The Sun.
London, England, 1804-07-21 00:00:00

ENGLISH PRISONERS. IN FRANCE.

I'n IMIOVVing 1R an account of die treatment which
our gall,int Countrymen, wba b:tppen, by the for.
tone of War, to fail into the hands of, Frenchmen,
are rinontra to suffer at this moment. It forms a
trintrags to the treatmeta which French Prisoner.,

_ ..T
Meet' with in iris Country, highly honourable to
our Nit-tonal Chitrad,!r, and -may seve to sh--,w what
we might expea, we wcAre• haw enough to suffer
Great Britain to fall -andsr. Gallic Protcaida ! The

account 19 e,lmmtinicated by a 6entlenidn Ludy re.

to this Country.
" At the Pwrts English Prisoners are first brought
to, they are kqt under the. 'most close and crowd.
•ed confinement, ,in unwholesome places (often deep
dungeona), until opportunities offer for trans.
porting them to the del aits ultimately fixed. on.
They are locked up in these iniverable apartments
day and night, without being permitted in go out
for any necnssary occasitip or reasani tvllatevt r.---
\Vivi ord.-is come for removing to the aforemen-
tioned -i1:14,:5, they ire marched on foot from prison
to prison, under ail the restrietions already dc.
scribed, on no other nourishment than bla'ck bread
.and water, and a Very scanty allowance of straw,
scattered on ,tone fhors, for bedding, hut without
covering. The consequence of this usage is, that in
lung
.Hl-flies (as distant as from Brest at,d Bay.
'onne to Valenciennes, Giver and Charletnont),
ninny fall under the weight of `their ,sufferings, and
are thrust into miserahle telleMents called hospital',
where, for want of proper medical and other attend.
:Ince and i:omforts, they in general pay ,the debt of
nature, paiticularly so in the winter' season. It
is to he renfalked, at the same time, that the Gerry
d' A:rme.r, w ho are appointed to guard these unhappy
people, force their prisoners to on, however
• crippltd and otherwise sitekly, as long 'as, in theiy
opinion, there is no apprehension of imminent data.
ger of
,de.Ath. The Gentleman above alluded to was
at Valenciennes from the b:ginning of February to
June 'last, and was a witness to the sUfferings of
the prisoners there, (titrd it is similar, Or rather
worse,, .at other prisons). Their number at his first
arrival amounted .to ahnot soo ntcn (since increas.
ed' to upwards 'of boo). They were cOnfined in
the ciiadei, and unprovided with either bedding or
covering, save, the yet); small_ portion of straw be.
fore •rn,:ntioned ; and as a considerable number had
been stripped almost naked by the Privateer's people
who captured them, their situations vette deplo.
rable•beyond description, nd became at length SO
glaring, that, a few things .W ere distributed to some
of them, when the season WO intenselyinclement.—
The: subsistence allowed was a • ration. 'of black
bread and three 'solo per day, two of which solo
were represented as being furnished from the'
British GoVernmetir, and only the other one by.
that of the French.,: This scanty supply being
inati-quate to the poor people's wants, they in con.
sequence, and owing to their:having no means of
shifting, and cleansing. themselves, fell ill in great
numbers, and were hurried to the 'withal, (a place
equally dc,tlttitc of proper aeentlittiOdation its the
where being thrown itrotniscuou4athongst
patients Aided with various disorders and diseases,
and much cro sled, tite greater number did not long
stir v flit! Such 1141 ry . An -Engthil Witdical 'Gentle.
man most humanely gave his assistance at ,this time,
'and saved the lives of many British subjeas. He
at length caught the infeCtion, and had nearly- fallen
a CiCI lice to it. Alter his recovery, however, he
wits wit dcwrted from resuming his praiseworthy
empH•ct-.,ht—and also did every thing else in his
power, by representition,'to induce the French Go.
to aticntl,to the miserable situation oldie
paitoc,., hut without Old hitt/log even to pay for
all the medivine.ii furnished on this occasion out,oF his'
own private pUrse. It is greatly, to 7 be lmented,
there is no persint on the spot sufficiently power.
ful and interested to interfere in behalf of our dig.
tressed countrymen ; for although it'is understood
that a very Beral sUbScription has been some titne
back remitted for their relief, no part of it, is yet
distribtred, nor is there the smallest appearance of
such a dispositton.taking place—whilst in the mean.
time, that this mercy is so illiberally and dishonest.
Iy withheld, the unhappy objeds for whom it is
intended ate labouring under the cxtreille,q
!amity." •

The following in an account of the Silver Bullion
implied into His Majesty's Mint, and the amount
of Silver Monies coined, from the 18th day of
March, 1797, to the 3lst by of .December,•lBo3,
specifying the dates when the bullion was received

'say ate INIFOXTED.
natt. Stand,ted
t7O, IN. (a, dw. gr.
Apil 4 - Etit Io o
- 13 • - log 2 f ,9 2x
--7-• 14 - 434 In Sl7
May f 24!1 4 II 14
370 2 11 22'
470 i 2 3

Valat.

ply 6

I. s. d.
095 7 2 23 30,676 7 to
411.VtR,)/10131Es CuINSD.'

Small Silver ebni.istinr, of penny, twopenny,
Penny tnur,penny pieces, provided fur 1113 Jesty/s
otal amount coined 278 8 .0
No other silver monies coined at die Mint have
been delivered within,the period of this account.
The coinage of the silver bullion imported in 1798
was suspended an the 9th if May Of that year, by.a
vert:,al order t,f the Lords of the committee of Privy
Cuuncil, appointed to. take into consideration the.
state of the coin ; and subsequently by an Aft of
Varliatnent (38 Geo. 111. ch,..59).