1790 subject to the consideration of the house.-Mr. Flood, then, perceiving the prevalency of the premier's sentiments, thought it advisable to withdraw his motion.

Whilst the government thus carefully avoided whatever might afford the spirit of innovation an opportunity to effect its mischievous purpose, of disturbing the domestic tranquillity of the kingdom, the nation was threatened with an interruption of that external peace on which it founded its hopes of a continuance and increase of its prosperity, by a dispute with the court of Madrid upon a subject in itself of small importance.-An association of British merchants had, in 1786, opened a trade for furs on the north-west coast of America, the profits of which induced them, two years after, to form a permanent settlement at Nootka Sound.-The Spaniards, who claimed the whole of this coast by virtue of prior discovery, and by the treaty of 1763, which made the Mississippi the boundary of the British dominions, maintained their right by capturing two vessels employed in this trade, in the late year. Moreover, the Spanish ambassador justified the capture by requiring of the British government that its subjects should no longer frequent those coasts.-This the legislative bodies were now made acquainted with by a message from his majesty,|| informing them of the event; of his application to the court of Madrid for satisfaction; of the claims made by Spain to an exclusive right of navigation in those seas, and its hostile preparations.-The British government, having received the sanction of parliament and a vote of credit for one million, prepared to justify the claim which it had made, in a memorial to the Spanish court, by an immediate armament for the purpose of maintaining it.—Happily for his Britannic majesty, he was relieved from the embarrassment into which this ill-advised affair had brought him by the weakness of his adversary. The catholic king not being prepared for war, the result of these transactions was a convention, signed in the autumn,† by which it engaged that reparation should be made the English merchants; that the coast on the north of the Spanish settlements should be considered as free; and that the right of fishing should be secured to England under certain restrictions.

A few

May 5.

+ October 28.

с

Annual Register. 81.

A few days after the delivery of his majesty's message, the parliament was 1790 prorogued and afterwards dissolved.‡

The new parliament, which met in the month of november,|| re-elected Mr. Addington speaker of the house of commons.-His majesty had the satisfaction to inform the legislature of the happy termination of the affair with Spain. This was followed by the consideration of ways and means for defraying the expence of the armament, amounting to about three millions sterling. Supplies having been provided for that purpose, the parliament was soon after prorogued.

FRANCE.

MEN of integrity and discernment, who were not carried by an excessive love of liberty beyond the bounds of reason, who knew that this blessing can be enjoyed in no state wherein the balance of power is not preserved, foreboded ill to the national welfare when they observed the distribution of power made by the new constitution. And these persons were confirmed in their apprehensions when they saw Mounier, Lally Tolendal, and other patriots who had exerted all their abilities to accomplish the establishment of a mixed monarchy, wherein the people should enjoy security of person and property and as much liberty as is compatible with good order, retiring from the national assembly in despair. Although they respected their virtue, which would not suffer them to give their sanction to that subjection to which the king was reduced after his arrival at Paris, yet they regretted the loss of men who might still have restrained the democrats, and might possibly have availed themselves of some favourable turn of fortune to reinstate their sovereign in that share of power which is essential to the dignity of the crown and the energy of government. They now saw, with concern, the course of affairs tending rapidly to the establishment. of a democratic tyranny. Already, those who avowed a desire to save the monarchy from destruction, to stop the progress of the revolution, and to establish a government upon principles suited to the temper and circum

stances

1790

June 10.

VOL. III.

2 A

November 25.

1790

stances of the French nation, were thought disaffected to the present system, were treated with distrust, and, to render them odious, were charged with having sold themselves to the court to assist in a counterrevolution.a

To these circumstances, and the consequent ascendency of a violent democratic faction, we may ascribe the weakness which is observable in the conduct of the present government, the repeated revolutions which ensued, and all the calamities which accompanied them. The executive power dared not to enforce discipline among the troops, lest they should revolt to the standard of royalty. They were afraid to put their salutary laws against sedition and tumult in execution, lest they should make the populace their enemies, at a time when they were distressed by the exertions of the privileged orders, and by the opposition which several provincial parliaments had made to the decree by which the legislature had suspended them from their functions."-In the mean-time the general ferment was kept alive by rumours of intrigues carried on by the aristocrats with the emigrant princes, and by suspicions that they were endeavouring to draw off the king from the constitution to which he had given his assent.-To confirm the nation in this persuasion, proceedings were commenced against various persons who were suspected of counter-revolutionary projects: and, to keep the people firm to their cause, the democrats employed the jacobin club, established at Paris, and its corresponding clubs throughout the kingdom, to propagate their principles, and to prepare the people for any acts of violence that might be found necessary for the final accomplishment of their views.* In these societies all the fiery spirits which

66

*

Segur gives the following account of the origin and progress of this pestilential institution. "It was first an assembly of a few deputies, who united together for the purpose of better con"certing their plans of defence in favour of liberty, and of attack against the parties who opposed its establishment. The revolutionists having to contend with ancient prejudices and powerful "corporations, and willing to give more energy to the public spirit, more unity to its efforts, and a more rapid expansion to the newly proclaimed principles, every where encouraged the esta"blishment of these clubs, which regularly corresponded with that of Paris. Such was the first "intention of this establishment: those who formed it were far from foreseeing its fatal consequences. Zealous for their cause, and destitute of political experience, they did not perceive "that such an institution was a new authority, which would soon rival, rule, tyrannize, and over"throw all others; substitute the spirit of a sect for the public judgment, private passions for

"the

disturbed the public peace found a stage whereon to inflame the passions of the multitude by their declamations: in these all the new-fangled systems of government were broached; and the most visionary plans, even those which went to the subversion of social order, and the equalization of property as well as rank, found a ready acceptance from the unreflecting multitude who were to be benefited by the change of condition."—Instead of the gloomy religious fanaticism which overspread Great Britain in the last century, and the evils brought on society by self-constituted saints, France was infested by a sort of political enthusiasm, equally pestilential. And all order was destroyed, anarchy was introduced, and the hand of the assassin was directed, by self-constituted legislators and magistrates.

It might have been expected that a government which had such principles of disunion and weakness in itself would immediately have gone to wreck. And this event would probably have happened had not the place of union been supplied by the common interest which several descriptions of men felt in supporting it.-When the husbandman found himself relieved from an unequal land-tax, he declared in favour of the government to which he was indebted for that benefit, without inquiring into its constitutional merits. -The same feelings, we may suppose, prevailed among those who reflected on the abuses which had been already corrected, and anticipated further reforms. The profligate and men of desperate fortunes hoped to repair them in the event of a subversive revolution by the plunder of the rich.— Political writers found employment for their talents, and men of enterprise a field for their ambition, in these turbulent scenes: and they flattered themselves that merit would be better appretiated, now the distinctions of

rank

"the general interest, anarchy for social order; and that its founders would become its first

❝ victims.

46

"The club of Paris was at first composed of active but honest men, deceived by their zeal; but so far from culpable intentions, that their principal fault was their not knowing mankind, "believing them better than they are, and thinking they had more need of the spur than of "the rein,

"These men, misled by a mistaken policy, soon admitted into the society some members who 66 were not deputies, but whose zealous patriotism seemed to them calculated to support the cause of liberty. These fiery spirits once admitted, were not slow in gaining a dangerous influence, by "making inexpedient propositions, which had a tendency to rekindle every species of hatred, to prevent all conciliation, and to multiply every kind of disorder, by flattering and inflaming the passions of the multitude."-Segur's Frederic William. 2. 112.

66

86

1790

d Segur. 2. 113.

1790

rank were destroyed.-Similar observations may be made respecting the conduct of several individuals.-Mirabeau still felt the smart of disappointed ambition; and, although by principle a friend to monarchy, he, at present, adhered to the democrats from motives of revenge.-The marquis de la Fayette, though he had not the genius or energy of that party leader, had far more principle, and, at this instant, enjoyed far more power: but he sacrificed the glory which he might have acquired by the restoration of monarchy on a solid and good basis to the vain ambition of making himself more conspicuous on the theatre of the world as the instrument of a complete revolution.*-Such appear to have been the principal circumstances which gave that stability to the present government, which it would not have derived from its own merit, or the weight of those who administered it.

Some credit must likewise be given to the measures adopted by the legislature. These, if not all agreeable with justice, were, at least, adapted with judgment to the prevailing sentiments of the nation, and calculated for the attainment of the ends which the legislators had in view; a circumstance that sufficiently evinces their talents for matters of civil government. They had already relieved the nation from partial, and therefore oppressive, taxes; they had abolished ill-founded privileges; they had improved the judicial system; they had freed commerce from its shackles; and had given the nation freedom of religious worship.-The financial department, the most essential for giving vigour to the state, was the grand object which engaged the attention of the legislature at the commencement of this year. In its measures relative to this, the assembly was much assisted by the sale of lands belonging to the church and those of the monastic orders, at this time suppressed by a decree of the legislature. These, together with a small

66

*

The following character is given of the marquis de la Fayette, in de Bouille's Memoirs.— "I have since had frequent opportunities of seeing M. de la Fayette: he appears to me a man entirely occupied with the desire of placing his name at the head of the revolution, and of "becoming the Washington of France, but without having recourse to unjustifiable means. He seems to possess great presence of mind, a cool judgment, and great activity, though in the "choice of his employment he has not displayed much discernment; he shews, I think, great "address in availing himself of circumstances, but is deficient in genius to create them; upon the "whole, a man of good principles and merit, but by no means a great man."-De Bouille's Memoirs. 111.