254 French Prisoners. 



of frogs. Once there was a Crispin procession in Dumfries, 

 and a Mr Renwick towered above all the others as king. The 

 sequel is best told in the narrator's own words : — " The 

 Crispin ploy, ye ken, cam' frae France, an' the officers in the 

 big hoose askit the king o' the cobblers tae dine wi' them. 

 They had a gran' spread wi' a fine pie, that Maister Renwick 

 thocht was made o' rabbits toshed up in some new-fangled 

 way, an' he didna miss tae lay in a guid stock. When a' was 

 owre, they askit him how he likit his denner, an' he said 

 ' First rate.' Syne they lauched and speered him if he kent 

 what the pie was made o', but he said he wasna sure. When 

 they tell't him it was paddocks, it was a' ane as if they had 

 gien him a dose o' pizzen. He just banged up an' breenged 

 oot the hoose. Oor bit winnock lookit oot on the French- 

 men's backyaird, an' we saw Maister Renwick sair, sair 

 forfochen, but after a dainty bit warsle, he an' the paddocks 

 pairtit company." 



As another example of their peculiar tastes in dietary, it 

 is told that on one occasion when the cook of the house where 

 a number were lodging could not get a hare for them, he 

 killed a fat cat. 



A very alarming fire broke out in Dumfries in Chapel 

 Street on 25th July, 181 2, and two French surgeons, Paul 

 Ranson and Jean Pierre Chepelain, gave great assistance 

 in extinguishing it. In gratitude for their services a num- 

 ber of the inhabitants drew up a petition in favour of their 

 release, and the Transport Board sent passports permitting 

 the immediate return of these officers to France. Another 

 of the surgeons (Bonnecarrere) applied for leave to reside 

 at Kelso, where he had a relative, but the request was refused 

 by the Transport Board. Another officer named Captain 

 Wieland, a Swiss of good connections, applied in August, 

 181 2, to get home on parole to settle some family affairs. 

 His application was recommended by Baron de Rolle, 

 Colonel of his Swiss Regiment, but, as it was not entertained, 

 the prisoner six weeks later broke his parole and fled in the 

 direction of Leith, so as to find there a foreign vessel to 

 convey him to France or Holland. His departure excited 



