The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-11-22

Second time, andaskcl swat ship is tiatG
to which capt. Bingham gave no answer, but
Jumped off her poop and placed himself by
the second after gun, and called 70 his men
to stand by, T" and thea immediately gave
orders to tire upon which a gun was nrcd
from the Little Belt, and Immediately after
another gnn was hrcd from The ,LisIlc Belt
after winch, in a few seconds, 4 gun was
hred from the President. The engagement
then became general afterwards, when
the President finally ceased iiring, the men
on board the Little Belt had deserted their
quarters.
This deponent further saith, that in the
action between the two ships, among the
number who were wounded, was an Aneri-
can, named Robert Howell, who had been
impressed from the brig Martin from Mar
Unique that he was wounded by cannon
shot which struck him in the groin, and cut
OFF his thigh close TO his body, in such man
.ner that his bowels came out that he APP
pcared to suffer great pain for several hours,
until he died, about three o'ciocI, in the
morning that this dcponent saw Howell
while ne was dying, and heard the second
4 lieutenant of the Little i;elt ask him " how
he did :" to which Howell replied g see suhat
you haze braaght me TO, to force me TO Gght
against my brothers my osvn cottnt1ynle,l
hape taken my life through your means -
that the officer replied, Z" he could not help
1T, he must obey orders 20 that Howell, Jus:
before he died requested, this deponent tc
call his comrade Hurshell Wheeler, IAN A
merican who had, also, been impressed al
the same time from the brig Martin y tina,
Wheeler came, and then Howell held on,
his hand to him and requested him to take
ring from his finger, and, also, lock OF
hair which was plated, and which he wore
round his neck, and to give them to the per-
son from whom he received them, for his
sake that Howell was greatly affected and
shed tears, while he was giving directions
70 his Com:adc; that Wheeler escaped from
the Little Belt at Halifax. and is now, as
tins deponent has been informed, in New
YORK, but that this deponent has not yet seer
MN ; thatthis deponent, this morning, saw
MRS. Stevenson, to whom the ring and hair
were sent, but who has not vet received
them i; that she told this deponent that she
had given them to Howell /; that her hus-
Dand and herself are now in mourning for
nm; that the body of Howell was sewed up
IN hammock the next day after tho en-
Sagement, and thrown into the sea.
! Inns deponent further saith, that there
were about twelve Americans, including him
self, on board the Little Belt at the time Of
the engagement, all of whom had been i'm.
pressed from different vessels. That when
they foand the vessel with whom they were
ABOUT to engage was an American vessel
they all objected to going to quarters, saying
IS hard for as to go and tight against
orr country; make prisoners Of rs if you
hfedse.' To which the capt. replied, :" you
are now on board with us, and you mus,
now do duty i'll his majesty's service, for we
know not whether you are American.
or not ;" otherwise, he swore, &c he zvouIa
try them by court martial, and nut Then, "a
instant death, as mutineers on board his ma,
jesty's shift Bekt.''
! That after the engagement, this deponent
and two other Americans were logged az
TIE guns, two dozen each, for speaking in ia.
vor OF their country. That the conversation
For which they were so punished, was with d
lieutenant. That not only the American:
who were on board, but many others of the
crew, wished the Little Belt had been bro
into New-York, saying, that if she had
there were not many who would ever gt
back in her."
That the boatswain on board the Little
Belt is an American, and that this deponen
has seen his protection and that he express
sed his wish that she had been brought int,
n. York
And further this deponcnt saith not.
| (Signed) his
JOHN q ATKINS
! mark.
Sworn Nov. 18th, 1911, before me.
, u N.
Recorder Of The city of.Nezv- York.
The above named John Atkins furthe,
stated, that he had been discharged from
the Little Belt after her arrival in England
upon an application made by general Lyman
the American consul in London, in his be-
half, and on dueproof of the said Atkins be-
ing a native born American citizen, and bred
in the service of American vessels. He alss
stated, that upon the Little Belts return
from Halifax to England, there appeared t,
be two parties in the ship one maintain
ing that the first FIRE came from the Presi
dent, and the other, from the Little Belt
that upon their arrival, application was made
to the officers and men for proof of the fac
that the President gave the first fire aps
that only two officers and about seven or
OF the men offered to make oath of it-aI
the rest unequiyocally refusing The in
sertion OF which facts was accidentally omit.
tedin the body Of the deposition.
| p. G. VAN WICK.
4 --sesesss>saes1*sfs
/ From London Prints.
Lord I'm. Bentick has returned from 81