Minutes Bligh's Answer Home Minutes & Appendix Court Martials
Revised Jun 5 2021
If Captain William Bligh's Answer had been confined to endeavours to refute the imputations upon his conduct, contained in the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Court-Martial, or in the Appendix annexed to it, I should have been glad to have left him in possession of any benefit or success which those endeavours might have been attended with. But as almost all the material parts of what are called proofs are little more than insinuations that the statements, which I thought it my duty to lay before the public, have been unfairly obtained, or unfairly represented, I feel myself called upon to make a few observations in vindication of my own conduct and character. The first intimation which I received, that the dreadful mutiny on board the Bounty originated from motives, and was attended with circumstances, different from those which had been represented to the world, was in consequence of the following letter from Mr. Heywood, and which is printed in Captain Bligh's Answer, p. 16.
GREAT RUSSEL-STREET, 5TH NOV. 1792.
SIR,
I am sorry to say I have been informed you were inclined to judge too harshly of your truly unfortunate brother; and to think of him in such a manner as I am conscious, from the knowledge I had of his most worthy disposition and character, (both public and private,) he merits not in the slightest degree: therefore I think it my duty to undeceive you, and to rekindle the flame of brotherly love (or pity now) towards him, which, I fear, the false reports of slander and vile suspicion may have nearly extinguished.
Excuse my freedom, Sir:—If it would not be disagreeable to you, I will do myself the pleasure of waiting upon you; and endeavour to prove that your brother was not that vile wretch, void of all gratitude, which the world had the unkindness to think him; but, on the contrary, a most worthy character, ruined only by having the misfortune (if it can be so called) of being a young man of strict honour, and adorned with every virtue; and beloved by all (except one, whose ill report is his greatest praise) who had the pleasure of his acquaintance.
Having had an interview with Mr. Heywood, I immediately communicated the information I had received to a confidential friend of mine, Mr. Romilly, a Barrister of Lincoln's Inn; and, by his advice, I afterwards waited upon a gentleman, then high in the profession of the law, who has since been advanced to the Bench, and who now presides in one of the Courts in Westminster-hall. The object of that visit was to inquire of him what credit was due to the account I had heard, as it had been mentioned in the newspapers that he was present at the trial. His Lordship received me with that politeness and benevolence which have ever distinguished his character. It might be thought indelicate in me to relate any conversation that passed between his Lordship and me; and I trust he will have the goodness to forgive the liberty I have taken in referring to this interview with his Lordship, as a strong proof of the caution with which I wished to proceed in this inquiry. Although it is true that I received the first intimation of the circumstances related in the Appendix from Mr. Heywood, yet, before I saw that gentleman, Mr. Fryer (the master of the Bounty) had communicated the same circumstances to Mr. Joseph Christian of the Strand, No. 10, which were made known to me soon after the conversation I had with Mr. Heywood. He is a distant relation of mine; his name had induced Mr. Fryer to call upon him, and give him the information. From that time I was determined to investigate the subject fully; and I had the precaution upon every occasion, (except when I called upon Mr. Hayward of Hackney,) when I expected to see any of the people of the Bounty, to have some gentlemen in company with me. By the favour of these gentlemen I have published their names and places of residence, that any person interested in the subject might have an opportunity of making inquiries of them, whether the information I received in their company has or has not been fairly represented by me.
It is unnecessary for me to declare that the list is filled with the names of gentlemen, who may be justly said to be the most honourable characters in society; and I may be truly proud in calling them my friends. If I could have entertained a thought of misrepresenting the testimony, to the prejudice of Captain Bligh, I ought to be considered the most infamous of mankind; and if in fact I have misrepresented it, I must have forfeited the esteem of the most valuable part of my acquaintance, and must have incurred a punishment almost equivalent to banishment from society. But I still hope that I shall continue, whilst I live, to enjoy their good opinion and their friendship. Captain Bligh has published Mr. Heywood's letter as one of his proofs, p. 16. I presume, with intent to prove the inconsistency between that letter and a passage taken from Mr. Heywood's defence, in which he speaks strongly of Captain Bligh's attention and kind treatment to him personally, p. 15. A note is subjoined, that "this part of Mr. Heywood's defence does not appear in the Minutes of the Court-Martial published, or in Mr. Edward Christian's Appendix." As far as this is an insinuation of a wilful omission on my part, I need only answer that Mr. Barney has declared, in his prefatory letter, that his minutes did not extend beyond the evidence for the prosecution. This passage was therefore not contained in those minutes, nor was it in any copy which I could command. I anxiously solicited (as all my friends know) another gentleman to publish, or to permit me to publish, his copy of the minutes, which contained the several defences of the prisoners. Being unable to prevail upon him, I waited upon one of the Lords of the Admiralty to request the copy transmitted to the Board. He politely informed me that it could not be granted to any individual in a private situation. I shall therefore, I trust, stand acquitted of any imputation of having industriously suppressed this testimonial in Captain Bligh's favour. It may be also observed that Mr. Heywood's letter complains of no ill treatment received by him personally from Captain Bligh, and that the defence was drawn up by his counsel when he was tried for his life, charged with an act which can admit of no justification; and I have the authority of one of his counsel to declare that his defence was left entirely to their discretion. Captain Bligh has inserted among his proofs, p. 18, a letter signed by Ed. Harwood, late surgeon of his Majesty's ship Providence. This letter is a certificate by the surgeon, and by the surgeon only, of Captain Bligh's good conduct in the Providence; but, as Mr. Harwood never belonged to the Bounty, it is difficult to say how it can be considered as a proof of any circumstance which ever occurred on board that ship. Indeed, if abuse and scurrility can be regarded as evidence, it is true that no proof can be stronger. When it was published in the newspaper the Times, I was advised to treat it with silent contempt; and I should have thought myself degraded in the opinion of every man of sense and honour if I had condescended to have taken notice of so illiberal and indecent a letter. With regard to the affidavits made by Joseph Coleman, who is a pensioner in Chelsea Hospital, and by John Smith, who was Captain Bligh's servant, and I am told is now living in his house, I have not much to object to them. Most of the paragraphs begin with "I never told Mr. Ed. Christian, &c." These two persons might easily be induced, without much (or any) violence to their consciences, to swear thus in negatives. Coleman has the appearance of a decent and honest man, but he is old and dull; and I never saw him but in the company of other persons belonging to the Bounty, who took the lead in conversation; but to their information he certainly in every instance assented by his silence, or without making any contradiction. The only observation I ever remember him to have made was, that "Mr. Christian was a fine young man, or a fine young officer"; and throughout the whole of the Appendix there is not a single word used by me as referable to his evidence. John Smith, the Captain's servant, I never saw but once: he came of his own accord to my chambers. He spoke of Mr. Christian in the highest terms of praise and affection; and the sentence in p. 76 in the Appendix was spoken by him, viz. 'Mr. Christian was always good-natured; I never heard him say Damn you to any man on board the ship.' He said, that 'during the mutiny he ran backward and forward to put all the Captain's things on board the launch; that he was not ordered to leave the ship, but that he went of his own accord, thinking it his duty to follow his master: That there was no huzzaing on board.'
Being then asked what could be the cause of the mutiny, and if there had been any previous misunderstanding between Christian and the Captain; he said he could not speak to that, as his duty as cook and Captain's servant confined him below, and he could not say what might have passed upon deck. I told him he spoke like an honest man, and that I should not trouble him with any more questions. It was very fortunate that Mr. Gilpin in the Strand, No. 432, happened to be in my chambers at the time. Mr. Gilpin had an opportunity of seeing several more persons belonging to the Bounty. He can bear witness that this man's information was perfectly consistent, as far as it went, with the account which he heard from the others. Mr. Gilpin, and every gentleman whose name I have used, I am confident will always do me the justice to declare, that what they have heard I have represented fairly, and without the slightest exaggeration. I may add too, that they have all a numerous and honourable acquaintance, who must be perfectly convinced that they would each of them reprobate, with an honest indignation, an attempt to give authenticity by their names to a statement which was inconsistent with their notions of the purest honour and the strictest justice; and which at the same time must necessarily wound the feelings or lessen the reputation of any individual.
Though I have said I have little objection to make to the two first affidavits, yet I am obliged to declare that the third, which is made by Lawrence Lebogue, is the most wicked and perjured affidavit that ever was sworn before a magistrate, or published to the world; and it is perhaps a defect in the law that these voluntary affidavits are permitted to be made; or that, when they are false, the authors of them are subject to no punishment. For if Lawrence Lebogue had made the same affidavit in a court of justice, he would most probably, upon the united evidence of three gentlemen, have been convicted of the grossest and foulest perjury. John Atkinson, Esq. Somerset Heraid, and James Losh, Esq. Barrister of the Temple, went with me to dine at the Crown and Scepter at Greenwich. After dinner we sent to the Hospital for Joseph Coleman, Michael Byrne, and Lawrence Lebogue, three of the pensioners, who had belonged to the Bounty. Coleman and Byrne were at home, and came immediately; Lebogue could not then be found. After much conversation with Coleman and Byrne, in which Byrne took the lead, Lebogue came into the room; and without any hesitation, (at which we were much surprised, as he had sailed a second time with Captain Bligh in the Providence,) he gave a full detail, in clear and strong language, of all the material circumstances recited in the Appendix, and which we had just before heard from Byrne. Mr. Atkinson and Mr. Losh have given me permission to publish the following certificate from them:
Some of the questions, indeed, attributed to me in that affidavit, must have proceeded from such extreme weakness and folly, that I cannot but flatter myself that those who know me will think that they carry with them internal evidence of misrepresentation. Though this man has not only retracted all that he told us, but has had the audacity to swear to the direct contrary, I shall appeal to every candid reader which are most to be credited—his simple declarations made without any solicitation, and which corresponded with the accounts given by several others at different times; or an affidavit made to serve his captain, directly the reverse of what he himself declared, and an affidavit for which in this world he is subject to no punishment whatever.
As to Mr. Hallet's letter to Captain Bligh, I have only to observe upon it, that Mr. Hallet was not in England before the Appendix was published, and this letter is now published after his death. If I had had an opportunity of seeing Mr. Hallet, I certainly should have thought myself much obliged to him if he would have corrected any misrepresentation which I had received from others. But he certainly is mistaken when he thinks so unkindly of me as to suppose I meant any malevolent or false accusations against him.
Nor would it, I conceive, have been a very heinous offence, if what I had been told was true, that two young men, viz. himself and Mr. Hayward. then about 15 or 16 years of age, had fallen asleep in their watch after four o'clock in the morning: and if the mutiny had not been preconcerted, (and Mr. Hallet himself admits there was no proof that it was so,) and if these two young gentlemen were not asleep, it will appear to have been more sudden in its commencement, as it must have been proposed and resolved upon whilst they were upon deck, but out of hearing. I am sorry that Mr. Hallet has ventured to assert that "Christian did not appear to have received any portion of classical learning, and was ignorant of all but his mother tongue." It is very probable that a young midshipman may be unacquainted with the extent of the learning of any other officer on board; but Mr. Hallet's assertion that Christian was absolutely ignorant has been made either with too little caution or too much zeal. Christian was educated by the Reverend Mr. Scott, at St. Bees school in Cumberland, where the young men of the best families in that country receive their education, and from which many are sent to the universities; and I am confident that Mr. Scott, his school-fellows, and all who knew him well, will testify that "Christian was an excellent scholar, and possessed extraordinary abilities." This is a point which a great number of gentlemen in the most respectable situations in life must be acquainted with; and I shall leave it to them to determine, whether Mr. Hallet or I, in this instance, be most deserving of credit. I was sorry also to see in the letter written by Mr. Lamb, who had once been a mate to Captain Bligh in the merchant's service, an attempt to degrade Christian's character, by stating, that he went about every point of duty with a degree of indifference, that to him (Mr. Lamb) was truly unpleasant. This representation is certainly different from the character which Captain Bligh himself has always given of Christian; it is contrary to the opinion that the gallant Capt. Courtenay had entertained of him, who had immediately before this given him the charge of a watch in the Eurydice throughout the voyage from the East Indies; and it cannot be reconciled with Christian's conduct, which Major Taubman, of the Nunnery in the Isle of Man, can testify, viz. that, from his recommendation of Captain Bligh as a navigator, Christian voluntarily preferred sailing with Captain Bligh as a common man in a West India ship, till there was a vacancy among the officers, to the immediate appointment to the rank of a mate in another ship.
Since the publication of the Appendix I have only had an opportunity of seeing two persons belonging to the Bounty —Mr. Peckover, the gunner, who lives at No. 13,. Gun-alley, Wapping; and Mr. Purcell, the carpenter, who has since sailed to the West Indies. Mr. Purcell declared, in the hearing of James Losh, Esq. of the Temple, that he had read the Appendix, and that every part of it within his knowledge was correctly stated: and Mr. Peckover also declared once before John France, Esq. of the Temple, and at another time before John Caley, Esq. of the Augmentation-office that he had read the Appendix, and that every part of it within his knowledge was correctly stated; except that he thought too much praise had been bestowed upon Mr. Stewart, though he thought highly of him before the mutiny as a deserving officer. Mr. Peckover lives constantly in London, and has the appearance of a cautious, discreet man, and a steady, manly officer; yet no application has been made to him by Captain Bligh respecting the publications. Lebogue begins his affidavit by stating that I sent for him to a public house; from which the reader would be induced to infer, that I had attempted to seduce these sailors in a corner of a common alehouse falsely to accuse their captain: but as I have already observed, I not only had the precaution to have some gentleman of honour and character in my company, but I also requested several gentlemen to examine the witnesses when I was not present. Mr. Purcell having accidentally mentioned that he was recommended to the Bounty by Sir Joseph Banks, and expressing a wish to call upon him, I immediately wrote a note to introduce him to Sir Joseph Banks, and to request Sir Joseph to examine him respecting the causes and circumstances of the mutiny. Having never had an opportunity of seeing Mackintosh (the carpenter's mate) but once, and for a short time, I desired Mr. Fearon, a Barrister, resident at Newcastle, to inquire for him at Shields, where his mother lived, and to examine him fully upon the subject. Mr. Fearon went over to Shields with the Reverend Mr. How, of Workington, for that purpose. At the first, Mackintosh was very unwilling to give them any information, saying, that "he had like to have got into trouble for what he had told Mr. Christian in London": but I am authorized to say by these gentlemen, that upon further conversation he confirmed every material circumstance related in the Appendix. Though it may be suspected that I might have an interest or a wish to obtain improper evidence in an improper manner from the witnesses, yet all the gentlemen I have named could only be actuated in their conduct by the purest regard for truth and justice.
Captain Bligh complains that I have not appropriated to each individual the precise and actual information I received from him. If I had requested them to give it in the manner of depositions, they probably would have been deterred from telling any thing, as Mackintosh declared he had been threatened for what he had mentioned. I made the first inquiries only for my own satisfaction, as I was assured by another gentleman that he would publish the trial with the information which he had collected; and it was only when he had declined to proceed in it that I was obliged to undertake the painful task myself. But if what I have ventured to communicate to the world in the Appendix is false, it is the grossest libel that ever was published; for which every Judge would be compelled to declare that no punishment could be too severe, or no damages too excessive. Many gentlemen, besides myself, suppose, that if any answer could be given, it would be attempted in a court of justice by some judicial proceeding. Indeed the bookseller would not have dared to have sold the Appendix if I had not undertaken to stand between him and danger, and to indemnify him as far as was in my power from the consequences of legal prosecutions. It would scarcely then have been prudent to have disclosed the testimony of each witness, by which I was to defend so hazardous a publication; some of whom, as seafaring men, might easily have been sent into a distant part of the world, and others might perhaps have been induced, like Lebogue, to reverse every thing that they had said. But I assert again, and I solemnly appeal to all the gentlemen whose names I have mentioned, that in the accounts we received there was no material (if any) contradiction or inconsistency.
The statement in the Appendix has been insidiously called a defence and vindication. God forbid that any connection or consideration should ever induce me to vindicate the crime of mutiny! But though it is a crime which will admit of no defence, yet with respect to its motives and circumstances it is capable of great exaggeration.
I bear no malice to Captain Bligh; and I trust neither love nor fear will ever impel me to shrink from that which I conceive I owe to myself and to society. I solicit no favour I supplicate no mercy. It is to austere and rigorous justice I have made the appeal, which will protect from unmerited obloquy the object of its severest vengeance. Great crimes demand great examples. I will not under any circumstances deprecate, or endeavour to intercept, the stroke of justice. Mine has been a painful duty to discharge; I am happy in knowing that I have discharged it with the approbation of some wise and good men; but I am still happier in feeling that I have discharged it with the approbation of my own heart and conscience.
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