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 been neglected, or passed 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 rester, and 'still remain 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 SHERMAN, Wm. DF.mt*.E44l
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 English 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 detention of the pers9n of General
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
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