f light discoverable in the prison, the guard would
fire in amongst us; and several were shot. Several Frenchmen were
wounded. This story was told--that a French captain of a privateer,
the night after he first came, was undressing himself, by his hammock,
when the sentry cried, "_Out lights!_" The Frenchman not understanding
English, kept it burning; the sentry fired, and scattered his brains
over the place; but this did not occur while I was there; but this I
aver, that several were shot, and I wondered that many were not
killed. I was shocked at the barbarity of the order.

About this time, the Derbyshire militia were relieved by a regiment of
regulars, who had been in Spain. They were chiefly Irish; and treated
us better than we were treated by the militia. They had infinitely
more generosity and manliness, as well as more intelligence. They
acted plays in the cock loft of No. 5. They have good music, and
tolerable scenery; and charge six pence for admission, to defray the
expense. This is a very pleasant way of making the British soldier
forget his slavery; and the American prisoner his bondage. These
generous hearted Irishmen would sometimes give us a song in honour of
_our_ naval victories. O, how we did long to be at liberty, when we
heard songs in honour of the _Constitution_ and of the _United
States_![R]

Some men are about to be sent off to Dartmouth, to return to the
United States; this has occasioned us to write letters to our friends
and connexions; but Captain Shortland is very jealous on this head; he
will not allow us to write to any of the neighbouring country people.
The English dare not trust their own people, much more the American
captives.

This is the latter part of the month of November; and the weather has
been generally rainy, dark, dismal and foggy. Sometimes we could
hardly see the sentinels on the walls. Sorrow and sadness within;
gloom, fog, or drizzly rain without. If the commissioners at Ghent do
not soon make peace, or establish an exchange, we shall be lost to our
country, and to hope. The newspapers now and then enliven us with the
prospect of peace. We are told that growing dissentions at Vienna will
induce Great Britain to get rid of her transatlantic enemy, in order
to combat those nearer home. Whenever we see in the newspapers an
article captioned "_News from Ghent_," we devour it with our eyes; but
instead of substance, generally find it empty wind. We are wearied
out. I spe