sail away. Whether Tate perceived that the whole affair had proved a fiasco, and signalled them to that effect, or whether the captains acted on their own responsibility, it is impossible to say. They took a course across the Channel. One of them struck on the Arklow Bank, and was taken in tow by the corvette. These two were eventually captured off Brest by the St. Fiorenzo frigate (Captain Sir H. B. Neale, Bart.) and the La Nymphe (Captain J. Cooke), who took them into Portsmouth, where the frigate was repaired and rechristened the "Fisgard", presumably the French pronunciation of Fishguard, and was until quite lately the receiving ship at Sheerness. The other frigate and the lugger managed to get safely into Brest.

The French force had occupied a strong position on a high rock just above the village of Llanwnda. The English prepared to assail this station on Thursday evening, but changing their plans, returned to Fishguard. At 10 P.M. two officers arrived in the town with a flag of truce, and inquired for Colonel Knox. A council of war was then called at The Royal Oak. Present, Lord Milford, Lord-Lieutenant, Lord Cawdor, Colonel Knox, Colonel Colby, Major Ackland, Colonel Dan. Vaughan, Colonel James, Colonel George Vaughan, the Governor of the Fishguard Fort, and other gentlemen. The French officers were then admitted, and offered to capitulate on condition that all the French should be sent back to Brest at the expense of the English Government. Colonel Knox, who appears to have been blessed with a vivid imagination, replied that the only terms which could be entertained were unconditional surrender; and that unless these were complied with by 2 o'clock on the following day, the French force would be attacked by 20,000 men; 10,000 of whom were then in Fishguard, and 10,000 more on the road. Impressed by this magnificent piece of bunkum, the French officers then produced the following letter:

"Cardigan Bay.

"5th Ventose, 5th Year of the Republic.

"SIR,-The circumstances under which the body of troops under my command were landed at this place render it unnecessary to attempt any military operations, as they would tend only to bloodshed and pillage. The officers of the whole corps have, therefore, intimated their desire of entering into a negotiation, upon principles of humanity, for a surrender. If you are influenced by similar considerations, you may signify the same to the bearer, and in the meantime hostilities shall cease. Health and respect.

"TATE, Chef de Brigade."

The officers were informed that an answer should be returned to General Tate, but that they might inform him that his troops would be expected to parade for surrender the following afternoon. They were then blindfolded and conducted outside the town. At daybreak on Thursday morning Major Ackland of Llanion carried the following ultimatum to Llanwnda:

"Fishguard. Feby 23.

"SIR.-The superiority of the force under my command, which is hourly increasing, must prevent my treating upon any other terms short of your surrendering your whole force prisoners of war. I enter fully into your wish of preventing an unnecessary effusion of blood, which your speedy surrender can alone prevent, and which will entitle you to that consideration it is ever the wish of British troops to show an enemy whose numbers are inferior. My Major will deliver you this letter, and I shall expect your determination by 10 o'clock, by your officer, whom I have furnished with an escort who will conduct him to me without molestation.

"I am,

etc.,

"To the Officer commanding the French troops."

CAWDOR,

At noon the British force was drawn up in line on Windy Hill, within sight of the enemy's advanced posts, and was inspected by Colonel Colby. Lord Cawdor despatched his aide-de-camp, the Hon. Capt. Edwardes, with a flag of truce, which was carried by Mr. Millingchamp, one of the yeomen, Messrs. Williams of Llandegigge and Morgans of Abercastle accompanying them.

On reaching Trehowel they found 600 Frenchmen drawn up in line. Capt. Edwardes gave his message to Tate, which was to the effect that time was up; that if the enemy did not "open pans, shed priming, and march peaceably, they would forthwith be attacked by an overwhelming force."

The remainder of the Frenchmen were now assembled, and the ammunition and spare arms having been deposited in camp, the enemy, without colours, but with drums beating, marched to Goodwick, where they were received by the Cardigan Militia and Fishguard Fencibles, the Castlemartin Yeomanry having been told off to protect the Bridge. The French were ordered to pile arms, and were then marched into Haverfordwest, which place they reached at 2 o'clock on Saturday morning. 700 were put into St. Mary's Church, 500 into the old Town Hall, and the rest into the Storehouses. That day, twenty-one carts laden with arms arrived, and in the course of the week the ammunition and remainder of the arms were brought in, filling thirty-four more carts. The French soldiers were clad in old English uniforms which had been dyed a rusty brown; they still bore the regimental buttons; the belts, however, were black leather; and their head-gear was composed of old cavalry helmets. Their muskets were the ordinary weapon of the period, with flint locks; barrels 3 feet 7, whole length 4 feet 10, weight 93lbs. There is a stand of these arms in Stackpole Court, and two of them, which Lord Cawdor has kindly presented to the Tenby Museum, can be examined in that place; where there is also a short sword taken from a non-commissioned officer (presented by H. Mathias, Esq.) On this latter weapon, on each side, are sun, moon, and stars, with the inscription "Cassagnard, Fourbisseur du Roy, Nantes." The king can scarcely have been Louis XVI, as the archaic spelling of "roi" seems to have disappeared before his time; anyhow, the republicans have done their best to obliterate the word with a punch. Thus ended the

great fiasco of the French invasion. What did it all mean? It has generally been considered that the destination of the force was Ireland, at that time in a state of disaffection bordering on rebellion; indeed, during the following year the Great Rebellion broke out, and the lives of 150,000 Irish and 20,000 English were sacrificed before it was suppressed.

But this idea proves to be erroneous, for among General Tate's papers were found the instructions he had received from General Hoche. From these it seems that the body which landed at Fishguard was called "La Legion Seconde des Francs", and that two other legions were to have simultaneously invaded the counties of Northumberland, Durham, and York; these latter, however, never put in an appearance. The primary object to be attained by the Second Legion was the destruction of Bristol and Liverpool. On reaching Severn Sea, should the former prove impracticable, then the legion was to land in Cardigan Bay, and march through Wales to Chester and Liverpool.

"The expedition under the command of Col. Tate has in view three principal objects. The first is, if possible, to raise an insurrection in the country. The second is to interrupt and embarrass the commerce of the enemy. The third is to prepare and facilitate the way for a descent, by distracting the attention of the English government."

There seems to have been a strong suspicion of disaffection among the Welsh. The French exaggerated its importance; but for all that there can be no doubt it did exist, for we find that subsequently "a respectable minister was taken down from his pulpit, his desk was ransacked, and his papers searched, with a view of discovering whether he carried on treasonable correspondence with disaffected persons". Certain farmers, too, were charged with treason, and committed for trial at the

1 See pamphlet printed for J. Wright, 169, Piccadilly (1798), the text copied from attested transcripts of the original documents.

assizes, and a French officer detained to give evidence against them, but the judge ruled that a foreigner and common enemy was incapable of giving evidence in an English court of justice, and as no other witness was forthcoming they were discharged. That Welshmen were among the invaders seems certain.

James Bowen, who had been a farm servant at Trehowel for five years, and then tried and transported for horse stealing, was recognised by his fellow servants-this was the man who is said to have piloted the Frenchmen to Carreg Gwastad point.

Again, a respectable man, named Meyler, overheard two of the prisoners talking Welsh.

"Where do you come from", said he, " as you speak Welsh?"

"We come from the upper part of Pembrokeshire.' "Then how came you to be soldiers in the French 'army?"

"We have been taken prisoners in France, and were taken out with the other convicts."

"Then why don't you leave them?"

"Because we are afraid of being discovered and shot."

They then asked Meyler to apprise their friends of their whereabouts.

Mr. Bowen of Fynondrudion informed the writer of this paper that his grandfather fled from Fynondrudion with his family and servants for refuge to Wolf's Castle. After the capture of the French they went out on the roadside to see the prisoners go by. One of the maidservants recognised an acquaintance in the ranks, and the man called out-"Ie a thyna Catrin Trerhonw hefyd", Englished, " And there is Catherine of Trerhonw, too." The idea naturally occurs that these men were Bretons posing as Welsh, but that can scarcely have been the case. Granting that the Breton language would have been intelligible to Pembrokeshire folks, no prisoner of war in those rough and ready days would have dared to incur the charge of