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Transcription
[Page 6]
[Written in French]
frappés; vous savez, enfin, que depuis le jour où il a mis le pied sur une terre jadis hospitaliere, il s'est vu livré à une détention, dont vous pouvez appréuer l'amertunse et les suites punestes pour sa santé, son avancement, le sort de sa famille, et nous osons le dire aussi, our les progrés de la géographic et de la navigation. 20 moir se sont écoulés depuis ce jour si infortuné pour lui, et son sort n'a point change: les espérances qu'il avait dû concevoir d'un prompt élargissement se sont évanouies, et l'ont laissé en proye au plus profond désespoir; il voulait garder le silence, et s'abandonmant sans nouveaux efforts á la rigueur de sa position, attendre indéfiniment puit être, que l'on eut prononcé son arrêt; nous avons delevé son courage, abattic par tant d'infortunes, nous luc avons donné l'arrurance, sans craindre un moment que la suite put nous dementin, que vous ne seriez point insensible á son infortune, que vous employiez avec zele pour lui procurer son élargissiment, ou au moins cette favour, qu'il sollicite avec tant d'ardeur depuis long tems, d'être appelé en France pour y être jugé, et condamné s'il est coupable, mais délivré et rendu á sapatrie, á ses parents, á ses travaux utiles, s'il est innocent, si jamais il n'est entré dans son cour un seul desir, une seule pensié, dont l'excéution put être nuisible á un seul indivi du de quelque e lasse, de quelque nâtion qu'il fit partie. Que n'a-t il pu des long tims paraitre devant un tribunal et y plaider sa cause! bientot tous ses juges seraient devenus ses amis et ses admirateurs; il ne leureût fallu qu'un moment pour reconnaitre sa loyauté, ses principes d'honneur, et pour cher cher, partout ce que la génétosité Françaises a d'égards et de délicatesse, á le dédomager des tourmants qu'il a soufferts; le gouvernement lui même, désabusé bientõt, cat reconnu due jamais le captaine Flinders.
[Translation from French]
beaten; you know, finally, that since the day he set foot on a land formerly hospitable, he has been given to a detention, of which you can appreciate embitter and punished suites for his health, his advancement, the his family, and we dare to say so, for the progress of geography and navigation. Much has passed since that unfortunate day for him, and his fate has not changed: the hopes he had had to conceive of a swift enlargement have vanished, and have left him to wait in the deepest despair; he wanted to remain silent, and abandoning himself without further efforts to the rigor of his position, waiting indefinitely for a person to be, that his sentence had been pronounced; we have given up his courage, overcome by so many misfortunes, we have given him arrogance, without fearing for a moment that the rest of us could not help you, that you would not be insensible to his misfortune, that you would use with zeal to procure for him. Its widening, or at least that favor, that he has been so ardently seeking for a long time, to be called to France to be judged, and condemned if he is guilty, but delivered and rendered to his country, to his parents, to his useful labors, he is innocent if he has never entered into his heart a single desire, a single thought, the execution of which could be injurious to a single individual of some sort of weariness, of whatever he was a part of. What could not long times appear in court and there plead his case! soon all his judges would have become his friends and admirers; it would only take a moment to recognize his loyalty, his principles of honor, and to cherish, everywhere, what the French gentleness has of respect and delicacy, to relieve him of the torments he has suffered; the government itself, disillusioned soon, that recognized ever due the Captain Flinders.