FliENCH NOTIONS OF ENGLISH CONVICTS. 39 



and corruption equally apply to our system; Mitli a force 

 increasing with the greater distance and greater population 

 of our colonies compared with yours." " Yes/' said the other, 

 " but then how few convicts ever reach their destination ! " 

 " How so," said the other, " when we annually transport 

 some two thousand, and the passage is a good one." " My 

 dear Sir," replied the Frenchman, " pardon me, but you 

 are singularly ignorant of your own country. I thought 

 everybody knew what the English system is, and why it 

 is so cheap and effectual." " For heaven's sake," said my 

 friend, " tell me what you mean ; for the soul of me, I can- 

 not make it out." " Simply this, my dear Sir, that it is 

 well known that English criminals sentenced to transport- 

 ation for life are all droumed on the jxissage. They are put 

 on board with the others in the usual ^Yixy, but on reachinii; 

 deep water a trap-door is drawn in their apartment, and 

 they are let into the sea, and got rid of ; and a good plan it 

 is. Do you really mean to say that you never heard of 

 this before ? " " Never in my life," cried my friend, with 

 indignation and laughter mingled : *• it is almost too ab- 

 surd to contradict ; but I cannot help saying, it is an in- 

 famous calumny on England." The Frenchman shrugged 

 his shoulders, and departed : doubtless musing, as deeply 

 as the Gallic mind would admit, on the incredible igno- 

 rance of Englishmen, as to their own country. One 

 may hope that the Exhibition will have dispersed much of 

 this darkness. The worst of it is, that the generality of the 

 French travellers devote so little time to the work. One of 

 my friends, who went to London for the first time, set aside 

 two days and a half to see London a7id the Exliibitiou, and 



c 4 



