238 Cafe of Captain Porteous. death, however, did not treat him fo politely as the world did; it took him away in the midst of all his illgotten wealth, without a moment of previous intimation, and an apoplexy fnatched away at a fplendid affembly as very a wretch as ever was a difgrace to humanity. Sir John was fucceeded by a fon, who though untainted with his crimes, was not what a good man fhould reverence as an amiable character. He knew his father had robbed, (for justice authorizes no elegant palliation of terms) the poor Mifs Milmour, now Mrs. Ormsby of her whole fortune, and was fenfible, that this very Mrs. Ormsby with her husband and an infant daughter, were labouring under the greatest diftreffes; yet fo far was he from reftoring what he had been plundered of, that he thought it extremely generous to fend them an occafional five guineas for temporary relief.-Nay, the world thought it extremely generous alfɔ, and Sir Charles was every where mentioned in confequence of this conduct as a man of the greatest benevolence. His ton Wilbraham however, the hero of this little ftory, had fcarcely reached his twelfth year when he felt much compaffion for Mrs. Ormsby; he would teize his papa to fend the unhappy fa mily fomething, frequently added his pocket money to the prefent, but unknown, when he knew the fervant was fent to their house.-Yet notwithstand ing this folicitude in their favour, he had never feen them ;-his only fpring of action was the natural rectitude of his heart, and he would often with Sir Charles would place them in fome comfortable independency.-As he grew older, he felt more ftrongly for them, and fecretly blushed at the cruelty of his grandfather; but his ftudies, and the tour of Europe, in fome measure diverted his attention from their neceffities; and as his allowance from rather a fevere and parfimonious father was pitifully flender, he could only fecretly grieve at the lamentable state of their circumftances. May man's numerous relations who loudly threatened to revenge their friend, he changed his name, and lived for fome time very privately. Notwithstanding this cautioufnefs of conduct, an Englith family, then refident at the place of his retreat, quickly difcovered that they had a countryman in town, and gave him an invitation fo goodnaturedly importunate, that he embraced it with a double degree of fatistaction, because it rendered his fa'ety more fecure, and furnished him with an opportunity of spending many an hour very agreeably, which at this time hung uncommonly heavy upon his hands.———— Ο [To be concluded in our next.] Cafe of Captain Porteous. N Wednesday April 14, 1736, one Andrew Wilton, condemned for the robbery of a collector of the cuftoms was executed at Edinburgh, attended by a numerous guard, to prevent a refcue, which was apprehended; but tho' nothing of that kind was attempted, Captain John Porteous, the commander of the city guard, on a parcel of boys throwing ftones at the executioner as he was cutting him down, and as is ufual at executions, fired among the people, and his guard followed his example, by which about twenty perfons were unhappily killed or wounded. The captain and others, guilty of this rafh and barbarous action, were thereupon committed to prison, as they had not the leaft order from the magiftrates to fire, who were themselves in danger of being killed, a ball having grazed on the fide of the window, up ftans, where they food. For this fact he was tried, found guilty of wilful murder, and fentenced to death. Or Aug. 26, upon his petition † to the late queen Caroline, then regent, he was reprieved for fix weeks. This reprieve arrived at Edinburgh, on Sept. 2, and the execution was to have been on the 8th, which being bruited abroad amongst the populace, occafioned a molt tragical catastrophe; for, on the 7th, a wellconducted party of men, or mob, entered, about ten at night, the city of Edinburgh, and feized all the fire-arms &c. belonging to the city guard, by furprize, locked the city gates, beat an alarm, burnt the door of the prifon where Porteous was confined after endeavouring in vain to force it open, dragged Befides this, a circumftance happened while he was in Italy, which principally engroffed his heart.-In Sienna he had the misfortune of wounding a gentleman dangerously who grofly infulted him, and thought it neceffary to fly to a neighbouring ftate as fast as poffible, and to avoid the refentment of the gentle * See the whole trial in Lond. Mag. 1736, p. 498–508. † See ditto, p. 508 & feq• 1768. dragged him from his apartment, and hanged him upon a fign poft near the grafs-market. After the execution was over, they left the arms and drums upon the place, where the next morning, they were found. During the tumult, parties of armed men, with drums, patroled in the different streets, to prevent any furprize from the king's forces, quartered in the fuburbs. The magiftrates attempting to fupprefs the mob, were pelted with ftones, and threatened with fire arms, if they did not retire. The boldness, fecrecy, and fuccefs of this enterprize, made it generally believed that perions above the vulgar rank had a hand in it; and the rather, as the keeper declared they were perfons in good drefs, who took the prifoner out, tho' difguifed with leather aprons, &c. For this tumultuous proceeding, however, the cenfure of parliament fell upon the city and Lord Provost of Edinburgh; 2000 l. fine was laid upon the former, and the latter, Alexander Wilfon, Efq; was incapacitated from holding any office of magiftracy, at Edinburgh, or elsewhere in Great Britain. Rewards were appointed for the difcovery of any of the perfons concerned in the murder of Porteous, and for punishing those who should knowingly conceal them: However, we do not remember any one was ever difcovered or apprehended for the fact. Commodore Byron's Narrative. Extract from the Narrative juft published by the bonourable Commodore Byron. 239 a murmurer in affluence, would appear an infurmountable calamity. As the commodore's diftreffes, however, thofe of other adventurers on the fickle are of the general nature with element of water, and confit of fhipwreck, hunger, nakedness, want of habitation on a dreadful coaft, among favages, and the continual expectation of death, we shall not take our extract from this melancholy part of his narrative, but from that in which he is, happily reftored to some glimmering of hope, and brought among people with fome little veftiges of humanity, by a straggling borders of Spanish America, and were party of Indians, who lived on the subject to the government of his most catholic majesty. village was at night-but the cacique, Their arrival at the firft hofpitable or Byron and his friends, awaked all the "principal, who was with Mr. inhabitants by the noise he made, and obliged one of them to open his door fire; for the weather was very fevere, to us, and immediately to make a large this being the month of June, the depth of winter in this part of the world. The Indians now flocked thick about us, and feemed to have great compaffion for us, as our cacique related to them what knew not what countrymen we were, nor part he knew of our history. They could our guide inform, them; for he had often afked us if we were French, Dutch, or English, the only nations he had ever heard of befides Spaniards. IF many of thofe diffatisfied beings, We always answered we were from who are continually repining under the difpenfations of Providence, even while they poffefs the most comfortable neceffaries of life, would take the trouble of perufing this very affecting and fenfible narrative, they would find the lot of others, who are no less entitled to the peculiar care of the Deity than themselves, infinitely more fevere, and learn to view their fituation with gratitude, instead of confidering it with regret. The diftreffes which Commodore Byron has laboured under with his unfortunate companions are inconceivable-furrounded with death in a variety of its most horrid forms, for a courfe of many months, yet ftruggling with fortitude he has triumphed over all, and now fpeaks with pleasure of a thoufand dangers, each of which fingly, to many Grande Bretagne, which he could make nothing of; for we were afraid, if he knew us to be English, as he had heard that nation was at war with the Spaniards, he never would have conducted us to Chiloe. Thefe good-natured compaffionate creatures feemed to vie with each other who fhould take the most care of us. They made a bed of fheep tkins clofe to the fire, for Capt. Cheap; and indeed, had it not been for the kind af fistance he now met with, he could not have furvived three days longer. Tho' it was now about midnight, they went out and killed a fheep, of which they made broth, and baked a large cake of barley-meal. Any body may imagine what a treat this was to wretches who had not taited a bit of bread, or See Lond. Mag. 1737, p. 219, 22C, 287, 300, 548, 718, 723. any 240 INDIAN HOSPITALITY. . May chief caciques of thefe Indians we were amongft, to carry us directly to a certain place, where there would be a party of foldiers to receive us. These poor people now feemed to be under great concern for us, hearing by the meffenger the preparations that were making to receive us; for they ftand in vaft dread of the Spanish foldiery. They were very defirous of knowing what countrymen we were. We told them we were English, and at that time at war with the Spaniards; upon which they appeared fonder of us than ever; and I verily believe, if they durft, would have concealed us amongst them, left we fhould come to any harm. They are fo far from being in the Spanish intereft, that they deteft the very name of a Spaniard. And, indeed, I am not furpri fe at it; for they are kept under fuch fubje&tion, and fuch a laborious flavery, by mere dint of hard ufage and punishments, that it appears to me the mott abfurd thing in the world, that the Spaniards fhould rely upon these people for affiftance upon any emergency." From thefe kind people Mr. Byron and his companions were removed gradually nearer to Lima, and in fome pla- v ces treated with the greateft hospitality by the Spaniards-One gentleman, in particular, offering them two thousand dollars, fix hundred of which they accepted, though he never had the leaft expectation of being repaid. A Scotch phyfician likewife, who had married a lady of fortune in that part of the world, kept them with the greatest generosity at his house for two years, and a common Spanish foldier, who had a wife and fix children, faved half his pay to fupport Mr. Byron, and one of his friends, when in prifon at another place, through which he was carried, before his embarkation for Europe. His adventures are many, and he arrived at last in England, but fo extremely low in cash that he was barely able to hire a horse, and came to town from Dover without eating a fingle morfel, defrauding even the turnpikes, he fays, from an utter incapacity to pay them. W E have given, this month, a half-length of that great Corfican chief PASCAL PAOLI, engraved by Miller, as defcribed by Mr. Bofwell, and which that gentleman has approved as a ftriking likeness. Allo a View of the Royal Palace of Strelitz, of which an account was given in our any wholesome diet, for fuch a length of time. After we could eat no longer, we went to fleep about the fire, which the Indians took care to keep up. In the morning the women came from far and near, each bringing with her fomething. Almost every one had a pipkin in her hand, containing either fowls or mutton made into broth, potatoes, eggs, or other eatables. We fell to work as if we had eat nothing in the night, and employed ourselves fo for the beft part of the day. In the evening, the men filled our houfe, bringing with them fome jars of a liquor they called chicha, made of barley-meal, and not very unlike our oat ale in tafte, which will intoxicate those who drink a fufficient quantity of it; for a little has no effect. As foon as the drink was out, a fresh fupply of victuals was brought in; and in this manner we paffed the whole time we remained with thofe hofpitable Indians. They are a ftrong well made people, extremely well featured, both men and women, and vaftly neat in their perfons. The mens dress is called by them a puncho, which is a fquare piece of cloth, generally in ftripes of different colours, with a fit in the middle of it wide enough to let their heads through, fo that it hangs on their fhoulders, half of it falling before, and the other behind them: Under this they wear a fhort kind of flannel fhirt without fleeves or neck. They have wide-kneed breeches, fomething like the Dutch feamen, and on their legs a fort of knit bufkins without any feet to them, but never any fhoes. Their hair is always combed very smooth, and tied very tight up in a great bunch close to the neck; fome wear a very neat hat of their own making, and others go without. The women wear a fhift like the mens fhirts, without fleeves; and over it a fquare piece of cloth, which they faften before with a large filver pin, and a petticoat of different ftripes: They take as much care of their hair as the men; and both have always a kind of filler bound very tight about the forehead, and made falt behind: In fhort, thefe people are as cleanly as the feveral favage nations we had met with before were beastly. Up. on our first coming here, they had difpatched a meflenger to the Spanish corregidore at Caftio, a town a confiderable distance from hence, to inform him of our arrival. At the end of three days, this man returned with an order to the laft. |