Agreeable to your request, I have taken great pains to collect all the particulars, relating to the behaviour and death of the unfortunate ADMIRAL BYNG.
You know me sufficiently, to be satisfied that I have never had any biass in his favour, or against him. But as the whole affair has been laid before the publick, sufficiently plain for every man of common sense, not prejudiced, to understand it; excepting some inexplicable Circumstances relating to the Court Martial; I may be allowed to judge for myself, and yield to truths which I think can admit of no farther controversy.
It is true, there are yet sophisters, who want to impose upon us; but I think their designs are easily seen through. It is impossible that any impartial man should fail to observe the almost incredible pains taken to misrepresent and blacken his publick and private character. Even now, after he has paid the forfeit of his life, for crimes, at most, only disputably so, there are a great number of emissaries, who seem to make it their business to go from one coffee-house to another, spreading the most scandalous reports with regard to his death. Dying Speeches, containing the most infamous absurdities, have been imposed upon the publick, with several booksellers names prefixed in the title-page, in order to give them the air of authenticity.
For what end and purposes all these measures have been taken, they can best tell, who have always been, and still continue so indefatigably industrious. But I must confess they greatly raise my indignation; and I am at last fully persuaded, hidden political machinery has been employed against this unfortunate gentleman. Our friend D---- says, cunning heads, black hearts, and long purses. Indeed, I think it appears very evident, that some persons are very active and solicitous to load him with ignominious crimes, with a view to exculpate themselves, or others; to render him odious in the eyes of the people, that his fall may be unlamented. But can a generous nation, like this, where understanding abounds, accept of his blood for the crimes of any other? surely, it cannot be.
I believe you will agree with me in thinking, that the Admiral's behaviour before and at the time of his death; his observations and conversation with his friends; together with the paper containing his thoughts on the occasion, wrote by himself, and signed, which he gave to the Marshal of the Admiralty, immediately before the sentence passed upon him was put in execution; must hereafter be his best APOLOGY, EXCULPATION, and ENCOMIUM; must reflect honour upon his family, and be an indelible reproach to some of our cotemporaries; who have practised every wicked artifice, to deceive and spirit up the people, and to throw a mist over the whole of this transaction.
Without any farther preamble, I shall proceed to give you a relation of the particulars, as they are ascertained to me, by the concurring testimony of gentlemen who were upon the spot; whose veracity cannot be doubted, and whose authority to vouch them again, may be easily obtained.
As you have critically perused the trial and sentence, I presume you will be pleased with some particulars as far back as the time of passing the sentence.
On Thursday the 27th of January, when the Admiral was sent for on board the St. George to receive his sentence, he declared to some of his friends, that he expected to be reprimanded, and that he possibly might be cashiered; "_because_, said he, there must have been several controverted points; the Court Martial has been shut up a long time; and almost all the questions proposed by the Court have tended much more to pick out faults in my conduct, than to get at a true state of the circumstances; but I profess, I cannot conceive what they will fix upon."
Soon after he got on board, and was in the cabbin upon the quarter-deck, a member of the Court Martial came out, and told one of his relations, he had the Court's leave to inform him, they had found the Admiral capitally guilty; in order that he might prepare him to receive the sentence. The gentleman went up to him immediately; but was so surprised, he could not tell how to inform him. The Admiral observing his countenance, said to him, "_What is the matter? Have they broke me?_" The gentleman hesitating in his reply, with some confusion of countenance, he added, "_Well, I understand--If nothing but my Blood will satisfy, let them take it_." Immediately after this, he was sent for into Court, where he continued to be the only man that did not appear moved, while the sentence was reading by the Judge-advocate; and went ashore afterwards with the same air and composure that he came on board.
A gentleman afterwards endeavoured to give him consolation, by representing to him, that a sentence without guilt could be no stain; that it was highly improbable such a sentence would be put in execution, considering the extraordinary circumstances attending it; and that there was the greatest probability of a pardon. He replied, "_What will that signify to me? What satisfaction can I receive from the liberty to crawl a few years longer on the earth, with the infamous load of a Pardon at my back? I despise life upon such terms, and would rather have them take it_."
The gentleman then remarked to him, that his pardon must proceed from justice rather than mercy; and must be more an acknowlegment of his innocence, than a forgiveness of guilt: with that distinction he seemed better satisfied, and reconciled to the thought.
Some days after the sentence was passed, he was conveyed on board the Monarque, and confined in the captain's cabbin upon the quarter-deck. And as soon as the warrant for his death arrived at Portsmouth, all his friends who came to see him, were obliged to leave him before it was dark, and go on shore. An additional number of marine officers and marines were ordered on board that ship. An officer regularly mounted guard, and a great number of centinels were placed, viz. two upon the fore-castle, one over each side in the chains, two at the cabbin-door, two upon the poop, two in a boat under the ship's stern, and, for some part of the time, two in the stern-gallery; besides a guard-boat constantly rowing round the ship during the night. These centinels had orders to call aloud to each other, all is well, every five minutes throughout the night; by which means, almost as soon as the last centinel had answered, it was time for the first to begin again, and there was a perpetual round of, all is well. This circumstance almost totally depriving the Admiral of sleep, because the centinels were mostly close to him where he lay, made him frequently say, "_I did hope for leave to sleep, and apprehend I might be sufficiently guarded and taken care of, without so frequent a repetition of this noisy ceremony close to my ear_."
At length the lieutenants of the ship had orders to watch in the great cabbin, relieving each other every four hours, as is customary at sea: so that there was always one of them in the cabbin with him day and night, who delivered up the charge of the Admiral's person to the next officer, keeping a journal, in which was minuted down every person's name who came to him, the time when he came, and the time of his going away; and the order to the centinels for calling out every five minutes, was then omitted.
When captain Montague waited upon him, to inform him that the warrant from the Admiralty was come, for putting the sentence passed upon him in execution, he received the news with the same cool composure, that he had received the sentence; without discovering the smallest emotion, depression of spirits, or alteration in his behaviour.
The same gentleman waited upon him again, on the 27th of February, being the day before that which was appointed for his execution, and, in Admiral Boscawen's name, acquainted him that a respite was arrived for fourteen days. He composedly desired his compliments to Admiral Boscawen, with thanks for his intelligence, without appearing in the smallest degree elevated, or even pleased beyond his usual. His friends, on that occasion, represented to him what had passed in the House of Commons, magnified and dwelt upon every favourable circumstance; and, giving themselves up to joy, congratulated him on the certainty of an honourable pardon, which they imagined must follow. He calmly replied, "_I am glad you think so, because it makes you easy and happy; but I think it is now become an affair merely_ political, without any farther relation to right or wrong, justice or injustice; and therefore I differ in opinion from you."
During all the time of his confinement, his comportment was uniformly the same; almost always chearful, sometimes, with decency, facetious. This gave rise to a rumour that he expected a pardon, or meditated an escape; which was most industriously propagated, to lessen the merit of his behaviour, by the same instruments that had been always made use of to wrest every circumstance to his disadvantage, and asperse him. Some of those wretches were employed, during his trial, to send up to town, for the newspapers, false minutes of the evidence; and to pick out such passages as could be made to bear a harsh construction, or, by sophistical comments, be brought to carry the appearance of guilt, in order to inflame the people, already prepossessed by similar practices. The unwary were prejudiced by these arts, and joined in the cry against him; but he defeated the further designs of his enemies, by preserving the same equanimity to the last.
The nearer approach of death made no change in his manner. He had divine service performed in the morning by the chaplain of the Monarque, and usually spent the remainder of the day in conversation with his friends; and sometimes in regulating his private family-affairs, when any thing occurred to his memory as not properly settled agreeable to his intention.
On Saturday the 12th of March, in the evening, when his friends were going on shore as usual, he took leave of his two nephews in a tender manner, and desired they would not come on board to him again, lest any immoderate grief in them should soften him.
On Sunday morning captain Montague, having received a warrant from Admiral Boscawen for his execution next day, gave it to the Marshal to read to him; which he calmly heard read over, and then remarked, with some warmth, that the place appointed by the warrant was upon the fore-castle. "_Is not this_," said he, addressing himself to his friends, "_putting me upon the footing of a common seaman, condemned to be shot? Is not this an indignity to my birth, to my family, and to my rank in the service? I think I have not been treated like an officer in any instance since I was disgraced, excepting in that of being ordered to be shot_." He appeared much disturbed at this circumstance, and looked upon it as a considerable grievance. His friends, fearing it could not be altered, because the warrant was expresly worded so, represented to him, that it appeared to them an impropriety; but they hoped he would think the place immaterial, a circumstance beneath his notice, and not let any such consideration break in upon his tranquillity of mind. He then composed himself again, and replied, "_It is very true, the place or manner is of no great importance to me; but I think living Admirals should consult the dignity of the rank, for their own sakes. I cannot plead a precedent: there is no precedent of an Admiral, or a General Officer in the Army, being shot. They make a precedent of me, such as Admirals hereafter may feel the Effects of_."
