North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1839-05-29


ted; and he had no other bed TO sleep on
than the bare floor Of the ship under eli
mate where the fall is as rigorous, if not more
so, than as our severesl winters in Europe.
Mr.. Du Calvet thought a, first that il was
an act OF economy on the part Of the sail
ors, he then offered to provide himself with
the necessary articles and the harsh master
of the ship Mr.. Atkinson then Commander,
told him that so much condescension was
contrary TO his orders, adding with po-
likeness becoming mariner, that the floor
'oas too good for a prisoner Of his descrip.
tion. Mr.. Du Cavet had nothing ON
board OF this vessel but sailed and mouldy
provisions, which affected very much his
constitution, so much so that he spit,ed
blood and had all the appearance of an
emaciated phantom and living skeleton,
hardly recognizable to his own guard; his
friends could not see him till after long
period, and then very rarely; the visits
were very short and under the superintend-
ance Of witnesses. And his son, six or
seven years of age! ah. never was he
allowed to see him once, to console by his
presence his unfortunate father who was
in irons.
AT length on the 18th November it was
though, advisable for appearance sake to
accede to the remonstrances of Mr.. Da
Cavet, and his prosecutors appeared az
least to be willing to alleviate his fate
Under guard of soldiers he was taken TO
the military Jail Of Quebec II was sort
OF refined barbarity that caused this change
in the theatre of his imprisonment. His
new lodgings were the true picture of a
sepolchre, no rays Of the sun could pene-
trate there, it was constantly damp, and
was never made for the abode of human
being. Under the French Government it
was used as military stable. 1t was a
spacious vault in the ground paved with
large unpublished stones with aboat twelve
dragon beds with five or six mangers
full OF dirt and filth, ashes with pieces OF
rotten cloths, and other sinking stuff.
Some Of those managers had even been used
as privies by the Dragons and prisoners
who had been before Mr.. Du Calvet in
that abominable place, and then contained
the filth with which they were full.
What place for man Of such respecta-
bic connexions in France, honored by the
English Government with situation in
the magistracy, and distinguished for his
fortune, even among the Canadian nobili>
ty! Scarcely had Mr.. Du Calvet inhaled
the corrupt air OF this filthy sewer when no
was nearly thrown down by the terrible
poisonous stencil Of thesfrst vapours. In
the name oil the weakness to which he
was reduced, and of weeping humanity,
which under allcivilized governments ughs
to protect his person, even when in chains,
he solicited with tears in his eyes, the liber-
ty to have these hangers cleaned of their
contents, & such cleaning which is done
even for the health of brutes was denied to
the supplicant. Oh shame!i That dirt
was left as the inseparable companion
of his captivity; it seems he was condemn
ed to rot alive with all the horrors of rot
tenness. This object was so apparent that
it struck with horror the Deputy Surgeon
Of the Garrison, at the first inspection he
made of this government jail. He remon-
strated severely against snch monstrous
abomnation, nevertheless several weeks
passed before his remonstrances with those
of the prisoner could prevail on barbsrity,
to diminish its excuses.
At length on the 18th Dec, for his last
TRANSPORTATION Mr.. Du Calvet was trans
ferred to the Reeollets Convent, one of the
wings OF which, destined once to chain and
scourge the refractory monks, had been
changed into State military prison. The
keeping Of it was entrusted TO its first
monachal jailor the REvEREED FATHER
BERRY, a man who under the monks
habit, has not only the ferocious heart Of
dragon but also the Internal soul ola hang