ships also mutinied, and leaving the Venerable and Adamant to proceed off the Texel, returned into Yarmouth roads. On board the Agamemnon little suspicion was entertained of an intention to mutiny, till the people had dined; when they were called by the boatswain’s-mate, but none appearing, a petty officer came and gave information that the ship’s company had retreated to the fore part of the lower-deck, and refused to come up: the Captain being acquainted with this, desired (Lieutenant Brenton) the officer of the watch, to accompany him down to speak to them: they went forward on the lower-deck, and found the men had made a barricade of hammocks from one side of the ship to the other, just before the fore hatchway, and had left an embrasure on each side, through which they had pointed two twenty-four-pounders; these they had loaded, and threatened to fire in case of resistance on the part of the officers: the Captain spoke to them, but being treated with much contempt, returned to the quarterdeck. A few minutes after a number of the people came up; some seized the wheel, while others rounded in the weather-braces and wore the ship, passing under the stern of the Venerable; the Admiral made her signal to come to the wind on the larboard tack, the same as he was on himself; she answered with the signal of inability. * * * On the following morning she reached Yarmouth roads, and joined three other ships, each having a red flag flying at her fore-top-gallant-mast-head: the Agamemnon hoisted one also, which was called by the delegates the flag of defiance. The officers kept charge of their watches during the whole of this time, the seamen obeying them in any order for the safety of the ship, but no farther. A meeting of the delegates was immediately called, at which it was decided, that the Agamemnon, Ardent, Leopard, and Isis, should go to the Nore to augment the number of ships at that anchorage in a state little short of open rebellion, but not with any view of assisting or being assisted by the enemies of their country; and it is certain that, had these put to sea, we should have immediately gone in pursuit of them, with the same zeal and loyalty as at the beginning of the war. As soon as the determination was made known of taking the ships to the Nore, the officers declined doing duty, and retired to their cabins or to the wardroom, where they remained unmolested, and were even treated with respect.
(P. 426) “The four ships anchored at the Nore about the 6th June, late in the evening, under the entire command of the quarter-masters and delegates, the pilots taking charge as usual. At this time they observed a heavy firing of great guns and musketry from the whole fleet assembled there, which they soon found was directed at the Serapis, that had effected her escape from among the mutinous ships, following the noble example of the Clyde, of 38 guns, commanded by Captain Charles Cunningham [1] * * * * * *.
