1797-1] 
meet with the fame fats and reafoning, 
in the fame words, in am article of the 
Biozrapkia Britanica, printed in 1784, 
and in a letter of your Magazine of 1796, 
would net think himfelf founded in 
pronouncing the larter a piece of literary. 
theft? Yet the reality is, that both came 
from the fame author, who could never, 
but by mere chance, have known of the 
firft printing of his paper. 
I am, fir, your’s &c. 
Auguft 10, 1797- sl ie Bea 
Sry ee oT A 
To the Editor of the Montoly Magazine. 
SIR, 
A® account of the treatment which 
the Englifh prifoners meet with at 
Breft, may, perhaps, be acceptable to 
fome ‘of -your readers: the following 
itatement was given me by my brother, 
Jately a prifoner there, and I think the 
uncommon kindnefs he expertenced de- 
jerves a public acknowledgment. 
_ Your correfpondent, T. Y. 
“The prifon of Pontenavan ftands about 
a league from Breft, weitward of the 
great Paris road; it was formerly the 
marine hofpital, and is well fituated for 
pure air and good water. There are 
fix buildings that ftand eaft and weft, fur- 
rounded, at the diftance of a hundred 
yards from every fide, by a high wall; 
the {pace within has fine gravel-walks, 
and is well planted with trees. ‘The 
buildings are about four hurdred feet 
long, built with great uniformity and 
neatnefs, the whole the work of the 
galley-flaves, of whom there are, at pre- 
jent, great numbers. Each of thefe are 
named; I was in the Salle de |’Hu- 
manité, the fidk ward. You live in each 
of them upon the ground floor, which Js 
open to the roof; a very good plan, as 
by that means the patients are not annoy- 
ed by the fumes of another ward afcend- 
ing upto them. ‘The beds-are ranged 
in good order, and the head of each 
ornamented with a pewter porringer, 
quart pot, and {maller cup, all kept very 
clean and bright by the galley-flaves, 
who attend for that purpofe. A bulk- 
head went acrofs the ward; on the one 
fide were 157 beds, on the other, in 
which [ was, 10g: the reafon of this 
difference is, that the weft end was occu- 
pied by the furgeon. We were allowed 
clean fheets, and aclean white fhirt and 
‘night-cap, once a week; our provifions 
were ferved out twice a day; in the 
morning at ten, and in the evening at 
four, each time the fame, being a por- 
singer of weak foup, with a great deal 
Treatment of the Englifh Prifoners in France. 
87. 
of forrel boiled in it, half a pound of 
beef boiled, the fame quantity of coarfe 
bad bread, a@ porringer of rice and milk, or 
* calivances, which are white beans, or 
Sicwed prunes, which of the three we 
chofe, with half a pint of decent red 
wine: this is the allowance of the fick ; 
that of the other prifoners is by no 
means fo good, as they have meat but 
three times a weck, and fometimes a few. 
ounces of chéefe inftead of that; their 
foup is made of black horfe-beans, nei- 
ther have they wine, or either of the 
three articles mentioned in Italics: Be- 
tween each of the buildings is a {pace of 
about forty feet; that to,the Salle de la 
Révolution, where all the Englifh, who 
are not fick, are confined, is walled in at 
both ends, and this is all the {pace the 
poor fellows have to walk in. ‘They 
were formerly fuffered to come out, a 
hundred at a time, and amufe themfelves 
in the fpace within the furrounding wall ; 
they are now confined to the {pace within 
the two wards, becaufe the laft party 
that was out broke into the furgeon’s 
houfe (which ftands within the inclofure) 
and ftole every thing they could lay their 
hands on. When I left Pontenazan there 
were between 600and 700 prifoners there, 
492 inthe Sal/é de la Révolution, the reft 
were in the Salle de 7? Humanité. In the fick 
ward we were ferved-feparately ; in the 
prifon they were ferved feven in a mets, 
they are not allawed linen as we were, 
neither have they nuns to fuperintend the 
galley-flaves, as we had. Thefe women 
are part of thofe who remained in France 
after the deftruétion of the monafteries, 
and were, at the requeft of the officers of 
the marine, diftributed among the dif- 
ferent hofpitals, where they are infinitely 
more ufeful than any other clafs of 
women could be: they have charge of 
the linen and other ftores. ‘They ftill 
wear their ancient drefs, with the rofary 
and crucifix, and every body pays them 
the greateft refpcét. The one that had 
the infpection of our ward was a very 
pleafant woman; | was the only perfon 
who could underfiand her, and fhe ufed 
frequently to talk of the hardfhips they 
endured, during the reign of Robe- 
{picrre, becaufe they refufed to acknow- _ 
ledge the republic and take the oath, 
till, at the application of the officers of 
* I take this to bea kind of lupin, which 
they call garvanzos in Spain, and greens in Por- 
tugal, where they toim. a principal part of the 
common people’s food. I have often eaten them 
in foup, and thought them excellent, 
Nz . the 


