lution been effected in favour of relating to France. He detailed, Lewis, deeds of a moft atrocious in the minuteft manner, the multinature were to have enfued. That prince was, at his restoration, to have affumed the mafk of clemency, and to have iffued an act of oblivion: but this was to have been declared null and void by the parliament, after his power had been firmly fettled, and the ancient courts of judicature re-established: other acts of perfidy were to have accompanied this one. The leading members of the prefent legiflature were to have been taken into favour, and promoted: but condemned to punishment on the first opportunity. Other frauds and barbarities were mentioned, fuch as expofing La Fayette in an iron cage, and fentencing to the gallies the inferior actors in the revolution. If the ftrength of the royalifts proved infufficient for their purposes, the jacobins and terTorifts were to have been reforted to for aid, on plaufible pretexts. Such were the principal charges against the four perfons arrefted. As their anfwers did not invalidate them, they were ordered, by the directory, to be tried before a military tribunal, as falling under the accufation of having levied forces to be employed against the ftate. The chief agent among them appeared to be Dunant. He gave in a declaration of the proceedings relating to this confpiracy, that reprefented it, as well as his agency therein, in fo remarkable, and, at the fame time, in fo ftrange and perplexed a light, that it excited great doubt of his veracity. He affumed the character of a man refolved to communicate all the tranfactions to which he was privy, and in which he had been concerned, plicity of intrigues carried on, at home and abroad, against the republic, fpecifying facts and perfons with the moft circumftantial accuracy. His object, by making thefe difcoveries, was, he faid, to fruftrate the attempts of the enemies to the commonwealth, and to enable it the more readily to crufh them, by being forewarned in time. The part that England acted in these transactions was very particularly defcribed. According to his report, the British miniftry was at the bottom of every design meditated against France, and fpared no expence to forward their execution. Nothing, in fhort, was omitted, on the part of this ancient rival, to overturn its prefent, and to reftore its former, government. But notwithstanding the utility, which the royal caufe expected to derive from England, the king, he faid, meaning Lewis XVIII. and his council, had always been of opinion, that the fervices of England were perfidious, and tending to no other end than the ruin of France. This declaration made much noife at the time, and gave occafion to a variety of fpeculations. The detection of this confpiracy coinciding with the period immedi ately preceding the annual change of one-third of the legislature, awakened the fufpicions of government, and induced them to imagine, that their opponents would exercife all their influence throughout the nation, to render the enfuing elec tion of members, to replace thofe that vacated their feats, unfavourable to the views of the prefent rulers. Herein they were not deceived. Every fpecies of oppofition, vio lence lence alone excepted, was made, by the royal party, in favour of their friends. Nor were the republicans lets earnest in oppofing their adverfaries, in the fame manner. Reciprocal accufations of bribery, and every unfair method of carrying elections, were laid to the charge of both parties, and they criminated each other with all the virulence and animosity of men, who were eagerly feeking for means to effect their mutual deftruction. A paper, publifhed about this time, in the name of Lewis, afforded an opportunity to the directory, not only of infifting on the reality of the recent confpiracy, but of bringing home, to the royal party, the charge of making every effort to fill the legiflature with their partizans. In this paper, Lewis explicitly acknowledged, that he had agents in France, who were commiflioned by him to urge every motive to induce the people to renounce their allegiance to the republican government, which he reprefented as a ftate of anarchy and of defpotilin, and to restore the ancient monarchy, which alone could put an end to the calamities that had afflicted France ever fince it had wanted a king. After making folemn promifes to rectify all abufes, and to redrefs all grievances, conformably to the wifh and will of the nation, he directed his agents to employ themfelves particularly in procuring the choice of the public in the approaching renewal of its reprefentatives, to fall upon his own adherents. In order to obtain this end, they were to hold out rewards, proportioned to the fervices performed, to the military of every rank, and to every perfon in office, whom they could perfuade to em brace their caffe, and to come into their measures. This addrefs of Lewis to the French, which was dated the tenth of March, 1797, was accompanied by the refolute exertions of his party, throughout Frances Govern ment was openly attacked, both in fpeech and writing. Every argu ment was used to afperfe and vilify its members: every report and anec dote was circulated, that could dif parage their character, and bring them into contempt. The caufe of the emigrants was boldly pleaded, and their conduct juftified. The republic itfelf was reprefented as unftable and fluctuating, and the probability of its continuance de nied, But a fubject of ftill greater alarm to government, was, that a confiderable number of the public functionaries refufed to take the oath of hatred to royalty. Though this refufal was grounded on their compli ance with this injunction upon their entering into office, yet, their denial to comply with it, at the prefent juncture, could not fail to fubject them to fufpicions of enmity to government. The directory, againft which the attacks of oppofition were chiefly levelled, refolved, on this emergen cy, to apply to the legiflature, for its aid, in compelling the refractory to fubmit to a regulation, which all the friends to the republic judged indifpenfibly requifite to enable government to diftinguish between its adherents and opponents. With this view, a meffage was fent by the directory to the council of five hundred, complaining of the difre fpectful and audacious writings published against the conftitution lution been effected in favour of relating to France. He detailed. Lewis, deeds of a moft atrocious in the minutest manner, the multinature were to have enfued. That prince was, at his restoration, to have affumed the mafk of clemency, and to have iffued an act of oblivion but this was to have been declared null and void by the parliament, after his power had been firmly fettled, and the ancient courts of judicature re-established: other acts of perfidy were to have accompanied this one. The leading members of the prefent legiflature were to have been taken into favour, and promoted but condemned to punishment on the first opportunity. Other frauds and barbarities were mentioned, fuch as expofing La Fayette in an iron cage, and fentencing to the gallies the inferior actors in the revolution. If the ftrength of the royalifts proved infufficient for their purposes, the jacobins and terTorifts were to have been reforted to for aid, on plaufible pretexts. Such were the principal charges against the four perfons arrefted. As their anfwers did not invalidate them, they were ordered, by the directory, to be tried before à military tribunal, as falling under the accufation of having levied forces to be employed against the state. The chief agent among them appeared to be Dunant. He gave in a declaration of the proceedings relating to this confpiracy, that reprefented it, as well as his agency therein, in fo remarkable, and, at the fame time, in fo ftrange and perplexed a light, that it excited great doubt of his veracity. He affumed the character of a man refolved to communicate all the tranfactions to which he was privy, and in which he had been concerned, plicity of intrigues carried on, at home and abroad, against the republic, fpecifying facts and perfons with the moft circumftantial accuracy. His object, by making thefe difcoveries, was, he said, to fruftrate the attempts of the enemies to the commonwealth, and to enable it the more readily to crufh them, by being forewarned in time. The part that England acted in these transactions was very particularly defcribed. According to his report, the British miniftry was at the bottom of every defign meditated against France, and fpared no expence to forward their execution. Nothing, in fhort, was omitted, on the part of this ancient rival, to overturn its prefent, and to reftore its former, government. But notwithstanding the utility, which the royal caufe expected to derive from England, the king, he faid, meaning Lewis XVIII. and his council, had always been of opinion, that the fervices of England were perfidious, and tending to no other end than the ruin of France. This declaration made much noife at the time, and gave occafion to a variety of speculations. The detection of this confpiracy coinciding with the period immedi ately preceding the annual change of one-third of the legislature, awakened the fufpicions of government, and induced them to imagine, that their opponents would exercise all their influence throughout the nation, to render the enfuing elec tion of members, to replace thofe that vacated their feats, unfavourable to the views of the prefent rulers. Herein they were not deceived. Every fpecies of oppofition, vio lence lence alone excepted, was made, by the royal party, in favour of their friends. Nor were the republicans lefs earnest in oppofing their adverfaries, in the fame manner. Reciprocal accufations of bribery, and every unfair method of carrying elections, were laid to the charge of both parties, and they criminated each other with all the virulence and animosity of men, who were eagerly feeking for means to effect their mutual destruction. A paper, publifhed about this time, in the name of Lewis, afforded an opportunity to the directory, not only of infifting on the reality of the recent confpiracy, but of bringing home, to the royal party, the charge of making every effort to fill the legiflature with their partizans. In this paper, Lewis explicitly acknowledged, that he had agents in France, who were commiffioned by him to urge every motive to induce the people to renounce their allegiance to the republican government, which he reprefented as a ftate of anarchy and of defpotifm, and to restore the ancient monarchy, which alone could put an end to the calamities that had afflicted France ever fince it had wanted a king. After making folemn promifes to rectify all abufes, and to redrefs all grievances, conformably to the wifh and will of the nation, he directed his agents to employ themfelves particularly in procuring the choice of the public in the approaching renewal of its reprefentatives, to fall upon his own adherents. In order to obtain this end, they were to hold out rewards, proportioned to the fervices performed, to the military of every rank, and to every perfon in office, whom they could perfuade to em brace their cauffe, and to come into their measures. This addrefs of Lewis to the French, which was dated the tenth of March, 1797, was accompanied by the refolute exertions of his party, throughout France Government was openly attacked, both in fpeech and writing. Every argument was used to afperfe and vilify its members: every report and anec dote was circulated, that could dif parage their character, and bring them into contempt. The caufe of the emigrants was boldly pleaded, and their conduct juftified. The republic itfelf was reprefented as unftable and fluctuating, and the probability of its continuance de nied, But a fubject of ftill greater alarm to government, was, that a confi derable number of the public func tionaries refufed to take the oath of hatred to royalty. Though this refufal was grounded on their compliance with this injunction upon their entering into office, yet, their denial to comply with it, at the prefent juncture, could not fail to fubject them to fufpicions of enmity to go. vernment. The directory, against which the attacks of oppofition were chiefly levelled, refolved, on this emergen cy, to apply to the legislature, for its aid, in compelling the refractory to fubmit to a regulation, which all the friends to the republic judged indifpenfibly requifite to enable government to diftinguish between its adherents and opponents. With this view, a meffage was fent by the directory to the council of five hundred, complaining of the difre fpectful and audacious writings publifhed against the conftitution and government, as well as of the refufal of perfons in office to take the oaths required of them, and requefting, that a law fhould pafs to oblige them to comply with this requifition. This meffage was delivered to the council, on the fifteenth of March, and the paffing of it was warmly folicited by the friends of the directory, as peculiarly neceflary at the present season. The fact was, that in many parts of France, thofe who had been appointed electors of the members of the two councils, that compofed the legislative body, were fecretly royalifts, and, of courfe, difinclined to take the oaths adminiftered to them by the republicans, as a test of their fidelity to the prefent conftitution. It was particularly against these, the law now propofed was aimed. But it was ftrongly oppofed by feveral of the moft confpicuous members of the council, who rejected it, as unneceffary and injurious to the character of the electors, whofe loyalty to their country it reprefented as doubtful. They were anfwered, that teftimonies of attachment to the state ought always to accompany official appointments, and that no one, who did not harbour finifter defigns, would be averfe to give fo eafy a proof of his patriotifm. After violent altercations, it was decreed, at last, that every elector, previously to his entering upon his functions, fhould formally promife attachment and fidelity to the republic, and to the conftitution of the third year, and pledge himfelf to defend them to the utmost of his abilities. The enacting of this decree was confidered, by the republican party, as no little advantage gained over the royalifts, who had, for fome time, been remarkably fuccefsful in encreafing their ftrength. This, indeed, was evident, by the returns made of new members to the legiflature. Among thefe was the prince of Conti, and fome of the ancient nobleffe. Several others were elected, whofe principles were remarkably moderate, and by fome thought inclining to royalifm. Three perfons took their feats as reprefentatives, on this occafion, who had each made a confpicuous figure in the republic. The one was Barrere, famous for his many fpeeches in the convention, during the time of Roberfpierre, and for having prefided at the trial of the unfortunate Lewis. The others were general Jourdan, the first who turned the tide of fortune in favour of France, in the campaign of 1793, by the victory of Dunkirk; and general Pichegru, no lefs noted for his fucceffes in Flanders and Holland, the enfuing year. Both the latter were admitted to their feats with every token of approbation and refpect. But the former was rejected, as being an out-law, and incapable, as well as unworthy, of having a feat in the reprefentation. In the directory, Latourneur went, by lot, out of office, and was replaced by the celebrated negociator Barthelemi, whofe talents and perfonal character had long rendered him the favourite of the public, which expreffed univerfal fatisfaction at his promotion to that dignity. This partial renovation of the executive and legislative bodies was accompanied with a general expectation, that it would be followed by material |