_French Emigrants.--Scene on the Quay of Southampton.--Sail for
Havre.--Aged French Priest.--Their respectable Conduct in
England.--Their Gratitude.--Make the Port of Havre.--Panic of the
Emigrants.--Landing described.--Hotel de la Paix.--Breakfast
Knife.--Municipality._
During the whole of the second day after our arrival, the town of
Southampton was in a bustle, occasioned by the flocking in of a great
number of french emigrants, who were returning to their own country, in
consequence of a mild decree, which had been passed in their favour. The
scene was truly interesting, and the sentiment which it excited,
delightful to the heart.
A respectable curé, who dined in the same room with us at our inn, was
observed to eat very little; upon being pressed to enlarge his meal,
this amiable man said, with tears starting in his eyes, "Alas! I have no
appetite; a very short time will bring me amongst the scenes of my
nativity, my youth, and my happiness, from which a remorseless
revolution has parted me for these ten long years; I shall ask for those
who are dear to me, and find them for ever gone. Those who are left will
fill my mind with the most afflicting descriptions; no, no, I cannot
eat, my good sir."
About noon, they had deposited their baggage upon the quay, which formed
a pile of aged portmanteaus, and battered trunks. Parties remained to
protect them, previous to their embarkation. The sun was intensely hot,
they were seated under the shade of old umbrellas, which looked as if
they had been the companions of their banishment.
Their countenances appeared strongly marked with the pious character of
resignation, over which were to be seen a sweetness, and corrected
animation, which seemed to depict at once the soul's delight, of
returning to its native home, planted wherever it may be, and the regret
of leaving a nation, which, in the hour of flight and misery, had nobly
enrolled them in the list of her own children, and had covered them with
protection.
To the eternal honour of these unhappy, but excellent people, be it
said, that they have proved themselves worthy of being received in such
a sanctuary. Our country has enjoyed the benefit of their unblemished
morals, and their mild, polite, and unassuming manners, and wherever
destiny has placed them, they have industriously relieved the national
burden of their support by diffusing the knowledge of a language, which
good sense, and common interest, should long since have considered as a
valuable branch of education.
To those of my friends, who exercise the sacred functions of religion,
as established in this country, I need not offer an apology, for paying
an humble tribute of common justice to these good, and persecuted men;
who, from habit, pursue a mode of worship, a little differing in form,
but terminating in the same great and glorious centre. The enlightened
liberality of the british clergy will unite, in paying that homage to
them, which they, in my presence, have often with enthusiasm, and
rapture, offered up to the purity, and sanctity of their characters.
Many of them informed me, that they had received the most serviceable
favours from our clergy, administered with equal delicacy, and
munificence.
Amongst these groups were some females, the wives and daughters of
toulonese merchants, who left their city when lord Hood abandoned that
port. The politeness and attention, which were paid to them by the men,
were truly pleasing. It was the good breeding of elegant habits,
retaining all their softness in the midst of adversity, sweetened with
the sympathy of mutual and similar sufferings.
They had finished their dinner, and were drinking their favourite
beverage of coffee. Poor wanderers! the water was scarcely turned brown
with the few grains which remained of what they had purchased for their
journey.
I addressed them, by telling them, that I had the happiness of being a
passenger with them, in the same vessel; they said they were fortunate
to have in their company one of that nation, which would be dear to them
as long as they lived. A genteel middle aged woman offered to open a
little parcel of fresh coffee, which they had purchased in the town for
the voyage, and begged to make some for me. By her manner, she seemed to
wish me to consider it, more as the humble offering of gratitude, than
of politeness, or perhaps both were blended in the offer. In the
afternoon, their baggage was searched by the revenue officers, who, on
this occasion, exercised a liberal gentleness, which gave but little
trouble, and no pain. They who brought nothing into a country but the
recollection of their miseries, were not very likely to carry much out
of it, but the remembrance of its generosity.
At seven o'clock in the evening we were all on board, and sailed with a
gentle breeze down the river: we carried with us a good stock of
vegetables, which we procured fresh, from the admirable market of
Southampton. Upon going down into the cabin, I was struck, and at first
shocked, with seeing a very aged man, stretched at his length upon
pillows and clothes, placed on the floor, attended by two clergymen, and
some women, who, in their attentions to this apparently dying old
gentleman, seemed to have forgotten their own comfortless situation,
arising from so many persons being crowded in so small a space, for our
numbers above and below amounted to sixty. Upon inquiry, they informed
me, that the person whose appearance had so affected me, had been a
clergyman of great repute and esteem at Havre, that he was then past the
age of ninety five years, scarcely expected to survive our short voyage,
but was anxious to breathe his last in his own country. They spoke of
him, as a man who in other times, and in the fulness of his faculties,
had often from his pulpit, struck with terror and contrition, the
trembling souls of his auditors, by the force of his exalted eloquence;
who had embellished the society in which he moved, with his elegant
attainments; and who had relieved the unhappy, with an enlarged heart
and munificent hand--A mere mass of misery, and helpless infirmities,
remained of all these noble qualities!
During the early part of the night, we made but little way--behind, the
dark shadowy line of land faded in mist; before us, the moon spread a
stream of silver light upon the sea. The soft stillness of this repose
of nature was broken only by the rippling of the light wave against the
head and sides of the vessel, and by the whistling of the helmsman, who,
with the helm between his knees, and his arms crossed, alternately
watching the compass and the sail, thus invoked the presence of the
favouring breeze.
Leaving him, and some few of our unfortunate comrades, to whom the
motion of the sea was more novel than gratifying, we descended into the
steerage, (for our births in the cabin were completely occupied by
females). As we were going down the ladder, the appearance of so many
recumbent persons, faintly distinguishable by the light of a solitary
taper, reminded us of a floating catacomb; here, crawling under a cot
which contained two very corpulent priests, upon a spare cable, wrapt up
in our own great coats, we resigned ourselves to rest.
The next day, without having made much progress in our little voyage, we
arose, and assembled round the companion, which formed our breakfast
table; at dinner, we were enabled to spread a handsome table of
refreshments, to which we invited all our fellow passengers who were
capable of partaking of them, many of whom were preparing to take their
scanty meal, removed from us at the head of the vessel. For this little
act of common civility, we were afterwards abundantly repaid, by the
thankfulness of all, and the serviceable attentions of some of our
charming guests, when we landed; an instance of which I shall afterwards
have occasion to mention. The wind slackened during the day, but in the
evening it blew rather fresh, and about nine o'clock the next morning,
after a night passed something in the same way as the former, we were
awakened being informed that we were within in a league of Havre; news
by no means disagreeable, after the dead dulness of a sea calm.
The appearance of the coast was high, rugged, and rocky; to use a good
marine expression, it looked ironbound all along shore. To the east,
upon an elevated point of land, are two noble light houses, of very
beautiful construction, which I shall have occasion to describe
hereafter.
At some little distance, we saw considerable flights of wild ducks. The
town and bason lie round the high western point from the lights, below
which there is a fine pebbled beach. The quays are to the right and left
within the pier, upon the latter of which there is a small round tower.
It was not the intention of our packet captain to go within the pier,
for the purpose of saving the port-anchorage dues, which amount to eight
pounds sterling, but a government boat came off, and ordered the vessel
to hawl close up to the quay, an order which was given in rather a
peremptory manner. Upon our turning the pier, we saw as we warped up to
the quay, an immense motley crowd, flocking down to view us. A panic ran
throughout our poor fellow passengers. From the noise and confusion on
shore, they expected that some recent revolution had occurred, and that
they were upon the point of experiencing all the calamities, which they
had before fled from; they looked pale and agitated upon each other,
like a timid and terrified flock of sheep, when suddenly approached by
their natural enemy the wolf. It turned out, however, that mere
curiosity, excited by the display of english colours, had assembled this
formidable rabble, and that the order which we received from the
government boat, was given for the purpose of compelling the captain to
incur, and consequently to pay, the anchorage dues. In a moment we were
beset by a parcel of men and boys, half naked, and in wooden shoes, who
hallooing and "sacre dieuing" each other most unmercifully, began,
without further ceremony, to seize upon every trunk within their reach,
which they threw into their boats lying alongside.
By a well-timed rap upon the knuckles of one of these marine
functionaries, we prevented our luggage from sharing the same fate. It
turned out, that there was a competition for carrying our trunks on
shore, for the sake of an immoderate premium, which they expected to
receive, and which occasioned our being assailed in this violent manner.
Our fellow-passengers were obliged to go on shore with these vociferous
watermen, who had the impudence and inhumanity to charge them two livres
each, for conveying them to the landing steps, a short distance of about
fifty yards. Upon their landing, we were much pleased to observe that
the people offered them neither violence nor insult. They were received
with a sullen silence, and a lane was made for them to pass into the
town. The poor old clergyman who had survived the passage, was left on
board, in the care of two benevolent persons, until he could be safely
and comfortably conveyed on shore. We soon afterwards followed our
fellow-passengers in the captain's boat, by which plan we afforded these
extortioners a piece of salutary information, very necessary to be made
known to them, that although we were english, we were not to be imposed
upon. I could not help thinking it rather unworthy of our neighbours to
exact from us such heavy port dues, when our english demands of a
similar nature, are so very trifling. For such an import, a vessel of
the republic, upon its arrival in any of the english ports, would only
pay a few shillings. Perhaps this difference will be equalized in some
shape, by the impending commercial treaty, otherwise, a considerable
partial advantage will accrue to the french from their passage packets.
Upon our landing, and entering the streets, I was a little struck with
the appearance of the women, who were habited in a coarse red camlet
jacket, with a high apron before, long flying lappets to their caps, and
were mounted upon large heavy wooden shoes, upon each of which a worsted
tuft was fixed, in rude imitation of a rose. The appearance and clatter
of these sabots, as they are called, leave upon the mind an impression
of extreme poverty and wretchedness.
They are, however, more favoured than the lower order of females in
Scotland. Upon a brisk sprightly chamber-maid entering my room one day
at an inn in Glasgow, I heard a sound which resembled the pattering of
some web-footed bird, when in the act of climbing up the miry side of a
pond. I looked down upon the feet of this bonny lassie, and found that
their only covering was procured from the mud of the high street--adieu!
to the tender eulogies of the pastoral reed! I have never thought of a
shepherdess since with pleasure.
I could not help observing the ease, dexterity, and swiftness, with
which a single man conveyed all our luggage, which was very heavy, to
the custom-house, and afterwards to the inn, in a wheelbarrow, which
differed from ours, only in being larger, and having two elastic handles
of about nine feet long. At the custom-house, notwithstanding what the
english papers have said of the conduct observed here, we were very
civilly treated, our boxes were only just opened, and some of our
packages were not examined at all. Away we had them whirled, to the
Hôtel de la Paix, the front of which looks upon the wet-dock, and is
embellished with a large board, upon which is recorded, in yellow
characters, as usual, the superior advantages of this house over every
other hôtel in Havre. Upon our arrival, we were ushered up a large dirty
staircase into a lofty room, upon the first floor, all the windows of
which were open, divided, as they always are in France, in the middle,
like folding doors; the floor was tiled, a deal table, some common rush
chairs, two very fine pier glasses, and chandeliers to correspond,
composed our motley furniture. I found it to be a good specimen of
french inns, in general. We were followed by our hostess, the porter,
two cooks, with caps on their heads, which had once been white, and
large knives in their hands, who were succeeded by two chamber-maids,
all looking in the greatest hurry and confusion, and all talking
together, with a velocity, and vehemence, which rendered the faculty of
hearing almost a misfortune. They appeared highly delighted to see us,
talked of our dress, sir Sidney Smith, the blockade, the noble english,
the peace, and a train of etceteras. At length we obtained a little
cessation, of which we immediately seized the advantage, by directing
them to show us to our bedrooms, to procure abundance of water hot and
cold, to get us a good breakfast as soon as possible, and to prepare a
good dinner for us at four o'clock. Amidst a peal of tongues, this
clamorous procession retired.
After we had performed our necessary ablutions, and had enjoyed the
luxury of fresh linen, we sat down to some excellent coffee, accompanied
with boiled milk, long, delicious rolls, and tolerably good butter, but
found no knives upon the table; which, by the by, every traveller in
France is presumed to carry with him: having mislaid my own, I requested
the maid to bring me one. The person of this damsel, would certainly
have suffered by a comparison with those fragrant flowers, to which
young poets resemble their beloved mistresses; as soon as I had
preferred my prayer, she very deliberately drew from her pocket a large
clasp knife, which, after she had wiped on her apron, she presented to
me, with a "voila monsieur." I received this dainty present, with every
mark of due obligation, accompanied, at the same time, with a resolution
not to use it, particularly as my companions (for we had two other
english gentlemen with us) had directed her to bring some others to
them. This delicate instrument was as savoury as its mistress, amongst
the various fragrancies which it emitted, garlic seemed to have the
mastery.
About twelve o'clock we went to the hall of the municipality, to procure
our passports for the interior, and found it crowded with people upon
the same errand. We made our way through them into a very handsome
antiroom, and thence, by a little further perseverance, into an inner
room, where the mayor and his officers were seated at a large table
covered with green cloth. To show what reliance is to be placed upon the
communications of english newspapers, I shall mention the following
circumstance: my companion had left England, without a passport, owing
to the repeated assurances of both the ministerial and opposition
prints, and also of a person high in administration, that none were
necessary.
The first question propounded to us by the secretary was, "citizens,
where are your passports?" I had furnished myself with one; but upon
hearing this question, I was determined not to produce it, from an
apprehension that I should cover my friend, who had none, with
suspicion, so we answered, that in England they were not required of
frenchmen, and that we had left our country with official assurances
that they would not be demanded of us here.
They replied to us, by reading a decree, which rigorously required them
of foreigners, entering upon the territories of the republic, and they
assured us, that this regulation was at that moment reciprocal with
every other power, and with England in particular. The decree of course
closed the argument. We next addressed ourselves to their politeness
(forgetting that the revolution had made sad inroads upon it) and
requested them, as we had been misled, and had no other views of
visiting the country, but those of pleasure, and improvement, that they
would be pleased to grant us our passports for the interior. To this
address, these high authorities, who seemed not much given to "the
melting mood," after making up a physiognomy, as severe, and as _iron
bound_ as their coast, laconically observed, that the laws of the
republic must be enforced, that they should write to our embassador to
know who we were, and that in the mean time they would make out our
passports for the town, the barriers of which we were not to pass.
Accordingly, a little fat gentleman, in a black coat, filled up these
official instruments, which were copied into their books, and both
signed by us; he then commenced our "signalement," which is a regular
descriptive portrait of the head of the person who has thus the honour
of sitting to the municipal portrait painters of the département de la
Seine inferieure.
This portrait is intended, as will be immediately anticipated, to afford
encreased facilities to all national guards, maréchaussées, thief
takers, &c. for placing in "durance vile" the unfortunate original,
should he violate the laws.
The signalement is added in the margin, to the passport, and also
registered in the municipal records, which, from their size, appeared to
contain a greater number of heads and faces, thus depicted, than any
museum or gallery I ever beheld.
How correct the likenesses in general are, I leave to the judgment of
others, after I have informed them, that the hazle eyes of my friend
were described "yeux bleu" in this masterly delineation.
If the dead march in Saul had been playing before us all the way, we
could not have marched more gravely, or rather sulkily, to our inn.
Before us, we had the heavy prospect of spending about ten days in this
town, not very celebrated for either beauty, or cleanliness, until the
municipality could receive an account of us, from our embassador, who
knew no more of us than they did. The other english gentlemen were in
the same predicament.
However we determined to pursue the old adage, that what is without
remedy, should be without regret, and, english like, grew very merry
over a good dinner, consisting of soups, and meat, and fowls, and fish,
and vegetables (for such is the order of a french dinner) confectionary
and a desert, accompanied with good Burgundy, and excellent Champaign.
Our misfortunes must plead our excuse, if the dinner is considered
extravagant. Uncle Toby went to sleep when he was unhappy; we solicited
consolation in another way. Our signalements afforded us much diversion,
which at length was a little augmented by a plan which I mentioned, as
likely to furnish us with the means of our liberation. After dinner I
waited upon a young gentleman who was under the care of a very
respectable merchant, to whom I had the good fortune to have letters of
introduction. Through his means I was introduced to Mons. de la M----,
who received me with great politeness. In the hurry and occupations of
very extensive commercial pursuits, this amiable old gentleman had found
leisure to indulge himself in works of taste. His noble fortune enabled
him to gratify his liberal inclinations. I found him seated in his
compting-house, which, from its handsome furniture and valuable
paintings, resembled an elegant cabinet. I stated the conduct of the
municipality towards us, and requested his assistance. After he had
shown me his apartments, a fine collection of drawings, by some of the
first masters, and some more excellent paintings, we parted, with an
assurance that he would immediately wait upon the mayor, who was his
friend, and had no doubt but that he should in the course of the next
day enable us to leave Havre when and in what manner we pleased. With
this agreeable piece of intelligence, I immediately returned to the inn,
where it induced us to drink health and success to the friendly merchant
in another bottle of champaign.