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W.S.STANHOPE, Esq., to Capt. SHUTTLEWORTH.

"Grosvenor Square, April 13, 1790.

'MY DEAR S.

'I have made all the inquiries I could respecting the ship Bounty and the circumstances of the late Mutiny.......

'With respect to young Heywood in particular, I have been able to learn nothing further than that, as he was not one of those who were sent off with Captain Bligh, he is presumed to be among the mutineers. The consequence of such a mutiny is very alarming, of which his friends appear to be very sensible;—but, on the other hand, the particular circumstances of this mutiny are unknown, the possibility that young Heywood may have had little to do with it, but have been kept on board on account of his youth, the possibility also of escape, and in case of the worst, there being, I believe, a senior officer to him on board in the same predicament, who is nearly related to a man in high office, are circumstances which may administer some little hope of comfort to his family in their present distressful state.'

His warmly-attached sister, Miss Nessy Heywood, with an ardour peculiarly her own, and with a pen that never rested in his service, from the first delayed not to make every inquiry respecting her brother. Her uncle, J. M. Heywood, Esq., thus replies to that young lady:

DEAR MADAM,

London, April 14, 1790.

I should have given an earlier answer to the favour of your letter if I had not waited to see Lieut. Bligh. I yesterday had the good fortune to meet with him, when I obtained all the intelligence I could respecting your unfortunate brother. When I inquired what his behaviour and conduct had been previous to the arrival of the ship at Otaheite, he told me he had no reason to find any fault with him, but expressed his astonishment at his having been of the number of those who deserted, after having shewn him always great kindness and attention. I believe Mr. Bligh and the whole of the ship's crew, who came away with him, are unanimous in ascribing this horrid transaction to the attachments unfortunately formed to the women of Otaheite. He has no idea of any other, and believes that the plan of the mutiny had not been concerted many days before it was carried into execution. He particularly told me that your brother was not one of those who entered his cabin,-which circumstance gave me great satisfaction......I have only to add that I sincerely sympathize in the sufferings of poor Mrs. Heywood and your whole family. It is happy for her that she is ignorant of the true cause of your brother's not returning;* and I hope she will ever remain so. As the unfortunate and uncommon

* Mr. Bligh's letter to Mrs. Heywood was concealed from her.

situation into which his strange conduct has thrown him, may prevent, for a length of time at least, his return to England, the only consolation I can hold out to you is, that when he does return, his general good conduct and character, previous to this unhappy business, may, with some allowance for the unbridled passions of youth, plead for his pardon. You must have the philosophy at present to consider him as lost for ever. But I trust that Providence will restore him to you, and enable him by his future good behaviour to make atonement to his country, and to those shipmates who have suffered such extreme hardships, and so narrowly escaped death. With my best wishes to all your family,

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I remain, my dear Madam,

• Your most faithful, humble servant,
'J. M. H.'

The following letter from Mr. Hallet, one of the midshipmen, who came home with Lieutenant Bligh, though dated somewhat later, may be placed here to shew how the feelings of the Heywood family were harassed by the worst views of Peter's conduct.

Mr. HALLET to Miss N. HEYWOOD.

'MADAM,

'Loch Ryan, 29th March, 1792.

Your affecting letter of the 15th February did not come to hand till the 15th of this month, which

I take the earliest opportunity of answering, and assure you that I sympathize strongly in your grief, and will, as far as in me lies, answer your different interrogations. I shall begin with saying, that before the unfortunate period at which the mutiny in the Bounty took place, the conduct of your brother was such as to have procured him our universal esteem. But what were the unpropitious motives by which he was induced to side with the criminal party, I am totally ignorant of, nor can I (as you may readily conceive it was a time of great confusion among us) declare positively the part he acted in it. Should I ever be called upon to give my evidence, which you must be sensible will be a distressing thing for a person to give against those with whom he had formerly lived in habits of intimacy, notwithstanding the friendship I had for your brother, I shall be strictly bound by oath to adhere to truth, though I hope, if ever a trial should take place, that the consideration of his youth, at the time he committed the rash act, which might, as has too frequently been the case, lay him open to be led away with wrong notions by those who had arrived at more mature years, will plead with the jury in his favour.

'I am, Madam,

• Your most obedient, humble servant,
'J. HALLET.'

'His Majesty's government were no sooner made

acquainted with the atrocious act of piracy and mutiny, than it determined to adopt every possible means to apprehend and bring to condign punishment the perpetrators of so foul a deed. For this purpose the Pandora frigate, of twenty-four guns, and one hundred and sixty men, was despatched, under the command of Captain Edward Edwards, with orders to proceed, in the first instance, to Otaheite, and not finding the mutineers there, to visit the different groups of the Society and Friendly Islands, and others in the neighbouring parts of the Pacific, using his best endeavours to seize and bring home in confinement the whole or such part of the delinquents as he might be able to discover."*

On the 23d of March, 1791, just eighteen months after the Bounty's last departure from Matavia Bay, the Pandora arrived there in search of that ill-fated ship. Scarcely had she anchored when Messrs. Heywood and Stewart paddled off in à canoe, and made themselves known to her commander, who instantly ordered them to be put both legs in irons, and treated them as though they had been piratical villains,' as he then thought proper to designate them ;-a sufficient proof that Lieutenant Bligh, when reporting the loss of his ship, had made no discrimination between the innocent and the guilty.

The other survivors of the Bounty, twelve in number, who were then at Otaheite, being shortly Mutiny of the Bounty.

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