The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-10 00:00:00

MASSACRE OF MR. WARDLAW.

The following are the depositions of the master's-
assistant and crew of the Racer's whaleboat (who were
present on the occasion of Mr. Wardlaw's landing near
Atalaya), relative to the circumstances which led to the
capture and subsequent death of that officer :
Mr. Alexander James Dewar, master's assistant,
states—" That he accompanied Mr. Wardlaw in the
Racer's whaleboat to Atalaya, off which place they
arrived and anchored on Friday night, the 24th of April,
and the next morning proceeded a few yards up the
river of Atalaya, where they saw a small party of
soldiers, who spoke to Mr. Wardlaw in Spanish, and
were answered by him.

" Mr. Wardlaw asked them if they would accept of a
flag of truce ? but they told him they had none ; on
which Mr. Wardlaw ordered the men to back out ; on
seeing which the soldiers divided and opened fire on the
boat. Mr. Wardlaw immediately ordered the flag of
truce to be taken down, and returned the fire.
" On getting out of the entrance we made sail to pro-
ceed along the coast, but had not proceeded a quarter of
a mile when we grounded on a bank, the water falling
rapidly at the time, until there were only six inches
water alongside. We endeavoured to get her off by
starting everything overboard, but our efforts were un-
availing. After being aground for about two hours, we
observed a party of soldiers, about 25 in number, coming
down with a flag of truce. One of them walked out
half way to the boat, and was there met by Mr. Ward-
law ; they shook hands and conversed for a few minutes,
when Mr. Wardlaw returned to the boat, and told me
that he had an hour allowed him to get the boat off, and
that at the end of that time he was to go up to the com-
mandant, or else the troops were to fire on us. In about
ten minutes the soldier returned, and being met by
Mr. Wardlaw as before, they both walked on shore, Mr.
Wardlaw hailing us for a flag of truce, which was taken
to him by the coxswain of the boat. They then pro-
ceeded to the point, where they got into a boat and went
up the creek. At this time the number of soldiers was
increasing rapidly.. In less than ten minutes after Mr.
Wardlaw had left us the tide rose, and floated the boat,
and we got everything ready for sailing, only waiting for
Mr. Wardlaw's return. In about twenty minutes we
observed Mr. Wardlaw come back in the boat, and land
at the ipoint, still holding the flag of truce.
" left ediately afterwards another party of cavalry
came down, the officer jumpinc, off his horse, and
snatching the flag of truce out oellr. Wardlaw's hand,
on which the latter ran towards the beach, and hailed
me, saying, 6 I'm sold; I'm done; fire, and save your-
selves if you can.'
" At this time a boat had been manned by about fifteen
or sixteen of the soldiers, and was pulling towards us.
On her approaching I weighed the anchor, and hoisted
the sail half way up, to :get into the channel, which was
inshore of us. When the soldiers saw this they imme-
diately fired a volley from the shore and also from the
boat, which I returned by firing the gun loaded with
musket balls, as also our muskets at the boat. I did not
see more than two of the soldiers in the boat after the
gun was fired, but she drifted to the shore, and was
tracked up the river by some soldiers. I continued
firing at the troops on shore until they retreated. I then
anchored at the mouth of the river, within thirty yards
of the shore, until half-past four o'clock, when, finding
no one came down, I weighed and made the best of my
way to the Racer.
" Does not recollect seeing Mr. Wardlaw after he
hailed the boat. It was not possible to follow the boat
to take possession of her, on account of the shallowness
of the water. _ " A. J. DEWAR."

The depositions of the boat's crew are precisely to the
same effect as M. Dewar's, with the additional informa-
tion that Mr. Wardlaw's object in entering the Atalaya
was to make search for an English barque, which had
been cast away on the coast; that such was his reply
when first hailed by the soldiers on shore; and that
giving him to understand the vessel was further up the
river, the soldiers invited him to enter. As they evaded
raising a flag of truce, Mr. Wardlaw suspected their in.
tentions, and ordered the boat to be backed astern, the
river being very narrow. The boat was immediately
fired on by the soldiers, and then Mr. Wardlaw hauled
down his flag of truce and returned the fire; but the
boat had slowed round at the mouth of the river, and
made sail on the starboard tack, grounded on a bank,
after running no more than thirty yards, and was left
high and dry by the receding tide. All efforts to get
her off proving fruitless until the return of the tide, the
crew were ordered to breakfast. In about two hours a
party of upwards of twenty soldiers made their appear.
ance, bearing a flag of truce; they hailed Mr. Wardlaw
to know why the boat was there? He replied she had
grounded. He was then asked to go on shore. He did
so; and when he returned to the boat he told them the
man with whom he had been conversing " was more a
friend than an enemy."
That man went away, but the soldiers remained about
the spot; in twenty minutes afterwards he returned, and
Mr. Wardlaw went to meet him, much against the
opinion and wishes of every one in the boat. William
Hall, the coxswain, begged that he would allow him to
accompany him, but Mr. Wardlaw replied that he was
all right—that the people were quite friendly, and
would not hurt him. When the commandant—for such
was the officer who dismounted—snatched the flag of
truce from him, poor Wardlaw was at once surrounded
by bayonets; he sat down on the beach for a few mo-
ments, then, suddenly springing up, ran towards the
water, and cried out those last words on which Mr. Dewar
so efficiently acted. lie was of course pursued and car-
ried off; the enemy has given no account of this officer's
fate, but the current report is that he was stabbed slowly
to death.

Mr. Wardlaw had passed most of his still early career
upon this station, and more than shared the usual predi-
lection of our officers for the country and its inhabitants,
amongst whom he mixed freely, and was much esteemed.
He had once before been made prisoner, but then it was
in the Oriental State; and from his intercourse of some
months with the natives, ho conceived so high an
opinion of the South American gancho, that no stranger
could more fully confide in the honour of another than
he did in him. But he has been deceived by externals;
the flowing poncho which envelopes the person of this
courteous and hospitable peasant has a fatal identity with
that worn by the brutalised soldier and trained mashor-
quero of Rosas; the language and looks of the beings are
the same; " He who searcheth hearts alone could discri-
minate between them."