e promptly refused. He
despatched the following letter to the Governor:* (* Decaen Papers Volume
84.)

"To His Excellency Captain-General Decaen,
"Governor-in-Chief, etc., etc., etc.

"Sir,

The sergeant of the guard over the prisoners in this house has demanded
of me, by the order of Captain Neuville, my sword, and all other arms in
my possession.

"Upon this subject I beg leave to represent to Your Excellency that it is
highly inconsistent with my situation in His Britannic Majesty's service
to deliver up my arms in this manner. I am ready to deliver up to an
officer bearing your Excellency's order, but I request that that officer
will be of equal rank to myself.

"I have the honour to be,

"Your Excellency's most obedient servant and prisoner,

"MATTW. FLINDERS.

"Maison Despeaux, June 2, 1804."

In a few days Captain Neuville called to apologise. It was, he said, a
mistake on the part of the sergeant to ask for the sword. Had the
Governor required it, an officer of equal rank would have been sent, "but
he had no intention to make me a prisoner until he should receive orders
to that effect." Not a prisoner! What was he, then? Certainly not, said
Captain Neuville; he was merely "put under surveillance for a short
period." Inasmuch as Flinders was being treated with rather more
strictness than those who were confessedly prisoners of war, the benefit
of the distinction was hard to appreciate.

Flinders considered that he had been treated rather handsomely in the
matter of the sword. But about three months later a junior officer, who
behaved with much politeness, came under the orders of Colonel
D'Arsonville, the town major, to demand it. D'Arsonville had been
instructed by Decaen to take possession of it, but had been unable to
come himself. Flinders considered that under the circumstances he had
better give up the sword to save further trouble, and did so. The
significance of the incident is that, having received no orders from
France, Decaen from this time regarded Flinders as a prisoner of war in
the technical sense. He felt bound to hold him until instructions
arrived, and could only justifiably hold him as a prisoner.

December, 1804, arrived, and still no order of release came. On the
anniversary of his arrest, Flinders wrote the following letter to
Decaen:* (* Decaen Papers.)

"Maison Despeaux, December 16, 1804.

"General,

"Permit me to remind you that I am yet a prisoner in this place, and