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Robespierre was elected president of the tribunal of the district of Versailles; Petion, another ultra jacobin, was elected president of the tribunal of Chartres; and Buzot, a third, was made a judge. The jacobins were every way rapidly rising into power. At the same time, there were rumours of royalist plots at Rouen and in the south, which kept up the alarm of the people.

The journalists made a fierce war on the mouchards, or pies, of La Fayette and Bailly. Spy was at war with spy, such was now become the condition of things betwixt the municipal body and the chiefs of the national guards, and the sequel to the revolution, as Marat called it—that is, the second stage of it—fast hurrying into the reign of terror. Kabers, a man declared to be a mouchard of La Fayette and Bailly, was seized by the mob, and hanged at a lanterne in the Faubourg St. Antoine. La Fayette himself was insulted there. Marat and the journalists denounced as mouchards Hulin, one of the heroes of the Bastille; Maillard, the messenger, who had led the women to Versailles on the 5th of November; Geoffroy and Masson, officers of La Fayette; Bouillard, an artilleryman; Millet, a sculptor; Ride, a turner; Leblanc, a farrier; Dubois, a locksmith; Gosset, an advocate; Reole, a linendraper; Ettienne, a ci-devant abbé, and others. They printed their exact addresses, that the mob might know where to find them, and did all but plainly say —murder them. At the same time, Marat addressed a most insolent letter to the king, declaring that his ministers were the greatest rogues, perfidious scoundrels, and traitors; that he himself was like all other kings, full of cunning, lying, imposture, perfidy, treachery, assassination, poison, and parricide; that Heaven had thought it worth while to work a miracle, and destroy the king-nature in him,—and that he was constantly stimulated by his wife to bring the Austrians in on them, and plotting with the refugee princes to deluge the country in blood; in short, that he was, if not a perfidious deceiver, a stupid automaton. His paper continually presented such topics as the following:"Necessity of a general insurrection like that of the 14th of July last;""Necessity of a general rising;" "Revolt of the king against the constitution; "Civil war inevitable."

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Prudhomme, in his Journal des Revolutions de Paris, went even further, and recommended the murder of the king and all other tyrants. He recommended the formation of a battalion of a hundred young men, sworn to the destruction of tyrants, in emulation of the deeds of Harmodius and Aristogiton, of Scævola, and the two Brutuses. All this was suffered to circulate unchecked by the assembly; but at length these rabid writers turned on the assembly itself; an order was issued to seize the papers of Marat, Freron, and some others of the frantic journalists, but it failed from want of courage to brave the wrath of the multitude, and the journalists became more daring and menacing than ever.

Amid all this furore of the clubs and the journalists, who really domineered over France, there were not wanting specimens of that extraordinary display of melodramatic sentiment which is so essentially French. The abbé Fauchet established what was called the Social Circle, in which there was a strange medley of christianity, free

masonry, and republicanism. The object was to found a confederation of mankind for the establishment of truth, liberty, and universal happiness. The abbé was elected as the attorney-general of truth; Paris, as the centre of civilisation, was to be the capital of humanity. Invitations were to be issued to the good and wise of every country, and as the principle was so evidently for the progress and felicity of the world, there was no doubt but that the invitation would be at once accepted. The leading members of the Social Circle were Fauchet, Condorcet, Bonville, a bookseller, the count Goupil de Prefeln, Mailly de Château Regnaud, Prudhomme. These were all freemasons, and they proposed to correspond with all the masonic lodges in the world, in order to obtain the best rules for their constitution and for society in general. The members met in the circus in the Palais Royal, and there Fauchet delivered the inaugural address, on the 13th of October, to four or five thousand persons, many of them leading deputies of the assembly. On the 22nd of October a second meeting was held, at which eight thousand persons are said to have attended. Prefeln was elected president, and secretaries and other officers were appointed. At this meeting Fauchet spoke slightingly of Voltaire, but applauded the Social Contract of Rousseau, and thought it would furnish much valuable matter for the laws and constitution of the proposed improved state of society. The abbé praised christianity, as the religion made for all mankind, the basis of which was love to one another; that it was the only religion on earth which had that solid foundation; and this, as it may be supposed, greatly scandalised the majority of the spectators, who had been indoctrinated with the new philosophy, which renounced religion altogether as an old and effete superstition.

Amongst other beautiful theories which the French occasionally promulgate, but always spoil in the carrying out, was that of the rights of women, which caught the imagination and deep womanly sympathies of Mary Wolstencroft so vividly. A madame Palen D'Aelders, a Dutch lady, wrote an eloquent paper on the subject, which was read at one of the weekly meetings of the society, in which she referred to most of the celebrated women of antiquity to prove that women, under fair and equal principles of society, were capable of emulating men in the noblest actions, and in works of literature and legislation The Society of the Social Circle, before long, gave way to that of the Theo-philanthropists, and the French enthusiasts in morals and social improvement continued to believe in the dawn of a happier era amid the rush of a moral chaos of profligacy and selfishness which was fast heralding the most frightful scenes of blood and savagery, under the name of reform, which ever horrified the world.

The declaration of atheistic principles by the most prominent revolutionists of Paris, and the seizure and sale of the church property in France, had had a disastrous effect on the Belgian revolution. The people of the Netherlands were devoted to the catholic church, and more under the influence of their priests than any other people of Europe. These proceedings, therefore, soon alienated the clergy, including the country curés, and the cry of “ Down with the aristocracy!" soon added that class to the opponents

A. D. 1790.]

SUBMISSION OF THE NETHERLANDS TO THE EMPEROR LEOPOLD.

503

of the revolution. Thus the very classes which had at the army was divided; one part adhering to Vandermersch, first maintained the opposition to Austria, now separated and another to Vaneupen and Vandernoot, the democratic from the democrats, who were corrupted by French leaders. The emperor Leopold was not slack in availing propagandists, and declared that they preferred the offers of himself of this internal distraction. He issued a fresh the emperor Leopold to the prospect of seeing themselves declaration, solemnly pledging himself to observe every article stripped of everything. Camille Desmoulins, in the of the joyeuse entrée; to restore to the states the constitution jacobin club, had seriously proposed that a reward should of which the emperor Joseph had deprived them, and to be offered to every man who brought in the head of an consign to oblivion all causes of offence which had taken Austrian, and that a tariff should be established of prices of place. At the same time, he marched a strong army, Austrian heads, rising in value from the head of a simple not less than thirty thousand men, to the Netherlands lieutenant to that of a field-marshal, and from a minister to frontiers, under general Bender, who dispersed the emperor's the emperor, the chief tyrant of all. When this French proclamation through the country as he advanced. The proposal was introduced into the Netherlands, the officers patriots had applied to Holland, Prussia, England, and and aristocracy, who were averse to French principles, saw France for aid; but none of these countries, except France, no security for a very long retention of their own heads. could be expected to support a cause identified with the new They, therefore, resigned the pleasing hope of rendering levelling principles of the French revolution. The Dutch, their country independent, and were ready to accept the indeed, were only too apprehensive that the French, once liberal terms of the emperor, whose character rendered his coalescing with the Belgians, would be only too ready to promises thoroughly reliable. The democratic party main-cross the frontiers into Holland. France, therefore, was tained their patriotic assembly at Brussels, and in different the only country from which the patriots could expect towns they had similar ones. The army had also been partly jacobinised; but the bulk of it retained a firm attachment to their clergy, and to general Vandermersch, who expressed publicly his abhorrence of the new French principles of government and faith. The democratic congress of Brussels sent a body of so-called commissioners to seize him, and send him to Brussels; but Vandermersch, who had his army about him, seized them, and put them in prison. He then issued a proclamation, declaring that certain evil-disposed persons had arrived at Namur, with the intention of creating riots, and of promoting sedition in the army against the general officers; that he had arrested them, and was determined to support the catholic religion, and the civil and religious rights of the people. The united Belgian states and his own officers firmly supported him, and declared that any legislative or executive power claimed by the congress was usurped and void. The duke of Ursel was made head of the war department; Vandermersch, commander-in-chief, with prince D'Aremberg his second in command; and addresses were issued, inviting the provinces to co-operate with the army, for the maintenance of order.

The patriotic congress sent troops against Vandermersch, and there was the prospect of a civil war; but the jacobinised soldiers rose, seized their general, Vandermersch, and delivered him to the troops of the congress, who consigned him to the fortress at Antwerp. The prince D'Aremberg they could not reach, for he was in Paris, doing all in his power to promote the escape of Marie Antoinette; but they seized the duke of Ursel, who had fled to Flanders, denounced him as a traitor, though he had been one of the first to resist the usurpations of the emperor Joseph, and had spent a large fortune in the defence of the liberties of his country. He was pronounced innocent by the judges; nevertheless, the States of Flanders would not release him, but attempted to reverse the decision of the judges. They endeavoured forcibly to have him carried into Brabant, and delivered to his enemies, but a party of volunteers rescued him.

assistance, and France gave them none. The French assembly was too completely overawed by the jacobins and the ultra-revolutionists, and too distrustful of the army, to venture on any such act. They were careful not even to mention the affairs of the Netherlands in their proceedings, though the jacobins clamorously reminded them of them. Night after night the subject was discussed in the club, and it was declared that if the Netherlanders and their patriot generals, Vaneupen and Vandernoot, were allowed to be trodden under the foot of Austria, the Netherlands would be converted into a bridge, over which the iron-shod hoofs of Austrian despotism would march into France. All was in vain; the assembly ignored the question, and only some of the rabble of the Paris democrats joined the army of Vaneupen and Vandernoot.

Meantime, Leopold had, in the month of October, entered into engagements with England, Holland, and Prussia, at the congress of Reichenbach, to observe all the conditions of his proclamations, and to govern the Netherlands according to the constitutions and charters in force in the time of his illustrious mother, Maria Theresa. Encouraged by these circumstances, all but the jacobinised troops fell away from Vaneupen and Vandernoot, and they continued to retreat as Bouillé advanced. Schönfeldt, a Prussian, who commanded Vandernoot's division, deserted his post, and got away into Prussia, to the great discouragement of the democratic forces. On the 20th of November the congress of Brussels proposed to accept the emperor's third son, the archduke Charles, afterwards so distinguished for his military talents, as sovereign of the Netherlands, on condition that the country should remain independent of Austria. The proposal only received the answer from Bender, that, if the country did not submit by such a day, he would march to Brussels and drive the congress out of the Netherlands. He continued to advance, and the congress dispersed at his approach, some of the members flying into Germany, others to Holland, but the majority to France. Bender entered Brussels on the 2nd of December, and the other cities quickly sent in their submission. The emperor faithfully

Thus the country was torn by contending factions, and kept his word in restoring the ancient constitution, charters,

and privileges of the country, and on the 10th of Decem- They published a caricature of his flying in a carriage ber confirmed the convention of Reichenbach at the Hague drawn by hares, but hedged in by a circle so complete that with the plenipotentiaries of the three allied powers-Great he would never be able to break through it; and Blanchard Britain, Holland, and Prussia. There were some new was represented as offering a conveyance in his balloon, as articles introduced into this convention, one of which the only way that presented a possible escape out of France. was that no laws should be introduced, or taxes levied, Such was the state of France at the termination of 1790. without the consent of the States; and another, that the During this time, the French propagandists had contrived troops should not be employed against the people, except in to create disturbances in Poland, and to engage the Poles in clear and direct maintenance of the law, and at the requi- a hopeless struggle for their freedom, the results of which we sition of the civil magistrates. shall have occasion hereafter to narrate. The czarina The patriots of Paris were furious at this defeat of their Catherine still continued her war on the Ottoman empire.

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efforts to revolutionise the Netherlands. They asserted that there was no barrier to prevent the Austrians marching into France; and, on the 19th of December, it is said that Marie Antoinette found under her plate, on sitting down to dinner, a paper, on which was written-" At the very first cannon that your brother fires against the French patriots, your head shall be sent to him." That this paper really was thus placed is probable enough, from the fact that the statement was published in all the jacobin papers; and they even made merry with the certainty that Louis XVI. was so completely watched that he could never escape.

The Turks gained several advantages over the Russians on the shores of the Black Sea, and near the Danube; but they were severely repulsed in an attempt to drive the Russians from their conquests betwixt the Black and Caspian Seas, and suffered a terrible slaughter on the banks of the River Kuban. Then England, Prussia, Holland, and Austria, from the congress of Reichenbach, announced to Catherine that they were resolved not to permit further encroachments on Turkey; and the Russians themselves began to feel the necessity of a pause in these expensive expeditions, so that the war in this quarter evidently approached its temporary close.

A.D. 1700]

FRESH HOSTILITIES WITH TIPPOO.

505

But a fresh war had broken out with us in India. Tippoo amongst his sepoys. But general Medows advanced with Sahib had resumed hostilities. He conceived the idea of ob- an army from Trichinopoly of fifteen thousand, and followtaining the aid of an army from France, and of thus driving ing nearly the route so splendidly opened up by colonel us, according to his vow, entirely out of India. He Fullarton, took several fortresses. Tippoo retreated to opened communications with M. du Fresne, the governor of his capital, Seringapatam; but there he again threatened Pondicherry, which England had very imprudently restored Madras; and general Medows was compelled to make a to France at the peace after the American war. M. Leger, hasty countermarch, to prevent that catastrophe. In the the civil administrator in England, brought Tippoo's proposals meantime, general Abercrombie landed at Telicherry with to Paris; but France was still less in a condition to send seven thousand five hundred men from the presidency of six thousand men to India than to aid the patriots of Bombay; took from the Mysoreans all the places which

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the Netherlands. As for Louis, he replied to the proposal, that the matter too keenly reminded him of the endeavour to destroy the power of England in America, in which advantage had been taken of his youth, and which he should never cease to regret. He had learned too deeply the severe retribution which the propagation of republicanism had brought upon him.

But, without waiting for the arrival of the hoped for French troops, Tippoo had broken into the territories of the British ally, the rajah of Travancore, and, by the end of 1789, had nearly overrun them. Lieutenant-colonel Floyd, suddenly attacked by Tippoo by an overwhelming force, had been compelled to retire before him, with severe losses

VOL. V.-No. 251.

they had gained on the Malabar coast; restored the nairs and other petty Hindoo rajahs, who, in turn, helped him to expel the forces of Tippoo from the territories of the rajah of Travancore, who was completely re-established. This was the result of the war up to the end of the year 1790; but Tippoo still menaced fresh aggressions.

The new British parliament met on the 26th of November, and ministers were seen to have a powerful majority. The king announced, in his speech from the throne, that hostilities had broken out in India with Tippoo; that a peace had been effected betwixt Austria and Turkey, and another betwixt Russia and Sweden, and he mentioned the endeavours then progressing for restoring amity betwixt the emperor of Austria

CHAPTER XIII.

THE REIGN OF GEORGE IIL-(Continued.)

and his subjects in the Netherlands. In the debate on the address in the commons, Fox appeared inclined still to laud France, and to condemn our interference in the Parliamentary Debates on the British Policy in India, and towards Russia Netherlands. His eyes were not yet opened to the real danger from France, which, whilst professing a sublime philosophy of love to mankind, was already exciting those popular disturbances in the Netherlands and in Poland, which were but the prelude to that crusade of pretended philanthropy amongst nations, which was to dethrone all tyrants, and which ended in establishing for a time the almost universal tyranny of France, under a race of parvenu monarchs. Already the doctrines of liberty and equality had reached the ears of the negroes in St. Domingo, who had risen to claim the rights of man so amiably proclaimed by France, and the troops of France were on their way thither to endeavour to put them down, in direct contradiction to their own boasted political philosophy.

In the lords, earl Grey, on the 13th of December, called for the production of papers relating to Nootka Sound. The motion was negatived by two hundred and fifty-eight against one hundred and thirty-four votes. But the marquis of Lansdowne contended that Spain had an unquestionable right to the whole of the North American coast on which Nootka Sound is situated, and had had since the reign of our queen Elizabeth. He asserted that we had insulted the weakness of Spain; and that Mr. Mears, and the other projectors of the trading settlement of Nootka Sound, were a set of young men of letters, desirous of seeking novelties. So little can statesmen, especially in opposition, foresee the real importance of certain movements; and, in so doing, he completely overlooked the provocations which Spain had lately given us, and her endeavours to enter into a conjunction with France against us. He condemned ministers for having alienated France, Spain, Russia, Denmark, and Sweden, overlooking the fact. that they had made alliances with Prussia, Austria, Holland, and the Netherlands. Pitt's cousin, baron Grenville, replied to this one-sided view of things, and proudly contrasted the position of England at this moment to what it was at the conclusion of the American war, when lord Lansdowne himself, as lord Shelburne, had been in the ministry. Pitt, on the 15th of December, stated that the expenses of the late armament, and the sums necessary to keep up the increased number of soldiers and sailors for another year, before which they could not be well disbanded, owing to certain aspects of things abroad, would amount to something more than three millions, which he proposed to raise by increasing the taxes on sugar, on British and foreign spirits, malt, and game licences, as well as raising the assessed taxes, except the commutation and land taxes. He stated that there was a standing balance of six hundred thousand pounds to the credit of the government in the Bank of England, which he proposed to appropriate to the discharge of part of the amount. He, moreover, introduced a variety of regulations to check the frauds practised in the taxes upon receipts and bills of exchange, which he calculated at three hundred thousand pounds per annum. With this, parliament adjourned for the Christmas recess, and thus closed the eventful year of 1790.

and France-Great Schism betwixt Burke and Fox on the French Revolution-Burke's Detestation and Fox's Admiration of it-Question of a new Constitution for Canada-Proposal by Pitt to divide that Colony into two Provinces, the Upper and Lower-To allot an amount of Land for the Clergy of each, &c.-Passes unopposed the first and second ReadingViolent Contentions introduced into the Debates on this Bill by Fox ard Burke on the French Revolution-Break-up of the Whig Party through it -Further violent Debates on the re-commitment of the Bill-Lord Sheffield moves that Discussions on French Affairs are irrelevant in a Canada Bil -Fox supports the Motion-Fresh Debates on France-Burke disclams the Friendship of Fox-Lord Sheffield's Motion withdrawn-Fox proposes an Aristocracy for Canada-Fresh Contest betwixt Burke and Fox on the French Question-The Canada Bill passes both Houses-Wilberforce introduces a Bill to prevent further importation of Slaves into the West Indies, which is defeated-Bill for founding the Settlement of Sierra Leone passed-Bills introduced for Relief of Catholics and Members of the Church of Scotland-Fox's Bill on the Law of Libel defeated-Trial of Warren Hastings resumed and continued till 1795, when he is acquitted -Effects of the French Revolution in England-Thomas Paine-Dr. Priestley-Dr. Price-Riots at Birmingham-Tory Instigations-Burning of Meeting-houses in Birmingham, and of Dr. Priestley's House and Library, with the Houses of other Dissenters-Destruction of the House and Property of William Hutton-Trials of the Rioters - Progress of the French Revolution-Resistance of the Clergy to the Serment Civique and the new Bishoprics-Flight of the King's two Aunis-Debate on the Emigration Law-Marat denounces the Gambling-houses-The Attack on Vincennes-Supposed Royalist Plot at the Tuileries-Death of Mirabeau -Charge against the King of harbouring non-juring Priests-The Mob refuse to allow him to go to St. Cloud-The Assembly afraid to support him against the Mob-La Fayette resigns his Command of the National Guard, but resumes it again—The Workmen of Paris form Trades-unions on levelling principles-Fauchet made Bishop of Calvados-The Pope excommunicates the elected Bishops, and is burnt in effigy-Robespierre votes the dissolution of the Assembly-Flight of the king and Royal Family-They are arrested at Varennes, and brought back to ParisBouillé resigns the Command of the Army-Thomas Paine and the Jacobins recommend a Republic, and that the King be deposed-La Fayette fires on the Populace in the Champ de Mars, who demand the Abolition of Royalty-The Bones of Voltaire deposited in the Pantheon -A Host of Tutors appointed for the Dauphin-The Constitution finished, and the Assembly dissolves itself-The National Legislative Assembly-Doumouriez sent against the Royalists in La Vendée- The Party of the Gironde-Measures against the refractory Priests-Decrees against the Emigrants-Attacks on the King's Ministers-La Fayette and Bailly resign - Petion elected Mayor of Paris-The King is compelled by the Assembly to menace the Elector of Treves with War if he does not expel the Emigrants from his State-The Elector throws himself under the Protection of the Emperor Leopold, who dispatches an Army into the Territory of Treves-Change of Ministry-Delessart succeeds Montmorin, and Narbonne as Minister of War-Three Generals are appointed, Luckner, Rochambeau, and La Fayette-The Kingdom is put into a State of Defence at the Close of 1791.

THE parliamentary session of 1791 was opened, after the Christmas recess, by Sir Philip Francis denouncing the war against Tippoo Sahib, in India, and eulogising greatly that prince. He moved thirteen resolutions condemnatory of the war; but they were all rejected, and Dundas, as head of the board of control, moved three counter-resolutions declaring that Tippoo had voluntarily broken the treaty made with him in 1784, and that faith must be kept with the rajah of Travancore, whom he had attacked, as well as with the Nizam and the Mahrattas, and these resolutions were carried without a division.

The English ministry was at length becoming aware of the mischief of allowing the empress of Russia to make continual inroads on the Turkish empire. The British ambassador, Mr. Fawkener, had been instructed to inform Catherine that England could not quietly acquiesce in these usurpations, which were seriously disturbing the balance of

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