THE KING'S WARRANT
Well, believe this--
No ceremony that to great ones 'longs,
Not the king's crown, nor the deputed sword,
The marshal's truncheon, nor the judge's robe,
Become them with one half so good a grace,
As mercy does.
It was a very common feeling that Heywood and Morrison, the former in
particular, had been hardly dealt with by the Court in passing upon them
a sentence of death, tempered as it was with the recommendation to the
king's mercy. It should, however, have been recollected, that the Court
had no discretional 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 officers and men in his Majesty's naval service should take no
active part;--to be neutral or passive is considered as tantamount to
aiding and abetting. Besides, 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 account of his
youth and inexperience, was his not asking Christian to be allowed to go
with his captain,--his not _trying_ to go in time. M'Intosh, Norman,
Byrne, and Coleman were acquitted because they expressed a strong desire
to go, but were forced to remain. This was not only clearly proved, but
they were in possession of written testimonies from Bligh to that
effect; and so would Heywood have had, but for some prejudice Bligh had
taken against him, in the course of the boat-voyage home, for it will be
shown that he knew he was confined to his berth below.
In favour of three of the four men condemned without a recommendation,
there were unhappily no palliating circumstances. Millward, Burkitt, and
Ellison were under arms from first to last; and Ellison not only left
the helm to take up arms, but, rushing aft towards Bligh, called out,
'D--n him, I'll be sentry over him.' The fourth man, Muspratt, was
condemned on the evidence of Lieutenant Hayward, which, however, appears
to have been duly appreciated by the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty, and in consequence of which the poor man escaped an
ignominious death.
The family of young Heywood 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 everything being most happily concluded, one
evening, 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 doubtful
uncertainty this wretched family remained another whole week, harassed
by the most cruel agony of mind, which no language can express.[26]
The affectionate Nessy determined at once to proceed to Liverpool, and
so on to London. She urges her brother James at Liverpool to hasten to
Portsmouth: 'Don't wait for me, I can go alone; fear and even despair
will support me through the journey; think only of our poor unfortunate
and adored boy, bestow not one thought on me.' And she adds, 'yet, if I
could listen to reason (which is indeed difficult), it is not likely
that anything serious has taken place, or will do so, as we should then
certainly have had an express.' She had a tempestuous passage of
forty-nine hours, and to save two hours got into an open fishing-boat at
the mouth of the Mersey, the sea running high and washing over her every
moment; but, she observes, 'let me but be blessed with the cheering
influence of _hope_, and I have spirit to undertake anything.' From
Liverpool she set off the same night in the mail for London; and arrived
at Mr. Graham's on the 5th October, who received her with the greatest
kindness, and desired her to make his house her home.
The suspense into which the afflicted family in the Isle of Man had been
thrown, by the delay of the packet, was painfully relieved on its
arrival in the night of the 29th September, by the following letter from
Mr. Graham to the Rev. Dr. Scott, which the latter carried to Mrs.
Heywood's family the following morning.
'_Portsmouth, Tuesday, 18th September_.
'SIR,--Although a stranger, I make no apology in writing to
you. I have attended and given my assistance at Mr. Heywood's
trial, which was finished and the sentence passed about half
an hour ago. Before I tell you what that sentence is, I must
inform 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
Heywood, 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 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, everybody 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 dreadfully
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 afterwards to take him to my house in town, where
I think he had better stay till one of the family calls for
him: for he will 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 previously 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, '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 one of the other gentlemen
who remained in the ship, and not to Mr. Heywood.'[27]
On the 20th September Mr. Heywood 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 parental
letter,[28] in answer to which I now communicate to you the
melancholy issue of it, which, as I desired my friend Mr.
Graham to inform you of immediately, 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 Providence who first gave me breath) I bow my
devoted head, with that fortitude, cheerfulness, and
resignation, 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,
prepared only for the righteous of heart.
'I have not been found guilty of the slightest act connected
with that detestable crime of mutiny, but am doomed to die for
not being active in my endeavours 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 inexperience, and not 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 attributes 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,
Heaven! 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 contrary endeavour to divest myself of
all wishes for the futile and sublunary enjoyments of it, and
prepare my soul for its reception into the bosom of its
Redeemer. For though the very strong recommendation I have had
to his Majesty's mercy by all the members of the Court may
meet with his approbation, 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 to every
mortal, and therefore the salvation of my soul requires my
most prompt and powerful exertions during the short time I may
have to remain on earth.
'As this is too tender a subject for me to inform my unhappy
and distressed mother and sisters of, I trust, dear Sir, you
will either show 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 present situation, I must endeavour, with God's
assistance, to eradicate from my heart, how hard soever the
task. I must strive against cherishing any temporal
affections. But, my dear Sir, endeavour 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 happiness 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.'
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.
'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 resignation which is the
duty of every Christian; well 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
precepts 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.
'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 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, my
dearest love! Write but little to me, and pray for your ever
affectionate but ill-fated brother.
'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!--'
In a letter to his mother he assures her of the perfect tranquillity of
his mind; advises her not to entertain too sanguine hopes, but at the
same time not to be uneasy; and he adds, 'A minister of the gospel, who
now attends me, has advised me not to say too much to any of my dear
relations, but now and then I cannot avoid it.' To his dearest Nessy,
who encourages him to take hope, he says, 'Alas! it is 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 accomplishment of the Divine will....
Mrs. _Hope_ is a faithless and ungrateful acquaintance, with whom I have
now broken off all connexions, and in her stead have endeavoured to
cultivate a more sure friendship with _Resignation_, in full trust of
finding her more constant.' 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 hurt herself by it; and he
adds, 'from an idea that your exalted sentiments upon so tender a
subject ought not to be known by an inquiring world; but,' he continues,
'do just as you like best: I am conscious that your good sense will
prompt you to nothing inconsistent with our present circumstances.' To
this she replies, in the true spirit of a character like her own. 'Yes!
my ever dearest brother, I _will_ write to you, and I know I need not
add, that in _that_ employment (while thus deprived of your loved
society) consists my only happiness. 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 letters 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 convinces
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 private manner, for it is unnecessary, and I
abhor all deceit; in which I know you agree with me.'
To her sister Mary in the Isle of Man she says, 'With respect to that
little wretch Hallet, his intrepidity 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 (Hallet) saw him look at and speak to Peter. What he said to
him Hallet could not hear, (being at the distance 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 Hallet; on the
contrary, all agreed he wore a countenance on that day remarkably
sorrowful; yet the effect of this cruel evidence was wonderful upon the
minds of the Court, and they concluded by pronouncing 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
denomination, 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 will not be deceived,--the other preaching up patience 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 brother 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 opportunity of saying a word to him; he is in excellent
spirits, and I am convinced they are better and better every day.'
This vocabulary is a very extraordinary performance; 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 _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 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 recommendation 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 conviction of her unhappy brother, which, having
understood 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 resting 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.
'Peter Heywood's Remarks upon material points of the evidence
which was given at his trial, on board the _Duke_, in
Portsmouth Harbour.
'_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 away in the cutter (which was
Christian's first intention), 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 occasion.
'_Second. That I was seen by the carpenter resting my hand on
a cutlass_.--I was seen in this position 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
innocently 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
circumstances 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.
Hallet, 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 on my conduct during the
mutiny, and from a recollection of my behaviour previous
thereto, they were convinced I would have afforded them all
the assistance in my power, if an opportunity had offered to
retake the ship.
'_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 judgement; for,
if viewed in too serious a light, it would seem to bring
together and combine a number of trifling circumstances, which
by themselves could only be treated merely as matters of
suspicion. It was no doubt, therefore, received with caution,
and considered with the utmost candour. 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 wear. Tears have often been, nay
generally are, the relief of excessive joy, while misery and
dejection 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 barometer 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 intended 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 considerably too, upon such an
occasion and in such a situation; 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 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 peculiarity of our situation
required this act of kindness at his hands.[29] I shall only
observe further upon this head, that the boatswain, the
carpenter, and Mr. Hayward, 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.
'_Fourth. That I remained on board the ship, instead of going
in the boat with the captain_.--That I was at first alarmed
and afraid of going into the boat I will not pretend to deny;
but that afterwards 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 several 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 showing, by the following
statement:--
'There remained on board the ship after the boat put off,
twenty-five men. Messrs. Hayward 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) mentions Martin as one, which
makes the number of armed men nineteen, none of whom, we may
reasonably suppose, were ordered to be kept below. Indeed, Mr.
Hayward says, that there were at the least eighteen of them
upon deck, when he went into the boat; and if Thompson, the
sentinel 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? _No_, for he was in the
cutter alongside. Could Coleman have been one of them? _No_,
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_, for
he was speaking to the officers. Could M'Intosh have been one
of them? _No_, 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.
'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 evidence in my favour too great to admit
of observation in this concise manner, I shall refer for an
opinion thereon to the minutes of the court-martial.
(Signed) 'P. HEYWOOD.'
There is a note in Marshall's _Naval Biography_,[30] furnished by
Captain Heywood, which shows one motive for keeping him and Stewart in
the ship. It is as follows:--'Mr. Stewart was no sooner released than he
demanded of Christian the reason of his detention; upon which the latter
denied having given any directions to that effect; and his assertion 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. Heywood's
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 manuscript journal, that have not appeared in
any published document; and on this part of the subject there is, in the
former, the following very important admission. 'As for the officers,
whose cabins were in the cockpit, there was no relief for them; _they
endeavoured to come to my assistance, but 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 appearance 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 Christian 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
himself 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.[31] It was Bligh's misfortune not to have been
educated in the cockpit 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 affectionate 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.
'_Great Russell Street, 11th Oct_. 1792.
'MY LORD,--To a nobleman of your lordship's known humanity and
excellence of heart, I dare hope that the unfortunate cannot
plead in vain. Deeply impressed as I therefore am, with
sentiments of the most profound respect for a character which
I have been ever taught to revere, and alas I nearly
interested 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 enclosed [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.--I have the honour, etc.
NESSY HEYWOOD.'
Whether this letter and its enclosure produced any effect on the mind of
Lord Chatham does not appear; but no immediate steps were taken, nor was
any answer given; and this amiable young 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.
'MY DEAR MADAM,--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
friendship of your family, which, as it is my ambition, it
cannot cease to be my desire to cultivate.
'Unused to the common rewards which are sought after in this
world, I will profess to anticipate more real pleasure and
satisfaction from the simple declaration of you and yours,
that "we accept of your services, and we thank you for them,"
than it is in common minds to conceive; but, fearful 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 obligations 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_ daughter also),
you would have over-paid 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 happiness 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.
'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
express--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:--
'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 assuredly that you
may with certainty believe its contents? Well may Mr. Graham
call us happy! for never felicity could equal ours! Don't
expect connected sentences from me at present, for this joy
makes me almost delirious. Adieu! love to all--I need not say
be happy and blessed as I am at this dear hour, my beloved
mother.--Your most affectionate,
N. H.'
On the 24th October, the king's warrant was despatched from the
Admiralty, granting a full and free pardon to Heywood and Morrison, a
respite for Muspratt, which was followed by a pardon; and for carrying
the sentence of Ellison, Burkitt, and Millward into execution, which was
done on the 29th, on board his Majesty's ship _Brunswick_, in Portsmouth
harbour. On this melancholy occasion, Captain Hamond reports that 'the
criminals behaved with great penitence and decorum, acknowledged the
justice of their sentence for the crime of which they had been found
guilty, and exhorted their fellow-sailors to take warning by their
untimely fate, and whatever might be their hardships, never to forget
their obedience to their officers, as a duty they owed to their king and
country.' The captain adds, 'A party from each ship in the harbour, and
at Spithead, attended the execution, and from the reports I have
received, the example seems to have made a great impression upon the
minds of all the ships' companies present.'
The same warrant that carried with it affliction to the friends of these
unfortunate men, was the harbinger of joy to the family and friends of
young Heywood. The happy intelligence was communicated to his
affectionate Nessy on the 26th, who instantly despatched the joyful
tidings to her anxious mother in the following characteristic note:--
_Friday, 26th October, four o'clock._
'Oh, blessed hour!--little did I think, my beloved 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 enclosed.[32] 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 how shall I bear to clasp him to the bosom
of your happy, ah! how very happy, and affectionate
NESSY HEYWOOD.'
'I am too _mad_ to write sense, but 'tis a pleasure I would
not forgo 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.'[33]
Mr. Graham writes, 'I have however my senses sufficiently about me not
to suffer this to go without 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 enclosed will convey to the mother and
sisters of my charming and beloved Nessy.'
This 'charming' girl next writes to Mr. Const, who attended as counsel
for her brother, to acquaint him with the joyful intelligence, and thus
concludes. '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,' etc.
To which Mr. Const, after congratulations and thanks for her polite
attention, observes, '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 deplore anything that has passed,
except his sufferings; and his uniform conduct under them only proved
how little he deserved them.'
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
setting out for Portsmouth, and bringing up to his house in town the
innocent sufferer, where they arrived on the morning of the 29th
October. Miss Heywood can best speak of her own feelings.
'_Great Russell Street, Monday Morning, 29th October,
half-past ten o'clock--the brightest moment of my existence_!
'MY DEAREST MAMMA,--I have seen him, clasped him to my bosom,
and my felicity is beyond expression! 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,
'NESSY HEYWOOD. 'PETER HEYWOOD. 'JAMES HEYWOOD.
'Love to and from all ten thousand times.'
The worthy Mr. Graham adds,
'If, my dearest Madam, it were ever given for mortals to be
supremely 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,[34] Peter, and James, I
see, have all been endeavouring to express their feelings. I
will not fail in any such attempt, for I will not attempt
anything 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 congratulations 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
impassioned and most affectionate of sisters, with an excess 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
consumption. 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.
'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, 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, and has left her only surviving parent a
disconsolate mother, to lament, while ever she lives, with the
most sincere and deep affliction, the irreparable loss of her
most valuable, affectionate, and darling daughter.'[35]
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,--so suitably characteristic of his noble and manly
conduct throughout the whole of the distressing business in which he was
innocently involved:--
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, I 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 future life shall be
faithfully devoted to his service.'[36]
And well did his future conduct fulfil that promise. 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 within an ace of
perishing,--notwithstanding this unpromising commencement, he re-entered
the naval service under the auspices of his uncle, Commodore Pasley, and
Lord Hood, who presided at his trial, and who earnestly recommended him
to embark again as a midshipman without delay, offering to take him into
the _Victory_, under his own immediate patronage. In the course of his
service, to qualify for the commission of lieutenant, he was under the
respective commands of three or four distinguished officers, who had sat
on his trial, from all of whom he received the most flattering proofs of
esteem and approbation. To the application of Sir Thomas Pasley to Lord
Spencer for his promotion, that nobleman, with that due regard he was
always known to pay to the honour and interests of the navy, while
individual claims were never overlooked, gave the following reply, which
must have been highly gratifying to the feelings of Mr. Heywood and his
family.
_Admiralty, Jan. 13th_, 1797.
'Sir,--I 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 on 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 advanced to the higher and more conspicuous
situations of the navy; but having, with great attention,
perused the minutes of that Court-Martial, as far as they
relate to Mr. Peter Heywood, I have now the satisfaction of
being able to inform you, that I think his case was such an
one, as, under all its circumstances (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 gallantry and
propriety of his conduct, in his subsequent 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
proper opportunity, I shall derive much satisfaction, more
particularly from his being so nearly connected with you.--I
have the honour to be, etc.
(Signed) SPENCER.'
It is not here intended to follow Mr. Heywood through his honourable
career of service, during the long and arduous contest with France, and
in the several commands with which he was entrusted. In a note of his
own writing it is stated, that on paying off the _Montague_, in July,
1816, he came on shore, after having been actively employed _at sea_
twenty-seven years, six months, one week, and five days, out of a
servitude in the navy of twenty-nine years, seven months, and one day.
Having reached nearly the top of the list of captains, he died in this
present year, leaving behind him a high and unblemished character in
that service, of which he was a most honourable, intelligent, and
distinguished member.