fidering them in a future committee, or when in the fhape of a bill. On Wednesday, the report of the refolutions of the committee for the abolition of the flave trade, was read and agreed to. The chancellor of the exchequer, in confequence, and for the purpose of haftening their object, by putting the lords in poffeffion of the general outlines of the AFFAIRS OF FRANCE, ON the 28th of May, M. Chabat offered to prove, by the producing 182 pieces, the existence of a confpiracy to carry off the king; and that M. de Montmorin, intimidated by the denunciation of M. de Genfoene, had quitted France. M. Merlin added, that he was ready to prove that it was indifpenfably neceffary to diffolve the guard of the king, which confifted only of refractory priests, Arlefians, domeftics of the emigrants, counter-revolutionists, who held fcandalous orgies during the night, where they were continually drinking the health of monfieur, the count d'Artois, the prince de Lambefc, &c. M. Ifnard mentioned as a proof how much the guards were difaffected, that they had received M. Delatre the fon with open arms into their body, though at that time an object of fufpicion to the affembly. In confequence of thefe facts, M. Carnot demanded, That the affembly should cominence a permanent fetting, that the guard fhould every where be redoubled, and that the mayor of Paris fhould give an account every morning of the ftate of the capital. These three propofitions were decreed. On Tuesday the 29th, the debate on the queftion to difband the king's guard lafted the greatest part of the night. Meffrs. Guadet, Lacroix, Loffource, &c. fupported the motion of M. Bazire; M. M. Dumas, Girardin and Raimond, maintained the contrary opinion. In the middle of the debate, two members, M. Calvet, and M. Froudiere, having made ufe of ftrong expreffions against the affembly, (viz. M. Calvet, that they refembled the days of Tiberius and Sejanus; and M. Froudiere, that he had, for fix months, attended to men who agitated the public mind by declamation inftead of reasoning) were fent, for three days, to the prifon of the abbey. After a very long and tumultuous debate, it was refolved, 1. That the king's guard be disbanded, and that a royal guard fhall be forthwith established according to law. 2. Until the formation of the new guard of the king, the national guard of Paris fhall perform the fervice on the king's perfon in the fame manner as they did before the establishment of the king's guard. After this, the propofition of an accufation against M. Goffe, commonly called Briffac, after a warm debate, was adopted, and the denunciation paffed in the following words: That there is ground for the accufation of M. Coffe, called Briffae, commandant of the king's guard, and that the seal of the nation shall be put upon all his papers.' The minifter of justice informed the affembly, that fentence of death was passed on the affaffins of M. Dillon. What paffed in the affembly on the 30th, exhibits a new era in the annals of Eu ropean wars. M. Kerfaint, in the name of the diplo matic, marine, and commercial committees, read the plan of a decree against privateering; and the affembly passed a very ftrong decree : 1. That no commiffion of marque and reprifal fhould be granted. 2. That no veffel, armed merely for its own defence, fhould be permitted to capture any veffel of the enemy, unless they were provoked to it by constraint. 3. That no fhip of the enemy should be taken, unless armed for war. 4. Corfairs taken by the armed ships of the nation fhall be inquired into by the tribunal of the diftrict into which they are carried, and all Frenchmen found on board, as active partizans, fhall be punished with death. The subjects of the powers at war fhall be fent to prison, and the fubjects of foreign powers fhall be dealt with according to the arrangements to be agreed on with fuch powers, and, in the mean time, that they shall be confined in prifon. On the 4th of June, the minifter for foreign affairs communicated to the affembly, in the name of the king, the fub ftance tance of the declaration which the king of the French had fent to the king of England and afterward read the answer which the English minister had made in the name of his king to M. Chauvelin. The purport of it is, that the king of England, fenfible of the good intentions of his moft Chriftian majelty, is extremely forry at the declaration of war between France and the king of Hungary. Humanity, the peace of Europe, and the profperity of the belligerent powers, render his Britannic majesty interested in it; but without fearching into the motives from whence it originated, his majesty does not hesitate to declare directly and pofitively that he will maintain the treaty of commerce fubfifting between England and France. His majefty, faithful to his engagements, expects a fimilar conduct on the part of France, and that his rights and those of his allies will be equally refpected. Annexed was the Royal Proclamation iffued at London the 25th of May. M. Emmery read a copy of a declaration iffued by the king of Hungary, which had been sent him from Bruffels, ftating, that being willing to preserve, as far as the circumftances will permit, the commercial connections which fubfift between France and the fates belonging to the houfe of Auftria, the French veffels fhall be received into the ports of Oftend, provided they do not come in a hoftile manner, or are laden with ammunition, and may unload their cargoes in fafety, if France will act in a fimilar manner on her part. On the 9th of June, the national af fembly decreed, that a penfion of 1500 livres fhould be paid to the widow of the late Theobold Dillon, and an annual fum of 800 livres to each of his children, till they have attained the age of twenty-one, or have obtained an employment producing that fum. The widow and children of Pierre Francis Berthois, who fuffered on the fame occafion, are to have the like fums. Anthony and Pierre Dupont Chamont, who were wounded, are to be prefented with the military decoration. The decree for forming a body of 20,000 men near Paris, by detachments from the feveral departments, has been the caufe of much difcuffion, and great difference of opinion. Some of the national guards of Paris have prefented addreffes to the affembly approving of the measure, and fome petitions praying that the decree may be revoked. In fact it is the fource of equal apprehenfion to two parties. The one dreads that this new army may be employed to overawe the national guard of Paris, and the other that it may be made ufe of to intimidate the national affembly. The camp will probably not be formed at all, or at fuch a distance from the capital as to remove these fears. On the 11th of June, was read a petition from madame d'Eon, fetting forth, that although she had worn the dress of a woman for fifteen years, fhe had never forgotten that fhe was formerly a foldier that fince the revolution she feels her military ardour revive, and demands, inftead of her cap and petticoats, her helmet, her fabre, her horfe, and the rank in the army to which her feniority, her fervices, and her wounds entitle her; and that the now requests permiffion to raise a legion of volunteers for the fervice of her country. Unconnected with any party; fhe has no defire of brandishing her fword in proceffions in the streets of Paris, and wishes for nothing but actual fervice, war nobly made, and courageously supported. In my eager impatience,' adds the, I have fold every thing but my uniform and the fword I wore in the laft war, which I wish again to wear in the prefent. Of my library nothing remains but the shelves, and the manufcripts of marshal Vauban, which I have preferved as an offering to the national affembly, for the glory of my country, and the instruction of the brave generals employed in her defence. I have been the sport of nature, of fortune, of war, and peace, of men and women, of the malice and intrigue of courts. I have pafled fucceffively from the state of a girl to that of a boy; from the state of a man to that of a woman I have experienced all the odd viciffitudes of human life. Soon, I hope, with arms in my hands, I shall fly on the wings of liberty and victory to fight and die for the nation, the law, and the king.' This petition was interrupted by repeated burfts of applaufe, ordered to be honourably mentioned in the minutes, and referred to the military committee. On the 13th of June, the following let ter was received from the king: I intreat you, M. Prefident, to inform the affembly, that I have changed the minifters of the war department, of the interior, and of public contributions: I have replaced the two former by M. M. Dumourier and Mourgues. The third is not yet filled; but my minister at Deux Ponts (M. Naillac) will fucceed to M. Dumourier J Dumourier as minister of foreign affairs. I wish for the constitution, but I wish alfo for order, and the execution of the laws through the empire. All my efforts are directed to this end. (Signed) LOUIS. The affembly decreed, that M. Servan, the late war minifter, carried with him the regret of the nation. The fame day, M. Dumourier, the new minifter at war, prefented M. La Fayette's report of the action before Maubeuge. Letter from La Fayette to the French Camp at Maubeuge, June 11, the I have given you an account of my movements toward Maubeuge. The day before yesterday, while I was reconnoitring the ground between my camp and Mons, a fkirmifh took place between our light troops and thofe of the enemy, where the latter loft three men, and where there were fome wounded on both fides. This morning the enemy attacked my advanced guard, whom they hoped, no doubt, to furprife; but, aware of their defign in time, M. Gouvion difpatched his camp equipage to Maubeuge, and began a retreating fight, in which his infantry was conftantly covered by the hedges, and where the enemy's columns fuffered confiderably from his cannon, and particularly from four pieces of artillery on horfeback, under the direction of capt. Barrois. The 3d and 11th regiments of chaffeurs, and the 2d of huffars manoeuVred ably, and the laft in particular gave a warm reception to a detachment of Houlans that advanced upon them. A violent hurricane having prevented us from hearing the fignals, we did not know, in time, of the attack: as foon as the news came to the camp, a column of infantry, under M. Legneville, and of cavalry, under M. Tracy, were con ducted by M. Narbonne, on the flank of the enemy. While the corps of referve of M. Meaubourg went to the fuccour of the advanced guard, I advanced with the main army, and the enemy abandoning to us the field, and a part of their dead and wounded, retreated to their former camp. We pursued them more than a league beyond the ground of our advanced guard, who again took poffeffion of all their pofts. Ifhould only, therefore, have to felis citate myself on the little fuccefs to the eneniy of this attack, if, by the most cruel fatality, it had not taken from the country one of its beft citizens-from the army one of its most useful officers-and from me a friend of fifteen years-M. Gouvion. [A general murmur manifefted the grief of the national affembly in which this letter was read.] A cannon fhot terminated his virtuous life. He is lamented with tears by his fellow-foldiers, by all the army, and by all thofe who can eftimate the value of pure patriotifm, of unalterable loyalty, and of the union of courage with talents. I do not speak of my perfonal fufferings; my friends will condole with me.. The two lieutenant-colonels of the Cote d'Or excite juft regret. The one, M. Cazotte, feventy-five years of age, and known by fifty years of diftinguished fervice in the artillery, had, in concur rence with M. Gouvion, made a vigorous affault, which rescued from the midst of the enemy a piece of artillery dismounted. Our lofs befide is confined to twenty-five men wounded, and the number of killed is ftill less confiderable. The enemy left on the ground many more than we lost and they carried off a great number. We have made fome prifoners, and I have not yet heard that we have loft any. to fend you on returning to the camp; it Such, fir, is the report that I haften is as exact as I can give until I have re ceived the official returns.-The general of the army, " LA FAYETTE." On Monday, June 18, the prefident announced the following letter from M. la Fayette to the National Affembly. Camp of Maubeuge, June 16, 1792, fourth Year of Liberty. Gentlemen, At the moment, too long delayed perhaps, at which I am going to call your attention to great public interefts, and point out among our dangers the conduct of a miniftry, which my correspondence has long fince accufed, I am informed that, unmasked by its divifions, it has funk under its own intrigues; for, undoubtedly, it is not by facrificing three colleagues, from their own infignificance the mere creatures of his power, that the leaft excufable, the most noted of these minifters, will have cemented in the king's council his equivocal and fcandalous exiftence. It is not enough, however, that this branch of the government fhould be delivered from a baneful influence. The public weal is in danger; the fate of France depends chiefly on her reprefentatives; of them the nation expects her falvation. But, when she gave herfelf a conftitution, the prescribed to them the only courfe by which they can fave her. Perfuaded, gentlemen, that as the rights of man are the law of every conftituting affembly, a conftitution once formed becomes the law to the legiflators appointed under it, it is to yourselves that I am bound to denounce the too powerful efforts now making to carry you beyond the rule which you have promised to follow. Nothing fhall hinder me from exercifing this right of a free man, from ful. filling this duty of a citizen; neither the momentary errors of opinion, for what are opinions when they deviate from principles; nor my refpect for the reprefentatives of the people; for I refpect ftill more the people themfelves, of whom the constitution is the will fupreme; nor the favour you have conftantly fhewn to me; for that I wish to preferve, as I obtained it, by an inflexible love of liberty. Your circumftances are difficult; France is menaced from without, and agitated within. While foreign courts announce the intolerable project of attacking our national fovereignty, and thus declare themselves the enemies of France, internal foes, intoxicated with fanaticifm and pride, entertain chimerical hopes, and fatigue us ftill more with their infolent malignity. You ought, gentlemen, to fupprefs them; and you cannot have the power to do fo, without being yourselves conftitutional and just. You defire to be fo without doubt, but caft your eyes on what paffes in your own body, and all around you. Can you diffemble that a faction, and to avoid vague denominations, that the Jacobite faction has occafioned all the diforders. It is that faction to which I loudly impute them. Organized like a feparate empire in its metropolis and its affiliations, blindly directed by certain ambitious chiefs, this fect forms a diftinct corporation in the midst of the French people, whofe power it ufurps by subjugating their reprefentatives and their mandataries, It is there that, in public fittings, love of the laws is denominated aristocracy, and their infraction patriotifm.-There the affaffins of Defilles receive triumphsthe crimes of Jourdan find panegyriftsthere alfo the recital of the affaffination that ftained the city of Metz excited infernal acclamations of joy. Can it be believed that they will escape reproaches by fheltering themselves under an Auftrian manifefto, in which these sectaries are named? Are they become facred, because Leopold has pronounced their name? And because we have to fight with foreigners, who prefume to meddle in our quarrels, are we releafed from the duty of delivering our country from domestic tyranny? 'What import to this duty either the projects of foreigners, or their connivance with counter-revolutionists, or their influence on the luke warm friends of liberty? It is I who denounce this fect; I who, without fpeaking of my paft life, can an fwer to thofe who feign fufpicions on me, Approach in this critical moment, in which every man's character will foon be known, and let us fee which of us, most inflexible in his principles, moft firm in his refiftance, will best brave the obstacles and the dangers which traitors wish to hide from their country, and which true citizens know how to calculate and encounter for her fake." And how fhould I longer delay to fulfil this duty when every day weakens the conftituted authorities, and substitutes the spirit of a party for the will of the people; when the audacity of agitators impofes filence on peaceable citizens and fupplants useful men; when devotion to a fect is made the fubftitute of all public and private virtues, what in a free country ought to be the auftere and only means of arriving at the firft functions of government? It is after having oppofed to all obftacles and all fnares the courageous and perfevering patriotism of an army, facri-. ficed perhaps to combinations against its. leader, that I can now oppofe to this faction the correfpondence of a ministry the worthy production of its club-a correfpondence of which all the calculations are falfe, the promises vain, the information fraudulent, or frivolous, the councils perfidious or contradictory; where, after having pressed me to advance without precaution, and to attack without means, they began to tell me that resistance would foon be impoffible, when my indignation repelled the daftardly affertion. What remarkable conformity of lan guage, gentlemen, between thofe factious men men who avow their ariftocratic fpirit, and those who ufurp the name of patriots. Both wish to fubvert our laws, rejoice in diforders, rite up against the authorities conferred by the people, deteft the national guard, preach indifcipline to the army, and fow fometimes diftruft, fometimes difcouragement. As for me, gentlemen, who espoused the American cause at the very moment when its ambaffadors declared to me that it was loft; who thenceforward devoted myself to a perfevering defence of liberty, and the fovereignty of the people; who, on the 11th of July 1789, on prefenting to my country a declaration of rights, dared to tell her-For a nation to be free, it is fufficient that fhe wills it; I come now, full of confidence in the justice of our caufe, of contempt for the cowards who defert it, and of indignation against the traitors who would fully it; I come to declare that the French nation, if fhe is not the most vile in the univerfe, may and ought to refift the confpiracy of kings formed against her. 'It is not undoubtedly in the midst of my brave army, that timid fentiments are permitted patriotifim, energy, difcipline, patience, mutual confidence, all the civil and military virtues I have found in it. In it the principles of liberty and equality are cherished, the laws refpected, property facred; in it neither calumnies nor factions are known; and when I recollect that France has feveral millions capable of becoming fuch foldiers, I ask myself to what pitch of debafement would an immenfe people be reduced, still stronger in their natural resources, than in the defences of art, oppofing to a monftrous confederation the advantage of combinations directed to a fingle object, for the base idea of facrificing their fovereignty, of covenanting for their liberty, of fubmitting their declaration of rights to negotiation, to appear one of the poffibilities of the if fue that is rapidly advancing upon us. But in order that we, foldiers of liberty, may fight with efficacy, or die with profit to our caufe, it is neceffary that the number of the defenders of our country be fpeedily proportioned to that of their adverfaries; that ftores of all forts be multiplied, and facilitate all our motions: that the comfort of the troops, their equipage, their pay, the provifions for their health, be no longer expofed to fatal delays, or pretended favings, which always turn out the direct reverfe of their object. J Above all, it is neceffary that the citizens rallied around the constitution, be asfured that the rights which it guarantees will be refpected with a religious fidelity, that fhall drive its enemies, concealed or public, to defpair. Reject not this wifh: it is that of the fincere with of the friends of your legitimate authority. Affured that no unjust confequence can flow from a pure principle, that no tyrannical measures can ferve a caufe which owes its force and its glory to the facred bafis of liberty and equality, make criminal juftice refume its conftitu tional courfe; make civil equality, and religious liberty, enjoy the entire application of their true principles. Let the royal power be untouched, for it is guaranteed by the conftitution; let it be independent, for its independence is one of the fprings of our liberty; let the king be revered, for he is invested with the national majefty; let him have the power of choofing a miniftry that wears not the chains of a faction, and if there be confpirators, let them perish by the fword of the law. In fine, let the reign of clubs, annihilated by you, give place to the reign of the law, their ufurpations to the firm and independent exercife of the conftituted authorities, their diforganizing maxims to the true principles of liberty, their delirious fury to the calm and steady courage of a nation that understands its rights, and defends them; in fine, their factious combinations to the true interefts of our country, which in this moment of danger ought to unite all those to whom her fubjugation and her ruin are not objects of atrocious joy, or infamous fpeculation, Such, gentlemen, are the reprefentations and the petitions fubmitted to the national affembly, as they are to the king, by a citizen, whofe love of liberty will never be honestly questioned; whom the different factions would hate lefs, if he had not raised himself above them by his difinterestedness; whom filence would have better became, if, like so many others, he had been indifferent to the glory of the national affembly, and the confidence with which it is of importance it fhould be furrounded; and who cannot better teftify his own confidence, than by laying before it the truth without disguise. 'Gentlemen, I have obeyed the dictates of my confcience, and the obligation of my oaths. I owed it to my country, to you, to the king, and, above all, to myfelf, whom the chances of war do not al |