PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
185 
captains of the Montezuma and the Georgiana, who soon unde¬ 
ceived him with respect to our being an English frigate. I had 
felt great pity for these two last gentlemen, and had made the 
evils of war bear as light on them as possible, by purchasing of 
them, for the use of the crew, their private adventures, consisting 
of slop-clothing, tobacco, and spirits, for which they were sincerely 
grateful; but to this man I could not feel the same favourable 
disposition, nor could I conceal my indignation at his conduct: he 
endeavoured to apologize away the impression his conduct had 
made, by artfully putting the case to myself; and, with a view of 
rendering him easy, as I did not wish to triumph over the wretch, 
I informed him that I was willing to make some allowances for 
his conduct. 
After the capture of the Greenwich, I informed her comman¬ 
der, John Shuttleworth, as well as Obadiah Wier, of the Atlantic, 
that I felt every disposition to act most generously toward therm 
Shuttleworth was however so much intoxicated, and his language 
so insulting, that it was with difficulty I could refrain from turn¬ 
ing him out of my cabin, Wier was more reserved during my 
presence there ; but, duty requiring me on deck, he, in the pre¬ 
sence of some of the officers, used the most bitter invectives against 
the government of the United States; and he, as well as Shuttleworth, 
consoled themselves with the pleasing hope, that British frigates 
would soon be sent to chastise us for our temerity in venturing so far 
from home. They were at length, however, shewn to the apartment 
alloted them, and feeling, in some measure, restraint removed, 
they gave full vent to their anger, and indulged in the most abu¬ 
sive language against our government, the ship and her officers, 
lavishing on me in particular the most scurrilous epithets, and 
gave me appellations that would have suited a buccanier. They 
really appeared to have forgotten they were prisoners and in my 
power, and that it would be more to their advantage to trust entirely 
to my generosity, than to irritate me by such unprovoked abuse. 
However, I determined next day to make them sensible of the 
impropriety of their conduct, and did so without violating either 
the principles of humanity or the rules of war. I let them feel 
that they were dependent entirely on my generosity, was mpre 
A a 
VOL, x . 
