[4] “One evening, when some French persons in the town, were sitting with me, some one desired to speak with me. I went out to him in the ante-room, and he began to state to me, in a voice which must be audible in the room where they were sitting, the ingratitude of the French government towards him, and to request me to communicate to the British Admiralty, a plan which he had discovered, of destroying a whole fleet of ships of war. I simply told him, that I was there as a minister of religion, and could not enter into anything of a military, or political nature.
“At another time, the Count de L, a Flemish nobleman, introduced himself to me, in what way, it does not now occur to me. I had not the least suspicion of him; and even when my French friends cautioned me, I thought they were only angry with him, because he spoke so much against that people and government. Even this circumstance gave me no distrust, because it was common with the Flemings. However, he was so ultra in his remarks, saying that they had scarcely a human countenance, and things equally absurd, that I inclined to the opposite side of the question, and never said anything that could be laid hold of, not from suspicion, but from a cautiousness, which had become habitual.”
[5] “Dr. Lawmont, the surgeon of the ship commanded by the unfortunate Captain Wright, and who afterwards practised as Physician at Glasgow, obtained permission, about two years after my removal to Givet, to go and reside at that depôt, in the exercise of his profession. He was making the journey on foot, when a party of gens d’armes, who were conducting some felons, overtook him; and in spite of his passport, which he produced, he was strung to them by the hand, and marched to the next brigade. What then would such persons do, under a condemnatory order from the Minister of War.”
[6] “Mr. Lee and Mr. Maude visited me at Givet, and went into the hospital with me. I stayed behind to speak to the men, when one of them took the opportunity to go out to them, and say, that he had not received his share of some money which I had obtained for them from Captain Brenton, and which from dishonesty on the part of a person he employed, had not been paid to them. At that moment I came up, and to the great surprise, I suppose, of the man, confirmed all that he had said. I informed them that when the money had been paid, this man was not in the depôt, and did not get his share; and if they would get it for him, I should be very thankful; but having engaged the Captain to pay the money a second time, out of his own pocket, I had not the heart to apply to him a third. This they declined, and each of us gave the man something.”
[7] They were not all Wesleyans; but of that persuasion, jointly with those that hold the Calvinistic tenets.
[8] “General Monleau, who would willingly have ordered the death of half a dozen English in the mere hope of gratifying the Emperor, was complaining in a large party one evening, of the total impossibility of keeping the English midshipmen; and saying, that he had put them in the strongest dungeons in vain. ‘Je vous indiquerai, general,’ said a lady in company distinguished for her talents, ’un moyen sur.’ The general was all ears. ‘Mettez les sur leur parole, les Anglois sont esclaves de leur parole d’honneur.’”
[9] One day at dinner we were speaking of the final condemnation of sinners. The brother of Colonel D’Ivory who had been in the army, and was certainly a clever and intelligent man, said, ‘he did not understand how it could be possible for a priest to go out of the world in a state of condemnation.’ ‘Sir,’ said I, ‘did I understand you right? suppose he were a wicked man?’ ‘Mais oui, Monsieur, á tel moment que ce soit, il peut se confesser!’
At another time, I was laughing with a very sensible officer, who had been in the English army, at ignorant persons, who thought that any thing which had touched a certain image in that neighbourhood, was a preservative against the bite of a mad dog; when he took a silver ring from his finger, and said, ‘how then do you think I have been preserved from being bit all these years, but by this ring, which has been rubbed against the image?’
[10] “One day, previous to his departure, I was sitting in my room writing, when a gentleman was shewn in, dressed in the most elegant French uniform I had, perhaps, ever seen. Not having the least idea who it was, I bowed to him, and spoke to him in French. To my great astonishment, he answered in English, that, ‘understanding there would, probably, come some money for some of the men who were gone into the French service, he should be much obliged to me if I would forward it.’ I answered, I fear rather too angrily, ‘that I should certainly send the money back.’ ‘Then, sir,’ said he, ‘I have done my duty, and you will do yours.’ ‘I do not know, sir,’ I answered ‘what your notions of duty may be; but certainly, I shall not fail to do mine.’ He bowed, with extreme confusion marked in his face, and hastily went away.”