Revised Jun 6 2021

No. 8. Miss N. Heywood to J. M. Heywood Esq'r.

Isle of Man. 3'd. June 1792

I will not attempt my dear Sir to express the gratitude at this Moment felt by myself & every one of our Family for your most friendly Letter & the generous promise it contains of support & protection to my most dear & unfortunate Brother who will soon I hope arrive in England & justify your goodness.

The Occasion of my again troubling you on the subject is, a Letter which I yesterday received from the Father of Mr. Tho's. Hayward (one of the Midshipmen who came with Mr. Bligh, in the Boat after the fatal Mutiny) having heard that Mr. T: Hayward after having been promoted had gone out as 3'd. Lieu't of the Pandora when she was sent in pursuit of the Bounty, & knowing that during the Time my Brother & he were together in the Bounty a strong Attachment had subsisted between them, I imagined the young gentleman's Father who lives at Hackney might probably be enabled to give me some Information respecting the Time of their Arrival.

I therefore took the Liberty of writing to him & in Answer to my Letter he informs me, that on their Arrival at Batavia after great sufferings, Capt. Edwards agreed for three Dutch ships to convey the Crew of the Pandora to Europe, giving a Lieut. to each Division, the first of which had arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, Feb 4, 1792 before the Thames Frigate sailed from thence on the 4th. of Feb'y. The Crown Man of War is since arrived in England & as far as I can learn without bringing any Account of the Pandora's people, tho' she must I suppose have remained some Time at the Cape (where she arrived only two Days before the Thames sailed) having as Mr. Hayward informs me been long in the East Indies & very sickly & intended therefore to refresh at the Cape: — it is certainly a little surprising that the two other Divisions of the Pandora's people (which were then hourly expected) had not arrived at the Cape before the Crown sail'd.

Mr. Hayward mentions to me a paragraph which he met with May 24, 1792 in the Gazeteer of the 24th. last Month which says "several of the Crew of the Pandora Frigate are brought to Dover by the Swan a Dutch Ship from Batavia" but as I have not seen the Account confirmed nor even mentioned in any other Newspaper, I fear it is a premature report. We have therefore in addition to our former Anxiety, ten thousand distracting apprehensions for my dear Brother's safety.

Permit me my dear Sir to trespass a little longer on your patience by transcribing a paragraph from Mr. Haywards Letter, in which after expressing the most alarming Fears he adds, "I will therefore take the Liberty my dear young Lady of requesting you to make all possible Interest with all your Friends that Application may be made to his Majesty, so as to be prepared against, & to avert the most fearful Consequences of the impending Trial; as I well know that Mr. Bligh's representations to the Admiralty are by no means favorable."

This paragraph my dear Sir you will readily believe has alarmed us beyond Expression, as we find by it that notwithstanding my Brother's extreme youth & perfect Innocence (which nobody who knew him will for a Moment doubt) he must when the Trial takes place be in the most imminent Danger — forgive me therefore my dear Sir for troubling you with this long Letter, not to repeat my request that you will protect my beloved Boy. — Your own Goodness & my firm reliance on your Word renders that unnecessary; but as it is the Subject in which of all others my Heart is most deeply interested, that Motive will I hope apologize for the Liberty I take in transmitting to you the Information I have received which comes from Authority that may with Certainty be depended on. — I am my dear Sir with every sentiment of gratitude

your most obliged and aff't

    Nessy Heywood