Certificate Home James Morrison Memorandum & Particulars
Revised May 29 2021
Sir-
The following are the particulars of the Treatment which myself and fellow Sufferers met with during our late Imprisonment.
On 28th Day of March 1791 I came, in Company with Chas Norman and Thos Ellison to Itaheiou, a District on the West Side of Taheite, where we found Lieut Corner, in the Pandora's Launch, and surrendered ourselves to him, and as there was no opening in the Key? [sic] thro' which he could pass with the Boat, but the one he came in at, he set out by Land for Papara, leaving us under the charge of Mr Richards, Master's Mate, and a Boats Crew taking all the rest with him. In the afternoon arrived Mr Hayward in the Pinnace, armed; upon his arrival he ordered his hands to be tied, and sent us to the Ship, then lying at Matavai, 20 or 30 miles distant, under the Charge of Mr Sewel (a Midn.) We reached the Ship about 9 at Night, and were put in Irons both Legs, and then the lashings were taken from our hands.
I found here in Irons, Peter Heywood, James Coleman, R. Skinner & Michael Byrn, as soon as the hand-cuffs could be made, they were put on, and we were lodged for the present under the half Deck.
On the 9th of April, came on board Thomas Burkitt, Wm Muspratt, John Millward, Thos McIntosh, John Sumner and Heny Heildbrant, who were confined hands & feet, in the same manner as soon as they came on board.
Two Seamen & a Midn were kept over us constantly, armed with Pistols & Bayonets; and neither Officers nor men permitted to speak to us, nor were the Natives permitted to give us Cloaths sufficient to cover us. The Centinels have also orders to shoot the first of us, who should speak to another in the native Tongue.
The Carpenters were set to work to build a kind of round-House, into which we were put as soon as it was ready; this place, which we stiled Pandora's Box, was only 11 feet in length and 18 feet wide, at the Bulkhead in which were two small scuttles of 9 Inches, and one on Top of 10 x 20 Inches square sercured with a bolt. When it was calmer the heat was so intense, that the Sweat frequently ran in streams to the scuppers, and soon produced Maggots and the Hammocks which were given us were full of Vermin, of another kind, from which we could find no method of extricating ourselves. This and two necessary Tubs which were kept in the Box, made it truly disagreeable.
The Box being built in a rough manner, admitted the rain freely, & upon speaking to the first Lieut to have it remedied, he asked us if we did not see that he was wet, and all the people upon deck? and said, it will dry when the weather clears up. This soon brought sickness amongst us, and the Surgeon, a very humane Gentleman, gave all the assistance he could but at the same time informed us, that Capt Edwards had given such Orders as prevented him from being of any Service to any one in our miserable Condition, never the less, I must say, that by his Orders our provisions were duly served in full allowance.
The Box was washd twice a week, when we were washed with it, there being no room to spare to remove us from one part to the other, and we had no alternative, but standing up till the Deck dried (which we could very badly do, when the Ship had any motion) or lying down in it.
In this situation we remained for 5 months, during which time the Officer of the watch, duly examined our Irons to see that they were sound, and would frequently awake us for that purpose, in the Night and when the roughness of the weather gave us any motion, Capt Edwards very humanely proposed to staple us down, but Mr Corner more humanely got some boards to chock us up and thereby prevented some of our Limbs being broken, or killing each other.
On the evening of the 29th Augt the Pandora went on a Reef. I might say how, but it would be to no purpose. It was between 7 & 8 in the Evening & she beat on it till between 11 or 12 when she got over, and brought up in 15 fathoms: while she was on the Reef she lost her rudder, and received many severe & repeated strokes, in so much, that every one expected the Masts would go overboard, and the Boats were now got out, and as sson as the anchors were gone, Capt Edwards ordered Coleman, McIntosh & Norman to be let out to go to the Pumps; this order & hearing that there was 9 feet water in the Hold, and hearing also the confusion on board, gave us reason to think, that the Ship was going down and judging that in such a Case, every one would think of himself first, we accordingly broke our Irons, while on the Reef, and then informed the Commanding Officer, what we had done, telling him we only wanted an equal chance for our Lives, and would attmpt nothing further, while there was any hopes of safety. Mr Corner told us we should have as good a chance as any of the Ships Company. But when Capt Edwards heard it, he ordered us to be hand-cuffd and Leg-ironed again; tho we begged for Mercy & offered to go to the Pumps, but to no purpose, & gave orders to the Centinals & the Master at Arms & Corporal, who were armed upon the Occasion, to fire upon us, if they heard us make any motion. We found it was to no purpose to use entreaties, and therefore submitted, and while our Irons were making fast the Master at Arms told us, that if any of us made another attempt, he, the Captain would either instantly shoot or hang us at the Yard Arms. Judge our feelings at that instant when we knew there were 11 feet water in the Hold and one Chain Pump broken. The Boats were now hauled under the Stern, and we could observe the Officers busy in putting things into them, and heard one of the men say "I'll be damned if they go without us" This caused some of us to shake our Irons, I heard the Master at arms say "fire upon the Buggers." Upon which I asked him, as he was then at the Scuttle, what was the matter, "and begg'd for Gods sake, not to fire," as no one was moving. About Sun rise the Armourers Mate Joseph Hodges, was sent down to knock the Irons off Skinner, Muspratt & Byrn, who were ordered up, but Skinner being in too much hurry, got up with his hand-cuffs on, and as soon as they were up, the Scuttle was barr'd leaving the Armourers Mate below, who in the mean time knocked off my Irons & Stewarts & we begg'd of the Master at Arms to open the Scuttle, to which he answered "never fear my Boys, we'll all go to hell together" The words were hardly out of his Lips before the Ship took a sally, and he and the Corporal rolled overboard; at the same instant I saw Capt Edwards thro' the Stern Ports, swimming to the Pinnace, and the Boats shoving off as fast as possible. Burkitt & Heildbrant were yet hand-cuff'd, the others had been broke the night before, the water flowing in on us, when the hand of God directed the Boatswains Mate (Molter) to the Place, he was scrambling upon the Box & heard our Cries, had the presence of mind to haul out the Bolt, and take the grating off, which he hove overboard and followed himself, upon which all, except Heilbrant, got out, tho' with much difficulty; and for my own part, I had as much as I could do, to get clear of the Driver Boom, before she sunk.
I was to the best of my recollection, about an hour and an half in the water, when I was taken up by Mr Bowling, in the blue Yawl & soon after landed on a small sandy Key, about 2½ or 3 miles from the Wreck.
Here we soon found, that three [four] of the Prisoners and thirty one of the Ships Company were lost, & the stock of Provisions saved was but very small; we remained here two Days and part of the third, fitting the Boats, and tho' we were mostly naked Capt Edwards refused us a Sail to shelter us from the Sun by Day & the Dew & wind by night, altho' there were one or two of the Boats sails of which no use was made, neither would he suffer us at anytime to go into the Tents which were erected for his people, nor allow any of them to have the least Communication whatever with one of us.
As the heat was very great, we were fain to cover ourselves over with Sand in the Day, and at Night to shelter ourselves from the chilling Air, we hove up a mount of sand, in an Angular form, to sleep under the Lee of, which proved but an insufficient barrier, as we had frequent flying Showers of Rain, sufficient to make our Lodging truly miserable, but not sufficient to allay our Thirst, which was so great, that one of Pandora's men, went mad with drinking Salt-water.
As soon as the Boats were ready, the Ships Company & officers were distributed in them, as were we, and I had the good or evil fortune, call it which you please to go in the Pinnace with Capt Edwards, together with McIntosh & Ellison, and we proceeded on in Company for Timor, then distant about 4 or 5 hundred Leagues. On the tenth Day of our passage, Capt Edwards called me aft & with me, Ellison, (who was then asleep, and I was laying on the Oars, talking to McIntosh) and ordered us to be pinioned & tied down in the Boats bottom. I atempted to reason with him, and asked what I had now done to incur such treatment, but Received no other answer, than "Silence you mutinous Dog, you piratical Villain, are you not a prisoner, what treatment do you expect?" — I attempted again to remonstrate, urging the present general Distress, telling him it was a shame for the Capt of a British Man of War to treat a prisoner in so inhuman a manner, upon which, he swore by God, if I spoke another word, he would heave the Log with me,* and I was forced to be silent.
*[A method of determining speed of vessel. The 'log' with a marked line attached, is heaved into the water and the marks and seconds counted as the vessel moves away from the log. Here Edwards is threatening to use Morrison as the 'log'.]
Both Ellison and myself remained in this miserable Situation, for eight Days, when happy for us, we got into Coupang. It will be easy to surmise our distress, when you know, that this place lies between 9° & 10 South Lat. with the Sun nearly vertical & our small Pittance only the weight of two Musket Balls of bread, two wine glasses of water & one of wine pr Day. The whole not equal to a gill, and when the wine was out no water in lieu.
When we were landed in Coupang, we were conducted to the Castle, where we were put into Stocks & kept there 5 or 6 Days, during which time, we were obliged to ease Nature, as we lay. But we were at length relieved from this dismal Confinement, by the humanity of the Dutch Officer, commanding the Fort, who procured fetters and linked us two and two.
Here we remained till the 5th of Octr when our Irons were knocked off, and our hands pinioned, we we were then tied two and two, and Mr Larkan with a Guard, conducted us to the Beach, where we embarked in a Long-boat to be carried on board of the Rembang a Dutch Ship, then in the Road; during our passage to the Ship two or three fainted, owing to the Circulation of the blood being stopped by the Lashings & for this I give credit to Mr Larkan the first Lieut of the Pandora, who with his ewn hands and feet together, made most of us fast.
When we came on board the Dutch Ship, we were put both Legs in Irons and then our hands were loos'd, the ship weighed the same evening for Batavia.
Here we expected we should find some little ease, but happiness is of short duration, the Ship was very leaky, and we were ordered out of Irons, two at a time, & for two hours at a time, to work the pump, this we gladly embraced, but finding our strength unequal to the Task, I told Mr Larkan that I could not stand it, at spell and spell, to which he replied "You damned Villain you have brought it on yourself & I'll make you stand it had it not been for you, we should not have been in this Trouble."
However this was soon at an end, for working hard at the Pumps & having a Deck constantly wet to lie on, without any clothing under or over us, soon put us past labour, and we were then kept below, till she arrived at Batavia, on the 5th Novr Here we were put on board an old [?] in the Road where we remained till 23d December, during which time, we were not suffered to come on Deck, but twice each, for about an hour each time; to wash ourselves, here we got our health & kept it, while the Pandora's Men, took sick and died apace.
We were now put on board the Vreedenburg Dutch Indiaman, where we remained part of three Days, before we got any Provisions, and when we got it, our allowance was no more than 3 lb fresh meat 1½ lb of dried fish 1½ lb Sugar 1½ lb Tamarind ½ Pint of Gee 1 Pint of Vinegar ½ Pint of Oil for each Man for a fortnight & one gill of Arrack pr Day, which generally consisted of 16 or 18 Days. With Rice in lieu of bread, very little superior to grains, such as Hogs are fed with in England, and the Oil & Tamerins not fit for any use except to burn & throw overboard: our Lodgings here were not the best we met with, as we lay on rough logs of Timber, and the Deck over our heads so leaky, that we were continually drenched in salt water, or the urine of the Hogs, which were over our heads: in this manner we lived or rather existed till we made the Cape of Good Hope, and the same day we were suffered to come up, and walk for two hours each, this was the first & last indulgence of the kind we were allowed, during the Passage of near three Months, and it was with much difficulty we could keep on our feet.
On the 18th March 1792, we arrived in Table Bay, where, to our inexpressible Joy, we saw an English Man of War; I now judged our trouble nearly at an end.
On the 19th we were sent on board His Majesty's Ship Gorgon, where we met with such treatment as Prisoners might expect. The Gorgon sailed on the 5th Apr and the 18th passed by St Helena and on 22d anchored at Ascention, where we got 28 Turtle & sailed on the 24th and arrived at Spithead on ye 19th June, and on the 21st we came on board the Hector, where our Treatment has been such as does honor to the Commander & Officers. —
signed - James Morrison
Oct 25th 1792
Certificate Home James Morrison Memorandum & Particulars