A journal, of a young man of Massachusetts, late a surgeon on board an American privateer, who was captured at sea by the British in May, eighteen hundred and thirteen and was confined first, at Melville Island, Halifax, then at Chatham, in England, and last at Dartmoor prison : $b Interspersed with observations, anecdotes and remarks, tending to illustrate the moral and political characters of three nations. To which is added, a correct engraving of Dartmoor prison, representing the massacre ofWaterhouse, Benjamin
History
A journal, of a young man of Massachusetts, late a surgeon on board an American privateer, who was captured at sea by the British in May, eighteen hundred and thirteen and was confined first, at Melville Island, Halifax, then at Chatham, in England, and last at Dartmoor prison : $b Interspersed with observations, anecdotes and remarks, tending to illustrate the moral and political characters of three nations. To which is added, a correct engraving of Dartmoor prison, representing the massacre of
Waterhouse, Benjamin
Dartmoor Prison; United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Prisoners and prisons
Many of the impressed seamen now here, have told me, that they have
been lashed to the gang-way, and most severely whipped, even to the
extent of three dozen, for refusing to do, what the captain of a
British man of war called "THEIR DUTY!" Some of these men have
replied, "it is _my duty_ to serve _my own_ country; and fight against
its enemies;" and for saying so, have been farther abused. Have ever
the French, Spaniards, Portuguese, Italians, Germans, Dutch, Danes,
Swedes, Russians, Prussians, Turks, or _Algerines_ treated American
citizens in this way? And yet our federalists can never bear to hear
us speak, in terms of resentment, against "the bulwark of our
religion." O, Caleb! Caleb! Thou hast a head and so has a beetle.[S]
We had all more or less money from the American government; and some
of the impressed men brought money with them. This attracted the
avaricious spirit of our neighbors; so that our market was filled, not
only with vegetables, but animal food. There were also seen in our
market, piles of broad cloth, boxes of hats, boots, shoes, and many
other articles. The greatest pick-pockets of all were the Jews, with
their watches, seals and trinkets, and _bad books_. A moral commander
would have swept the prison yard clean of such vermin. The women who
attend our market are as sharp as the Jews, and worse to deal with;
for a sailor cannot beat them down as he can one of these swindling
Israelites. Milk is cheap, only 4d. per gallon, but they know how to
water it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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