The Sun.
London, England, 1801-01-23 00:00:00

CO RESPONDENCE

WITH TER'

FRENCH ,GOVERNMENT RELATIVE TO
PRISONERS OF WAR-. •

ContinueaVroof our Pater of Yesteritiy,)

At A Meeting held at the COuncil House in the
City of Bristol, the 3Oth December, i Soo.
• ' PRESENT,
The Right Worshipful the MA YOU.
• `His Majesty's Commissioners
Ambrose Serle, But. of the Transport, .and Sick
lames Johnston, M. D. , e and wounded, Boards.
'Mr. Alderman l)aubeny
Mr. Alderman Noble •
Mr. Alderman Harvey
Lieutnant.General Rooke
Sir SaMnel Fludycr„ Bart.
Major Tynte, Second Somerset Militia
Captain Brown, Enniskillin Dragoons .
Captain Clarke, Second Somerset MiltUa
'Lieutenant Broughton, ditto
John Pinney,'Esq.
Thoinas Pearson, Esq.
'fohn Lewis, Esq.
Mr. George Webbilall
Mr. Thomas Batchelor
'Mr. Thomas Ands' «s
Mr. John Payne Berjew
Lieutenant Ormsby,; Agent for the Prisoners at Stapleton,
Thomas York ? Butchers
Andrew Goss employedrby Alderman Noble.
Samuel Wallis, Baker
The Commissioners introduced the bustness by
observing, •
That in conseciuence.of his comMunicatian to''
Government respecting the.. French Prisoners at
Stapleton, they had requested the Mayor to ad.:
mit of this' present Meeting, before him, with
which rest he had politely complied: It is
the Cause of Humanity and of National Honour
which is now before them, to Which the feelings
of Englishmen are„ and always were, most emi-
, newly alive. In a word, it is the Charaderistic
of the Nation.
Above twenty thousand French Prisoneirs have
.been thrown upon the: compassion of this Coun-
try, having been abandoned by their own
vernment in a manner :contrary to. the Aisage of
civilized nations, and exposed to perish from the
want.of Cloathing. On the other hand, ,the-Bri.
tish Government provided in- this respeCt for all
our Countrymen carried Prisoners. into France.
Though the most urgent remonstrances had. been
matte on the, subjeel, bdth through the French.
Agent in London and the English• Agent at Paris,
they had hitherto been without eifeet, and almost
without • attention. In these remonstrances it
had been repeatedly stated to the French Govern-
ment throughout the smitiner,. and down: to the
approach of winter, what serious conseqtremes
must necesSarilrensue to the' health of their peo-
ple : consequences,, such as. no. Food could. re.
lieve,. nor Medicine prevent ; such as nothing but
a suitable and timely provision of .Cloaths.tould
obviate, by defending the :unhappy men from ;the
. rigours of the season,' Whar Was foretold, has,
in some degree, already came to pass, The' ood
which.kept the Prisoners it . health during the
'summer, and in a stare of health beyond fbrmer
example in proportion; to their numbers, tould
not be expected to save them from pulmonary and
those other disease;; which unavoidably 'must at.
tack the human frame exposed to damps and to

cold.
. Without Cloatbing -it will be• impoisible, be
their food wiat it may, to preservee their' lives..
it ,was therefore the intention of GoVernment. to
• take up a business., so far at least as may beab,.
iolutely necessary, which, with equal injustice
. to this Country and cruelty to their own people,
has' been entirely omitted by the. Enemy. The
Commissioners observed, that: they stt uld. en.
deavour,, on their part; to alleviate thd. mitfor.
tunes of these deserted Prisoners as. much as pos..
sible, anti should cheerfully recommend to Go.,
yermnent some further means, which they had in
contemplation, for the redation Of their distress.
• it was, however, with some degree of pain,
that they thought it necessary to observe the ex-
, Wine profligacy" of the Prisoners themsel,os,
who were, for the .Most.part, men captured in
lirivatccrs, which had been'fitted out to plunder
our. ...OMMerce. •
They Were, as it might 4C expeard, hi general
the lowest of a nation; not too.remarkable for
. their purity of 'principle or of Comilla, Siich, it
must be said, was their common prolligacy and
invincible love of gaining is all the depPits, that
they had been led to sacrifice their present ration
Of. Provisions, their Cloathing, the Bedding, sup_
plied,by our Government, and whatever else :they
could procure, to the indulgence of thi!s miserable
vice, It was far frontthe wish of the C0111:1U15•--
siOners to speak hardily of men inCaptivity ; but
they had Many strong reasons to fear, that nineh
of the, intended supply, of ClOaths would presently
vanish, without imparting the comfort intended
by it. They were, however, authorized to
make the experiment, and- should gIA in the'
event to find, that Cl)* e>.pOtations were un-
founded. •
..
The Commissioners stated, , that, .with regard.
,to the. business of this meeting, Governreent hav_
ing received a Letter from the .tight • Worshipful,
the MayPT of this City, irl'elosillg another: signed
by Messrs :Thomas Batchelc?r and Thotnis An-
drews,; they should desire them to be read, and
sueli questions to be propowd to the parties COO.
cerried, as, might • lead to the diseovery of the.
ritke4.t. truth., which it, ss is their and
tlwir duty to embrace, wherever it might be
, found.