The National Register. — London, England, 1815-09-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAI ! REGISTER. ►ter the prison by the door which the turnkeys had 1 ft open, according to their usual practice, does seem to have been without object or excuse, and to have been w.inton attack upon the lives of defenceless, and, at the same time, unothending individuals." In answer to this paragraph, we shall on'.`y reply—had the commissioners examined 4/ the American evidence, and attached the same credit to it which, it appears, they have done to all the English evidence, similar expressions would have been made use of against Shortland's conduct throughout the whole of their report. It appears to us, after an attentive examination of his report, that the commissioners mean to justify Shorthand in commencing his murderous attack upon the prisoners, and to condemn the soldiers for continuing it. Singular as this idea appears, it is no less strange to us how it can be possible they could reconcile it to their feelings to make up a report containing such a direct contradiction to rea son; for, surely. if Shorthand could he justified in using coe►cive measures in the first instance, the military cer tainly should be acquitted for the subsequent massacre, as the whole was conducted under his immediate com mand ; and if he had a right to kill one on the same ground, he might have extended it to a thousand. And, on the other hand, if any part of the transaction is to be condemned, Shorthand should be made to answer for the whole ; for what necessity could there be made to at tempt identifying any of the soldiers? Surely, the com missioners could not think of bringing them to punish me►►t when they acted by the direct orders of Shorthand and his officers? And if any one could or ought to be made to answer for the outrage, Shortland ought to be the first. In addition to the contradictions contained in the com missioners' joint report, Mr. King, in his letter to hi. 3 Excellency J. Q. Adams, almost denies the ground on which they have, in part, founded Shortland's justification, hen he says (alluding to having heard several Americans Amear, positive!/, that Shortland did give the order to re, and an officer of the guard thinks if he had he should have heard him) "perhaps the bias of my mind was, that Shortland did give that order; and, wishing the report to go forth under our joint signatures, I forbore to press some of the points which it involves so far as otherwise I might have done." If, then, any part has bee n neg l ec t e d, or passe d over, for accommodation, or any other purpose (and one there certainly has, in not paying the same attention to the American as was done to the English evidence) it is to be regretted that Mr. King should so far forget or neglect the sacred duties attached to the appointment of a commissi-ner, to inquire into the cause of the murder of his countrymen, as to pass over any points which might have brought to light the means of punishment for the murdereis, or obtained in some measure an indemnity for the surviving unhappy and maimed sufferers. not 11:e hales of the 'departed victims haunt hiM in his ttlidnight . fluMbers, and pointing to their lascerated bodies, say, these still remain unievengee Will not the un happy survivors show the'stUnips Of their amputated limbs, If nd say, these wounds r es t er , an d ' s till rema i n un- atoned ? NVill not' the widow and 'helpless orphan raise their innocent hands 'to heaven and cry, why was justice denied 'as why was the heart so callous to our iuffer ? and Why was the bosom shut to sympathy ? Zia *,. SEPT. 17. Mr. King point out some means to appease these Niter complaints, and we shall be satisfied. We shall now close these unpleasant remarks by no ticing another unaccountable error in Mr. King's letter to Mr. Adams, where he mentions, speaking of Shortiand, " and his general conduct, previous to this occurrence, as far as I could with propriety enter into such details, appears to have been characterised with great fairness and even kindness in the relation in which he stood towards the prisoners." We shall not pretend to ask Mr. King where he obtained the evidence ou which he grounds this assertion ; we are sure it wrs not from the prisoners, who ought to have been the best_ judges .of that circumstance; hut, instead of all that, all the Americans who were permited to express an opinion on that subject at the examination, declared, without reserve, as would all the prisoners in the depot had they been asked the question, that Shortland's conduct, from the commencement of his appointment to, that station, had been cruel, oppressive, and ov:Tbear ing ; and, instead of taking measures to alleviate the distresses of the wretched objects under him, as a feeling man would have done, he seemed to take pleasure in harrassing them whenever he could find the slightest pretext for doing so. Yr. COLTON, HENRY DOLLIVER, JOSEPH SWAIN, B. WEEKS ARCU'D TAYLOR, BLACK, ABM. M'INTYIU, HOMER HULL, Wm. COCHRAN, J. M. BUSIIFIELD / DAVID INGALLS, REU BEN SHER M AN, Wm. DF.mt*.E44 l M01'1) J. MACKAY, THOS. WARD.; Arm. K. WmitE. BUON'IPARTE. INTLRESTINg DOCUMENTS RESPECTING THE TREAT. MEN r OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. Letter from Earl Bathurst, Secretary of Slate, to the Lords of the Admiralty. ' Downing. street, July SO. Loans,--I wish your Lordships to have the good ness to communicate to Rear Admiral' Sir George Cockburn a copy Of the following Memorial, which is to serve him by way of instruction to direct his conduct while General Buonaparte remains under his care. The Prince Regent, in confiding to En g lish Officers a mission of such im portance, feels that it is unnecessary to express to them his earnest desire, that no greater personal restraint may be employed than what shall be found necessary faithfully to perform the duties, of which the Admirnital as well as the Governor of Si. fielena must never lose sight, namely, the - perfectly secure detenti on of the pers 9 n o f G enera l Bonap'arte. Fvery thing which, without opposing the grand Object, can be granted as an indulgence, will, hi; Royal Highness is convinced;be allowed the Geneial. The Prince Regent depends fot titer on the well known zeal and resolute character of *Sir George Cockburn, that be will not suffer himself to be misled . , impudently to deviate from the perfOrmance of his duty. • . -1 .'" BATHURST. MEMORIAL. When General Bonaparte leaves the Ikllrrophon fo•gn on blaid the Noithumberiand, it will be the propertst incipient Lir Admiral Cockburn to have the effects examir.til • • • SEB r CU I oti ord ` ec or I the livi tar) that infc sent I