of Italy. What would become of the republic if those who have received arms only for her defence were to interpofe in civil difcuffions? You are acquainted with the volume of addreffes which have been drawn up by this army. They are marked by an ardent expreffion of love for liberty; but they hold forth abfurd claims, extravagant opinions, and criminal projects. The first fentiments belong to our generous defenders, the others to fome factious men who wish to fee the bofom of their country torn even by those who are charged with its defence. No, it is not our warriors, but fome ferocious monfters, who have conceived the project of delivering to the enemy the conquefts acquired by the valour and blood of our troops, and to lead them back to their families under the ftandard of rebellion. Have you been able to read without indignation one of thofe addreffes, which afferts that the system of royalifm is unceafingly purfued in the legiflature? Does the audacious rebel who penned this impious phrafe yet exift? Does he exift, and are you free? Does the government flumber, that it has not proceeded with vigour against him? Thefe addreffes are at prefent directed against the legiflature Directors of the re. public, they will foon be directed against you! Wretched! wretched is the authority which is fupported by bayonets! They always conclude by annihilating the power which they have eftablished. The addreffes have been certified by the chief of the etat-majors of the army. They have been officially tranfmitted to several adminiftrations; they were deftined to other corps of troops; and yet this, it

is faid, was not a deliberation. Doubtless it was not; for had these addreffes been deliberated upon, they would have been published in a camp of citizen foldiers, who would have caufed the voice of the conftitution to be heard. If the foldiers have not read them, they do not speak the fentiments of the army. The conftitution prohibits addreffes in the collective name of an armed body, and will a General be permitted to violate it? The more fervices your generafs and foldiers have rendered to the country, the more you ought to guard against all attempts upon the conftitution. In a rifing republic do not permit the troops to act as if they had conquered only for themfelves, unless you would fee, as once was the cafe in the Roman empire, your foldiers only obey their generals, and never their coun.ry. It has been attempted to perfuade the conquerors of Italy that a fyftem of profcription exifts against them. Profcribe them! Who would dare to attempt it? Who would defire it? What Frenchman's heart does not glow at the recital of their heroic ac tions, which rommand the gratitude of their country, and cover with a veil of glory the dreadful events which have tarnished the revolution? They were citizens before they were foldiers-they must ceafe to be foldiers to become a gain citizens.

The Directory inform you, that they have put a stop to the circulation of thefe addreffes, and that they have written to the commanders in chief, deploring the circumftances which had led to this violation of the conftitutional act. Your Committee confider it their

duty to declare openly to you, that the answer of the Directory has appeared to them unworthy of its power, and the rank in which the conftitution has placed that body. Confider what progrefs has been made in confequence of thefe dan gerous examples. The fpirit of faction has already introduced the language of anarchy into the camps. It has infinuated itfelf even into the honourable retreat of our wounded warriors for the fabrication of addreffes it heats the minds of men : it proclaims everywhere diffolution and death-Yet the government fleeps! Awaken, legiflators, watch for yourfelves and for the people. The conftitutional limits are traced. Directors, generals, and foldiers, bow yourfelves before the will of the people. The legiflative body will never balance with its duty. It is inacceffible to fear, and will never fubmit to menace..

Your committee will not humble itself in replying to the calumnies propagated by your enemies. A legiflative body which is not ac cufable, ought not to juftify itself. By its acts it must be judged. We fhall speak the truth to the Directory -we hall fpeak the truth to the people.

The infolence of pricfts and emigrants is denounced to you. As to the priests, is their profcription in a mafs to be regretted? Liberty of confcience, liberty of worship, and fubmiffion to the laws-fuch are the principles maintained by all philofophers fuch are the principles confecrated by the conftitution and the laws, in oppofition to the claims of a religion which withed to be exclufively eftablished. As to the emigrants, who favours them? Do not the laws refpecting the emi

grants exift? Do they not place in the hands of the Directory the most active, the moft powerful, and the most arbitrary means? The return of noted emigrants is announced. The house in which they affemble is even mentioned: but what then is the duty of the police? Why thofe eralements, the traffic of which is publicly reported? It belongs to us to require from the Directory an account of these monstrous abuses.

The Directory tell you that af faffinations are committed, and that partiality is difplayed by the tribunals. It is neceffary to inform them that they have overftepped their duty, and we do them fervice in recalling them to it. It is true that blood flows in feveral departments; but there are laws against affaffination, and the Directory ought to execute them. If there be partiality in the tribunals, there is a law to punish them, and the Directory ought to denounce the guilty. In all cafes crimes cannot make us defpair of juftice; and we ought to demand of the Directory an account of the measures they have taken to reprefs the crimes of which they complain. We do not understand the protection they claim for the purchafers of national property. Their perfons and their property are under the fafeguard of the conftitution, and you have given a proof of your refpect for them by your refolution refpecting the ef byteres.

The Directory inform you that there are journals which breathe only murder and the return of royalty. It is certain that the exceffes of a multitude of pamphlets and journals leave no citizen the power of repofing his mind amnidft an ocean

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of extravagant and factious opinions; but you have manifefted your defire for repreffing this abufe; and there is only required a law which fhall prevent it, without injuring the rights of citizens: all the elements of this law are ready, and the Committee you named for preparing it, will foon make their report.

The deficiency in the public revenue, it is added, deprives our armies of their pay. We will not deny that negligence on the part of the receivers, and the want of order and economy, have thrown our finances into diforder; but have the armies any reason to reproach the legiflative body? At what period have you refufed them funds? Your refolutions on this subject have always been voted with urgence. The payment of the troops has always been attended to, in preference to every other expence. Is it then in vain that the unfortunate rentier divides with them his bread? Have then the forced loan, the affignats, the mandats, the contributions in the conquered countries, the national estates been found infufficient? Let us rather fay, that our refources being distributed through fuch a variety of channels have been exhausted; but that if they had been more prudently employed, the most important part of the public fervice would not be in fuch à deplorable state.

Let the finances, then, alone occupy all your folicitude. I know that every day your attention is taken up with this fubject. But the time is arrived when you muft difregard the prejudices against direct contributions. Peace! Peace! This is the mean of extricating us from our embarrassinent. How

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very criminal would thofe be who would wish to place it still at a diftance! Doubtlefs there are who ftill preserve the criminal hope of overturning the republic. Traitors exift, we are told why are they not detected? There are confpirators-why are they not punished? We have laws-why are they not executed? No! the defend. ers of the country will never be made to believe that the legiflative body oppofes a peace. Who has appeared more defirous than ourfelves to obtain it. History will examine whether the events which have lately taken place in Italy have not contributed to retard the conclufion of it; but can France blame its Generals for giving liberty to millions of men? And, when they have gained their liberty, can France refufe to them its friendship and its alliance? Your Committee, however, does not wish to propofe that you should approve, or even be filent upon these events.

The Directory has gone beyond its powers. If war had been declared against the Italian ftates, who had the right to declare it without your confent? If treaties of commerce or fubfidies have been made, who could make them without your approbation? The fates of Italy cannot be the allies of France without a decree from you. Their government will be equivocal, their liberty without fupport, as long as the treaties fhall not have been approved by us.

Fears have been entertained that the Directory would be accused, and that the legislative body would be attacked. The legislative body has a right to accufe the Directory; and if there exifted any reafons for accufation, it would, without fear,