fruits of their labour even more than would have provided them with a comfortable support.

Whatever may be the intentions of the British government with refpect to the Frenchmen now groaning in irons, I request, in the name of humanity and the facred law of nations, that you will lay before that Government this picture of their fituation. It cannot fail to affect every feeling mind. It has already made an impreffion upon you, Gentlemen, and you have ordered a great number of invalids to be fent home. The agents intrufted with the charge of felecting the prifoners falling under this defcription have difcharged their duty in the moft humane manner; and I owe to you, as well as to them, my grateful thanks for their conduct on this occafion.

"The

I cannot conclude this letter without replying to two objections which may appear at first fight to palliate the difference of treatment experienced by the prifoners of the two nations. republic" (it has been faid)" may eafily provide for the fubfiftence of English prifoners, becaufe there are very few in France." But if the chance of war has thrown a greater number of prisoners into the power of Great Britain, the duties of humanity ought certainly to plead more forcibly in their favour in proportion as their numbers increafe at the refpective depôts. And on the other hand, ought not the Ruffians, the Auftrians, the Neapolitans, Bavarians, &c. now prifoners in France, to be taken into the account? Their number is at least equal to that of the French confined in England. Are they not fubfifted at the expense of the republic? And do not the fubfidies paid to their respective fovereigns appear to affimilate them to British subjects?

I have alfo been told, "That the people here are not better fed than the prifoners." If the fcarcity of provifions is fo notorious, that Government, notwithstanding its folicitude, cannot relieve the wants of the people, why fhould Government unneceffarily increase the confumption by feeding more than 22,000 individuals? I have already had the honour of laying before you two propofals on this fubject, namely, that of ranfoming the pri foners, or that of fending them back to France on parole. Either of thefe alternatives would afford an effectual remedy for the evil in queftion; the plan of parole has already been adopted with refpect to French fishermen. No complaint of want of punctuality in this arrangement has hitherto arifen. A measure of the fame nature for all the other prifoners would be held equally facred, for no government unquestionably would allow itself to break au engagement of this defcription.

If neither of these proposals are acceded to by the British government, there ftill remains another refource, hitherto folicited in vain by the prifoners themfelves, but which, however, has never before been denied by any government to the greatest crimi

pals.

nals: the refource of their own industry. The ingenious, but frivolous articles, manufactured by thefe unfortunate perfons from the bones which are left of their rations, are admired. What advantage might they not derive from their induftry, if they were allowed to employ it upon objects of trade! Labour would beguile the hours of tedious captivity; and even the nation, at whofe expenfe they are fubfifted, would be benefited by their exertions, I have the honour to be, &c.

Sir,

Transport Office, 1st November 1800. WE have received your letter of the 29th of lait month, relative to the prefent state of the French prifoners of war in this country, and have, agreeably to your defire, tranfmitted it to the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty for their confideration; but at the fame time we cannot help obferving, that the diftreffed fituation which you reprefent the prifoners to be in, is entirely owing either to their being totally deftitute of clothing, or to their own imprudence, in difpofing of their provifions by gaming, and not, as you affert, to an infufficiency of the ration of provifions iffued to them, which is fully enough to keep men, living without labour, in a general state of good health, and certainly affords more fubfiftence than a great part of the labouring people of this country is able to procure, being, as you well know, a full pound of bread, eight ounces of fresh beef, and above a quart of foup, compounded of vegetables or peafe, for each man per diem.

We reiterated to you, in our feveral letters of the 21st of March, 24th of May, 28th of Auguft, 11th of September, and 17th of last month, the miferable fituation of the prifoners at all the depôts from the want of clothing, and the melancholy confequences that were to be expected to enfue, if the French government did not cause them to be supplied with that neceffary article, previous to the commencement of the cold weather.

In giving you fuch timely premonition, we certainly did. all that was incumbent on us to do, or that humanity dictated; and we have no hesitation in saying, that if the French government had expended a few thoufand pounds in providing clothing for their people in this country, in proper time, the greater part of the evils of which you now complain would not have exited.

As it is certainly the duty of every state to provide for the fupport of its people while in captivity, fo, whatever may have been its arrangements with refpect to victualling, it has been the cuf tom, in all former wars between Great Britain and France, for each country to provide clothing for its own subjects; and agree.

D 2

ably

ably to this cuftom, all the British prifoners in France, as well as the Ruffian prifoners taken in Holland, are now actually supplied with clothing by our agent Captain Cotes, at the expenfe of this country, although you state as a reafon for the French government not clothing their people here, that the British prifoners in France are clothed at the expenfe of your Government.

Whatever may latterly have been the effects of the prisoners wanting clothing, it cannot be denied, that, until very lately, the prifoners at all the depôts were generally in as good a state of health as at any former period, even when victualled by their own country. Some, indeed, had fallen victims to an invincible fpirit of gaming, by fporting away their allowance of provifions as well as their clothing, and the bedding with which they had been amply fupplied by us; but we believe that the number that has thus fuffered has hitherto not been very confiderable. In our letters of the 22d of April and 20th of May laft, we reprefented to you fully the effects of this pernicious practice, which had become fo prevalent in the prifons; and we propofed to you a measure, which, if adopted, we doubt not would have greatly tended to put a stop to it; but, for what reafon we know not, you have not hitherto taken any notice to us of our communications on that fubject; and from the want of your concurrence, the utmost exertions of our agents, in pursuance of our orders for prohibiting gaming, have as yet proved ineffectual. While this practice continues, it is evident, that, if the ration of the prifoners were tenfold what it is, they would ftill fport it away; and the circumstance of their now difpofing of the rations iffued to them, is a proof that it is not on account of the infufficiency of thofe rations, but merely from the gambling fpirit above mentioned, that they alfo difpofe of their bedding and clothing. Indeed, fo far from their being obliged to part with their clothing to purchase provifions, it appears, even from your own statement refpecting the prifoners at Liverpool, that they actually difpofe of a part of their fubfiftence to procure clothes.

With refpect to your obfervation, of the prifoners not being permitted to increafe their means of fubfiftence by labour, which you fay, the most severe adminiftration would not refuse to the greateft criminals," we think it proper to acquaint you, that the prifoners at all the depôts in this country, are at full liberty to exercife their induftry within the prifons, in manufacturing and felling any articles they may think proper, excepting hats, which would affect the revenue in oppofition to the laws, obfcene toys and drawings, and articles made either from their clothing or the prifon ftores; and by means of this privilege, fome of them have been known to earn, and to carry off upon their release, more than co guineas each.

Upon

Upon this occafion it has become highly expedient for us, once more, folemnly to impress upon your mind the neceffity of a speedy relief being afforded to your people, with respect to the article of clothing; a fupply of which would materially, if not entirely, remove the principal caufes of their prefent diftrefs.

If you, or rather your Government, delay to furnish this fupply, whatever evils may enfue, and thefe may justly be apprehended, cannot, after fuch repeated notices as we have for a long time given you, be imputed to this country, but to the state which, in this inftance, has fo entirely neglected its own people.

We are, &c.

(Signed) RUPERT GEORGE. AMBROSE SERLE.

M. Otto.

JOHN SCHANK.

No. 30.

Extract of a Report made by Commiffioner Serle to the Transport
Board, dated 25th July 1800.

THE prifoners complained of the fmallness of the ration, but not of the quality fupplied. They wished for more bread, and for beer instead of water. I found, however, that the ration, by their mode of cookery, which is left to themselves, is not quite fo infufficient and deftitute as fome of them chofe to reprefent it.

The French are generally great devourers of bread, and therefore what would be a very competent allowance to an Englishman, appears a contracted one to them; while the meat, which an Englishman would think scarcely enough, is to them a reasonable allowance. The ration of a pound of bread with half a pound of meat, vegetables, &c. digefted into a broth or foup, yielding feven quarts per diem to every fix men, affords a fupport which our labouring poor rarely have at any time, but certainly not during the present ftarcity; and which to men living without labour, feems enough to maintain them in a general ftate of good health. And I have been informed by fome who are molt qualified to know, that the French prifons have never had fo few fick as at the prefent time. Some, indeed, who had fported away their allowance in gambling, to prevent which the agents have taken every precaution in their power, are in fact deftitute enough, and fo they might have been, if their ration had been ten times as great. But this is their own fault entirely; and it cannot be expected, that if a prifoner be pleased to throw away his food by vice, that Government must be at the expense of fupplying him again. However, wherever this has been difcovered, particularly as it may be in the article of bread, the whole has been feized by the agent or officers

of

of the prifon from the winners or purchafers, and diftributed amongst the prifoners at large.

Many of the prifoners have ftalls in a kind of market within the walls, in which, among other articles, they fell provifions and vegetables; and, I am told, acquire confiderable fums of money. This interior market is fupplied by another without, where there is a free access of the country people with all forts of provifions, beer, and produce, which they are not allowed to fell but at the fair market price, fo that deftitution is only to be found among those few who have been weak or wicked enough to lose their allowance by gambling. I am alfo informed, that many thousand pounds have been already remitted, and that fums of money are continually remitting from France by the friends of the prifoners, for additional comforts in their fituation. This affords a confiderable fupply to many of their requirements.

Their clothing in general, for which the French government has ceafed to provide (as well as for the victualling), is getting very bad; and, to meet the winter fairly, muft by fome means or other be fupplied.

Befides the remittances from France, the prifoners are allowed to fell any kinds of their own manufacture, ftraw hats (which would interfere with the revenue), and articles made from ftores, excepted; by which means fome have been known to earn, and to carry off on their releafe, more than a hundred guineas each. This, with an open market as above mentioned, operates much to their advantage and comfort, and they fhow their fatisfaction in the habits of cheerfulness peculiar to themselves.

The prifoners have free accefs to the feveral apartments from the opening of the prifon in the morning until they are fhut up on the approach of night, with the exceptions only of the times when they are fumigating or cleanfing, for the preservation of health.

Six prifoners, chofen by the body at large, have access to the cook-rooms every morning, when the provifions are brought in, that they may witnefs to their full weight, and object to any deficiency.

In cafes of fick nefs, the patients are immediately removed, under the direction of the medical people, to the hofpital, and fuppled with the neceffary affiftance. Nothing can exceed the cleanlinefs and decency of the hofpitals.

No.