CHAP. VI.

Arreftation of national Reprefentatives.-Meffage from the Directory to the two Councils, on this Subject.-And Address on the fame, to the People of France. Forty Refolutions, adapted to the prefent Juncture, proposed by a Committee of public Safety.-Adopted by the Council, and paffed into Lare's. -Tranfactions of the primary Communes and electoral Affemblies, in fifty Departments, declared illegal. Upwards of fixty Perfons, Members of the Directory and Councils, and others, fentenced to Transportation.—Address from the Council of Five Hundred to the Departments and the Armies.Imputing the most inequitous and atrocious Designs to the Royalifts.-Proclamation by the French Government, annoucing a fecond Expedition againft Ireland. Singular Expedition of a Body of French Troops into Wales.Thefe furrendered themfelves, without Refiftance, Prifoners of War to a Force, raifed and headed, on the Emergency, by Lord Cawdor.-The Spanish Iland of Trinidad taken by the English.

ROM the day whereon Thibaudeau made his report to the councils, it was obvious to the public, that ftrong measures were in agitation on both fides. The legiflature was convinced, that the directory and its adherents intended fome deeds of violence.

Buona

parte, whofe decifive character was well known, and who was clofely connected with the directory, had provided them with a man to execute their defigns, in whom both he and they could place confidence, on account of his principles and abilities This was general Augereau, whom he dispatched to Paris, on plaufible pretexts, but to the real intent of his being at hand for their purposes.

Relying on the force they had taken previous care to hold in readinefs, and on the popularity which Augereau was known to poffefs

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among the foldiery, as well as the people of Paris, dreading, at the fame time, to be anticipated by the oppofition, the directors came to a determination to execute, without delay, the plan they had adopted. On the eighteenth of Fructidor, September the fourth, at three o'clock in the morning, an order was figned by Barras, Reubel, and Lareveillere, empowering general Augereau to arrest a specified number of the national reprefentatives. In the mean time, the alarm bells were rung in the different fections, the citizens informed, that a confpiracy was on the point of breaking out, and called upon to ftand by the government, which was in immediate danger from the royalifts. Augereau made ufe of the fame language in addreffing himself to the military guard of the councils, and they immediately placed themselves

under

of which were specified, to be com- them, had fruftrated the defigns of mitted to prifon, as accused of being their enemies. accomplices in a confpiracy against the republic, in favour of royalty; and they carefully tranfmitted their thanks, to the guards of the two councils, for the fidelity they had difplayed to the interefts of the republic, in preference to all others. But the measure which principally occupied their attention, was to convince the citizens of Paris, and the people of France, that government had been compelled, by unavoidable neceffity, to ufe fevere means, for the prefervation of the commonwealth, against the machination of its enemies. In their address to the citizens of Paris, the directory explicitly afferted, that the royalifts had, during the whole of the preceding year, been labouring to overturn the republic. When they thought themselves fufficiently able to accomplish its final deftruction, their firft attacks were intended againft the fupreme depofitories of the executive power. Arms had been diftributed to the confpirators, and a large quantity of bonds feized, from which the delivery of a great number of firelocks was proved. Cards, stamped with the words, Legiflative Body, and marked with an R, were circulated, in order to ferve as reciprocal tokens to the confpirators. Thofe members of the directory and of the legislature, who adhered to the republic, were to have been maffacred. Numerous bodies of emigrants, and of infurgents from la Vendée, had repaired to Paris, attracted by the countenance publicly fhewn to them, and were preparing to attack the directory. But its vigilance, and that of the armed force furrounding

The citizens of Paris, the directory faid, would fhudder with horror, when apprifed, by the authentic proofs that would be laid before them, of the plots enterred into against the their perfons, and their. deareft rights and poffeffions. When France, crowned with victory, and furrounded with immortal glory, was beginning to reap the fruits of the fucceffes obtained by its invincible defenders; when agriculture, commerce, public credit, confidence and fecurity, began to revive, that was the moment pitched upon to rekindle domestic animofities, to reestablish fuperftition, and reorganize the power of fanatifm, to open avenues for the return of emigrants, to give the fignal of civil war, and, by thus infufing fresh hopes into the foreign enemies of the commonwealth, to retard that peace, which it was on the point of fecuring. Such was the defcription given by the directory, of the defigns in agitation against the state. They called, in confequence, upon the citizens of the metropolis, to exert themselves manfully in the defence of thofe liberties and valuable objects, for which they had been fo long contending. They admonished them particularly to beware of being hurried, by the fury of refentment, into unjuftiñable exceffes, and to confine their obedience to the chiefs avowedly appointed over. them by government.

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In the general addrefs, iffued to the people of France, the directory entered more at large into circumftances and details, for the verification of the confpiracy. The documents which they fubmitted to the

inspection

inspection of the public, and which they afferted to be of inconteftible authenticity, would unfold, they faid, the whole procefs of the treafons in queftion. After reverting to the events of Vendemiaire, Oc

tober, 1795, which they reprefent-› ed as connected with, and originating from, royalifm, they formally charged general Pichegru* with betraying, at that very time, the republic, by acceding to the propo-

Of the intention of general Pichegru, to restore the royal fami'y of France, there is not now any doubt. It has been clearly avowed, indeed, by fubfequent occurrences. As we have had occafion to take notice in our volume for 1794, he was never at great pains to difguife his fentiments, wishes, and defigns, in favour of royalty. He poffeffed a fine understanding, as well as great knowledge and skill in military affairs: but the most prominent feature in his character, was a manly boldnefs, fimplicity, and ftrength of mind, which, fcorning defiles, advanced, as directly as poffible, to its object. The following remarks on the tactics, manners, and person of general Pichegru, are extracted and tranflated from a work, entitled, Hiftoire Chronologique des operations de l'Armée du Nord, et de celle de Sambre et Meufe, par le citoyen David, Temoin, du plupart de leurs Exploits. The tactics of general Pichegru are of a nature altogether new and original. His fyftem confifts wholly in purfuing the enemy without intermiffion; in courting opportunities of engagements; in keeping his whole force together, without dividing it for the purpofe of carrying on fieges; to reduce only fuch as are neceffary, in order to fecure proper pofitions, without feeming to be at all concerned about the reduction of fuch Arong places as he had left behind him.

This fyftem of military tactics was the only one that was fuitable to our fituation; and farther, it was the only system that suited the character of the French. It is not to be doubted, that our troops were full of courage and bravery; but the greater part of them was newly levied, and not fufficiently trained in fieges, for the purpose of undertaking a fiege of any difficulty. Farther ftill, the French foldier is too ardent and im-' patient to go through with a chain of operations that require perfeverance. In the field, he darts forth as an eagle, and fights like a lion. But a long and arduous fiege. repels, and, ofttimes, even difcourages him. In order to have a military body of men, perfect and invincible, it would be neceffary to carry on fieges with Swifs troops, and to have French armies of obfervation. But while a general has only Frenchmen under his command, he ought not to let them grow reftive, by remaining long in one place; but to keep them always in breath, and always within view of the enemy.

If Pichegru had obeyed the orders of the committee of public safety; if he had not known the character of the French, and adopted an unusual system of tactics, he would have facrificed fifty thousand men, at least, before our towns of Hainault. Perhaps he might have been beaten. And even, in cafe of fuccefs and victory, he most affuredly would not have been able to push his conquefts even to the northern fea, and the confines of Weft → phalia. The king of Pruffia was the only fovereign, among the coalefced powers, who fet the plans of Pichegru at defiance, and the only one that did him justice. About the beginning of the campaign, that monarch wrote a letter (published in a Belgic newf-* paper), to the following effect: "It is impoffible to fave your territories from invafion." The French have armies always fpringing up, one after another. Be not deceived: their generals pursue a wise system of tactics, which disconcerts ours, and gets the better of them."

Pichegru, formerly profeffor of mathematics, at Brienne, is five feet five inches in height; of a large fize, without being corpulent; and, in a word, formed in the very mould of a warrior. His appearance is, at first fight, fevere and forbidding; but it foftens in conversation, and infpires the greatest degree of truft and confidence. His politenefs has no fort of resemblance to what is called etiquette, which is commonly nothing elfe than duplicity and roguery. His politeness is without affectation, and perfectly fincere. You may fee, at once, that he is obliging, from a franknefs of difpofition, and naturally good. But he has nothing about him of what was, heretofore, confidered as effential to a courtier.