fluence over the diet of the empire at Ratisbon. The consternation that had overwhelmed, it at the near approach of the victorious armies of Jourdan and Moreau, had been marked by circumstances denoting more despondency than became so respectable a body of men, and subjected them, in some meafure, to the censures of the public, particularly of the court of Vienna, which expressed high displeasure at the readiness they had manifested to treat with the enemy. They now were equally folicitous to regain the good-will of the Imperial court, and addressed it in terms remarkably fubmissive and thankful for the protection they had received from its armies, and the preservation of the empire, by the expulfion of the French, through the valour and exertions of the archduke. CHAP. CHAP. Χ. State of Parties in France. - A Revival of the Reign of Terror threatened in the Southern Departments by Freron. The Directory defert aad oppofe the Jacobin Interest. Conspiracy of Jacobins. Discovered and defeated.Arrangements respecting the Estates of Emigrants. Influence of the nonjuring or refractory Clergy troublesome to Government. - Scandalous Neglect of the Execution of Justice. - Criminal Trials. Money and Finance. The fame Impofitions laid on the People of the Austrian Nether-. lands as on those of France. - New Plots and Infurrections.-Law for reconciling the different Factions in France, by the Extinction of Terror.Proposal for repealing a Law which appeared to fome to bear too hard on the Relations of Emigrants. Rejected. But an equitable Alteration made in that fevere Law. This a Matter of Triumph to the moderate. Party. IT was the policy of the direc men, bred in times before France was feized with a rage for innovation, whose prejudices were all in favour of monarchy, though not perhaps unlimited; and of others too, who, though they had originally favoured the principles of the revolution, longed now, above all things, to enjoy the bleffings of peace. When this peaceable party, tory, as above observed, to fecure their own power, by engaging the French nation in continued military exploits, by which the public mind might be occupied otherwile than in inquiries into their own paft or prefent conduct; and by which they might acquire popularity, in proportion to the success and glory of the French arms. Yet there was, in the midft of all the fuccefles of Buonaparte, in the heart of France, a very numerous party in oppofition to the meafures of the government; and this party, by the repulfe of the French from Ger- ror on horror, difappointment on many, was daily encreased. The disappointment. When they looked French, at this period, might be back on former times, plentiful and tranquil; a period too, when they were younger than now, knew more around them in the light of joy and happiness, and faw every thing gladness; they were fenfible of the liveliest anguish and regret, and ar whether inclined to monarchy, or republicanism, reflected that all the golden dreams of the reformers had paffed away like vifions of the night, and been followed by nothing but the accumulated evils of war; hor divided into two great clatles: the une buftling and intriguing politicians, never fatisfied while there was anything to be done or undone; for ever in motion, and incapable of reft: the other puty, compofed of [L2] dently dently wished for a return of such Nimes as they had formerly enjoyed. This party was the most numerous in France, but they were forced to corceal their fentiments, and they were not united. They were of coure, as usually happens in all countries, kept under by a smaller number, in poffeffion of the powers of government. But, in the capital, where the minds of men were stimulated and fortified in their fentiments and defigns, by mutual intercourse, and which had fo long been the feat of intrigues and attempts of oppofite parties, there was a great number of difcontented individuals, waiting for opportunities of publicly avowing their sentiments, in oppofition to those of the present rulers, and to fupport them by open force. The vigilance of the directory obviated their designs, and contained them within bounds. So restless and determined, however, were the enemies to the present government, that, farther to fecure the public tranquillity, they thought it expedient to add another minifter to the fix already appointed by the constitution, to whom was given the official title of minifter of the police. Through precautions of this nature, peace was maintained at Paris, but disturbances broke out, occafionally, in several parts of the republic. The fouthern departments, long a prey to that warnith and inpetuosity of temper which characterize their inhabitants, were at this time plunged into confufions that required the immediate interpofition of government to fupprefs them. As the people in those parts had been particularly ill treated by the jacobin party, they had, ever since the fall of Roberspierre, meditated schemes of vengeance against the in struments of his tyranny, and of the many cruelties exercised upon them. They executed these schemes to their full extent; and many of the guilty agents, in the atrocities committed among them, were facrificed to their revenge. The The moderation that governed the councils of those who succeeded to the power of Roberspierre, put a stop to those executions. prudence of the commiffioners sent to pacify these departments, had almost restored them to peace and mutual conciliation, when, unfortunately for their repose, a man was fent to represent and to exercise the fupreme authority of the state in those parts, who had already fignalized himself there by his enormities. This was the famous Freron, a man of courage and abilities, but of a fierce and fanguinary difpofition. The people in those departments had filled the places of adminiftration, in their respective districts, with perfons of their own chusing. Thefe were immediately difplaced by Freron, who substituted to them individuals notorious for their crimes and the blood they had shed. He reinftituted the societies, and renewed those revolutionary committees that had filled France with fuch horror; and he authorized them to break those members of the various municipalities whose principles differred from their own. During feveral months, the oppressed inhabitants of those departments were compelled to fubinit to the tyranny of Freron and his partizans, who strove with indefatigable zeal to re-establish the reign of terrorifm. But the directory, who felt the neceffity of putting an end to the influence which the jacobins were endeavouring to recover, recalled Freron, and commiffioned two men of moderate principles, Ifnard and Jourdan, to inquire, in conjunction with others, into the caufes of the discontents and disturbances that had happened in those departments. But the jacobin party laboured so earnestly to fruftrate this commillion, by calumniating the members that composed it, that, notwithstanding their accufations were formally declared malicious and illfounded, it was judged requifite, in order to prevent feuds and animofities in the two councils, to diffolve the commiflion. Government was apprehenfive it would make difcoveries that might involve persons high in office, and occafion jealoufies to be revived, which might defeat the conciliatory views proposed by the new conftitution. The inquiry was, therefore, entrusted to the directory, which wifely determined to drop retrospective meafures, and, by lenient means, to restore tranquillity to the departmen's in question. were The jacobins were highly offended by the moderate councils which they now perceived the directory was refolved to pursue. They accused it of having abandoned those democratical principles on which the republic was founded, and bafely betrayed those from whom it derived its power in the state. But the directory unintimidated by their threats, steadily adhered to its determinations, and gradually introduced into office individuals of their own opinions, in preference to the jacobins, who had hitherto enjoyed almost exclusively the first places under government. This defertion of the jacobin interest subjected the directory to the most violent rancour of that restless and daring party: but, heedless of their hatred and menaces, government alleged these as reafons for putting a period to their meetings, and shutting up their places of refort. They represented them to the public in the most odious light, exhorting all good citizens to watch their motions, as full of danger and malevolence to the state. They procured laws to be enacted, obvioufly levelled at them: those, for instance, that made it a capital crime to hold feditious meetings, or to attempt the re-establishment of the conftitution under Roberspierre. Those members of the late convention and committees, reputed the heads of this party, were ordered to leave the capital, and the major part of those in offices of truft were dismissed. It was not without preffing motives that the directory acted with this feverity towards the jacobins: they were labouring to difleminate a fpirit of dilobedience through all the civil and military departments in the metropolis. They had feduced into open rebellion a body of the latter, known by the appellation of legion of the police. It confifted of men felected from various corps of the army, and ordered to Paris for the fupport of the convention when the Parifians opposed that article of the conftitution, which ordained a re-election of two-thirds of its members to the new legiflature. As they amounted to ten thoufand men, fuch a force appeared too formidable to be left in the hands of the jacobins, who had to perverted them, that they were no longer to be trusted. They were directed to repair to their respective regiments. Upon their refusal to obey, a power[L3] ful ful body of troops were fent for, which brought them to fubmiffion. The legion was disbanded, and difpersed into the communes to which the men belonged. This proved a measure of the most fortunate policy. Incensed at the proceedings of government against them, the jacobins had formed one of the most daring and deeply-planned confpiracies that had yet taken place among the many, which had marked this eventful revolution. It was conducted with the profoundest secrecy. The conspirators never met twice in the fame place; and it was hardly poffible to trace their motions, though their leaders constantly assembled every day, and government was apprised of the existence of a plot. The minister of police, Merlin, of Douay, a name well known, being either inactive or lukewarm in this affair, another man was placed in his office, of more activity and zeal. This was Cochon, who exerted himfelf with so much care and diligence, that the haunts of the conspirators were at length discovered, and most of the principal ones ar refted. The conspiracy was to have been carried into execution upon the eleventh of May, and the discovery of this design was not made till the ninth. On the morning of the tenth, the directory informed the two councils of the particulars of this conspiracy, which was in every respect a most dreadful and dangerous one. Two men were at the head of it, equally noted for their boldness and resolution. The one was Babeuf, from whom it took its This man, conformably to the custom prevailing among the name. rigid democrats at this time, had assumed the name of a famous republican of old, Gracchus, thereby to denote his inflexible adherence to the popular cause. He was a man of parts, in the exercise of which nothing was able to daunt him. The other chief actor in this conspiracy was the celebrated Drouet, the post-master of Varennes, who stopped the unfortunate Lewis XVI. in his flight; and, as a reward of his fidelity to the nation, was elected a member of the convention. Having fallen into the hands of the Austrians, and fuffered a long and fevere imprisonment in Germany, he had acquired a popularity which recommended him fo strongly to the people of his own district, that they elected him a deputy to the legisiative body, when the new constitution was formed. The other principal authors of this conspiracy were general Roffignol, notorious for his cruelties in La Vendée; Julian, a confidential agent of Roberspierre; Amar, a noted associate of that tyrant; Laignelot, a man of abilities and a member of the late convention. The plan of the conspirators, as laid by the directory before the two councils, was to massacre these three bodies, the field-officers of the Parisian military, and the constituted authorities of Paris, and to give up the citizens to plunder and flaughter. From the papers that were seized, it appeared that they had formed a complete scheme of government. The legislature was to have confifted of about seventy of those members of the late convention, who had not been re-elected; of a deputy from each of the provincial departments; and of fome of the deputies to |