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

Solebay frigate, Captain Symonds, the Sth day
of January, 1776, when our hand.irons were taken
off. This remove was in consequence (as I have
been since informed) of a writ of habeas corpus,
which had been procured by some gentlemen in Eng
land, in order to obtain me my liberty.
The Solebay with sundry other men of war, and
about forty tianfports, rendezvonfed at the cove of
Cork in Ireland, to take in provision and water.
When we were firfl brought on board, Captain
Symonds ordered all the prisoners, and mod of the
hands on board, to go on the deck, and caused to be
read in their hearing, a certain code of laws, or rules
for the regulation and ordering of their behaviour ;
and then in a sovereign manner, ordered the prisoners,
me in particular, off the deck, and never to come on
it again ; for said he, this is a place for gentlemen to
walk. So I went off, an officer following me, who
told me, that he would shew me the place allotted for
me, and took me down to the cable tire, frying to me,
this is your place.
Prior to this I had taken cold, by which I was in
an ill state of health, and did not fay much to the
officer; but flayed there that night, consulted my
policy, and found I was in an evil case ; that a Cap
tain of a man of war was more arbitrary than a King,
as he could view his territory with a look of his eye,
and a movement of his finger commanded obedience.
I felt myfelf more detponding than 1 had done at
any time before ; for 1 concluded it to be a Govern
mental scheme, to do that clandestinely, which
policy forbid to be done under fandion of public
jull'ce and law.
However, two days after I shaved and cleansed
myfelf as well as I could, and went on deck: The
Captain spoke to me in a great rage, and said, " Did
I not order you not to come on deck ?" I answered
him, that at the fame time he said, '' That it w^s
rhe plice for gentlemen to walk :" That I was Col.
Allen, but had not been properly introduced to him,
Ile replied, " G—d damn you, Sir, be careful not
to walk the fame fide of the deck that I do." This
gave me encouragement, and ever after that, I walk
ed in the manner he had directed, except when he (at
certain times afterwards) ordered me off in a passion,
and then would dire&ly afterwards go on again, tell
ing him to command his slaves, that I was a gentle
man, and had a right to walk the deck ; yet when he
expressly ordered me off, I obeyed, not out of obe
dience to him, but to set an example to his flip's crew,
who ought to obey him.—
To walk to the windward fide of the deck, is ac
cording to custom the prerogative of the Captain of
the man of war, though he oftentimes, nay come
monly walks with his'Lieutenants, when no stran
gers ate by : When a Captain from some other man
of war, comes on board, the Captains walk to the
windward fide, and the other gentlemen to the lee
ward.
It was but a few nights I lodged in the cable-tire,
before I gained an acquaintance with the maft&r of
arms ; his name was Gillegan, an Irishman, who was
a generous and well-disposed man, and in a friendly
manner, made me a proffer of living with him in a
little birth, which was allotted him between decks,
and enclosed with canvas ; his preferment on board
was about equal to that of a sergeant in a regiment.
I was comparatively happy in the acceptance of his
clemency, and lived with him in friendfhip, till the
frigate anchored in the harbour of Cape Fear, North-
Carolina, in America.
Nothing of material consequence happened till
the fleet rendezvoused at the Cove of Cork, (except
a violent storm which brought old hardy sailors to
their prayers.) It was soon rumoured in Cork that
I was on board the Solebay, with a number of pri
foners from America; upon which Meffrs.Clark and
Hays, merchants in company, and a number of 0-
ther benevolently disposed gentlemen, contributed
largely to the relief and support of the prisoners, who
were thirty-f^ur in number, and in very needy cir.
cum^ances. A suit of cloaths from head to foat, in
cluding an over coat, or furtout, and two shirts,
were bellowed on each of them. My suit I received
in fuperfine broadcloth, fufficient for two jackets,
and two pair of breeches overplus of a suit through
out, eight fine Holland shirts and flocks ready made,
with a number of pairs of silk and worded hose, two
pair of ihoes, two beaver hats, one of which was
sent me richly laced with gold, by Mr. James Bon
well. The Irish gentlemen furthermore made a large
gratuity of wines of the bed fort, old spirits, Ge
neva, loaf and brown sugar, coffee, tea and choco°
late, with a hge round of pickled beef, and a num
ber of fat turkies, with many other articles (for my
stores) too tedious to menton here. To the privates
they bellowed to each man two pounds of tea, and
fix pounds of brown sugar. These articles were re
ceived on board, (at a time when the Captain and
firft Lieutenant were gone on shore) by permission of
the second Lieutenant, a handsome young gentle
man, who was then under twenty years of age; his
name was Douglass, the son of Admiral Douglass,
(as I was informed.)
As this munificence was so unexpected and plen-
PHILADELPHIA; Printed and Sold by JOHN DUNL A P, in Market-street,
tiful, I may add needful, it imprefled on my mind
the highest sense of gratitude towards my benefactors ;
for I was not only Applied with the necessaries and
conveniencies of life, but with the grandeurs and
fuperfluities of it. Mr. Hayes, one of the donators
before mentioned, came on board, and behaved in
the most obliging manner, telling me, that he hoped
my troubles were pad, for that the gentlemen of
Cork determined to make my sea-stores equal to the
Captain of the Solebay's ; he made a proffer of live
flock, and wherewith.to support them; but I knew
this would be denied: And to crown all, did fend
to me by another person fifty guineas, but I could
not reconcile the receiving the whole to my own feel
ings, as it might have the appearance of avarice; and
therefore received but seven guineas only ; and am
confident not only from the exercise of the present
well-timed generality, but from a large acquaintance
with gentlemen of this nation, that as a people they
excel in liberality and bravery.
Two days after the receipt of the aforefaid dona
tions, Captain Symonds came on board, full of envy
towards the prisoners, and swore by all that is good,
that the damned American rebels should not be feafled
at this rate, by the damned rebels of Ireland; lie
therefore took away all my liquors before-mentioned,
(except some of the wine which was secreted, and a
two gallon jug of old spirits which was reserved for
me, per favour of Lieutenant Douglass.) The taking
my liquors was abominable in his fight ; he therefore
spoke in my behalf, 'till the Captain was angry with
him : And in consequence, proceeded and took away
all the tea and sugar, which had been given to the
other prisoners, and confifeated it to the use of the
fhip's crew. Our eloathing was not taken away,
but the privates were forced to do duty on board.
Soon after this there came a boat to the fide of the
{hip, and Captain Symonds asked a gentleman that
was in it, (in my hearing) what his business was ?
who answered that he was sent to deliver some fea
ftores to Colonel Allen, which (if I remember right)
he said were sent from Dublin; but the Captain
damned him very heartily, ordered him away from
the ship, and would not fuffer him to deliver the
stores. I was furthermore informed, that the gentle
men in Cork requested of Captain Symonds, that I
might be allowed to come into the city, and that they
would be responsible I should return to the frigate at
a given time, which was denied them.
We failed from England the Bth day of January,
and from the cove of Cork the 12th day of February.
Just before we failed, the prisoners with me were di
vided, and put on board three different ships of war.
This gave me some uneasiness, for they were to a
man zealous in the caufeof liberty, and behaved with
a becoming fortitude in the various scenes of their
captivity ; but those who were distributed on board
other ships of war, were much better used than those
that tarried with me, as appeared afterwards.
When the fleet consisting of about forty five fail,
including five men of war, failed from the cove with
a frefh breeze, the appearance was beautiful, (ab
ilra&ed from the unjust and bloody defions they had
in„view.) We had not failed many days, before a
mighty storm arose, which laded near twenty-four
hours without imermiffion : The wind blew with re.
lentlefs fury, and no man could remain on deck,
except he was lashed sass, for the waves rolled over
the deck by turns, with a forceable rapidity, and
every foul on board was anxious for the preservation
of the fliip, (alias) their lives. In this dorm the
Thunder-bomb man of war sprang a leak, and was
afterwards floated to some part of the coaftof Eng
land, and the crew saved. We were then said to be
in the bay of Bifray. After the florin abated, I
could plainly aifeern that the prifeners were better
used for some considerable time.
Nothing of consequence happened after this, 'till
we had failed to the island of Madeira, except a cer
tain favour which I received of Captain Symonds,
in consequence of an application I made to him, for
the privilege of his tailor to make me a suit of cloaths
of the cloth bellowed on me in Ireland, which he
generously granted. I could then walk the deck with
a seeming better grace. When we had reached Ma
deira, and anchored, sundry gentlemen with the
Captain went on shore, who I conclude gave the ru
mour that I was in the frigate; upon which I soon
found Irish generosity was again excited; for a gen
tleman of this nation sent his clerk on board, to know
of me if I would accept a sea-store from him, (par
ticularly of wine.) This matter I made known to
the generous Lieutenant Douglass, who readily
granted me the favour, provided the articles could
be brought on board, during the time of his com
mand ; adding that it would be a pleasure to him to
serve me, notwithstanding the opposition he met with
before : So I directed the gentleman's clerk to inform
him, that I was greatly in need of so signal a charity,
and desired the young gentleman to make the utmost
dispatch, which he did ; but in the mean time, Capt.
Symonds and his officers came on board, and imme
diately made ready for failing ; the wind at the fame
time being fair, set fail when the young gentleman
was in fair fight with the aforefajd (lore.
The third day of May we cast anchor in th^ har
bour of Cape Fear in North Carolina, as did Sir
Peter Parker's ship of fifty guns a little back of the
bar, for there was not depth of water for him to
come into the harbour : These two men of war and
fourteen fail of transports and others, came after, so
that most of the fleet rendezvoused at Cape Fear,
for three weeks. The soldiers on board the transports
were sickly, in consequence of so long a passage ; add
to this, the small pox carried off many of them:
They landed on the main, and formed a camp ; but
the riflemen annoyed them, and caused them to move
to an island in the harbour; but iuch cursing of
riflemen I never heard.
A detachment of regulars was sent up Brunswick
river; as they landed, were fired on by those marks
men, and they came back next day, damning the
rebels for their unmanly way of fighting, and ('wear
ing that they would give no quarter, for they took
fight at them, and were behind timber skulking about.
One of the detachment said they loft one man ; but a
Negro man who was with them, and heard what was
said, soon after told me that he helped to bury thirty
one of them: This did me some good to find my
countrymen giving them battle; for I never heard
such swaggering as among General Clinton's little
army, (who commanded at that time) and I am apt
to think there were four thousand men, though not
two thirds of them fit for duty. I heard numbers of
them fay, that the trees in America should hang well
with fruit that campaign, for they would give no
quarter: This was in the mouths of most whem I
heard speak on the fubje&, officer as well as soldier.
I wished at that time my countrymen knew as well as
I did, what a murdering and cruel enemy they had
to deal with; but experience has since taught this
country, what they are to expert at the hands of
Britons when in their power.
I he prisoners who had been sent on board different
men of war at the cove of Cork, were collected to
gether, and the whole of them put on board the Mer
cury frig Ue, Captain James Montague, except one
of the Canadians, who died on the passage from Ire
land, and Peter Noble, who made his escape from
the Sphynx man of war in this harbour, and by ex
traordinary swimming, got fafe home to New Eng
land, and gave intelligence of the usage of his brother
prisoners. The Mercury set fail from this port for
Halifax, about the 20th of May, and Sir Peter Par
ker was about to fail with the land forces, under the
command of General Clinton, for the redu&ion of
Charleftown, the capital of South Carolina, and when
I heard of his defeat in Halifax, it gave me inex
pressible fatisfa&ion.
The reader will doubtless recoiled the seven gui
neas I received at die cove of Cork : These enabled
me to purchase of the purser what I wanted, had
not the Captain ftri&|y forbid it, though I made
sundry applications to him for that purpose ; but his
answer to me, when I was sick, was, that it was no
matter how soon I was dead, and that he was no
ways anxious to preserve the lives of rebels, but:
wished them all dead ; and indeed this was the lan
guage of most of the flip's crew. I expostulated
not only with the Captain, but with other gentlemen
on board, on the unreasonableness of such ufage
inferring, that inasmuch as the government in Eng^
land did not proceed against me as a capital offender
they should not ; for that they were by no means
impowered by any authority, either civil or military,
to do so; for the English government had acquitted
me by fending me back a prisoner of war to America,
and that they should treat me as such. I further
drawed an inference of impolicy on them, provided
they should, by hard usage, destroy my life; inas
much as I might, if living, redeem one of their of
ficers; but the Captain replied, that he needed no
directions of mine how to treat a rebel ; that the Bri
tish would conquer the American rebels, hang the
Congress, and such as promoted the rebellion, (me
in particular) and r take their own prisoners; so that
my life was of no consequence in the scale of their
policy. I gave him for anfw.r, that if they flayed
'till they conquered America, before they hanged
me, I should die of old ag, and desired that 'till
such an event took place, he would ai least allow me
to purchase of the purler, for my own money, such
articles as I greatly needed ; but he would not per
mit it, and when 1 reminded him of the generous and
civil usage that their prisoners in cap'ivtiy in America
met with, he said that it was hot owing to their good
ness, but to their timidity ; for said he, they expe&
to be conquered, and therefore dare hot misuse our
prisoners, and in fa& this was the language of the
British officers 'till General Burgoyne was taken,
(happy event) and not only of the officers, but the
whole British army. I appeal to all my brother pri
soners, that have been with the British in the southern
department, for a confirmation of what I have ad
vanced on this fubjed. The surgeon of the Sole
bay, whose name is North, was a very humane and
obliging man, and took the best care of the prisoners
who were sick.
(To be continued.)