his valour. The elections were all confirmed except that of Barrere; and Pichegru was appointed president; Simeon, Vaublanc, Henri, Lariviere and Parisot, secretaries. In the council of ancients no exception was taken against any of the elections, and Barbe Marbois was chosen president.

The day before the new councils assembled, the directory decided by lot the change of one of their own body; and Le Tourneur drew the lot which disrobed him of the directorial purple. On the 22d, the council of five hundred proceeded to form the lists for the election of a new director; Barthelemi, the successful negotiator at Basle, a man of amiable manners, and of respectable talents, had by far the greatest number of suffrages, and being at the head of the list returned to the council of ancients, he was the object of their choice.

The first important business which occupied the council of five hundred after the installation of the new third, was that of the colonies; in the debate on this subject, on the 4th of June, General Jourdan took a part, and his first speech was applauded. It was proposed to recall Santhonax from St. Domingo; but Jourdan apprehended that a sudden recall, without carrying along with it an adequate support, might force that commissioner of the convention into rebellion, and he might be induced to deliver up the island to the English. He proposed therefore that a general officer, supported by an adequate force, should carry out the letters of recall to the commissioners; and this proposition, after the deliberation of some weeks, was finally adopted.

This was the first blow which was aimed by the new council against the authority of the direc1797.

tory; for, by a former resolution, the executive power had been authorized to send out commissioners of its own choice. A more obnoxious measure was, however, in contemplation; and the usual sourcé of disagreement between the people and their rulers, the expenditure of the public money, was soon to set at variance the councils and directory of France.

On the 7th of May, some days previous to the admission of the new third, Camus, in the name of the committee of public expenditure, had made a report, in which he pointed out some instances of unwarrantable profusion in the home department, which the committee were of opinion ought to be reduced from seventeen to less than seven millions. He stated, that an unnecessary number of architects and inspectors were kept in pay at Versailles, St. Cloud, &c. that the manufactory of arms at Versailles, and of porcelain at Seve, were unnecessary expenses; and that the editor of a newspaper had charged one hundred and twen ty thousand livres for printing and distributing his paper, exclusive of postage. Upon this report, some resolutions were passed, abolishing all these sources of expense, and limiting strictly the executive government in this respect.

The new third had scarcely taken full possession of their seats, before these attacks on the agents of the directory were renewed in other forms. On the 7th of June, Buonaventure proposed several retrenchments of expense among the civil and military agents, who, he said, formed an army within an army, and a republic within a republic. He also called the attention of the council (of five hundred) to the sale of the national property in S

Belgium,

Belgium, which he termed a scandalous dilapidation; another member of the name of Berger mentioned, at the same time, several other necessary reforms, and moved to have the council divided into committees for effecting that purpose. A more formal and authoritative effort was made on the 14th, when Gilbert Desmolieres ascended the tribune, to make a report in the name of the committee of finances. Foresight, order, and economy, he said, were the basis on which a good system of finance ought to rest. Of these the first had been particularly neglected by the government, which had never foreseen its wants, but waited till it felt their pressure. At that instant the arrears of ministers amounted to a dreadful mass-upon a loose calculation, to no less than six hundred millions. Thus did the anticipations exceed the ordinary revenue by more than thirty-two millions. It was necessary to put an end to this disastrous evil, and to prevent the other ministers from making contracts like those of Truguet, minister of the marine, who had purchased flour at twenty-nine livres ten sous the quintal, though the same cost a Nantz only thirteen livres ten sous at most, and sail-cloth at twenty-two sous the ell, though a larger measuse was sold for but thirteen sous.

After going through a long and elaborate detail of the revenue and expenditure for the sixth year, Gilbert computed the amount of the former at 479,593,579, and of the latter 490,577,526 livres, by which it appeared, that there would be a deficiency of about twelve millions. He then adverted to the expenses of the clerks of the directory, who, he said, lived like kings; to the sums squandered without ef

fect for public education; to the debt of Belgium; and to that of the emigrants, which he estimated at nine hundred millions of livres. After a report of two hours and a half, he moved the adoption of three several projects, which were ordered to be printed separately.

Bailleul having combated some of his arguments, Gilbert rose again, and in the course of his reply adverted to a demand of one hundred millions of livres made by the directory under the pretence of making peace. This sum had been granted them by the weakness of the committee. The directors, said he, having, in an animated confer ence, seemed to fear the return of the brave defenders of their country, I answered, "You who know so well how to obtain supplies for the prosecution of the war, demand some for the consolidation of peace." The directory presumes to criticise your opinions. It has been proposed, that my report should be sent to the directory. I do not wonder at that motion, since one of the directors demanded, in my presence, that I should be obliged to lay the speech I had delivered on their table. (The council at the mention of this manifested the most marked disapprobation.) It is high time that the directory should be taught not to alarm the public by indecent messages, but to confine itself to its functions, to wait your orders, and to leave your discussions free.

The sword was now drawn, and on the 18th, the committee threw away the scabbard, when the same reporter rose to propose a plan of finance, the direct object of which was to take the whole power of the purse out of the hands of the direc tory. The council, at least the majority of it, agreed with the

committee

Art. I. The law of the 3d Brumaire,fourth year, which authorises the national treasury to negotiate under the approbation of the executive directory, is abrogated.

Art. 11. The Article II. of the law of 22d Vendemiaire, fifth year, which authorises the minister of the finance to regulate the order of the payment of the drafts of all the ministers, on account of urgency, is equally abrogated.

Art. III. The commissioners of the treasury are nevertheless authorised to make the negotiations which the service of the treasury may require, but under their personal responsibility.

On the following day the directory collected their friends in the council, and Le Clerc proposed the repeal of the decree concerning the finances. He contended that it was passed in a thin house, and without a division. He said a scandalous contention had existed for some time between the directory and the committee of finance, and that the resolution in question annihilated every hope of peace. "Will not foreign powers (he added) depend on a dissolution of the republic, when they see the power of the purse taken from the executive government, and put into the hands of men who have prevaricated?" A

most tumultuous debate, or rather contest, ensued, in which the authority of the president (Pichegru) was scarcely sufficient to restore order, or restrain the parties from blows; at length the motion of Le Clerc was virtually negatived by passing to the order of the day.

In some of the following sittings, the proceedings of the directory were severally canvassed. Pastoret, on the 20th of June, inculpated greatly their treatment of the United States of America, and proposed a plan of a decree for appointing a committee to inquire into the unconstitutional resolutions of the executive power on that subject, which was adopted. On the following day a committee was also formed on the motion of Imbert Columes, for inquiring upon what grounds the directory had presumed, contrary to the principles of liberty, to violate the sacredness of private correspondence, by the opening and examining of private letters--and a resolution was (to the honour of the council) passed, declaring such a violation utterly unlawful.

Not only the conduct of the directory, but of Buonaparte himself, was strictly scrutinized; and, on the 23d of June, Dumoulard proposed a committee to examine the external relations of the republic, and to demand information from the directory concerning the events that followed Buonaparte's manifesto against the government of Venice. He complained of the French general's interference with that government, and of the disturbance which was given by the sanction of the directory to the Genoese and Helvetic republics.

The opposition party in the councils at this period is generally considered as consisting of three distinct descriptions of men.

$ 2

first

first were the adherents of the ancient regime, some of whom, through the influence of connexions and of fortune, undoubtedly obtained seats on the election of the new third; the second were young and aspiring men, persons who were ambitious to distinguish themselves, and whom the love of novelty might, in some degree, induce to alter or repeal the decrees of their predecessors; the third set consisted of men of open and liberal minds, who supported many of the proposals of their colleagues, because they considered them as the dictates of truth and justice, and not to be relinquished for temporary inconveniences, or, in the fashionable language, existing cir

cumstances.

Among these men a proper and commendable zeal for religion and morality soon began to display itself. The detestable laws authorizing polygamy, or rather a general system of debauchery, under the colour of a facility of divorce, were ordered to be revised. On the 17th of June, Camille Jourdan made an important, and, in the opinion of many, an enlightened and philosophical report on the freedom of religious worship, which was ordered to be printed by the unanimous vote of the council of five hundred.

On the plea of humanity (and with many of them, unquestionably, their motives in this instance were good) some relaxation of the laws was proposed with respect to emigrants. Greatly to their honour both councils were almost unanimous in restoring to the prince of Conti and the duchess of Orleans their estates and privileges. A plan was brought forward by a member of the council of five hundred, of the name of Emery, for reinstating

the relations of emigrants in their property. The following is the substance of the decree which was afterwards adopted on this subject :

Art. 1. The articles 3, 4, 5, and 19, of the law of the 28th of March, 1793, the law of the 17th Frimaire, second year, the laws of the 6th Floreal, third year, of the 12th Messidor, third year, and all other regulations relative to the sequestration of the estates, and as the reparation of the heritages of fathers, grandfathers, and other relations of emigrants, are annulled, all sequestrations are taken off, and all divisions made with the republic are to be considered as void of effect.

2. The emigrants are declared unable to possess any civil rights, to count from the decree of the 23d of October, 1792, which enacted their perpetual banishment from the day of their emigration, if it be posterior to the said decree.

3. Substitutions entailed on emigrants, and not consolidated in their persons by the law of the 25th of October, 1792, are declared open by their civil death for the benefit of the heirs next in the order of succession.

4. Direct and collateral successions, to which emigrants would have been entitled in case of nonemigration, and which have become open since the 23d of October, 1792, are to be regulated in the same manner as they would have been adjusted in case the emigrants had departed this life previous to the above successions being opened.

5. The estates to be reclaimed in virtue of the two preceding articles, and which the republic is still possessed of, shall be restored in natura. to the lawful owners. As to those estates which have been disposed of in the form prescribed by the laws, they remain definitively alienated:

but

but the indemnification of the proprietors shall be provided for by another law.

6. The proceeds and revenue from the said estates, as well as the interests thereof, which have become due previous to the 1st Prairial of the fifth year, shall be compensated with the charges of sequestration, administration, and repair, with the relief granted in pursuance of the laws of the 23d Nivose, third year, and with the contribution for the cloathing and pay of two soldiers until the general peace, established by the law of the 12th of September, 1792; of which the fathers and mothers of emigrants are definitively acquitted and discharged.

7. The estates of emigrants charged with pensions or usufructs in favour of their fathers and mothers, and which are not yet disposed of, cannot be sold but with the charge they imposed on them. The fathers and mothers, entitled to such pensions and usufructs, shall be indemnified according to another law, to be enacted on this subject.

The barbarous policy of punishing individuals for the crimes of others was justly and generally reprobated. By a former law, the fugitive labourers from the Upper and Lower Rhine, who had emigrated while those countries were the seat of war, were allowed a certain time to return, and were invited to resume their respective occupa. tions. A motion was made in the council of five hundred to prolong this period, and to extend the benefits of the law to persons exercising any useful trade; and, after some deliberation, the time was enlarged six months.

The distressed and persecuted state of the banished ministers of

religion was in fine brought under the consideration of the council of five hundred, and the discussion was closed, on the 15th of July, by the adoption of the following resolutions:

1. The laws which pronounce the punishment of transportation or confinement against ecclesiastics, who were subject to oaths or declarations, or who have been denounced under the name of refractory, or on account of incivism, and against those who have afforded shelter to priests unsworn, are, and continue, repealed.

2. The laws which assimilate exported priests to emigrants, are also repealed.

3. The individuals affected by said laws are restored to all the rights of French citizens, by fulfilling, the conditions prescribed by the constitution.

A resolution requiring from priests a declaration of fidelity to the constitution was at the same time discussed and declared by the president to be negatived. An appel nominal being however demanded, a great tumult ensued, and the president walked away. The subject was however renewed the following day, when the motion for exacting a declaration from the priests was carried by 210 votes against 201. The liberality and justice of the council was further instanced on the 18th of July, with respect to fifty-three unfortunate emigrants, who had been shipwrecked on the coast of Calais. The member who made the report concerning them, Jourdan, observed that it would be barbarous to show less clemency than the furious element from which they had es- caped. They were therefore by the order of the council reimbarked,

and