Public Record Office, ADM 1/5322
part 3, fl. 380
At a Court Martial assembled and held on board his Majesty's Ship Triumph in Portsmouth
Harbour on Saturday the 26th day of April 1783 by virtue of an order from the
Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of Great Britain
and Ireland & Dated the 23rd Day of the same Month for the Enquiry into the
Cause and Circumstances of the loss of his Majesty's late Ship Pallas and for
the Trial of Captain Christopher Parker and the Other Officers and People who
belonged to her at the time she was ran onshore on the Island of Saint George
for their Conduct upon the Occasion
Present
Jonathan Faulkner Senior Esquire Captain of his Majesty's Ship Princess Royal
and Second Officer in the Command of his Majesty's Ships and Vessels at
Portsmouth and Spithead ________________ President
Captains
Phillip Affleck Adam Duncan
Sir John Hamilton Bart Samuel Marshall
Sirc Charles Knowles Bart James Bradby
The Honorable James Luttrell Henry Edwin Stanhope
James Cornwallis George Campbell
Thomas Farnham George William Augustus Courtney
The Members being assembled the Prisoners were brought in attended by the
Provost Marshall and the Audience admitted
The order for assembling the Court Martial was then red.
The Appointment of Mister William Augustus Betterworth to act as Judge advocate
on the Occasion in the absence of the Judge Advocate and Deputy Judge Advocate
of the Fleet was then red.
The members were then sworn
Then the Judge Advocate was sworn
Captain Parker's Letter of the 9th March 1783 to Philip Stephens Esquire
Secretary to the Admiralty was then red
// [fl. 380v]
Then Captain Parker's Letter of the 16th April Instant to Philip Stephens
Esquire was red.
Court - Have you, Captain Parker, any thing to allege against your Officers or
Company?
Answer - Nothing
Court to the Officers and Company - Have you any thing to allege against
Captain Parker?
Answer - No.
All the Witnesses but the first Lieutnant then Withdrew
Lieutenant Cannon was then sworn
Court - Was every thing done by Captain Parker incumbent on an officer, to
preserve the Ship as long as it was possible to preserve her?
Answer - Yes, every thing that could be done.
Court - As first Lieutenant, did you consent to the running the Ship on shore?
Answer - Yes for I thought it impossible to keep her above water four hours
longer.
Court - Was there any officer or Person under you, that you had any reason to
complain of?
Answer - None. Every Body did all they could.
All the Witnesses were then ordered in
Then Captain Parker's Narrative was red.
All the witnesses but the Master, were ordered to withdraw
The Master was then sworn
Court - Was every thing done by Captain Parker incumbent on an Officer, to
preserve the Ship, as long as it was possible to Preserve her?
Answer - Yes
Court - Did you as master, consent to the running the Ship on shore?
Answer - Yes.
Court - Was there any Officer or person under you, that you had any reason to
complain of?
Answer - No
Captain Parker - Supposing we could have got the Ship to Port, Could we have
kept her above water with our own Ship's Company?
Answer - No.
The Witness Withdrew
//[fl. 381]
Mister Fitzpatrick the 2d Lieutenant called in and sworn
Court - Was every thing done by Captain Parker incumbent on an Officer, to
preserve the Ship as long as it was possible to preserve her?
Answer - Yes.
Court - Did you, as 2d Lieutenant, Consent to the Running the Ship on Shore?
Answer - I did
Court - was there any Officer or Person under you, that you had any reason to
complain of?
Answer - None.
Captain Parker - Supposing we could have got the Ship to Port, Could we have
kept her above water with our own Ship's Company?
Answer - I dont think we could
The Witness withdrew
The first Lieutenant ordered in again
Captain Parker - Supposing we could have got the Ship to Port, could we have
kept her above water with our own Ship's Company?
Answer - No. By no means, not 4 Hours
The Witness withdrew
Mister George Elliot the Carpenter ordered in and Sworn
Captain Parker - Do you think there was any Possibility of keeping the Ship
afloat any longer?
Answer - No
Captain Parker - Can you assign any Particular Reasons for your opinion?
Answer - Yes. Her Garboard Streak was very wormeaten, Her keel & the Rabbit
of the Keel were also very bad and wormeaten, and indeed totally gone, So that
the Ship could scarce swim, she would not lay down from Weakness, so that we
were obliged to right her, when heaving down at Halifax.
Court - Was her frame altogether weak?
Answer - Totally - her upper works and all; - the ship was weak altogether, she
had not strenght to heave down.
Court - Did Captain Parker give Directions for every thing to be done that you
pointed out or suggested for the Preservation of the Ship?
Answer - Yes - every thing
Court - Did you perceive in the working of the Ship any of her bolts broke?
Answer - None that I could perceive
Court - What Water was there in the Ship, when she went on shore?
Answer - Four Feet
Court - How much an Hour, did she make in her Commom [Loak?]?
Answer - Between 8 and 9 Feet.
Captain Parker - Did you not go down by my Directions to try the well and see
what water she made?
Answer - Yes.
Captain Parker - Did you not report to me that she made 3 Inches & an half
in one Minute of time?
Answer - Yes.
Captain Parker - Was there not water in all the Holds that it did not come to the
well?
Answer - Yes
Captain Parker - Were we not forced to Shorten our hand Pumps to keep them
clear of the Ballast?
Answer - Yes.
Captain Parker - Did not the Chain Pumps bring Ballast up into their Cisterns?
Answer - Yes.
Captain Parker - Was not every means used to prevent the Ballast getting to the
Well?
Answer - Yes.
Captain Parker - Did not the Ship work so much as frequently to unship the
Rollers?
Answer - The Rollers were unshipped, but I judged it to be by Pumping.
Captain Parker - Were not the Pumps all of them in great danger of being
rendered useless by the Ballast?
Answer - Yes
Witness Withdrew
Henry Work Quarter master called in and sworn
Captain Parker - Henry Work - Did you hear any murmering among the Ship's
Company at running the Ship on shore?
// [fl. 382]
Answer - No.
Captain Parker - Was the unanimous Voice, and opinion of the whole then, with
the measure?
Answer - Yes.
Witness Withdrew
Simon Jocelin called in and sworn
Captain Parker - Simon Jocelin - Did you hear any murmuring among the Ship's
Company at running the Ship on shore?
Answer - No
Captain Parker - Did you all think it was right, the running her on Shore?
Answer - Yes - we could not keep her any longer
The Court was the cleared
After some time Spent in Deliberation the Court agreed on the Sentence which
was drawn up and Signed by the Members and Judge Advocate.
The Court was then opened the Prisioners were brought in by the Provost
Marshall and audience admitted.
The Judge Advocate then pronounced the Sentence in open Court.
The Sentence was then deliverede by the Judge Advocate to the President to be
transmitted to their Lordships
Examined with the Original Minutes by me
William Betterworth
Judge Advocate on this occasion