The Sun.
London, England, 1801-01-14 00:00:00

NUMBER V.

Lona'ett, Dee. 15, 1799, catirespandifreg /IA
. 24th Frimaire,Stb fedi' o,} the Rota/lc.
NIOU, COMMISSARY OP'THE FRENCH GOVERN-
MENT IN ENGLAND, TO MR. DUNDAS, SECRE-
' TARYOF STATE, AND ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL
MINISTERS Of HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY.
SIR,

Having received direlions from the consuls of
the Republic, to inforth you of a measure they
have adopted upon an important deliberation, the
principles and bearings of which are perfeelly
well known to you, I have felt it my duty to ad.
dress myself direCtly to you, in order to guard
against delay.

The Consuls of the Republic having been
engaged in an investigation of its interests,, both
at home and abroad, have turned their attention
to the mode at present observed by France and
England, with resped to the subsistente and
treatment of Prisoners of War in the hands of
these two Belligerent. Powers. .
They have caused all the papers relative to the
adoption of this system. to be carefully examined;
and a report having been made to them on this
subject, they perceive,
ist. That in your Letter to the Lords pf
the Admiralty of the 6th of Odober :797,
after having claimed the admiision-tif o.lptain
Cotes into France, . and the, exchange,. >or at
least the liberation on parble, of Sir Sidney
Smith, you proposed, in order-to put an end to
the recriminations `,relative to the .-treatment. of
Prisoners,. continually 'renewed on both sides,
that the Peiioners ShOuld, be. Furnished in the
Country where they (were detained, !with cloathing,
subsistenFei and medicines, at the. -extent( thr
Go.vernment .to which they .belonged.
adly. That the said arrangement took place in
consequence of the communicatiani respefting this
proposal made to M. Charretie, the 'Freboh Com-
missary, by theCommisisioners of the Transport
Office,. on the 12,th OftQber and t 3th Not
following, in pursuance of the orders of.tite Lords
of. the Admiralty..
I shall not revert here, Sir, to the circuity..
stances which preceded this, arraniement ; ,but it
is my duty to declare to Ypii,.that the Consuls-of
the Republic, haying remarked that it was .not
founded upon any, authentic stipulation, that the
Cartel, of li,xchange, signed' nearly ten months
afterwards,. took nor the least notice of it, and
that it was, an obvious contradidinn c.,; all the
Usages and Laws of War, were of opiniop, that,
-on the one hand, the.fuxther e%ecution of it was
`derogatory both to the interests Se-dignity
of the Republic ; and,.on the other, that neither
the good faith the Goiertirnent wishes to ritnifcst
on every occasion, nor the peepliar solicitude it
owes to its Fellow Citizens, did. in any, rnaiiner
call upon it to continue, to observe, this urtinge-
.
meat.
indeed, Sir, you have yourself declared, in
your Letter of the 6th Walser 1797., that'one
of the rootiVes which 'led you to wish for this
4
arrangement, was, the difficulty of Ju(lging whe-
ther, the complaints of the Prisoners.were well or
ill-founded ; that some of these complaints, were
didated by passion, by prejudice, or animosity,
whilst others arose solely from the difference in
their mode of living : and, in the same Letter
.you acknowledged, that, the. Belligerent Pow'ers,
in preceding 'Wars, 'Ain
..the account of t'xpenees
incurred fdr.their respative•Prisoners camc to be
admittediiljustcd, onif the sums advanced for
their chiathing. -
'The principal motives alledged by you, Sir,
therefore, the necessity of .putting an end
n, the complaints' of the Prisoners, an ,1
• tit they. ,would derive' fri:no being sphsisted ard
treated in a =liner conformable to their former
habits.
These motives were undoubtedly sufficient in
support of your proposal"; " and, although you
added that war,
.in giving to the Captors an in-
conteitible right over the discipline and police. bf
their Prisonovs, does not, however, impose upon
them the obligation of providing fOr their wants,
you could certainly mean to allude to their se-
condary wants only ; and, in proof of this, the
English Government, as you 'hive already de.
dared, always understood that it must have pro.
vided what was absolutely necessary for the' sub_
slatence of the French Prisoners, even on the
supposition, that none of the demands •contained
in yam-tenet had been acceded to. The respaft
'paid by all 'civilized nations to the - immutable
Laws of HuManity, and. the empire of those laWs
over the English Nation, will not allow me to.
give any other construition to youtSfatement.
The. result of this explanation, Sir, is, *that
the mode adapted,. since November x 7497, far the
subsistence and treatment of Prisoners of War,
had chiefly in view tolimeliorate their condition;
the Consuls of the Republic, in declining to *ob-
serve this mode anr longer, for- the reasons be-
fore stated, are nevertheless deterinined to tie.
glees no means, iti order .to ensure. the seine circa.

They have, in consequence, ordered me to as-
sure you, that,' from the Ist of Nivose next,
when all remittances of money from England to
France; and froM France to England, for the sub-
sistence and treatment of Prisoners of War, arc
to tease, your colintrytien 'm France shall be
treated, whether in health or sickness, with even'
attention due to 'their rank and situation ; and
that, with a view -to etcir food being better
adapted. to their mode of living in their 01% ii
Country, they shall receive, both ashore and in
every other place detention, the ration fixed
by the Fourth Article of the C.atel of Exchange.
As this order of things will place. France. and
England, with regard to the Prisoners made by
each-oftte two rowers, on the footing on which

meg
stood rcvtOus to , data nth of Novemtkii
79.701'm Co;',tul* of the french 4triblic desitts
Lhat 'the English Commissary at Paris, and tlie
French Commissaiy at London, may not inter-
fere., after the tst Nivost next, in any details re.
lative to the Prisoners of Weir, exceprin the ease*
specified*in the -3d Article of the Cartel of tlii
I 3th Septeniber, ..1798.
They have parricularry direftext me fo *lnc
you,. that the said Cartel shall be executed with
that strict attention to good faith, which gill
charaelerize all theafts of die 17rcneh Consuls';
'and that, if they have felt it their duty' '.'l:lCrs'l.
the present eircurnstlnces, to r,:!..qn ;.Ish the
former system of management with repeet to
Prisoners of War, they, at tlle 'Tame time, under..
stand, that the two Belligerent Powers may, on
the return of a general Pea. e, bring fortvard such
claims for compensation, is may then be dectnea
necessary.
I have the Honour to be, 4,:c,
(Signed)

Niou.

NUIIII3gR VI.
bind'
t $t,G. _trem.,,er, 1799, ettrei;,-,,,,d10g to tlir 27re
rcar c :be Frc.:r v Ref
CohiiIISSART OF THE FRE-NCH GOVEItri«.
mENT IN ENGI.Akp, Tu Mit. I)II.NOAS., sECRE.-
TART OF STATE, AND ONE OF THE pAINcji,AE
/4.IINIsTEItS 01 SRI
,MAJESTY.

A severe illness hamingsonfined me to ioy .bett
for almost the, last eight days, I ' was unable to
attend to the dispatch of the Letter I had the
honour of rafting. yott on the 24th Frimaire
(tsth Deee.Ml9).; in . consequence of which, by
54)111* omission .in rny Office, an attested Copy of
the Arret4l of the :Consuls of the,French Republic,
relative to Alit subsistence of the Prisoners of
War detained, in the two.Coubtries, was not in..
closed.
Having this moment only been informed Of the
omission; I hasten to repair it by transmitting
the Paper in quistion; a Copy of which was of-
ficially sent to the Commissioners of the Trans,
port Office last Sunday:
I have the Honour to bei &c.
(Signed)

Niou.

NUMBER VII. • - •
—Liberty. Eva:l;6).
EXTRACT FR9":a THE ItiCIATER OF THE PELT-
BERATIO'.,ZS 01- IHE CW(s'o'63ol: TI!E RtrustlC:
Fair, i iiimaire; Eighth Year of Reptilir,
0)e rnd indbvtaie. (20 Nvv. Im.)
The Consuls of the Republic decree-,
Ant. I. The barrel siin'ed the 13th Septenu
her, 1798, sharbc,riithfillifexecuted.
ART; IL The English Prisoners of War in
France shall-be treated-in cbnformity to the regn.
lations establ:she,l by di, 4th'Aticle of the said
Cartel: 4

ALx•r. 111. The French Commissary it Lou-
don, and the English Commissary at Paris, are
not to interfere in any details relative to the Pri-
soners of War, except in the cases specified in the
3d Article of the ,said Cartel.

ART. IV. All remittances of money, whether
from. England to France,' or from France to
England, destined for any otherpurpOse than thAt
provided by the 3d -Article, shall remain suspend_
cd from the nit N hose Izist Dec: 1799), and
the adjustment, of such compensations a may be
deemed reasonable, shall be reserved until the re.
turn of General Peace.

Mr. V. The Commissary of the French Go..
vetninot nt Lo; don shall be furnished with in-.
strudions in 'conformity to the present Art.,
The Consuls of the ;.Republic,
(Signed) St EYSt.
BuNAPARTE.
ROGER DG Cos.

The Secretary General,
(Signed) Huou as 13. MAR ET.
The Commissary of the French Goveninent
in England, (2ig,ned) J. Moo.
•fly the Commissary of Ole I, tench Go ,Trinnent,
(Signed) CA R C Sec.
[No direa Answer was given to M. Niou's Let-
ters ; the intentkns or Government, as stated
in the Duke of. Portland's Letter, having been
conveyed to hill through the Commissioners of
the Transport Service, by whom ho was, at the
same time, infornr:,l that no official communi,
cation from him respeding Prisoners could be
receivcci through any other channel.)

iIUOSER Vlll.
To*lstart-qffire, the. I.Q, 1799•

SIR,

By direition of tilt: Right Hon. the Lori
Comroissionets •of the Admtraity, we send you
the inclosed Copy of a Letter, dated the 15th
instant, which theit Lordships had received fruit

his Grace the Duke of Portland, in the, absence
of Mr. Secretary Dundas, on ,the sulajcet of the
Communication made by the. French Government
to Captain Cotes, at Path, respeaing the future
maintenance of the English and French Prisoners
at War, now detained in the respedive Coun•.
tries.

We are, &c.
(Signed) R.I.7PRICr GrORGE.
Q}IN SCHANK.
• V. A. °TWAY.

Al. Mau.

NUMBER IX.
Tr.fx4ort.o.sce, March 2 ?

St Itt

It having been represented to us, that the
French Prisoners of War, confined at Norman
Cross' are in great want of doodling, we feel it
our duty to acquaint you therewith, in ordet
that you may take such measures you may
i „Igo proper, for causing them to Ix; supplied
with such Articles as are necessary.
We are, Ba.
(Signed) Iturswr OVORGE.
AMAILOSE
W. A, ()TWAY.
,At.