388 Bradford-on-Avon. { Old Families & Worthies. 
and, in the night of June 18th, 1837, advanced against their officers 
with the intention of murdering all the white people, setting fire 
to the barracks, and then returning to Guinea. Colonel Bush, to- 
gether with his Adjutant, Lieutenant Bentley, advanced towards 
the mutineers, and, when within some 25 yards of them, they were 
fired at, but providentially escaped injury. The two officers retired 
to the stables, through which (being built of wood) several shots 
were fired. Lieutenant Bentley mounted his horse and galloped 
through the barrack-yard to St. James’s, a distance of nine miles, 
to procure assistance, the recruits attempting in vain to stop him. 
Colonel Bush, aided by the darkness of the night, fled to the 
special magistrate’s house, and, through him, obtained from the 
police station, which was but a short distance from his residence, a 
musket and some ammunition. Together with a police officer, an 
old soldier, and Lieutenant Doran, whom they met in their way, 
Colonel Bush, returned at once to the barracks and found the mu- 
tineers just about to set the hospital on fire, the patients escaping 
in all directions. Arraying his little party of four on the rising- 
ground, within forty yards of the main body of the recruits, he 
kept up an independent fire on them for some minutes, which was 
duly returned, until at length three of the revolters were lying dead 
and several wounded. Not knowing what numbers might be op- 
posed to them, from the darkness of the early hour of the morning, 
and appalled by the dead and wounded, the mutineers fled and 
took refuge in the woods. Many of them were killed, and several » 
of the ringleaders were afterwards brought to a court-martial and 
sentenced to death. The suppression of this fearful outbreak was 
entirely attributed to the intrepidity of our townsman. His firm- 
ness and decision gave him ever afterwards the complete ascendancy 
over these untutored Africans, and he brought into order and first 
rate discipline no less than 1200 uncivilized recruits. 
As a reward for these meritorious services the Duke of Welling- 
ton removed him from the West Indies to home service, and ap- 
pointed him Inspecting Field Officer of the Leeds district. A 
vacancy afterwards occurring in the London district he was re- 
moved to it, and he held this appointment to the time of his 
