SUFFERINGS OF LIEUTENANT o'bRIEN. 65 



water, chop up some cabbage, or herbs, which they also put in ; and last of all 

 a ball of hogs'-lard, kitchen stuff, dripping, or any other grease they may have. 

 They then allow this soup to boil until the herbs, &c. are well done ; then they 

 serve it up in soup-plates or dishes, having previously bread cut in very thin 

 slices in the^said plates, &c., and charge two pence, and sometimes more, for 

 each plate-full. I have seen our landlady at Sees, a village near Rouen, after 

 ^she had cooked us some beef-steaks, put all the gravy into the pan, fill it up 

 with water ; and, after she had kept the pan boiling for some minutes, she 

 poured the whole contents into a large pot of water which she had boiling on 

 the tire, previously prepared with salt and herbs, as before observed ; this she , 

 served out as soup to our seamen, at a most exhorbitant price. We remained 

 at Cambray until tlic 21st. when we had to march in a severe frost, with snow 

 and hail, right in our faces, to Landrecy, a distance of near six British leagues : 

 our people were put into the jail, and we were allowed the honour of stopping 

 at the Palais national tavern. They were very fair here in their demands. 

 At daylight, March 22nd, we commenced our route to Avesnes, where we 

 arrived at about four ; they put us all indiscriminately into the town jail. 

 About five, the town major came to speak with us, and obtained us permission 

 to go to a certain inn, which he pointed out, and where we were egregiously 

 imposed on. The 23rd we had another guard of dragoons, under the command 

 of a Serjeant, to escort us to our depot, At about three, we arrived at a poor 

 little village called Hirson; where, having no jail, they billeted the seamen 

 and US upon the inhabitants. We were quartered in a collar-maker's house. 

 The poor people were extremely civil, and procured us tolerably good beds : 

 every other necessary they provided us with, we paid for. Next morning, 

 the 24th of March, we took our leave of the collar-maker and family, and, in 

 the afternoon, at about four, arrived at a village named Maubert Fontaine ; a 

 place still more poor and miserable than Hirson, where we were also billeted : 

 the people with whom we were placed, were very great impostors, extorting 

 double price for every thing. The next morning, however, we parted, and 

 proceeded to Rocroy, where we arrived early, being a short march ; our people 

 were put into jail ; we made interest to be allowed an inn, and remained 

 here 24 hours. Our landlord was a consummate scoundrel ; he took every 

 occasion of imposing on, and insulting us. On the morning of our departure, 

 he produced us a sum total, of an enormous amount, without detailing the 

 particiilar articles supplied. We expostulated with him upon the enormity of 

 the sum, and wished to know what such a demand could be occasioned by, as 

 we were particularly economical, our funds being very low. He ilatly refused 

 any explanation, insisted upon payment, and used innumerable insulting and 

 provoking epithets. We were obliged to comply, and recommenced our route 

 to a small village called Fumy, one stage from Givet, or Charlemont, our 

 depot. We arrived here early, and were billeted ; the people extremely 

 civil. 



Next morning, the 28th of March, at 8 o' clock, commenced our last day's 

 march. At about three (a short march), we arrived at our destination, a 

 distance of near seven hundred miles from Brest. We found the ship's com- 

 pany of H. M. frigates, la Minerve, Captain Brenton, and Shannon, Captain 

 Gower, with a number of men belonging to the merchants' service, here. A 

 Mr. Bradshaw, one of Captain B's clerks, visited us; he had permission to 

 live in town, being acting in the situation of commissary to Captain iirenton ; 

 through him we were introduced to Captain Petervin, of the gendarmerie, 

 who was commandant of the prisoners of war. Our names and descriptions 

 were taken, a Jersey man, named Garrec, was interpreter,— the commandant 

 ippeared at a lo?is what to do with us; we were sent on the footing of private 

 5ail(n-5 to him ; he appeared 1o be unwilling «o put us with the people ; hesi- 



vor... VI — 1835. i 



