and, Holland, Germany, Denmark, or Sweden. He
sleeps more comfortably, and lives in greater plenty of fish, flesh,
vegetables, cider, and spirituous liquors. Add to this, his freedom is
in a manner unbounded. He speaks his mind to any man. If he thinks he
is wronged, he seeks redress with confidence; if he is insulted, he
resents it; and if you should venture to strike him, he never will
rest quiet under the dishonour; yet you seldom or ever hear of
quarrels ending in murder. The dagger and pistol are weapons in a
manner unknown. The fist, _a la mode_ de John Bull, is commonly the
ultimatum of a Yankee's revenge.

We often hear the British, if they are unsuccessful, lamenting the war
between England and America; they call it an unhappy strife between
brethren; and they attribute this "unnatural war," to a French
influence; and their friends in New England, who are denominated
_tories_, use the same language. They say that all the odium of the
war ought to fall on our administration and their wicked seducers, the
French; and yet you will find that both in England, and at Halifax,
the French meet with better treatment than their dear brothers, the
Americans.

We found that there were about two hundred French prisoners in Nova
Scotia. Some had been there ever since 1803. Few of them were confined
in prison. The chief of them lived in or near the town of Halifax,
working for the inhabitants, or teaching dancing, or fencing, or their
own language. Some were employed as butchers and cooks; others as
nurses in the hospital; and they were every where favoured for their
complaisance, obedience, and good humour. They had the character of
behaving better towards the British officers and inhabitants than the
Americans, and I believe with reason; for our men seem to take a
delight in plaguing, embarrassing, and alarming those who were set
over them. A Frenchman always tried to please, while many Americans
seemed to take an equal delight in letting the Nova Scotians know that
they longed to be at liberty to fight them again. I confess I do not
wonder that the submissive, smiling Frenchmen made more friends at
Halifax than the ordinary run of American seamen, who seemed too often
to look and speak as if they longed to try again the tug of war with
John Bull.

Sunday being a leisure day among the men of business in Halifax and
its vicinity, the old _refugees_ from the United States used to come
round the prison to gratify their evi