understanding
abounds, accept of his blood for the crimes of any other? surely, it
cannot be.

I believe you will agree with me in thinking, that the Admiral's behaviour
before and at the time of his death; his observations and conversation
with his friends; together with the paper containing his thoughts on the
occasion, wrote by himself, and signed, which he gave to the Marshal of
the Admiralty, immediately before the sentence passed upon him was put in
execution; must hereafter be his best APOLOGY, EXCULPATION, and ENCOMIUM;
must reflect honour upon his family, and be an _indelible reproach to some
of our cotemporaries_; who have practised every _wicked artifice, to
deceive and spirit up the people_, and to throw a mist over the whole of
this transaction.

Without any farther preamble, I shall proceed to give you a relation of
the particulars, as they are ascertained to me, by the concurring
testimony of gentlemen who were upon the spot; whose veracity cannot be
doubted, and whose authority to vouch them again, may be easily obtained.

As you have critically perused the trial and sentence, I presume you will
be pleased with some particulars as far back as the time of passing the
sentence.

On _Thursday_ the 27th of _January_, when the Admiral was sent for on
board the _St. George_ to receive his sentence, he declared to some of his
friends, that he expected to be reprimanded, and that he possibly might be
cashiered; "_because_, said he, _there must have been several controverted
points; the Court Martial has been shut up a long time; and almost all the
questions proposed by the Court have tended much more to pick out faults
in my conduct, than to get at a true state of the circumstances; but I
profess, I cannot conceive what they will fix upon_."

Soon after he got on board, and was in the cabbin upon the quarter-deck, a
member of the _Court Martial_ came out, and told one of his relations, he
had the Court's leave to inform him, they had found the Admiral capitally
guilty; in order that he might prepare him to receive the sentence. The
gentleman went up to him immediately; but was so surprised, he could not
tell how to inform him. The Admiral observing his countenance, said to
him, "_What is the matter? Have they broke me?_" The gentleman hesitating
in his reply, with some confusion of countenance, he added, "_Well, I
understand--If nothing but my Blood will satisfy, let them take it_."
Immediately after this,