30 May 1812 Londonderry (From the Derry Journal)
Friday last his Majesty's armed schooner 'Barbara', commanded by Lieutenant MORGAN, appeared upon our coast and commenced a series of the most cruel of oppression ever witnessed, by impressing a number of fishermen, a class of people respected and protected by all Governments whether friends or foes. Next day, the schooner came to anchor in Moville bay, where four outward bound American vessels had come to anchor with their legal compliment of passengers, in order to make the necessary arrangements, previous to their proceeding to sea. Lieutenant MORGAN immediately commanded the boats of the 'Nepean' revenue cutter to his assistance, and sending a gang on board each of the Americans, had a great many of the passengers dragged from their births and conveyed on board the schooner. The distressing scene which presented itself on board the vessels, when families found their relations torn from them, can hardly be imagined and is beyond our abilities to describe. The news reached Derry late on Saturday night, but it gained no credit, no one would believe that such acts dare be attempted by any man in the service of the best of Kings and freest country on earth. It proved but too true, however, and never before did any occurrence excite so strong a sensation in this city. A meeting of the merchants was called at the Ballast office at one o'clock yesterday, but such was the general anxiety that most of them were in attendance half an hour before the appointed time. When the wished for hour arrived, Adam SCHOALES Esq. was unanimously called to the chair and Mr. George FOSTER stated to the meeting such parts of the disgraceful transaction as came within his knowledge. He had been at Moville for the purpose of transacting the business of the ship 'Bristol' and on the evening of Saturday, being on shore, his attention was drawn to the ships in the bay by the most heart-rending cries of women and children. He wished to go on board the 'Bristol', but could not procure a boat until about 10 o'clock, when the mate of the 'Mary' came on shore and conveyed him to the 'Bristol'. The first object which attracted his notice was an old woman of the name of FULTON, who had got two of her teeth knocked out and two of her ribs broken by the hilt of a sabre while clinging to her son, as the ruffians were dragging him into the boat. On Sunday Mr. FOSTER went on board the schooner, accompanied by Captain BARKER of the 'Bristol'. They begged leave to take down the names of the impressed passengers, that they might dispose of their clothes and property agreeably to their wishes, which was granted by Lieutenant MORGAN. In the meantime two marines walked the deck with drawn sabres, which they freely applied to the shoulders of the passengers. One unfortunate wretch leaning over the bulwark for the purpose of requesting one of the seaman alongside to send him his clothes from the 'Venus' to which he belonged, when he was perceived by the lieutenant, and ordered to be flogged and the order was immediately obeyed by the boatswain, who was repeatedly encouraged by MORGAN to make him feel the rope’s end, that he might learn what naval discipline was. A lad of the name of FULTON, corroborated Mr. FOSTER’s statement of what passed on board the 'Bristol'. He is the son of the old woman who was brutally treated while endeavouring to save his brother. He feigned illness and passed himself for the husband of his sister. Some of the schooner’s men wished to pass him by, while others threatened to drag him out of his birth. One of them stabbed his bed with his cutlass and laid it twice across his throat. They left him for that time, however, and before the boat returned again he had dressed in woman’s clothes, in which he escaped to the shore. He said he was thus separated from his family and friends, destitute of money and even clothes, and forced to seek his livelihood by labour, to which he was unused. This young man’s simple narrative sensibly affected the hearers. Mr. W. M'COLLEY witnessed a similar scene on board the 'Mary'. He was himself ordered into the boat, but the mate asserted that he was super, cargo of the ship, and nephew to the Captain, upon which he was allowed to remain. Mr. Thomas DAVENPORT said that he conceived there was sufficient evidence before the meeting to warrant them in concluding that an act of unprecedented and unparalleled aggression had been committed and there could not be a doubt that his Majesty’s government would be forward to redress the injury and compensate, as far as possible, the injured, he begged leave to move "That a committee of five be appointed to frame memorials to his Grace the Lord Lieutenant and most Honourable Privy council of Ireland, and to the Lords of the Admiralty, on the subject of the late impressment in this harbour." Mr. Acheson SMYTH said he conceived it better to request the Mayor to convene a common hall to take the subject into consideration. It was not a question confined to the merchants alone, the community at large were interested in it and he thought that the whole city, and even the country, should publicly express their abhorrence of such an outrage. Besides, the memorial would go forward with greater weight from the citizens at large, backed by the signature of the Mayor. Mr. DAVENPORT, in reply said, that the object of the meeting was to obtain redress for the unfortunate sufferers, not to excite popular feeling, which was already sufficiently alive to the indignity, which the liberties of the people had sustained and as to the weight of respectability to be conferred by a town meeting, he thought very differently on the subject; the respective signatures of the respectable merchants of Derry would be known and appreciated by many of those to whom the Memotial would be addressed; and for his part, he had never seen a town meeting of half the respectability of that now assembled. Mr. MACKY, Mr. NICHOLSON and the majority of the meeting were of opinion that a Memorial should be immediately forwarded from the persons then assembled, but that a town meeting should afterwards be convened agreeably to the ideas of Mr. SMYTH. A committee of 5 was then appointed to prepare the memorial, which being read to the meeting, meet with universal approbation and was ordered to be forwarded by Mr. SCHOALES, the chairman to his Grace the Lord Lieutenant, and to the Rt. Hon. Sir Geo. F. HILL, our city representative, for the purpose of having it laid before the Lords of the Admirality. Want of room prevents us from giving at length, the sentiments of the various gentlemen who spoke on this interesting occasion and also from inserting the Memorial. It appeared to be the universal opinion of the meeting, in which we most heartily concur, that the whole proceeding of MORGAN was the unauthorised act of an individual and that it is only necessary to make the facts known to the Government to procure immediate redress and we feel the utmost confidence that the unhappy sufferers will obtain every possible reparation for the injury which they have sustained. The above is taken from the Derry Journal, which in this case, speaking the opinions of several most respectable merchants at a public meeting, we thought it right to lay before our readers, as having considerable weight, a subject peculiarly interesting, not only to the mercantile world, but to the community at large. We would hope, for the honour of the service, however, that the above may prove somewhat exaggerated and in the mean time we deem it, but justice to the officer above mentioned, to publish the following affidavit of the mate of the 'Nepean', taken before the Mayor of Derry. "Having this day seen an erroneous, scandalous and false statements of the conduct of Lieut. MORGAN, commanding H. M.'s schooner 'Barbara', relative to the impressment of the people from on board the American ships in this harbour and more particularly the 'Bristol', I think it my duty to step forward and make affidavit of the facts which came within my knowledge. I was ordered to board the 'Bristol' and to impress all the single young men from her and by no means, to take any married man and in the course of the evening, I was assisted by his master and gunner, and that no violence was made use of, farther than the service required and farther respecting Mrs FULTON having been abused, it is utterly false. I was the person who gave her son to her, being impelled thereto by her frantic and distressed appearance and in five other instances I gave back young men to their wives and relatives. And the statement of their usage on the 'Barbara' is utterly false, I remained on board the 'Barbara' until she was out of the harbour and in no instance saw any inhuman usage by Lieut. MORGAN or any of his officers and l am perfectly assured that Lieut. MORGAN is incapable of behaving in any point unbecoming an officer and gentleman; and in every point which came within my knowledge respecting the usage of the people, they were well treated and by no means ill used and the paragraph which appeared in the Londonderry Journal is false and an unjust attack on the character of a brave young officer. Anthony CARROLL, First Mate of H. M's cruizer 'Nepean' Sworn before me at my office in the City of Londonderry this 27th day May 1812 John CURRY, Mayor transcribed by Teena from the Belfast Commercial Chronicle -- www.cotyrone.com http://lists.cotyrone.com/mailman/listinfo/ulsterancestry https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoTyroneIrelandGenealogy/ _______________________________________________ [email protected] UlsterAncestry Mailing List Searchable Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ http://lists.cotyrone.com/mailman/listinfo/ulsterancestry Website: https://cotyrone.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoTyroneIrelandGenealogy/
