The National Register. — 1815-09-03 (London, England)

ENICER. Jaffa) •  Plrnouth, April OG, 1815.. We, the undersigned Commissioners, appointe&on helialf of our respective Governments, to inquire into and report upon, the unfortunate occurrence of the 6th 'of April just. at Dartmoor prison, having carefully perused the proceedings of the several Courts of Inquiry, instituted inirnedirod% after that event, by the orders of Admiral Sir Jelin 114. Duckworth and Major-General Brown, respectively, as well ai the depositions taken at the coroner's inquest, upon the bodies of the prisoners who lost their lives upon that melancholy occasion ; upon which inquest the jury found a verdict of justifiable homicide I proceeded immediately to the examination upon oath, in the presence of one or more of the Magistrates of the vicinity, of all the witnesses, both American and English, who offered themselves for that purpose, or who could be discoverid as likely to afford any material information on the subject, as well those who had been previously examined before the coroner as otherwise, to the number in the whole of abriut 80. We further proceeded to a minute examination of the prisons, firr the purpose of clearing up some points which, upon the evidence alone, were scarcely intelligible ; obtaining front the prisoners, and from the officers of the depot, all the necessary assiirance and explanation; premising, that we have been from necessity compelled to draw many of our conclusions from statements and evidence highly contradictory, we do now make upon the whole proceedings the following report:, During the period which has elapsed since the arrival in this country of the account of the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent, an increased degree of restlessness and impatience of confinement appears to have prevailed amongst the American prisoners at Dartmoor, which, though not exhibited in the shape of any violent excesses, has been priorioaily indicated by threats of breaking out if not soon released. On the 4th of this month in particular, only two .days previous to the events, the subject of this inquiry, a large body of the prisoners rushed into the market square, from whence, by the regulations of the prison, they are ex. ' eluded, demanding bread, instead of biscuit, which had on that day been issued by the officers of the depot ; their demands, however, having been then almost immediately corn-• plied with, they returned to their own yards, and the employ' ment of force on .that occasion became unnecessary. On the evening of the 6th, about six o'clock, it was clearly proved to us, that a breach or hole had been made in one of the prison walls sufficient for a full sized man to pass, and that others had been commenced in the course of the day near the same spot, though never completed. That a number of the prisoners went . over the failing, erected to prevent them from communicating with the centirels on the walls, which was of course forbidden by the regulations of the prison, and that iu the space between the railing and those walls they were tearing up pieces of turf, and wantonly pelting each other in a noisy and disorderly manner. That a much more considerable number of the prisoners was ollected together at that time in one of their yards near the place where the breach was effected, and that although such collection of prisoners was not sunning' at other times (the gambling tables being usually kept in tt:at part, of the yard), yet, when connected with the.:cir-.1