rom the commission of the
crime. Whenever they took a pirate ship, they instantly hanged every
man, carried away the sails, rudder, and everything that was valuable in
the ship, and left her to be buffeted about by the winds and the waves,
with the carcasses of the criminals dangling from the yards, a horrid
object of terror to all who might chance to fall in with her. Even to
this day, a spice of the laws of Oleron still remains in the maritime
code of European nations, as far as regards mutiny and piracy; and a
feeling of this kind may have operated on the mind of Captain Edwards,
especially as a tendency even to mutiny, or mutinous expressions, are
considered, by the usage of the service, as justifying the commander of
a ship of war to put the offenders in irons. Besides, the treatment of
Bligh, whose admirable conduct under the unparalleled sufferings of
himself and all who accompanied him in the open boat, had roused the
people of England to the highest pitch of indignation against Christian
and his associates, in which Edwards no doubt participated.

The following letter of Mr. Peter Heywood to his mother removes all
doubt as to the character and conduct of this officer. It is an artless
and pathetic tale, and, as his amiable sister says, 'breathes not a
syllable inconsistent with truth and honour.'

'_Batavia, November 20th_, 1791.

'MY EVER-HONOURED AND DEAREST MOTHER,--At length the time has
arrived when you are once more to hear from your ill-fated
son, whose conduct at the capture of that ship, in which it
was my fortune to embark, has, I fear, from what has since
happened to me, been grossly misrepresented to you by
Lieutenant Bligh, who, by not knowing the real cause of my
remaining on board, naturally suspected me, unhappily for me,
to be a coadjutor in the mutiny; but I never, to my knowledge,
whilst under his command, behaved myself in a manner
unbecoming the station I occupied, nor so much as even
entertained a thought derogatory to his honour, so as to give
him the least grounds for entertaining an opinion of me so
ungenerous and undeserved; for I flatter myself he cannot give
a character of my conduct, whilst I was under his tuition,
that could merit the slightest scrutiny. Oh! my dearest
mother, I hope you have not so easily credited such an account
of me; do but let me vindicate my conduct, and declare to yo