back. After some little time, however,
this charge appears to have been so far effective, and that with
little or no injury to the prisoners, as to have driven them for
the most part quite down out of the square, with the exception of
a small number who continued their resistance about No. 1 gate.

A great crowd still remained collected after this in the passage
between the square and the prisoners' yards, and in the part of
those yards in the vicinity of the gates.--This assemblage still
refused to withdraw, and according to most of the English
witnesses and some of the American, was making a noise, hallowing,
insulting and provoking, and daring the military to fire, and
according to the testimony of several of the soldiers, and some
others, were pelting the military with large stones, by which some
of them were actually struck. This circumstance is, however,
denied by many of the American witnesses; and some of the English,
upon having the question put to them, stated that they saw no
stones thrown previously to the firing, although their situation
at the time was such as to enable them to see most of the
proceedings in the square.

Under these circumstances the firing commenced.--With regard to
any order having been given to fire the evidence is very
contradictory. Several of the Americans swear positively, that
captain Shortland gave that order; but the manner in which from
the confusion of the moment, they described this part of the
transaction, is so different in its details that it is very
difficult to reconcile their testimony. Many of the soldiers and
other English witnesses, heard the word given by some one, but no
one of them can swear it was by captain Shortland, or by any one
in particular, and some, amongst whom is the officer commanding
the guard, think, if captain Shortland had given such an order
that they must have heard it, which they did not. In addition to
this captain Shortland denies the fact; and from the situation
which he appears to have been placed at the time, even according
to the American witnesses, in front of the soldiers, it may appear
somewhat improbable that he should then have given such an order.

But, however, it may remain a matter of doubt whether the firing
first began in the square by order, or was a spontaneous act of
the soldier