Monthly Chronicle.

NAItKTIVE GIVEN BY DB . OUET , THE POSTMASTER OF VAREXNF . S , OF HIS EVIN 0 TAKEN BY THE AUSTRIAN'S , AND OF HIS ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE FKO . M THE I'ltlSON IN SS'IIICH HE SVAS CONFINED . ON the 17 th of September 1793 , I svas sent to the army of the North . Ou the 29 th the army of Maubeuge was surprised and repulsed on every point . The Austrians blockaded the town , in svhich there ss-ere but 15 days provisions . Franchville represented to us , that we should not be able to hold out long , and that it was necessary a trusty man , able to shesv an imposing

countenance , should leave the town , pass through the Austrians , ami communicate to the Convention , and to the Minister , an account of ourcritical position . I felt that it svould be Infinitely useful to the Republic that I should charge myself svith this enterprise . If I perished , my death would animal e the soldiers wilh vengeance , svhich svould double their force ; if I succeeded , I should rouse the surrounding departments . I should hasten to collect the provisions , the forage , and assemble the men in particular ; I would tail upon ti . se enemy , aflev having made signals svhich could be heard from the tosvn ; I could save Maubeuge and the

Republic . A fesv hours before my departure , I took care that the rumour of it should be circulated amongst some battalions . "What ! ( said the soldiers ) should we not be determined to fight to the last extremity , whilst a Representative of the People undertakes to ptiss through the Austrian army , in order to procure succours ? " This finally determined me . I took 100 chosen dragoons , and on the 2 d of October , at midnight , I penetrated into the middle of the Austrians ; we had agreed to march slowly and very close , for fear thatin the darkwe . should throw ourselves into some ofthe outsvorks of

, , the eneinj' . Unfortunately , however , sve could not avoid passing near a camp of infantry . The whistling of the balls and the explosion of powder set our'horses a galloping : what I had foreseen happened ; we fell into a ditch . Ses'eral of our dragoons and myself svere dismounted ; I got up , and laid hold of the first horse vyhich presented itself ; a dragoon had , lost his , and entreated me not to abandon

him in the midst of the enemy ; I allosved him to get up behind me , but the horse being young and ardent . was much agitated ; five minutes passed away , and my escort had already got so far before me , that in the dark I could not discover the road they had taken . ¦ ¦ The soldier and myself found ourselves in ihe midst of the enemy ; a feiv steps farther wc met with a patroie of the enemy , consisting of five hussars . The dragoon talked of surrendering ; I charged them by hallooing out , " Foliow me , dragoons ! " They retreated , but soon returned in a greater / lumber . It was

necessary to avoid them ; I pushed my horse'forward , but soon after fell into adeep ravine , where I lost my senses . The hussars found me , wounded me svith their sabres , and then carried me off almost dead . When I recovered , I said I svas a French officer . They dressed my wounds svith tolerable care . I aftersvards declared that I was a Representative of the People , and when they knew that I was that Drouet who had stopped Louis XVI . at Varennes , they treated me very badly . I asked for bread , after fasting forty-eight hours ; a young officer said to me"Marchrascalit is not worth while to ive for little time

, , ; g you any so : " I was thrown naked upon a cart . The emigrants , above all , " loaded me with insults . Prince Colloredo , before svhom I svas brought , said 10 me , that the French svere a faithless people ; that they had just sent to La Vendee the garrison of Mentz , who had promised not to serve against the Emperor during this war . Colloredo made , me this reproach , as if sve ought to have understood in the capitulation , that the , Vendeans and Austrians svere equally armies of the Emperor . Socu after i svas conducted to General LatovirI was loaded svith irons and

, wounds ; in a state , svhich , at least , proved me courageous , and ought to have inspired a warrior with some regard . The latter struck me svith ' his list in the stomach , which brought me to the ground ; and he spit in my face . " I am without any defeiice , " said I to him , " and you insult me . " Diire to put off from me these chains , however wounded I am in every part of my bods ' , yon will not dare to look in my face . " He then became very furious , and his guards carried me off . Do not believe , however , that I met the same atrocity every where . Many Ger-