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their weary and painful journeys; but they were all from individuals, and performed in stealth, and under the greatest apprehension of being discovered by the official members of the departments, whom the affair at St. Lo had displeased.

It is highly desirable that these instances of individual kindness and benevolence should be known, and cherished in the recollection of every Englishman; and in doing this, we must at the same time acknowledge, that the spirit of humanity and charity has not been confined to one side of the channel. Out of the thousands of French prisoners who have passed a long captivity in England, numbers might confess that they also have found kind friends amongst their political enemies, with the most genuine and sincere hospitality; one instance has come to our own knowledge. When Captain (now Sir Benjamin) Hallowell, commanded the Tigre, and arrived at Gibraltar, he found the captain of a French line of battle ship, who had been taken at the battle of Trafalgar. This officer had, we believe, been in the squadron of Gantheaume, when the Swiftsure, commanded by Captain Hallowell, was taken. As soon as Captain H. heard of his situation, he sent off a trunk containing every necessary article of wearing apparel, procured at a great expense at Gibraltar, with a letter to the French officer, apologizing for the liberty he had taken; saying, that he concluded there might be a difficulty in his obtaining articles for himself during the very

short stay he was to make at Gibraltar, as the prisoners were expected to sail immediately for England. He enclosed also a draft on his agent for 1007.; begging him to use it until he could obtain his remittances.

We will readily admit, that acts of the purest and most disinterested benevolence in private life have been equal in each country. We know the conduct of the British government towards the French; let us take a short view of the treatment of our unfortunate countrymen in France, by Bonaparte and his agents. The first class of these sufferers were English families, consisting of all ages, sexes, and conditions; the young and vigorous, the old and infirm, or the valetudinarian, travelling to a milder climate in search of health. These, under the promises of Talleyrand, consented to remain in France pending certain discussions; but no sooner was the order issued for the detention of French vessels, than the English in France were placed under the inspection of the police, and finally subjected to every species of fraud, oppression, violence, and cruelty that the mind of malice could invent. Delicate women in a state of pregnancy, sick and helpless children, were compelled, in the dead of winter, to travel from Epinal to Verdun, at their own expense; or to make their journey on foot, goaded and harassed by the brutal gens d'armes, and robbed at the auberges by the unfeeling landlords. If they survived their sufferings, and

arrived at the place of their confinement, they were not permitted to quit the town beyond a certain distance, without paying an enormous fine to the French general, or allowing themselves to be cheated of a certain sum at cards by his vulgar wife.

When the first detachment of the crew of the Minerve reached the depot at Epinal, the officers were permitted to take lodgings in the town. The seamen, confined in an old convent, were allowed three sols a-day, a pound and a half of bread, and sixteen pounds of straw, in lieu of bedding, once a fortnight, to each man. As they were destitute of clothes, blankets, shoes, and hats, and had performed a march of five hundred miles, their deplorable state may readily be conceived. The incessant applications of Captain Brenton to the general commanding the district, for some relief to his men, were unavailing.

In the month of September, the weather became excessively cold, and the people suffered greatly. The straw, in a few days, became a dung heap; and to reiterated representations, the only answer was, that the blankets were daily expected that they were to be sent from Lisle, having been left by the army when on service in that quarter ; and that orders had been given for their being MENDED and forwarded to Epinal, for the use of the prisoners. When we consider how long a time had elapsed from the period when the army was in Flanders, the state of that army, particularly

the inveterate itch they had been subject to, much could not be expected from this source of supply. Accordingly, when the blankets did arrive, which was not till the end of October, they were found to be of the most wretched description.

In the mean time, no measures were taken by the government to provide a temporary relief for their prisoners. The officers of the Minerve, with a few of the masters of merchant vessels, formed a small fund by subscription, with which a quantity of old tapestry was purchased from the walls of the ruined chateaux in the neighbourhood, and distributed amongst the seamen; this, for several weeks, was their only covering.

Every morning, after the distribution of bread, and three sous to each man, privileged suttlers, with the very worst description of ardent spirits, and a quantity of offal meat, generally bullock's liver, were allowed to enter the prison, and the three sous were laid out by the prisoner in the purchase of a poisonous dram, and a morsel of the meat; the bread being his only subsistence for the remainder of the twenty-four hours.

At the request of the Captain, this sum was at length paid to a person appointed to receive it in a mass, and with the addition of a weekly subscription from the officers, laid out by a committee of the prisoners, for the purchase of meat and vegetables; by which means their fare was considerably improved.

Early in November, the prisoners were ordered to march to the little fortress of Phalsbourg, in the Vosges mountains. The weather had now become very severe, and we believe, though we cannot positively say, that no clothes had been given to the prisoners. Some wooden shoes were served out; but these could be of no use on the march; although it was strongly recommended to the prisoners to make use of them at the depot, as greatly tending to preserve their health.

On the day of their departure from Epinal, they reached ———; it rained very hard, and was excessively cold. The place appointed for the lodging of the prisoners was a ruined church, wanting a great part of the roof and windows. In this building a quantity of straw was thrown down on the broken pavement, which in a few minutes was trodden into manure by the prisoners. The suttlers besieged the gate, and the day's pay was soon transferred to their pockets. At the representation, however, of Captain Brenton, the money for the next day was given to him, and with a farther sum subscribed as before by the officers, sent on to the next stage, Luneville, where a comfortable hot meal was provided against their arrival.

The prisoners reached Phalsbourg in the most deplorable state of suffering from fatigue, sore feet, and colds. Provision was made for the sick in the military hospital, but for the others, none beyond the wretched barrack and the portion of

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