“But it may well be supposed that Satan did not view these things with indifference. The tares were soon sown among the wheat, and in time they grew up together. The first instrument in the hand of the enemy, was a defection among the men, by going over to the French; in which, however, those that professed religion distinguished themselves in a very honourable manner. I had found, that on two or three occasions, an Irish officer, who was in the French service, (whose name I do not mention, in the hope that he may have repented of a course so disgraceful, and that it may have been overlooked by a generous country,) had been in the prison; and by bribery, and by giving them liquor, had each time induced some of the men to go with him into the French service. To have interfered personally in this matter, it may well be supposed, would have been a sure way of my being removed from the depôt. I, however, spoke to the Commandant on the subject of the youngsters; and, appealing to him as a father, requested that he would not allow any of them to take a step which would be their ruin; however much they might wish it, in order to recover their liberty. And this he readily promised, and shewed indeed a desire to do.
“Some time after this, I was preparing to go into the neighbourhood of Sedan, where Colonel D’Ivory, who commanded the engineers in the English army in Portugal, was then residing. I was very desirous of visiting a congregation of French Protestants in that town; and accepted an invitation from the Colonel to stay a few days with him. Before I set off I found that the Franco Irish officer had again appeared at the depôt, and prevailed upon two or three of the men to go with him. I, therefore, went to the Commandant and said, that I waited upon him again, before I set off, to remind him of his promise respecting the youngsters. He assured me that none of them should go; and said, that there was not much to be apprehended, for the men took his liquor and laughed at him.
“My journey was not satisfactory, except as regarded the extreme hospitality and kindness of my host, and the pious and almost protestant conversation of Madame D’Ivory. Her health was exceedingly delicate, and she was unequal to exertion. And she spent her time in religious exercises and prayer; while she administered to the wants, and her maid even dressed the wounds of the poor around her. I could not but exclaim, ‘O si sic omnia!’ and lament the errors of her faith, and the almost ridiculous, if they had not been destructive, superstitions of persons about her.[9]
“How different was the case where I hoped to find religion in its purest simplicity! At the protestant temple I found the scriptures being read to literally empty benches; there was not one person present. At length the congregation began to come in, and the clergyman arrived. He preached a moral discourse; and seeing I was a stranger, and a minister, he very kindly asked me to dinner. I accepted, in hope of hearing something better in the evening. But the work of God was ended. I waited impatiently for evening service, but at length I found, that that rich and rather numerous congregation, was left to spend the rest of the Lord’s day in eating, drinking, and being merry. And I returned much disappointed and grieved.
“My kind host indeed had spoken slightly of this minister, and as the day was extremely bad, and the rain incessant, earnestly dissuaded me from riding four miles through very bad roads to Church. But I had attributed this partly to prejudice, and was determined at least to judge for myself. He however made particular enquiry, and afterwards wrote me word, that he thought it necessary to caution me against this minister, as he had had positive information, that he was deeply implicated in the revolution. I am indeed compelled to confess, that more than one of the protestant ministers whom I had met with, were not without some imputation, from the part they acted during that unhappy period. And a very general spirit of Socinianism, to say the least of it, prevailed at that time among the protestants of France. I have heard with much pleasure, that a great revival of religion has since taken place amongst them; and have been rejoiced to hear the decided sentiments which have been expressed by some of their ministers, at public meetings in this country.
“Returning to Givet, I was very much astonished to meet on the way, two or three considerable parties of our men. They passed me with downcast looks, and shame was strongly painted in their countenances; and I dared not speak to them, not doubting of the fact, and knowing that the consequence could only have been evil, without the least hope of good. When I arrived, I found that the men were so bent upon going into the French service, that it seemed as if a sort of infatuation had taken possession of them. And although I was persuaded that the object of the greater part of them was, to run away, and get home; yet they were in the mean time becoming traitors to their country, and exposing themselves, if they were taken, to capital punishment.
“In every point of view, therefore, it was most earnestly to be desired that this might be put a stop to. But how it was to be done was a far more difficult question. There were many reasons, both of right and policy, which engaged me to look on, as if I were totally indifferent; and the consequence of my not doing so, would probably have been, my being sent away; as a clergyman had already been, from one of the depôts, for only speaking to the men on the subject. I however thought that this was a case in which every thing was to be risked. This officer, I found, had taken lodgings in the town, had got many men every day, and had declared, that Christmas was coming on, and he should then have half the barracks. I went up, therefore, the next morning, to church as usual; and after the service I spoke to the people on the subject. It was a remarkable thing, that not one of those who professed religion had thought of going, with the exception of one man; who, when I spoke to him, said, ‘that he was not an Englishman but an American;’ and though he would not do any thing inconsistent with his profession, he could not think that he was bound to remain in prison, for a cause which was not that of his country.
“I told them, therefore, that I had not the least apprehension of any of them entering into the service of the enemy; but that they were called to use their influence with their fellow prisoners, and it was their duty to employ every possible means to prevent others from doing a thing so wicked, and disgraceful to them as Englishmen. They said, that they had not only used persuasion, but force; but that the madness was so great, that whilst a party of them were standing at the gate to prevent desertion, one at a time would take the opportunity, when any one was coming in, and run past them, before they could stop them. They all, however, set to work in earnest; and from this time there were not more than one a day, for the two or three days before Christmas; and I believe two or three of the loose ones on Christmas day; and immediately after this the officer went away.[10]
“On this occasion, I ought to make honourable mention of the midshipmen who were at the depôt. A number of them were sent thither some time previous to this circumstance; and they shewed an extraordinary zeal to prevent the men from betraying their country. Mr. B. then a youngster, about seventeen, full of zeal for the service in which he was engaged, copied, and put up in the prison, in spite of gens d’armes and spies, a dialogue which I wrote out, shewing them in their own quaint expressions, what they might expect from the enemy, into whose service they were enlisting; and the rest were very active and useful in preventing this defection. Of these young gentlemen I can say nothing in a religious point of view; except it be of Mr. T., who was very peculiar in his manner; but, I trusted, and yet believe, was decidedly serious. But their conduct, as regarded their service and profession, was so distinguished, and reflected so much credit upon them, that it ought not to pass unnoticed.