To begin when we had filldfilled all the
GoallsGoals, kirks, and Ships, at Inverness,
with these RebellRebel prisoners wounded and
Naked as they were we ordered that nonnone
ShoudShould have any Access to them, either
with meat or Drink, for two days, by this
means no Doubt, we thought at least the
wounded woudwould Starve, either for want
of food, or CloathsClothes, the weather being
then very Cold, the two days being pas-
sed, there was a CorumQuorum of officers
pitchdpitched upon, to goego and visit them, in
order to take down their Names, and
Numbers, which was dimisheddismissed pretypretty weell
(without having the least regard to or-
der the remaining part either meat or
drink to SuportSupport nature) Amongst the
Number I was my Selfmyself, but Oh heavens!
what a Scene open to my Eyes, and nose,
all at once, the wounded feltringfeltering2 in their
gore and blood, Some Dead bodies Covered quite 1782 (1782)
quite over With pish3 and dirt, the living
Standing to the mid leg in it, their groans
woudwould have pirsdpierced a heart of Stone, but
our Corrupt hearts was not in the least
touched, but on the Contrary we began
to upbraid them the moment we entredentered
their prisons, DocterDoctor Lauders,Lauder's Case of in-
struments was taken from him for fear
he ShoudShould aid any of the wounded, and onone
John✝ FarqrsonFarquharson of Aldlerg, who was I
believe a kind of a Highland blooder,
his lancet was taken out of his pock-
et, for fear he ShoudShould begin to blood
them, after his Highland way, to save
Some few of the wound to have fallnfallen
in fevers, that night it was determined
in the privy CounsellCouncil, that each pri-
soner ShoudShould have half a pound oat
meallmeal per day (but Haly thought it
too much) and accordingly they Sent
Some of their ComissarysCommissaries to Distribute
the meallmeal, I CoudCould not help laughing
in the time of the distribution, when
the poor things had nothing left them,
to hold their meallmeal, but the fore Skirt4
of their Shirts, rather ExpossingExposin their
nakedness to the world than want their
meallmeal, they made very odd figures every
onone with his half pound meallmeal, tied up in
his Shirt lap and all below naked, Some
were handcuffed Especially Major Stewart
and Major McLachlan their hand cuffs were 1783 (1783)
were So tight, that their hands SwelldSwelled,
and at last broke the Skin, So that the
Irons CoudCould not be Seen, I Can Com-
pare their Case to nothing better, than
a horse Sore SadleSaddle SpoildSpoiled, which runs
a great dealldeal of thick matter and blood,
in this ExcessiffExcessive Agony were they
keep ten days, notwithstanding all
the application they made, only to get
wider hand Cuffs or their being Chan-
ged and put upon their oyrother hands,
AmongestAmongst the rest I Seed a french
man in the Agonies of Death lying
in Nastiness up to his Stomach, and I
my Selfmyself put a great Stone under his
head that he might not be ChoakedChoked
with, which he lylie in, we allwaysalways took
Care not to bury their Dead, untilluntil Such
time as we had at least a dozen of
them, only imagine to your Selfyourself what
for an agreeable Smell was there,
their own ExcramentsExcrements, with the Stink
of the dead bodysbodies, that SeldomeSeldom were
taken away, beforbefore they began NaturalyNaturally
to melt by the heat of the weather.
CaptCaptain Walker aboard who,swhose Ship a good
many prisoners were put, obeyed his
Master,sMaster’s orders so punctualypunctually, that he
even he woudwould not give the poor pri-
soners the water he boildboiled his beeffbeef
in, but rather threw it over, and Said it
was totoo good for RebellsRebels, a great many of those 1784 (1784)
those that were not wounded by the ill
usage and hunger Sickn,dSickened nor CoudCould they
have the benefitebenefit of a Surgeon, it
being absolutlyabsolutely ✝ defended, by which many
died that might Still have been in life,
AmongestAmongst the wound I pityedpitied nonnone more
than onone Cameron of Callort, who was a
Gentleman he had his arm broke a
great many freends in the place, even
in our Army, notwithStanding all he CoudCould
Not, have a Surgeon to Dress him for
ten daysday's time, that attat Last Mr Menzie
attat Inverness made Stolen marches to
See his freend, the Sunday Senight5 af-
ter the BatleBattle there was orders given,
that all the priSoners ShoudShould be re-
viewed publicklypublicly, in the Streets of In-
verness and Accordingly there was two
lines of our men from onone end of the
Bridge Street to the oyrother, and twixt
those two lines, the prisoners were to
pass munstermuster, Such a Scene was ne-
ver Seen Some entirlyentirely naked, oyrsothers in
their Shirts, and their meallmeal tied as be-
forbefore the wounded even behoved to Come
out, neither CrysCries nor intreatiesentreaties woudwould
Save them, and those who were not able
either to Stand, or wakewalk, were CarrydCarried by their fellow 1785 (1785)
fellow prisoners, amongestamongst the Loud Huz
hazahuzzah of officers and Soldiers nonnone more
Delighted than Mr Bruce

Any reasonable thinking man woudwould have
thought their CrueltysCruelties woudwould have ceased
again the twenty ninth of mayMay, which
day these poor people were Set aboard
the tenders, to be Carried to London, but
it rather increased, for there was no
more regard for them there, than what
they had ShowenShown at Inverness, they
put So many aboard each Ship, that
their own breath and heat made them
Swarm with VermineVermin, you,dyou’d have
laughed to have Seen them lying
twixt Decks, like fish in a pond, and
every one had a twig in his hand, to
Defend himSelf from the atacksattacks of
his NighboursNighbours' lice, there was a little
Space twixt every two, and on the
CentureCentre of this Space was a mark,
distinguiShing thirtheir MarchisMarches, there you
woudwould have Seen the lice marching and
ContreCounter Marching in order for an aSaultassault,
but the Moment, the lice of the one
Came, to the forsaidforesaid mark, he took his
twig and beat them back, because they
Said their nighboursnighbours' lice, bite Sorer
thenthan theretheir own, but attat last by hunger
bad usage and lying upon the ballasts,
and twixt Decks, Exposed to all weathers, they 1786 (1786)
they were ceased with a kind of a plague,
which CaryedCarried them ofoff be dozens, and
a good many of those who woudwould have
outlived their Sickness, was wantonly
murder,dmurdered by the Sailors, by DipingDipping of
them in the Sea in the CrissisCrisis of
their fevers, this was the SailorsSailors’
Diversion from Buchanness point till
we Came to the Nore, they,dthey’d take a roprope
and lyelie About the poor the poor Sicks
west, then thythey woudwould hawllhaul them up
by their teckletackle, and plunge ✝ them in the
Sea, as they Said to Drown the VermineVermin.
but they took SpecellSpecial Care to Drown
Xboth together, then they,dthey’d hawllhaul them
up upon Deck and tytie a Stone about onone
of the LeggsLegs, and over board with them,
I have Seen Six or Seven Examples
of this in a day, After we brought
them up to the river thames we got or-
ders to SeperatSeparate their officers from what
they Called Soldiers, and bring the offi-
cers, to Southwark new GoallGaol, and leave
the ComonsCommons attat Tillburry fort, without
meat, Drink, monymoney, or CloathsClothes, and actually
they woudwould have Starved, had it not been
for the Charity of the English, the Go-
vernmtGovernmentnot giving them onone SolsSol7 to live
upon, Except those few that turned Evi-
dence, itsit’s no great wonder if they all
had turndturned Evidences, to get out of this mi-serable 1787(1787)
serable Situation, the prospect of which
behoved to appear worse than Death
for in my opinion Nothing CoudCould Come up
tooto it, Save the notion we ConceveConceive of hell,
And I do not know if hell it Selfitself be So
bad, only that it may be of a longer
duration, But to return to our Gentlemen
officers, they were brought up in Rank,
and file, Exposed to the furryfury of a tu-
moultoustumultuous mob, who netherneither Spared them,
with their outrageous words, SpitlesSpittles, dirt,
and even Stones, and bricks, and in that
manner CarrydCarried through all the Streets
in Southwark, and at last Deliver,dDelivered over
to the hands of a Goaller, who netherneither
had the least fear of God, nor huma-
nity, a CretureCreature entirlyentirely after our own
heart, who loaded them the Mo-
ment, they entered his gates, with
heavy Irons, and bad usage, those among-
estamongst that had monymoney to purchase the liber-
ty of onone leg, was relivedrelieved a litlelittle but
Such as had not; must groan under their
weight, nor woudwould their freend be al-
lowdallowed Sent the least nessessariesnecessaries of
life, the GovernmtGovernment was DeaffDeaf to their
CrysCries and petition, So that this bloody
rascallrascal of a Goaler, might use them at
DiscreationDiscretion, which he very impiously and
CruelyCruelly did, nor woudwould their friends get to See
them, without paying for their liberty, not
even to make up Some Sort of Defences
for their lives, which was wantonly taken away 1788 (1788)
away, after every Execution the Mangled
bodies were brought back to the GoallGoal,
and remained theirthere Some days to Show
the remaining priSoners how they were
to be used, in their turn, I am very
ShureSure nothing CoudCould be more ChockingShocking
to Nature, than to see their Comrades,
their friends, brought back in Such a
Condition, all Cut to pieces; the very
Comrades, they parted with about an
hour and an half before, in perfect
good health, and top Spirits, they had
even the Cruelty to keep up the re-
privesreprieves of those that were to be Saved,
till Some hours before their Execu-
tion, of all that fell in our hands,
none were pardoned but two, all the
rest were either transported, or put
to Death, either with, or without Law,
by this we See that the GovermtGovernment of
England, has fallen upon more Cru-
ellCruel ways; to punish their Disobedi-
ent fellow Creatures, than the Crea-
tor to punish even the Disobedient
angellsangels and Sons of men, with this
difference the one is eternalleternal, and
the other only for a time, but when
the time of times Shall Come, woe
be to them; I belivebelieve again you
Come this lenth, youllyou’ll be as tired reading, 1789 (1789)
reading, as I am writtingwriting, So hopes
youllyou’ll freely, and frankly, Excuse
all faults and faillingsfailings. I am