“We continued at St. Salvador about 13 days, during which time the inhabitants made up a subscription of 200£. each man. We then embarked in the Maria, a Portuguese ship, for Lisbon; Parr as mate, Conway boatswain’s-mate, myself being sickly as passenger. In thirteen days we arrived at Rio de Janeiro. Parr and Conway sailed for Lisbon, and I was left in the hospital. In about three months Captain Elphinstone, of the Diomede, pressed me into his majesty’s service, giving me the choice of remaining on that station or to proceed to the admiral at the Cape. I chose the latter, and was put, with seven suspected deserters, on board the Ann, a Botany Bay ship, in irons, with the convicts. When I arrived at the Cape I was put on board the Lancaster, of 64 guns. I never entered. I at length received my discharge; since which I engaged in the Duke of Clarence as a seaman. I was determined to give myself up the first opportunity, in order to relate my sufferings to the men at this garrison, to deter them from attempting so mad a scheme again.”
“In attending to the above narrative, as simple as it is affecting, we cannot help noticing the justice of Providence, so strikingly exemplified in the melancholy fate of M’Kinnon, the deluder of these unhappy men, and the victim of his own illegal and disgraceful scheme. May his fate prove a memento to soldiers and sailors, and a useful though awful lesson to the encouragers and abettors of desertion.”
The following is an account of another famine, given by Captain Bradshaw, commander of the Andalusia, in a letter, dated Halifax, April 30, 1759.
On the 27th day of February, about two o’clock in the afternoon, we saw a vessel without masts, about three miles to leeward of us; and immediately bore down to see what she was: I found it to be the Dolphin sloop, Captain Baron, from the Canaries, bound to New York; they had been from the Canaries ever since September 11th, 165 days; 115 of which they had nothing to eat. I sent my boat on board to see what condition they were in; my people called to me and told me they were helpless and starving, and desired to know whether I would take them on board.—I ordered my people to put them in the boat, and bring them on board, which accordingly they did. When they came alongside our ship we were obliged to haul them in with ropes, they were so very weak: there were the captain and seven others; but such poor miserable creatures sure never were seen: had it been a week longer they must all have died. When I came to examine the captain and the people, they told me, that they had not any provisions for upwards of three months before they saw me; they had eaten their dog, their cats, and all their shoes, and in short, every thing that was eatable on board. On the 10th of January they all agreed to cast lots for their lives, which accordingly they did; the shortest lot was to die; the next shortest to be the executioner. The lot fell upon Anthony Gallitia, a Spanish Gentleman, a passenger; they shot him through the head, which they cut off and threw overboard; they then took out his bowels and ate them, and afterwards ate all the remaining part of the body, which lasted but a very short time. The captain told me, they were about to cast lots a second time, but it happened very luckily that he bethought himself of a pair of breeches, which he had lined with leather; he soon found them, took out the lining, and cut off for each man’s share a piece of about an inch and a half square, for the day’s allowance; that, with the grass that grew upon deck, was all the support they had for about twenty days before I met with them: the grass was in some places four or five inches high. The captain brought on board the remaining part of the leather lining, which I have got, and a piece of the same that was the allowance of one man for the day. No words in my power to express, are sufficient to describe the truly deplorable and wretched condition these poor unfortunate sufferers were in when I met with them.