from the ships. They took the advantage of a dark night, and left the bay in a whale-boat, unobserved by any person, all, excepting the prisoner, having the watch on deck. They took with them several muskets, a supply of ammunition, and many things of but little value. My attempt to pursue them was prevented, by their destroying, in a great measure, the only remaining boat at that time seaworthy.

On the 12th April began to rig the ships Seringapatam, and Sir Andrew Hammond, which, as I calculated, employed the men until the 1st May. All hands were then engaged in getting the remainder of the property from the Greenwich to the Seringa patam, as I began to despair of the frigate re joining me at that place.

The work went on well, and the men were obedient to my orders, though I discovered an evident change in their countenances, which led me to suppose there was something wrong in agitation, and under that impression had all the muskets, ammunition, and small arms of every description taken to the Greenwich (the ship I lived on board of) from the other ships, as a necessary precaution against a surprise from my own men.

On the 7th May, while on board the Seringapatam on duty which required my being present, I was suddenly and violently attacked by the men employed in that ship. After struggling a short time, and receiving many bruises, I was thrown down on the deck and my hands and legs immediately tied. They then threw me on the second deck, thence dragged me into the cabin, and confined me to the run, where in a few minutes midshipman Feltus, and acting midshipman Clapp were thrown in, tied in the same manner as myself: the scuttle was then nailed down and a sentinel placed over it.

After spiking all the guns of the Greenwich, and of the fort, and those of the Sir Andrew Hammond that were loaded, plundering the ships of every thing valuable,-committing many wanton depredations on shore, taking all the arms and ammunition from the Greenwich; sending for Ro

bert White, the man who was sent out of the Essex for mutinous conduct, and bending the necessary sails, they stood out of the bay, with a light wind off the land.

My fellow prisoners, and shortly after myself, were then taken out of the run, and placed in the cabin, under the immediate charge of several sentinels.

Shortly after getting clear of the bay, one of the sentinels, though he had been repeatedly cautioned against putting his finger on the trigger, fired a pistol, the contents of which passed through my heel a little below the ancle bone.

I had not received the wound a moment before the men on deck pointed their muskets down the sky-light, and were in the act of firing, when the sentinel prevented them by saying the pistol was accidentally discharged.

At 9 o'clock, the night dark, and the wind blowing fresh, after receiving by request from the mutineers a barrel of powder, and three old muskets, I was put in a leaky boat, where I found my unfortunate companions.

In that situation, after rowing at least six miles, and every person exhausted from the great exertion made to prevent the boat from sinking, we reached the Greenwich, where I found my few remaining men anxiously looking out for me, and seriously alarmed at the conduct of the savages. They had already begun to plunder the encampment, and were informed by Wilson (a man who had lived among them for several years, and who, as I afterwards learnt, was not only instrumental to the mutiny, but had in my absence plundered the Sir Andrew Hammond) of our defenceless situation. Finding it impossible to comply with that part of my instructions directing me to remain in the bay until the 27th May -I thought it most advisable to repair to the port of Valparaiso; and with that view every soul, assisted by George Ross, and William Brudewell, (traders living on the island for the purpose of collecting sandal wood,) exerted themselves in making the necessary preparations to depart.

My first object was to put the Sir Andrew Hammond in situation that we might get under way at any moment. That done, all hands were engaged in getting the few articles of value from shore, and endeavouring to recover the stolen property from the Sir Andrew Hammond, when the savages made an unprovoked and wanton attack upon us, in which I have, with the deepest regret, to inform you, midshipman William Feltus, John Thomas, Thomas Gibbs, and William Brudewell were massacred, and Peter Caddington (marine) dangerously wounded; but he made his escape together with William Worth, by swimming some distance, when they were taken out of the water by midshipman Clapp, and the only three men left. Our situation at that moment was most desperate the savages put off in every direction with a view to intercept the boat, and board the ship, but were driven back by my firing the few guns we had just before loaded with grape and canister shot.-Before the boat returned, and the guns were reloaded, they made the second attempt, and afterwards repeated attempts, first to board the Sir Andrew Hammond, and then the Greenwich-but were repulsed by our keeping up a constant firing. During this time several hundred were employed in pulling down the houses, and plundering the encampment, while others were in the fort, endeavouring (assisted by Wilson who had received several casks of powder from the mutineers) to get the spikes out of the guns.

As soon as William Worth had recovered a little strength after being so long in the water, I sent the boat to the Greenwich, for John Pittenger (a sick man) and some things that were indispensably necessary, and with orders to burn that ship, and return with all possible despatch, as our ammunition was nearly all expended, and we had no other means of keeping the savages one moment out of the ship. We then bent the jib and spanker, cut the moorings, and luckily had a light breeze that carried us clear of the bay, with six cartridges only remaining.

It was then we found our situation most distressing. In attempting to run the boat up, it broke in two parts, and we were compelled to cut away from the bows our only anchor, not being able to cat it. We mustered altogether eight souls -out of which there was one cripple confined to his bed, one man dangerously wounded, one sick, one convalescent, a feeble old man just recovering from the scurvy, and myself unable to lend any further assistance, the exertions of the day having so greatly inflamed my wound as to produce a violent fever, leaving midshipman Clapp, and two men only capable of doing duty. In that state, destitute of charts and of every means of getting to windward, I saw but one alternative, to run the trade winds down, and if possible make the Sandwich islands, in hopes of either falling in with some of the Canton ships, (that being their principal place of rendezvous) or of obtaining some assistance from Tamaahmaah, the king of the Windward Islands.

No time was lost in bending the topsails, and on the 10th of May we took our departure from Roberts island. On the 25th of the same month made Owhyhee, and on the 30th, after suffering much, came to an anchor in Whytetee bay, at the island of Whoohoo, where I found captain Winship, several officers of ships, and a number of men, from whom (particularly captain W.) I received every assistance their situation could afford me.

The natives, though at first surprised at our deplorable condition, and inquisitive to know the cause of it, which I did not think prudent to inform them, supplied the ship with fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables, partly on condition that I would take the chief men of the island, and some others with their property up to the Windward Island, (where I found it necessary to go,) after shipping some men, in order to procure a supply of salt provisions from the king. From thence it was my intention to have proceeded to Valparaiso in compliance with my instructions from captain Porter,-but I was unfortunately captured on the passage by the English ship Cherub

of twenty guns. I was somewhat surprised to hear captain Tucker say (when I pointed out a valuable canoe, and many other articles which I assured him was the property of the natives, and that I was merely conveying them, and it, from the one island to the other, the weather being too boisterous at that time for them to make the passage in their canoes,) that every thing found in a prize-ship belonged to the cap

tors.

So that I had the mortification to see the people from whom I had received so much kindness, sent on shore, deprived of all they had been collecting for twelve months past, and were about to present to their king as a tribute imposed upon them.

The Cherub then proceeded to Atooi, where after capturing the ship Charon, and making many fruitless attempts to get the cargo of that ship, and of several others that had been deposited on the island, under the immediate protection of the king of the Leeward Islands, she took her departure on the 15th July from that place, and on the 28th November fol. lowing, arrived at Rio de Janiero with her prizes, touching on the passage for refreshments at Otaheite and at Valparaiso. During her stay at the latter place, the frigates Briton and Tagus arrived from the Marquesas, where they had been in search of the ships left under my charge.

On the 15th of December the prisoners were sent on shore, having received the most rigorous treatment from captain Tucker, during their long confinement in his ship, and the greater part of them, like the natives, left destitute of every thing, save the clothes on their backs. The men belonging to the Essex had but little to lose, but those I shipped at Waahoo had received in part, money and goods for one, two, and some of them three years services in the Canton ships.

On the 15th of May, by the advice of a physician who at tended me, I took my departure from Rio de Janeiro, in a Swedish ship bound to Havre de Grace, leaving behind acting midshipman Benjamin Clapp, and five men, having lost one soon after my arrival at that place with the small-pox.