t to palliate the conduct of the French, but it
might naturally be supposed that upon learning from his papers the
errand of mercy upon which Lieutenant Thomas had been engaged, the
French officer would have done all in his power to alleviate the
sufferings of his prisoner, and have shown him every mark of courtesy
and attention. However this may be, no sooner were all arrangements
completed, than the prisoners were marched to the boats, and
Lieutenant Thomas was handed over to the care of two grenadiers, with
directions that every attention should be paid to him; but the
officer's back was scarcely turned, when these grenadiers, assisted by
some of their comrades, stripped poor Thomas of all his clothes, broke
open his trunk, which had been restored to him, and appropriated to
themselves every article of value that he possessed. Having secured
their plunder, they dragged their unfortunate victim to the beach,
regardless of his wound and sufferings, and after gagging him with a
pocket-handkerchief, threw him on the deck of one of their boats.

The wind blowing fresh on their passage to Granville, which was three
leagues from Chaussey, the greater part of the soldiers were
prostrated by sea-sickness, whilst the seamen were in such a state of
intoxication, that had Lieutenant Thomas been able to rise, or to
communicate with his fellow-prisoners, he might easily have
overpowered the French, and gained possession of the vessel. If such
an idea flashed across his mind, it was but for a moment: he could
neither speak nor move, and lay for many hours exposed to the
insulting jeers of the French, and the inclemency of the weather. It
was late at night when they landed at Granville, but the naval and
military staff waited upon Mr. Thomas the next morning, and told him
that it was the intention of the authorities to send him back to
England, in consideration of his kindness to the French prisoners. The
expectation raised in the English officer's breast by these promises
were, to the disgrace of the French government of that day, never
realized. He was thrown into prison, and treated with the utmost
severity; in vain did he protest against this injustice--in vain did
he represent that he was engaged on no hostile expedition at the time
of his capture, which, moreover, was not through the fortune of war,
but through the violence of the elements. He was kept in close
confinement at Verdun for ten years, and when he was at last relea