The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-11-13 00:00:00, page 4

NARRATIVE of Colons Ethan AllzVj
treatment during bis Captivity.
[Continued from our last.)
INOW found myfelf under a worse Captain than
Symonds ; for Montague was loaded with preju
dices apaimit every body, and every thing that was not
Damped with royalty ; and being by nature underwit
tad, his wrath was heavier than the others, or at least his
mind was in no iriftance liable to be diverted by good
feofe, humour or bravery, of which Capt. Symonds
was by turns lufceptible. A Captain Francis Pro&or
was added to our number of prisoners when we were
firft put on board this ship: This gentleman had for
merly belonged to the English service. The Captain,
and in fine, all the gentlemen of the ship, were very
much incensed againtt him, and put him in irons with
out the least provocation, and he was continued in this
miserable iituation about three months. In this paßage
the prisoners were inferred with the feurvy, some more
and some less, but most of them severely. The fltip's
Crew was to a great degree troubled with it, and I con
cluded that it was catching; Several of the crew died
of it on their passage 1 was weak and feeble in conse
quence of so long and cruel a captivity, yet had but
little of the feurvy.
The purser was again expressly forbid by the Cap
tain to ler me have any thing out of his /lore ; upon
which I went on deck, and in the handsomest manner
requeued the favour of purchasing a few necessaries of
the purser, which was denied me ; he further told me,
that I should be hanged as soon as I arrived at Halifax.
I tried to reason the matter with him, but found him
proof againfl reason ; I also held up his honour to view,
and s behaviour to me and the prisoners in general,
as being derogatory 10 it, but found his honour impe
netrable. I then endeavoured to touch his humanity,
but '0 ind be had none; for his prepossession of bigotry
to his own party, had confirmed him in an opinion,
that no humanity vis due to unroyalifts, but seemed
to think that heaven and earth were made merely to gra
tify the King and his creatures ; he uttered considerable
unintelligible and grovelling ideas, a little tin&ured with
monarchy, but flood well to his text of hanging me.
lie afterwards forbid Iris surgeon to adminift r any help
to the sick prisoners, I was every night shut down in
the cable-lire with the rest of the prisoners, and we all
live 'mik:a le while under his power : But 1 received
some generosity from several of the midihipmen, who
in force degree alleviated my misery; one of their
names was Putrafs, the names of the others 1 do not recoi
led ; but they wore obliged to be private in the bellow
went of their fivoui, which was sometimes good wine
bitters, and a:others a generous drink of grog.
Sometime in the firft week of June, we came to an
chor at the Hook off New-York, where we remained
but three days; in which time Governor Tryon, Mr.
Kemp, the old Attorney General of New-York, and
several other perfidious and over-grown tories and land
jobbers, came on board. Tryon viewed me with a
stern countenance, as I was&alking on the leeward fide
of the deck with the midffiipmen ; and he and his com
panions were walking with the Captain and Lieutenant
on the windward fide of the fame, but neverfpoke to m^,
though it is altogether probable that he thought of the
old quarrel between him, the old government of New-
York, and the Green Mountain Boys: Then they went
with the Captain into the cabbin, and the fame afternoon
returned on board a vessel which lay near the Hook,
where at that time they took fanduary from the resent
ment of their injured country. What p.fied between
the officers of the ship andthefe visitors 1 know not;
but this I know, that my treatment from the principal
officers was more fcvere afterwards.
We arrived at Halifax rot far from the middle of
June, where the Chip's crew which was infefted with
the feurvy, were taken on shore, and shallow trenches
dug, into which they were put, and partly covered
with earth. Indeed every proper measure //as taken for
their relief: The prisoners weie not permitted any fort
of medicine, but were put on board a sloop which lay
in the harbour, near the town H Halifax, surrounded
with several men of war and their tenders, and a guard
constantly set over them, night and day. The sloop
we had wholly to ourselves, except the guard who oc
cupied the forecahle; here we were ciuelly pinched
with hunger? it teemed to me that we had not more
than one third of the common allowance : We were all
felted with viol nt hunger and faintnefs ; we divided
our scanty allowance as exaft as possible. I shared the
fame fate with the telt, and though they offered me more
than an even share, 1 refufed to accept it, as it was a
time of iublbntial diftrels, which in my opinion I
ought to partake equally wuh the rest, and set an exam
ple of virtue and fortitude to our little commonwealth.
I sent letter after letter to Capt. Montague, (who still
Bad the care of us) and alio to his Lieutenant, whose
name I cannot call to mind, but could obtain no an
fiver, mu< h less a redrGls of grievances; and to add to
the calamity, near a dozen of the prisoners were danger,
oufly ill °f the feurvy. I wrote private letters to the
doctors, to procure, if possible, some remedy for the
sick, but all in vain. The chief physician came by in
a boat so close that the oars touched the sloop we were
in, and I uttered my complaint in the genteelest manner
to him, but he never so much as turned his head, or
P ELIL ADELEHIAz Printed and Sold by JOHN DUNLA P, in Market-ftrcet;
made me any answer, though 1 continued speaking till
he got out of hearing. Our case then became very de
plorable. Still I kept writing to the Captain, till he
ordered the guards, as they told me, net to bring any
more letters from me to him.
In the mean time an event happened worth relating:
One of the men alm®fl dead of the feurvy, lay by the
fide of the sloop, and a canoe of Indians coming by,
he purchased two quarts of strawberries, and eat them
at once, and it almost cured him. The money he gave
for them, was all he had in the world. After that we
tried every way to procure more of that fruit, reason
ing from analogy that they might have the fame effect on
others infehed with the fame disease, but could obtain
none.
Mean while the doctor's mate of the Mercury came
privately on board the prison-ship, and presented me
with a large vial of smart drops, which proved to be
good for the feurvy, though vegetables and some other
ingredients were requisite for a cure; but the drops gave
at least a ch ck to the disease: This was a well-timed ex
ertion of humanity, (but the doctor's name has flipped
my memory) and in my opinion was the means of lav
ing the lives of several men.
The guard which was set over us, was by this time
touched with the feelings of companion ; and I finally
trusted one of them with a letter of complaint to Go
vernor Arbuthnot of Halifax, which he found means
to communicate, and which had the desired effe& ; for
the Governor lent an ' fficer and fuggeon on board the
prison-ship, to know the truth of the complaint. The
officer's name was Rullel, who held the rank of Lieu
tenant, and treated me in a friendly and polite manner,
and was really angry at the cruel and unmanly usage
the prisoners met with; and with the surgeon made a
true report of matters to Governor Arbuthnot, who
either by his order or influence, took us next dayfrom
the prison-ship to Halifax gaol, where 1 firft became
acquainted with the now honourable James Level, Esq;
one of the members of Congress for the State of Maffa
chufet's-Bay. The sick were taken to the hefpital, and
the Canadians who were effective, were employed in
the King's werks; and when their countrymen were
recovered from the feurvy, and joined them, they all
deferred the King's employ, and were not heard of at
Halifax, as long as the remainder of the prisoners con
tinued there, which was till near the middle of October.
We were on board the prison-sloop about fix weeks,
and were landed at Halifax near the middle of August.
—Several of our Engliih American prisoners, who
were cured of the feurvy at the hospital, made their
escape from thence, and after a long time reached their
old habitations.
I had now but thirteen with me of those that were
taken in Canada, and remained in gaol (with me) in
Halifax, who in addition to those that were imprisoned
before, made our number about thirty four, who were
al locked up in one common large room, without re
gard to rank, education, or any other accomplishment,
where we continued from the felting to the rising fun ;
and as fondiy of them were infected with the gaol and
other distempers, the furniture of this spacious room
consisted most principally of excrement-tubs. We pe
titioned for a removal of the sick into the hospitals, but
were denied. We remonftra ; ed againil the ungenerous
usage of being confined with the privates, as being con*
trary to the laws and cufioms of nations, and particu
larly ungrateful in them, in confluence of the gentie
man-like usage whirh ne British impriibned officers met
with in America; and thus we wearied ourselves, pe
titioning and ren.onlra ing but to no purpose at all ;
for General Malley who commanded at Halifax, was
as inflexible as the devil himfelf, (a fine preparative this
for An. Lovel, member of the Continental Congress.)
Lieutenant Russel (whom I have mentioned before)
came to visit me in prilon, and allured me that he had
done his utmost to procure my parole for enlargement 1
at which a British Captain, who was the Town major,
expressed compassion for the gentlemen confined in the
filthy place, and assured me that he had uhd his influ
ence to procure their enlargement ; his name was near
like Ramsey.—Among the prisoners there were five in
number, who had a legal claim to a parole, viz, James
Lovel, Esq; Capt. Francis Prohor, a Mr. Houland,
master of a continental armed veifel, a Mr. Taylor,
his mate, and mylelf.
As to the artice of provision, we were well served,
much better than in any part of my captivity ; and
since it was Mr. Lovel's misfortune and mine to be pri
soners, and in so wretched circumstances, 1 was happy
that we were together, as a mutual support and comfort
to each other, and to the unfortunate prisoners with us.
Our firft attention was the preservation of ourselves and
injured little republic ; tlie rest of our time we devoted
interchangeably to politics and philosophy, as patience
was a needful exercise in so evil a fituatipn, but con
tentment mean and impracticable.
I had not been in this gaol many days, before a wor
thy and charitable woman, Mrs. Blacden by name,
supplied me with a good dinner of frefh meats every
day, with garden fruit, and sometimes with a bottle of
wine ; notwithstanding which I had not been more than
three weeks in this place, before I loft all appetite to the
most delicious food by the gaol distemper, as sundry of
the prisoners, particularly a sergeant Moore, a man of
A dodor visited the sick, and did the best (as I sup
posed) he could for them, to no apparent purpose. I
grew weaker and weaker, as did the rest. Several of
them could not help themselves. At last I reasoned in
my own mind, that raw onion would be good : I made
use of it, and found immediate relief by it, as did the
sick in general, particulaily ferjeant Moore, who is re
covered almofffrom the shades ; though I had met with
a little revival, still I found the malignant hand of Bri
tain had greatly reduced my cohffitution with stroke
upon Broke. Eiquire Lovel and myfelf used every ar
gument and entreaty that could be well conceived of,
in order to obtain gentleman like usage, to no purpose.
I then wrote General Massey as severe a letter as I
possibly could, with my friend Lovell's assistance : The
contents of it was to give the British, as a nation, and
him as an individual, their true character. This roused
the rascal, for he could not bear to fee his and the nation's
deformity in that transparent letter, which I sent him ;
be therefore put himfelf in a great rage about it, and
shewed the letter to a number of British officers, parti
cularly to Captain Smith of the Lark frigate, who in
stead of joining with him in disapprobation, commend
ed the spirit of it; upon which General Massey faidt®
him, do you take the part of a rebel against me ? Capt.
Smith answered, that he rather spoke bis sentiments,
and there was a diffention in an opinion between them.
Some officers took the part of the General, and others of
the Captain: This I was informed of by a gentleman
who had rifrom Captain Smith.
In a few days after this the prisoners were ordered to
go on board of a man of war, which was bound for Ne
w but two of them were not able to go on board,
and were left at Halifax ; one died, and the other re
covered. This was about the 12th of O&ober, and
soon after we had go l on board, the Captain sent for me
in particular to come on the quarter deck: 1 went, not
knowing that it was ( aptain Smith, or his ship at that
time, and expected to meet the fame rigorous usage I
had commonly met with, and prepared my mind ac
cordingly ; but when 1 came on deck, the Captain met
me with his hand, welcomed me to his ship, invited me
to dine with him that day, and allured me that I should
be treated as a gentleman, and that he had given orders
that I should be treated with refpe& by the fh ; p's crew.
This was so unexpected and sudden a transition, that it
drew tears from my eyes, (Much all the ill usage I had
before met with, was not able to produce) nor could I
at firft hardly speak. but soon recovered myfelf, and
ex,refled my gratitude for so unexpected a favour; and
let him know, that I felt anxiety of mind in reflecting
that his fi nation and mine was such, that it was not
probable that it would ever le in my power to return
the favour. Capt. Smith replied, that he had no reward
in view, but only treated me as a gentleman ought to be
treated ; he said this is a mutable world, and one gen
tleman never knows but that it may be in his power to
help another. Soon after 1 found this to be the fame
Capt. Smith, who (I was told) took my part against
General Massey ; but he never mentioned any thing of
it to me, and 1 thought it impolite in me to interrogate
him, as to any difpu^s which might have arisen between
him and the General, on my account, as I was a pri
soner, and that it was at his option to make free with
me on that fubjefl, if he pleased ; and if he did not, I
might take it for granted that it would be unpleasing for
me to query about it, though I had 1 flrong proper
fity to converse with him on that fubje&.
I dined with the Captain agreeable to his invitation,
and oftentimes with the Lieutenants in the gun room,
but in general eat and drank with my friend Lovel, and
the other gentlemen, who were prisoners with me,
where I also slept.
We had a little birth enclosed with canvass, between
decks, where we enjoyed ourselves very well, in hopes
of an exchange; besides our friends at Halifax had a
little notice of our departure, and supplied us with
spirituous liquors, and many articles of provision for
the cotft. Captain Burk having been taken prisoner.
was added to our company, (he had commanded am
American armed vessel) and was generously treated by
the Capta n, and all the officers of the ship, as ^ell a;
m jf e 'f• We now bad in all near thirty prisoners %
board, and as we were failing along the coast, (if I re
coiled right) off Rhode-Ifland, Captain Burk, with
an under officer of the ship, (whose name I do not re
colled) came to our little birth, proposed to kill Capt.
Smith and the principal officers of the frigate, and take
it; adding that there was thirty-five thousand pounds
sterling in the fame. Capt. Burk likewise averred
that a flrong party out of the fhip's crew, was in the
conspiracy, and urged me and the gentleman that was
with me, to use our influence with the private prisoners,
to execute the design, and take the ship with the cash
into one of our own ports.
(To be continued.)
I^^^^^^CX:^#^^^^±^
TO BE SO L D,
A LIKELY NEGRO MAN and GIRL.
4 1 Enquire of the Printer.
courage and fidelity : 1 have federal times seen him hold
the boatswain of the Solebay frigate, when he attemp
ted to strike him, and laughed him out of conceit of
using him as a slave.