After resting a few days, we walked nine miles over the ice, to where three transports lay, leaving the sick behind. Captain Galloway hoisted his pendant on board one of the transports, and divided the officers and men equally amongst the three. In seven days afterwards, the state of the ice enabled us to drop down to Douglas Town, when we found that one of the sick had died and two deserted. On the 23d, we arrived at Quebec, up to which time many of us had not had a change of clothes of any description. Many of the men had been frost-bitten in the feet and hands; some have lost their toes, and ten have been in consequence left behind at the hospital.”
On the 24th July, 1815, a court-martial, assembled at Portsmouth, decided that the loss of the Penelope was occasioned principally by the state of the weather, and the set of the current: that Mr. William Honnor, the master, was not sufficiently attentive to the situation of the ship a short time previous to her running ashore, and did adjudge him to be placed at the bottom of the list: that due attention was not paid by Captain Galloway and the first lieutenant (B. Hooper), to the safety of the ship’s company, by their neglecting to make proper arrangements for getting them on shore; and that great blame was therefore also imputable to the said Captain Galloway and the first lieutenant. The Court thereupon adjudged Captain Galloway, in consideration of his having been afflicted with rheumatism, to be only reprimanded ; Lieutenant Hooper to be severely reprimanded; and that no blame was imputable to the other officers and ship’s company, except Walter Howell, who for drunkenness, disobedience of orders, mutiny, and desertion, was sentenced to receive five hundred lashes. Captain Galloway obtained the out-pension of Greenwich Hospital in Feb. 1830.
WILLIAM BALFOUR, Esq.
[Commander.]
Was a midshipman of the Irresistible 74, Captain (now Sir George) Martin, and wounded at the battle off Cape St. Vincent, Feb. 14th, 1797. He obtained his first commission in 1801, and received another wound while serving as senior lieutenant of the Cleopatra frigate, in her desperate action
