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
On the 22d of April, Mr. King, appointed by the American agents at
London, and a Mr. Larpent on the part of the government, with a
magistrate of the county of Devon, arrived at the depot to
investigate the affair; they were employed the greater part of
three days in taking the deposition, respecting the same; and
though we would not hastily prejudge Mr. King's report, we deem it
necessary to state, that our anticipations of it are not of the
most favourable nature, from his not appearing to take that
interest in the affair which the injuries his countrymen had
received demanded, as far the greater part of their time was
employed in taking the depositions of Shortland's witnesses, most
of whom were the principal actors, on that day, and of course were
implicated with him in his guilt. On learning Mr. King was about
leaving the depot, we addressed a note to him, stating, that we
had a number of witnesses waiting, whose depositions we conceived
would be of importance, and requested him to have them taken; we
received to this note no answer, and he immediately left the
depot. The particular points on which those depositions would have
born, related to the picking the hole in the wall and breaking the
locks of the gate leading into the market-square--they would have
exonerated the prisoners generally from having any share in those
acts, or even a knowledge of their having been committed. As these
were the two principal points on which Shortland rested his plea
of justification, we deemed it highly necessary that they should
have been placed in a proper point of view. As for an idea of the
prisoners attempting to break out, a moment's reflection would
convince any impartial man of its improbability. Every prisoner
that had a sufficiency of money to defray his expenses, could
obtain his release and a passport, by applying to Mr. Beasly, or
through their correspondence in England; those who had not funds
would not have left the depot had the gates been thrown open,
having no means of subsistence in a foreign country, and there
being a very hot press of seamen at that time, they knew their
risk of being kidnapped was great, and when, by staying a few
days longer, they were assured they would be embarked for their
native country. The infamous falsehoods circulated in the English
prints, of the prisoners having armed themselves with knives,
clubs, stones, &c. seized a part of the guard and disarmed them,
and other similar reports, are unworthy of notice; for when the
disturbance occurred on the fourth of April, concerning bread, the
prisoners having burst open the inner gates, had they the least
disposition, they might have immolated the whole garrison, as they
were completely surprised and panic struck.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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