work, it cost the India Company 2,200,000liv. to which it is said, the King added 600,000liv. which makes in all near 3,000,000liv. Mr. Bouchardon, who began the Equestrian Statue, in Bronze, of Louis XIII, King of France, which is at Paris, enjoyed during fifteen years, that is to say, until his death, which surprized him in the middle of his work, a pension of 15,000liv. per annum.

FROM JOHN MEHEGAN TO THOMAS JEFFERSON.

Excellent Sir,

As I have seen the distress of your unfortunate countrymen, I implore you will use your utmost endeavors to extricate them from this unhappy affair. They are now in real want, having only three poor sols per day each man to live on, which will scarce keep life, in the cold prison they are confined in. The people in whom they confided, having got all the money they had, three poor guineas excepted, and which they expect the lawyers at Brest will demand, as they sent for ten guineas to carry on the suit; but the poor men have not such And if they do not send money, they will be deserted, and they will lose their liberty and property, and their unfortunate families will be ruined and suffer for a crime they are innocent of, without your protection and assistance.

a sum.

The officers, and every one who saw the condition they were in when they came in here, own they must either perish at sea for want of provisions and repairs, or come into this place; all their provisions being so near out, as not to have lasted two days at most, and the officers have

not the least circumstantial proof against them, only pure

suspicions.

The officers have confined them the same as criminals, and give only the allowance destined for criminals. The people who came to get what they could from them, now they are in distress, have entirely abandoned them. I then entreat your Excellency to use your endeavors to relieve and favor those objects of compassion, who, in a strange land, are not able to redress their grievances. Exert then your influence in favor of your distressed, I dare say innocent, countrymen; their troubles are so great, that I fear they will not be able to bear them. Should Commodore John Paul Jones be at Versailles, I entreat you to present him my respects. You will pardon the liberty I take.

I am, &c.

JOHN MEHEGAN.

1440 04411

Sir,

Paris, November 14, 1785.

I take the liberty of troubling your Excellency on behalf of six citizens of the United States, who have been for sometime confined in the prisons of St. Pol de Leon, and of referring for particulars to the enclosed state of their case. Some of the material facts therein mentioned, are founded on the bill of sale for the vessel, her clearance from Baltimore, and her log book. The originals of the two last, and a copy of the first are in my hands. I have also letters from a merchant in Liverpool to Asquith, which render it very probable that his vessel

was bound to Liverpool. The other circumstances depend on their affirmation, but I must say that in these facts they have been uniform and steady. I have thus long avoided troubling your Excellency with this case, in hopes it would receive its decision in the ordinary course of law, and I relied that that would indemnify the sufferers, if they had been used unjustly. But though they have been in close confinement now near three months, it has yet no appearance of approaching to decision. In the meantime, the cold of the winter is coming on, and to men in their situation, may produce events which would render all indemnification too late. I must, therefore, pray the assistance of your Excellency, for the liberation of their persons, if the established order of things may possibly admit of it. As to their property and their personal sufferings hitherto, I have full confidence that the laws have provided for their discussion, some tribunal where justice will be done them. I enclose the opinion of an advocate, forwarded to me by a gentleman whom I had desired to obtain, from some judicious person of that faculty, a state of their case. This may, perhaps, give a better idea than I can of the His inquiries have led him to believe they are innocent men; but that they must lose their vessel under the edict which forbids those under thirty tons to approach the coast. Admitting their innocence as he does, I should suppose them not the objects, on whom such edict was meant to operate. The essential papers which he says they redemanded from him and did not return, were sent to me at my desire.

situation of their cause.

The case of Lister Asquith, owner of the schooner William and Catharine, William M'Neil, captain, William Thomson, William Neilly, Robert Anderson, mariners, and William Fowler, passenger.

Lister Asquith, a citizen of the State of Maryland, having a lawsuit depending in England, which required his presence, as involving in its issue, nearly his whole fortune, determined to go thither in a small schooner of his own, that he might, at the same time, take with him an adventure of tobacco and flour to Liverpool, where he had commercial connexions. This schooner he purchased as of fifty nine and a half tons, as appears by his bill of sale, but she had been registered by her owner at twenty-one tons, in order to evade the double duties in England, to which American vessels are now subject. He cleared out from Baltimore for Liverpool, the 11th of June, 1785, with eight hogsheads of tobacco, and sixty barrels of flour, but run aground at Smith's point, sprung a leak, and was obliged to return to Baltimore to refit; having stopped his leak, he took his cargo on board again, and his health being infirm, he engaged Captain William M'Neil* to go with him, and on the 20th June, sailed for Norfolk, in Virginia, and on the 22nd, came too in Hampton roads, at the mouth of the

This was the officer, who, on the evacuation of Fort Mifflin, after the British had passed the Chevaux de Frize in the Delaware, was left with fifteen men to destroy the works, which he did, and brought off his men successfully. He had, before that, been commander of the Rattlesnake, sloop of war, and had much annoyed the British trade. Being bred a seaman, he had returned to that vocation.

river, on which Norfolk is. Learning here that tobacco would be better than flour for the English market, he landed fifty barrels of his flour, and one hogshead of tobacco, which he found to be bad, meaning to take instead thereof, nine hogsheads of tobacco more. But the same night it began to blow very hard, with much rain. The 23rd, the storm became more heavy, they let go both their anchors, but were driven, notwithstanding, from their anchorage, forced to put to sea, and go before the wind. The occurrences of their voyage will be best detailed, by short extracts from their logbook.

June 24th. The weather becomes worse, one of the foreshrouds and the foremast carried away.

June 25th. Shifted their ballast, which threw them on their beam ends, and shipped a very heavy sea. Held a consultation, the result of which was, that seeing they were now driven so far to sea, and the weather continuing still very bad, it was better to steer for Liverpool, their port of destination, though they had not their cargo on board, and no other clearance but that which they took from Baltimore.

June 29th. The first observation they had been able to take, N. Lat. 38° 13'.

June 30th. Winds begin to be light, but the sea still very heavy.

July 5th. Light winds and a smooth sea for the first time, in Lat. 43° 52.

July 9th. Spoke a French brig, Comte d'Artois, Captain Pierre Monreaux, from St Maloes, in distress for provisions, relieved her with three barrels of flour.

August 6th. Thick weather and a strong wind, made the Land's End of England.