The Sun.
London, England, 1801-01-16 00:00:00

16
The Republic (it has been said) may easily pro.
vide for the subsistence of English Prisoners, be.
cause there are very few in France." But if the
chance of war has thrown t greater number of
Prisoners into the power of Great Britain, the
duties of humanity ought certainly to plead more
forcibly in their favour, in preportion as their
!umbers increase at tile respedive Deptits. And
on the other hand, ought not the Russians, the
Austrians, Neapolitans; Bavarians, &c. now Pri-
soners in France, to be taken into the account ?
Their number is at least equal to that of The
French confined in England. Are they not sub.
sisted at the •expence of ;the :'Republic ?:.And do
not the Subsidies paid to their tespeaive Sove-
reigns appear to assimilate them to. British Sub.
,setts I'
I have also been told, " Tliat the people here
are not hotter fed than the. Prisoners." If the
Scarcity of Provisions is so notorious that Go-
vernment, notwithstanding its, solicitude, cannot
relieve the wants of the people, shy should Go-
vernment unnecessarily increase the consnmptioe
by feeding mote than 22,000 individuals ? have
already bud thc honour of laying. before you two
preposals on Ahis subjett, namely, that I?f* ran.
sowing the Prisoners, or that of sendieg them bck
to France on 13401 e.,. Either, of these alternative,
would afford an, effeetual remedy . for the. evil in
question,; the plan of Parole has already been
adopted with respeet to French Fishermen, No
complaint of want of punduality in this arrange_
Merit has hitherto arisen. A. measure of the same
nature for all the otherPrisoriers woUldbe equally
sacred, for no Government unquestionably would
allow itself to bleak an engagement of this de_
scrit;iree: ,

11 neither of these proposals' are aCredee. to by
the British Government, -there still whams ano_
ther resource, hitherto solicited; in vain'hy the
Priwners themselves, but whiih, hoWever, has'
never belt :0 twit ,deniedtby arty Governrnent to
the 'greiibst Criminals÷tlie‘
,resource "of their
own indtwry. The ingenious, but frivolous ar... ;
tieles, tuanUfa6tured by. these unfortunate persons
from the bones which are left of their rations, lit
are admired. What advantage might 'they not
derive from their industry, if they were allowed
to employ it upon °Netts or trade I Labour
would, beguik the hours of tedious Captivity,
and even the Nation, at whose expence they, arc
subsisted, would be benefited by their exertions.
I have the. Honour to be, Sic.
(Signed) OTTO.

3,lts

NUMBER XXIX.
Tramp'? Office, 14vorOrr t, 18co.

We have received your Letter of the 29th of
last month, relative to the preient state of the
French Prisoner, of War in 'this Country, and
have, agreeably to your desire, transmitted it to
the Lords Commissioncrs of
,the Admiralty, for
their consideration ; but, at the same time, we
cannot help observing, that the distressed situa,
tion which you represent the Prisoners to be in,
is entirely owing, either to their being totally
destitute of eloat hini, or to their own imprudence, 11
in disposing of their provisions by gaining, and not,
as .you assert, to.an insufficiency of the ration
of provisions issued to them, which is fully
enough to keep men, living without labour, in
a general state of good health, and certainly af-
fords more subsistence than a great part of the
labouring People of this Country is able to pro.
cure, being, as you well know, a full'pound of
bread, eight ounces of fresh beef, and above a
quart Of soup,eompounded of vegetables Or peaSe,
tor each man per diem....,.
We q-iterated to you, in- our several Letters
of the 2 ist of March, 24th of May, 28th of Au-
gust, .11th of September, and 17th of last month,
:he miserable situaiiiin of the Prisoners at all the
deptms, from the want of Cloathing,' ,anci the me-
lancholy consequenve that were to be'expeeted
to ensue, if thel,'rench Government did not cause
them to be supplied with that necessary .article,
previous to the commeneerilent of the cold wea
ther.
in; giving you such tiMely premonition, we
eerta.inly,did all that was incumbent on us to do,
or that. Tiotnanity diaated; and we. have no he-
sitation jn saying, that if the French Govern-
meat had expended a few thousand pounds in-
providing cloathing for-their People in this Coun-
try,. in laroper time, the greater part of the evils
of which you now compliins would nut have ex..
fated:

As it is certainly the duty of every State to
provide for the support of its People while in
captivity, so, whatever may have been its ar.
rangement; with respect to Victualling, it has
been the custom, in all formef Wars between
Great Britain and France, for each Country to
provide Cloathing for its own Subjeets ; and
agreeably to this custom, all.the British Prisoners
In France, as well as the Russian Prisoners taken
in Holland, are now actually supplied with Cloath.
ing by our Agent, Captain. Cotes, at the expence
cif this Country, although you state as a reason
for the French Government not Cloathing_ their
People here, that the British Prisoners in France
are cloathed .at the expel= of your Government.
Whatever may latterly have been the areas of
the Prisoners. wanting Cloathing, it cannot be
denie,d, that, until very lately, the Prisoners at
all the depins, were generally in as good a state
of health as at any' former period, even when
vietualled by their own Country. Some, indeed,
had fallen viainis to an invincible spirit of gam.
ing, hyspottin away thele.laitloWance of 'Provi..
skins as Well .as their Cloathing, and the Bedding
with which they thad been amply supplied by us ;
but we believe, 'that the. number that has tilos suf.
tired, has hitherto 444 .bega. very considerable.
In our I.4e4ers Oltha 2,0 of Aptil, and zoth of
.we represented to you fully the effeets
of this,pernicious praetioo, „which bad become. so
prevalent, in the ptispos j and. we, propowil to you
ir pleasure, w hich, if adopted., wg Ootibt not, woad
have g te,rt kirl4la to ,put.. 4; ittße to,, it ; hutefor