648 
A VOYAGE TO 
[At Mauritius , 
isos. French navy were to 2:0 as passengers. This afforded the most 
September. , J & & 
desirable opportunity of sending me to France, if such had been the 
general’s intention ; and to do away all after pretext of not knowing 
October, it to be my wish, another request was made to that effect ; with a 
proposition to engage, “ in case La Semillante should not arrive at 
her destination, to take the most direct means that could be found of 
reaching France, and giving myself up into the hands of the govern- 
ment; should it be judged expedient to require from me such a 
parole.” In answer to this letter, it was then said for the first time, 
fifteen months after receiving the order for my liberty, that the cap- 
tain-general, “ having communicated to His Excellency the marine 
“ minister the motives which had determined him to suspend my 
“ return to Europe, he could not authorise my departure before hav- 
“ ing received an answer upon the subject.” Thus the frequently 
expressed desire of general De Caen to receive orders, and the pro- 
mise, when they arrived, that I should be set at liberty so soon as 
circumstances would permit, were shown to be fallacious; and the 
so long expected order to be of none effect. The reasoning of the 
inhabitants upon this suspension was, that having been so long in 
the island, I had gained too much knowledge of it for my departure 
to be admitted with safety ; but if this were so, the captain-general 
was punishing me for his own oversight, since without the detention, 
forced by himself, the supposed dangerous knowledge could not 
have been acquired. In calling it an oversight I am probably wrong. 
When the general suffered me to quit the Garden Prison, he expected 
the order which afterwards arrived; and what appeared to be 
granted as an indulgence, was perhaps done with a view to this very 
pretext of my too extended knowledge of the island; a pretext 
which could scarcely have been alleged so long*as I remained shut 
up in prison. 
One of the naval officers who embarked in La Semillante had 
served in the expedition of captain Baudin; he took charge of a 
triplicate of my memorial to the marine minister, and promised to 
