"The eight cream-coloured horses belonging to the King's State-Coach, are every morning drove to St. Paul's Church to train them to the _flags_ in Queen Ann's Church-yard."--(_Times, Dec. 14, 1797._) * * * * * "In England the amount of French prisoners is 23,600. In France the British do not exceed 1500."--(_Times, Dec. 14, 1797._) In an article of half a column length (_Times_, Jan. 8, 1798), treating of the French Prisoners of war--the following is the concluding paragraph:-- "In respect to the quantity of their allowance, we state, on the most certain authority, that their subsistence is a pound of bread, and half a pound of good fresh beef, _every day in the week_, together with a full proportion of vegetables. A subsistence which thousands of our own poor would be glad to have." "The firm conduct of our Government in refusing any longer to make advances for the maintenance of French Prisoners, has had the good effect of obliging the Executive Directory to come forward with the necessary supplies, and as the French agents have now the whole management of this concern, we shall no longer be subject to their odious calumnies against the humanity of this country. The number of French prisoners in England, amounts to about 22,000; the Dutch prisoners are about 2,500. The daily cost of these men, since the French agents had the charge of them, has been £1,370 sterling a day (about 1s. 1d. each): and their annual expence is upwards of One Million sterling. The number of English prisoners in France does not exceed 4000."--(_Times, Feb. 27, 1798._) * * * * * "Southampton was thrown into consternation on Saturday morning, by an event which was variously reported by different narrators in the course of the day; but, 'ere night, all ideas of French spies, _false Emigrants_, &c., subsided, and the event turned out to be 'that three French prisoners from Porchester, had made their escape to Southampton.' A party of pleasure had engaged _Wassell's_ vessel to go to the Isle of Wight. At an early hour on Saturday morning, on repairing to the Quay, the man could not discover his pleasure boat. Every one was concerned for his loss, and many hours elapsed before any tidings could be heard of her, when some fishing boats gave information that they had met her near Calshot Castle, about three o'clock in the morning, but had no suspicion she had been run away with. In the evening, news arrived, that in steering, to keep as far from Spithead as possible, the Frenchmen were near running on shore at _Ride_. This circumstance convinced the pilots that _Wassell_ was not on board when they went to her assistance, secured the three French men, and saved the vessel for the owner."--(_Times, July 2, 1799._)