Port Louis.'] 
TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
481 
upon the south side of the island, at Port Jacotet; where lie cut 
out L’Estafette packet boat, spiked the guns of the fort, carried off 
the officer with two field pieces, and M. Etienne Bolger, commandant 
of the quarter of La Savanne, the same who had acted so ungraciously 
on my arrival at the Baye du Cap. This sullying of the French territory 
produced a fulminating proclamation from general De Caen, nearly 
similar in terms to that of the emperor Napoleon after the descent at 
Walcheren ; its effect on the inhabitants, however, was not much, 
for on asking some of them what they thought of this second-hand 
gasconade, the reply was, — “ Oh it is not to us, it is to Bonaparte 
“ that the proclamation is addressed;” meaning that it was a bait to 
catch his approbation. Three days afterwards a flag of truce was 
sent out to negotiate an exchange for M. Bolger and the officer who 
had commanded the fort, for whom twenty soldiers of the 69th 
regiment were given ; we afterwards learned that a proposal had 
been made to let the cartel sail, provided the squadron would suffer 
her to pass without being visited ; but to this arrangement captain 
Pym, the then senior officer, refused his consent. 
An order was given on the 8th for all the British officers to 
embark in the cartel, and we hoped to sail immediately; but the 
merchants of the town presented a petition to the captain-general for 
a delay, lest we might give information of the expected arrival of 
some ships from France. Our cruisers were stationed purposely to 
stop every French vessel, whether going in or out, and this petition 
therefore seemed to be ridiculous ; it appeared however to be com- 
plied with, for we not only w 7 ere prevented sailing, but denied all 
communication with the inhabitants for several weeks ; and the five 
ladies on board were as much subjected to these rest:' ;tions as the 
officers. The French cartel returned from the Cape of Good Hope 
on the 10th, with exchanged prisoners; and the former reports of a 
projected attack on Mauritius and Bourbon were so strongly revived 
that general De Caen made a tour of the island, in order, as was said, 
to have batteries erected at all the landing places without defence, 
3 Q 
1810 . 
May. 
VOL. II. 
