republic, all those who refufed to fubmit implicitly to their measures. In this manner, France was now become a scene of civil diffention, that threatened to involve it in fresh diforders and to renew the calamities from which it had, with fuch difficulty, been fo lately extricated. It cannot be denied, that a ftrong party existed, decidedly averfe to the government and the conftitution. The difturbance and confufion that accompanied the elections, in many places, induced the council of five hundred to request a circumftantial account of them from the directory. The meffage, fent in anfwer, contained a clear and particularized detail of numerous irregularities and violations of the laws and the conftitution, vifibly aiming at its fubverfion and to reeftablish the fyftem of 1793. On this ground, it was determined, by the directory and its partizans in the two councils, who conftituted an incomparable majority, to annul the whole of the elections made in feven departments, and to declare thofe of a confiderable number of individuals illegal. This decifion was violently oppofed by feveral of the moft confpicuous members of the legiflature. That which affected particular individuals was reputed the most dangerous, as tending to place the choice of members entirely in the option of the party that predominated in the council. Such a method of proceeding would be clearly deftructive of the fovereignty of the people, and transfer it from the conftituents to the conftitued, which was inverting the order of things of a ftate that called itself a republic. It was alleged, at the fame time, that feveral of thefe individuals were of irreproachable character, and notedly devoted to the conftitution. The general reply to these allegations was, that the exclufion, decreed against individuals, was founded on irregularities in their election. Irregularities alfo required the annulment of all the elective proceedings in the feveral departments, with this difference, however, that the latter were of a more flagicious nature, and the perfons chofen notorious enemies to the conftitution and obnoxious in many other refpects. It was, therefore, upon the matureft confideration, indifpenfably neceffary, for the fafety of the republic, totally to reject the nomination of fuch people, and to abrogate whatever had been done in their favour, as being evidently the effect of factious violence. This refolution did not pass without an acrimonious altercation: but the plurality in both councils were, nevertheless, convinced that, though it might deviate from the ftrict let. ter of the law, yet the fpirit of the conftitution would exculpate the directors and the republican party, for having recourse to it, as the only expedient to prevent the de clared adverfaries of the established order of things from introducing fresh confufion and disturbances. Thus terminated the business of the eighteenth Floreal, (feventh of May) eight months precifely, af ter the ftill more famous one of Fructidor, which it perfectly re fembled in the principle that brought it about, and in the effects that followed it. The public in ge neral, though duly fenfible that it contradicted the genuine maxims of liberty, did not deny its expedi ency ency in the actual circumftances of affairs. The dread of terrorifm, of which the rejected elections menaced a renewal, feemed to reconcile every body to the propriety of their rejection. The whole of the bufinefs, indeed, was of fuch importance, that it had unintermittingly occupied the attention of men ever fince that of Fructidor. Meanwhile, fcarcely a week paff ed without some metlage from the directory, refpecting the exhaufted fate of the finances. Having rid themfelves of the popular party, by the eighteenth of Fructidor, they now laid many evils to the charge of that party, during their afcendency, for which it was neceffary for them to provide remedies. But, among all thefe evils, that which demanded the speedieft remedy was the revenue. For the fervice of the year, from September, (the commencement of the French year) 1797, to September, 1798, a fum was voted of fix millions of livres tournois, or 25,666,6601. fterling. Of this fum, two hundred and twenty-eight millions were to be cleared by the territorial impoft; the rest by an augmentation of taxes on collateral fucceffions, farming the pofts and fuppreffing the privilege of franking, re-establifuing the national lottery, erecting turnpikes, a farther duty on ftamps, a duty on paper, and, above all, by a mobilization of the national debt; by which the real ftock was reduced to one-third, payable in money, and the other two in bonds to be taken in payment for national lands. The funds allotted for the fupplies were not all of them near fo productive as had been expected. New taxes were, therefore, from time to time, propofed, for making up deficiencies and for meeting new exigencies: fome of these were adopted and others rejected. The grand refource, on all emergencies, was, not any regular and equal mode of taxation, but confifcation of the property of individuals, for which, if pretexts could not be found in old laws, new ones were invented. Of the numerous daily and evening newspapers, published in Paris, twelve were fuppreffed, not only on account of the matter they contained offenfive to government, but alfo, it may be prefumed, for a terror to others. The preamble to the decree for this fuppreffion ftated, that they caft reproach and contempt on the inftitutions and laws of the republic: that they uniformly fupported a fyftematic plan for the diforganization of the conftitution; fome of them, under the livery of royalty, others under that of anarchy. That two of them, whofe chief defign, as they profelfed, was to report the debates and decifions of the French councils, fet the laws of the church in oppofition to thofe of the state, and religious ceremonies to republican inftitutions: that they endeavoured to extend the reign of fanaticifm and fuperftition, to pervert the public mind, and to extinguifh a love of the country: that they abufed the liberty of religious opinion, in order to preach up religious andpolitical intolerance; and, that, in fine, they tended to fow the feeds of jealoufy and hatred among the citizens of the different departments, by the partial difcuffion_of local and perfonal interefts. For thefe reafons, the directory, with the 1799 the approbation of the two councils, thought that they could not be too careful in checking faction and enlightening the people, with regard to the artifices of royalty, anarchy, and fanaticifin. A bookfeller, of the name of Cochin, was arrefted, for having published, in a preliminary difcourfe to a new dictionary of the French language, fome fentiments that were confidered as reflections on the revolution. A number of the deputies, who had been banished, in September, 1797, to Guiana, among whom was general Pichegru, Barthelemy, Willot, Lanue, and Offonville, made their efcape from that peftiferous region, and arrived in London, and other parts of Europe, in September, 1798. At the time of their banishment, a refolution was propofed and talked of in the council of five hundred, that if any one fhould evade or efcape from the deftined place of exile, his eftate, goods, and chattels, fhould be for feited to the republic: but it was not then carried into a law. The return of the exiles coinciding, in point of time, with an infurrection that had burft forth with great violence in Belgium, this lait was, by many, afcribed to the intrigues of priefs who had efcaped and returned from banishment. A project, as the French fpeak, or, as we English would fay, a bill, was introduced, on the third of November, 1798, by Demoor, one of the deputies from Belgium, to the following effect: "That the goods of individuals who, having been banished by the Jaws of the nineteenth and twentyfecond of Fructidor, year five, fhould be found to have quitted the place of their exile, fhould be confifcated, for the benefit of the republic: that fuch individuals fhould be banished again, to fuch places as the executive directory fhould think fit, and condemned to perpetual exile: the goods of fuch returned exiles, in like mauner to be confifcated, if, within the fpace of two months, from the publication of the prefent decree, they fhould not prefent themselves before the magiftrates of Rochefort, to receive orders from them, concerning the particulàr prifons in which they were to be lodged, until the time when it fhould be convenient for the executive directory to fhip them off again, either to their old, or fome other new quarters by them appointed. The fucceffions, or reverfions, of the confifcated eftates, to be held and enjoyed by the republic during the natural life of its laft poffeffor, now ejected and in exile; and during the life, alfo, of his next heir and fucceffor, until he fhould reach the feventieth year of his age. Out of the fequeftered or confifcated eftates, certain allowances to be made, for the fubfiftence of the wives and children of the exiles, on principles, and in proportions, to be fixed by the legillative affemblies." The debate that enfued,' on this interefting fubject, was diftinguithed by the animated, eloquent, and refolate, though fingle, oppofition of a member, whofe name deferves to be recorded, elevated above the frowns of numbers, and the dread of violence, by the confcioufnefs of inward recitude, and an indignation againft injuftice and inhuman tyranny. Immediately on the reading of the bill, a number of voices demanded that the queftion fhould be put to the vote, as, in a cafe fo urgent, there was neither room for delay nor debate. But Rouchon, the member for Ardeche, inveighed with great and even violent emotion against the injuftice and inhumanity of reviving a propofal which, when it was made, a year before, had been rejected, as unjust and inhuman. "Without inquiring, faid he, into the caufes or origin of that concealed power, which fecretly directs all our difcuffions, I fhall confine myself to the refutation of thofe frivolous pretexts, on which the bill propofed is founded, and demonirate its impropriety and injuftice, as it is a fyftem of constraint, confikation, and permanence of operation. In point of conftraint, there is no one, if he choofes to be contumacious, who can be conftrained to come to any place, otherwife than by phyfical neceffity, in order to undergo any punishment to which he may be condemned. Would it not be monftrous and atrocious, to fay to a man demned to the guillotine, if you do not come on your own feet to the fcaffold, you fhall be either broke on the wheel, or drawn and quartered? Is it fit to imitate thofe Indian kings, who order their fubjects to the frontiers, and then give them up to be purfued by favage beats? I know that the grand feignor frequently fends a firing to his baflaws, but I never heard that he ordered them to come and fetch it, under the denunciation of a feverer punithment. The measure of con confifcation he confidered as unjuft, ruinous, and inconfiftent with all public faith. It was alfo, he obferved, contrary to the conftitution. In civilized ftates, tranfgreffions of a political nature were never punifhed by other than temporary punishments. The citizens would have every thing to dread, if, in the affemblies of their reprefentatives, revolutionary measures were every thing, and the conflitution nothing. Read hiftory, and you will find that there was never any meafure, for cruelty, equal to what is now propofed to you, adopted by Nero' or Heliogabalus. [Here he was interrupted by a cry of, to the Abbey with him,* to_the_Abbey !] Rouchon, continued. This bill, when duly confidered in its connection, and the influence which it is calculated to produce on the legiflative power, is more deftructive to you than to the tranfported deputies. Yes, I repeat it, this bill fubverts the very foundations of reprefentative government. In order to the exiftence of a regular government, it is neceflary that there fhould be certain fixed principles, from which there fhould be no receding every day, on pretence of faving the country. It is high time to give over the ridiculous practice of treating the conftitution I ke one of thofe precious pieces of furniture that are fometimes laid afide, by notable houfewives, for fear of wearing them out by common ufe. By your proceedings of Fructidor, you removed, to a great distance, a number of men, whom you confidered as dangerous: but you cannot difpoflets them of their pro One of the principal prifons, where the unfortunate royalifts were confined, until the malfacres of September, 1792. perty perty, under the idea of their being criminal in as much as they have not undergone any legal trial. It is monstrous, to make ufe of the words juftice and humanity, in the fame breath with confifcations and profcriptions, without trial or judgement. This is the ironical laugh of a man who poignards his victim. [Here, again, Rouchon was interrupted by many expreffions of difapprobation.] I call on my colleague, Chabert, to anfwer this argument. In no ftate, fubjected to laws, is any one held to be a criminal, and out of their protection, without previous and legal trial, and conviction. But the deputies were banished, by the nineteenth of Fructidor, without previous trial and conviction. Therefore, they were either banished, in violation of the conftitution, or, there was no conftitution to be violated. I demand the previous question. I have not had time to arrange my fentiments on the prefent fubject: but, at the fight of the bill before you, the hairs of my head ftand on end! I demand, at leaft, that, if you do not adopt the previous queftion, you will fend a meffage to the directory, for farther inftructions. I have yet one farther obfervation to make, and then I have done. The bill is fo conceived and worded, that it puts the power of making the law into the hands of the directory, who might, according to their pleafure, banish the Bourbons to Spain, for example, and the deputies, to the burning defarts of Surinam, there to perifh of thirst and hunger." This fmart fortie, this unexpected fally of honeft indignation, excited a general murmur and agitation throughout the whole aflembly, which rendered the prefent fitting one of the most boisterous that had taken place for a twelvemonth.The fubject was exceedingly inte refting: and, though there was only one member in oppofition to feve ral hundreds, he was animated and fupported by reafon and moral fentiment, and long maintained the unequal conteft with overwhelming numbers and unconquerable prejudices, teazed and tortured into many expreffions of impatience and blind paffion and refentment. For this reafon, we have judged it probable, that we should do a pleasure to our readers, to embrace the prefent occafion to lay before them a fpecimen of the debates in the French parliament. Rouchon, throughout the whole of his fpeech, was interrupted with cries from individuals in different parts of the hall, befides the general and univerfal burfis, already mentioned, of, to order, down with him, have done, to the Abbey witk him, to Guiana, and fo on. He, alone, and unfupported by a fingle countenance or voice, maintained the caufe of juftice and humanity, in the midft of reproaches, menaces, and the conftant calls of the prefident to order. Sometimes he forced his way, in the debates which followed his firft fpeech, inte the tribune, and fpoke from thence, and fometimes ftanding up in his place in the hall. In the debates in the French affemblies, there is a degree of gefticulation and contortion of countenance, that, to an Eng lifhman, and all the northern nations, except, perhaps, the Ruffians, would certainly appear in the higheft degree extravagant and ridicu lous. Gefture and action are a kind of mute modes of interchang. |