Accordingly, in two days, I was underway for Paris, in one of the national coureirs with government dispatches, the Master of which, did not speak one word of English, & myself, but a few words of French, of course, we were not _very_ sociable--we were furnished, each with a pair of pistals, with a blunderbus, loaded, in front, our carraige, was musquet shot proof, except in front; drove, by a postilion outside with from 5, to 9 horses, according to the road, which at best, was very indifferent. And thus we drove on, Jehu like, without stoping, except to exchange horses, & mail; taking occasionally, as we run, a mouthfull of bread, and washing it down, with some low prised, red Burgendy wine--as to sleep, I did not git one wink during the journey, of 684 miles. But _la maitre de les despach_, would sleep, during the day, pitching about the carriage, for the roads were very rough, to my very great anoyance--but, during the night, his anxiety kept _him_ awake, through fear, altho” we had a guard, of, from 12 to 24, mouted horsmen each night, from sunset, to sunrise, to preceed, & follow--and as a demonstration, that the precaution was necessary, on the 2^{d} morning, after leaving Brewst, just before our gaurds left us, we witnessed a scene, that filled us with horrow.--the remains, of a Coreir, laying in the road, the Master, the Postilion, & 5 horses laying dead, & mangled by it, & the mail mutalated & scatered in all directions. We were informed, afterwards, that the Coureir, was without an gaurd, that the evening previous; there was an alarm in the visinity, that had called out, all their fources to supress, consequently, at the last stage, there was none to supply; & it was death by law, for national despatches to stop, therefore, the Master proceeded, without a guard, and met the fate, as discribed. The next night, at about sun-setting we came to a stage, where we expected to receive our guard, & there was none for us, however, the next stage, was only five miles, & not considered very dangerous; we therefore proceeded on, atho” not without great anxiety; & preparation of our fire arms, in case of an attact. [Sidenote: A Word of English] In the very neat village of Alan[‘c]on, in Normondy, I had the first, & only, word of English, sporken to me, during the journey, we stopped to exchange horses & mail, when the _Maitre_, as usual, was called to an account for having a passenger, & a foreigner too, in the Coureir; and while he was making his justification, shewing pasports &c; a man in a tattered uniform, came up to the door of the Carraige, & reaching out his hand, said in quite good english; for the love of God, my dear Sir, do permitt me to shake hands, with one, who comes from that country, where, the _great_, and beloved Washington resides--he only had time to say, ‘that he went to America with, la Fayettee, and had the honour of having served under the _best man God ever made_, even the great Washington.