256 French Prisoners. 



ing the strictness of the authorities, it may be mentioned that 

 one of the officers was sent to Valleyfield for breach of parole. 

 This consisted in his thoughtlessly sending a letter to a lady 

 in Devonshire, enclosing one to a friend of his — a prisoner on 

 parole there — giving him an account of his journey from 

 Devonshire to Peebles, without first showing it to the Agent. 

 The authorities were severe in other ways. In the Spring of 

 1812 the prisoners desired to give a concert of amateurs from 

 their own number, but an order from headquarters to the 

 Agent prohibited all such public displays. A few exchanges 

 of prisoners took place, at the instance of Lady Ann Hope, 

 operating through her friend. Lord Melville. Batches ol 

 invalids were sent to France in Leith smacks or Government 

 vessels, under the care of French surgeons. 



On January 4th, 181 2, five prisoners were released on the 

 request of the Danish Government. Four had been captured 

 on a cutter, the " Alban "- — N. J. Gabrielson, 2nd Captain; 

 L. Christensen, 2nd Lieutenant; A. F. Obseller, Surgeon; 

 and Johan Ram, Purser. The fifth was Holstein Solberg, 

 Lieutenant on the Man-of-War Reragnesser. 



In March, 181 2, it is recorded that a number of the officers 

 wished to have copies of the Scriptures. Those who wanted 

 copies in English were supplied by the Dumfriesshire Bible 

 Society. Copies in French (17),- German (2), Italian (i), and 

 Spanish (i) were got from London. A collection made in 

 Kirkpatrick-Fleming Church, amounting to ^'-j 3s, was sent 

 to London to pay for them. 



The loyalty of the prisoners to Napoleon was strikingly 

 exhibited in an occurrence which took place very shortly 

 before the abdication of the Emperor, and it was said to bode 

 no good for the tranquillity of France if this feeling for 

 Napoleon were general. On 23rd May, 1814, one of the 

 French officers having observed in the shop of Mr M'Pherson, 

 bookseller, some ludicrous caricature of Napoleon, went into 

 the shop in a violent passion ; and having bought two of the 

 best of them, tore them to pieces in the presence of a crowd 

 of people, uttering at the same time dreadful imprecations 

 against those who dared to insult " his Emperor." On the 

 other hand. Monsieur Guillemet, Second Lieutenant in the 



