$8 
the: navy, they were thus diftributed. 
There are four wells, one at each corner 
of the buildings: two of them are filled 
up, they had been | ila by order of 
Robefpierre; one of tne nuns difcovered 
it, and informed the prifoners, for which 
fhe fuffered feveral months’ imprifon= 
ment; the is now at Pontenazan, and all 
the Englith pay her every poilible refpect. 
This is the ftory I heard there, but 
when J mentioned it to fome of the of- 
ficers of the veffel that captured us, who 
came to fee me, they pofitively denied 
the faét ; ic is certainly improbable, and, 
though the filling up of the welis proves 
it was credited, it by no means proves it 
to have been true. 
IT was treated very civilly, and had 
every liberty I could expect; my fiay, 
however, was but fhort, there were three 
cartel fhips in the road ready to fail for 
England ; I wrote to M. Bernis, the 
owner of the privateer ‘that took me, to 
requeft he would ufe his intereit, that I 
might be fent to England in one of them. 
In this he fucceeded, and I left Ponte- 
nazan after a ftay of only one week. The 
veffel was detained by contrary winds, 
and M. Bernis, knowing how difagree- 
able I fhould find jt to remain in a {mall 
veffel with 240 men, and bad accom- 
modations, invited me to his own houfe, 
where I received every pollible attention . 
and kindnefs. 
I was with him till the veffel was 
under weigh, and never pafled a week 
more happily, or experienced more 
kindnefs; he-lent me a plain coat, and 
J walked about and went to the theatres, 
asan American. The public theatre is 
large, and was probably once very ele- 
gant, but, as the ornaments contained 
ariftocratical devices, they have all been 
defaced. It was formerly for the ufe of 
the navy only, and the performers were 
officers ; now, of courfe, it is open to any 
one. There are three tiers of boxes, 
fixed in a very light and elegant manner, 
projecting from the wall, without any 
fupport underneath, fo that the pit runs 
under them; there are fome {mall iron 
pillars under the lower boxes next the 
orcheftra, which projet more than the 
others; they are well contrived for fee- 
ing, the back feats being-very high ; 
there is no gallery; the orcheftra is 
Jarge, with two rows of muficians, and 
their mufic infinitely fuperior to our’s. 
The pieces I faw were Pamela, from the 
Englrth novel (probably from Goldont) ; 
Barbe Bleue, from the ftory of Blue 
Beard; and Les Petits Savoyards. = 
Utility of Friendly Societies. 
[Aug. 
The other theatre is a private one, it 
was once a room -for the free-mafons, 
vety {mall, but very neatly fitted up; 
the cieling is concave; there is only one 
‘tier of boxes, and thofe {mall ;.a pit and 
gallery ; the band-was goad : but, like to 
the other theatre, this was yery badly 
lighted. None but fubfcribers and their 
friends are admitted; the performers 
are voluntary: the night I was there, a 
lady was handed out of the pit to take a 
part in Les Petits Sayoyards. 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SiBe 
JN your laft Number, I read Mr. 
Woon’s hints refpeéting Friendly So- 
cieties, with that pleafure which I have 
always felt in perufing his other philan+ 
thropic writings, as wellas in a few 
hours’ converfation with that wor hy gen- 
tleman at Sirewfbury. Mr. Woop’s 
long and fuccefsful attention to the ma- 
nagement of that perhaps moft negl.ét- 
ed part of the community, the Poor, en- 
titles his obfervations to more than ordi- 
nary deference. 
I have always thought, that under 
proper regulations, friendly focieties, or 
other inftitutions upon fomewhat fimilar 
principles, might be resdered extremely 
conducive towards the public weal.— 
Thefe focieties,/ even in their prefent 
ftate, are productive of much public and 
private advantage ; but to be more ge- 
nevally beneficial, fome confiderable al- 
teration in the fyitem is requifite. The 
members are in danger of lofing the 
whole, or a part of their capital, by its 
being placed under bad fecurities : their 
contributions to the box are alfo often 
unequal to the neceflary demands there- 
from: in either of thete cafes, although 
a perfon had paid his ftated quota towards 
raifing the fund for 30 or 40 years toge- 
ther, he would find himtelf unrelieved 
at the very time he ftood in moft need of 
it. The weekly or monthly meetings 
of thefe clubs being moftly held atinns, 
or ale-houj-s, not only much money is 
“unneceffarily fpent, but intoxication, and 
its direful effeéts, frequently enfue.— 
Friendly focieties are compof:d of young 
healthy members, at leaft on their ad- 
miffion ; and fuch candidates as are in- 
firm, or otherwife likely foon to become 
burthenfome, being univerfally rejected, 
they can never hope for any relief from 
thefe eftablifhments. Women being 
likewife excluded, and few of them en- 
tering into clubs among themfelves, this 
-moft laudable means of avoiding poverty 
a 4 
in 
