Escapes from Cayenne

11 the Tropical line, the Equatorial line at the mouths of the Amazon river, and we arrive at French Guiana on the last day of October, 1852.

On the 4th day of November I went to the Jail at Cayenne ; but I had made a sacrifice above my strength and I fell sick ; I entered the hospital. A black melancholly invaded me and during forty days I became more and more disheartened.

At last, I succeeded in regaining m y self-possession, I resolved to live, and overthrow my sorrows. I asked the Doctor to let me leave the hospital; he said I was not strong enough ; I insisted and he finally let me go.—They brought me to the Jail.

The Doctor had knowledge of it and asked the Governor to allow me to reside in the town of Cayenne. The Governor refused at first; but, several gentlemen having supported the Doctor's request, I left the Jail and had the town for a prison.

I entered the General Navy-stores to fix its books.

Louis Napoleon Buonaparte made himself Emperor of the French, and, on that occasion, his newspapers offered liberty to all political prisoners who would recognize his nomination.— W e had a new Governor sent to Guiana. I wrote to him that I accepted the bargain of his master and recognized the accom­ plished event of his election, to make me free or to send me to the United States of America.

Instead of giving me what I asked for, the Governor sent me to a dark cell for forty days, on Mother Island.

I found there about two hundred political prisoners, of the category of D e ­ cember, 1 8 5 1 .

In July, 1853, we received one hundred companions from France and Africa ; Paon, Bivors and Tassilier were among them, and I was in a dark cell. On the 21st of the same month, I was with Paon and another friend, on a desert place of Mother Island, making a boat for our escape. When we arrived in the camp, at sunset, we found everything overthrown.

During our absence, some gendarmes had brought on a bad quarrel with our companions, and, reinforced with the soldiers of the garrison, attempted to massacre them; but the prison­ ers, far from being intimidated, had pressed the soldiers so closely that they could not move and use their guns. The cells were filled with our companions, and there were sentries in every quarter of the camp. Mother Island was proclaimed to be in a state of siege.

In August, twelve o f our fellow prisoners were tried before a court martial. Paon was amongst them. Three—Tassilier was one—were condemned to five years of irons; two others to two years of imprisonment; and Paon was acquitted.

W e were sent to St. Joseph Island and treated worse than convicts ; we were covered with chains, while the thieves, and