"Some of the papers have circulated very idle reports relative to the arrival, in London, of 140 French soldiers; the story is precisely as follows: These unfortunate Emigrants, most of them descended from opulent, and illustrious, families in France, having saved themselves, with the French Princes, from the daggers of assassins, were necessitated, at the end of the campaign, to enter the service of Spain. They embarked, on the 4th Dec., at Bois le Duc, for Rotterdam, and from thence, they sailed in the ship David and Abraham, commanded by Captain Riendirk. It would be impossible to describe the bad usage they received on board. Obliged to lay upon the bare deck, without a bed, and fed with mouldy biscuit, and beer, mixed with salt water; in this lamentable situation they remained five weeks. These miserable men were covered with vermin, most of them, dreadfully galled with sores, and ulcers. Some had not changed their linen for two years and an half: others had no linen of any kind, and the clothes of the whole troop were in tatters. There is reason to believe that the Captain of the vessel proposed to sell them as malefactors, to be sent to Batavia. The ship, however, was driven on our coast, and as soon as our Government was apprized that these poor men were at anchor in Sheerness, they took every measure to soften the rigour of their fate. Two of their countrymen were dispatched to bring them to London. The barbarous inhumanity of the Dutch Captain was notoriously conspicuous, and we hope some measures will be taken to bring him to justice, and make him an example to others, to avoid similar acts of inhumanity."—(Times, Feb. 28, 1793.)
"It is said that Lord Moira, notwithstanding the strange part he acts in domestic politics, distributes the amount of £10,000 annually amongst the French Emigrants, who are only known to him by their distresses."—(Times, Dec. 27, 1797.)
"A French Emigrant was, yesterday, examined before Mr. Ford, at the Duke of Portland's Office, on a charge of being a Spy. The circumstances adduced were on the information of a Journeyman Shoemaker, against his Master, a Mr. Deboo, for making a pair of boots with a Cavity between the Soles; covered with sheet lead to prevent the wet perforating, for letters of a secret nature. After a long examination, it was proved that he was employed by the Duke d'Harcourt, on a mission to the officers of his corps in Germany, and, his papers containing nothing improper, he was discharged: but, the maker of the boots having been, for some time, considered a disaffected person, is to be sent out of the Kingdom under the Alien Bill."—(Times, Jan. 6, 1798.)
"In order to obtain a correct information of all the Foreigners who reside in this vast metropolis, and whose numbers are said to amount to 80,000, and upwards, Government has ordered the parish Officers to go from house, to house, and to take down the name of any foreigner who resides in the parish. This measure, we conceive, would become still more efficacious, if every landlord, or tenant, of a house, who lets out lodgings, were obliged to inform the Justice of the Peace, of every Foreigner who comes to lodge in his house, or leaves it. None but suspicious persons will have to complain of the severity of these measures."—(Times, March 11, 1797.)
POLITICAL.
With Politics I had no intention of dealing, but the book would be incomplete if there were no indication of the party strife of the period, so that I have been tempted to make a few extracts principally of 1793-4, when party spirit ran very high. The revelations as to Elections, will, probably, somewhat astonish the next generation.
"The Marquis of Lansdowne's carriage conveyed the whole phalanx of opposition, in the house of Lords, to their respective homes, after the debate of Friday night: and even then, one corner of the coach was unoccupied.
"The opposition in the Commons, who are a little more numerous, were all bundled into Mr. Fox's coach, and that of Michael Angelo Turner, with the assistance of a hackney-coach for Jack Courtney, and Jekyll.
"Opposition, sunk to a minority that is insignificant in the extreme, was afraid to try the question, on Friday, in either House, well knowing that they could not reckon more than a dozen, in the Commons, and three in the House of Lords. Must not this convince the French of the unanimity of the people of England?"—(Times, Feb. 4, 1793.)
"All the Members of the Opposition, in both Houses of Parliament, are to have a grand civic feast on Saturday next. Dinner is bespoke for FOURTEEN!!!"—(Times, Feb. 5, 1793.)