pound, and be of a better quality; that their mea- 1797. sures should be the same as those used in the com- April. mercial trade; that vegetables, instead of flour, should be served with fresh beef; that the sick should be better attended to, and their necessaries not be embezzled; and that the men might have, on returning from sea, a short leave to visit their families.

On the 18th a committee of the board of admiralty, consisting of lord Arden, (then first lord,) rearadmiral Young, and Mr. Marsden, the second secretary, arrived at Portsmouth; and, in answer to the petition of the seamen, declared, that the board would recommend the king to propose to parliament an increase of their wages in the following proportions: four shillings per month, in addition, to the wages of petty-officers and seamen, three, to the wages of ordinary seamen, and two, to the wages of landmen; and that the board had resolved, that seamen, wounded in action, should be continued in pay until their wounds were healed, or, until, being declared unserviceable, they should be pensioned, or received into Greenwich hospital.

To this, on the following day, the seamen, through their delegates, transmitted a reply, urging, that there never existed more than two orders of men in the navy, able and ordinary, and that, therefore, the distinction between ordinary and landmen was new; and humbly proposing, that the old regulations should be adhered to, that the wages of able seamen should be raised to one shilling a day, and the wages of petty-officers and ordinary seamen in the same proportion, and that the marines, while serving on board, should have their pay augmented in the same proportion as that of ordinary seamen ;

* The seaman's pound, according to a government regulation, was not more than 14 ounces, the remaining two being retained by the purser, to allow for waste, leakage, &c. A similar reduction occurred in the measures; and the purser received no other pay than the difference, if any, between the real and the assumed loss by waste, leakage, &c.

1797. and further, that the Greenwich pension should be April. raised to ten pounds per annum; that, to maintain the additional fund, every merchant-seaman should thereafter pay one shilling, instead of sixpence a month, and that the regulation should extend to the seamen of the East India company. The seamen then repeated their former demands, for an increased weight and measure, and an improved quality, of provisions, and for a supply of vegetables, instead of flour, with fresh beef; concluding with a declaration that, until their grievances, including those of particular ships, should be redressed, and an act of indemnity passed, they were determined not to lift an anchor.

On the next day, the 20th, the admiralty-committee sent, through lord Bridport, a letter to the seamen, agreeing to the increase of wages demanded, and to the full weight and measure of provisions, and promising pardon, but taking no notice of any increase in the Greenwich pensions, or any additional allowance of vegetables when in port. On the same, or the following day, the seamen returned a reply, expressing, in very grateful terms, their thanks for what had been granted them, but persisting to declare that, until the flour in port should be removed, the vegetables and pensions augmented, the grievances of private ships redressed, an act of parliament passed, and the king's pardon to the whole fleet granted, the men would not lift an anchor; unless, indeed, as had been always excepted, the enemy's fleet should put to sea.

On the 21st, in the hope to remove these remaining impediments in the way of a reconciliation, vice-admirals sir Alan Gardner and Colpoys, and rear-admiral Pole, went on board the Queen-Charlotte, and had a conference with the delegates. The latter, however, assured the admirals that no arrangement would be considered as final, until sanctioned by the king and parliament, and guaranteed by a proclamation of pardon. This bold

avowal so incensed admiral Gardner, that he seized 1797. one of the delegates by the collar, and swore he April would have them all hanged, together with every fifth man in the fleet.

On the return of the offended delegates to their respective ships, those of the Royal-George resolved to summon a meeting on board of their ship, and immediately hoisted the preconcerted signal of the red or bloody flag; a signal which, owing to its usual sanguinary import, alarmed all the well-disposed in the fleet. Instantly, on the display of that signal, the officers of the Royal-George, ashamed to see it flying with lord Bridport's flag, hauled down the latter. The seamen of the fleet now proceeded to load all their guns; ordered watches to be kept, the same as at sea, and put their ships in a complete state of defence. They also prevented their officers from going on shore; but, beyond that, neither offered any violence, nor put any constraint upon them.

On the 22d, having become somewhat pacified, the seamen caused two letters to be written; one to the lords of the admiralty, in which they stated the cause of their conduct on the two preceding days; the other to lord Bridport, in which they styled him their father and friend, and disclaimed offering him any intentional offence. This induced lord Bridport on the following day, the 23d, to go on board the Royal-George, the crew of which immediately rehoisted his flag. The admiral, then, at the close of an energetic address, informed the men that he had brought with him a redress of all their grievances, and the king's pardon for the offenders. After a short deliberation, these offers were accepted, and every man returned with cheerfuluess to his duty.

All disputes were now considered as settled, and the fleet dropped down to St.-Helen's, except the London, Minotaur, and Marlborough. The crews of the two latter refused to go to sea under their present officers, and the London had been directed to remain in company with them, to afford to vice

April.

1797. admiral Colpoys an opportunity of exerting his influence in restoring the disobedient ships' companies to a sense of their duty. We omitted to state, that on the second day of the mutiny, when the boats of the Royal-George and Queen-Charlotte were visiting the different ships, vice-admiral Colpoys refused to allow the delegates to come on board the London, telling them it was their duty to wait until the board of admiralty had decided upon their complaints. In the mean while the crew of the London were encouraging the delegates to enter the ship; but, as the marines had not yet been seduced from their duty, that could have been successfully opposed, if an officer had not just then arrived from lord Bridport, directing the vice-admiral to permit the boats' crews to come on board.

A foul wind unfortunately detained the ships at May. St.-Helen's until the morning of the 7th of May; when, having just received intelligence that the french fleet had dropped into the outer harbour of Brest preparatory to sailing, lord Bridport made the signal to weigh and put to sea; but which signal every ship in the fleet, as on the 15th of the preceding month, refused to obey. As a reason for this second act of disobedience, the seamen alleged the silence that government had observed respecting their complaints; by which they were led to suspect, that the promised redress of grievances would be withheld. This idea was forcibly impressed on the minds of the seamen, by the contents of some seditious hand-bills, which had been extensively circulated through the fleet.

At about 1 P. M. it was discovered on board the London at Spithead, that boats were pulling to and fro among the ships at St.-Helen's, and that yardropes were reeved in the same manner as on the 17th of the preceding month. Convinced that a renewal of the mutiny had taken place, vice-admiral Colpoys addressed the crew of the London, and asked them if they had any grievances remaining.

They replied, they had not. He then, as a measure 1797. of security, ordered the seamen below, and the May. officers and marines to arm themselves. On observing the boats of the delegates from the fleet at St.Helen's approaching the Marlborough, the London's people below began to unlash the second-deck guns, and to point them aft and up the hatchways. The officers were immediately ordered by the vice-admiral to fire on those that were forcing their way on deck. This was done; and five men were mortally, and six others badly wounded. The marines throwing down their arms, the seamen now rushed in crowds up the hatchways; and the vice-admiral, unwilling to spill more blood where no good could arise, ordered the officers to cease firing.

The seamen now called for and seized the first lieutenant, Mr. Peter Turner Bover, and were proceeding to hang him, when vice-admiral Colpoys, interfering, told them that lieutenant Bover had acted in conformity to his, the vice-admiral's, orders, grounded upon instructions received from the admiralty. These instructions the seamen, whom the delegates from the fleet had now joined, demanded and obtained. They then ordered viceadmiral Colpoys, captain Edward Griffith, and the whole of the officers, to their respective cabins. Matters remained in this unhappy state until the 11th, when the crew of the London expressed a wish that their admiral and captain should go on shore. Vice-admiral Colpoys and captain Griffith accordingly did so, accompanied by the reverend Samuel Cole, the ship's chaplain."

During these four days of renewed discontent, many captains and other officers, whose general conduct on board their ships was of an oppressive nature, or deemed so, were unceremoniously turned on shore. At length, on the 14th, lord Howe arrived from London, with plenary powers to settle all matters in dispute; bringing with him an act of parliament, which had been passed on the 9th, agreeably to the wishes of the seamen; also a pro