The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-06-01 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

JACK TARS IN A FRENCH GAOL.

When the depot was first established, distinction of rank or
character was unknown ; all were confined together in the
grand souter ain. Then, indeed, it deserved the name of the
"Place of Tears," for, by wbat,l heard of it was a pandemonium.
If the sailors, and those confined with them, had been tameable
animals, and would have studied their own welfare, they might
have been comfortable; but they were indomitable, being a
terror to their guards, who dreaded coming in contact with them.
If their liberty had depended upon overpowering the seventeen
gendarmes and one hundred veterans, (which composed the
garrison,) they would soon have liberated themselves. I shall
here relate one of their feati, as it was generally reported, in
order to elucidate their character. Among the prisoners, there
was an Englishman detained, suspected of being a spy, bearing
a colonel's commission in the Russian service. He was agreat
favourite with the sailors; and, having committed some offence
was being conducted to the cachet when they liberated him.
The whole garrison was turned out; which the men observing,
tan below, arming themselves, some with'billets of wood, and
others with pieces of the guard-bed, which they tore up for the
purpose, came up again and bade defiance to their guard, He
that assumed the leadership said to the others, "Let us not be
the attacking party; let us Wait till we see blood drawn from
any of us; and then we will fall upon them, and murder the
whole." The commandant and the general, seeing their attitude
so imposing and their determination so visible, gave up the
point; and the men returned to their usual obedience, which at
the best was little more than a state of mutiny. The standing
order was, that all light should be put out at eight o'clock ; but
when there was any new arrival, any rejoicing-night, or any
snipe (a cheap spirit distilled from potatoes) stirring, the order
-became a dead letter. When it was first issued, the gendarmes
would venture down to put them out; but often as they entered
the seater ain, away flew hats and shoes at their lantern, and,
when that was demolished, anything that could be laid hold of
flew after them, which cased a hasty retreat. They met with
no ()the? reception if ever they went down to suppress their
rows. They were horrified at a regular stand-up fight ; and
were anxious to separate the combatants, fearing they might kill
each other. At length the gendarmes had such a dread of going
among them, that they had to be accompanied by the veterans;
anal Ifie.commandant, finding the inutility of interfering, told
his men to leave them to themselves; and, if they chose to kill
each other, they were at liberty to do so: for his pat t, he would
listen to no more complaints, nor give the injured redress; and
that, henceforward, they must govern themselves. They took
him at his word; and, when thefts were committed, or anycrinie
that was thought worthy of publicinquiry, a court-martial was
held, and the accused brought before the accuser; when, if
found guilty, he was sentenced to so many stripes, which were
immediately inflicted, with such severity as would have surprised
those who set their faces against corporeal punishment 'under
any circumstance. Here were seamen flogging their fellow
seamen; and for what reason ? Because they could devise no
other punishment equally effective to keep each other's vices in
somesort of check. After the punishment had been administered,
the cat was given into the custody of the brigadier of the fort.—
Ellison's Prison Scenes.

CEDAR TREE.—The largest and oldest Cedar tree in this
kingdom, we believe the county of Leicester can boast of. It
is now growing in the park, at Quenby Hall, and from its thick-
ness and height, judges in such matters say that it is at least
four hundred years old. Historical tradition hands it down to
upwards of 300 years.—Leicester Herald.
'WONDERFUL IF TRUE.—The ex-member for Middlesex, in
writing to one of his Radical compatt iota on the subject of some
scheme that has miscarried, says:—" I have been at the expense
of circulating a letter all ?vet.
The the country, and as yet not a pe-
tition has appeared." intimation respecting the lack of
petitions is credible enough, but that that patriotic gentleman
should have " forked out" a single "Joey" to hare saved the
nation, or his own'seat in parliament, exceeds all reasonable be-
lief.

A BARBARIAN SHIELD.—It has been stated, that the corn-
, mender of the ship Strathisla, which vessel lately arrived alibis
port from the Malay coast, brought out ,a shleld, which had been
captured from the savages in Torres' Straits The shield is in
the shape of a tortoise, and in it are set, in a state of preserva-
tion, the heads of a captain of a ship, which belonged to this
port, and which was lost some time sipce, and seventeen of her
crew and passengers. The heads bear all the scars of wounds
which were inflicted on them. The captain's head is put in the
place representing the head of the tortoise, and a boy's is at the
tail, and either of the crew's on each side. A fac simile of the
horrid shield, as drawn from the original, is in the possession of
Meisrs. Sheldon & Co.—Bengal Herkaru.