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BRITISH AND FOREIGN

HISTORY;

For the Year 1791.

CHAPTER I.

France. State of Parties previous to the Meeting of the States-General. Riot at Paris. Affembly of the States. Contest with respect to the Mode of oting by Orders or by Poll. The Tiers Etat conftitute themselves a National Affembly. Assembly repulfed from the Hall of the States. Take an oath never to feparate till the Conftitution be fettled. Royal Seffion. Union of the Orders. Projects of the Court. Paris encircled with Military. Soldiers releafed from Prifon by the Populace. Famine in Paris. Remonftrance of the Affembly. Difaffion of M. Neckar. Disturbances at Paris. Firmness of the National Aembly. The Baflille taken.

WHATEVER may be the ul- humanity will neceffarily be arrested

timate confequences of the French Revolution, its origin and progrefs conftitute perhaps the moft interefting fubject of modern hif

tory.

It has exhibited the fingu lar fpectacle of twenty-fix millions of citizens, with a unanimity which is unparalleled, with a perfeverance which was irrefiftible, and in oppofition to the ftrongest of human prejudices, demanding and recovering their long-loft rights. It has exhibited fomething till more extraordinary; and has evinced, that a flanding army is no longer that paffive engine in the hand of defpotism, that it was formerly imagined; and that to retain mankind in a ftate of flavery, they must be kept in a state of ignorance. In the detail of fuch a revolution, the eye of

by fome scenes on which it is impoffible to dwell with fatisfaction, and the judgement of the politician will as neceffarily meet with fome tranfactions which it cannot approve. There is nothing fo difficult to moderate and restrain as popular fentiment; and the vacillations of opinion are feldom regulated, but commonly vibrate from one extreme to the other.

The attention of all Europe was fixed on the meeting of the ftatesgeneral, while the minds of the French themselves continued to be agitated by a variety of different and contending paffions and opinions. Thofe who were in poffeffion of power, were defirous of retaining it; and thofe who had no dependence but upon their abilities, hoped that

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a new constitution of things would elevate them to that rank, to which, from their merits, they conceived themselves entitled. The two great parties, which were afterwards to divide the nation, were already formed. The pertinacity with which the privileged orders were determined to adhere to their peculiar advantages, is evident from what we have stated in our preceding volume; and on the other hand, a multitude of writers of the greateft eminence were employed in exciting the tiers état to the affertion of its rights. The claims of the nobility and clergy were examined with acutenefs, with precifion, with refearch. The balance of ability was greatly on the fide of the people, and the ufages of antiquity faded before the light of genius and of truth. Previous to this period, that extraordinary fociety or club was formed, which has fince had fo confiderable, and perhaps fo dangerous an influence over the public affairs. Its members inftituted an active correfpondence throughout the kingdom, and, by cultivating a uniformity of opinion on political fubjects, produced, in time, that uniformity of will which afterwards appeared to govern the popular counfels.

The political fchifm which had already taken place, was not likely to be compofed during the neceflary turbulence of an election. Yet the fyftem on which the French elections are conducted, is lefs liable to tumult and diforder than where there is an open and immediate poll; and though the leaders of parties were fufficiently animated in the fupport of their particular fentiments, the great body of the people were either dubious of the confequences, or were not yet warmed in the contest. The meetings for the nomination

of electors were not so numerously attended as might have been fuppofed; and even in fome places where a thousand voters were expected, not above fifty appeared.

The fpirit of the two parties appeared in the cahiers (or inftructions to their representatives) which were drawn up upon this occafion. The nobility and the clergy in their feparate chambers digefted their inftructions, the firft object of which was to preferve what they were pleafed to confider as their own rights, the fecond to demand the rights of the people. The mon◄ arch, according to this fyftem, was the only devoted party; and with his rights the ftates-general might make as free as they pleafed. Aй parties, however, agreed in renounc ing a part of their pecuniary privileges. The inftructions of the tiers état were haftily compofed; but that uniformity of fentiment, which the fufferings of the people, and the activity of their leaders had produced, was evident in them all. They demanded the fuppreffion of more abuses than the national affembly has been able in three years to deftroy, more than perhaps ever can be eradicated; and a confiderable number of their requifitions are ftill remitted to the confideration of poflerity:-alt, however, were una nimous in demanding a conftitution, liberty, the affumption of natural rights, and the protection of the public treafure from the depreda❤ tions of the court. The deputies of each order departed thus inftructed to maintain the claims of their particular party. "Those of the tiers état," fays a diftinguished member of the affembly, " carried with them the benedictions and the prayers of the multitude."

Such were the objects which oc cupied the reflecting part of the na

tion; but whatever might be the expectations of others, the favourites of the court could not fail to perceive that the violence of the ftorm would break upon their heads. The inftructions which were dictated by the tiers état for the government of its reprefentatives, the vast extent of its demands, and the number and ability of the publications in fupport of these demands, made them feel the neceffity of oppofing against that order the full force of every exifting authority. Mr. Neckar was defirous that the ftates might be affembled at Paris; but the king preferred Verfailles, where the communication between the deputies and the court would be more immediate. It is evident that the deputies of the tiers état, who were collected from every remote quarter of the kingdom, and many of them entirely unacquainted with the great world, affembled under confiderable difadvantages, in a place where every thing bore the ftamp of defpotifm, and where intrigue and venality had induftrioufly fpread their choiceft allurements. The agents of the court had already established conferences at the houfe of Madame Polignac-and it is faid by the democratic party, that the chief object of their deliberation was to unite the two principal orders, the clergy and nobles, and to retain the commons in a ftate of dependence and fubjection. On the other hand, the deputies of the people were not without their jealoufies; and thofe of each province held their separate meetings, till at length they became united in that of Brittany.

It is evident that the voting by orders, and not by poll, that is, the affembling of the different orders in their feparate chambers, and investing each with the prerogative of

putting a negative on the proceed. ings of the other two, was the only ftratagem which the court party could employ to difconcert the meafures of the patriots; and it must be confeffed, that fuch an arrange ment would probably have rendered the whole proceedings of the ftatesgeneral a folemn farce, and could never have established any fubftantial reform. This was the great queftion which was prefently to involve the national reprefentatives in faction and contest.

Whilft thefe important affairs were in agitation, a circumftance occurred which is fuppofed on all fides to have originated in some malevolent motive, whether of a public or a private nature is not fo eafy to decide. In the populous fuburb of St. Antoine, a very con fiderable paper-manufactory was carried on, and a number of workmen confequently maintained by a refpectable citizen of the name of Reveillon. This gentleman had accused a certain Abbé Roy, a dependant of the Count d'Artois, of forgery, and the matter was before the courts. Whether, therefore, it arofe from a private revenge in the abbé, or whether the court party might imagine that a riot at Paris would afford a fair apology for the approach of fuch a number of troops as might effectually awe the reprefentatives of the nation, is uncertain. A groundless report was maliciously fpread, that Mr. Reveillon intended confiderably to lower the wages of his workmen, that he had afferted the bread was too good for them, and that they might fubfift as well upon potatoe flour, with many infinuations to the fame purpofe. On the 27th of April, both the fuburbs of St. Marc and St. Antoine were in motion, and Mr. Reveillon was burnt in effigy. The

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moft extraordinary circumftance was, that it had been announced to the police, that the preceding days a number of ftrangers had entered the city, and these men were now the leaders of the infurrection, and by profufely fcattering money amongst the mob, increafed both its numbers and its ferocity. A fmall detachment of the French guards was fent to effect their difperfion, but it was too weak to resist the rabble. At the dawn of the following day, the outrages were renewed, and Mr. Reveillon's houfe was pillaged and deftroyed. At length a formidable party of the military was ordered out, and, after a confiderable carnage, the tumult was quelled. Paris was fcarcely recovered from the great terror and apprehenfion which this infurrection occafioned, when the day appointed for the meeting of the flates-general arrived. The 5th of May 1789, will be long memorable in the annals of France, and it was indeed a day of feftivity to the whole nation. It commenced, agreeably to ancient cuftom, with a religious act. The reprefentatives of the people, preceded by the clergy, and followed by the king, repaired to the temple of God, accompanied with an immenfe crowd, offering vows and prayers for fuccefs to their labours.

The whole ceremony indicated the diftinction of orders, and evinced that it was the feciet determination of the court strictly to maintain it. Faithful to the cuftoms of 1614, the nobility were arrayed in a fumptuous robe, and the deputies of the commons in the habit of the Jaw. Thus while the nobility and the higher clergy glittered in gold and jewels, the reprefentatives of the people appeared in mourning; but the spectators were not dazzled by fplendid appearances, that body

which reprefented the nation engroffed all its applause, and Vive le tiers état! was echoed from every quarter.

The affembly was opened by a fpeech from the throne, in which the monarch declared his fatisfaction at feeing himself furrounded, after fo long an interval, by the reprefentatives of his people-he mentioned the heavy debt of the public, a part of which had accumulated during his own reign, but in an honourable caufe-he hinted at the general difquiet and the love of innovation which had taken poffeffion of the minds of the people; but depended on their wifdom and moderation in the adoption of alterations; and concluded by warm profeffions of his own attachment to the public welfare.

The fpeech of M. Barretin, the keeper of the feals, was but little attended to:-it, as well as that of the king, recommended temper in adopting alterations in the government; intimated, that the king had acceded to the wishes of his people in granting to the tiers état a double reprefentation, but left the great queftion of voting by orders or by poll entirely undecided.

The attention which was refufed to the keeper of the feals, was most liberally accorded to Mr. Neckar, though his addrefs continued for three hours. It did not, however, pafs exempt from criticifm-fome alledged that it was an ill-arranged and ill-digefted mafs; the republicans complained that he did not enlarge fufficiently on their favourite topic; they expected it to be filled with projects and with fyftems the privileged orders wished him to be more explicit in tracing out a plan of proceedings for the ftatesgeneral-but all agreed that nothing could be more luminous and fatis

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