The seventh, George Bendall, aged 18, though he said, he had never been a pirate before, yet he had all the villanous inclinations the most profligate youth could be infected with. His behaviour was sullen.
The eighth, William Ling, aged about 30, not taken notice of before the last attempt, behaved himself as became a true penitent, and was not heard to say any thing besides replying to Lewis, when he demanded wine to drink, that water was more suitable to them at that time.
It was observed that there were but few (besides the governor’s adherents) among the spectators, who had not deserved the same fate, but pardoned by His Majesty’s act of grace.
A
CORRECT ACCOUNT
OF THE
LATE PIRACIES
COMMITTED IN THE WEST-INDIES;
AND
THE EXPEDITION OF
COMMODORE PORTER.
The public mind has been much agitated by the depredations of these enemies of all laws, human and divine. It is strange, that in this enlightened age, when the principles of civil liberty are so well understood, and when the doctrines of the rights of man are gaining so many adherents both in this country and in Europe, that there should be found men so lost to every good principle, as to pursue such a predatory warfare against defenceless people; and with the slightest pretext, butcher those unfortunate fellow creatures who may fall in their way. And it is no less astonishing, as piracy does exist, that all civilized governments have not combined to suppress this horrid practice, and teach these refractory and deluded men, that the arm of justice is not shortened, nor the rulers of the earth asleep.
Our government has taken a forward step to arrest these free-booters in their blood-thirsty projects, and no doubt the expedition which was under the command of that gallant officer, Commodore Porter, has done much towards putting down this nefarious practice in the West-India seas.
PIRACIES, &c.
MUTINY ON BOARD THE BRITISH SHIP KATE.
The crew, 8 in number, of the ship Kate, Captain Purdy, landed in the island of Guadaloupe, on the 24th of January, 1821. They slept on the beach that night, and next morning a planter in the neighbourhood came to them, and brought them to his house. Their story was uniform, all said they belonged to the American ship Retrieve, Capt. Jacob Hawes, belonging to Messrs. Suydam & Wyckoff, merchants, of New-York; that after 6 weeks boisterous weather, not being able to keep the ship free, she being very leaky, the Captain had given orders to get the boat in readiness, and that they were doing it, and getting into the boat about 10 o’clock at night, when the Captain’s son, about 10 years old, fell overboard in trying to get into the boat, and that the Captain threw himself into the sea to save him, but both perished, and the ship went down; that after one night and two days in the boat, they reached the beach near the Mole, with great hazard of their lives.
They were afterwards escorted to Point Petre, where they were examined by the Judge, and persisted in the same story; except one French lad, who privately disclosed the truth to the attorney general.