Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-09-16
LYNCHBURG, FRIDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER 16. 1859.
9ailg Iirsiniaa.
The Galley Slaves ct Toulon.

Toulon without eaying word Of tho galley slaves
OF. torcdts. There are in the arsenal. aud yard
45O0, who do NIL the honvy work. They drug
the materials about, and some are employed in
saving timber. Tho worst are attached in cou-
piles by heavy chains passing roand tho ankles
and waists, and lnked together The better be-
hayed nrc allowed to 20 singly, roned in tho same
way, with the exception Of the connecting chain.
They are clothed in coarse canvas trousers nni
Shirts branded with their numbers and WOOL
len jacket. Those who are condemned for life
Wear long green woolen peakless cap, some
thing like nightcap with the top cut off and
made square. On the front of tho cap lsa tim
plate with the number of tho wearer punched out.
the convcts who arc condemned for number OF
years distinguished from the others by rcd
caps, and those who have been more than once to
the Bugne by yellow sleeves TO their jackets.
Their faces close shaven, bronzed by exposure
to the sun, and brutalized by criu,c. are fearful
To behold and their rcpulsye appearance il hoight-
encd by their hair being notched short in lines
running round tho head. in order to facilitate
their recognition should they escape. At night
they lilo down on inclined lengths of planking.
without mattress or covering in twenties or thir-
tics, and nm iron rod is through the leg chains
ot each, 50 that no one can move without the rest
Their food consists Of brown brrGd, not NIL wheat
en- flour, soup and hdtricoiS It tcrcS bcons. No
wine or tobacco is allowed. but the canviets are
permitted to receive lof II month from their
friends with Which they mny purchase any eaa
bl's they please. The greatest aud most dcgrn
ding punishment, which must also be the great
est obstacle To reformation, is ehainirg tho men
in couples Youths over sixteen may DO seen
chained to old men tain,e with every vice.
aknS or sleeping the CompJgionS dc cbd,ne are
never separated until freedom or death removes
one OF them. In spite of the hideons costume and
ard rcNultlng appearance ot tho torcdfs there
were some Who stll exhibited races Of their for
Ilpr xl,,.n
ccd through their convict garb. One in raiticu-
lar, standing nearly xix feet high, and who in
tcntly watched the arrival Of wounded French
soldiers from l'alv, struck me ON account OF the
perfect ease aud grace with which be moved.
bnwing to the guardians passing by, although his
actions we accompanied by the horrd clanking
of his Chains. At the time of my visit | was told
that thcIe were then among the fHcdts Colonel
DE- Cercg, WHO commanded II re ,imcnt ut Marscil-
les III lSjl, who Was charged with the execution
Of the cop Il ctai in this town, aud who was
subsequent, convicted Of escroqncric; Capt Dol
eau, Chet d'aa bureau Irdb convicted of having
conspred to murder an Arab chief; Lieut.. dc
Mercy, convicted of having unfairly aud with
premcdninn slain anothcroiheur when tipsy in
a duel; tho chief army accountant (chc,f bompta-
bie), whr was sont To the Crimea, the two mama
gers of the bank of Toulon. and six dIbes and
there ale more who manage to keep their fol mer
calling secret
An eminent painter Is cnlinen To II ulsun2nlSt-
Cd mcncr of the Paris bar, and between them
| they ketp the accounts Of one department of the
prison. while Of lawyers aud notares there is no
end. Among the iulcais are men of all nations,
rs of all ranks in society. We contrbctc our
quota, oEe--an Enslishmnn, who was arrested Mt
Calais, with forged notes IN his possession, aud
whn there is every reason Ia believe guiltlcss
ot any criminal intention. He has recently been
brought to Touun from Rochcfort. is cnnsumptive
and not allowed to wear flannel although permit
ted h. do so in Rochelor. There is also ha2y
rnmor nf British peer of the realm being among
the fncoiS but, as no one has ever seen him; it
may be dismissed us II myth. To the present
Government IF France is due the merit of cndcav
uring t. deal with the great social evil, the Bag
nes, where Wee stngnatcs, and grows more hide
Gus, to be again let loose society. Penal set
Elements hayo been formed in Africa and French
Guiana. to which some Of the conyicts have bren
removed. Toulon is now the only Bagne; tho>c
of Rochrfort and Hrcst have been abolished; but
still the work goe" on very slowly.
Three cargors Of 800 each have. been shpped
III. yet their places nearly all filled up by new
arrivals. Moreover, it would appear that the
.torcdts cannot be legally compelled to g unless
they choose. They condemned to hard la
blr in the duckyards and nrsenals IF the State,
and not TO transportation. To coax them to go
abroad, they promised that on their arrival
they shall BE relieved Of their chains and allowed
the free use Of their limbs. But NJ great il their
dread Of Lambessa and Cayenne, and the craven
fear Of DEATH that they prefer the letters aud hor
rors of the Bagne mt Toulon to comparative in
dependence at these two French colonies. Az one
of their guardians characterized them. "7ous ces
assassias etroieurs sont si iaches its ont pour de
m0urir. - Times Correspondent.