JULY 1804

On the 2nd of July he called early with information of having succeeded in both applications; he had even ventured to propose my being sent to France, but to this it was answered, that the affair being submitted to the decision of the government, I must remain until its orders were received.

In a few days M. Bonnefoy conducted me to the secretary’s office, and I took out of the sealed trunk all the books, charts, and papers which required any additions, or were necessary to the finishing of others; as also a bundle of papers containing my passport commission, etc., and the shattered accounts of the Investigator’s stores.  For these a receipt was required, the same as before; but the third volume of my log book, for which so many applications had been made, was still refused.  Word had been sent me privately, that the trunk had been opened and copies taken of the charts, but to judge from appearances this was not true; and on putting the question to colonel Monistrol, whether the trunk or papers had been disturbed, he answered by an unqualified negative.  In regard to our living in the country, the general had said to captain Bergeret, “he should think further upon it;” and this we were given to understand must be considered as a retraction of his promise:  a second example of how little general De Caen respected his own word.

Charles Lambert, Esq., owner of the Althaea indiaman, brought in some time before as a prize, having obtained permission to go to England by the way of America, and no restriction being laid upon him as to taking letters, had the goodness to receive a packet for the Admiralty, containing copies of the charts constructed here and several other papers.

AUGUST 1804

In August I found means of sending to India, for Port Jackson, a letter addressed to governor King; describing my second passage through Torres’ Strait, and the bad state of the Cumberland which had obliged me to stop at Mauritius, with the particulars of my imprisonment and the fate of his despatches.  This letter was received in the April following, and extracts from it were published in the Sydney gazette; wherein was made a comparison between my treatment in Mauritius and that of captain Baudin at Port Jackson, as described by himself and captain Melius.  This account was copied into the Times of Oct. 19, 1805, whence it afterwards came to my knowledge.

One advantage of being confined in the Garden Prison rather than at the Cafe Marengo, was in the frequency of visitors to one or other of the prisoners; permissions were required to be obtained from the town major, but these were seldom refused to people of respectability.  In this manner we became acquainted with all the public news, and also with the opinions entertained in the island upon the subject of my imprisonment.  Those