Fates together; and the parliaments were annihilated as well as the provincial ftates. All fees and taxes to the court of Rome for ever abolished. Some obfervations on the precipitancy, with which fixteen laws of the utmost moment were hurried through in one night; as well as on the bad effect of paffing laws by acclamation. Nobility and clergy in the provinces highly difcontented with the conduct of their delegates on the 4th of Auguft, in making fuch vaft facrifices without their confent. Several members of the affembly like-wife repent their own conceffions, and become equally diffatisfied. Landed proprietaries at length take up arms in their own defence, and reprefs the barbarous ravages of the peasantry. King appoints a new miniftry, with the approbation of the assembly. Diftreffed ftate of the public, through the failure of the taxes. Loans attempted and fail. Scheme of par triotic contributions adopted. A S the city of Paris already poffeffed, or was fast advancing to the poffeffion of the real power and authority of the nation, without a direct nominal affumption of its 'government, and the exercise of that power was rendered lefs diftafteful and invidious to the provinces and to the people at large, by its paffing through the medium of the national affembly, which was apparently refponfible for measures in which it acted little more than a fecondary part; it may not perhaps be unneceflary to make fome inquiry, how that authority, which was thus paramount to all others in fo great and extenfive an empire, and fo immenfe a population, was itself constructed, regulated, and directed. We shall likewise take no-. tice of fome correfponding circumAances and caufes, which were either overlooked in our laft volume, or did not at the time come within our knowledge, but which tended in a lefs or greater degree to facilitate the accomplishment of a revolution, which, taken in all its parts, is without example in the history of cultivated nations, and of long-eftablished governments. In the course of about three weeks, that vaft and turbulent metropolis, which was deftined to give the law to a whole empire, had undergone no lefs than three revolutions in its own conftitution of government. Having in the first inftance thrown off all established authority, whether derived from the fovereign or from their own municipal inftitutions, the capital feemed expofed a prey to every fpecies of diforder, violence, and of the most unbounded anarchy. In this alarming and dangerous flate, it happened mott fortunately for that city, and probably faved it from continual fcenes of plunder and maffacre, that the better order of citizens perceived within their reach the means of 'establishing, at least, a temporary authority, which might tend to preferve order and to afford fecurity. The body of constituent electors, who returned the deputies from Paris to the ftates were of courfe compofed of the principa citizens in their respective districts; they amounted to about three hundred, and luckily for the capital, poffeffed in a high degree the good opinion and confidence of the peo. ple. On these the opulent and better part of the citizens immediately caft their eyes, as capable of forming a central, effective, and what, with any other people to manage, [4] 2 "might might well have proved a perma-portance of their fervices were uninent body of magiftracy. There verfally acknowledged; nor did were fufficient caufes on which to their fubfequent conduct afford any found this expectation of perma- fair ground of cenfure. nence; for the electors were in fact, in their feveral diftricts, the direct reprefentatives of the people, being elected by them, which the deputies at Verfailles were not, they being created by the three hundred, and holding a very remote conneetion with the people at large, to whom they were but little known, and to whom they were not bound by any obligation. It was however happy, that these confiderations operated powerfully upon the bulk of the people in the first instance, thro' which the government of the capital was for fome days carried on fmoothly enough, and the authority of the new magiftracy would have feemed complete, if it had not been for thofe occafions of murder or maffacre which called forth the ferocity of the rabble, when all laws, government, and authority, and all refpect to perfons, were trampled under foot. The electors were too fenfible of the critical fituation of affairs, and 100 well acquainted with the difpofition of the people for whom they were to act, to be at all folicitous for the pre-eminence to which they were called; on the contrary, it was at the earnest folicitation and repeated entreaties of the most valuable part of their fellow-citizens, that they ventured upon the arduous tafk of governing the capital. Their conduct was fuch, during the fhort continuance of their power, as to gain the approbation of all the fober part of the citizens; and for a few days, the applaufe which they received even from the rabble was boundlefs, and the merit and im 3 But the natural levity and inconftancy of the Parifians, their grofs ignorance, their mortal abhorrence of fubordination, and above all, that horrid fufpiciousness of temper, which induces them to imagine treachery or villainy in the moft indifferent, the most innocent, or the moft praife-worthy actions, rendered it impoffible for any man or fet of men long to preferve their favour, or to conduct their business in any manner which could afford fatisfaction, and which would not even in the conclufion be attended with imminent danger. We have fhewn in our last volume the narrow escape which the electors had from the fufpicious rage of the multitude, when, on account of the impreffion made on their humanity by Neckar's eloquence in favour of Bezenval, and of a fimilar difpofition opérating on themselves to endeavour to heal the bleeding wounds of the nation by a general amnefty, the rabble conceived these acts of wifdom and virtue to be fo flagrant an invafion of their new fovereignty, and like other defpots not enduring any partners in power, that they were on the point of carrying their refentment to the extremity of punishment. Indeed, it seemed clear, that nothing less than the fortunate and inftantaneous perception of their danger, which ftruck the electors, and the confequent immediate dereliction of their feats and authority, was likely to preferve their perfons from the fummary execution of the lanthorn, or their houses and property from destruction. It feemed, however, as if the body of electors had either fome previous notice that the tide was beginning to turn, or that they had fo perfect a knowledge of the temper and difpofition of their new mafters, that they forefaw to a degree of certainty the event which was to take place; for, fome days before this final iffue, while they were yet loaded with praife, and that all feemed to acknowledge the importance of their fervices, they called a meeting of the feveral diftricts, and propofed to, and fucceeded in perfuading them, to elect 120 deputies, who should conftitute a temporary adminiftration, and who might in the mean time form a scheme for a future permanent municipal government. Nothing could have been more judicious or more fortunate than this measure. When the day of evil and of danger arrived, the new administration filled up the chafm which their fudden dereliction of office would have made, and by obviating the confufion which muft otherwife have taken place, afforded the electors an opportunity to retire with the lefs notice or obfervation, and to feek for fhelter and oblivion in the mafs of the people. But neither their prudence, caution, nor the timely and fignal proof which they had given of their difinterestedness, were fufficient to preferve them from the moit virulent invective and abufe, nor from the dangerous charge of ambitious defigns, which they directed to the prolongation and increase of their power. Among the novelties for which the late elections of deputies to the Aates had given occafion, one of the most effential, and which was indeed productive of confequences that were at the time little thought means of, was the new divifion of Paris into fixty districts, which then took place. This meafure, which was intended merely to facilitate the elections, held out an outline of form and order which could not be overlooked, and which was turned to great account in the fucceeding convulsions. The ealy which it afforded of fummoning the people of each district to conference or action upon the fhortest notice was inftantly perceived; and the committee of electors which, in the beginning, prefided in each, befides introducing habits of regu larity and order, were the means of paffing refolutions, or decrees, for the prefervation of internal quiet, and the security of perfon and property. By this means much of the violence and confufion which must otherwise have taken place was prevented; and to this caufe, and not to any fuperior virtue in the people, (to which it has been caufelefsly affigned) we are to look for that appearance of order and government which was obfervable at the commencement of the revolution, and for fome time after. In each of thefe districts general affemblies were held, at which every inhabitant was permitted to fpeak and vote; and each formed permanent committees of police and adminiftration. Thefe affemblies framed refolutions, which carried the force and effect of laws in their individual districts, and in as many others as they could induce to coincide with them; they likewife iffued proclamations, granted paffports, topped and examined carriages and paffengers, opened pack-' ages, and were beyond measure anxious and vigilant in the exercife [4] 3 of of a moft teazing and vexatious inquifition, which reached to every thing, and which nothing could evade or refift. But the abfence or lofs of influence of the electors was foon followed by the departure of every degree of decency and decorum from thefe meetings. It has been afferted by creditable oblervers, that it would be impoffible for a native of any other country to form even a remote conception of the noife and tumult which prevailed in thefe affemblies; and that the foreigner who could for any length of time withstand the preffure of the former upon his fenfes, need never give any other demonftration of the foundnefs of his, head, or the firm nefs of his nerves. All the boldeft and most impetuous of the fpeakers, to the amount fometimes of a hundred, were to be feen at the fame inftant, ftraining their lungs toge ther, each endeavouring to drown the voices of his competitors, and hoping that he alone would be heard. Yet this contention of noife, this confufion of voices, fo totally unintelligible to all ftrangers, was fo far understood by the furround ing crowd, whofe organs of hearing and perception feemed endued with powers calculated for the purpofe, that the general clamour was frequently increafed, or the jarring difcord of the haranguers entirely interrupted, by the loud fhouts of approbation, or the deep roar of execration and threat, which they occafionally drew forth. The ingenious device of one of the prefidents of these affemblies, wiff perhaps afford a clearer idea of the diforder which prevailed in them than any defcription. This man had a drummer conftantly ftation ed at the back of his chair, and when the noife and tumult refe to fuch a pitch as to be infupportable, and that all his efforts to produce order and filence were totally difregarded, he gave the fignal for beating the drum, which was done with fuch vigour and effect, as foon to overpower all other noifes; and this was continued, until the people fhewed fome figns of recovering their temper and reason. In this ftate of things, Paris was rather to be confidered as a confederacy between fixty diftinct democratical republics, than as one commonwealth, or as acting under one fimple form of government. Each individual diftrict was independent in its own adminiftration, and al'lowed no fuperiority of distinction or authority to any other. Upon fending deputies from one of these departments to confer with or make any propofal to another, it was laughable, if not ridiculous, to beheld the mimick forms of state ceremonial which were obferved on both fides, the deputies being treated with all the obfervance and honours which could have been shewn by one fovereign power to the ambaffadors from another. In procefs of time, a few of the most tur, bulent, noify, and generally profligate demagogues, became the leaders in every affembly, and leading the multitude as they pleafed, all power in every department came by degrees to be virtually lodged in their hands; while the ferious and better part of the citizens abftained from going to thefe tumultuous meetings, where, befides being stunned by the noife and clamour, they were expofed to the groffeft infults from the lowest of the rabble. Thus, by degrees, the govern ment of a million of people, who, Having thrown off all established authority and fubordination, fancied themfelves free, and who, it might without much hyperbole be faid, had gone mad in their purfuit of liberty, became placed in the hands of a few hundreds of the most worthless among themfelves; men equally deftitute of character, property, principle, and the mcft common portion of moral, political, or general knowledge. Thefe, however, naturally became the inftruments of men of much greater knowledge and capacity, but as little troubled with fcruples or principle as themselves. The new republican clubs, of which the Jacobins became the most noted, and who had their dependent focieties, ready to execute their orders upon the fhorteft notice, in every town of France, were compofed of the moft turbulent, daring, and hotheaded men in the kingdom, or perhaps that exifted in any country. Many of these were adepts in the new philofophy, and all of them fufficiently learned in the new vifionary theories of government, as to be capable of fpreading confafion and anarchy through all mankind, fo far as their influence or communication could poffibly be extended. All the republican party, the moft vifionary theorists, and the boldest innovators in the national affembly, became members of this club; and it foon became the fafhion that all laws, all measures, and all bufinefs brought forward in that body, were firft difcuffed, prepared, and digefted by the Jacobins, whofe fanction was the fure paffport to fuccefs. Being thus doubly fortified, ruling the tumultuous rabble in the fixty departments of Paris through the inftrumentality of the demagogues, who excited them to whatever pitch of outrage and violence they were directed, on the one hand; and governing the national affembly itfelf by a decided majority, as well as by the terror with which they ftruck the moderate party, on the other, their power feemed to be unbounded; the more especially, as it was extended through every part of the nation by their deputies and emiflaries. Thofe of the club, whether members of the affembly or not, who were the most violent in their republican principles, and the most diftinguished for their invincible animofity to monarchy in all its forms and relations, which they detested so much as not to endure even the name of king, but fubftituted the terms defpot and tyrant in its ftead, held the first place among the Jacobins, and gave the tone to all the reft. It may be eafily judged how fmall and precarious a share of authority the new temporary municipality could hold in fuch a state of things, and with fuch a people. Nor have any of the changes which have fince taken place in that capital, in any degree bettered its condition, either with refpect to general government, to private happinefs, or to perfonal fecurity. On the contrary, the ancient order of things has not been more completely fubverted with refpect to public affairs, than to domeftic concerns, to the government and order of families, and to the feveral duties and relations by which their members were connected. Men and women feemed to have changed their nature; and both fexes, with [4] 4 all |