CHRONICLE. 



41 



for tlie eleven years from 1st Janu- 

 ary, 1801, to 31st December 

 1611:— 



The nominal value of the forged 

 Dotes, presented for payment, and 

 refused, within the above-men- 

 tioned period, is 101,661/. 



H. Hase, chief cashier. 

 Bank of England, March 26, 1812. 



N. B. The above return includes 

 all forged notes, supposed to have 

 been fabricated on the continent, 

 and presented within the aforesaid 

 period. 



28. French Prisoners. — Upwards 

 of 1,000 French prisoners have 

 escaped from this country during 

 the war, and so many persons have 

 lately been detected in assisting in 

 their escape, that those concerned 

 have had a vehicle made for the 

 conveyance of Frenchmen to avoid 

 suspicion or detection, exactly re- 

 sembling a covered cart used by 

 calico-printers with strong doors at 

 each end, but with seats in the 

 inside to hold a number of men. 

 One of them was detected about a 

 week since in a very extraordinary 

 way. Some revenue officers went 

 into a public-house near Canter- 

 bury, where two men were play- 

 ing at cards whom they suspected 

 to be Frenchmen on their way to 

 escape from this country. They 

 communicated this to a magistrate, 

 who informed them that at that 

 hour of the night (about eight 

 o'clock) the constable was gene- 

 rally intoxicated, and it would be 

 of no use applying to him ; but 

 advised them to procure the assist- 

 ance of some of the military in the 

 neighbourhood, which the officers 

 accordingly did, and surrounded 

 the house. The landlord refused 

 to open tiie door, saying it was too 

 late. The soldiers told him they 



were in search of deserters. A 

 short time after two men came out 

 of the back door, and the revenue 

 officers suspecting they were two 

 Frenchmen, secured them. Ano- 

 ther came out directly afterwards, 

 whom the soldiers stopped; he 

 also was a Frenchman. They were 

 conveyed away in custod}'. This 

 was a mere chance detection, as 

 the two men whom the revenue 

 officers had seen at cards in the 

 public-house early in the evening, 

 proved not Frenchmen, but trades- 

 men of the neighbourhood ; and 

 while the officers were gone to the 

 magistrate and after the military, 

 a cart such as we have described 

 arrived at the house with four 

 Frenchmen. The fourth man, who 

 was some time in coming out after 

 the others, escaped into the Lon- 

 don road, whither he knew the 

 cart had returned, and overtook it, 

 but the driver would not for a con- 

 siderable time take him up, as he 

 had only seen him in the night 

 time, till he made him understand 

 that he was connected with one 

 Webb, the driver's employer. It 

 being ascertained that the three 

 Frenchmen in custo<iy had been 

 brought there in a cart, pursuit was 

 made, and it was overtaken, and the 

 driver and the Frenchmen were 

 taken into custody ; they were exa- 

 mined before a magistrate, when it 

 appeared, from the confession of the 

 driver, &c. that the four French- 

 men were officers, who had broke 

 their parole from Ashby-de-la- 

 Zouch. The cart had been fitted 

 up with a seat to hold a number of 

 Frenchmen. He was employed 

 by Mr. Webb to drive the cart. 

 The Frenchmen cnly got out of the 

 cart at night to avoid observation. 

 They stopped at bye places, and 



made 



