ed air is changed into a poison, and where the articles given
him to eat are far worse in quality than the swill with which the
American farmer feeds his hogs. How can an officer, how can any man,
holding in society the rank of a gentleman, sit down to his meal in
his cabin, when he has a hundred of his fellow creatures, some of them
brought up with delicacy and refinement, and with the feelings of
gentlemen: I say, how can he sit composedly down to his dinner, while
men, as good as himself, are suffering for want of food. There is in
this conduct either a bold cruelty, or a stupidity and want of
reflection, that does no honour to that officer, or to those who gave
him his command.

It happened when some of us were allowed in our turn to be on deck,
that we would lay hold and pull or belay a rope when needed. When we
arrived at Portsmouth, which was the 5th of October, we were visited
by the health officer; and when we again weighed anchor to go to the
quarantine ground, the boatswain's mate came to tell us that it was
the captain's order that we should tumble up and assist at the
capstan. Accordingly three or four went to assist; but one of our
veteran tars bid him go and tell his captain that hunger and labour
were not friends, and never would go together; and that prisoners who
subsisted three days in a week on _pea-water_, could only give him
pea-water assistance. This speech raised the temper of the officer of
the deck, who sent down some marines, who drove us all up. There was
among us a Dutchman, who was very forward in complying with the
officers' request; but being awkward and careless withall, he suffered
himself to be jambed between the end of the capstan-bar and the side
of the ship, which hurt him badly. Some of the prisoners collected
round their wounded companion, when the officer of the deck ordered
them to take the d--d blunderheaded fellow below, and let some
American take his place; but after this expression of brutality
towards the poor jambed up Dutchman, not a man would go near the
capstan, so one of their own crew filled up the vacancy made by the
wounded Hollander.

A Mr. S----, who had some office of distinction in Newfoundland, if I
mistake not he was the first in command of that dreary island. This
gentleman, who I think they called general Smith, was passenger on
board the Regulus. One day when I was upon deck, he asked me how many
of the hundred prisoners could read and write. I told him t