siege at greatly inflated prices. The troops alone were given a
small ration of a quarter of a pound of horse flesh and a quarter of
a pound of what was called bread. This was a horrible mixture of
various flours, bran, starch, chalk, linseed, oatmeal, rancid nuts
and other evil substances. General Thibauld in his diary of the
siege described as "Turf mixed with oil."

For forty five days neither bread nor meat was on sale to the public.
The richest were able (at the start the siege only,) to buy some dried
cod, figs and some other dried goods such as sugar. There was never any
shortage of wine, oil and salt, but what use are they without solid
food? All the dogs and cats in the town were eaten. A rat could fetch a
high price! In the end the starvation became so appalling that when the
French troops made a sortie, the inhabitants would follow them in a
crowd out of the gates, and rich and poor, women, children and the old
would start collecting grass, nettles, and leaves, which they would
then cook with some salt. The Genoese government mowed the grass which
grew on the ramparts, which was then cooked in the public squares and
distributed to the wretched invalids, who had not the strength to go
and find for themselves and prepare this crude dish. Even the soldiers
cooked nettles and all sorts of herbage with their horse flesh. The
richest and most distinguished families in the town envied them this
meat, disgusting as it was, for the shortage of fodder had made nearly
all the horses sick and even the flesh of those dying of disease was
distributed.

During the latter part of the siege, the desperation of the people
was something to fear. There were cries that, as in 1756 their
fathers had massacred an Austrian army, they should now try to get
rid of the French army in the same way; and that it was better to die