New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-04


come upon deck Allen, of course disobeyed the
mandate, previously shaving and cleaning himself,
and when the captain, in passion, ordered him off,
he replied that he "was gentleman and had a
right to walk the deck" Then the Colonel be-
thought him that when expressly ordered off it was
his duty to obey. Otherwise he might set bad ex-
ample to the ships crew. When the ship was sent
to the Cove of Cork the wam-b hearted Irish showed
their sympathy by sending the Colonel cloth enough
for two jackets and two pairs of breeches, eight
fine Holland shirts and stocks ready made silk and
worsed hose, Shoes and two beaver hats one richly
laced with gold. They did not send clothes
alone. but also a large gratuity of wines of the
best sorts, old spirits, Geneva, loaf and brown
sugar, coffee, tea and chocolate. with large round
of picked beef and n number of fat turkeys" The
cruel captain of the ship swore by all that is good
that the damned Americans should not be feasied
at that rate by he damned rebels of Ireland" So
he coniscated all the liquors except ''some of the
wine which secreted and ten gallon jug of
old spirits" When the Irish afterward sent off
stores for Allen, the captain damned" the messen
ger heartily, ordered him away from the s. Up and
would not suffer him to deliver the provisions.
Not knowing what else to do with Allen, the Min
istry determined to send him back to America Ar
irving at Cape Fear he was taken to Halifax with
the other prisoners in the Mercury frgate, Captain
Montague, a man loaded with preudces against
with royalty" Being "by nature unidentified, his
wrath was heavier than the Others" When Allen
requested him, in the handsomest manner" the
favor of purchasing few necessaries of the purser
it denied him with the further threat that he
would be hanged he arrived at
Halifax" Allen tried to the mat
ter with him. but found him proof against
reason. He " seemed to think that heaven and
earth made merely to crafty the King and
he ilpr fall iUih
and grovelling ideas, little tinctured with mon
archy. but stood well to his text of hanging me-"
But from kind-hearted midshipman Allen received
the consolation sometimes of good wine bitters,
and at others generous drink of grog." The ship
putting into New-York, Allen saw Governor Tryon,
who viewed him with a stern countenance" prob
ably remembering the old business of the New
Hampshire Grants. At Halifax the condition of the
prisoners aggravated by scurvy, and they
badly treated that they found means to commune
cate with Governor Arbuthnot, who ordered them to
quarters in the Jail on shore. But here too, they
were in q most uncomfortable condition. and in
sructions were soon received for transferring them
to New-York, Allen sailing with Captain Smith,
who treated him kindly and actually asked him to
dinner. Friends at Halifax had also supplied him
with spirtuous liquor that he had a much
better time of it than before. 1t is quite
a relief to read of British officers who could
behave like Christians and gentlemen. At
New-Iork Allen was admitted to parole,
and able TO live in some measure agreeable TO his
rank, though destitute of cash." His health was
bad and the enemy gave ont that he crazy"
But my vitals held sound, was dclrious any
more than | had been from my youth up" He says,
however, that he sometimes acted the mailman for
motives of policy. His description of the suferngs
of the American prisoners is of the pathetic
and interesting parts of his little book He tells
that the very school boys and all persons of common
understanding knew that they starved to
death Ii was day of great darkness. Then fol-
lowed Washngton's successes in New-Jersey, which
"chagrined the enemy prodigously and had
amazing operation in the scale of American politics"
Allen writes TT these of Washington
had mighty effect on General Howe and his coun-
Gil, and reused them to a sense of their own weak
ness and convinced them that they neither
omniscient nor omnpotent Their obduracy and
death-denying maevolence in some measure abated
orwas suspended" Arrangements were made to put
the prisoners within the American lines but Allen
thinks that most of them died before they
could reach their countrymen. The victories in
New Jersey elevated the spirits of the American Of
fcers upon parole in New York. :" a number of u.s.
said Allen assembled, but not in public manner,
and with full bowls and glasses drank General
WashingtOn's health, and were not unmindful of
Congress aud our worthy friends on the continent
and almost forgot that we were prisoners"
Offers were made through British officer to Allen
to enter the service of the King. He was promised
if he would do so, n considerable sum of money
and large tract of land either in Hampshire
or Connecticut. He told that General Howe
had observed his faithfulness, though in a wrong
cause, and minded to make him n Colonel of "A
regiment of new levies or Tories Allen replied char
acteristically 4" If by fathfulncss | have recon-
| mended myself to General Howe | should be 10th
! by unfaithfulness to lose the Generals good
opinion besides view the offer of land to be sim
liar to that which the devil offered Jesus Christ TO
| give him all the kingdoms of the world
If he would fall down and worship
him. when at the same time the damned
soul had not one foot of land earth" "rhe
gentleman turned from me-" says Allen, " win an
air of dislike, saying that was bigot" His re-
fusal may have had something to do with his subsc-
quent treatment, for, upon pretcncc that he had
broken his parole he was remanded to prison.
Here he Jared badly ever, and his portrait of
Joshua Loring the wcll-known British Commssary
of Prisoners, is at least far from atterng " He is
the most mean-spirited, cowardly, deceitful and
destructive animal in Gods creation below, and
legions of internal DEVILS with all their tremendous
horns are impatently ready to receive Howe and
him, with all their detcstablc accomplIccs, into the
most exquisite agonicS of the hottest region of hell
fire." The publisher of the book before me apollo
gizes for not suppressing this language but "prc-
sumes the reader will make all reasonable allow
ance both for the style and the matter" OF course
he will Allen, without that big voice and some
what profane utterance, would not be Allen
and if we are to have his picture at ALL must not
| be squcansh about the excrescences. The victory
! of Gates at Saratoga soon came. Ii brought low
| the impcrious spirit of an opulent, puissant
and naughty nation, and made the Tories bite the
ground with anguish" The truth is, for the short
ID, Il n,,ch,