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against an attack from the mutinous fhips, which had manifefted fome frong indications of bombarding that place; and furnaces and red hot balls were kept ready.

The laft attempt at a reconciliation by treaty with the mutineers was through the medium of the earl of Northelk, who was a favourite with the feamen on board the whole fleet. On the oth of June, the two delegates of the Monmouth were rowed on board that thip, and informed his lordship, that it was the pleasure of the committee, that he should immediately accompany them on board the flag-fhip, as they had proposals to make, leading to an accommodation; his lordthip complied, and went attended by one officer: he found the convention in the ftate cabin, confifting of fixty delegates, with Parker fitting at their head. Before they entered upon bufinefs, the prefident demanded of the perfon accompanying lord Northek, who he was? The answer was, "An officer of the Monmouth, who accompanied the captain as fecretary." Parker then faid, "that the committee, with one voice, had come to a declaration of the terms on which alone, without the fmalleft alteration, they would give up the ships; and that they had fent for him, as one who was known to be the feamen's friend, to be charged with them to the king; from whom he muft pledge his honour to return on board with a clear and pofitive anfwer within fifty-four hours."

Parker then read the letter, which is faid to have contained fome compliments to his majefty's virtues, and many fevere ftrictures on the demerits of his minifters. His lordfhip inform ed the delegates that, "he would certainly bear the letter as defired, but he could not, from the unreafonableness of the demands, flatter

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them with any expectation of fuccefs." They perfifted that the whole must be complied with, or they would immediately put the fleet to fea. Parker then delivered to his lordship a paper, in the following words, by way of ratifying his credentials.

"Sandwich, June 6, 3 P. M. "To Captain Lord Northefk. "You are hereby authorised and ordered to wait upon the king, wherever he may be, with the refolutions of the committee of delegates, and are directed to return. back with an anfwer within fiftyfour hours from the date hereof.

"R. PARKER, prefident." Lord Northefk proceeded to London with this difparch; and after ftopping for a fhort time at the admiralty, he attended earl Spencer to the king; and a privy council was faid to be held the next day upon the fubject, when it was thought proper to reject the demands of the feamen, as exorbitant and unreafonable. Captain Knight, of the Inflexible, carried down the refufal of the lords of the admiralty.

All hopes of accommodation be ing now given up, measures were taken by lord Keith and fir C. Grey, to attack the fleet from the works at Sheerness, with gun-boats, &c. the defection, however, of the Repulfe, Leopard, and Ardent, on the night of the 9th of June, with other fymptoms of difunion among the mutineers, rendered the application of force unneceffary.

On the next day, feveral other of the mutinous fhips pulled down the red flag, as a fignal for the merchantmen to proceed up the river, and the ftorè and victualling-fhips to remain behind: all of thefe, however, profited by the opportu nity to make their efcape, after having been fired at by fome of the

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On the 11th, the Neptune, of 98 guns, manned with prefsgangs, volunteers, &c. fir E. Gower, commander, fell down to Longreach, with a view to act offenfively against the mutineers: the Lancafter, which had also been in a state of mutiny near that place, but had furrendered two or three days before, accompanied him, with the Agincourt, and a number of gunboats. But the firmnefs of the mutinous feamen being already thaken by the formidable preparations of government, and by the want of fresh provifions and water, it was evident that the combination was falling to pieces. On the 12th, moft of the thips ftruck the red flag, and hoifted the union, to fignify their defire of returning to obedience only feven had then the red flag flying. On the next morning the Agamemnon, the Standard, the Naffau, the Iris, and the Veftal, ran away from the other hips, and went under the protection of the guns at the fort of Sheerness. The crews, however, of thefe vcffels were very far from being unaniniqus, as feveral men were wounded and killed in the fruggles which took place on board them, between the partizans of the officers and thofe of the feamen. This defection of their comrades appears to have excited the utmost despair in Parker and the other leaders of the mutiny; for, from the return of a part of the fhips to their duty, their language became lets intemperate, their conduct lefs harfh, and their appearance clouded with a melancholy gloom. On the 13th the crews of all the fhips intimated an inclination to fubmit, provided a general pardon bould be granted. The crew of the Sandwich was particularly defirous, and Parker did not oppofe this fpirit;-a spirit

greatly accelerated by the arrival on board of lieutenant Mott, with the proclamations, acts of parliament, &c. of which the men complained they had been kept in ignorance till that period. In the courfe of the evening the men refolved to submit to the king's mercy, conceiving that it would no doubt be extended to thofe who had not known to what extent they had offended. In this ftate of the crew the Sandwich went under the guns of the fort at Sheernefs the next morning; upon which admiral Buckner's boat, with a piquet-guard of foldiers, went to the fhip to arreft l'arker, and bring him on fhore: as foon as he heard that a boat had arrived for him, he furrendered himself to four of the fhip's crew, to protect him from the outrages of the reft of the feamen, whofe vengeance he feared: upon this, the officers of the Sandwich furrendered Parker, and a delegate of the name of Davies, who had acted as captain under him, to the foldiers, with about thirty other delegates: thefe were committed to the black hole in the garrifon at Sheernes. On the first appearance of the foldiers, one of the delegates, Wallace, of the Standard, hot himfelf dead, and was afterwards buried in the highway. Parker was fe cured in Maidstone goal. All refiftance to the authority of the officers now ceafed on board the hips, and the mutiny was in effect terminated.

The trial of Parker commenced the 22d of June, on board the Neptune, off Greenhithe, before a courtmartial, confifting of captains in the navy, of which fir T. Paisley was prefident. The charge was read by Mr. Benfield: it accused the prifoner of various acts of mutiny committed on board his majesty's fleet at the Nore; of difobedience of or

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ders, and of contempt of the authority of his officers. Captain Mois, of the Sandwich, attended as profecutor on the part of the crown Admiral Buckner was the first witness called; and depofed, that he faw the prifoner Parker parade about the town of Sheernefs about the 12th of May, with an affemblage of people, with a red flag difplayed: at that time he went on board the Sandwich, for the purpose of making known to the feamen of that ship, and others, his majefty's proclamation of pardon, provided they returned immediately to their duty, on the fame terms as thofe granted to their brethren at Spither. On his going on board he faw no mark of refpect whatever fhewn him: the officers were then without their fide-arms, and were deprived of the command of the ship. Finding all his endeavours to bring the crew to their duty fruitless, he returned on shore. On the 23d his flag on board the Sandwich was ftruck, without his orders. On the evening of that day, as he was examining the complaints alleged againft two marines, who had been brought in by a party of the military, the prifoner, and a man named Davies, with three cr four others, came abruptly into the commithioners' houfe at Sheernefs, and demanded, "Why thofe men (the marines) were in cuftody?" informing him, at the fame time, that his flag was ftruck; that he had no longer any authority; and that the power was in their hands!" They then (Parker being their fpokefman) took the men away, as they faid, "to try them for being on fhore." About the 4th of June the admiral received a letter from the prifoner Parker, in which he styled himself prefident of the committee of delegates, ftating, that "the admini

ftration had acted improperly in topping the provifions for the men, and that the foolith proclamation was calculated to inflame the minds of honeft men,"

Lieutenant Juftice, of the Sandwich, depofed, that at the commencement of the mutiny he received an official paper, while he was on board, fent by admiral Buckner, refpecting the vote of the house of commons, granting the fum of 372,000l. to answer the expences incurred by a compliance with the requifitions of the feamen at Portfmouth; and that be read it to the crew, who received the intelligence with three cheers.

The next material evidence which affected the prifoner was given by captain Wood, of the Hound. When that thip arrived at the Nore, on the 2d of June, Parker came on board, and told him, that he (the prifoner) had the honour of reprefenting the whole fleet: he advifed him not to be fo violent to fome of the delegates as he had been. The prifoner told capt. Wood that he did not like his thip's company, and therefore fhould order her to be carried as near to the Sandwich as poffible, as a place of fecurity: he gave orders to the pilot accordingly; and the Hound came to on the Sandwich's quarter. In obeying thefe orders of the prifoner, the pilot · difpleafed him in fome of the proceedings; upon which he faid to the pilot, in threatening language, "You have committed one miftake -take care you do not commit another; if you do, I will make a beeffteak of you at the yard-arin." On the fourth day of his trial, Parker was put upon his defence. In this arduous undertaking he difplayed a clear judgment and a found understanding. He recapitulated, in a plain but perfpicuous manner, the evidence

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evidence which had been brought against him, and commented upon feveral parts of it with confiderable fkill. He thanked the court for the indulgence which had been given him, and folemnly declared, that he had no hand in the commencement of the mutiny; but that, two days afterwards, he faw that a violent fpirit had fpread among the men, and he then embarked in the caufe for the purpose of checking the violence of the proceedings; and he was thoroughly fatisfied, that if he had not taken an active part, the mutiny, which ended fo unfortunately, would have been attended with confequences ftill mo dreadful. He called feveral witneifes, whom he examined with great ability: but was unable to difprove the charges brought againft him; particularly that which bore the heaviest against him, namely, that of ordering the men on board the Director to fire on the Repulfe, a fhip which had deferted from the mutinous fhips.

When the prifoner had finished his defence, the court was cleared of ftrangers; and in about two hours afterwards the following fentence was pronounced:-"That the whole of the charges are fully proved, that the crime is as unprecedented as wicked, as ruinous to the navy as to the peace and profperity of the country; the court does therefore adjudge him to death; and he is ordered to fuffer death accordingly, at fuch time and place as the lords commitioners of the admiralty, or any three of them, fhall appoint."

After the fentence was paffed, the prifoner, with a degree of andifmayed compofure which excited the aftonishment and admiration of every one prefent, addreffed the court as follows: "I bow to your

fentence with all due fubmiffion being convinced I have acted by the dictates of a good confcience. God, who knows the hearts of all men, will, I hope, receive me. I hope that my death will atone to the country; and that those brave men, who have acted with me, will receive a general pardon. I am fatisfied they will all return to their duty with alacrity.”

Parker was executed in a few days afterwards, on board the Sandwich. He died very penitent, and with great compofure. He was buried at Sheerness; but his wife, by the aid of fome other women, furreptitioufly obtained the body, which was conveyed to London; and the curiofity of the public leading them in crowds to infpect it, the magiftrates were at length obliged to interfere, and by their orders it was interred in Whitechapel churchyard.

The court martial continued fitting and trying the other mutineers more than a month, during which time a great number received fentence of death; and feveral were ordered to be whipped. Many of the ringleaders of the mutiny, whe were convicted, were executed; but a confiderable number remained under fentence, till after the fignal victory, obtained by admiral Duncan, when his majefty fent a general pardon to these unhappy men, who were at that period confined on board a prifon-fhip in the river Thames.

In the month of June, alfo, his majefty's fhip the Pompée, one of lord Bridport's fleet, returned to Portimouth, in confequence of a mutiny which had broken cut on board of her when off Brett. Four of the ringleaders were afterwards convicted, and two of them executed on board the fame ship at Portfmouth.

Having thus ftated the outline of thefe tranfactions fo alarming to the peace and fafety of the kingdom, it will be proper, before we conclude the fubject, to take a thort review of the measures adopted by the two houses of parliament upon this interesting affair.

The duke of Bedford in the houfe of lords on the 3d of May atked, whether any of his majefty's minifters had it in charge, from his majefty, to make any communication upon the recent and important events which had occurred in the marine department. If no fuch communication was made, either now or on a future day, he fhould think it confiftent with his duty to bring a fubject so closely connected with the best and deareft interefts of the country, before their lordfhips, by moving for the production of certain papers connected with it.

Earl Spencer replied, that he had it not in charge from his majefty to make any communication to the houfe, nor did he forefee that any would be made upon the subject.

Earl Howe faid, that as his name had occurred upon the fubject, he was defirous to explain to their lordships the part which he had acted in the bufinefs, which he would do whenever the noble duke brought the fubject before the houfe; though, for the fake of the fervice, he could have wished that the matter had never been brought before the legiflature; because, in confequence of it, they would be brought into avery delicate fituation. After the duke of Clarence and the earl of Carlifle, however, had made fome obfervations upon the delicacy of the fubject, earl Howe again rofe, and obferved that what appeared to him to be the queftion in a parliamentary difcuffion of the

bufinefs, was, Will you agree to the terms made by the admiralty with the feamen, or not? Were the terms fully ratified, it would be virtually giving a fanction to their conduct; if refused, it would flew the feamen that, no reliance was to be placed on the promifes of government; and the confequences this idea might have, were more eafy to be feen than defcribed. He thought that the engagements of the admiralty with the feamen ought to be ratified by the legiflature.

Earl Howe afterwards obferved, that, from what had tranfpired, he found that he fhould not have a better opportunity of relating to their lordships the part he had taken in this affair. Between the fecond week of February and the middle of March (being then confined by illness) he received by the poft feveral petitions, purporting to be tranfmitted from different fhips of the Channel fleet. They were all exact copies of cach other, limited folely to a request for an increafe of pay, that the feamen might be able to make better provision for their families; decently exprefled, but without any fignature. His lordfhip could not reply to applications which were anonymous; nor acknowledge the receipt of them to parties unavowed and unafcertained. About four or five of the pe titions first received, though a little different in the hand-writing, were obviously, he faid, dictated by the fame perfon; and his lordship had farther reafon to think that they were fabricated by fome malicious individual, who meant to infinuate the prevalence of a general difcontent in the navy. Not refting, however, on this conclufion, his lordfhip wrote to an officer at Portfmouth, to inquire whether any

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