Normandie, prison-ship, in
Brest-Water, 1st Dec. 1794.
I MUST continue to write on to you, as if I had the means of regularly
transmitting my letters. In the horrid dungeon in which I am now
immured, it forms my only consolation to talk to you, although you
cannot hear me; and to complain to you, although you cannot succour me.
Two days after the date of my first letter, we were all, except Admiral
Bligh, sent from Le Marat, on board this prison-ship. Such a change did
not much surprize us; for the reception which the Admiral experienced
from the representatives, was so cold and mysterious, as to afford
neither intelligence nor consolation; and Le Franq, who was his
introducer and interpreter, affected utter ignorance of their intentions
towards us.
Our situation here is extremely irksome. The captain of the vessel and
his lieutenants are men of ferocious manners and brutal behaviour,
high-flying patriots, whose supreme delight consists in blaspheming all
revealed religion, and in abusing the English nation. In the day-time we
have nominally the liberty of walking upon the deck; but this privilege
is frequently so curtailed, by the caprices of our gaolers, as to amount
almost to a prohibition. At night we are crowded into a small cabin, and
hardly allowed light enough to undress ourselves by. Luckily, however, I
have recovered my mattress and a couple of blankets. We eat with the
officers of the ship, who are allowed a _traitement_, or table-money, of
three livres six sols a day, besides a ration of provisions, for each of
us; so that the fault does not seem to be imputable to the government.
But either the markets of Brest are extravagantly dear, or these
patriotic gentlemen make an advantage of us; for hardly a day passes in
which we have a sufficiency of any thing but coarse brown, or rather
black, bread, so full of sandy particles as to be almost uneatable. Our
breakfast at first was bread and butter, and a small red wine; but of
late the butter has been taken away, and either Newfoundland salt-fish,
or salt herrings, substituted in its place. These, indeed, are petty
grievances, which would be easily tolerated, were they not incessantly
aggravated by the disagreeable tempers, and debased sentiments, of those
with whom we are obliged to live and converse. We are surrounded by
American vessels, but cannot hold with any of them the smallest
communication. A hope of hearing from England, or of conveying aught to
it, must not be indulged. We have been told, that if we choose to
venture the experiment of sending open letters by the post through
Switzerland, we may do it; but that they must be first taken to the
representatives, who will order them to be read, and forward them, if
they contain information of a private nature only. This precaution is
reasonable enough; but I have been assured by an officer of the ship,
who is in a civil capacity, that I may spare myself the trouble of
sending any, for that to his knowledge they are always thrown aside, and
forgotten, in the office to which they are carried. The number of
prisoners on board is about four hundred, nearly all of whom are
English; and three more vessels appropriated to a similar use, which
also seem quite full, are moored close to us. On the return of some
frigates from a cruize, a few days since, we received an accession to
our number which surprized me:----twenty emigrants----who for the crime of
being Englishmen were taken out of an _American_ ship at sea, after
which the vessel was suffered to proceed on her voyage to Philadelphia,
and the rest of the cargo remained unmolested.
I find that I acted prudently in not parting with my guineas. Since I
have been here, my brother-officer from Le Marat has honoured me by a
second visit, and offered _thirty_ livres for a guinea, pointing out one
of the serjeants of the guard, through whom the business might at any
time be transacted. I again begged permission to decline this benevolent
gentleman’s proposal, and also two others of a similar tendency, which
were made to me here. Nor did the event deceive my expectation; for
to-day a little Jew, who mounts a cockade, and belongs to a frigate in
the harbour, came on board, and secretly gave me two hundred and fifty
livres for five guineas, declaring it to be the market price on shore.
What think you of these specimens of republican honour and delicacy to
children of misfortune, like us? I was so transported by indignation at
those who had thus endeavoured to cheat me, that I could not help asking
them, on their attempting to renew the subject, if the law did not
forbid the depreciation of paper, when bartered for gold. This
regulation, they pretend, relates to French gold only. To exchange a
_louis_ for more than its nominal value in _assignats_ were criminal:
but mark the curious distinction! An English guinea, and a Portugueze
johannes, are articles of merchandize, whose worth depends on the
election of the buyer. Well! I have yet four English guineas left! Let
me look at them! Oh “ye ever-young, loved, and delicate wooers! whose
blush doth thaw the consecrated snow on Dian’s lap,”----and before whom
even the sternness of modern republican virtue melts into thin
air,----tenaciously will I treasure ye up!------ Adieu!