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UNEXAMPLED INHUMANITY, of the Sealer, CHARLES, of Boston.
SYDNEY, 27th of December, 1803
The Schooner, Governor King, Messrs. Kable and Underwood, with 37 Tons of Oil and about 700 Skins, arrived at this port yesterday from King's Island.
In his way hither, Mr. Moody, Master of that vessel, touched at Kent's Group, where the sealer, Charles of Boston, Captain Percival, then lay to refit. Mr. Moody relates that the greatest violence was offered by the Americans to the schooner's people, some of whom were treated with unexampled inhumanity.
The crew of the Governor King consisted only of nine men, besides the master; seven of these were landed for the purpose of sealing, and when upon return to the vessel they were met on the beach by the people of the Charles, armed and drawn up in a double rank, through which they were ordered to run, down to one of the American's boats, with threats of the worst of consequences upon a refusal to comply.
The others not observing with the readiness insisted on, were immediately seized, their hands bound behind, and thrown into the boat headlong, with some severe blows. They were then conveyed to a small island destitute of water, where they continued six hours before Mr. Moody, who had remained on board, discovered their distressed situation; and then was not permitted to release them but upon express condition that the Governor King should be under way before a boat was dispatched to take them on board. To which demand he was compelled, from his Own inferiority in strength and number, to accede without hesitation or demur.
One of his people, Mr. Moody declares to have been so violently beaten about the head with a pistol, for refusing to submit to being bound, as that some of the splinters of the stock remained in his head, until the vessel was entirely clear of the Group.
Mr. Moody further states, that upon his offering to remonstrate against so unprincipled a conduct, and urged the protection afforded by our Government to of Boston.
the Trade, the master of the Charles descended to scurrility, presumptuous and unbecoming in any individual, let his circumstances be what they might.
In justification of this act of violence, the master of the Charles alleged that he had landed his freight in order to careen his ship, and therefore would not suffer his property to be exposed to casualty, by permitting a lot of depredators to remain upon the Island.
But to such a vindication, we must observe, that there could be no actual necessity for so rigorous a proceeding, as, with an armed ship, and more than triple the complement of men, it would have been as easy to protect his property in cases of real emergency, as to commit so unpriviledged and unprovoked a violence upon a few defenceless people.
In another instance also has Captain Percival shown himself altogether regardless of those observances, which as a subject of the United States of America, enjoying an uninterrupted Trade to the Islands in the Straits, where he had procured a freight of upwards of 300 tons of oil, he undoubtedly should have not lost sight of.
An interference with our Colonial concerns it was his duty to avoid; but on the contrary he chose to take away some of the most useful people from the gangs, for which he could not avail himself of necessity as a plea; his ship being already more than sufficiently manned. This proceeding has been highly prejudicial to the interests of our own Adventurers.
Such is the veneration for the American Character that we should willingly have passed over in silence an outrage committed by a few inconsiderate individuals, but from the very material considerations that we should have exposed ourselves to censure, as being unconscious of our duty to the Colonial Trader, who, although incompetent to retaliate violence and insult, may when apprised, endeavour to avoid a treatment to which he could only submit with unavailing resentment and regret.
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