not tell, that when the hands were turned up to unmoor, we were to go on the quarter-deck. On Wednesday morning the word was passed again. One of Verrick's messmates, (the surgeon's servant, a black man,) came to our birth and asked if his messmate was there? I told him he was not. Then, said he, he is somewhere about the ship, and I believe he is groggy. I went to the lower-deck, where I was asked by one of the prisoners if I had seen any thing of Verrick? I told him, I had not. He said, he was somewhere about the ship drunk, and must be found. Soon after I was walking the middle-deck, where I saw Verrick walking the starboard side of the gangway. I went down on the lower-deck, and called Chesterman and Collins; I told them, I thought he was not drunk. Collins said, he was not drunk just now, for he saw him in the admiral's steward's birth, and he dared to say he had been asleep, and that might make him a little fresh again. There was nothing said to him that night. The word was passed, when all hands turned up to unmoor, to go to the forecastle and fore-rigging. Taylor gave it me. Chesterman, Taylor, Ward, Cook, and Fitzgerald, were the only persons I ever saw give the word. On Thursday the same word was passed again. Our admiral went aboard the commander in chief. I went down, and asked whether they were going to cob Verrick? He asked me, if I saw him last night; I told him yes, and did not think he was drunk. I went away from him, and proteeded to James Chesterman, and asked him what they were going to do with Verrick? Do with him, replied he, cob him to be sure. I told him, I ought he was not drunk when I

saw him in the gallery, and added, that Ward thought it might give him a caution not to drink so much again. That be d-n'd, said he, because he is a bit of an officer he is to be favoured. I was told afterwards he was cobbed, but I did not see it; he had a dozen and an half. The word was passed by the prisoners to repair to the forecastle and forerigging. When the admiral came on board, he produced the letter,and asked if it was known by the ship's company that such a thing was done? All hands answered, yes. The admiral read it, and asked a second time, if they all knew it. They answered, yes. He asked the marines if they knew it? They made no answer. He asked the ship's company if he should read it over again? They answered, no. All I heard further from the admiral was, that when the hands were turned up to unmoor the ship, he expected it would be done accordingly. A great deal of conversation passed, which I did not hear. He satisfied the ship's company very much; they seemed all well pleased at what the admiral said, but were still determined not to unmoor the ship to go to the West Indies. About a quarter after twelve, I saw Mackaway, on the quarter-deck, talking to one of his own officers. After the hammocks were piped down I went to his birth and called to him. He followed me as well as he could under the hammocks, till he got to the hawse of the middle gun. I asked him what he was doing on the quarter-deck. He made no other answer than that he did not know; only he said his officer told him he was a damned rascal. I then told him he was drunk. He said he was not; he had not drank a drop that evening. Some little time after, I

went

went down below to unlace my ham moek. When I got to the foot of the fore ladder I heard the irons shoving up. I went over the larboard side of the deck to Fitzgerald's birth, and told him Mackaway was drunk, and that somebody was going in irons, but I did not know who it was. He desired me to go and see. I went up the main ladder, and saw it was a marine; I came down the main ladder again, and coming aft on the deck, I saw a marine I knew. I asked him what - his messmate was put in irons for? He answered, he had no messmate in irons. I said there was a marine in irons. He replied, yes. I asked him what it was for? He said he did not know. I said, he must have done something amiss, or he would not be confined. He said, he had abused his corporal. I said, if he had got drunk and abused his officers, and got in irons, he must work himself out as well as he could. I left him, and went down the fore ladder into the lower-deck, into John Fitzgerald's birth. I asked Skelley where J. Fitzgerald was? He shewed him on the gangway. I went and spoke to him: he told me I should stop, as he was busy. I then went to his birth, alongside Skelley, and I saw Taylor come down and call him away. I was sitting in the aft part of the birth. I looked round, and saw them run as far aft as the gun-room. I then went forward to John Maitland's birth, and said, Jack, there is a marine in irons. He asked me who? I told him Mackaway. He said, we must have him out. I asked him what he must have been about? He said there were no prisoners allowed. I observed, he was as drunk as hell, and he had better let him bide. I had scarpe said this, when I saw a parcel

"Bear a

of people go up the fore ladder. T heard Edward Taylor say, hand up from below, every man fore and aft." All the people in Maitland's birth were myself, Ward, and Lockyer. I then went away to the fore ladder, expecting they were going to release the prisoner. I could not get up time enough. There was nobody there. I went past my own birth, and sat down before the foremost gun till I thought it was all over.

I then went round under the bowsprit, and came back again between the foremast and the copper. I had not been there five minutes. before John Daley came in and asked for a hat to go upon deck. No one made him any answer. I cannot say whether he was gone when Mr. Glover came and called to me to go upon deck.

I told him I would come directly. I went to the fore ladder, not knowing the gratings were on. I could not get up there. I went to the main ladder, when Glover came to me, and told me I must go up the aften ladder. I went. up the after ladder over to the lar board side of the main deck. Charlter was walking along-side, and Shenton before. As I went on deck on the starboard side, by order. of the officer, the admiral came round, and putting the lantern to my face, said, he thought he heard my voice on the forecastle. I answered him, no, sir; I was not there. He said he believed I was, till I told him Glover sent me up from below. He then passed me, and said ne more. The next morning (Friday) the boatswain's mate told me to go aft. As I was going, Mr. Brown seized me by the collar, and sent me under the poop awning as a prisoner, till the admiral and captain came up. I was ordered to the quarter-deck. The admiral said, this is the man I

spoke

spoke to last night. I answered, yes; but told him it was a mistake. He desired me to hold my tongue, and not speak. I heard the admiral ask if that was not the man who spoke to the marine last night. The captain answered, yes Then, said the admiral, he is the man who turned the hands up. I answered, no, sir, it was not. He again desired me not to speak another word. 1 went and remained till three in the afternoon. I was then sent on board the Windsor Castle as a pri

soner.

The other evidences corroborating the above statement, either in the whole or in part, the prisoners making a very feeble and ineffectual defence, they were, after a most calm and unprejudiced investigation of five days, on the sixth all found guilty (with the exception of White, who was acquitted of that part of the charge which affected his life), and were adjudged to suffer death. A particular account of their execution, &c. we have detailed in another part of this work.

The cool and resolute conduct of admiral Campbell and captain Eyles, throughout the whole of this transaction, cannot be sufficiently admired; and the marines (on whom his majesty has since bestowed the appellation of "Royal"), on this, as on every other trying occasion, evinced their loyalty and steadiness.

Trial of Governor Wall, by a Special Commission, directed to the Chief Baron Macdonald, Judges Rook and Laurence, and the Recorder, at the Old Bailey, Jan. 20, 1800.

The prisoner (Joseph Wall, esq. some time heutenant-governor of

Goree) was charged with the wilful murder of Benjamin Armstrong, a sergeant in the African corps, by ordering him to receive 800 lashes, which were inflicted by several black slaves with such cruelty as to occasion his death. The first witness was Evan Lewis, who stated, that in July 1782, he was serving at Goree, where the prisoner was then governor, but which situation, it was understood, he was to quit on the 11th of that month. On the 10th, he, the witness, was orderly sergeant, and as such attended upon the governor. Before cleven o'clock in the morning, he observed between twenty and thirty of the African corps collected together, but could not undertake to say whether the deceased was among them, and he understood they were applying to ensign Deerham, who was the commissary, for a settlement for short allowance. About twelve he saw them again coming towards the government-house, of which he informed the governor, who went out and met them at some little distance from the railing before the courtyard; Armstrong was first, and the rest following in a line. The governor called out to Armstrong, and bid him go back to the barracks, or they should be punished. This order they immediately obeyed without making any noise; on this second time they were not in their uniforms, had no arms with them, nor did the witness hear them make

use of any disrespectful language. At the governor's dinner hour the bell rang, and several of the officers came, and he observed they went away sooner than usual. Soon after the governor came out and passed the main-guard, who saluted him, and went up to the barracks, the

witness

witness attending him at some distance as it was his duty; from the barracks the governor ran hastily down and began beating one of the men, who appeared to be in liquor, and taking the bayonet from the sentry, beat him with that also, and then had them both confined. At an earlier hour than was usual for them to attend the parade, the governor gave him directions to have the long roll beat, and to order the men to attend without arms: this order they obeyed, and were then commanded to form into a circle, in the centre of which were the governor, captain Lacey, lieutenant Paul, ensign O'Shallaghan, and another officer. There were in all about 300 men; they formed two deep, the witness being outside the circle, but yet so situated as to plainly see all, and hear much of what passed. In a short time the carriage of a sixpounder was brought into the circle, and then he heard the governor call Benjamin Armstrong out of the ranks; Armstrong obeyed, when he was directly ordered to strip, tied to the gun-carriage, and flogged by five or six blacks, with a kind of rope; he never saw a man punished with such a thing before, nor ever by blacks. The governor stood by, urging them, through the medium of their linguist, to do their duty, and he distinctly heard him say, Lay on, you black b-, or I'll lay on you; cut him to the heart; cut his liver out." During the pumishment, Armstrong said something which the witness did not rightly hear, but he believed it was begging for mercy; and when it was over he was led to the hospital, where he understood him to have died a few days after. This witness saw nothing like a court-martial held; the VOL. XLIV.

officers in the centre of the circle, it was true, conversed a minute or two, then turned to the governor, who ordered Armstrong out in the manner he had before stated. He declared that he saw no appearance of a mutiny; that he heard them talking of going to the commissary to require a settlement of their short, allowance (upon which they had been for some time), as he and the governor were to leave the island the next morning, and which in fact they did. This witness underwent a very long cross-examination, but in which he did not vary in the material points: he admitted that he heard Armstrong tell the governor that they wanted to settle with the commissary; but denied hearing him make use of any such expression as, "I'll be d—d if you shall stir from the island until the stoppages are paid;" it could not have passed without his hearing: he knew Mrs. Lacey, wife of captain Lacey, who succeeded the prisoner in the government, was in the island, but did not recollect seeing of her at that time; yet, if she was then in the governmenthouse, she was at a much greater distance from them than he was.

Robert More said, he was a private in the garrison of Gorce on the 10th of July 1782, on which day they were paraded, as near as he could recollect, between four and five in the afternoon. He heard the governor order lieutenant Paul to form a circle; and that being done, the officers conversed for some little time, but he did not hear what was done. Armstrong was called out of the ranks, when the governor represented him as being the ringleader of a mutiny. Armstrong made some reply, but it was in so

low