Defense Witnesses for Peter
Heywood and Statement by Peter Heywood (9/17/1792)
Monday, 17th September 1792.
The Court met according to Adjournment. Mr. PETER HEYWOOD, being
called upon for his Defence, said that owing to the long and severe
Confinement he had suffered he was afraid he was not capable of
delivering it with that force of Expression which it required, and
therefore desired one of his Friends might be permitted to read his
defence, which being granted Mr. Const read his Defence and it is
hereto annexed. My Lords and Gentlemen of
this Honorable Court, Your attention has already been sufficiently
exercised in the painful Narrative of this Trial; it is therefore my
Duty to trespass on it as little as possible. In such a Character it is my
misfortune to appear before this Tribunal-and no doubt I must have been
gazed at with all that horror and indignation which the conspirators of
such a Mutiny as that in Captain Bligh's Ship so immediately
provoke-hard then indeed is my fate, that circumstances should so occur
to point me out as one. Appearances probably are
against me but they are appearances only, for unless I may be deemed
guilty for feeling a repugnance at embracing Death unnecessarily I
declare before this Court and the Tribunal of Almighty God I am
innocent of the Charge. I chose rather to defer
asking any questions of the Witnesses until I heard the whole of the
Evidence, as the Charge itself, altho' I knew it generally, was not in
its full Extent nor in particular points made known to me before I
heard it read by the Judge Advocate at the beginning of the Trial, and
I feel myself relieved by having adopted such a Mode as it enables me
to set right a few particulars of a narrative which I had the honour to
transmit to the Earl of Chatham, containing an account of all that
passed on the Fatal morning of the 28th. of April, 1789, but which from
the Confusion the Ship was in during the Mutiny I might have mistaken
or from the errors of an imperfect recollection I might have mis-stated. The difference
however will now be open to correction; and I have great satisfaction
in observing that the mistakes but very slightly respect my part of the
transaction and I shall consequently escape the imputation of
endeavouring to save myself by imposing on my Judges. When first this sad Event
took place I was sleeping in my Hammock nor, till the very Moment of
being awakened from it, had I the least intimation of what was going
on. The Spectacle was as sudden to my Eyes as it was unknown to my
Heart---and both were Convulsed at the Scene. Matthew Thompson was the
first that claimed my attention upon waking. He was sitting as a
Centinel over the Arm Chest and my Birth, and informed me that the
Captain was a Prisoner and Christian had taken Command of the Ship. I
intreated for permission to go upon Deck and soon after the Boatswain
and Carpenter had seen me in my Birth as they were going up the fore
Hatchway I followed them as is stated in their Evidence. It is not in
my power to describe my feelings upon seeing the Captain as I did, who,
with his hands tied behind him, was standing on the Quarter deck a
little abaft the Mizen Mast and Christian by his side-My faculties were
benumbed and I did not recover the power of recollection until called
to by somebody to take hold of the tackle fall and assist to get out
the Launch, which I found was to be given to the Captain instead of the
large Cutter already in the Water alongside the Ship. It were in vain
to say what things I put into the boat, but many were handed in by me,
and in doing this it was that my hand touched the Cutlass (for I will
not attempt to deny what the Carpenter has deposed) tho' He should have
known what the charge was and, in general, how it was to be supported.
on my Conscience I am persuaded it was of momentary duration, and
innocent as to intention. The former is evident, from its being
unobserved by every Witness who saw me upon Deck-some of whom must have
noticed it had it continued a single Minute and the latter is proved by
the only Person who took Notice of the Circumstance and has also
deposed that at the moment he beheld me I was apparently in a state of
absolute stupor-the Poison therefore carries with it its antidote and
it seems needless to make any further comment on the Subject. For no
Man can be weak enough to suppose that if I had been Armed for the
purpose of assisting in the Mutiny that I should have resigned a weapon
in the Moment of triumph and when the Ship was so completely in the
possession of the Party that (as more than one Witness has emphatically
expressed it) all attempts at recovering her would have been
impracticable. The Boat and Ship, 'tis
true, presented themselves to me without its once occurring that I was
at liberty to' choose, much less that the choice I should make would be
afterwards deemed Criminal; and I bitterly deplore that my extreme
youth and inexperience concurred in torturing me with Apprehensions and
prevented me from preferring the former; for, as things have turned
out, it would have saved me from the disgrace of appearing before you,
as I do at this day-it would have spared the Sharp conflicts of my own
Mind ever since, and the agonising tears of a tender Mother and my
much-beloved Sisters. Add to my Youth and
inexperience that I was influenced in my Conduct by the Example of my
Messmates, Mr. Hallet and Mr. Hayward, the former of whom was very much
agitated and the latter, tho' he had been many years at Sea, yet, when
Christian ordered him into the Boat he was evidently alarmed at the
perilous situation, and so much overcome by the harsh Command, that he
actually shed tears. My own Apprehensions were
far from being lessened at such a Circumstance as this and I fearfully
beheld the preparations for the Captain's departure as the
preliminaries of inevitable destruction, which, although I did not
think could be more certain, yet I feared would be more speedy, by the
least addition to their Number. To show that I have no
disposition to impose upon this Court, by endeavouring to paint the
situation of the Boat to be worse than it really was, I need only refer
to the Captain's own narrative, wherein he says that she would have
sunk with them on the evening of the 3rd. May, had it not been for his
timely caution of throwing out some of the Stores, and all the Cloaths
belonging to the People excepting two suits for each. Now what Cloaths or Stores
could they have Spared which in Weight would have been equal to that of
two Men (for if I had been in her and the poor fellow Norton had not
been Murdered at Tofoa, she would have been encumbered with our
additional weight), and if it be true that she was saved by those means
which the Captain says she was it must follow that if Norton and myself
had been in her (to say nothing of Coleman, McIntosh, Norman, and Burn,
who 'tis confessed were desirous of leaving the Ship) she must either
have gone down with us or to prevent it we must have lightened her of
the Provisions and other necessary articles and thereby have perished
for Want-dreadful alternative! A Choice of Deaths to those
who are certain of dying may be a matter of indifference, but where, on
one hand, death appears inevitable and the means of salvation present
themselves on the other, however imprudent it might be to resort to
those means in any other less trying situation, I think (and hope even
at my present time of life) that I shall not be suspected of a want of
courage for saying few would hesitate to embrace the latter. Such then was exactly my
situation on board the " Bounty "-To be starved to Death, or drown'd,
appeared to be inevitable if I went in the Boat and surely it is not to
be wondered at if at the age of sixteen Years, with no one to advise
with and so ignorant of the discipline of the Service (having never
been at Sea before) as not to know or even suppose that it was possible
that what I should determine upon might afterwards be alledged against
me as a Crime--:I say under such circumstances, in so trying a
situation, can it be wondered at if I suffered the preservation of my
Life to be the first, and to supersede every other, consideration? Besides, through the Medium
of the Master, the Captain had directed the rest of the Officers to
remain on board in hopes of retaking the Ship-such is the Master's
assertion and such the report on board, and, as it accorded with my own
wishes for the preservation of my life I felt myself doubly justified
in staying on board, not only as it appeared to be safer than going in
the Boat, but from a consideration also of being in the way to be
useful in assisting to accomplish so desirable a wish of the Captain. Let it not-for God's
sake-let it not be argued that my fears were groundless, and that the
arrival of the Boat at Timor is a proof that my Conduct was wrong. This
would be judging from the event and I think I have plainly shown that
but for the death of Norton at Tofoa and the prudent order of the
Captain not to overload the Boat neither himself nor any of the people
who were saved with him would at this moment have been alive to have
preferred any Charge against me, or given Evidence at this Trial. If deliberate guilt be
necessarily affixed to all who continued on board the Ship, and that of
consequence they must be numbered with Christian's Party-in such a
strict view of matters, it must irrevocably impeach the Armourer and
two Carpenter's Mates, as well as Martin and Burn, who certainly wished
to quit the Ship. And if Christian's first intention of sending away
the Captain with a few persons only in the small Cutter had not been
given up, or if even the large Cutter had not been exchanged for the
Launch, more than half of those who did go with him would have been
obliged to stay with me. Forgetful for a moment of my own misfortunes I
cannot help being agitated at the bare thought of their narrow escape. Everybody must, and I am
sure that this Court will, allow that my case is a peculiarly hard one
inasmuch as the running away with the Ship is a proof of the Mutiny
having been committed. The Innocent and the Guilty are upon exactly the
same footing-had the former been confined by Sickness without a leg to
stand on or an arm to assist them in opposing the Mutineers they must
have been put upon their Trial and instead of the Captain being obliged
to prove their guilt, it would have been incumbent upon them to have
proved themselves innocent.5 How can this be done but negatively 7 If
all who wished it could not accompany the Captain they were necessarily
compelled to stay with Christian-and being with him, were dependent on
him subject to his Orders, however disinclined to obey them, for force
in such a state is paramount to every thing. But when, on the contrary,
instead of being in arms or obeying any orders of the Mutineers, I did
every thing in my power to assist the Captain and those who went with
him, and by all my Actions (except in neglecting to do what if I had
done must have endangered the lives of those who were so fortunate as
to quit the Ship) I showed myself faithful to the last moment of the
Captain's stay, what is there to leave a doubt in the minds of
impartial and dispassionate Men of my being perfectly innocent 7 Happy
indeed should I have been if the Master had stayed on board, which he
probably would have done if his reasons for wishing- to do so had not
been overheard by the Man who was in the Bread room. captain Bligh in his
narrative acknowledges that he left some friends on board the" Bounty,"
and no part of my Conduct could have induced him to believe that I
ought not to be reckoned of the Number. Indeed, from his attention to
and very kind treatment of me personally, I should have been a Monster
of depravity to have betray'd him-The Idea alone is sufficient to
disturb a mind where humanity and gratitude have, I hope, ever been
noticed as its Characteristic features; and yet Mr. Hallet has said
that he saw me laugh at a time when Heaven knows the Conflict in my own
Mind, independent of the Captain's situation, rendered such a want of
decency impossible. The Charge in its nature is dreadful-but I boldly
declare, notwithstanding an internal conviction of my innocence has
enabled me to endure my sufferings for the last sixteen Months, could I
have laid to my heart so heavy an accusation I should not have lived to
defend myself from it. And this brings to my recollection another part
of Captain Bligh's narrative, in which he says -" I was kept apart from
everyone and all I could do was by speaking to them in general but my
endeavours were of no avail, for I was kept securely bound and no one
but the Guard was suffered to come near me." If the Captain, whose
Narrative we may suppose to have been a detail of every thing which
happened, could only recollect that he had spoken generally to the
people I trust it will hardly be believed that Mr. Hallet, without
notes at so distant a period as this, should be capable of recollecting
that he heard him speak to anyone in particular; and here it may not be
improper to observe that, at the time to which I allude, Mr. Hallet (if
I am rightly informed) could not have been more than fifteen years of
age. I mean not to impeach his Courage. but I think if circumstances be
considered and an adequate Idea of the confused state of the Ship can
be formed by this Court it will not appear probable that this young
Gentleman should have been so perfectly unembarrassed as to have been
able to particularise the Muscles of a man's Countenance even at a
considerable distance from him, and what is still more extraordinary is
that he heard the Captain call to me from abaft the Mizen to the
Platform where I was standing, which required an exertion of Voice and
must have been heard and noticed by all who were present, as the
Captain and Christian were at that awful Moment the object of every
one's particular attention; yet he who was standing between us and
noticing the transactions of us both, could not hear what was said. To me it has ever occurred
that diffidence is very becoming, and of all human attainments a
knowledge of ourselves is the most difficult-and if in the ordinary
course of life it is not an easy matter precisely to account for our
own Actions, how much more difficult and hazardous must it be, in new
and momentous scenes when the Mind is hurried and distressed by
conflicting passions, to judge of another's Conduct; and yet here are
two young Men who after a lapse of near four Years (in which period one
of them, like myself, has grown from a Boy to be a Man) without
hesitation in a Matter on which my life is depending, undertake to
account for some of my Actions at a time, too, when some of the most
experienced Officers in the Ship are not ashamed to acknowledge they
were overcome by the confusion which the Mutiny occasioned and are
incapable of recollecting a number of their own transactions on that
day. I can only oppose to such
open boldness the calm suggestions of reason, and would willingly be
persuaded that the impression under which this Evidence has been given
is not in any degree open to suspicion. I would be understood at the
same time not to mean anything injurious to the Character of Mr.
Hallet-and for Mr. Hayward I ever loved him and must do him the justice
to declare that whatever cause I may have to deplore the effect of his
Evidence or rather his Opinion, for he has deposed no fact against me,
yet I am convinced it was given conscientiously, and with a tenderness
and feeling becoming a Man of honor. But may they not both be
mistaken? Let it be considered that their long intimacy with Captain
Bligh, in whose distresses they were partakers and whose sufferings
were severely felt by them, naturally begot an abhorrence towards those
whom they thought the Authors of their Misery; might they not forget
that the Story had been told to them and by first of all believing,
then constantly thinking of it, be persuaded at last it was a fact
within the compass of their own knowledge? t is the more natural to
believe it so from Mr. Hallet's forgetting what the Captain said upon
the occasion, which, had he been so collected as he pretends to have
been, he certainly must have heard. Mr. Hayward also, it is evident,
has made a Mistake in point of time as to seeing me with Morrison and
Millward upon the booms j for the Boatswain and Carpenter in their
Evidence have said, and the concurring testimony of everyone supports
the fact, that the Mutiny had taken place and the Captain was on Deck
before they came up, and it was not till after that time that the
Boatswain called Morrison and Millward out of their Hammocks j
therefore to have seen me at all upon the Booms with those two Men it
must have been long after the time that Mr. Hayward had said it was.
Again Mr. Hayward has said that he could not recollect the day or even
the Month when the" Pandora" arrived at Otaheite. Neither did Captain
Edwards recollect, when on his return he wrote to the Admiralty, that
Michael Byrn had surrendered himself as one of the" Bounty's" people,
but in that letter he reported him as having been Apprehended-Which
plainly shows that the Memory is fallible to a very great degree and it
is a failed conclusion to draw that if when the mind is at rest, which
must have been the Case with Mr. Hayward in the" Pandora," and things
of a few Months' date are difficult to be remembered, it is next to
impossible, in the state which every body was on board the" Bounty," to
remember their particular actions at a distance of three Years and a
half after they were observed. As to the Advice he says he
gave me to go into the Boat, I can only say I have a feint recollection
of a Conversation with somebody-I thought it was Mr. Stuart, but be
that as it may, I think I may take it upon me to say it was on Deck and
not below, for, on hearing it suggested that I should be deem'd Guilty
if I staid in the Ship, I went down directly, and in passing Mr. Cole
told him in a low tone of voice that I would fetch a few necessaries in
a Bag and follow him into the Boat, which at that time I meant to do
but was afterwards prevented. Surely I shall not be deem'd
Criminal that I hesitated at getting into a Boat whose Gunnel when she
left the Ship was not quite eight inches above the surface of the
Water. And if, in the moment of unexpected Trial, fear and confusion
assailed my untaught Judgment and that by remaining in the Ship I
appeared to deny my Commander, it was in appearance only-it was the sin
of my head, for I solemnly assure you before God that it was not the
vileness of my Heart. I was surprised into my
error by a mixture of ignorance, Apprehension and the prevalence of
Example, and, alarmed as I was from my Sleep, there was little
opportunity and less time for better recollection. The Captain, I am
persuaded, did not see me during the Mutiny, for I retired as it were
in sorrowful suspense, alternately agitated between hope and fear not
knowing what to do. The dread of being asked
by him, or of being ordered by Christian to go into the Boat or-which
Appeared to me worse than either--of being desired by the latter to
join his Party, induced me to keep out of the sight of both until I was
a second time confined in my Birth by Thompson, when the determination
I had made was too late to be useful. One instance of my Conduct I
had nearly forgot which, with much anxiety and great astonishment, I
have heard observed upon and considered as a fault, tho' I had imagined
it blameless if not laudable--I mean the Assistance I gave in hoisting
out the Launch, which, by a mode of expression of the Boatswain's, who
says I did it voluntarily (meaning Observations on matters of
opinion I will endeavour to forbear where they appear to have been
formed from the impulse of the Moment j but I shall be pardoned for
remembering Mr. Hayward's (given I will allow, with great deliberation
and after long weighing the question which called for it) which cannot
be reckoned of that description, for altho' he says he rather
considered me as a friend to Christian's Party, he states that his last
Words to me were, "Peter, go into the Boat "-which words could not have
been addressed to one who was of the Party of the Mutineers. And I am
sure, if the Countenance is at all an Index to the Heart, mine must
have betrayed the sorrow and distress he has so accurately described, It were trespassing
unnecessarily upon the patience of the Court to be giving a tedious
history of what happened in consequence of the Mutiny and how thro' one
very imprudent step I was unavoidably led into others. But amidst all this
pilgrimage of distress I had a conscience, thank heaven, which lull'd
away the pain of personal difficulties, dangers and distress. It was
this conscious principle which determined me not to hide myself as if
guilty. No-I welcomed the arrival of the "Pandora" at Otaheite and
embraced the earliest opportunity of freely surrendering myself to the
Captain of that Ship. By his order I was chained
and punished with incredible severity-tho' the Ship was threatened with
instant destruction, when fear and trembling came on every Man on
board; in vain for a long time were my earnest repeated Cries that the
galling Irons might not in that moment of affrighting consternation
prevent my hands from being lifted up to Heaven for Mercy. But tho' it cannot fail
deeply to interest the humanity of this Court and kindle in the breast
of every Member of it compassion for my sufferings, yet as it is not
relative to the point and as I cannot for a moment believe that it
proceeded from any improper motive on the part of Captain Edwards,
whose Character in the Navy stands high in estimation both as an
Officer and a Man of humanity, but rather that he was actuated in his
Conduct towards me by the imperious dictates of the Laws of the
Service, I shall therefore waive it and say no more upon the Subject. Believe me, again, I intreat
you will believe me, when, in the name of the tremendous Judge of
Heaven and Earth (before whose vindictive Majesty I may be destined
soon to appear) I now assert my innocence of plotting, abetting or
assisting either by word or deed the Mutiny for which I am tried. For,
young as I am, I am still younger in the school of art and such matured
infamy. My Parents (but I have only
one left, a solitary and Mournful Mother who is at home weeping and
trembling for the Event of this day) thanks to their fostering care
taught me betimes to reverence God, to honour the King and be obedient
to his Laws and at no time have I resolutely or designedly been an
Apostate to either. To this honorable Court then
I now Commit myself. My Character and my Life are at your disposal, and
as the former is as sacred to me as the latter is precious, the
consolation or settled misery of a dear Mother and two Sisters who
mingle their tears together and are all but frantic for my
situation-pause for your Verdict I If I am found worthy of life, it
shall be improved by past experience and especially taught from the
serious lesson of what has lately happened. But if nothing but Death
itself can atone my pitiable indiscretion I bow with submission and all
due respect to your impartial decision. Not with sullen indifference
shall I then meditate on my doom as not deserving it-No, such behaviour
would be an insult to God and an affront to man-and the attentive and
candid deportment of my Judges in this place requires more becoming
Manners in me. Yet if I am found Guilty
this day they will not construe it, I trust, as the least disrespect
offered to their discernment and opinion if I solemnly declare that my
Heart will rely with confidence in its own innocence until that awful
period when my Spirit shall be about to be separated from my body to
take its everlasting flight and be ushered into the presence of that
unerring Judge, before whom all Hearts are open, and from whom no
Secrets are hid. I will now call my witnesses
and establish the facts I have assumed. P. HEYWOOD. Mr. FRYER called in again and Sworn. Q. Whose Watch was I in on
board the" Bounty" and what Watch had I on the Day of the Mutiny? Q. If you had been permitted
would you have staid in the Ship in preference to going into the Boat? Q. Had you staid in the Ship
in expectation of retaking her, was my Conduct such from the first
moment you knew me to this, in which you are now to answer the
question, such as would have induced you to intrust me with your
Design, and do you believe I would have favoured it and given you all
the assistance in my power? Q. Was it the general
impression, at the Moment when Christian gave permission for the Launch
to be hoisted out, that if it were not done immediately he might alter
his mind and turn the Captain adrift in the Cutter. Q. If he had done so, what
Number of Men would she have carried? Q. Did you consider those
People who assisted in hoisting out the Launch as helping the Captain
or the Mutineers? Q.
How
many Men (including Captain Bligh) went into the Boat ? Q. What height was the
Gunwale of the Boat from the Water when she put off from the Ship? Q. Did you ever hear any
Person besides the Boatswain and the Carpenter in the Boat mention my
being in my Hammock at the time the Mutiny began? Q. At the time of the
Mutiny, was I of an Age, or do you think I was then sufficiently
experienced, to judge of the probable safety of the Boat when she left
the Ship? Q. What was my general
Temper and Disposition on board the Ship? The COURT did not ask the
Witness any Questions and he withdrew. Mr. WILLIAM COLE called in again and Sworn. Q. Did Captain Bligh speak
to me whilst I was on Deck on the Morning of the Mutiny? Q. Did you hear him speak to
me? Q. Do you recollect asking
me to assist you in hoisting out the Launch? Q. Did you consider me when
helping to hoist out the Launch as assisting the Captain or the
Mutineers? Q. Did you at any time
during the Mutiny see me Armed? Q. If you had remained in
the Ship in hopes of retaking her, would you, from your knowledge of my
past behaviour and from every Observation you made of my Conduct on the
Day of the Mutiny, have intrusted me with your design, and do you think
I should have afforded you all the assistance in my power? Q. From anything you
observed in my Conduct during the Morning of the Mutiny, did you then,
or do you now, believe that I was of the Mutineers' Party? Q. Was I in any instance
that Morning guilty of Levity or apparent Merriment? Q. As you have said that
when I left the Deck to go below, I said something to you but you
cannot now recollect what I would ask you whether it was not that I
would go below and put some things into a Bag and join you in the Boat? Q. After I went below
accompanied by Stewart, and while we were there, did you hear any
Orders, given to Thompson the Centinel upon the Arm Chest, not to let
them come up again, and by whom were such Orders given? Q. Do you think he meant me
as one of them, whoever they were? Q. Altho' you cannot
positively say it was me he meant to have confined, have you any doubt
in your mind but that it was me? Q. Was it not the general
Impression at the Moment when Christian gave permission for the Launch
to be hoisted out, that if it were not done immediately he might alter
his mind and turn the Captain adrift in the cutter? Q. If he had done so, what
Number of Men would the Cutter have carried? Q. Could Captain Bligh have
spoken to me loud enough for me to have heard him, as I was situated,
without your hearing him? Q. Did you see Mr. Hayward
upon Deck during the Time of the Mutiny? Q. In what state. did he
appear to be-was he cool and collected, or did he seem agitated and
alarmed? Q. Did you see Mr. Hallet
upon Deck during the Time of the Mutiny? Q. In what state did he
appear to be, was he cool and collected or did he seem agitated and
alarmed? Q. In a former part of your
Evidence, you described all who staid in the Ship (except Coleman,
Norman, McIntosh, and Byrn) as Mutineers. Did you mean to include me as
a Mutineer? Q. Did Mr. Fryer, when you
went into the Cockpit to him, desire you to stay in the Ship if you
could? Q. What was my general
Conduct, Temper, and behaviour on board the Ship? By the COURT- Q. How long was you below
when Mr. Fryer, the Master, spoke to you? Q. Except that Time,
was you upon Deck from the beginning of the Mutiny until the Boat put
off? Q. When Mr. Fryer, the
Master, bid you stay, did you understand it, that you should remain
with him in Case he staid for the Purpose of retaking the Ship? Q. Was that the Time you
staid below a Minute? Q. How many Times was you
below? Q. What length of Time do
you think you observed the Prisoner Mr. Heywood on that Day? Q. In the different times
you went below how long do you think you was below in the whole? The Witness withdrew. Mr. PECKOVER called in again and sworn. Q. If you had remained in
the Ship in hopes of retaking her, should you, from your knowledge of
my Conduct from the first Moment you knew me to the Moment in which you
are now to answer the question, have entrusted me with your design and
do you believe I would have given you all the assistance in my power? Q. What was my Temper,
disposition, and general Conduct on board the Ship? Q. As you have said in a
former part of your Evidence that all who remained on board you
considered to be of the Mutineers' Party-did you mean to include me as
a Mutineer? By the COURT- Q. As you did not see Mr.
Heywood on that Day nor observe any part of his Conduct, what are your
Reasons for saying that he would have been one of the first that you
would have opened your Mind to, in Case you had endeavoured to retake
the Ship? The Witness withdrew. Mr. WILLIAM: PURCELL called in and Sworn. Q. Did you see me upon Deck
during the time of the Mutiny? Q. Did you see me assist in
hoisting out the Launch? Q. Was it the general
impression at the moment when Christian gave permission for the Launch
to be hoisted out that if it were not done immediately he might alter
His mind and turn the Captain adrift in the Cutter? Q. If he had done so, what
Number of People could have accompanied the Captain? Q. Did you consider me when
assisting to hoist out the Launch as helping the Captain or the
Mutineers? Q. After what you have said
respecting the Cutlass on which you say my hand rested, just as the
Launch was going to be hoisted out, I would ask you whether, on the
most mature consideration of the matter, you did then, or you do now,
believe that I could be considered as an Armed Man? Q. Did my Conduct when you
spoke to me indicate that I wished to be Armed, or could you, from what
you saw me do, or heard me say at any particular time or during the
whole time you saw me on the day of the Mutiny, give you cause to
believe then, or do you now upon recollection think, that I was of the
Mutineers' Party? Q. If you had remained in
the Ship in hopes of retaking her, would you, from your knowledge of my
past behaviour and from Every Observation you have made of my conduct,
as well on the Day of the Mutiny as at other times, have entrusted me
with your design, and do you think I should have afforded you all the
Assistance in my Power? Q. Did Captain Bligh speak
to me whilst I was on Deck on the Morning of the Mutiny? Q. Could Captain Bligh have
spoken to me loud enough for me to have heard him as I was situated
without your hearing him? Q. Was I in any Instance
during that Morning guilty of Levity or apparent Merriment? Q. After I went below and
while I was there did you hear the Master at Arms call to Thompson, the
Centinel, to keep me below? Q. What height was the
Gunwale of the Boat from the Water when she put off from the Ship? Q. Did you hear Mr. Hallet
upon Deck during the time of the Mutiny? Q. In what State did he
appear to be? Was he cool and collected or did he seem agitated and
alarmed? Q. Did you see Mr. Hayward
upon Deck during the time of the Mutiny? Q. In what state did he
appear to be 1 Was he cool and collected or did he seem to be agitated
and alarmed? Q. What was my general
Conduct and Temper on board the Ship? By the Court Q. Was you upon Deck from
the Commencement of the Mutiny until the Time the Boat was turned
adrift? Q. How long was you below
altogether? Q. During the time you was
upon Deck did you see Peter Heywood the whole of that time? Q. Had you any Conversation
with Peter Heywood for the Purpose of retaking the Ship, supposing you
had staid? Q. How then do you know that
he was not of the Mutineers' Party? Q. As you was so frequently
below, what are your Reasons for saying that you think Captain Bligh
could not have spoken to Peter Heywood without your observing it? Q. Where was Mr. Peter
Heywood when you spoke to him about the Cutlass? Q. Where about does the Bow
of the Boat rest upon the Deck? Q. Altho' you did not see
the Prisoner Mr. Heywood farther aft than the Bow of the Boat, as you
have already described, might he not have been farther Aft, when you
was below? Q. As you say you did not
look upon the Prisoner as a Person Armed, to what did you allude when
you exclaimed, " Good God, Peter, what do you do with that" upon seeing
his Hand leaning upon a Cutlass? Q. You have said that the
Prisoner Mr. Heywood gave every Assistance--do you mean to Captain
Bligh? Q. Describe that Assistance? Q. Who do you think
Churchill alluded to when he called to Thompson, the Centinel, to keep
them below? Q. Was Mr. Elphinstone in
his Birth with the Prisoner when that Order was given? Q. Was Mr. Heywood alone or
was any other Person with him? Q. To your Knowledge were
there no other Persons except Mr. Heywood and Mr. Stewart to whom it
was possible Churchill might have alluded? Q. Do you know that there
were not other Persons below? Q. As Mr. Heywood assisted
you in getting your Chest into the Boat did you hear or see him express
any Marks of Disapprobation or Sorrow at the Mutiny? The Witness withdrew. Captain Edwards called in again and sworn. Q. Did I surrender myself to
you upon the Arrival of the" Pandora" at Otaheite? Q. Did I give to you such
Information respecting myself and the" Bounty" as afterwards proved
true? By the Court- Q. Did Peter Heywood give
you any Account of the Transactions of the" Bounty" after the Boat was
turned adrift to her return to Mativy Bay, Otaheite? Q. Did Peter Heywood inform
you of the Number of Days that passed after the Boat was turned adrift
to her return to Mativy Bay? Q. Did the Information you
received from Peter Heywood enable you in any Manner to give the
Account you transmitted to the Admiralty respecting the Return of the "
Bounty" to Mativy Bay, and her Stay there each Time she did return? Q. Did the Information you
received from Peter Heywood enable you to state the Time between the
Boats leaving the " Bounty" and her return to Mativy Bay and how long
was it and how long she remained at Mativy Bay? Q. How long did she remain
after her return the Second Time? Q. Can you give the Court
any Information respecting the Number of Men who went away in the"
Bounty" the second time? Q. Can you inform the Court
of the Number that remained? Q. Did Peter Heywood inform
you, whether he continued at Otaheite the first time, or went away in
the" Bounty" with the Pirates? Q. Was you ever Informed
whether any of the" Bounty's" People remained at Otaheite the first
time? Q. When Mr. Peter Heywood
surrendered himself to you did he give you any Reason for continuing
with the Pirates? Q. Do you know that Mr.
Peter Heywood, the Prisoner, was informed by any Person on board the"
Pandora," that any Part of the" Bounty's" Crew had arrived in England,
prior to your interrogating him upon that Subject? Q. Did Mr. Heywood know that
Lieutenant Hayward was on board the" Pandora" when he came to you? Q. Do you know whether Mr.
Heywood knew, prior to your Examining him, that the" Bounty's" People
had arrived in England? Q. Did he, upon his coming
on board, tell you that the " Bounty" had been run away with and was
the Information he gave you, relative to the other Prisoners, of any
Service to you in apprehending them? Q. From the Conversation you
had with Mr. Heywood did it appear to you that he then considered
himself as partaking of the Guilt of the Mutineers, or did he seem
conscious of Innocence and desirous of assisting you in apprehending
them? Q. Did you ever receive any
Information from any of the Inhabitants of Otaheite that was of Use to
you in apprehending the Prisoners? Q. Did the Information you
received from the Island come from any Person of Consequence there? Q. Did you receive
assistance from any of the People of Otaheite in apprehending them? Q. You have related in your
Letter to the Admiralty that at your Arrival at Otaheite you were
informed that the Pirates, upon their Arrival there, had told the
People that they had met with Captain Cook who had taken the other
Officers from them; from whom did you get that Information? Q. Did you receive that
Information from Mr. Peter Heywood, the Prisoner? By Mr. HEYWOOD- Q. When I told you that I
went away the first time from Otaheite with the Pirates did I not at
the same time inform you that it was not possible to separate myself
from Christian, who would not permit any Man of the Party to leave him
at that time, lest, by giving Intelligence, they might have been
discovered, whenever a Ship should arrive? The Witness withdrew. Lieutenant LARKANS called in again and
sworn. Q. Did I come aboard the "
Pandora" voluntarily? By the Court- Q. Mention the Words he made
use of He said, " I suppose you know My Story." Q. How long was the Prisoner
Peter Heywood on board, before you carried him down to the Cabin? Q. Did no other Conversation
pass between you and Peter Heywood than what you have already related? Q. Did you remain in the
Cabin with Captain Edwards and the Prisoner Q. After you carried the
Prisoner down to Captain Edwards, how long was it before you received
Orders to put him into Confinement? Q. Did the Prisoner Peter
Heywood surrender himself to you? Q. Did any Person on board
the" Pandora" to your knowledge inform the Prisoner that any of the"
Bounty's" Crew had arrived in England or did he know that Lieutenant
Hayward was on board before you took the Prisoner down to Captain
Edwards? The Witness withdrew. Mr. HEYWOOD desired
Permission for his Friend to read a few Observations upon the Evidence
given in his Defence. My Lord, The Court having heard those
Witnesses I have been enabled to call, it will be unnecessary to add
anything to their testimony in point of fact, or to observe upon it by
way of illustration. It is, I trust, sufficient to do away any
suspicion which may have fallen upon me, and to remove every
implication of Guilt which, while unexplained, might by possibility
have attached to me. It is true I have by the absence of Captain Bligh,
Simpson, and Tinkler been deprived of an Opportunity of laying before
the Court much, that would at least have been grateful to my feelings,
tho' I hope not necessary to my defence; as the former must have
exculpated me from the least disrespect, and the two last would have
proved past all contradiction that I was unjustly accused: I might
regret that in their Absence I have been arraigned, but thank Heaven I
have been enabled, by the very witnesses who were called to criminate
me, to oppose facts to opinions and give explanation to circumstances
of suspicion. It has been proved that I was asleep at the time of the
Mutiny and waked only to confusion and dismay. It has been proved, 'tis
true, that I continued on board the Ship, but it has also been proved I
was detained by force- and to this I must Add I left the Society of
those with whom I was for a time obliged to associate, as soon as
possible, and with unbounded satisfaction resigned myself to the
Captain of the "Pandora," to whom I gave myself up, to whom I also
delivered my Journal (faithfully brought up to the preceding day) and
to whom I also gave every information in my Power. I could do no more,
for at the first time we were at Otaheite it was impossible for me,
watched and suspected as I was, to separate from the Ship. My
information to Captain Edwards was open, sincere and unqualified, and I
had many opportunities given me at different times of repeating it. Had
a track been open to my native country I should have followed it. Had a
Vessel arrived earlier, I should earlier, with the same eagerness, have
embraced the opportunity, for I dreaded not an inquiry in which I
foresaw no discredit; but Providence ordained it otherwise. I have been
the victim of suspicion and had nearly fallen a Sacrifice to
misapprehension. I have, however, hitherto surmounted it, and it only
remains with this Court to say if my sufferings have not been equal to
my indiscretion. The decision will be the
voice of Honor and to that I must implicitly resign myself.
THE BOUNTY MUTINEERS TRIAL HOMEPAGE |