Congratulate me. The circumstances which led to my obtaining permission
to come to England, prove me fortunate beyond example; and as I think
them honourable to French generosity, I shall not omit to record them.
I arrived here yesterday, in a little Danish brig bound to Copenhagen,
which ran off the Sound, and made a signal for a pilot. One of the
Cawsand boats in consequence pushed out to us, and received Admiral
Bligh, his two young gentlemen, and myself. We were soon landed; and I
am happy to tell you that I found
---- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
---- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
The packet which accompanies this will explain to you my hopes, and the
measures which I intended to pursue, at the time it was written. The
Admiral’s liberation and passport arrived on the 2d instant; and, on
his request for his _aid-de-camp_ and interpreter to accompany him, the
good commissary made no scruple of furnishing me with a passport to go
to Brest, upon pledging myself to return, in case my application to the
representatives might be rejected. Having bidden adieu to my friends, I
set out on the following morning on horseback, with the Admiral and the
two boys in a carriage, the best the town afforded, without springs, and
with traces made of ropes. Our sudden departure was in consequence of
knowing that an embargo, which had subsisted for some time, was just
taken off, and that several American vessels were ready to sail for
England. We travelled about thirty-six miles, through a country which is
full of young promising corn, indicating a plentiful crop, and appearing
not to have suffered from wanting husbandmen to sow it. About four
o’clock we reached a village, whence there is a ferry about ten miles
across to Brest. Here we embarked, with more than a dozen country
people, who were carrying the produce of their farms to the next day’s
market. Only one of them could speak French, who satisfied the
curiosity of the rest about us. They made their supper of _crape_, and
were abundantly thankful to us for a remnant of a piece of cold veal
which we had brought with us, some bread, and a little wine, which they
ate as luxuries. Owing to a contrary wind, it was midnight before we got
abreast of the harbour’s mouth; when we learned, by hailing a vessel, to
our unspeakable mortification, that all the Americans had sailed in the
course of the day. The circumstance of having missed, by being a few
hours too late, an opportunity, the fellow of which might not arrive for
months, joined to the apprehensions and perplexity of men in our
situation, on entering into a garrison-town like Brest, at so
unseasonable and suspicious an hour, rendered our feelings very
unenviable. We wanted the boatmen to land us at the town, and to shew us
to an inn, where we might be accommodated with beds; but this they
peremptorily refused to do, telling us, that we might every moment
expect to be hailed by one of the forts, and ordered on shore to give an
account of ourselves. This happened, as they had foretold, in a few
minutes, when we were summoned through a speaking-trumpet to land
within some pallisades at the point of the dock-yard. A serjeant and a
file of men received us, and conduced us immediately to their officer at
the guard-house, a tall well-looking young man; who after having
inspected our passports, and listened to our wishes, very civilly
offered to accommodate us as well as he could in his guard-room, or, if
this proposition were not agreeable, to send a serjeant with us to knock
up an inn. We were grateful for his politeness, and begged to accept the
latter, requesting permission to leave our baggage under his care until
morning, which was complied with, and a serjeant was directly sent away
with us. We had, however, but just passed one of the barriers of the
dock-yard, when we were stopped by a municipality patrole, who,
notwithstanding our conductor’s explanations and remonstrances, carried
us all forthwith to their guard-house, and gave us to understand, that
we must pass the night there as well as we could. This treatment enraged
us; and I bade them recollect that they were offering an unnecessary
indignity to a “_General Anglais_,” who had not entered Brest without
ample and sufficient authority, and who would certainly represent their
interference and impertinence, on the next morning, to his friend
Admiral Villaret, and the members of the convention on mission here.
This resolute tone, to which the Admiral desired me to give full force,
had quickly its effect, and this _bourgeois_ collection of tinkers and
taylors thought proper to send us under an escort to a neighbouring inn;
but it was now become so late, that, after having knocked at the door
for more than half an hour, we were obliged to return to the
guard-house, and take up our lodging there: the Admiral sitting up, on a
bench, by the fire, and the two youngsters and I lying down on the
guard-bed with the soldiers.
In the morning we took our leave with very little ceremony, and repaired
again to the inn, where we found admission. After breakfasting, and
rendering our dress as decent as we could without our baggage, we went,
as we had been directed at Quimper, to the office of the maritime agent,
and produced our passports. He received us very properly, and furnished
us with tickets to shew in case of being stopped----an event not unlikely
to happen to English officers walking in their uniforms about the
streets of Brest. Our next visit was to Monsieur Villaret, whose
reception of Admiral Bligh, and whose undeviating conduct to us both
while we remained here, was friendly, polite, and flattering in the
extreme. I had never before seen him, and had now the honour to be
introduced to him by Admiral Bligh, as his _aid-de-camp_. His frank and
gentlemanlike manners at once won my esteem. He appears to be between
forty and fifty years old, is of an engaging countenance, well made, of
a middle size, and has a military carriage. Upon hearing where we had
left our baggage on the preceding evening, he directly dispatched his
own coxswain for it, and it was brought to us safe and entire. But his
goodness to me (as the friend of an officer whom he so highly respected
for his gallant defence of his ship, as Admiral Bligh) must be
particularly stated to you. No sooner was the predicament in which I
stood made known to him, than he offered his interest to back my
application to the representatives; and insisted that we all should
immediately set out to their office to undertake it. Upon our arrival
there, we were introduced to one of them, Champeaux, an old man, who at
Admiral Villaret’s intercession consented at once, without starting a
difficulty, to my being allowed to accompany my Admiral, and promised me
a passport.
Our only difficulty now was to find a conveyance. Admiral Bligh
therefore expressed a wish to his friend that he might be suffered to
hire a boat, which he would engage to send back immediately on being
landed on the nearest part of the English shore. This proposition
(which, considering the times, was rather of a delicate nature) was
acceded to by Monsieur Villaret; who added, that he would take care that
she should be properly fitted and victualled for us; however in the
afternoon a lucky occurrence prevented us from putting his generous zeal
to serve us to farther proof:----An American gentleman, who knew our
situation, brought a little Danish master of a brig to our inn where we
had dined (Admiral Villaret being engaged to the representatives) with
whom we presently concluded an agreement for our passage. As the Dane
wished to depart on the next day, it became again necessary to trouble
Monsieur Villaret to urge the completion of our passports for sailing
out of the harbour; and for this purpose he appointed to meet us at nine
in the evening, at the house of the representatives. Thither, at the
hour agreed upon, we repaired, and found him. He conducted us into a
spacious garden, and introduced us to the representatives, Topsent,
Vernon, and Harmand, who received us with great cordiality; and when
they learned that Admiral Bligh had been all day in town, chided Admiral
Villaret for not having brought us with him to dine with them. These
gentlemen, however, declined taking any part in granting the passports
until the arrival of their colleague Champeaux, who was momently
expected. We, therefore, continued walking on the terrace, and
conversing on general subjects, which unavoidably led to the grand and
only enquiry that seems to agitate the minds of Frenchmen:----the politics
of the day, as connected with the revolution.----They spoke in respectful
terms of our national character, and pathetically lamented the war
between England and France, calling it an unhappy and fruitless contest
to both parties. It was, they said, past human comprehension to account
for the ceaseless implacable enmity between two nations, which by their
valour, opulence, and enlightened character, were fitted to hold the
balance, and dictate the tranquillity of Europe. I listened in silence.
These men had no _sans-culottism_ about them, either in their manners,
language, or dress; the two first were civil, moderate and correct, and
the latter was gentlemanlike and respectable. Had it been my desire, it
was not my interest, to interrupt or oppose them. I ventured, however,
once or twice to slightly demur at one of their propositions, in order
to draw out their sentiments more fully; which occasioned these words
(from Vernon, I think) to be repeated with emphasis, “_France will be a
republic! and England neither shall, nor ought to, interfere in our
internal concerns_.” This conversation made a deep impression upon me,
and was, I am confident, introduced in order that the Admiral (to whom I
interpreted it) might communicate it on this side of the water. It
differed but little from others which I had often heard on the same
subject during my captivity; but the rank and situation of the speakers
from whose lips it fell, render it memorable to me.----Finding that
Champeaux did not come home, about ten o’clock we retired to our inn,
being first given to understand, that I might be sure of meeting him in
his office at six o’clock next morning, being the hour at which he
always entered upon business.
At a few minutes before six on the following day I renewed my visit, and
waited but a short time before I was admitted to Monsieur Champeaux. He
was sitting in his office, in an elbow-chair, dressed in a flannel
jacket abominably filthy, and smoking a short black pipe, exactly such
an one as the old women in Ireland carry about in their mouths. It
brought to my mind Sir William Temple’s descriptions of those old
burgomasters, who formerly, with so much plainness, wisdom, and
integrity, conducted the affairs of the Batavian republic. I had no more
reason to complain of my reception now than on the preceding day. He
told me that he did not wonder at my impatience, and that I should wait
for what I wanted only until a clerk should come in. “But,” added he,
“our clerks are _fainéants_.” Ah! thought I, if this honest gentleman
could take a peep, at this early hour, into an English public office,
where vigilance for the common weal never slumbers!----His affable
compliance removed a mountain from my mind. I now took an opportunity of
presenting Admiral Bligh’s compliments to him, and requesting, as an
acknowledgment of his politeness, that he would name some French
officer, a prisoner in England, whose release he might be interested
about, and that he might depend on his being sent home. The old man
bowed, and, recollecting himself for a moment, wrote down the name of a
_Quarter Master_, who was taken in l’Atalante frigate, and is now in
prison at Kinsale in Ireland, begging that I would give it to the
Admiral with his thanks, and perfect reliance on his good faith. I
continued to wait; but no clerk entering, although some other company
did, I slipped out, and planted myself on the stair-case, where I had
not remained long before a grave sober official-looking character came
forward.----“Pray, sir,” said I, “do you belong to the office?”----“Yes,
citizen.”----I told him my business in few words, and having been
similarly situated in an English office, when I begged his assistance,
looked as if I would be _grateful_. “Are you sure, citizen, that you
have seen the representative?”----“Perfectly sure.”----“The representative
Champeaux?”----“Yes.”----“Then follow me, and your business shall be
done.”----With a bounding heart I accompanied him into his office. When he
had finished writing the passports, he took them in to the
representative to be signed and sealed, and I amused myself as well as
impatience, not unmingled with fear, lest some unforeseen impediment
should be started, would allow, by looking about the room in which I was
left alone. Opposite the door was written, in large characters,
“Whatever servant of the republic shall accept of a fee or gratuity, for
transacting the public business, shall forfeit his place, and be farther
punished.” There was also stuck up on the wall a satirical print of
certain characters among us, who shall be nameless, in very ludicrous
attitudes and situations.----He soon returned with the passports
completely executed, and presented them to me, in such a manner as
convinced me, that to have offered a reward to him, for having simply
performed his duty, would have been construed into an insult, and
perhaps have been attended with unpleasant consequences to myself.
I hurried to the Admiral with my credentials, and we lost no time in
getting on board, and urging our departure from the port, which to our
unutterable joy took place about eleven o’clock last Tuesday. A
northerly wind prevented us from arriving here till yesterday.
The shortness of my residence in Brest, and the state of hurry and
anxiety in which it was passed, almost preclude me from offering to you
any remarks about it. It is very strangely laid out, on the side of a
hill, and long flights of steps connect different parts of the town. It
is certainly much larger than either Portsmouth or Plymouth, and
contains some handsome public buildings, exclusive of the naval arsenal,
which, you may be sure, I did not enter after the first night, when it
was too dark to make any observations. The French are said to be making
vigorous preparations here; but when we ran through Brest-Water, there
were only nine or ten sail of the line ready, or nearly ready, for sea.
As we sailed along, I cast a look of exultation at my old jail La
Normandie. At the harbour’s mouth we were boarded by a guard-boat, the
officer of which offered not any interruption to us, upon seeing our
passports.
I had almost forgotten to mention that before we embarked we heard that
Le Franq, the captain of Le Marat, was cashiered, for being a
_Robespierrist_; and that he, with many others, was obliged to shew
himself twice a day at the office of the municipality, as a caution
against his elopement. We did not see him, and by no means thought him
entitled to much commiseration.----Admiral Villaret gave us the
information.
To the civility of Mr. Anderson, the American consul, we were indebted,
not only now, but when we were formerly at Brest. My two old friends of
the prison-ship, on hearing of my arrival, found me out, and came to sup
with us at our inn.
Our expences ran very high during our short stay at Brest. We dined, at
a very middling ordinary, at fifteen livres a head; and for tolerable
wine after dinner were charged nineteen livres a bottle; every other
article being proportionably extravagant.
I wait here only for -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- Expect to see me
in town in a week.-------- Adieu.
_WATKIN TENCH._