206 THE LIFE OF 



boat the next day ; and on Monday morfiing, a^ 

 a preparative to our departure, they brought u5 

 fon-.e papers, which we were compelled to fign. 

 One was a certificate, purporting that we engaged 

 not to carry arms againfl France for a year and 

 a day ; and there were other certificates for the 

 petty officers and feamen, fetting forth that they 

 ■were detained, againft their confent, to carry 

 the fhip into the Ria de Plata. Some of ouf 

 Tion-refifiing officers pretended to have obferved 

 an unufual alacrity in the failors in obeying the 

 orders of the mutineers, and muttered that they 

 did not deferve fuch certificates ; but I folemnly 

 declare, that, in my opinion, thefe fufpicions 

 were unfounded ; and as to the remonftrances 

 faid to have been made by the officers of the 

 troops, their condu(5t, as already defcribed, will 

 hardly give room to fuppofe them too loud* 

 Befides, we were all in bondage, and no one 

 durfl refufe any thing required of us : could we 

 then Monder at the condud of ignorant failors? 

 In return, the mutineers gave us a certificate 

 that their infurredion was not owing to any ill 

 treatment from the Captain or any officer be- 

 longing to the lliip ; but becaufe they had been 

 trepanned into the Britifh fervice, without any 

 means of redrefs, and had otherwife been ill 

 treated by their Commander. This certificate, 

 which was committed to my care, does fd much 



honour 



