maffacred on this occafion, amounted to 244. The maffacre at the abbey was fufpended, after the murder of the priests, about an hour. During that interval a kind of tribunal was erected, in which a few of the most abandoned and ferocious of the populace were the accufers, judges, and executioners. The first step was, to demand the effects of the prifoners; the trial was fhort, and the execution of the fentence inftantaneous. It was in wery few inftances that condemnation did not follow accufation: not only were men and women condemned on fufpicion, but on account of their being related to fufpected perfons. Immediately on condemnation they were cut down with fabres at the door, amidst the cries of vive la liberté.

The maffacre of the Concergierie began nearly at the fame time with that of the Abbey prifon. Eight Swifs officers who were on their trial, and which had been juft begun, with that of Major Bachman, and other perfons waiting for their fentences, among whom probably were many guilty of crimes, to the number, in all, of 85, were maffacred without any fhew of legal procefs. Two hundred prifoners in the great Chatelet fhared the fame fate. Many of thefe were confined on fufpicion of forgery, or paffing falfe affignats; others of crimes of a private nature; but none of them had been tried. Scventy-three felons condemned to the gallies, confined in the Cloifter of St. Bernard, were there maffacred. Forty-five unfortunate women of the town were maffacred in the hofpital, or workhoufe of the Salpetriere. At the prifon of the Hotel de la Force, where the maffacre was begun on the 2d,

and continued for fome time at certain intervals, one hundred and fixty-four perfons were affaffinated. The prifoners who had been fent to Orleans on account of their attachment to ancient monarchy, now called treafon, fedition, and incivifm; the Duke of Briffac, De Leffart, the judge La Riviere, and others, to the number of 58, were conducted to Verfailles, and there maffacred in prefence of the national guards and principal officers, who did not make any attempt to fave them. But the most horrible, as well as the last of all the maflacres of September, was that of the Bicetre, both a prifon and an hofpital, where the criminal, the fick, the wounded and the infane, were all fhut up together. Here the prifoners, infpired with fome hopes perhaps, from the greatnefs of their numbers, or at least being certain of their fate, with the refolution of defpair, determined to make refiftance, though in irons; and prepared, as well as they could, for their defence. The affailants aware of this, played on them with cannon charged with grape-fhot, as they ran from one fide of the different courts in which they were confined to another. When they were no longer formidable for their numbers, they were fhot with firearms, by way of diverfion. The malfacre of prifoners was continued night and day, without interruption, for a week.

To enumerate the various circumftances that aggravated the horror of thefe crimes, and opened new and humiliating profpects of human nature, would require volume on volume. Nor are thefe wanting; for it was not poffible that this fubject, fo painfully interefting, fhould be paffed over

in

the flood-gates of all the bafeft pafhons were opened, and that political enthufiafin, which had in a great degree fwallowed up all inferior views, was mixed, contaminated, and overwhelmed by an inundation of crimes, and an almoft univerfal difregard to confiderations of either morality or religion. The affalinations, arrefts, and menaces of this gloomy period, were uniformly accompanied with robbery and extortion. The numbers whom fear and danger drove out of the country were immenfe; and the municipal officers and members of the Jacobin club who gave or procured the neceffary palports, enriched themfelves by enormous fums. Five thousand pounds were frequently given for one paffport. Large fums were alfo extorted by means of denunciation; and in others, by promifes of protection.

At a time when the French nation were breaking through all the ancient bonds of fociety, it would have been very extraordinary, if fo lively and changeable a people fhould have continued to wear the yoke of matrimony. The Affembly, on the motion of Mr. Sillery, relative to divorces, came to the following refolutions: ft. That a diffolution of marriage, by the mutual consent of the husband and wife, be allowed. 2d. That a divorce be allowed at the defire either of the husband or the wife, on the fimple allegation of difference of tempers, or other stated grounds."

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While the most unprincipled, the moft active, and thofe who poffeffed the greatest power and influence in their individual capacity, grew rich on the fpoils of their neighbours, the great patrimonial eftates of the nobility and clergy were

feized by the Affembly in the name of the nation; and thefe being divided and fubdivided, were fold to all who could purchase them, and for the greater part to the cultivators of the foil, who had an opportunity of hoarding up affignats in the courfe of fervice in the national guards, and in the army. The plate and jewels of the crown were also feized for the public exigencies. A time was forefeen when aifignats would no longer ferve to purchase the neceffaries of life; on which account every effort was made to keep up gold and filver in the mint.

The rulers of France were not more reftrained by the laws of morality in their conduct towards other nations. Claviere, minifter for contributions, as he could not venture to propofe any new taxes on the people of France,conceived the project of drawing contributions by negotiations with the principal banks of Europe. Agents were fent to London, Amfterdam, Madrid, Hamburgh, and other places, who had orders to negotiate bills on Paris, payable, as was well underfood, in affignats. The value of the bills difcounted was remitted to France in fpecie. When they be came due they were paid according to the courfe of exchange. But before this could be converted into gold or filver, affaffins were hired to patrole the fireets, and by threats, or acts of violence, to chace away from their feveral ftations all thofe who, according to the manner of Paris, fold money for bills in the streets. At other times, when a rife in change was wanted for the purpofe of drawing new bills, Claviere fent men to offer more money than was wanted. Thus the new government of France was shifted from

that

that bafis of morality on which Condorcet, and other leaders in the Conftituent Affembly, pretended to establish it, and refted wholly on a violation of private property, and a fraud committed in the creation of affignats, on public credit, rendered by the varied and extended intercourfes of fociety and of commerce, the common bankers of Europe, and the whole civilized world.

Having taken a brief furvey of the character and conduct of the new government of France, we return to thofe of the royal family, on whofe ruins it was erected. - When the King and royal family came to the Afmbly, they were received with refpect, as it was not then known how the contcit expected at the Thuilleries might terminate. When the roar of mufquetry and cannon had ceased, and the cry was heard that the Swifs filed, then all appearance of respect for the royal family was laid afide: the oath of equa lity was unanimoufly taken, and the fufpenfion of the King unanimoufly voted, as above related. It was decreed at firft, that the King, with his whole family, fhould be fent to the palace of the Luxemburg *; and alfo, that as the civil lift was fufpended, a revenue fhould be affigned out of it for the King, It was not known how far the French nation might fuffer any treatment of the King lefs refpeétful or moderate. Perhaps the Affembly itself did not at this time feel thofe fanguinary and deadly fentiments towards the King and blood royal that were foon infpired by confcious guilt and confequent

terror; and by the very fury that arifes in every animal against any living creature it has once made an object of hatred and perfecution. Be all this as it may, the royal family was not conducted to the palace, nor fupported at the expence of a liberal, a decent, or any fixed and certain revenue whatever. The unfortunate Louis XVI. with his amiable and unfortunate family, was doomed to a miferable prifon, harth treatment, and the bare neceflaries of nature :-every remain of comfort and confolation, even that of focial intercourfe, was gra dually taken away. Death fhook his dart day and night over their heads, and what remained of the courfe of life was embittered by a feries of cruelties that feemed to have been dictated by the ferocity of the most favage nation, and the fubtlety of the moft refined. But, under all these fevere fufferings the whole royal family difplayed the moft magnanimous and amiable virtues; fortitude, piety, refignation to the will of God; conjugal, parental, filial, and fraternal affection; and a generous concern for the fate of their friends, and the whole unhappy French nation. While the new rulers rioted in the midft of profperity, in every luft of fenfuality and power,-the family driven from the throne exhibited, in a prifon, and under the most terrible circumftances that can be imagined, a moft brilliant pattern of moral excellence. Many publications, all of them agreeing in the main and most affecting points, illuftrate the truth of what is now afferted concerning the deportment of the royal prifoners of France in

the

the last year of the monarchy. But we cannot, on this occafion, pafs over in filence the journal of the eccurrences of the Temple, by Mr. Clery, the faithful and heroic valet de chambre of the King; in the perufal of which we are agitated between indignation and grief, admiration and compaflion. The moralift, in the contemplation of fuch afcene, is for a time loft in perplexity and doubts concerning the ways of Providence; and even religious faith itfelf might be in fome danger of being ftaggered, if this principle had not been found in the prefent, as well as in fo many former inftances, to confole and fupport the mind under evils not to be removed or affuaged by any or all of the refources of humanity.

The fame fpirit of democratical rage, and contempt of all conftituted authority, law, or juftice, which had prevailed in Paris from the 9th of Auguft, under the direction of factious agitators, prevailed alfo in the election of the National Convention. A circular letter from the municipality of Paris, and counterfigned by Danton, minifter of juftice, was fent to all the other municipalities in the kingdom. Its obiect was, to procure the approbation of the whole kingdom to the maffacres, and even to recommend them, in cafe of neceffity, to imitation. "The prifoners," they faid, "had been put to death by the people: An act of justice, which appeared (to them) indifpentably neceffary, to keep in awe legions of traitors." It was under the impreffions that fuch produc

tions were capable of producing, that the primary and electoral affemblies were held for chufing a new Affembly. The clergy were banifhed; the higher and the most honourable of the nobility had fled or fallen by the hand of aflaffination; the royal family in prifon expected their fate; all who favoured royalty, or diftinction of rank, were held in abhorrence; and those who had been called paffive, as well as the active citizens, had been declared to be cligible to all honours and offices of the ftate. The vileft of the people had completely triumphed, and they now proclaimed at once their victory and fanguinary intentions; fo that good, men were difcouraged from mixing in the ferocious and unprincipled crowd; and the convention was chofen for the greater part, ort of the moft defpicable and defperate men in the kingdom.

It was common for bands of affailins, at the inftigation of Danton, and other leaders, to attend and overawe the freedom of clections. At Rheims there appeared, among other candidates, one Aumonville, a butcher, a man of noted brutality of manners. At the name of Armonville there was a great marmur and outery of indignation; but the armed federates cried out, "We muft have Armonville. If you do not give us Armonville, we will continue the mafficres, agreeably to the letter of the municipality of Paris."

The National Convention, with unlimited authority, ailembled at Paris, on the 20th of September.

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