Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp1.djvu/446

  lace and smiles; he approached and saluted the commodore, after which he pronounced some flattering eulogiums on the valour and generosity of England, particularly of her navy; and did not fail to claim a large share of those qualities for the great Napoleon, and the French nation. So earnest was Monsieur Redan to begin the work of exchange, that he proposed immediately disembarking the prisoners; but the commodore was in no such hurry. He observed to Monsieur Redan, that he would proceed up the bay, nearer to the town, for the purpose of more ready communication, and in the mean time the Ulysses should remain off Hedic with the transports. This was of course agreed to, under the stipulation also provided by the commodore, that during any delay of negotiation, the British and the prisoners should he supplied with such refreshments as they might require after their long voyage and arduous services.

“Ou the following day, the commissioner again appeared, with a joyful countenance; ‘Allons, Monsieur le Commodore, toute est arrangée.’ ‘I am glad to hear it,’ said the commodore, ‘but where are the 2400 Englishmen in exchange for as many Frenchmen?’ ‘Je les ai dans ma poche,’ replied the flippant commissary. The commodore looked very grave, and returned no answer to this impertinent familiarity; whilst Monsieur Redan handed from his pocket a list of 3700 Englishmen, whom he pretended had been liberated by French cruisers, observing that the commodore would no doubt redeem the honor of his country by taking up these receipts; and then with the most unparalleled effrontery he added, ‘When Monsieur le commodore has put on shore the whole garrison of Martinique, he will still be indebted to the French government 1300 men!’ It is very easy to suppose the kind of answer given to this insolent Frenchman, who affected, or perhaps really felt some surprise, that his proposals were rejected. He entreated, however, that the commodore would wait the return of a courier from Paris: this was granted, and in the mean time a constant and vigilant guard was kept on the motions of the prisoners. At the end of four days, an answer arrived from the minister of the marine, repeating the former rejected proposals as a sine qua non; and Monsieur Redan intimated, that unless these terms were acceded to, all further communication with the shore was to be interdicted. Turning with indignation from the agent of a government so faithless, and which could thus cruelly forsake its servants in the hour of extreme distress, the commodore ordered the signal to he made to weigh; it was instantly complied with; and as the squadron moved out of the bay, it was followed by numerous boats, ia which were the wives, the parents, the children, of many of the unhappy prisoners, in a state of grief which it would be vain to attempt to describe. The poor men, afraid to trust each other, shouted, with ill dissembled joy, ‘Vive Napoleon!’ This was the magnanimous and humane Emperor, who consigned his soldiers ‘to the confinement of hideous pontons,’ and separated them, at least in this world, from all that renders life worth 