210 
been fiened, and that the tone of nego- 
ciation muft have been humble indeed 
when the {acrifice of privar€ property was 
deemed of little or no eftimation. 
I am, Sir, your’s, &e. 
AN INJURED STOCKHOLDER 
IN THE FRENCH FUNDS. 
July: 8, 1802. 
ee 
or the Monthly Magazine. 
ORIGINAL LETTERS Of af, AMERICAN 
TRAVELLER fo bis FRIEND 22 LON- 
DON, containing a CIRCUMSTANTIAL 
ACCOUNT of a late TOUR from BOUR- 
DEAUX {0 PARIS. ; 
LETTER III. 
Bourdeaux, May 23, 1798. 
HAVE this day vifited an American, 
who, being unprovided with regular 
papers was imprifoned, as an Engliihman, 
m the Chateau de Ha, which is the great 
ftate-prifon of Bourdeaux. This Caftle 
is of great.antiquity. It is at leat as 
ancient as thetimes when Bourdeaux, with 
the provinces of Guienne and Aquitain, 
belonged to the Kings of Engiand; for 
the arms of England, executed in fione- 
. work, are to this day over the gate. Some 
flight attempt has beea made to deface 
thofe arms, but they have never gone to 
the trouble of takimg them down. 
This Caftle forms a very extenfive pri- 
fon, to which a good garden is attached, 
As this prifon includes all. who are 
charged with offences againf the fiate, one 
meets, in the court where the prifoners ex- 
ercile themfelves, perfons of every defcrip- 
sion of life, and of both fexes. Some of 
the prifoners here follow little trades, 
‘keep fhew-boxes, or play fome inftrumeat 
of mufic, which give the place rather the 
appearance of a fair than a prifon. 
There are fome very elegant ladies here, 
who are imprifoned as filters or near rela- 
tions of emigrants. ‘They are generatly 
allowed the privilege of walking in the 
gardens, which they owe to. the courtefy 
ef the governor. 
Of all the individual cafes that deferve 
compafiion here, the hardeft is that of a 
yourg man I have feen—He is not yet 
twenty years of age. The crime he has 
been charged with is emigration, although 
he was but fourteen years of age, when 
he accompanied his father-to Germany. 
In confideration of this circumitance, 
inftead of death, (dy way of mercy) he is 
fentenced to the gailies, and is to be fent 
there next week. He is a very fine young 
man, well-connected, and is vilited in his 
>) 
Orivinal Letters by an Amerian Traveller. [O&ober 1, 
prifon by ladies of the firt fathion in 
Bourdeaux. ae 
The directorial govermnent, though 
not altogether fo fanguinary as that of 
Robelpierre, thews, however, no mercy to 
emigrants ;.and the jaws of the republic 
are cruelly fevere againit their relations.. 
_ One would fuppofe, that fach a dreadful 
fentence as the gallies, hanging over the 
head of a young man in the {pring time 
of his life, by killing every bud of hope, 
would naturally produce a great depref- 
fion of {pirics: on the contrary, he feems 
lively and gay. The natural vivacity of 
the French chara¢ter will] bear up againft 
every change of fortune, and all the-fut-. 
ferings that perfecution can inflid. A 
prifon, which in other countries is the 
abode of melancholy, is here a fcene 
of gaiety and merriment. I have been 
affured, by fome of thofe who were im- 
prifoned in the days of Terror, that many 
of thofe who were executed at that time, 
carried the fame “equanimity and cheerful 
flow of {pirits with them to the guillotine; 
and.that it-has often happened, that when 
the fata! bell tolled out for an execution, 
thofe who were to fuffer have requefted 
time to finifli a critical game at cards or 
draughts; this being done, they have 
taken leave of their companions in misfor- 
tune as carelefsly as. if they were only 
going to pay a vilit, or fettle fomeordinary 
bufinefs. This thews a degree of prac~- 
tical philofophy, which equals or fur= 
pafles the fineft theories of the ancients. 
Bourdeaux fuffered as much during the 
reign of Terror as any part of France. 
Being the capital of the department of La 
Gironde, the republican party of Bour- 
deaux were confidered as Girondifis in 
politics, that is, as having.the fame opi- 
nions as Briflot,Guadet, Vergniaud, Con- 
dorcet, the Rolands, &c. who were nick- 
named the Gironde party, and executed 
for an alleged confpiracy-agaisft the uni- 
ty, and indivifibility of the French Re- 
public. As the Jacobins hated this party , 
as much,-at leaf, as.they didthe Royalilts, 
there was a time when it was.as unfafe to 
be a republican as a royalif at Bourdeaux. 
The peopie of Bourdeaux profefs great 
obligations to Tallien and Yfabeau (who 
ceme down to Bourdeaux as commif-” 
fioners cn the part of the government), for 
putting a ftop to the cruelttes that were - 
practited here before their arrival. -Al- 
though it is unpleafing te be obliged to 
dweli upon the effe&ts of party rage and 
violence, which has, in a great degree, 
fubfided, which was called jorth by the 
extraordinary circumftances of the coun. 
toy Ys 
