178 FISHKS AND FISHING. 



the good offices of a certain friend of his in the town. 

 Large sums were, I understood, paid to that person in 

 order to propitiate the General ; but in every case as 

 soon as all the money, that it was possible to extract 

 from these persons, had been obtained, the drum was 

 beaten round the town, the English were summoned 

 to the General, as imperative orders had arrived from 

 Paris, " to send all the English up the country ;" a ras 

 cally pretence to get rid of those who had thus been 

 (as they considered) plundered. The poorer order 

 had long before been sent, or rather commanded to 

 go to Valenciennes. All were obliged to take Men- 

 gaud's passport, at the price of three shillings and 

 fourpence each ; and some after that ,had only two 

 shillings to find them with every necessary for a jour 

 ney of nearly one hundred miles. Workmen and 

 artificers, who had been induced to settle in France, 

 were obliged to sell their clothes and tools for a mere 

 trifle ; and other instances of horrible misery were 

 daily presenting themselves. 



An opportunity offered of sending my family to 

 England, for females and children were then allowed 

 to depart. Accordingly, I agreed with the captain of 

 a neutral trading vessel, for a heavy price, to take 

 my family, with their luggage, to London, where he 

 said he was going. When they had got about mid- 

 channel, this captain told them he should land them 



