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CHAP. X.

France. Interior Administration of the Republic. Observations of the Factions in France. Plan for the Election of a new Third of the Councils. Royalist Conspiracy. Oath imposed upon Electors. General Election. New Members introduced. New Director chosen. Debate in the Council of Five Hundred concerning the Colonies. Debates concerning the Finances. New Plan of Finance. Breach between the Council of Five Hundred and the Directory. Conduct of the Directory censured. Private Correspon dence protected from Violation and Inspection. Buonaparte's Conduct with respect to Venice censured. Laws of Divorce ordered to be revised., Report on religious Worship. Resolutions in favour of Emigrants-in favour of Priests. Power taken from the Directory of putting Districts in a State of Siege. Political Clubs instituted. Army discontented with the Proceedings of the Councils. Change of Ministers. Attempt to remove Barras from the Directory. Moderate Measures of the Council of Ancients. Factions prepare to decide the Contest by Force. March of Troops within the constitutional Limits. Violent Dissensions between the Coun cils and Directory on this Subject. Parties in the Directory. The Council surrounded by a military Force, and the Representa tives in Opposition put under Arrest. Flight of Carnot, and Arrest of Barthelemi. Resolutions of the Councils. Banishment of the accused Members. Reflections on this Subject. Election of two new Members of the Directory. Negotiation at Lisle. Treaty with Portugal-annulled. Brief Remarks on the political Station of France and England.

W!

E have formerly remarked, that whatever of heroism or public virtue modern France presents to our view is only to be found in its military annals. Its civil his tory affords a picture of little but violence and intrigue. Faction has driven faction off the stage, and, in the contest for power, almost every principle which the revolution was instituted to establish has been for gotten and violated.

These observations have been strongly confirmed by the events of 1797; and our remarks on the new constitution, in our volume for 1795, have been equally verified. We then predicted, that the government was not so constituted as to afford any well-founded hopes of its permanence. The executive government appeared to be too

slightly connected with the coun cils, and the members of it too independent of each other. We stated our preference of an unity in the executive government, with a regular chain of subordination through the different offices; and intimated our apprehensions that disagree ments and contests would probably take place among the members of the directory themselves. In this respect also the transactions of the past year have confirmed our spe culations; and we have seen not only the directory at variance with the councils, but even with each other.

The violence of party spirit, which in the course of the succeeding year was to produce a new revolution, with some acts of atrocity, did not seem to agitate the

councils

councils in the latter part of the year 1796. They were chiefly occupied in temperate, though somewhat tedious discussions relative to the election of the new third of the legislature'; and after much trivial argument, and many visionary proposals, the following plan of the committee appointed for the purpose was adopted :

1. There shall be elected, for the present year only, a third of deputies, by the departments of Belgium, of Montblanc, and the other united countries.

2. The division of the ci-devant Belgium into nine departments shall be provisorily maintained.

3. A new general list shall determine the number of the deputies to be elected, annually, by every department of the republic, in proportion to its population.

4. There shall be sent to the renewed legislative body, after the 1st of next Germinal, the application of each deputy to his depart

ment.

5. To draw them by ballot, not by deputations, but upon the totality of the ex-members of the convention of one and the same council.

6. To obtain, as the result of the ballot, the effective maintenance of 83 ex-members of the convention in activity in the council of elders, and of 167 members in activity in the council of five hundred.

7. To make share in this ballot all those of the present deputies of Corsica and the colonies, who shall not be replaced before the 15 Ven

tose.

To except from the ballot no other ex-members of the convention than those elected as members of the new third.

9. To present, by proper regulatious, the difficulties which may

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attend the execution of the drawing by ballot.

Pastoret then reminded the council, that the constitution also required the renewal of one member of the directory, and moved, that a committee should devise the mode of doing so; which was agreed to.

The next business of importance which occupied the councils was the detection of a royalist conspiracy, which was communicated to the council of five hundred by a message from the directory on the 31st of January, and the particulars of which were laid before the same, body on the 4th of February following. The principal of these conspirators appeared to be a man of the name of Dunan, on whom was found a passport for Hamburgh, with a power of passing and repassing at pleasure; the others were Brotier, in whose pocket-book were found several papers, dated at Verona, with the signature of Louis XVIII; Laville Harnois, formerly master of requests to the king; and a baron Poly.

The charges exhibited against them were founded on the evidence of Ramel, commandant of the national guard; Malo, commandant of the 21st of dragoons; Guillaume, secretary to Malo, and D'Obelin, a private dragoon. These witnesses stated, that in several separate conversations with Ramel and Malo, which the latter took care should be overheard by others, the accused communicated to them a plan of a counter-revolution, to be effected by the assistance of England. The king, (Louis XVIII) it appeared was, on his arrival, to publish a general amnesty, which the parliaments were afterwards to revoke, as not being done with the sanction of their authority; offices were to be conferred at first on

the

the most popular of the representatives of the people, but this was only with a view of sacrificing them soon after. La Fayette was to be exhibited in an iron cage, and those who had been less active to be sent to the galleys. The principal terrorists and Jacobins were to be engaged as associates in the conspiracy, if it should be found the royalists could not do without them. The rest of the evidence related to a wild and impracticable plan of twenty-nine articles, for seizing the city of Paris, and securing the most dangerous of their opponents.

having been able to see him. He thought he had arranged it with the chevalier, that he should not depart before Mr. Windham was informed of it. If possible, he will be very glad to see the chevalier between the present period and that of his departure; but if it will incommode him too much at a moment in which he must necessarily be much occupied, he begs him to be persuaded that it is not Mr. Windham's fault that nothing is decided respecting the sending of funds for o ther parties of royalists, and that Mr. Windham will not fail to acquaint On their examination, Laville M. de Puissaye that it is neither the Harnois admitted the articles to be chevalier's nor his colleague's faults. his, but denied having any inten- He has just received letters from tion to overturn the government, M. de Puissaye, dated the 27th of and asserted that the operations for December, in which he informs overawing Paris, &c. were only him that the affair of his command to be put in effect, in case the Ja is arranged, and that he has no cobins should succeed in over- other object than to remain at his throwing the present government. post, occupying himself as formerly. Brotier, on being questioned respect- Mr. Windham will, if possible, ing his appearing as an agent of send M. Dunan a letter for M. de Louis XVIII. answered-" I can- Puissaye, as well as one for sir Sydnot tell that, but the papers found ney Smith. He is also impatient to upon me tell it." Dunan asserted, know, whether it has been settled that he only visited Ramel in the what M. Dunan is to expect for the hope of obtaining a contract for transmission of funds, and whether spirituous liquors; and Poly admit he has seen lord Grenville upon ted having had conferences with that subject? If M. Dunan could Ramel, but denied the evidence give Mr. Windham a call, which relative to La Fayette. In the he does not desire if it will incom pocket-book of Dunan a letter was mode him too much, he will not found, which was said to be written go out, but order a dinner at home by Mr. Windham, of which the at five o'clock, if it will suit the following copy was published in chevalier to dine with him; he inthe newspapers, and which ought treats him, however, not to put to have been publicly denied, if a himself to inconvenience, and to acfabrication of the directory, as we cept the assurances of his attachconfess we have suspected it to be.ment, and wishes for the success of his affair."

13th January, 1797.

"Mr. Windham is extremely sorry that the chevalier Dunan should be under the necessity of setting out without Mr. Windham's

As the operations of the conspirators were to have been in a great degree of a military nature, and as the raising of recruits was a considerable part of their plan, the di

rectory

rectory referred the conspirators for trial to a military tribunal: against this order the prisoners appealed to the tribunal of cassation, or court of general appeal, but the resolution of the directory was confirmed by the tribunal.

On the 5th of March the two councils drew the important lots which were to deprive a third of their members of their seats in the legislature. The members excluded from the council of ancients were, Michel, Moisset, Oliviere Gerente, Chambont-Latour, Dandenac-ainé, Deverite, Maignen, Girard Villards, Florent Guyot, Blanc, Bartot, Garrot, Amyon, Corbel, Creuzé, Pascal, Corent-Fusbier, Boucher-SaintSauveur, Vincent, Allafort, Cornillau, Gerand, (des Cotes du Nord), Durand-Maillanne, Gibergue, Gumery, Besnard, Guermeur, Marcelin Beraud, Johannot, Derazci, Musset, Gouly, Girard (de l'Aude,) Guittard, Lehault, Reguis, Del mas, Cabaroc, Bonnesœur, Vernerei, Dandenac jeune, Pierre-Michel, Fourcroy, Lanjuinais, Desvars, Delcher, Bouillerot, Bolot, Castilhon, Pouiain-Grandpré, Mioche, Rudel, Serres, Regnaud-Bratel, Sauve, Conte, Campmartin, Bouret, Salleles Thierriet, Bourgois, Goupilleau-de-Fontenay, Bar, Mazade, Belin, Laurent, Plaichard, Courtois, Mils, Roy, Vigney, Varlet.

And those from the council of five hundred were-Albert, Andrey, Auger, Babey, Balland, Balmain, Bancal, Bauchelon, Beffroy, Belley, Berlier, Bortezene, Bezard, Blanqui, Blondel, Bodin, Boissy-d'Anglas, Bonet, Bonnemain, Bordas, BorieCambort, Cambaceres, Camboulas, Camus, Carpentier, Casenave, Cassauyes, Cavignac, Caseneuve, Chabanon, Charrel, Chasset, Chastelain, Chauvier, Chauvin, Chiappe,

Christiani, Cledel, Colombel, Coupe (del'Oise), Couturire, Dabray, Daumermesnil, Daunou, Deformont, Delamarre, Delaunay, Delcasso, Delecloy, Despinassy, Deville, Dorneir, Drouet, Dubois Crancé, Dubouloz, Dumas, André Dumont, Dupais, Duval (Claude), Duval, (JeanPierre), Eschasseriaux amé, Ferrand, Fleury, Fricot, Gamon, Garnot, Gossuin, Goupilleau, Gourdan, Gouzy, Guilierault,, Goiter, Guyardin, Guyomard, Guyton, Hourier, Hubert, Ingraud, Isnard, Izoard, Jard-Panvillier, Jeannest-Lanoue, Jeuenne, Karcher, Laforest, Lakanal, Lanthenas, Laurenceot, Lecointe-Puyravaux, Legot, Lemailland, Lemane, Lesage-Senault, Lespinasse, Littel, Louvet (JeanBaptiste), Louvet, (Pierre-Florent), Lozeau, Mailhe, Maisse, Marboz, Marcoz, Marec, Marsiette, Mathieu, Maulde, Meaulle, Mercier, Montegut, Morissou, Obelin, Pacros, Pelet (de la Lozere), Perieres, Pepin, Perin (des Vosges), P. Flieger, Picque, Pierret, Pinel, Plazanet, Plost, Quinette, Raffron, Real, Reverchon, Richard, Richaud, Rivery, Robe:jot, Roualt, Roux (de la Marne), Ronyer, Ruault, Ruelle, SaintMartin (de l'Ardeche), Saint-Martin (Valogne), Salmon, Saurine, Savornin, Serveau, Texier, Thabaud, Thibaut, Tondis, Treilhard.

As the period of the general election approached, the ardour of party zeal became every where appa-rent; and the whole nation was in some measure agitated by the efforts of contending factions. The partisans of the directory affirm, that large sums of money were remitted from the enemies of the republic, to influence the elections in favour of royalists; while the accusation is retorted by their opponents, who assert that every unfair mode was practised to prevent the constitu

tion from a free and unbiassed opeThat the directory themselves were not without their fears, is evident from a message which they presented to the council of five hundred on the 15th of March. It intimated that the government was too weak to contend against the plots of anarchy and royalism, because it was unsupported by the public functionaries, of whom many had refused the civic oath, It proceeded to state, that pamphlets, vilifying the government, and justifying the emigrants, were circulated at this crisis with more than ordinary industry. It concluded with recommending an oath of hatred to royalty and anarchy, to be taken by the electors, previous to their entering on the discharge of their functions.

A débate ensued, in which Pastoret, Thibadeau, Camus, and others, combated strenuously the proposal of the directory. It was represented as no less than a violation of the constitution, as nugatory in its object, and insulting both to the electors and their constituents. In answer to these objections it was urged, that whatever the constitution had not specifically prohibited was lawful in itself; and that while Monk refused to take the oath of hatred to royalty, he boasted of his attachment to that republic he was labouring to overturn. After a tumultuous scene the debate was adjourned; but on the succeeding day the directory triumphed, by the majority of the council decreeing that every elector by seniority, after the president, should make the following declara

tion :

"I promise attachment and fide lity to the republic and the constitu tion of the third year, and I pledge myself to defend them with all my power against the attacks of royalty and anarchy.”

A propesil made by the directory about the same time to exclude persons accused of emigration from the primary assemblies, was referred

to a committee.

The elections were in general peaceably conducted, and in the choice of the electors a degree of moderation was evinced by the primary assemblies. The venerable prince of Conti was chosen an elec tor by the primary assembly of Melun, and several of the ancient nobility were distinguished in the same manner by the districts in which they resided. In the appointment of the deputies, those were generally successful who could boast of any services rendered to the state. The generals Pichegru and Jourdan, admiral Villaret, and many other military officers of note and merit were returned. In some places the elections undoubtedly fell upon improper persons; and even the famous Barrere, who, by the existing laws, was at that moment an outlaw, was chosen a representative by the district of Tarbes.

On the 20th of May the new members were introduced to the councils. In the council of five hundred the name of Barrere was received with marks of indignation; but when that of Pichegru was announced, the whole assembly rose, and seemed to pay an instantaneous and involuntary respect to that gal lant commander, who conquered not less by his virtues than by

At one of the Dutch fortresses which submitted to Pichegru, the commandant was weak or wicked enough to intimate to the French general that there were a number of emigrants mixed with the garrison, and to ask what must be their fate when the place capitulated." I acknowledge no such description of men as emigrants (replied Pichegru); the garrison are all prisoners of war."

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