OUTBREAK OF THE MUTINY. 251 



everything 1 was arranged on a working basis that the first admiral, Lord Bridport, gained any 

 knowledge of the conspiracy going on around him. He communicated his suspicions to the 

 Lords of the Admiralty ; and they, thinking a little active service would prove the best cure 

 for what they simply regarded as a momentary agitation, sent down orders for the Channel 

 Fleet to put to sea. The orders arrived at Portsmouth on April 15th, and in obedience to 

 them Lord Bridport signalled to the fleet to make the necessary preparations. As might almost 

 have been expected, it was the signal, likewise, for the outbreak of the mutiny. Not a 

 sailor bestirred himself; not a rope was bent; but, as if by common consent, the crews of 

 every vessel in the squadron manned the yards and rigging, and gave three cheers. They 

 then proceeded to take the command of each ship from the officers, and appointed delegates 

 from each vessel to conduct negotiations with the authorities of the Admiralty. No violence 

 nor force was used. The first-lieutenant of the London, ordered by Admiral Colpoys, one of 

 the best-hated officers of the service, shot one of the mutineers, but his death was not 

 avenged. They again forwarded their petition to the Admiralty, and its closing sentences 

 showed their temperance, and argued strongly in favour of their cause. They desired "to 

 convince the nation at large that they knew where to cease to ask, as well as where to 

 begin ; and that they asked nothing but what was moderate, and might be granted without 

 detriment to the nation or injury to the service." The Admiralty authorities, seeing that 

 with the great power in their hands they had acted peaceably, only abstaining from work, 

 yielded all the concessions asked ; and a full pardon was granted in the king's name to the 

 fleet in general, and to the ringleaders in particular. In a word, the mutiny ended for the 

 time being. 



It was resumed on May 7th. As Parliament had delayed in passing the appropriations 

 for the increase of pay and pensions, the crews rose en masse and disarmed all their officers, 

 although still abstaining from actual violence. Lord Howe, always a popular officer with 

 the men, and their especial idol after his great victory of June 1st, 1794, was sent down by 

 the Cabinet with full power to ratify all the concessions which had been made, and to do 

 his best to convince the men that the Government had no desire of evading them. He 

 completely mollified the men, and even succeeded in exacting an expression of regret and 

 contrition for their outbreak. He assured them that their every grievance should be 

 considered, and a free pardon, as before, given to all concerned. The men again returned to 

 duty. The fleet at Plymouth, which had followed that of Portsmouth into the mutiny, did 

 the same ; and thus, in a month from the first outbreak, as far as these two great fleets were 

 concerned, all disaffection, dissatisfaction, and discontent had passed away, through the tact 

 and judicious behaviour of Lord Howe. There can be no doubt that the tyranny of many of 

 the officers had a vast deal to do with the outbreak. In the list of officers whom the men 

 considered obnoxious, and that Lord Howe agreed should be removed, there were over one 

 hundred in one fleet of sixteen ships. 



Strange to say, the very same week in which the men of the Portsmouth fleet returned 

 to their duty, acknowledging all their grievances to be removed, the fleet at the Nore 

 arose in a violent state of mutiny, displaying very different attributes to those shown by 

 the former. Forty thousand men, who had fought many a battle for king and country, 

 and in steadfast reliance upon whose bravery the people rested every night in tranquillity, 



