216] ANNUAL RE 
ning a gee. Great preparations, 
also, were made, at sheerness, a- 
gainst an attack from the mutinous 
ships, which had manifested some 
Strong indications of an intention 
to bombard that place: and fur- 
naces and hot balis were kept 
ready. 
Emboldened. by the strength of 
men and shipping in their hands, 
and resolved to persevere in their 
demands till they bad extorted a 
complfance, the mutineers proceed- 
ed to secure a sufficiency of provi- 
sions for that purpose, by seizing 
two vessels laden with stores, and 
sent notice ashore that they intended 
to block up the Thames; and cut 
off all communication between Lon- 
don and tlie sea, in order, to. force 
government to a speedy accession to 
their terms. They began the exe« 
cution of ibis menace by mooring 
four, of their vessels across . the 
mouth of the river, and stopping 
several ships that were coming from 
thé metropclis, 
They now altered the system of 
their delegation, and to prevent too 
much power from being lodged in 
the hands of any man, the office of 
president was entrustod to no one 
longer than a day, This they did-to 
secure themselves from the attempts 
to betray them, which might result 
from the offers held Out to those in 
whom they were obliged to place 
confidence and authority, were those 
to possess sucha trust for any time. 
They also compelled those ships, the 
crews of which they suspected of 
wavering in the cause, to take their 
station in the midst of the others, 
But, notwithstanding these precau- 
tious, two vessels eluded their vigi- 
Jance, and made their escape. 
These transactions, while theyex- 
cited the greatest alarm in the na- 
GIS-'t.E Rk, 
tion, were ee Be ho by 
the seamen belonging to the two di- 
visions of the fteet lying at Ports- 
mouth and at Plymouth, Each of 
them addressed an admonition to 
their fellow-seamen at the Nore, 
warmly condemning their proceed- 
ings, as a scandal to the mame of 
British seamen, and exhorting them 
to be content with the indulgence 
already granted by government, and 
to return to their duty without in- 
sisting on more concessions than 
had been demanded by the rest of 
the navy. 
But these warnings proved in- 
effectual, The reinforcement of 
the four ships lately arrived, and 
the expectation of being joined by 
others, induced them’ to persist in 
their demands. The committee of 
delegates, on board the Sandwich, 
came to a determination to commis« 
sion lord Northesk, whom they had 
kept in confinement in the Mon- 
tague, of which he was the com- 
mander, to repair to the king in 
the name of the fleet, and to ac- 
quaint bim with the couditions on 
which they were willing to deli- 
yer up the ships. The petition 
which he was charged to lay before 
the king, was highly respectful and 
loyal to him, but very severe on 
his _ministers,.and they required an 
entire compliance with every one 
of their demands, threatening, on 
the refusal of any, to put immedi- 
diately to sea. iLord Northesk rea- 
dily undertook to be the bearer 
of their petition, but told them, 
that, from the unreasonableness of 
their demands, he could not flatter 
them with the hove of success. 
Confiding i in him, thy said, as’ the 
seamen’s friend, ‘theyhad entrusted 
him with this mission, on pledging 
his honour to return, with a clear 
and 
1797. 
