o_199m9vaui14ib1cnu10di10pocoj4h.pdf

276 THE NAVAL MUTINIES OF 1T9T
probability some of the surgeons were in the habit of
neglecting the sick and misappropriating the provisions. 1
But, on the other hand, by no means all of them were
guilty of such offences. The surgeon of the Sandwich,
for example, was allowed to remain on board through the
greater part of the mutiny, and it was by his own desire
that he was taken ashore. 2 And, in the Channel fleet,
the surgeon of the London was extremely popular. It
will be remembered that the safety of Colpoys and
Griffiths was chiefly due to his influence with the crew.
The examples of misconduct on the part of the officers
have been quoted here as they were given by the seamen
in their complaints to the Admiralty. But a few considerations
must be set against the unqualified acceptance
of these reports. In the first place allowance must be
made for exaggeration. It was to the advantage of the
seamen to devise the strongest possible case against their
officers ; and it is quite likely that if a case of ill-treatment
had occurred a long time before the mutinies, the account
of such an event might be altered and expanded in
repetition. We should receive complaints against
surgeons with particular caution, because the seamen
might readily mistake for needless severity a course of
treatment which was really necessary for their cure.
Further, some of the charges brought against the
officers were trivial and foolish. It is evident that on
some ships the idea of bringing an indictment against
the officers had not occurred to the seamen until it was
suggested by Bridport's circular or by the example of the
Marlborough and the Nymphe, and that the mutineers
had to rack their memories in order to produce a
presentable list of grievances. The captain of the ]ason
said that his crew had shown no discontent with their
1. The surgeons of the Pearl, the Margarita, and the Terrible were
sent on shore at Portsmouth (see Parker's letters, A 426, 8 May, and
A 436, 11 May, A.S.I. 1023) ; and it may be supposed that several others
were dismissed from their ships.
2. Evidence of Snipe at Parker's trial (A.S.I. 5486).