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[Page 4]
Williams Plains in the Isle of France March 20 1806
It is not long since, Sir Joseph, that the officer arrived from France with dispatches, by whom it was expected, that orders would be sent out concerning me; and still more lately, La Canonniere, a frigate with the brother of general De Caën on board; charged also with dispatches; but by neither of these occasions has the minister of the French marine sent out any orders either for my liberation, or for sending me to France, although the Emperor Napoleon must have returned from Paris two or three months before her departure. In the supposition that the French ministry were too much occupied with the present occurrences in Europe to bestow a thought on me here, I wrote a letter to general De Caen of which the inclosed is a copy.
The answer returned was "that he could make no change in my situation, until he should receive orders; that he had requested the ministers instructions by every occasion, and would again press him upon the subject." My hopes of being released from this island seem now more distant than ever, and can only fix themselves with any confidence upon the period when peace shall take place. It is however possible, that the National Institute, whom you, Sir Joseph, have so kindly moved in my favour, may have only waited for a favourable occasion of making their application with effect, and that orders may even arrive in two or three months. I am willing to entertain this hope, as an alleviation to the idea of spending this, the best part of my life, in inactivity, without promotion and far from my family and friends. If an order for my release should be obtained, it would be more certain to be received , if a duplicate of it could be procured and sent out to the naval commander in chief in India. From the month of April to December, there are commonly some of our ships cruizing off this island; and it is very probable, that the French ship which may be the bearer of dispatches,on her being chased, will throw them overboard; this may happen successively and be the cause of my detention being lengthened for at least a year; but if the commr [commander]in chief was furnished with a copy, and ordered to transmit it to the Isle of France, it would come in by a flag of truce, almost without any trouble: Doubtless the same order that shall occasion me to be set at liberty or sent to France
The Right Honble Sir Joseph Banks Bt K.B. etc etc etc
Aug 14 1806