Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-10-12

had lost it's iutluetce) he was still deterni
ed to abandon the great nation aud becoou
an Englishman :, He replied that the be-
hayior of the English srmy had made pro-
found impression on the minds Of the peo-
pie OF those provinces: that they admired
our House OF Commons, an,l our free PRESS
that they were a generous people, worthy
Of sharing the privileges of the English con.
sutton, and that II desired it, he would
prove to me that their wish 70 become an in
tesral part of the British ,.npire existed az
he had already represented it. There the
matter ended went into the country
and never saw the gentleman afterwards.
The uther incident was ah anecdote relat-
ed atan evening party by physician, who
bad had an occasion t.. visit patient in d
cpurt Of the Fauxhvurg st. Antoine; where
he saw 2bout tauty Buys playing at sodi-
diers. They were drawn up with their six.
penny drum and triceloured paper flag
Theirleader a little ragged urchin, was
haraugipg them, and at the end of every
sent. nee, they cried out, Viue u .Empe-
Tsar y while their mothers looking at them
f.om the windows, encouraged them, by
exclaiming, braco, mes infahs, rire u pa
trte!' On such casual accidents did the POI
hce determine to .uonjure up conspiracy
with the ridiculOu S supposit,on that had
ceBnexions with the Fauxbourgs of st. An.
toiue, and that had entered Into censpi.
rssk 70 oyettpa, the states. My examina-
e Iste,l abouta week, and took W. some
hours every day. My papers were strange
lybuugled in the Translation. They made
me say that in the province above mention
ed, the inhabitants would prefer an Airi-
can Black prince to their present sovereign.
In one letter, abiding to France, said,
that this devoted country resented an
Immense volcano, that contained within It's
bosom all the combustibie elements of an
approaching erpptiOn." The word devOt
e,i was sapiently translated into maudit.
They Insisted on knowing the name OF the
hawker who sold the pamphlets, and also
ola protestant gentleman with whom | had
sotae conversation on the character of the
lnassacres of the south. His opinion was
that then troubles were literally religious
persecution. ] entertained the opinion
that they arose from a political reaction.
My reason was simply this that religi-
Gus persecution cannot exist in country
where religious opinions have no longer
any influence iii consequence of the utter
neglect into which religion has fallen since
the revolution. Be that as it may, they de-
mand to know the name of this protestant
SO that they insisted on my giving up the
maine of four persons. On my Offering up
these victims to their vengeance, was to
be liberated, and if | refused, was to be
tried for my life. did not hesitate,
perempterily refused. hastily drew up
an explanatory defence of my motives in
writing 10 my friends upon French s9aies,
with the intention of havingit inserted in
the examination but Neutrality-suspicious. would
only insert very small part oft In that
paper, asserted that every person has the
right to write confidently to his friends on
any subject whatever-That my intention
in writing upon French affairs was to ed
bic friend To form an opinion for himself
on the probable duration OF tranquility IN
France.
that besides quoting facts excited the o.
piri0ns of men Of all parties in France, whn
all coneurred in one point that the present
French ministers are divided among them.
selves /; that they do net possess talents to
cohciliate the temper or to excite the coni
dence of the French people; that thea
c0uncils'aie dIscordant and vasciialipg =
that the probable result of their administ a
ton will be discord and civil war. That
in case the facts and opinions stated in my
papers were true, the French minister:
onght 10 regard me as channel through
which wholesome truths had reached them
That on the other hand, should there be
any exaggerations in the opinions which
bad formed Of French affairs, of what i'm
portsnce were they to the ministers o
Rance, since they never were meant to b,
rpblished' During my interrogatOry,
was tod chat foreigners have no right {,
speak or write upon Preach affairs. On
this doctaine, L.simply observed, that thu
fate of France Influenced that of other nat.
oDs that the French revolution had inlu.
enced the fate of every family in Europe
and that it would be as impossible for TO-
reigner to be Indifferent to French politics
as it would be for one who lives at the foo
of a volcano, not to watch with anxiety th,
moment its approaching eruption.
[ shall now speak of the dungeon int,
which was thrown, and of the horribl,
treatment ] experienced in order to max,
me confess the names of the persons allud
ed TO. The cruelty, with which was trea
ted appeared extrsordinaryeven to French
men and 4 could obtain no other answe
to my repeated remonstrances on this sub
ject, than that the ministers were exces
sively irritated against me. because hac
hurt their feelings, btesse Ienr amour pro
pre-. The dungeons of the prefecture ar
called the dungeons " La Sale ST. Mar
tin" They are all Of immense size, tei
feet two inches by twenty. Mine was Ma
Is, ADD contained four beds during a grea