causes, have tended to raise 
 in them the most extravagant ideas of their valour 
 and great military talents : many of them fancy that 
 the world in arms would not prevail against them. 
 
 4 It is not to be wondered at, then, if a people so 
 vain and ignorant as this, should most rashly put in 
 execution whatever they take into their heads. 
 But, whatever they themselves may think of the 
 policy of the measure, or of the power and re- 
 sources of this country to maintain independence, I 
 am humbly of opinion that their means are quite 
 inadequate, in every sense of the word. The pe- 
 cuniary resource of the government has been, and 
 is, in a great measure, derived from the duties on 
 commerce ; the greatest part of which is, of course, 
 that from Great Britain. The whole of the military 
 force, of which I have been enabled to obtain an ac- 
 count, amounts to five thousand three hundred men, 
 and this I believe to be correct. 
 
 * The men governing at present are the tools of a 
 democratic faction, composed of persons of very in- 
 
250 
 
 
 
 different characters, and of the meanest extraction ; 
 and most of them men without either talents or 
 virtue ; but they have the military force here at 
 their command, and though your Lordship will 
 observe that it is not a force of any respectability 
 in itself, to keep order in so large a city as Buenos 
 Ay res, yet, as the troops of the government have all 
 the arms in their hands, it is not a matter of much 
 surprise, that a handful of armed men should over- 
 come a multitude of such people as these, who are, 
 generally speaking, peaceable and inoffensive. 
 
 6 Since these unfortunate people have expe- 
 rienced some of the blessings of revolutionary go- 
 vernments, they rue the day in which they aided the 
 European Spaniards to resist the British arms, and 
 I have no doubt thousands here would now hail 
 the approach of a British army as the greatest 
 blessing heaven could send them, to keep peace and 
 quietness by putting down the factions, and the am- 
 bitious, selfish patriots, and to preserve the country 
 from the ruin that I much fear will be inevitable if 
 things go on as they now do. The men in power 
 are inveterate foes to the European Spaniards, 
 whose property is frequently seized upon under pre- 
 texts the most frivolous and unjust. The contribu- 
 tions laid on all parties, but chiefly on them, are more 
 and more frequent, and none of the latter are allowed 
 to take their property away with them, even if they 
 should be so fortunate as to succeed, at a great ex- 
 pense, in their endeavours to quit the place. All 
 
251 
 
 possible means are taken to keep in this country the 
 accumulated property of the European Spaniards, 
 as they very naturally conclude, that it may be seized 
 on when the necessities of the state require. 
 
 4 A short time ago, the St. Anselmo, a merchant 
 vessel, sailed from hence for England, with a cargo 
 on board belonging to a Spaniard. Six or eight old 
 Spaniards were permitted to take their passage. 
 Bond to the amount of 60,000 Spanish dollars was 
 given that she should not call at Monte Video. On 
 her passage down the river, she sprung her bowsprit 
 badly, and it was by this accident, and the badness 
 of the weather, that she was compelled to put in there. 
 Notwithstanding this, the bond was forfeited, and 
 the government, under the pretext that the ship 
 went there purposely, fined the owner of the cargo 
 35,000 dollars, and the friends of those who went 
 passengers in her were compelled to pay 7000 for 
 each, to the government, for having landed at Monte 
 Video. Some of these relations happened to be 
 Creoles, but they also were obliged to pay ; and 
 those who had not the means were obliged to bor- 
 row, and were imprisoned till the sum was raised. 
 
 6 This act of the government has given general dis- 
 satisfaction, and it is in such ways as this, and by 
 other similar means, that property is forced from 
 those who are known to have any; but I much 
 fear, that the state alone is not benefited by these 
 measures. Those who have risen into opulence by 
 industry and commerce, chiefly Europeans, are de- 
 
252 
 
 tained in the country, and will be at the mercy of 
 the mob, if things continue to go oji thus. The 
 Creoles themselves are generally poor, in compari- 
 son, for they are naturally indolent, much given to 
 extravagance and pleasure, and very different from 
 the old stock ; yet there are of course exceptions to 
 be met with. Under the present pitiable state of 
 things, especially the total stagnation of trade of 
 almost every sort, property, where it has been ac- 
 quired, is rapidly diminishing; and even the few 
 who are industrious, have neither business, nor, if 
 they had, a prospect of security before them either 
 to property or person. Thus it appears to me, my 
 Lord, that every thing here is fast going to rack and 
 ruin for want of a government. I do not say that it 
 is necessary to be a good government ; a strong, effi- 
 cient one, permanent as long as might be necessary, 
 would do every thing for the present. Among them- 
 selves, these people will never find one, strong but 
 just. Yet among these South American statesmen 
 there are not a few, who fancy themselves perfectly 
 qualified to govern empires ; and the height of their 
 ambition is to get into the fort to exhibit their ta- 
 lents in the vice-regal chair, which, as well as the bust 
 of his catholic majesty, is still allowed to remain 
 there. But if Independence becomes the order of 
 the day, which is very probable, both will most likely 
 be removed. 
 
 c To let the poor people of this country go on thus, 
 if there is any possibility of checking the growing 
 
253 
 
 evils, must really attach criminality somewhere. 
 The interference of some superior power or influence 
 is absolutely requisite. It would save the country 
 from approaching destruction, and be a blessing to 
 the people. What would be thought of a man who, 
 seeing his friend on a bed of sickness, and two of 
 his children cutting each other with knives in a quar- 
 rel, would not stretch forth his arms to separate 
 them, whether the children chose his interference 
 or not ; or even if the parent were to say, " leave 
 them alone" ? In this case, the parent state does not 
 seem to have the means of settling by the strength 
 of her own arm the deplorable differences here. 
 No other power, I suppose, thinks it proper or deli- 
 cate to interfere in these family dissensions, and I 
 am persuaded that, by the people themselves, they 
 never will be settled, but grow daily worse and 
 worse, as they have done ever since they took their 
 own affairs in hand. So that in the mean time the 
 inhabitants of this most wonderfully fine country 
 are falling fast into a state infinitely more pitiable 
 than any to which they were subjected under the 
 government of the old Spanish monarchy ; and the 
 immense benefits to individuals, and the resources 
 to a government that might be derived from this vast 
 country, are absolutely lost to the whole world. 
 
 6 A day or two ago, I was introduced to a gen- 
 tleman, a lieutenant-colonel in the regiment of 
 Peuco, who was going back to Chili (whence he 
 came last year) on a joint commission from his own 
 
2,54 
 
 government and this of Buenos Ayres, to make an 
 exchange of quicksilver which they have here, and 
 which is wanted in Chili for gunpowder an ar- 
 ticle very scarce. This officer appeared to be a 
 man of information in matters relating to his own 
 country, and of a liberal mind. He is himself much 
 attached to the English, and believes the greater 
 part of his countrymen to entertain the same senti- 
 ments towards us. He told me he was persuaded 
 it would be extremely gratifying to the government 
 of Chili to have some sort of connexion with the 
 British government, by which its friendly disposi- 
 tion towards England might be known, and that he 
 should be most happy to lay before his government, 
 on his arrival, any plan for commencing such a 
 correspondence. If existing circumstances would 
 not admit of diplomatic relations, he seemed to be 
 of opinion that communications on mercantile affairs 
 might be made to and received from some public 
 agent of Great Britain. 
 
 ' As I considered, my Lord, that some advantage 
 might be derived from this favourable disposition of 
 the people of Chili towards us, I assured this gen- 
 tleman that if, on his return to Chili, his govern- 
 ment should be found to hold such sentiments as 
 he had expressed, and write to me some sort of offi- 
 cial letter, I would give it all the attention in my 
 power, by taking the earliest opportunity of trans- 
 mitting it to higher authority. About eighteen 
 months ago, Chili, my Lord, opened her ports to 
 
255 
 
 foreign trade. Englishmen are well received there. 
 But this opening trade is threatened with destruc- 
 tion from the jealousy of the Cadiz monopolists, 
 established at Lima. The Viceroy, Abascal, has 
 given orders to capture and condemn all foreign 
 vessels, found with goods on board, in the Pacific, 
 and three corvettes, of 150 men each and 20 guns, 
 have sailed from Lima to cruize off the coast of 
 Chili. From all the best information I have been 
 able to gather, it would perhaps be worth while to 
 give some consideration to this point, my Lord, and 
 even to encourage this new channel of trade, by 
 sending a frigate* round Cape Horn, at the proper 
 season, to make the necessary inquiries, and, if 
 thought of sufficient importance, to be stationed at 
 Valparaiso for the protection of the trade on the 
 West coast, and to return, when relieved, with such 
 specie as could be collected for England. The 
 sight of a British ship of war for that purpose 
 would, no doubt, be most gratifying to the govern- 
 ment and inhabitants of Chili, and would be va- 
 luable, if it were only to counteract the very un- 
 favourable impressions which Mr. Poinsett, the 
 American agent or consul, or whatever else he is, 
 is doing his utmost at this moment to make against 
 the English. 
 
 ' Besides the consumption of our own manufactures, 
 by the population of rather more than one million, 
 
 * Captain Hillyar was sent out in the Phoebe. 
 
256 
 
 Chili is rich in produce ; it has a great many gold 
 mines, produces in great abundance wheat, barley, 
 wine, butter, and cheese, and grows pines of a qua- 
 lity fit for masts and yards of ships, and timber of 
 various sorts fit for ship-building. I wrote, some 
 time since, to Rear-Admiral Dixon on the subject, 
 but have not had the honour of his reply. 
 
 c The inhabitants of Chili are said to be a very 
 quiet, orderly, and well-disposed, industrious peo- 
 ple, and would have been willing to remain even as 
 they were when the revolutionary system began 
 here, had not such flattering prospects of advantage 
 been held forth to them by the government of 
 Buenos Ay res, of whose power, as a military peo- 
 ple, they had been led to think very highly, on ac- 
 count of the failure of our expedition against this 
 place. Some Englishmen here, at the commence- 
 ment of this business, acted most indiscreetly and 
 presumptuously, by feeding the people of this coun- 
 try with the hope of receiving great assistance from 
 Great Britain in their struggle for freedom. 
 
 6 In all this they find they have been deceived, and 
 under the delusion they imposed upon the people of 
 Chili, who, having little else than false statements 
 made to them, followed blindfold the example of 
 Buenos Ayres, and now again Mr. Poinsett is busy 
 in contaminating the whole population on that side 
 of the continent. 
 
 4 As the news of the great successes in Spain will 
 soon reach Chili, (for I have given Mr. Bulnes the 
 
257 
 
 gazettes to take over with him,) it would not be 
 difficult to counteract the bad effects of the poison 
 which Poinsett is so industriously circulating. 
 Captain Bulnes, from his influence, and the im- 
 pressions made on his mind by what he has heard 
 and seen during a twelvemonth's residence here, 
 and by which he has been chiefly induced to propose 
 an exchange between this government and his own 
 for the articles each wants, as a pretext for him to 
 get back to Chili, will, I have little doubt, do all he 
 can to open the eyes of his countrymen to the true 
 state of affairs, and contradict the falsehoods which 
 this Poinsett has asserted and even published against 
 the British government and subjects. I also read 
 to Colonel Bulnes the letter which I wrote to this 
 government on my arrival, agreeably to my instruc- 
 tions on that head, expressive of the disapproba- 
 tion of His Majesty's government of the unautho- 
 rized language used by the Honourable Captain 
 F* * *, in his correspondence with the govern- 
 ment of Chili last year ; and with this he was much 
 pleased. From all I could gather in conversation 
 with this officer, I am persuaded that the people of 
 Chili, if once convinced, as I think they may be, 
 that they have been deluded, and have hitherto been 
 acting under false impressions, might be prevailed 
 on, with no very great difficulty, to accept of the 
 new Constitution for Spain, under the guarantee of 
 our government, and I think this will be pressed 
 by Col. Bulnes, when he gets back to Chili, as a 
 
 s 
 
258 
 
 point worthy of the most serious consideration of 
 his government. 
 
 c It was, and is to be understood, that this con- 
 versation with this gentleman was founded merely 
 upon our own opinions as individuals, though not 
 without a prospect that something more might here- 
 after be made of it by Authorities. Even here, the 
 bulk of the inhabitants have been so wofully disap- 
 pointed in the hopes and expectations which they 
 were led to form at the beginning of the revolution, 
 and have so little prospect of becoming indepen- 
 dent, whatever the few in power and their partisans 
 may think, that I do sincerely believe if these 
 wrongheaded men could be displaced, the same 
 measure might somehow or other be brought about. 
 
 ' When the Commission of Mediation was ex- 
 pected to come out, all people of moderation and 
 good natural sense hoped and believed that good 
 would result to the country ; and since the news 
 has reached us that it is abandoned, it has produced 
 feelings of sincere regret amongst many. All 
 things considered, the situation to which the people 
 of these provinces are reduced is most deplorable ; 
 for which way soever they cast their eyes, no re- 
 medy appears, without the interference of some 
 superior power to aid and support them. Should 
 they resolve to place themselves at the mercy and 
 accept the constitution of their old masters, what 
 security (say they) shall we have that the terms and 
 articles of it will be regularly observed towards us, 
 
259 
 
 or even against the oppression we have so long 
 groaned under ? They dread also, and, no doubt, 
 with some reason, the vengeance that might await 
 them from recollection of the injuries which the 
 European Spaniards suffered under the government 
 of their Creole brethren. And yet I do sincerely 
 believe, that, of themselves, they will never secure 
 prosperity to this country ; and from their total want 
 of talents or means to accomplish any end they pro- 
 pose, and from various other physical causes which 
 operate against them, the prospect of better times 
 must be very remote indeed. Though the news 
 from Spain, of the great successes of the allied 
 armies over the French, has really been received 
 here, by the government, with evident regret ; yet, 
 still wishing to preserve appearances, the reply of 
 the Secretary to my letter of the 2d inst., expresses 
 a satisfaction that was not felt, and at the latter part 
 of it there was an expression of the most studied 
 ambiguity. The Europeans rejoice at the news ; 
 it raises their hopes of receiving succours from the 
 mother country, and of being yet once more in- 
 vested with power, and of being again in posses- 
 sion of the ancient monopoly of trade. By both 
 classes, I am sorry to say, the English are looked 
 upon with eyes of jealousy and suspicion, and by 
 neither are we considered sincere friends. The 
 European Spaniards, under the cloak of friendship, 
 conceal antipathy and deadly hatred towards the 
 English, to whom they attribute the disturbances 
 
 s 2 
 
260 
 
 in these Americas, and, consequently, every evil 
 and privation which themselves have suffered. And 
 there can be no doubt that, if the European Spa- 
 niards now had, or shall ever again have, it in their 
 power to exclude us entirely from these countries, 
 they will do every thing to injure us that fear will 
 let them ; and that I do believe to be the sole prin- 
 ciple operative on the conduct (either public or 
 private) of the race of Spanish extraction here. 
 Little else, generally speaking, induces to right or 
 prevents wrong conduct in either man, woman, or 
 child. The glorious struggle which Great Britain 
 is making in the Peninsula, they none of them as- 
 cribe to principles of generous and liberal policy, 
 but to motives entirely selfish. The Creoles, look- 
 ing to this country as every thing, and Spain as no- 
 thing, are constantly accusing Great Britain of being 
 unmindful of her own true interest, in not granting 
 assistance, in some shape, to these countries, (from 
 whence she may derive such great advantages,) as 
 well as to the Europeans in the mother country, 
 " who," say they, " the moment they no longer re- 
 quire her assistance, will shew themselves her great- 
 est enemies, and oppose every means she may use to 
 carry oh commerce with these Americas." Many 
 of them openly say, " If Great Britain, whom we 
 prefer, will riot afford the assistance we want, we 
 must get it somewhere else." Indeed, I have heard, 
 that an agent was actually sent, some months back, 
 to France, by way of North America, to solicit for 
 
261 
 
 arms and officers to be sent out here ; but I cannot 
 get at the fact. The natural preference of the peo- 
 ple of this country (generally) is, beyond all doubt, 
 to the English, and that for reasons of policy most 
 obvious. But in want of assistance, as they are, of 
 every sort, I believe they will neither hesitate to ask 
 nor to receive it from any government. There has 
 appeared certainly, of late, a connexion of some sort 
 with France ; yet I am humbly of opinion, my 
 Lord, that not inclination, but necessity, will com- 
 pel them to concert measures, with the common 
 enemy, for their own safety. It would, therefore, 
 be well to endeavour, by timely, possible, and pro- 
 per means, to check in the bud the growth of so 
 serious an evil ; for, when once it has taken root, it 
 would perhaps be a most arduous task to get the 
 better of it. 
 
 ' I have the honour to be, with the greatest re- 
 spect, 
 
 c My Lord, your Lordship's most obedient 
 humble servant, 
 
 P. H. 
 
 ( The Right Honourable Lord Viscount MELVILLE/ 
 
 ' H. M. S. Nereus, off Buenos Ay res. 
 ' MY LORD, <tfth Jan. 1813. 
 
 c Since I had last the honour of addressing your 
 Lordship, per ship Braganza, about a fortnight ago, 
 affairs have been going on here tolerably quiet, 
 though, within the last six weeks upwards of one 
 
262 
 
 thousand old Spaniards have been banished to the 
 interior on various pretexts, deemed sufficient. 
 
 c The late intelligence which we have received 
 from the North of Europe, up to the 13th of No- 
 vember, and from other quarters has made them 
 pause about declaring their Independence, and at 
 present they are all very quiet on that subject. 
 
 4 An event of some importance happened on the 
 23d instant, and I am in hopes it will not only be 
 of service to the people of the country, but remove 
 some obstacles to British commerce, and produce a 
 further favourable change in the governments. I am 
 doubtful whether I mentioned to your Lordship, 
 in former letters, any particulars concerning the in- 
 fluence which a man of the name of Francisco Paso 
 had obtained by cabal and intrigue over the govern- 
 ment here, of which his brother, Don Juan Jose 
 Paso, is the President. These two men are the sons 
 of a baker, and Don Jose is a lawyer of applica- 
 tion, intriguing and very ambitious. He was Secre- 
 tary to the first Junta, and contrived to hold his 
 ground when Mareno (who died in his passage to 
 England) fell, and when the deputies forced them- 
 selves into the government in December 1810. 
 He was connected with the party of Mareno which 
 failed in opposing the President in 1811, in the 
 month of April, and though they were all banished, 
 he escaped their fate by pretending ill health, and 
 other manoeuvres. He afterwards affected to coa- 
 lesce with the triumphant party, and was a leading 
 
263 
 
 member of the Deputation which I took down to 
 Monte Video, to treat with General Elio, concern- 
 ing that peace which soon afterwards ensued. It 
 was soon after our return hither, in September 181 1^ 
 that Juan Paso joined with Savratea (now Captain- 
 general and Commander-in-chief of the forces of 
 government on the opposite bank) and Chiclana, 
 to establish a Triumvirate, of which he became the 
 junior member. They drove the Junta and incor- 
 porated Deputies of the other towns, back again 
 into private life. It was stipulated that one of the 
 members of this Triumvirate was to retire every 
 six months, and Paso accordingly retired last, when 
 Pucyerridan was chosen in his place. Though it 
 has been decreed that a retired member cannot be 
 elected under a lapse of ten months, yet in October 
 last, just after I came here, when the fair and just 
 election was set aside through the intrigues of the 
 Pasos, Don Juan Jose was chosen President of the 
 government, with Pena arid Jonte for his colleagues. 
 Since then he has been powerfully supported by his 
 brother Francisco, whose situation placed numbers 
 of revenue officers under his controul and pay ; and 
 by his intrigues and influence outside the fort, he 
 made even the government within it subservient to 
 him. His employment as a commandante of the 
 Resquardo placed very considerable sums at his dis- 
 posal, from seizures and other means, and the re- 
 ports have been current here (but published in Ga- 
 zettes at Monte Video), that he advanced 23,000 
 
264 
 
 dollars to the officers of some of the corps, and 
 thereby secured the election of his brother to the 
 Presidency. The people of this city, already tired 
 of the tyrannical rule of this Paso faction, have been 
 for some time past endeavouring to accelerate the 
 assembly of the Deputies, under the hope of effect- 
 ing changes in the government, as well as in the 
 system at present pursued, and Francisco Paso, at 
 the same time has been trying every possible means 
 to counteract their efforts ; but fortunately he has 
 been too cunning even for his own understanding, 
 as such distorted-minded men generally are, and has 
 himself fallen into the very snare he laid for others. 
 It was discovered, on the 22nd inst., that he had been 
 again tampering) with the commandantes of corps, 
 through the intervention of some corrupt tools of 
 his faction, in order to gain them over to his side ; 
 and as he succeeded before in procuring the election 
 of his brother by means of the military, he hoped 
 again to overawe the approaching election, and, by 
 the same means, to keep his brother in his seat. 
 But he was betrayed, accused, and detected ; and at 
 daylight, on the 23d, was, by order of the govern- 
 ment, seized in his own house, and banished imme- 
 diately, as well as his accomplices, under an escort 
 of dragoons, up to San Juan, where he now remains. 
 4 No sooner was this man got rid of, than a fair 
 election took place, and four Deputies were chosen 
 that day for Buenos Ay res. I am told that several 
 charges of enormity have been laid against Francisco 
 
265 
 
 Paso, some of which, it is supposed, if proved, will 
 bear hard even against his life, inasmuch as he has 
 done that for which old Spaniards have lately suf- 
 fered death. His brother, the President, who hap- 
 pened to be out of town, and knew not of his arrest 
 and banishment till he returned, continues as yet in 
 that situation, but, as the assembly, it is reported, 
 will meet on the 31st, it is very probable he will be 
 voted out. It is hard to say what sort of men the 
 next may be. One man is talked of, who, it is 
 likely enough may succeed, Don Juan Sarrea. He 
 is a Catalonian, of most active and turbulent ambi- 
 tion. His property is much questioned, for though 
 he has had opportunities of amassing property, he 
 has also contributed largely, on occasions, to party 
 objects. He was one of the conspirators, against 
 Linius, with Abzaga, (who was shot last July 
 in the Plaza,) and he was imprisoned for some 
 time afterwards. Though born in Spain, he is a 
 decided advocate of American liberty and indepen- 
 dence. He was banished to St. Juan in April, 1811, 
 (being one of Morena^s cabal against Saavedra,) and 
 recalled in September following: however he only 
 arrived here a few r weeks ago, and is now canvassing 
 for a seat in the government, at the next election. 
 One of his brothers has entered into the new corps 
 of cavalry commanded by San Martin. This corps 
 will have more w r eight in an election than the whole 
 city of Buenos Ayres united^ if union could possibly 
 happen. Sarrea, whilst in the government before, 
 
266 
 
 was, I understand, a decided friend to the English, 
 and to our commerce. He is well acquainted with 
 mercantile affairs, a man of some experience and 
 knowledge, having passed considerable time in En- 
 gland and in various parts of Europe/ 
 
 c February 7th. Intelligence having reached us 
 here, on the second instant, of the unfortunate cap- 
 ture of the Java, by the United States frigate, Con- 
 stitution, on the thirtieth of December last, the 
 vessel by which I send this letter has been detained. 
 Other reports give out that some privateers are also 
 on the coast of Brazil as well as the Essex frigate, 
 Hornet, and Wasp, American sloops of war. I 
 have thus a farther opportunity given me of ac- 
 quainting your Lordship that the Assembly of De- 
 puties for the towns and provinces, (all chosen in 
 the city of Buenos Ayres,) met on the Slstult. ; 
 the official and unexpected ratification of which 
 made to me by Mr. Secretary Guido, I have trans- 
 mitted by the Emerald. As I am perfectly aware 
 of the motive of his Excellency for directing such 
 communication to me, I simply acknowledged the 
 receipt of it. This Don Carlos Alvear, who has 
 been nominated President of this sovereign Assem- 
 bly, is one of the adventurers who came out in the 
 ship George Canning, from England, of whom I 
 made mention to your Lordship in a former letter. 
 
 c This august assembly is composed of characters 
 of similar stamp men without respectability or 
 connexion, but turbulent, ambitious, democratic de- 
 
267 
 
 magogues, who, in revolutionary times like these, 
 have every thing to gain, and little to lose but their 
 heads. In this Assembly is vested the legislative, 
 and indeed all, authority and power. Its decrees, 
 signed by the President and one of the Secretaries, 
 are to be the law. The executive power is lodged in 
 the Triumvirate, as before, but is entirely subservient 
 to the sovereign Assembly; as yet it is composed 
 of the same men, Paso, Pena, and Jonte, Under 
 the present order of things, it matters little who are 
 to be the speaking trumpets of the Assembly, and 
 therefore, as the power and influence of this Trium- 
 virate is now reduced to little or nothing, they will 
 cease to be the objects of envy and ambition, and it 
 is likely they may remain where they are for a time 
 longer. The chiefs of the army, under the govern- 
 ment before Monte Video, are at variance. Artigas 
 will not submit to serve under Savratea: he has 
 entirely withdrawn from him, and has not only cut 
 off the supplies for the army under Savratea, but is 
 furnishing Monte Video with cattle. In conse- 
 quence of these dissensions, it is rumoured here, 
 that the siege will be raised, and the troops with- 
 drawn from that side of the river, and then sent up 
 to reinforce Belgiano, in Peru, who, it is said, is on 
 his march from Tucaman to Salta. Since the last 
 sortie from Monte Video, of which I sent your 
 Lordship an account by the Braganza, General Vi- 
 godet has sent a small expedition up the river above 
 this place, which has failed in its object, whatever it 
 
268 
 
 may have been. A salute was fired at Buenos 
 Ayres yesterday, in celebration of the victory they 
 say they have gained. On hearing, some days 
 ago, that the Monte Videaris had landed up the river, 
 Col. San Martin was sent off with one hundred 
 and fifty of his regiment to oppose them ; one hun- 
 dred infantry went with him, but could not keep up 
 for want of post horses on the road. At Capillo 
 de San Lorenzo, about sixty leagues from Buenos 
 Ayres, San Martin fell in with his enemy, about 
 two hundred and twenty, whom he attacked with 
 inferior force, and defeated, killing and wounding 
 forty, and taking ten prisoners, two pieces of can- 
 non, and a standard. The rest precipitately retired 
 to their vessels, whose guns prevented their retreat 
 from being cut off. On the Buenos Ayres side 
 eight were killed and wounded, and, among the lat- 
 ter, Col. San Martin. Thus they tell the story here. 
 That of the Monte Videans may be very different. 
 
 c The Sovereignty is busily employed in the ardu- 
 ous task committed to that elevated authority to 
 which it has been raised. Yesterday an order was 
 passed by it to the Executive, for all Europeans 
 holding employments under government,, and who 
 shall not become citizens within fifteen days, to be 
 dismissed the service. Many deserving persons, 
 who have passed their lives in a public office, and 
 are thoroughly acquainted with its routine, will, no 
 doubt, be turned out to make room for some wild, 
 ignorant Creoles. No small confusion, in various 
 
69 
 
 departments of the government, will, in all proba- 
 bility, be the consequence. On Monday last, the 
 Bishop of Salta was ordered to appear before the 
 Sovereignty only to take the oaths. He went in 
 robes becoming his situation as a prisoner, and 
 separated from his diocese. He was ordered back, 
 and desired to come in the robes he would put on 
 before Ferdinand VII., and to know that that As- 
 sembly was Sovereign now, and probably repre- 
 sented a greater sovereign than any European mo- 
 narch. The Bishop retired, and went yesterday 
 dressed according to order, was admitted, took the 
 oath, and was ordered to withdraw, without even 
 common civility having been shewn him. 
 
 4 I am happy to say that the most cordial har- 
 mony at present subsists between the officers com- 
 manding the Marine forces and myself and officers, 
 as their vessels frequently anchor near us, and 
 friendly civilities are interchanged. I occasionally 
 correspond with his Excellency General Vigodet, 
 in such style as allows me to shew his letters to the 
 government here as I receive them, as well as my 
 own, to a person in their confidence, with whom I 
 am on intimate terms, which entirely destroys the 
 operation of that suspicious jealousy which is so 
 very prominent a feature in the Spanish character. 
 All local political subjects are avoided, and none 
 ever touched upon except such as are connected 
 with our common cause in the Peninsula or other 
 parts of Europe ; and as both parties are aware that 
 
270 
 
 I am averse to hold any correspondence with one 
 that the other may not be acquainted with, they are, 
 of course, guarded in their language, so that I avoid 
 being placed in a dilemma. 
 
 c The Consul General from the United States to 
 this place, of whose appointment I wrote your 
 Lordship, per Braganza, is not yet arrived, nor can 
 he, I imagine, under the present state of things be 
 now expected. All things considered, it becomes 
 daily more and more desirable that some sort of 
 agent from England should be sent out in some com- 
 mercial official character, (if the nature of things will 
 not admit of his being invested publicly with any 
 diplomatic office,) to observe and give information 
 about what is going on here, and to counteract the 
 unremitting efforts which our inveterate enemies, 
 the citizens of the United States, are making against 
 us ; and it is very much to be wished that one or 
 two small vessels of war should be stationed in 
 this river, where it is utterly impossible for a ship 
 of the class and draft of water of the Nereus, very 
 frequently, to act at all, or even to defend herself 
 against any inferior force drawing three or four feet 
 water less, w r hen she is, by the sudden subsidence 
 of the water in the river, immovably fixed in the 
 mud. Large ships, drawing more than fifteen feet 
 water, may, when lying off Buenos Ayres, impress 
 its rulers and inhabitants (ignorant as they all are 
 of nautical affairs) with more awe, but they are 
 absolutely unfit for the protection of the commerce 
 
271 
 
 of this river, and, in many points, less effective for 
 the defence of merchant vessels against the attacks 
 of vessels of light draft of water, than small vessels 
 would be. No ship should ever be sent up this 
 river drawing more than sixteen feet ; the Nereus 
 draws eighteen feet five inches, and for a distance of 
 thirty miles I have been obliged to press her along 
 in eighteen feet, and sometimes less in the deepest 
 water to be had ; and where we now lie, eight miles 
 from Buenos Ay res, we have frequently less than 
 fourteen feet water alongside, and the ship as firmly 
 fixed as a church, and just as equal to defend what 
 her guns would not reach, and her boats might not 
 be equal to. These evils, my Lord, added to the 
 consideration that there is not in this country a man 
 who would take charge of this ship off my hands as 
 a pilot, make the responsibility I feel here of no 
 small weight. I, however, do my best, and hope 
 for the best. 
 
 c I have the honour to be, &c., 
 
 <P. H. 
 
 6 To the Right Hon. Lord Viscount MELVILLE/ 
 
 The two following letters refer to an incident, 
 which they themselves sufficiently explain. They 
 are introduced as giving a pleasing instance of 
 Captain Heywood's benevolent disposition, and 
 his promptitude in acting for the relief of a suffering 
 fellow-creature. The first, addressed to Admiral De 
 Courcy, was placed in Captain Heywood's hands 
 
272 
 
 as the commanding officer on the station, and is as 
 follows : 
 
 * Falkland Islands, Feb. 22, 1 8 1 3. 
 
 'Sin, 
 
 C I beg leave to acquaint you that a merchant 
 ship, the Isabella, bound to Europe from Port Jack- 
 son, Hyson master, whence she sailed fourth De- 
 cember lastj struck upon a rock the ninth instant. 
 There were fifty-four souls on board, including 
 fourteen marines placed under my command by his 
 Excellency, Governor Macquaire. The ship's boat, 
 which was immediately fitted out, has this day sailed 
 to endeavour to find out a settlement, as the island 
 we were cast upon, one of the most Eastern, is un- 
 inhabited ; and, should she fail in the attempt, will 
 proceed to Rio. Lieutenant Lundin, of the 73d 
 regiment, accompanies a Mr. Brookes in the boat, 
 with four seamen and one of the marines ; they will 
 be able to give every further information respecting 
 our present state. To add to my personal afflictions, 
 I have a wife and child, and Mrs. Durie expects to 
 be confined immediately. Confident that you will 
 have the goodness to order a vessel for our preserva- 
 tion, I have the honour to remain, &c., yours, 
 
 * ROBERT DURIE, Capt., 
 
 Second Battalion, T 3d Reg* 
 
 4 To Admiral DE COURCY.' 
 
273 
 
 *H. M. S. Nereus, Aprils, 1813. 
 
 6 SIR, 
 
 c As misfortune was one of my earliest acquaint- 
 ances, and having more than once borne myself the 
 painful privations incident to shipwreck, I can, there- 
 fore, by experience and fellow-feeling, judge of and 
 sincerely commiserate the distressing situation to 
 which you have been reduced by the loss of the Isa- 
 bella on the Falkand Islands. Your misfortune is 
 the more deplorable, from the peculiar circumstances 
 of a family nature, deprived as your lady perhaps is 
 of every comfort and convenience her situation so 
 much requires. I was extremely sorry I had it not 
 in my power to send any vessel immediately to your 
 relief, on the 31st ult., when Lieutenant Lundin 
 providentially arrived in the Boat, and delivered to 
 me your letter addressed, on the king's service, to 
 Admiral De Courcy, acquainting him with your dis- 
 aster, and requesting a vessel might be sent for your 
 preservation. The only vessel of his Majesty's at 
 the moment, or now, under my orders, was the 
 Nancy, a small armed brig, and she had recently 
 arrived here with the loss of masts and bowsprit, 
 and was that very day coming into the inner road, 
 to be remasted and fitted for sea. Nor was there 
 any merchant vessel that it w r ould have been proper 
 for me to hire for that particular service. 
 
 4 Every possible exertion has, however, been used 
 to put the Nancy in a fit condition to proceed ; and 
 
274 
 
 as Lieutenant Lundin and Mr. Brooks tell me, that 
 the greater part of the provisions, and other neces- 
 saries, was saved from the wreck, I shall cherish the 
 hope that Lieut. D'Aranda, who commands the 
 Nancy, will arrive at the island you exist on, in- 
 sufficient time still, (if it please God,) to deliver you 
 and all your fellow-sufferers, more particularly 
 before the pain of hunger, and the severities of the 
 approaching winter, are felt by your little babes and 
 their afflicted mother. I wish the vessel and her 
 accommodations were more suitable, but the Lieu- 
 tenant will, I am sure, do every thing in his power 
 for their comfort, that you desire and the brig can 
 afford. I can only further express my regret that 
 the nature of my orders, and the particular service 
 on which I am employed in this river, put it entirely 
 out of my power, under present existing circum- 
 stances, to hasten myself to your relief in the 
 Nereus, as I could have wished. 
 
 6 1 beg you to be assured, Sir, that I shall pray 
 for your happy deliverance, a favourable passage, 
 and a safe arrival here. I remain, in the mean time, 
 with truth, your sincere and faithful servant, 
 
 'P. H. 
 
 6 To CaptainRo BERT DURIE, 
 
 OfH. M. 73rd Regiment. 9 
 
 On the 24th of May, 1813, H. M. S. Aquilon 
 arrived from Rio de Janeiro to relieve Captain Hey- 
 wood. The British merchants expressed a desire 
 
275 
 
 for him to remain three weeks or a month longer, 
 to give them sufficient time to get all their affairs 
 arranged and accounts closed to go by the Nereus, 
 a desire with which Captain Heywood kindly com- 
 plied, though he was extremely anxious to return 
 home. 
 
 '10th of June. The news brought by the Justi- 
 nian/ continues the diary, c of the state of affairs in 
 the North of Europe, together with reports of about 
 400Q troops being embarked at Cadiz, and nearly 
 ready to sail for Monte Video for the purpose of 
 relieving that fortress, and to quell the revolution in 
 these provinces, seeming to operate a good deal on 
 the public mind, as likely not only to retard very 
 much their exertions for freedom and independence, 
 but also to give vent to a large portion of the Bri- 
 tish commerce through the continent of Europe, 
 which might otherwise find its way out to this river, 
 I considered it a good opportunity to endeavour to 
 convince those members of the government with 
 whom I had occasion to talk on the subject, of 
 the absolute necessity of holding forth, as speedily 
 as possible, every encouragement in their power 
 to British merchants to send out goods, by low- 
 ering the duties, repealing their decree imposing 
 consignees on the foreigner trading to Buenos 
 Ayres ; and, moreover, without a moment's delay, 
 permitting them to export the precious metals. 
 They must be aware, I observed, of the great loss of 
 revenue the government annually suffered by the 
 extraction of it in a clandestine way, a proceeding 
 
276 
 
 which, of course, would continue until they could 
 make those of their own officers, whom it em- 
 powered to prevent smuggling, faithful to their 
 trust ; who now, one after the other, it was but 
 too evident, made fortunes at the expense of the 
 
 revenue/ 
 
 Captain Heywood's reasonings produced their 
 effect: on the 16th, a motion was made in the 
 assembly, for opening a register at the Custom- 
 house for the exportation of specie and bullion, and 
 favourably received ; and on the 23d, a decree was 
 passed to permit, in future, the exportation of the 
 precious metals, on which the Captain observes, 
 that c these folks, like others, will gain wisdom 
 as they grow older/ The following letter was 
 addressed to Captain Heywood on this subject by 
 the merchants of Buenos Ayres, and it need scarcely 
 be said that it received the attention which it de- 
 served. 
 
 4 Buenos Ayres, 8tk July^ 1813. 
 'Sin, 
 
 ' The lively interest you have always so kindly 
 taken in the welfare of this trade, leads us to hope 
 that you will not deny us your assistance to make 
 known to the Lords Commissioners of the Admi- 
 ralty, and to the Board of Trade, the very great 
 disadvantages suffered by the British merchants 
 trading to the Rio de la Plata. 
 
 c Your own observation during the time you have 
 been amongst us will, we doubt not, suggest to you 
 the justice of our complaints, and will enable you 
 
277 
 
 to explain their causes more correctly than any in- 
 formation we can pretend to give ; at the same time 
 we would take the liberty to call your attention to 
 some of the leading points, in the hope that our 
 joint efforts may succeed in obtaining their remedy. 
 
 ' The distance we are removed from England na- 
 turally requires a long time for realizing the adven- 
 tures of our friends ; consequently the trade is but 
 ill able to bear any delay which can be avoided. 
 
 4 Our first object, therefore, is to obtain a direct 
 communication with England by ships of war ; 
 of which, ever since the opening of this river to Bri- 
 tish commerce, we have been deprived. Merchant 
 vessels coming here with convoy, (they are not now 
 allowed to sail singly,) have been obliged either to 
 go into Rio de Janeiro, in the hope of a ship of war 
 being about to sail for the southward, or expose 
 themselves to the danger of proceeding hither un- 
 protected the extent of which is latterly much in- 
 creased, as the recent capture of three rich mer- 
 chant vessels for this port, after having parted from 
 the Rio de Janeiro convoy, evidently proves. 
 
 6 We next come to the delay to which we have 
 been subjected in making our returns, of which the 
 principal must necessarily be bullion, which, from 
 the few ships of war sent here to carry it home, we 
 have frequently been obliged to risk by merchant 
 vessels, or allow our friends to suffer the greatest 
 distress from their funds lying so many months on 
 board a ship of war off this city. We beg leave to 
 
278 
 
 instance H. M. ship Bonne Citoyenne, which ves- 
 sel lay at this anchorage from March till October, 
 1812, and the ship under your command from the 
 last-mentioned date to the present day, during 
 which periods little less than one million of dollars 
 in specie were forwarded by merchant vessels, 
 under excessive rates of insurance, in hopes of re- 
 lieving the distress occasioned by the long deten- 
 tion of British funds on this side. How much 
 more advantageous it would have been to those con- 
 cerned to have sent so large a sum by ships of war, 
 had they sailed oftener, it is unnecessary to point 
 out. 
 
 4 We believe the bullion carried by H. M. ships 
 Lightning, Nereus, Laurestinus, and Bonne Cito- 
 yenne, November 1811, considerably exceeds four 
 million and a half of dollars, and, we presume, a 
 trade affording such returns, may be considered of 
 some national importance, and deserving of that 
 protection and encouragement which it is the ob- 
 ject of the present application, through you, to 
 procure. 
 
 ' We wish to confine ourselves to these points, 
 conceiving them to be most easily remedied, and 
 which, with your kind assistance, we would fain 
 hope will be taken into consideration, and found of 
 sufficient importance to induce government to order 
 convoys to proceed direct to this river, and to appoint 
 vessels of war to sail more frequently, without pro- 
 longing their passages by touching at Brazil, or 
 
 
279 
 
 taking home convoys of so much less value than 
 the remittances they convey. 
 
 4 We cannot. Sir, conclude this letter, without 
 offering you our sincere thanks for the universal 
 attention you have shewn the British interests in 
 this country, and assuring you, (should it be agreea- 
 ble to yourself,) that it will give us very great plea- 
 sure to see you again senior officer, on this station, 
 
 c We have the honour to be, Sir, yours, &c/ 
 (Signed by the British residents at Buenos Ayres.) 
 
 On the 15th of July, Captain Hey wood sailed 
 from Buenos Ayres to join Admiral Dixon at Rio 
 Janeiro, where he arrived on the 26th. He found 
 the Montagu and Hermes there. * Waiting on 
 Admiral Dixon, he, to my no small surprise and 
 still less satisfaction/ says Captain Heywood, 
 'acquainted me, that not thinking it advisable to 
 risk in a frigate so large a sum as the Nereus had 
 on board, it was his intention to appoint me to the 
 command of the Montagu, and that I might carry 
 it home in her, and Captain Dixon^ his son^ should 
 take command of the Nereus. As I felt any thing 
 but gratification at this unexpected arrangement, I 
 received the communication in silence. As my 
 servitude of ten years in a frigate had expired, I 
 could not remonstrate against it as a hardship, and 
 had nothing left for it but passive obedience, con- 
 soling myself with the idea of being put in posses- 
 sion of more adequate means of dealing with the 
 
280 
 
 American frigates than my poor old Nereus afford- 
 ed. I begged, however, to be allowed to take with 
 me such of my officers, with a few men, as might 
 be desirous of going into the Montagu with me, and 
 succeeded in all my officers but Mr. Warner, the 
 master. As he had much local experience in the 
 Plata, whither the Nereus was again to be destined, 
 and the master of the Montagu did not wish to ex- 
 change, I could not have Mr. Warner with me. The 
 poorfellow severely felt thedisappointment and unex- 
 pected separation from his old messmates, who were 
 all mutually and strongly attached to each other, 
 and to him in particular/ At ten o'clock, there- 
 fore, on the 30th of July, Captain Heywood took 
 the command of the Montagu, and he arrived at 
 Spithead in her on the 26th of September following. 
 On his arrival at home he transmitted to the Com- 
 mittee at Lloyd's, and also to the merchants of 
 Liverpool, a copy of his observations on the River 
 de la Plata. From both quarters he immediately 
 received the thanks of the merchants for his kind 
 attention and valuable remarks. The following is 
 the letter addressed to Captain Heywood by the 
 Secretary at Lloyd's : 
 
 < SIR, Lloyd's, 30th Sept., 1813. 
 
 c I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt 
 
 of your favour of the 26th inst, transmitting your 
 
 observations on the navigation of the River de la 
 
 Plata, and beg leave to acquaint you, that it has 
 
281 
 
 been laid before the Committee for managing the 
 affairs at Lloyd's, who have directed me to request 
 that you will be pleased to accept their thanks for 
 this important communication, and beg to be in- 
 formed if they have permission to print the remarks, 
 with the sanction of your name, for the benefit of 
 the trade to and in the River Plata. 
 6 1 am, with respect, Sir, 
 
 6 Your obedient, humble servant, 
 (Signed) c JOHN BENNETT, Jim., Secretary.' 
 
 To this Captain Heywood replied, in a letter 
 dated 2d Oct., 1813, that as his object in offering 
 them the few observations he had been enabled to 
 make in the navigation of the Plata was the safety 
 of vessels employed therein, and the benefit of 
 underwriters connected therewith, the Committee 
 were at liberty to make the communication to the 
 masters of such vessels as might be destined thither, 
 in whatever way they found most convenient to 
 themselves, or most likely to be conducive to the 
 end proposed. The observations were accordingly 
 printed in the form of a pamphlet, and twelve copies 
 presented to Captain Heywood for his own use, 
 and as a further acknowledgment, on the part of 
 the Committee at Lloyd's, of his attention to the 
 interests of that trade, by favouring them with his re- 
 marks immediately on his return to England. They 
 are nearly all embodied in the valuable work of 
 James Horsburgh, Esq., c Directions for Navigating 
 
282 
 
 the Indian Seas/ and their merit and importance 
 may there be seen as they are gratefully acknow- 
 ledged. 
 
 Shortly after his return the merchants of London, 
 connected with the trade of Buenos Ayres, addressed 
 a letter to the Lords of the Admiralty, expressive of 
 their high sense of the value of Captain Heywood's 
 services, and leaving on record a most honourable 
 testimony to his merits as an officer and a man. 
 
 * To the LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF THE ADMIRALTY. 
 
 'London, th Oct., 1813. 
 <MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIPS, 
 4 The accounts which we have some time past re- 
 ceived from our Agents in the Rio de la Plata, 
 stating the advantages derived to our commerce in 
 that quarter from the judicious and impartial con- 
 duct of Captain Peter Heywood, late Commander 
 of H. M. S. Nereus, impose on us the pleasing duty 
 to express to your Lordships our gratitude for the 
 selection of that meritorious officer for that station, 
 in the difficult situation of preserving a strict neu- 
 trality between contending and exasperated parties, 
 and at the same time effectually protecting the 
 British trade. Captain Heywood has not only at- 
 tained these objects, but, at the same time, con- 
 ciliated the respect arid confidence of the Spanish 
 authorities at Monte Video, the government of 
 Buenos Ayres, and of the British residents in those 
 countries. The government of Buenos Ayres has, 
 
283 
 
 on this occasion, addressed H. M. Ernbassador, 
 Lord Strangford, at Rio de Janeiro, for the purpose 
 of acknowledging their high sense of Captain Hey- 
 woocPs conduct during his command in the Rio de 
 la Plata. We also are persuaded that the permis- 
 sion lately given by the government of Buenos 
 Ayres, for the exportation of specie, was in a great 
 measure owing to the influence of Captain Hey- 
 wood, who has most probably insured to us the 
 permanent facility of receiving remittances in specie 
 without risk. 
 
 4 We trust, that, under these circumstances, your 
 Lordships will excuse us for this public declaration 
 of our sentiments, and permit us to express a hope, 
 that, provided the public service allows it, Captain 
 Heywood may again be employed on that station, 
 for which his abilities and local knowledge so emi- 
 nently qualify him. 
 
 6 We have the honour to be, &c., &c., 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 * T. & R. M'KERRELL, THOMAS HAYNE & Co. 
 
 SAMUEL WINTER, BROWN, ROGERS, & BROWN, 
 
 O'REILLY, YOUNG, & Co. JACOB WOOD, 
 HALLET, BROTHERS, & Co. NICHOLLS, SEWELL, & Co. 
 JOHN HODGSON, FULTON & Co.' 
 
 WILLIAM HAYNE & Co. 
 
 Soon after his return home, Captain Heywood 
 was ordered to the North Sea, where he remained 
 under the command of Sir William Young, and after- 
 wards of his present Majesty, then Duke of Clarence, 
 
284 
 
 until the restoration of Louis the Eighteenth. The 
 Montagu accompanied the Bourbons to their native 
 shores, and was afterwards employed to bring home 
 the troops from Bourdeaux as the flag ship of Rear- 
 Admiral Foote, who commanded the squadron on that 
 service. On arriving in England he hoisted the flag 
 of Rear-Admiral SirT.Biam Martin, and led the fleet 
 through the various manoeuvres, exhibited before the 
 Allied Sovereigns when they visited Portsmouth, 
 on the day of the grand naval review at Spithead. 
 
 6 On intelligence being received/ says the writer 
 in the United Service Journal, c of Napoleon's 
 escape from Elba, Captain Heywood was ordered 
 to the Mediterranean station, where he was directed 
 to co-operate with the Austrians against Murat. 
 After convoying an expedition from Naples to Ge- 
 noa and Marseilles, he proceeded to Gibraltar, where 
 the port duties devolved upon him as senior officer. 
 Here his habits of ship-keeping proved very timely; 
 for the report of the Ister having run on shore near 
 Cape de Gata had scarcely arrived, when the Mon- 
 tagu was seen under way, and to the timely assist- 
 ance he ordered and afforded, was mainly owing the 
 preservation of that fine frigate. 
 
 ' Whilst at Gibraltar, two Otaheitan youths were 
 brought to him by his friend Capt, Godfrey, of the 
 Arachne. These poor fellows had been kidnapped 
 and ill-treated on board a merchant ship, whence 
 they were rescued ; their agitation, and the astonish- 
 ment they expressed, on being addressed in their 
 
285 
 
 native language, was singularly interesting to every 
 one present, but how much more so to Captain 
 Heywood himself, by thus harrowing up the recol- 
 lections of those painful vicissitudes of his early 
 life !> 
 
 The following extracts, from a letter written at 
 this time, containing Captain Heywood's own de- 
 scription of this scene, and his feelings and reflec- 
 tions on the occasion, cannot but be read with 
 sympathy and admiration. 
 
 4 Montagu, Gibraltar, February 1, 1816. 
 c An event of rather a singular nature occurred 
 to me two or three days ago, and I confess I have 
 still so much of the savage about me as to have 
 been in no small degree interested by it. I heard 
 accidentally, last Sunday, that there were two poor 
 unfortunate Taheiteans on board the Calypso, who 
 had been kidnapped, and brought away from their 
 island by an English ship about thirteen or fourteen 
 months ago. Thence they went to Lima, and in a 
 Spanish ship were conveyed to Cadiz, where soon 
 after their arrival last June, they made their escape, 
 and got on board the Calypso, where they have re- 
 mained ever since, unable to make themselves under- 
 stood, and hopeless of ever revisiting their native 
 country, to which they ardently long to go back, 
 ~and God knows, and so do I, that is not to be won- 
 dered at. As I thought they would be much more 
 at their ease and comfortable with me, I ordered 
 
286 
 
 them to be discharged into the Montagu, and they 
 were brought on board. Never, as long as I live, 
 shall I forget the emotions of these poor creatures, 
 when, on entering the door of my cabin, I wel- 
 comed them in their own way, by exclaiming, 
 
 " Ma now, wa, Ehd, maa ! Yowra t'Eatooa, te harre a 
 mye ! Welcome, my friends ! God save you in coming 
 here!" 
 
 4 They could scarce believe their ears when I ac- 
 costed them in a language so dear to them, and 
 which, except by each other, they had not heard 
 pronounced since they were torn from their country. 
 They seemed at the moment electrified. A rush of 
 past recollections at once filled their minds, and 
 then, in a tone and with an expression peculiar to 
 these people, and strikingly mournful, they sighed 
 out together and in unison : 
 
 " Attaye, huoy ay ! Attaye huoy to tawa Venooa, my 
 tye ay ! Ita roa ye heo ay ! Alas ! Alas ! our good 
 country, we shall never see it more !" 
 
 I took each by the hand and told them, that if I 
 lived they should be sent home to their country, 
 and assured them, that in the mean time they should 
 remain with me, and that I would be their country- 
 man, their friend and protector. Poor fellows ! 
 they were quite overwhelmed their tears flowed 
 apace and they wept the thankfulness they could 
 not express. They looked wistfully at me and at 
 each other. God knows what was passing in their 
 minds, but in a short time they grew calm and felt 
 
287 
 
 comforted ; and they now feel contented and happy. 
 It was a scene which I would not have lost for 
 much more than I ought to say. But there is no 
 describing the state of one's mind in witnessing the 
 sensibilities of another fellow-being, with a convic- 
 tion, at the same time, that they are true and un- 
 affected. And, good God! with what ease that is 
 discovered. What an amazing difference there is 
 between these children of nature and the pupils 
 of art and refinement ! It was a scene worthy 
 of being described by a better pen a sincere ex- 
 pression of Nature's genuine, best feelings, such as 
 we sometimes read of in many of OUY pretty novels; 
 but rarely, very rarely see, in this civilized hemi- 
 sphere of ourSj and which, indeed, I do believe / 
 very seldom have seen wholly unsophisticated by 
 some selfish passion, which interest mixes with 
 them, but polish teaches to conceal, except among 
 the poor untaught savages of the island which gave 
 these men birth where plenty and content are the 
 portion of all, unalloyed by care, envy, or ambition 
 where labour is needless and want unknown. At 
 least, such it was twenty-five years ago. And after 
 all that is said and done among us great and wise 
 people of the earth, pray what do we all toil for, 
 late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness, but 
 to reach, at last, the very state to which they are 
 born ease of circumstances, and the option of being 
 idle or busy as we please ? But if I go on this wav 
 
288 
 
 you will say I am a savage, and so I believe I am, 
 and ever shall be in some points ; but let that pass. 
 6 As these poor fellows appear to be very wretch- 
 ed in a state of existence so new to them, so foreign 
 to their original manners and habits, and as their 
 ignorance utterly disqualifies them for enjoying 
 what they cannot comprehend the value of, and 
 renders them useless members of a state of civiliza- 
 tion and refinement such as ours, I have written a 
 public letter to Mr. Croker, and a private one to 
 Admiral Hope, to beg they may be sent out to their 
 own country, should the newspaper reports be true, 
 that our government intends to send a vessel to 
 Pitcairn's island with articles of comfort and con- 
 venience for the new-discovered progeny of the 
 Bounty's people. This discovery naturally inter- 
 ested me much when I first heard of it in 1809, at the 
 Admiralty; but still more has the information given 
 us since by Sir Thomas Staines and Captain Pipon* 
 interested me. A very lively and general curiosity 
 seems to have been excited to know more about a 
 race of beings so new and uncommon in the compo- 
 sition of their character, and not the less so from its 
 purity. And even my curiosity (gratified as it has 
 been already by seeing man in every stage of so- 
 
 * The information given by these gentlemen is to be found, with 
 many very interesting particulars, in the account of Pitcairn's Island, 
 subjoined to the " History of the Meeting of the Bounty." The 
 reader, who is not already acquainted with this account, cannot fail to 
 be highly gratified by its perusal. 
 
289 
 
 ciety, from the miserable savage of New Holland to 
 the most cultivated and refined European) has been 
 awakened by the accounts of these officers ; so that, 
 were I on the spot, and any thing were going out that 
 way, it is not at all clear to me but that I should be 
 tempted to endeavour to go and look at this new 
 species, as well as to judge whether the natives 
 of Taheite have, upon the whole, been benefited, or 
 the reverse, by their intercourse with Europe for the 
 last twenty-five years. I know what they were 
 then, and I believe there are few persons, if any, 
 now living, who possess the same means of judging 
 of the change that may have taken place, because all 
 those who saw them about that time were but 
 casual visitors ; and if I may be allowed to judge 
 from what has been written, these visitors knew 
 just as much about the people as they did of their 
 language ; and a man must have a strangely-con- 
 structed head who can believe that any thing which it 
 is most interesting to know concerning a strange peo- 
 ple, can possibly be known (correctly at least) without 
 the latter. Yet we meet with many descriptions of 
 their manners, customs, religion, and ceremonies, of 
 their government and policy, (if they have any,) 
 that must have been comprehended. How ? Why, 
 by the eye alone. Now is this possible ? No : 
 and I can only say, that more than two years and a 
 halPs residence among them, and a very competent 
 knowledge of their language, never enabled me to dis- 
 cover the truth of nearly all the descriptions of those 
 
 u 
 
290 
 
 matters before the public, most of which I, at this 
 moment, believe never to have had existence except 
 in the heads of the writers ! But, fortunately for those 
 who feed curiosity with a goose-quill, there is no lack 
 of credulity in Great Britain, whatever there may be 
 of faith. To us, however, it is very immaterial what 
 stories we are told about them ; and to know more or 
 less of these savages, will neither add to nor lessen 
 our stock of happiness. Happiness indeed does not 
 seem to be our chief object of search, so much as 
 wealth, distinctions, and power, where alone we most 
 of us suppose it to reside, notwithstanding half a thou- 
 sand old fellows, from Solomon down to Dr. Cogan, 
 have been telling us we are all wrong. But these 
 Islanders have neither power nor gold to make it ; 
 but plenty, cheerfulness, and content they have, and 
 with nature only for their guide, they are so deplo- 
 rably ignorant as to fancy, that these, with a few 
 social enjoyments, constitute the summum bonum 
 of life. Upon the whole, there is more general hap- 
 piness among them, than among any people I have 
 met with on earth ; so that I am very sure, the less 
 we teach them of our arts and sciences, the better 
 for themselves. Let them, however, have our reli- 
 gion ; for though they have a firm belief in the 
 Supreme Being, of the soul's separate existence, and 
 of a future state after death, still more happy than 
 the present, yet it may be for their benefit hereafter 
 to have a knowledge of Christianity, though I am 
 not at all sure it will make them happier during life, or 
 
291 
 
 add to the composure with which I have seen seve- 
 ral of them, both old and young, depart out of it. 
 In most matters, indeed, they act up to its tenets 
 already, without knowing any thing about it. But 
 those customs among them, which are in direct op- 
 position to its holy precepts, as well as to their own 
 happiness here, (most of which, however strange it 
 may seem to the ear of an European, originate in 
 pride of family ,) particularly infanticide, it would 
 doubtless correct, and in time explode. But of this 
 matter I have said more than enough, perhaps, and 
 more than I intended."* 
 
 * In connexion with this subject the Editor cannot forbear calling 
 the attention of the reader to a very remarkable passage in the History 
 of the Mutiny of the Bounty. After a description of Otaheite and 
 its inhabitants, the writer adds, 
 
 ' Such was the state of this beautiful island and its interesting and 
 fascinating natives at the time when Captain Wallis first discovered 
 and Lieutenant Cook shortly afterwards visited it. What they now 
 are, as described by Captain Beechey, it is lamentable to reflect. 
 All their usual and innocent amusements have been denounced by 
 the missionaries, and, in lieu of them, these poor people have been 
 driven to seek for resources in habits of indolence and apathy : that 
 simplicity of character, which atoned for many of their faults, has 
 been converted into cunning and hypocrisy ; and drunkenness, po- 
 verty, and disease have thinned the island of its former population to 
 a frightful degree. By a survey of the first missionaries, and a census 
 of the inhabitants, taken in 1797, the population was estimated at 
 16,050 souls; Captain Waldegrave, in 1830, states it, on the autho- 
 rity of a census also taken by the missionaries, to amount only to 
 5000 and there is but too much reason to ascribe this diminution to 
 praying, psalm-singing, and dram-drinking. 
 
 ( The island of Otaheite is in shape two circles united by a low and 
 
 narrow isthmus. The larger circle is named Otaheite Mooe*, and is 
 
 i about thirty miles in diameter ; the lesser, named Tiaraboo, about 
 
 ten miles in diameter. A belt of low land, terminating in numerous 
 
 valleys, ascending by gentle slopes to the central mountain, which is 
 
 u 2 
 
292 
 
 Captain Heywood was distinguished from his 
 brother officers by entertaining different, and, as 
 they were perhaps thought, singular opinions, on 
 
 about seven thousand feet high, surrounds the larger circle, and the 
 same is the case with the smaller circle on a proportionate scale. 
 Down these valleys flow streams and rivulets of clear water, and the 
 most luxuriant and verdant foliage fills their sides and the hilly ridges 
 that separate them, among which were once scattered the smiling 
 cottages and little plantations of the natives. All these are now de- 
 stroyed, and the remnant of the population has crept down to the 
 flats and swampy ground on the sea-shore, completely subservient to 
 the seven establishments of missionaries, who have taken from them 
 what little trade they used to carry on, to possess themselves of it ; 
 who have their warehouses, act as agents, and monopolize all the 
 cattle on the island but, in return, they have given them a new re- 
 ligion and a parliament (risum teneatis?) and reduced them to a state 
 of complete pauperism and all, as they say, and probably have so 
 persuaded themselves, for the honour of God, and the salvation of their 
 souls I How much is such a change, brought about by such conduct, 
 to be deprecated 1 How lamentable is it to reflect, that an island on 
 which Nature has lavished so many of her bounteous gifts, with which 
 neither Cyprus nor Cythera, nor the fanciful island of Calypso, can 
 compete in splendid and luxuriant beauties, should be doomed to 
 such a fate in an enlightened age, and by a people that call them- 
 selves civilized !' Pp. 3739. 
 
 How much does this extract contain for serious and even painful 
 reflection ! Are these the effects of the introduction of a religion 
 which makes ' peace on earth and good-will to man the glory of 
 of Gdd'? It should be observed, however, that there is a little 
 stronger colouring given to the picture in this account than it appears 
 to wear in the original ; or, at least, that in Captain Beechey's Narra- 
 tive there are observations calculated to modify the strong feelings of 
 regret and indignation which this statement excites. The reader, 
 who is not already acquainted with it, will do well to consult Captain 
 Beechey's very interesting Narrative of a Voyage to the Pacific in 
 the years 1825-28. The account of Pitcairn's island, the picture of 
 Adams, the information on missionary settlements and their in- 
 fluence, given by that author, abound in matter for delightful and 
 improving contemplation. 
 
 Is there not a mistaken benevolence extensively pervading society, 
 which, indulging grand but vague expectations, delights in searching 
 
293 
 
 many important and interesting points. Amongst 
 others, was the more favourable estimate which he had 
 formed of the talents and character of the American 
 naval officers ; and he appears at this time to have 
 given a little umbrage to some of his friends by the 
 expression of this estimate, or at least to have been 
 called upon vigorously to defend his opinion. The 
 former part of the letter, which contains the fore- 
 going extract, is chiefly taken up with this topic. 
 
 c Montagu, February 1st, 1816. 
 
 c MY DEAR B 
 
 4 1 avail myself of the Partridge, now at single 
 anchor, all ready for a start the moment the wind 
 serves, to thank you for your long and kind letter of 
 the 13th November, brought over by the Tagus. 
 I am glad I happened to anticipate your wish to 
 know something of the Yankees. However you 
 may agree with me, my friend *^ *, to whom 
 I wrote an account of them in similar terms, has 
 rated me, not a little, for giving what he calls " un- 
 qualified praise to those Yankee doodles \" That 
 I gave credit to the Yankees we had here, as far 
 as they appeared to me to deserve it, is true ; but 
 that I conceded to them unqualified praise, I deny ; 
 and if what I did give, happened to be at the 
 expense of my own countrymen, (as he seemed to 
 
 out distant and unknown spheres of operation, embarrassed by all the 
 difficulties of imperfect, often false, information and ignorance of the 
 true nature of the evil to be removed ? 
 
294 
 
 think,) the fault is theirs, not mine. I am one of 
 those who do not consider true worth to be the 
 growth of one particular soil alone. But it may be 
 the production of any, and wherever I see, I feel 
 myself bound to acknowledge it, even in an enemy. 
 When the evidence of the senses convinces the un- 
 derstanding in opposition to unfavourable report, 
 the liberal-minded man will not allow his judgment 
 to be obscured by national partiality. Nor will he 
 be so unjust as to withhold from the deserving man 
 his meed of praise, whether he be a countryman, a 
 friend, or a foe. If we really discover among these 
 Americans any of that ability and those qualities 
 which we admire, and upon which we pride ourselves 
 so much, are we, merely because they were born in 
 America, to suffer narrow-minded prejudice to blind 
 our reason ? No, surely not ! Be assured this is un- 
 wise, it is unmanly; nay, it is mean, it is despicable. 
 But farther still than this. If we find some American 
 officers, whom, by the bye, I do not class with their 
 fellow-countrymen on shore of whom I know but lit- 
 tle, to have given particular attention to some profes- 
 sional studies to which many, nay most of us, have 
 perhaps paid no attention at all, are we to deny them 
 merit as far as that goes, on the ground of deficiency 
 in ourselves ? I must honestly confess, that I can- 
 not do this, and, with much humility too, that, as an 
 individual, on comparing myself with one or two 
 with whom I conversed here, I found, I am sorry 
 to say, that I was rather light in the balance, that is, 
 
293 
 
 wanting in a knowledge of some particular matters 
 closely connected with our profession, which we all 
 ought to know, but I do not; and of which I have 
 some reason to believe, that too many of my brother 
 officers are equally ignorant. Yet these men were 
 modest and unassuming, and most of them had can- 
 dour enough to acknowledge their general inferiority 
 to British naval officers ; assuring me, that they 
 were only desirous of emulating them. Far from 
 giving them credit for general excellence, I see they 
 are at present very inferior to us upon the whole ; 
 and to me it is evident, that those among them who 
 can think dispassionately, think so too : so that they 
 have in their composition the best possible ingre- 
 dient to make themselves better ; for nothing is so 
 inimical to improvement, as thaf pride which pre- 
 sumes on supposed superiority and merit, or that 
 haughtiness which indicates unqualified contempt 
 of others. It has always appeared to me, that our 
 high naval reputation has arisen from successes over 
 the French and Spaniards, whom we ourselves, as 
 well as the nation at large, have always looked on 
 as despicable opponents in naval warfare. But it be- 
 hoves us not to class the Americans with foes 
 like these. 
 
 I have not heard from Lord Exmouth since 
 the 20th December. He was then at Leghorn, 
 without orders about the fleet, and about to visit 
 Rome, &c. We are afraid it is intended to keep 
 us all here till the guardships are manned, as we 
 
296 
 
 hear our rulers at the Cross have made John Bull 
 growl a bit, by turning so many of our Jacks adrift 
 all at once. The fact is, John Bull has had his 
 worth of good out of us, and he cares not no\v what 
 becomes of Jack, provided he does not go over to 
 the Yankees, or takes to cruizing among his pigs 
 and poultry, to save himself from starving. As to 
 the extreme reluctance of men to enter the navy, 
 the causes must be too self-evident to us who have 
 been among them for so many years to need men- 
 tioning here. With respect to the navy, there is an 
 evident want at present of national gratitude and 
 proper feeling. However, when fear brings our 
 good countrymen to their right senses, they always 
 know, because they feel, our value. If ever again 
 the country's enemies become respectable by sea, 
 what has been ever, will be again ; we shall stand 
 upon the vantage ground, and the navy will meet 
 with that consideration from the sovereign, as well 
 as the country, which appears now to have been 
 transferred to the other class of its defenders. It 
 will not then be necessary for officers of the highest 
 rank in our service, to stoop to beg to be put on 
 a footing of equality with the army ! There has 
 been, I see by the papers, such a petition. This is 
 a crying shame somewhere, and it is not for us to 
 apply for a remedy. It ought to be anticipated and 
 applied, if justice requires that it should; and as I 
 take it for granted that will be (or ought to be) im- 
 partially dealt, in such a constitution as ours, by the 
 
297 
 
 King to his servants, I would not be one, as an 
 officer, to petition for that which all his subjects 
 are entitled to expect at the hand of Majesty, whose 
 eye, we are to presume, is over us all alike ; and, as 
 a man, I would not forfeit my own esteem by be- 
 coming a beggar, unless driven to it by the force of 
 necessity and absolute want/' 
 
 The following description of Captain Heywood's 
 situation at the date of this letter, will be read with 
 interest by those who remember him. 
 
 " As Parliament meets to-morrow or next day, 
 I trust we shall hear, in a packet or two, whether 
 we are to remain here at this rock for ever. I 
 am sorry to say that we are beginning to feel the sad 
 effects of lying now nineteen weeks in a state of 
 inactivity, disappointed hope and expectation no 
 small evils in this life. It is ten times worse than 
 the whole war service put together. Within the 
 last fortnight I have sent to the hospital about fifty 
 men, and have buried three. Unless there exist 
 some most urgent necessity, it would be huma- 
 nity to remove us all from this country, for the 
 fellows in these ships have so set their hearts on 
 being paid off, that from the present state of their 
 minds they are ill fitted to begin a new war if there 
 should be one, and so indeed must every one 
 who has been compelled thus to live so long cut 
 off from every thing that man ought to hold dear in 
 life. However, we never have any grumbling on 
 
298 
 
 board old Montagu. We all know our duty, and 
 will not flinch from it. Still it would be satis- 
 factory, to have some time to look to -as no state 
 is so painful as suspense, or at least some reason 
 given to us for thus delaying our return home. In 
 the mean time, whatever may happen to us here, 
 may you be happy at home, and believe me, 
 
 * Most sincerely yours, 
 
 ' P. H.> 
 
 Similar remarks on the American naval character 
 were written about the same time by Captain Hey- 
 wood, in his own defence, to a friend who was less 
 disposed to coincide with them ; and they were 
 thus introduced : 
 
 4 And so, my good, worthy old messmate, you 
 would have given me a " broadside," for having 
 bestowed what you call unqualified praise on those 
 Yankees, at the expense of my " own countrymen." 
 However, if you had, you would have found me 
 prepared (as I trust I always shall be) to defend 
 myself against attack ; but with what success I pre- 
 sume not to say. I very seldom think it worth my 
 while to explain to the indifferent the motives I act 
 on, or my reasons for opinions which 1 may give, 
 and which, believe me, I adopt not lightly on trust, 
 but, to the best of my judgment, from observation 
 and conviction. Yet to those I value and esteem, 
 
299 
 
 I am always willing and ready to open my mind 
 without reserve. * * 
 
 ' It behoves us not to hold the Americans too 
 cheap in our estimation. We must either excel 
 them or they will excel us ; for they have humility 
 enough to confess they are not equal to us yet, in 
 naval skill and ability ; but they appear to me to 
 have the emulation to become so. 
 
 c And so far are they advanced in professional 
 science and practical seamanship, as well as in the 
 essential qualifications of officers, that I am inclined 
 to consider these Americans the only naval people, 
 in the present day, over whom a successful action, 
 on equal terms, can justly confer any credit on a 
 British opponent/ 
 
 In allusion to the report which had reached him 
 of the multitudes of his countrymen who flocked to 
 Plymouth, from curiosity, to see the fallen Emperor 
 Napoleon, then on board an English vessel awaiting 
 his destiny, thus paying him an honour gratifying 
 to his vanity, he says, 6 Why the public is a sort 
 of nondescript, an anomaly in nature. It cannot 
 discriminate between good and evil between the 
 career of honour towards the goal of fame and real 
 glory, or infamy/ 
 
 We may infer, perhaps, from this, that the opinion 
 Captain Heywood had formed thus early of the 
 character of Napoleon, was similar to that developed 
 by Dr. Channing, in his c Remarks on the Life and 
 Character of Napoleon Buonaparte/ and in his 
 
300 
 
 4 Thoughts on True Greatness/ productions, pub- 
 lished many years afterwards, with which Captain 
 H. entirely coincided in sentiment. 
 
 Captain Heywood and his crew were soon re- 
 leased from the station which appears to have be- 
 come so irksome to them. In the same month in 
 which his letter was dated, he accompanied Lord 
 Exmouth in that gratifying mission along the 
 Barbary shores, which produced the release of nearly 
 two thousand Christian slaves. The following 
 characteristic anecdote is given of him by the au- 
 thor of the Notice in the United States Journal : 
 c At Tripoli, another instance of his watchfulness 
 occurred ; a heavy N. W. wind coming on while 
 the Admiral and most of his captains were on shore, 
 the w r hole squadron began to drive, and some of them 
 heeled over prodigiously. We ran to the top of the 
 Consul's house, which overlooks the roads, where 
 Lord Exmouth and Sir J. Brisbane soon made their 
 appearance also. " My Lord," we said, " the 
 Montagu is under sail." " Oh ! as for Heywood," 
 he replied, " no fear of him ; (*he is sure to be in 
 his place) ; what are the others doing ?" 
 
 ' On our return from the Mediterranean/ con- 
 tinues Captain Heywood, 4 theMontagu was paid 
 off at Chatham, on the 16th of July, 1816 ; and I 
 came ashore, after having been actively employed at 
 sea twenty-seven years, six months, one week, and 
 
 * As added by a friend. 
 
301 
 
 five days, out of a servitude in the navy of twenty- 
 nine years, seven months, and one day/ 
 
 The following lines, written by one of the Mon- 
 tagu's crew, were sent to Captain Heywood, by 
 desire of the whole ship's company. They express 
 the sentiments of affectionate respect, which were 
 universally entertained towards him by his men, 
 and by his contemporaries in the service, and they 
 cannot, in justice to the subject, be excluded from 
 this volume. Sent to him at a moment when his 
 ship's company were about to be freed from the 
 restraints of naval discipline, they cannot indi- 
 cate a design to seek his favour by undue adu- 
 lation. 4 He was perfectly adored/ was the em- 
 phatic expression of one of his shipmates respecting 
 him to the writer of this memoir. In the Naval 
 Biography they are thus introduced : c We have had 
 occasion to notice the presentation of numerous 
 swords, snuff-boxes, rings, &c., but we have never 
 yet met with an instance of a naval commander re- 
 ceiving a tribute of respect and esteem from his 
 crew, better calculated to gratify a benevolent and 
 humane mind, than u The Seaman's Farewell to 
 H. M. S. Montagu," when put out of commission 
 at Chatham, on the 16th of July, 1816.' 
 
 Farewell to thee, MONTAGU ! yet ere we quit thee 
 We'll give thee the blessing, so justly thy due ; 
 
 For many a seaman will fondly regret thee, 
 And wish to rejoin thee, thou Gem of True Blue/ 
 
302 
 
 For stout were thy timbers, and stoutly commanded, 
 In the record of glory untarnished thy name ; 
 
 Still ready for battle when glory demanded, 
 And ready to conquer or die in thy fame. 
 
 Farewell to thee, Heywood 1 a truer one never 
 
 Exercised rule o'er the sons of the wave ; 
 The seamen who served thee, would serve thee for ever, 
 
 Who sway'd, but ne'er fetter'd, the hearts of the brave. 
 
 Haste home to thy rest, and may comforts enshrine it, 
 Such comforts as shadow the peace of the bless'd ; 
 
 And the wreath thou deserv'st, may gratitude twine it, 
 The band of true seamen thou ne'er hast oppress'd. 
 
 Farewell to ye, Shipmates, now home is our haven, 
 May our hardships all fade as a dream that is past ; 
 
 And be this true toast to old Montagu giv'n, 
 She was our best ship, and she was the last. 
 
 The wish, not inelegantly expressed in the fourth 
 of these verses, and certainly appropriate to his 
 character and tastes, was not breathed in vain. He 
 had now fulfilled the resolution so solemnly declared 
 to Captain Montagu, when the King's pardon was 
 extended to him, that he would devote his life to the 
 service of his Sovereign ; and as his country no 
 longer required the active exertions of the profession, 
 he retired from public life. His mind was from the 
 first evidently formed to gather the choicest fruits 
 of domestic privacy and leisure, and to cultivate, in 
 comparative seclusion and peace, intellectual and 
 literary tastes. Hitherto he had allowed nothing 
 to interfere with that high sense of duty to his 
 country, which was always present to his mind ; 
 
303 
 
 and, perhaps, from the feeling that his profession 
 was incompatible with that attention to the obliga- 
 tions of domestic ties which alone could satisfy 
 him in their enjoyment, he deferred until this time 
 his union with a lady, to whom he had long been 
 attached. 
 
304 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 ON the 31st of July, 1816, Captain Hey wood 
 married Frances, the only daughter of Francis Simp- 
 son, Esq., of Plean-House, Stirlingshire, and the 
 writer may be permitted to say, that in this lady 
 Captain Heywood found a companion who could 
 sympathize cordially in his mental and moral tastes. 
 Mrs. Heywood well appreciated the treasure of which 
 she became possessed, and valued, as they deserved, 
 the manly independence, the unaffected goodness, 
 the pure and simple manners, which were the dis- 
 tinguishing charm of her husband's character ; it 
 formed her chief happiness to share in his enjoy- 
 ments while he lived, and it is her chief consolation 
 to reflect that she soothed, with every faithful and 
 sedulous attention, the sufferings of his latest hours. 
 Possessed, then, of all that his heart desired with 
 a moderate competency, which, to his chastened 
 wishes and simple habits, was affluence ; self-justi- 
 fied in the recollection of the past, if not adorned 
 with the honours which he carried with him, (yet 
 what greater honour could such a mind desire than 
 the grateful and affectionate regards of his fellow- 
 
305 
 
 beings?) he withdrew into the bosom of domestic 
 retirement. For many years he lived at Highgate, 
 enjoying, in elegant hospitality, the visits of his 
 select friends, purifying by his refined taste, and 
 elevating by his intellectual pursuits, the society of 
 that home, over which his mind threw a charm like 
 the mild light of a descending sun upon a landscape, 
 after the storm and the cloud have passed away. 
 
 Captain Heywood had no family, but his home 
 
 had an additional ornament in a daughter of Mrs. 
 
 Heywood's, for whom he felt parental attachment, 
 
 and who reflected, with every feminine grace and 
 
 ^ accomplishment, the purity and amiableness of her 
 
 \father-i n-law's character. This lady is now united 
 
 to 4Jeut. Belcher, R. N. ? who, as Commander of 
 
 the ^Ltna, is at present surveying the coast of 
 
 Africa. 
 
 The feelings which animated him at this season 
 are, however, best known, as they are beautifully 
 exhibited in a letter to Lord Melville, written on 
 declining the honour of a Commodore's Broad Pen- 
 dant, a letter which the reader will doubtless ap- 
 preciate as highly as it deserves. 
 
 c On the 18th of May, 1818, Lord Melville, 
 without any solicitation of mine, or that of any of 
 my friends, that I am aware of/ says Captain Hey- 
 wood, in a brief summary of his career, ' made me 
 the offer of the command on the Lakes of Canada, 
 with a Commodore's Broad Pendant. He was so 
 good as to allow me to accept or refuse it, as well 
 
 x 
 
306 
 
 as a week to consider it. I had, however, no hesi- 
 tation in writing him the following letter the next 
 day: 
 
 < MY LORD, 
 
 ' I hope your Lordship will give me credit for 
 feeling, as I sincerely do, highly honoured by the 
 offer which you were pleased to make to me ; truly 
 grateful for a mark of estimation so far above my 
 deserving, and no less thankful for the permission 
 conceded to me to accept or decline it. 
 
 4 In deciding on a question of this kind, it be- 
 hoves an officer, in the first place, to divest his 
 mind of every private inducement that can possibly 
 influence his judgment. I have endeavoured to do 
 so, though, I must confess, under difficulties arising 
 from domestic circumstances, which could not have 
 presented themselves to a bachelor. Were the 
 country at war, there could be no option left. Duty 
 would point to immediate acceptance ; but a state 
 of peace may, perhaps, be allowed to render the 
 duty somewhat less imperative, and to sanction a 
 different resolve. It was ever my determination to 
 serve, if able, during war, when and wherever the 
 authorities of my country should require me ; a 
 determination that nothing but inability will ever 
 alter. At the same time, he who would never lend 
 a deaf ear to his country's call, nor evade demanded 
 service in time of war, cannot, perhaps, be justly 
 blamed for withstanding those allurements which 
 
307 
 
 tempt so many to seek employment in the service, 
 even in profound peace, nor be censured for desiring 
 to enjoy, with humility and content, the fruits of 
 many former years of professional anxiety and fa- 
 tigue. 
 
 * Professing myself to be one of these, and as it 
 has pleased God, through the means of many friends, 
 and more especially yourself, my Lord, to enable 
 me to realize a small competency, fully equal to my 
 limited desires, far beyond my most sanguine ex- 
 pectations, and infinitely beyond my deserving ; 
 and being now also in possession of every thing 
 which I hold of most intrinsic value in this life, I 
 candidly confess that I feel little disposed to quit 
 these things, even for a short time, except to con- 
 tribute the little measure in my power to the de- 
 fence of my country in time of war, or under a con- 
 viction, that my humble professional endeavours 
 may possibly be more useful to her in some parti- 
 cular case and time than those of another. This, 
 in the present instance, is, of course, entirely out of 
 the question. 
 
 4 The distinction, attached to the command which 
 your Lordship has done me the honour to deem me 
 worthy to hold, would be no inducement to me to 
 accept it at this time of peace; and the salary* still 
 less. Both these, however, would, no doubt, have 
 due weight with many officers, whose talents and 
 
 * About 1200 per annum. 
 x 2 
 
308 
 
 qualifications for such a command, I am very sure 
 greatly surpass mine, though, in point of zeal, I 
 trust I may be allowed to say that I feel no inferio- 
 rity to any. 
 
 ' Having no private views to promote by serving 
 during peace, and being entirely deaf to the sugges- 
 tions of vanity, or the desire of distinctions, (of 
 rank and command I mean,) merely for their own 
 sakes, I would therefore willingly hope, if the ser- 
 vice will admit of it, that your Lordship will be 
 pleased to permit me to decline the honour of this 
 command, in favour of some one of the numerous 
 meritorious and distinguished officers, to whom those 
 distinctions are objects of high ambition and regard, 
 if not of envy, and who, I have no doubt, will be 
 more fully competent to the discharge of its various 
 duties, with superior benefit to the public service. 
 
 6 1 trust further, my Lord, that my thus, most 
 respectfully, soliciting to be permitted to decline an 
 offer which 1 consider so highly honourable to me, 
 and for which I shall feel most grateful as long as I 
 live, will not be imputed to dereliction of my duty, 
 'but, on the contrary, to motives founded on right 
 principles, and fully justified by the circumstances. 
 Under this hope and trust, I beg leave to subscribe 
 myself, with every feeling of respect, duty, and gra- 
 titude, 
 
 4 My Lord, your Lordship's most faithful 
 and obliged humble servant, 
 
 c PETER HEYWOOD/ 
 
309 
 
 * 1 had an interview with Lord Melville a day or 
 two after he received the above/ says the writer in 
 a note following the letter, * and was happy to find 
 that my determination met his entire concurrence 
 and unqualified approbation. 
 
 ' P. H.' 
 
 This excellent man continued long to enjoy the 
 fruits of this resolution. His house was the resort 
 of friends, who looked up to him with respect, and 
 of young aspirants in the profession, who came to 
 profit by his experience and advice. Observation, 
 reading, and reflection, contributed to enrich the 
 mind, which early adversity had strengthened. 
 Captain Hey wood was active also with his pen : 
 he kept up an extensive correspondence, and pub- 
 lished, in the periodicals and journals of the day, 
 various papers chiefly on subjects relating to his 
 profession, and the sciences connected with it. He 
 seldom read without recording the observations 
 which occurred to him as of most importance in 
 the course of his inquiries, and failed not to com- 
 ment on the errors into which the author before him 
 had fallen. It is a subject of deep regret, that no 
 considerable results of this activity, at a season 
 when his mind and opinions were matured, can be 
 laid before the reader. Captain Heywood shrunk, 
 with virgin delicacy, from observation and notoriety, 
 and never obtruded his own proceedings or pursuits 
 on public attention. His authorship of the papers 
 
310 
 
 which he published, was probably known only to 
 those habitual companions who were admitted most 
 closely to his confidence, and not always even to 
 them. 
 
 The sentiments of the following letter, particu- 
 larly in relation to the priesthood, were such as the 
 author of this sketch often heard him express, and 
 it is the only letter, written at this period, which 
 has fallen into his hands : 
 
 c It is near a month, my dear * *, since I last 
 wrote to you, on the receipt of your letter, dated 
 6th of May, at Corfu, and I was just thinking of 
 writing to you now when that of July 1st, off 
 Egina, came to hand. It has come quickly, but 
 as it has been subjected to the prying system of 
 espionage, so generally established by the conti- 
 nental governments, opened and resealed, I deem it 
 necessary to let you know it, that you may be on 
 your guard as to what you write. Your excur- 
 sion to the summit of Mount Etna must have been 
 highly interesting to you, and would, of course, 
 have been still more agreeable could your ladies 
 have accompanied you. I take it for granted that 
 neither you nor they could have been much grati- 
 fied by your visit to Corfu, except as regards the 
 novelty and beauty of the surrounding country. I 
 confess, that pleased me much, when I was there in 
 the year 1815 ; but I was too much occupied to 
 make any use of my pencil, as I am happy to find 
 your dear girl has done. I have, however, been so 
 
311 
 
 fortunate as to obtain a few of the sketches made by 
 poor Cartwright during his long residence there, as 
 well as a few of his pictures, when they were sold 
 by auction at Philips's. 
 
 c As to the people there, I formed, from the little 
 I saw of them, a most unfavourable opinion, which 
 poor Cartwright corroborated, arid Mr. D. . ., from 
 whom I heard the other day, has fully confirmed. 
 And I take it for granted, that the rest of the Greeks 
 are all of much the same stamp as to their general 
 character. Indeed, from all I have seen and heard, 
 and been able to judge from their acts, during their 
 struggle for that independence and freedom which 
 they are as yet unqualified, by sloth and ignorance, 
 either to understand or to enjoy, they truly are 
 what D . . . describes them to be, " a treacherous, 
 dastardly race to friend and foe, scarcely possessing 
 one of the virtues for which credit has been mis- 
 takenly given them by self-interested writers of 
 travels, and some superficial observers." They 
 seem to be deplorably deficient in candour, truth, and 
 that feeling of moral obligation so necessary to bind 
 man to man, and it would appear that momentary 
 gratifications, and temporary advantages over each 
 other in their dealings, constitute the essence of their 
 ambition. A government in the hands of such men 
 can be little relied on, nor can it be expected to be 
 durable and efficient. A sudden but evanescent 
 lustre has now and then been thrown on the charac- 
 ter of this people by excitement of the moment, and 
 
312 
 
 the example of a few superior spirits ; but I fear it 
 will not be very durable. For there can scarcely be 
 a true patriotic feeling in the breasts of any of their 
 leaders ; and as to the Count* at their head, your 
 opinion of him is no doubt quite correct. I have 
 always thought him, and events but tend to shew 
 him, to be a self-interested agent in the hands of 
 the Russian autocrat. His object is evidently Rus- 
 sian aggrandizement, more than Greek freedom ; 
 and in all probability, whatever obstacles may be 
 thrown by the Allied Powers, through their minis- 
 ters at Constantinople, in the way of pacific nego- 
 ciation between the Turks and Russians, or even 
 the former and the Greeks, they will chiefly origi- 
 nate in him, although the freedom and welfare of 
 Greece will be always in his mouth, and be promi- 
 nently set forth in all his public documents. The 
 Count well knows, as every man of common sense 
 must know, that the Greeks, as a people, are quite 
 as unfit for a free constitution and the enjoyment of 
 freedom, as the Turks themselves, the Spaniards, 
 the Portuguese, or any other people, whose minds 
 are enslaved and debased by bigotry and supersti- 
 tion. The greatest bar to their progress in know- 
 ledge is the want of that moral light which can 
 alone be afforded by Christianity practically and 
 rightly understood, and the existence of an avari- 
 cious, selfish, lazy, and over-numerous priesthood, 
 
 * Capo d'Istrias? 
 
313 
 
 whose exactions keep the people in the most de- 
 plorable poverty and ignorance, whence alone they 
 derive their power and influence, and on which 
 the existence of such a body alone depends. Not 
 even Popery can be worse than the Greek Church 
 for the mind's enslavement, and yet have our sage 
 rulers, in the abundance of their wisdom and phi- 
 lanthropy, in this 19th century, encouraged it as 
 good, and lent a helping hand to the durability of 
 its abominations. No country can keep so large 
 a portion of its population in idleness, as these 
 baneful systems of superstition and fanaticism ren- 
 der necessary, and prosper. One's blood boils at 
 the hypocrisy of the priesthood of both these 
 churches, as they are called, whose language is that 
 of charity and good-will to all men, whilst, at the 
 same time, their whole conduct tends to oppress 
 and debase the minds of their deluded victims. I 
 am still, my dear * *, have been, and ever shall be, 
 averse to the granting of temporal power to any 
 clergy whatsoever, and would resist all spiritual 
 power, if evidently applied to base and pernicious 
 purposes. The sacred duties of a truly Christian 
 priest, if conscientiously performed, are more than 
 sufficient to occupy his time ; and in those coun- 
 tries where they are least permitted to interfere in 
 secular matters, we find the most faithful and con- 
 scientious clergy, and in general the most moral 
 and properly religious people. We have too many 
 instances in our own country of that inordinate 
 
314 
 
 thirst for power, wealth, and distinction, in the 
 priesthood of even the Protestant Established 
 Church, and of their making it the stepping-stone 
 to self-aggrandisement, and seldom have we found 
 even them exerting their power and influence to 
 advance the real knowledge, and promote the good, 
 of the people. 
 
 4 We have hardly yet had time to judge how far 
 our late grand Emancipation act works for the 
 good of poor Ireland, but for this I must refer you 
 to the papers of the day. I sincerely wish that all 
 the benefits contemplated by its advocates may re- 
 sult. For myself, I have always been desirous of 
 not prolonging, by any act or countenance of mine, 
 the existence of what it is most desirable should die 
 as early a natural death as may please the God of 
 truth ; and never, on the ground of any temporal 
 expediency of any sort, hypocritically to hold a can- 
 dle to the Devil, or to any of his messmates. I am 
 no enemy to the temporal interests and welfare of 
 the Papists, but I morally and mortally detest their 
 system. I also wish quite as well to the Greeks 
 and their cause, but I have rny doubts of the stabi- 
 lity of any government or edifice which such a 
 people can raise for the establishment of their inde- 
 pendence and rational freedom. I sincerely wish 
 the Powers allied in their favour may finally suc- 
 ceed in their endeavours at Constantinople to bring 
 about peace between the Turks and Russians, and 
 to free the Greeks from the yoke of the former. For 
 
315 
 
 it was never intended by the Almighty that man 
 should oppress his fellow, and therefore I trust that 
 they may at least be allowed to make the experi- 
 ment of trying to govern themselves. But will they 
 succeed ? Only look at the Spanish Americas, and 
 say on what part of the Greek character is rational 
 hope to be founded. The Creole Spaniards and 
 the Greeks have each the most fertile and beautiful 
 countries under heaven, where every thing may be 
 produced, but where the seeds of true patriotism 
 seem to be extinct. Long ere this can reach you, 
 you will, of course, have been enabled to judge on 
 the spot, of the probable result of the negocia- 
 tions now said to be going on at Constantinople, 
 which, as far as I can see from the papers here, the 
 generality of people are disposed to think will finally 
 settle the Russian and Turkish war, and the inde- 
 pendence of Greece ; but I confess I see little 
 ground for being so sanguine in my expectations of 
 the result, and yet I hope I may be wrong, for the 
 sake of humanity/ * * 
 
 After some observations on the characters en- 
 gaged in these negociations, and their probable suc- 
 cess, the writer continues c Should your Admiral, 
 on the contrary, be reduced to the necessity of hav- 
 ing recourse to the more forcible arguments of his 
 proper profession, surrounded as he is by such dis- 
 tinguished supporters, I have the fullest confidence 
 as to the result, and that when you return, crowned 
 with the laurels of victory, you will all be rewarded 
 
316 
 
 with ribbons, and other pretty things, and Sir * * 
 with a peerage and the smiles of a king, and be the 
 envy of all the world, except a few rusty old philo- 
 sophers like me, and many wiser men who care for 
 none of these things. Now, my dear . . . . , I think 
 your eyes will have been fatigued with deciphering 
 all this, and therefore I will have pity on you, and 
 desiring our kindest remembrances and best wishes 
 to you all, believe me ever, with great truth, 
 
 6 Faithfully yours, 
 
 <P. H. 
 
 < 23, Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, Aug. ], 1829.' 
 
 Although Captain Hey wood's correspondence, 
 of which the above is a slight example, was thus 
 active, and his attention always awake to the pro- 
 ceedings of the political and scientific world, the 
 energies of his pen were chiefly exerted for his pri- 
 vate use. Several volumes of MS., containing me- 
 moranda on the subjects of his inquiries, in which 
 theology held a conspicuous place, were destroyed 
 by him a short time before his death. He feared 
 that observations might go forth as his, which, on 
 maturer consideration, he should be inclined to dis- 
 avow or modify ; and which, indeed, were never 
 intended for the public eye. His valued partner 
 would, for her own sake, have gladly rescued some 
 of these precious relics from destruction ; but in 
 answer to all entreaties to spare them, he would 
 reply, that hereafter some well-meant affection for 
 
317 
 
 his memory might possibly induce a violation of 
 that privacy which it had been his happiness to 
 preserve. " Pure in the last recesses of his mind/' 
 he shrunk with sensitive delicacy from publicity 
 and display. His modesty would have kept watch, 
 like a guardian spirit, even over his tomb, to pre- 
 vent the accents of human adulation from breaking 
 the stillness of his last repose. If any consideration 
 could reconcile his departed spirit to the appearance 
 of this volume, it would only be some possible 
 contribution to the spread of virtue and honour 
 amongst mankind e of truth, candour, and justice/ 
 which, at the conclusion of a letter to one who had 
 allowed his mind to be poisoned by unfounded sus- 
 picion and evil report, he calmly says, ' are the rules 
 and principles of my conduct/* 
 
 It is evident from the letters of Captain Hey wood, 
 which have been given, and from the whole tenour 
 of his conduct, that he was a truly religious man. 
 A grateful and adoring sense of the perfections and 
 government of the one living and true God pervaded 
 his mind, and his piety was connected with an in- 
 vincible integrity and moral purity, which the world 
 had no power to wound or stain. Can such an 
 union of gentleness and firmness, of disinterested- 
 
 * " Integritatem atque abstinentiam in tanto viro referre injuria 
 virtutum fuerit. Ne famam quidem, cui etiam ssepe boni indulgent, 
 ostentanda virtute, aut per artein quaesivit: procul ab aemulatione 
 adversus collegas, procul a contentione ad versus procuratores : et 
 vincere inglorium et atteri sordidum arbitrabatur." Tacitl Agricolu. 
 
318 
 
 ness and modesty, as was found in him, have any 
 other foundation than religion ? 
 
 On board ship he always acted as his own chap- 
 lain, and he was accustomed every Sabbath-day to 
 assemble the ship's company, and read to them 
 portions of the Church service and of Blair's Ser- 
 mons. He admired these sermons for their prac- 
 tical character, and a copy of them was always in 
 his cabin for the use of his midshipmen, to whom 
 he recommended their perusal. To the latest period 
 of his life he was fond of the study of the Bible, 
 to which he devoted himself critically, and he 
 would shut himself up in a room for a long time, 
 particularly on Sunday, to pursue this occupation. 
 On these occasions he secluded himself even from 
 his family, upon the principle, that religion is an 
 affair between every man's conscience and his God; 
 and he rather exhorted his dearest associates in life 
 to pursue a similar plan of studying the Bible for 
 themselves, than endeavoured to influence their spe- 
 culative belief. 
 
 It will be interesting to the reader to know that, 
 with these habits and views, he was in religious 
 sentiment strictly a Unitarian. Though he rarely 
 made religion the topic of his conversation, because, 
 perhaps, he met with few who sympathized in his 
 feelings on that most interesting and important of 
 all subjects ; and though he had a great objection 
 to personal controversy and discussion, knowing 
 how soon the cloud and storm of the temper inter- 
 
319 
 
 vene to darken the mild light of the understanding, 
 he never concealed his sentiments, nor hesitated, on 
 proper occasions, to avow them. It is worthy of 
 more serious observation that his views were Uni- 
 tarian, because they were the result of his own 
 reading and reflection, under circumstances in which 
 no sectarian or party feeling, no ties of worldly 
 interest or family connexion, nor any of the ordinary 
 influences of social life could operate to check the 
 free exercises of his mind. In the retirement of 
 his cabin, in the solitude of the ocean, in the silence 
 of night he read and thought. Early and sad expe- 
 rience of life had given to all his reflections a serious 
 cast ; and while it lessened his taste for the ordinary 
 pleasures of the world, it contributed so to elevate 
 and purify his mind as to enable him to view all 
 objects through a clear atmosphere, and to look 
 down upon c all the kingdoms of the world/ and 
 judge of the true c glory of them/ It was thus, 
 and in this tone, that he adopted those views of 
 scriptural truth which, however commonly de- 
 nounced by the leaders of public opinion, have 
 seemed just to some of the wisest and best of the 
 human race, and which in our own country have 
 been endeared to many by the approbation of a 
 Locke, a Lardner, a Milton, a Newcome, and a Law. 
 Of Unitarians, as a sect, Captain Heywood knew 
 little or nothing. But in the latter part of his life, 
 as his religious views became known to some of his 
 friends, he was led to attend the chapel in York 
 
320 
 
 Street, St. James's Square ; and entirely approving 
 the service, he became a regular attendant, as far as 
 his health would permit, on public Unitarian wor- 
 ship in that place. This continued for about two 
 years, and was the origin of an intercourse between 
 the subject and author of this memoir, most highly 
 valued by the Tatter, who little knew the deep in- 
 terest attached to Captain Heywood's character and 
 history, until he became a witness of the sufferings 
 which preceded his removal from this scene. Such 
 was the independence of Captain Heywood's mind, 
 that he shrunk to the last from connecting himself 
 closely with the Unitarians as a body, dreading lest 
 it should bring with it any compromise of his own 
 principles, and hating the very name of sect or 
 party. Yet in private society he approved the 
 views, he sympathized in the feelings of the elder 
 Unitarian Dissenters, whom he occasionally met ; 
 and he entertained a sincere respect for their cha- 
 racters. That he was a Unitarian, was to many of 
 his friends a subject of surprise, and perhaps of 
 pain, but not many could estimate the solidity of 
 that knowledge upon which his convictions were 
 based, or the care of that inquiry by which his 
 pure and simple structure of faith had been raised. 
 
 Captain Heywood often mentioned that the first 
 works which he met with, containing just views, as 
 they appeared to him, on the subject of religion and 
 human duty, were those of Dr. Cogan. The theo- 
 logical disquisitions of this author, on the Jewish 
 
321 
 
 dispensation, the paternal character of God, the pe- 
 culiar blessings and characteristic evidences of 
 Christianity, and his Ethical Questions, abound in 
 valuable reflections, which harmonized with the 
 rational mind and the benevolent feelings of this 
 excellent man. He found in most of the popular 
 works upon religion much which he could not ap- 
 prove, and which appeared fallacious and perni- 
 cious. Captain Heywood attributed so much be- 
 neficial influence to the works of this author, that 
 he distributed many copies amongst his private 
 friends. 
 
 He was indebted to a clergyman of the Church 
 of England for his first acquaintance with another 
 author Dr. Channing, of America of whose writ- 
 ings he became a devoted reader and ardent admirer. 
 He was accustomed to speak with the greatest 
 delight of the pleasure he experienced in the en- 
 larged views, the exalted piety, the animating con- 
 ceptions of human dignity and duty, which per- 
 vade the eloquent writings of this popular American 
 divine. The literature of America in general suited 
 his taste. It is true, he knew it chiefly from its 
 most favourable specimens, but in these he perceived 
 good sense prevailing, a disposition to bring every 
 opinion to the test of truth, without that party 
 spirit which mingles so largely in the current lite- 
 rature of our own country, and tinges our popular 
 reviews with so much unfairness and misrepresen- 
 
 Y 
 
322 
 
 tation.* Nor was he slow to do justice to the 
 merit of many English Unitarian writers. He read 
 with great satisfaction that important and con- 
 vincing work, the Vindication of Unitarianism, in 
 reply to Dr. Wardlaw, by the Rev. James Yates. 
 
 But his religion was more practical than specu- 
 lative. It was impossible to converse with him 
 without feeling that, although the language of religion 
 was not upon his lips, its spirit was in his heart. If 
 he could not accord with the majority of professing 
 Christians, and with the creeds and articles of the 
 Established Church, in his religious belief, and if 
 he saw much to disapprove in the institutions of his 
 country for the instruction and discipline of its 
 youth, he reserved the fulness of his indignation 
 for those violations of truth, justice, integrity, and 
 candour, which fell under his notice in the characters 
 of the selfish, the weak, and the worldly around him. 
 The place-hunter, the time-server, those who seek 
 for office at the expense of honour and truth, whose 
 
 * " I have the utmost aversion to the whole business of reviewing, 
 which I have long considered, in the manner in which it is conducted, 
 a nefarious and unprincipled proceeding, and one of the greatest 
 plagues of modern times. It was infinitely better for the interests of 
 religion and literature when books had fair play, and were left to the 
 unbiassed suffrages of the public. As it is, we are now doomed to re- 
 ceive our first impression and opinion of books from some of the 
 wickedest, and others of the stupidest of men ; men, some of whom 
 have not sense to write on any subject, nor others honesty to read 
 what they pretend to criticise, yet sit in judgment upon all perform- 
 ances, and issue their insolent and foolish oracles to the public.'* 
 ROBERT HALL'S Letters to Ivimey. Works, Vol. V. p. 522. 
 
323 
 
 Words and actions are directed by a principle of de- 
 praved self-interest, and a desire to make themselves 
 acceptable to a patron and the public, he viewed 
 with a scorn which he took no pains to conceal. 
 Satisfied with his own moderate competency, the 
 titles, honours, and riches of the world had no 
 charms for him, although he might have advanced 
 to the highest rank which the service of his profes- 
 sion could bestow. In the whole course of his ca- 
 reer, his pure and manly mind never once stooped 
 to any thing which does 6 not become a man/ 
 
 It is not necessary, if it were possible, to record 
 the various instances of his private unostentatious 
 generosity. But the place which money held in his 
 esteem was manifested on one or two striking occa- 
 sions. A characteristic anecdote is mentioned by 
 the writer in the United Service Journal : c It is 
 little more than three years since he called upon us 
 one morning, having just discovered that upwards of 
 c2000, obtained from him under false pretences, and 
 which he had advanced under the idea of benefiting 
 the son of an old friend, were fraudulently involved 
 in an insolvency. While relating the way in which 
 he had been deceived, he suddenly exclaimed, " But 
 it is not the money I care so much about, as that it 
 gives another proof that we cannot trust one ano- 
 ther P- With similar feelings he contemplated 
 another more serious affair. Some wily minions 
 had taken advantage of the weakness and peculiari- 
 ties of an aged relative, and under circumstances of 
 
324 
 
 a peculiarly grievous nature, during the time of his 
 last severe bodily sufferings, a very large family 
 property passed away from his wife and daughter- 
 in-law, whom he tenderly loved. His spirit, which 
 in the degradation of human nature for a moment felt 
 itself degraded, could not brook the wrong, but he 
 exclaimed, viewing his relatives with warm affec- 
 tion, ' Thank God, they will have enough, and 
 what need they more?' while a smile of grateful 
 satisfaction passed over his countenance, a beam 
 from the light within, which spoke of his inwardly 
 committing them to the care of a good and bountiful 
 Providence. 4 It was not so much that he knew 
 not the worth of what the world has to give, as that 
 he prized at a higher rate the freedom and tran- 
 quillity of mind which it cannot give. It was not 
 in ignorance, so much as with a good-humoured 
 contempt of the proffered rewards, that he let the 
 stream upon which so many venture with eager 
 competition pass by him without unmooring his 
 own little bark from the quiet harbour of his con- 
 tentment/* 
 
 Among the last subjects of Captain Heywood's 
 reflections was the question, c Whether the profes- 
 sion of arms is consistent with the. principles and 
 belief of Christianity?' He was engaged in reading 
 a MS. controversy on the question, occasioned by 
 Captain Thrush's Letter to the King, wherein that 
 
 * See the beautiful Sketch of the Rev. P. Houghton, prefixed to 
 his Sermons, by the Rev. J. G. Robberds, of Manchester* 
 
325 
 
 officer explains his reasons for resigning his com- 
 mission. It was a subject peculiarly fitted to in- 
 terest his mind ; and in conjunction with it, may 
 be remembered the resolution expressed to Lord 
 Melville, not to quit his retirement except his ser- 
 vices were needed in time of war. This resolution, 
 no doubt, had its root in the deep impressions of 
 his youth, when his innocent mind took shelter in 
 high and honourable feelings of devotion to his 
 country and profession, from the suspicions of guilt 
 and the unmerited difficulties in which he was in- 
 volved. The writer does not recollect hearing Cap- 
 tain Heyw r ood formally express the conclusion to 
 which his mind arrived upon the subject ; but he 
 certainly felt that war was an evil, for the most part 
 originating in maxims of policy, and modes of go- 
 vernment, based on any but Christian principles 
 an evil which must diminish in frequency and dis- 
 appear as the world becomes enlightened, and the 
 true interests both of governors and the governed 
 are understood. The long enjoyment of the bless- 
 ings of peace had probably strengthened his sympa- 
 thy with the sentiment, 
 
 ' War is a game, 
 Which > were their subjects wise, kings would not play at.* 
 
 In 1827, Captain Hey wood's health began to 
 decline, but he had no particular complaint until 
 November, 1828, when he had what he imagined 
 to be inflammation of the lungs. Dr. J. Johnson 
 attended him, and after three weeks' severe suffering 
 
326 
 
 lie gradually recovered, but never regained either 
 strength or appetite ; nor could he walk as he was 
 wont to do. Yet he complained of nothing but a 
 sensation in the left side, and also in the left side of 
 his head. In June, 1829, he moved from Highgate 
 into the Regent's Park, to be near all that he valued 
 as amusement the command of books without 
 the fatigue of walking far for them. Gradually and 
 almost imperceptibly his strength declined, and 
 when his family went to Southsea, July, 1830, he 
 did not join them for a week, and in that short in- 
 terval the change for the worse was to them most 
 painfully perceptible. At Southsea he remained 
 ten days returned to London with his family 
 and in a week he set off in a steam vessel for Scot- 
 land, thinking a coasting voyage, if he could be 
 sea-sick, might be of use to him. He went by va- 
 rious steam vessels from Port-Glasgow to Wales, 
 thence to Dublin, to Plymouth, and last to Ports- 
 mouth, where Mrs. Heywood and her daughter 
 were waiting for him. He arrived at Cowes at 
 two o'clock in the morning, and was so anxious to 
 rejoin his family that he immediately took an open 
 boat, and arrived at Portsmouth at seven A.M. A 
 violent North-east wind was blowing, and the cold 
 was excessive. On immersion in a warm bath 
 after breakfast he nearly fainted, and from that hour 
 his decline was rapid. His valued partner had then 
 the agony of hearing that his case was enlargement 
 of the heart, and quite hopeless. Subsequently, his 
 
327 
 
 breathing became difficult, and his lungs indicated 
 disease. Still, however, he was on his feet, read 
 much, and was at times very cheerful. In October^ 
 Mrs. Heywood was called from home on very ur- 
 gent and painful business. Such was his anxiety, 
 that for three weeks he insisted on Mrs. Heywood's 
 remaining with her daughter, and wrote her a long 
 letter each day. Alas! on the 19th, when Mrs. 
 Heywood and her daughter returned, they found he 
 had been seized with cholera not an hour before, 
 which so reduced him, that he never rallied more 
 than to be able to leave his room a few times after 
 that. His breathing became so dreadfully painful, 
 that he could not lie down, nor could he sit in one 
 place ten minutes together^ nor bear any thing op- 
 posite to him, and in this very dreadful state he 
 ^remained three weeks, during which period sleep 
 never weighed down his eyelids, not even for a 
 moment. It would be only painful to continue the 
 picture of the sick chamber and its protracted suf- 
 ferings. In February, 1831, he had a paralytic 
 stroke, which deprived him for a time of speech, 
 but after that he rallied a little, and saw some of his 
 old friends. They know c what soul was his/ his 
 patience, resignation, and hope. On the 10th of 
 that month he took his usual breakfast of bread and 
 milk, and soon after fell into a peaceful sleep, from 
 which his relatives expected he would awake re- 
 freshed. But suddenly they were summoned to his 
 chamber, and arrived just in time to catch the last 
 
558 
 
 sigh, such as infants breathe after crying. Thus, 
 without a groan or struggle, in his 58th year, died 
 one of the best of men. ' Would to God/ is the de- 
 vout exclamation of one from whose faithful memo- 
 rial of every change that affected him, this account 
 of his illness is chiefly given, 'all men had his high 
 sense of right, his strict conscientiousness, and his 
 feeling for the distresses of his fellow-creatures !' 
 
 The reader, after this delineation of Captain Hey- 
 wood's mind, may possibly entertain a wish to know 
 something of its outward form. It is in the 
 Author's power to gratify this wish only so far as a 
 few words admit. His figure was well-proportioned, 
 and rather above the middle size. It bore a very 
 close correspondence to his character. His features 
 were regular and good ; and his whole countenance 
 expressive of a calm, serious, observant, and reflect- 
 ing mind, but mild and pleasing. In conversation 
 it was lighted up with cheerful and delightful viva- 
 city. There was an unaffected dignity about him ; 
 in short, every thing in his appearance to bespeak 
 the being of a superior order. 
 
 A very interesting and striking resemblance may 
 be traced between the character of Agricola, drawn 
 by the master-hand of Tacitus, and that of the sub- 
 ject of this Memoir. There is such a singular 
 appropriateness in some of the expressions of that 
 author, particularly in connexion with the last- 
 mentioned subject, that it would seem injustice to 
 exclude them from these pages : 
 
329 
 
 * Quod si habitum quoque ejus poster! noscere velint, 
 decentior quam sublimior fuit, nihil mettis in vultu, gratia, 
 oris supererat, bonum virum facile crederes, magnum 
 libenter. Et ipse quidem quanquani medio in spatio in- 
 tegrae aetatis ereptus, quantum ad gloriam, longissimum 
 aevum peregit. Quippe et vera bona, quae in virtutibus 
 sita sunt, impleverat; et consularibus ac triumphalibus 
 ornamentis praedito, quid aliud adstruere fortuna poterat? 
 opibus niniiis non gaudebat; speciosae contigerant : filia 
 atque uxore superstitibus, potest videri etiam beatus, in- 
 columi dignitate, florente fama, salvis adfinitatibus et 
 amicitiis futura effugisse, 
 
 ' Si quis piorum manibus locus ; si ut sapientibus 
 placet, non cum corpora exstinguuntur magnae animae: 
 placide quiescas, nosque, dornum tuam, ab infirmo desi- 
 derio, et muliebribus lamentis ad contemplationem virtu- 
 turn tuarum voces, quas neque lugeri, neque plangi fas 
 est: admiratione te potius, temporalibus laudibus, et, si 
 natura suppeditet, similitudine decoremus. Isverus honos, 
 ea conjunctissimi cuj usque pietas. Id filiae quoque uxo- 
 rique praeceperirn, sic patris, sic mariti memoriam vene- 
 rari, ut omnia facta dictaque ejus secum revolvant, fa- 
 mamque ac figuram animi magis, quam corporis, com- 
 plectantur; non quia intercedendum putem imaginibus, 
 quae marmore, aut aere finguntur : sed ut vultus hominum, 
 ita simulacra vultus imbecilla ac mortalia sunt, forma 
 mentis aeterna : quam tenere et exprimere non per alie- 
 nam materiam et artem, sed tuis ipse moribus possis. 
 Quidquid ex Agricola amavimus, quidquid mirati sumus, 
 manet, mansurumque est in animis hominum, in aeterni- 
 tate temporum fam^ rerum/* 
 
 * ( Posterity may wish to form an idea of his person. His figure 
 was rather proper and becoming than majestic. In his countenance 
 there was nothing to inspire dread: but his looks were extremely 
 
 Z 
 
330 
 
 gracious and engaging. You would readily have believed him a good 
 man, and willingly a great one. And, indeed, although he was 
 snatched away in the midst of a vigorous age, yet if his life be mea- 
 sured by his glory, it was a period of the greatest extent. For after 
 the full enjoyment of all that is truly good, which is found in virtuous 
 pursuits alone, decorated with consular and triumphal ornaments, 
 what more could fortune contribute to his elevation ? Immoderate 
 wealth did not fall to his share, yet he possessed a decent affluence. 
 His wife and daughter surviving, his dignity unimpaired, his reputa- 
 tion flourishing, and his kindred and friends yet in safety, it may even 
 be thought an additional felicity that he was thus withdrawn from 
 impending evils. 
 
 ' If there be any habitation for the shades of the virtuous ; if, as 
 philosophers suppose, exalted souls do not perish with the body; 
 may you repose in peace, and call us, your household, from vain re- 
 gret and feminine lamentations, to the contemplation of your virtues, 
 which allow no place for mourning or complaining; let us rather 
 adorn your memory by our admiration, by our short-lived praises, 
 and, if our natures will permit, by an imitation of your character. 
 This is truly to honour the dead ; this is the piety of every near rela- 
 tion. I would also recommend it to the wife and daughter of this 
 great man, to shew their veneration of a husband's and a father's 
 memory by revolving his actions and words in their breasts, and en- 
 deavouring to retain an idea of the form and features of his mind 
 rather than of his person. Not that I would reject those resemblances 
 of the human figure which are engraven in brass or marble; but as 
 their originals are frail and perishable, so likewise are they; while the 
 form of the mind is eternal, and not to be retained or expressed by 
 any foreign matter or the artist's skill, but by the manners of the 
 survivors. Whatever in Agricola was the object of our love, of our 
 admiration, remains, and will remain in the minds of men, trans- 
 mitted in the records of fame, through an eternity of years.' Dr. 
 AJKIN'S Translation. 
 
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