Holland immediately upon the first conquest of the Netherlands, in the month of December, 1792. Barrere was that president of the convention, who in the true spirit of fraternity received the ambassadours of sedition and treason from this country, and joined with them in a fervent prayer for the subversion of the British constitution. His principles were known to be so ardent, that at the moment of the declaration of war he was appointed together with Thomas Paine, to draw up an address to the people of England for the purpose of alienating their affections from their lawful sovereign, and from the constitution of Parliament. The dangerous spirit which unquestionably prevailed among the jacobin faction at the breaking out of the war, has not been mitigated by the course of subsequent events. It breaks forth in various shapes, according to the difference of occasions, tempers, and situations. The jacobin society, the parent of the existing government in France, and the fountain head of all political doctrines in that country, so lately as the month of October last, printed and circulated through all the affiliated societies of anarchy, and through all the regular official channels provided for such purposes a very curious treatise intitled "Revolutionary Diplomaticks, by Anacharsis Clootz, orator of the human race." In this work the orator of the human race addresses himself to the sans-culottes of Holland, and exhorts them to take consolation under their present oppressions. He says, "the principal members of the national convention and of the popular societies are still convinced of the importance of uniting the mouths of the Rhine with the mouths of the Rhone, and of restoring to France the natural limits of ancient Gaul. The geographical position of France is not changed since last year. France cannot be confined within the factitious limits fixed by the folly of her kings. Publick opinion has already condemned those who would patch up a peace by sacrificing to the Cabinet of St. James's the interests of Savoy, Nice, Liege, and the Netherlands. The extension of the territory of France is equally essential to her own domestick happiness, and to the establishment of the rights of man in every part of the world.” Towards the conclusion of this new essay on the law of nations, it is announced, "that the day is approaching when the people of England shall rise, and demand the convocation of an assembly, where there shall be no question either of my lords or gentlemen." It is true that Mr. Clootz, having been detected in the crime of enjoying a considerable property, has been lately expelled from the jacobin club: but it does not appear that these enlarged doctrines of universal fraternity, inculcated on the minds of the people of France by order of the jacobins, have been since withdrawn from general circulation; and we have no more reason to conclude from the expulsion of Mr. Clootz, that his revolutionary diplomaticks have been involved in the fate of their author, than that the convention in expelling Thomas Paine intended to renounce the rights of man. Robespierre, in terms somewhat more measured, has expressed sentiments of the same mischievous tendency in his report of the 17th of November 1793, upon the political situation of the republick, a report made in the name of the committee of publick welfare, which had before that time been invested with the whole powers of the government, "The Brissotins, while they left our soldiers without arms, our fortresses without provisions, and our armies in the hands of traitors, urged us to go and plant the standard of the republick on the extremities of the world. With the stroke of a pen they overturned all thrones, and added Europe to the French empire. The sincere friends of the republick had a different plan. Before they attempted to break the chains of the universe, they wished to secure the liberty of their own country. Before they carried war into the countries of foreign despots, they wished to direct it against the tyrant who betrayed them at home; convinced that a king was but a bad guide to conduct a people to the conquest of universal liberty." You may understand from this passage, with what view Robespierre and his party urged the murder of their unfortunate sovereign; it was (according to the avowal of the committee of publick welfare in this report) for the purpose of establishing a government, under which the people of France might be more readily conducted to the conquest of universal liberty; a phrase which now requires no comment. On the 5th of December, Robespierre reported his celebrated answer to the manifestos of all kings. In this extraordinary composition is contained a more scandalous libel against every prince in Europe, and a more virulent invective against monarchy itself, than any which has yet appeared, even in France. He calls all kings" slaves in a state of insurrection against the sovereignty of the people." He says, "that royalty is the masterpiece of human corruption." He maintains (as I have already stated) "that regicide is an act of the purest piety. But he declares, that he has no further intention, than to enlighten the minds of mankind with regard to the crimes of their respective governments.” He concludes with an argument to prove that "the British government must be a despotism, because there is an opposition in parliament;" and he calls the British people, “a vile and insolent race, which has the presumption to talk of the rights of freedom, and of the duties of morality." These expressions bring before your view not only the general hostility professed by the jacobins against all regular government, but their particular animosity against the united people of these happy kingdoms, and against the whole frame of the British constitution. Similar expressions of fixed and inveterate hatred are to be found in every important act of the government. I will quote a few instances, all taken from the reports made by different persons to the convention, in the name of the committee of publick welfare. On the 16th of October 1793, Saint Just proposes a decree for the arrest of all Englishmen remaining in France, and for the seizure of their property. He concludes his report with these words, "We will give our friendly assistance to the people of England, in order to enable them to rid themselves of kings." Upon the evacuation of Toulon, Barrere says, in a triumphant tone, "the day is not distant when the people of England shall recollect that they were once republicans, and that it was a usurpation which reduced them again to the calamitous condition of subjects living under monarchy." The same person on the 21st of September 1793, proposing an act of navigation for the express purpose of destroying the commerce and naval power of Great Britain, uses these words: "Carthage was the torment of Italy; Carthage was destroyed by Rome. London is the torment of Europe; London is an ulcer which wastes the strength of the continent; London is a political excrescence which liberty is bound to destroy. May England be ruined! May England be annihilated! Such ought to be the concluding article of every revolutionary decree of the national convention of France !" I cannot dispute the wisdom and policy of this sentiment. I must agree with Barrere, that the ruin and annihilation of England would be, in the technical sense of the phrase, a revolutionary measure. Every motive of interest or of passion, which could engage the jacobin faction to disturb the peace of any independent state, must operate with redoubled force against Great Britain. Enemies not to the tyranny but to the order of absolute monarchy; enemies to the principle of order itself; their animosity must be most peculiarly exasperated against a frame of government, in which that principle appears in its most perfect and beautiful form. This is so consistent with the genuine character of anarchy, that the very same sentiment is attributed by Milton to the "old anarch," Chaos himself. He is introduced complaining to his guest Satan of the various encroachments which have been made upon the ancient empire of confusion and discord. He first complains even of the order established in the infernal regions, but he is incensed to the utmost height of indignation against the beautiful order of the creation. Since the completion of that work he declares, that he is compelled to keep perpetual watch upon his frontier, endeavouring if he can to preserve the remnants of his anarchy from invasion. When he is informed that Satan is upon his passage to Paradise in the character of a missionary from the rebellious spirits for the express purpose of disturbing the peace of mankind, he receives him with great cordiality, directs his course, and wishes him a prosperous voyage. Satan repays this hospitality by a promise that he will use his utmost efforts to disorganise the world: he says, "Direct my course; Directed, no mean recompense it brings Yours be th' advantage all, mine the revenge." All the scenes of fraternity which have been acted by the modern anarchs. All their libellous speeches and virulent reports seem to have been modelled from this precedent. Their general view has uniformly been, and still continues to be the subversion of all regular government of whatever description; but the primary object is, and must be to abolish every trace and vestige of a government, which furnishes a practical lesson to mankind, that a just gradation of ranks and orders of society connected with the principles of a limited monarchy affords the best protection for the liberty and happiness of individuals, as well as the most permanent basis of national union and political strength. Such being the passions and interests of the revolutionary government, and such being the nature of the system established under their influence, while that system shall exist either under their administration, or, without changing its character, shall pass into the hands of any other faction, we cannot attempt |