volved it in fo many difputes. The death of Robespierre, it was expected, would reftore concord among them, from the evident neceffity of putting a period to a fpirit of difunion that had been productive of fo many fatal confequences, and had contributed, more than any other cause, to the exaltation of the tyrant to fupreme power. But that genius of difcord which had wrought fuch mischief, feemed infeparably annexed to the conductors of the revolution. When no longer oppreffed with fears, they became diftracted with jealoufies, as if they had not a fufficient field for their abilities with out exercising them to the detri. ment of each other. Scarce a month had elapfed fince the death of Robespierre, when a quarrel of a molt ferious nature broke out among thole who had been the principal agents in his deftruction. The party in the Convention that led the way in effecting this, thought themfelves entitled to a higher de gree of confidence and applause than the members of the committees, who had not dared to declare themfelves and openly join them, till fuccefs evidently inclined to their fide. It was not therefore equitable, as they had not participated equally in the danger, that they fhould have an equal share in the honour accruing from the fervice that had been performed, and claim the fame proportion of power and popular favour. The public were no ftrangers to the circumftances alluded to; but it was no lefs convinced that the committees had acted as meritorious a part in that bufinefs as they had been able; and was not pleafed at a diffention arifing from motives merely perfonal.

The party inimical to the committees refolved, however, to proceed against them, and, on the 29th of August, laid before the Convention an accufation against Barrere, Billaud Varennes, Collot D'Herbois, Vadier, Amar, and David: the laft had been a firm adherent to Robefpierre at that meeting of the Jacobins where he made his laft appearance, and excited fuch invectives and denunciations against the Convention. David had espoused his caufe in the most explicit manner, and went fo far as to embrace Robespierre, and to affure him, that if he was condemned to drink hemlock, like Socrates, he would drink it with him. This attachment did not however diminish the esteem he was held in for his eminence in feveral of the liberal arts: in that of painting, he was the first man in France. Nor was his attachment to that tyrant imputed to bafe motives: he was the dupe of Robefpierre's hypocrify, rather than the interested follower of his fortune.

The denunciation against thofe members of the committee produced a moft violent debate; but they defended themselves with fo much judgment and firmness, and adduced fuch proper and strong proof of the invalidity of the charges brought against them, that they were honourably acquitted, and the accufation pronounced falfe and defamatory. The truth was, that those members of the two committees had acted in conjunction with Robe fpierre on many occafions, wherein they were rather officially than intentionally concerned; they had long been defirous to extricate themselves from this ftate of perplexity; but inaufpicious circumftances had obviated their inten

tions. They had not been able to throw off the yoke of fubmiffion to his directions, till that fortunate day which delivered France from his tyranny.

Tallien, a man of great refolution and talents, had borne a principal fhare in this attack upon the members of the committees: on the 10th of September an attempt was made on his life; and he was wounded with a piftol-fhot. From the perfonal enmity fubfifting between him and Billaud Varennes, one of the accufed members of the committees, and the influence of this latter in the Jacobin club, which bad been allowed to refume its meetings, after its difperfion by Le Gendre, during the conflict with Robespierre's party, it was ftrongly fufpected by the public that the violent declamations of the many incendiaries who frequented this club, and their invectives against the profecutors of Billaud and his affociates, had roufed the fury of fome enthufiafts amongst them, and incited him to the perpetration of this atrocious deed.

This affaffination, together with the inflammatory difcourfes and maxims advanced in the meetings of this fociety, induced at length the committee of general fafety formally to prohibit them. That portion of the community which reflected on the general conduct of the Jacobin club, without partiality in their favour or prepoffeffions to their difadvantage, had long teftified its furprize at the patience and forbearance of the legiflature in conniving at the unwarrantable liberties they took with every public perfon and tranfaction that difpleafed them. But the fact was, that they had fucceffively been the

fupport of every violent party that obtained the poffeffion of power, or was aiming to obtain it. The party that overthrew Robefpierre having openly embraced the fyftem of moderation, and explicitly difcarded that of terror, had given that fociety fuch offence, that it kept no meafures in the obloquy and defamation with which it loaded every friend to this new plan of lenity, and on the outrageous manner in which it infifted on the restoration of feverity. This infulting behaviour drew upon them the indignation of government; which thought itself fully authorized, by the propriety of fuppreffing fuch audacious violation of the refpect due to the legislature, and the licentious principles fubverfive of both private and public tranquillity, to iffue an order for the fufpenfion of this dangerous affembly. This was done about the middle of October.

The committee of public fafety did not, however, take this ftep without publicly affigning its rea fons: they acknowledged that fo ciety to have done much good; but pleaded the propriety of filenc ing it, in order to preferve that fubordination in fociety, without which it could not exift. They allowed of popular focieties under due reftrictions, as being the right of a republican, community: but the Jacobin club was not merely a fociety; they vied in power and influence with the legal authority of the ftate itfelf: they had attempted to vilify the Convention. Though it was not improper to remind the governors of a nation of their duties, yet a rival power to theirs ought not to exift in a state. It ought not to be forgotten, that on the 28th of laft July, when tyranny was fub

verted,

erted, the Jacobins were in open rebellion to fupport it. Prefuming on impunity, and that the Convention had not spirit to affert its dignity, they ftill continued to bid it defiance. It was, therefore, indifpenfably requifite, for the prefervation of national tranquillity, to fupprefs a body of men who aimed at dictating to the nation's reprefentatives. The prefervation of liberty required the extinction of a faction that filled France with continual troubles, and explicitly recommended fedition and bloodfhed. The only legal and reputable focieties were thofe of the fections; and thefe would remain unmolested. Such was the fubftance and purport of the committee's addrefs to the public on this occafion. It was received with great approbation, and the meafure itself was applauded by a decided majority of the nation; which looked upon it as the readieft and moft effectual method to prevent the difcordancy and conflict of opinions that filled every place in France with difturbances, and broke up everywhere the peace and enjoyments of fociety.

A proceeding no lefs acceptable to the people at large was the punifhment inflicted on the authors of the barbarities committed in La Vendée, and other diftricts concerned in the infurrections that it had been fo difficult to quell. The principal and moft guilty was Carriere, a member of the Convention. He was neither deficient in vigour nor activity, and had certainly contributed by his unremitting exertions, to the fuppreffion of the infurgents. But he difgraced his character by the commiffion of fo many inhumanities, that the Convention

thought itself bound in honour to make a public example of him.He was tried and convicted of the crimes imputed to him, and executed, in company with two members of the revolutionary tribunal, at Nantes, who had been the companions of his iniquities. This act of justice was followed by a proclamation, offering liberal terms to those infurgents who fubmitted within a month. A full and unqualified pardon was granted to them, with an oblivion of all the paft, on condition of delivering up their arms, and promifing obedience to the Convention and the conftituted authorities. The lenity fhewn in the Convention to the decree that paffed to this purpose, did equal credit to its humanity and policy. The infurgents whom the barbarities exercifed upon them after their reduction, had alienated from the very ideas of a republic, were by the humane treatment they experienced, and by the punctual performance of the promises contained in the decrees relating to them, brought over to a conviction, that the cruelties they had experienced were owing to the cruel and fanguinary temper of thofe who were employed against them, and of those under whofe directions they acted, and not to be imputed to the government which they had oppofed with fo much obftinacy, not improbably from an opinion they had conceived of its inexorable difpofition.

While the Convention were thus employed in endeavours to reconcile, through lenity, the numerous enemies whom the late government had created at home through fer verity and terror, the utmost efforts were made in that affembly to re

ftore

ftore union between the parties that ftill continued to divide the nation. In pursuance of this spirit of reconcilement and moderation, the petitions that were prefented by thofe members that had been outlawed or imprifoned by the party that became predominant in the preceding year, were favourably received and though for a while oppofed by fome who fufpected the political principles of the petitioners, these were at length reftored to their liberty, and fhortly after to their feats in the Convention. Their number amounted to feventy. This equitable termination of a bufinefs that had occafioned many difquifitions, took place in the beginning of December. This month concluded with a decree that afforded general fatisfaction to

the people of France. Robespierre's murderous edict, prohibiting quarter to be given to the English, had always been held in deteftation by the public; but the dread of his defpotic fway kept every tongue filent on this as on other fubjects. As it did not however produce the bloody effects he intended, and was totally difregarded by the military, it paffed without notice, till fome members of the Convention, indignant that fuch a decree fhould remain on their regifters, procured its formal repeal. As it had been confidered by all men of humanity as a monument of national difgrace, the decree repealing it was looked upon as a reparation of the public honour, and received in that light with the greateft approbation and applaufe.

T HE clofe of the year 1793 had proved fo propitious to the French on that theatre of the war where the most decifive events had taken place, that the coalefced powers were feriously alarmed at the profpect of thofe difficulties which they muft furmount, in order to recover the ground they had loft, before they could refume their efforts to make that impreffion upon France which was the main object of the coalition.

In the commencement of the pre

ceding campaign, they had entered the field big with the most fanguine expectations of crufhing, in a very fhort time, the republican fabric that had been erected in France on the ruins of the monarchy, and of reftoring this to its former owners. Instead of fucceeding in this great defign, they had, after fuffering fome mortifying defeats, been compelled to have recourfe to retrograde motions, and, at laft, to act chiefly on the defenfive. This was a ftrange and very unexpected re

terfe of the fortune they had experienced at the beginning of the campaign.

Thefe events had equally aftonifhed and perplexed all the members of the confederacy. The great mass of the people through out feveral of the dominions of thofe potentates in alliance against France, was deeply tinctured with fome of those principles that characterized the French; and these were extremely diligent to pro. pagate them in all parts of Europe, by means of thofe emiffaries that were either in their pay, or that officiously undertook the task from perfonal zeal in their cause.

The two countries wherein their principles were more oftenfibly elpoufed than in any other, were at this time Great Britain and the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands. Their neighbours in the Belgic provinces, lately reduced to the obedience of Auftria, after a vain and ill-conducted attempt to caft off its yoke, were nearly of the fame fentiments; but reftrained from manifefting them, through fear of the numerous militia ftationed among them, In Germany the partizans of the new fyftem of politics were very confiderable in point of numbers; but the watch ful eyes of the many fovereigns among whom this extenfive and populous region is divided, kept them in too much awe to venture on explicitly declaring themfelves. In Italy a long fettled abjectness of Spirit held the inhabitants in the profoundest fubjection both of body and mind. The only attachment they felt was to their religion:their rulers had, in general, little of their veneration. The govern ments they lived under being defVOL. XXXVI.

potic, commanded, of courte, their external refpect; but their real indifference for the perfons and interefts of their rulers, was notorious. The viciffitudes attending the reigning families, had long prevented that affectionate connexion between prince and people, which is chiefly founded on the long duration of fovereignty in the indivi duals of the fame families. The new principles adopted in France had indeed found their way into Italy; but they had made few profelytes among the commonalty:thofe who feemed to pay them attention were chiefly the literati; and, even among thefe, they were confidered merely as objects of fpeculation. Little did they ima gine that the day was faft approaching when they would be reduced to practice; and that, next to France, Italy was deftined to be come the principal theatre of their exertions.

In Spain and Portugal the maxims embraced by the people of France, and the conduct refulting from them, had been univerfally reprobated. Firmly attached to the religious and political tenets of their fathers, the Spaniards and Portegueze had hitherto fcrupu loufly abftained even from beftow ing the leaft reflection on French principles, looking upon them as undeniably falfe and iniquitous, and equally pernicious to mankind and offenfive to Heaven. It was not till towards the end of 1793, or rather the opening of the enfuing year, that through dint of indefatigable perfeverance, the concealed agents of France had found means, through thofe infinuating arts wherein the French to remarkably excel, to introduce their re