on merchandize and provifions, and which was confidered as impeding the circulation of trade in thefe articles. But that tranfaction, which afforded particular fatisfaction to the government and people, was an inveftigation of the ftate of the national finances; by which it appeared, that the domains which had been declared public property, and were yet unfold, at the commencement of 1795, amounted, on a reafonable calculation, to fix hundred millions fterling, a fum excecding, by two-thirds, the paper-money illued on their fecurity.

The reciprocal hatred, fubfifting between the various parties that divided the French nation, had never ceafed to manifest itself on all occafions, ever fince the commencement of the revolution. It actuated individuals of all claffes; it invaded private life no lefs than it difturbed public tranfactions; it, was chiefly, indeed, on occurrences of this nature, that it broke through all the rules of decency: inflamed by the warmth of party, and that heat of temper characteristic of the French, they gave an unbounded loofe to their feelings, and in the vehemence of their unreftrained invectives, afperfed each other's character with all the malice and inveteracy of men determined to go every length of word or deed, for the gratification of an enmity that was literally become too big for utterance. Hence the pictures they drew of their antogonifts were fuch as could not fail to hold them out to the public as objects of execration. The moft refpectable members of every national meeting that had been held, from the constituent af fembly, to the prefent convention, had thus been defcribed in the moft

odious colours. When engaged in debates, the perfonal abufe of which they were prodigal to each other, tarnished the fplendour of the nobleft fpecimens of eloquence, by the vulgarity of their reciprocal revilings. Such was their attachment to this method of treating each other, that they fcrupled not to juftify it by the rules of oratory, and by adducing precedents from the practice of the greatest orators of antiquity. The wifeft, however, in the convention, could not help perceiving, that by this behaviour they leffened the dignity of their ftation, and loft the refpect of the commonalty, who, being continually witnefes of thefe mean altercations, could not retain much reverence for perfons who made it their business to defame each other. This licen tioufnefs of fpeech was at this time cafried fo far, that fome of the most difcreet among them, thought it indifpenfably neceflary that it fhould be forthwith reftrained, left from language, they fhould, in the intemperanceoftheir unguarded effufions,proceed to fuch actions as might expofe them to abfolute derifion, and annihilate their authority, already weakened by these reiterated proofs of fo much levity and indifcretion. It was therefore propofed and agreed, that if any member of the conven tion ufed abufive language to another, in the courfe of argument or difcuffion of any fubject, he should be liable to imprifonment. So ufeful a regulation, it was observed, ought to have paffed long ago, and would probably have prevented much evil, by the reftraint it would have put on man's paffions, and obviated thofe refentments which harth expreffions never fail to produce, and which are frequently pro

ductive

fafety, under the adminiftration of Robespierre. A decree for this examination was immediately made, and twenty-one members commif foned to proceed upon it without farther delay. The four members thus brought forward, were men of eminent abilities, especially Barrere, who had been the great fpokefman to the convention, during the triumphant campaign of 1794, and had effentially contibuted to that ftupendous fcheme of raifing the people in a mafs, for the protection of the country against the coalition, at the time when its fucceles had occafioned a general alarm for the fafety of the republic. Whatever flaws were in his character, he had always been reputed a zealous republican, and his talents Lad been warmly exerted in the republican caufe. But it was ftrongly infinuated, that the deftruction of Robespierre would never have been effected, if Barrere, and his party in the committee, had been the fole agents. The convention, headed by Tallien and Bourdon de L'Oîfe, were the real actors in this great bufinefs, and Barrere, with his affociates, were at beft but coadjutors, prompted by motives of perfonal lafety. Both he and Billaud Varennes had been the obfequious and bale inftruments of Robespierre's tyranny, and Collot D'Herbois had behaved with fuch barbarity at Lyons, after its reduction, as to have incurred the general odium. As thefe imputations were not unfounded they made a ftrong impref

fion upon the public; but its indignation was farther excited by the continuance of favour fhewn to the principles of terrorifm, and particularly by the respect paid to the memory of its firft founder, the noted Marat. The remains of this fanguinary man had, feveral months after the death of Robespierre, been folemnly depofited in the pantheon, by a decree of the convention. This was confidered as no equivocal proof, that the fpirit of this bloody-minded enthufiaft, in the cause of republicanifm, was not yet departed.* Two other circumftances concurred, at the fame time, to encrease this indignation; the one was a journal published by Freron, a man of refolution and abilities, and a determined enemy to the terrorists; the other was a fong, called the awakening of the people. The honours paid the memory of Marat were feverely noticed in both, as well as the partiality to his atrocious maxims. In a tumultuous infurrection, his afhes were removed, and his buft defaced or broken to pieces. The Parifians, who had been remarkable fufferers under the murderous fyftem lately deftroyed, difplayed a marked readiness to oppofe it; and thofe members of the convention who were of the fame mind, gladly perceived, that they would be powerfully fupported, whenever affiftance might be needed.

After two months examination into the conduct of the denounced members, it was declared, that they

had been acceflory to the tyranny that had been exercised over the people, and the convention. To the courage of this body the downfall of oppreffion was due. The accufed members alleged, in their exculpation, that Robefpierre and St. Juft were the authors of the atrocities committed by the orders iffued under their direction; but why did not the members remonftrate against thofe orders? why did they not refule to fignthem? Robespierre had abfented himself forty days from the committee, and St. Juft was gone to the armies, and yet thefe members iffued thofe orders. Such was the fubftance of the reports prefented to the convention, in the beginning of March, by the commillioners it had appointed for that purpofe.

These were heavy and grievous charges, and not ill-founded, in the apprehenfion of those who reflected what an intimacy had fubfifted between Robespierre and thofe members, who were oftenfibly the direct and immediate agents under him: but they afferted, in their defence, that the jacobin club, and the revolutionary tribunal, were, in conjunction with him, the real actors in whatever he directed. Dumas, prefident of the revolutionary tribunal, and Coffinhall, a head of the jacobins, concerted with him all his meafures; the committees were paffive, and unable to oppofe them; the convention alone was equal to fuch a talk: the tyrannical laws, that gave almost abfolute power to Robefpierre, and empowered him to shed so much blood, had never been difcuffed in the committee, and were carried to the convention by him and Couthon,

as foon as they had framed them. It were hard to impeach the committee for the crimes of the depu ties to the different departments, for thofe committed by the two hundred and fifty thousand members of the revolutionary committees throughout France, or for the creation of fix popular commiffions, for which Robespierre obtained a decree from the convention. The committee threw as many obstacles and delays as they were able in the formation of these commiffions. Robefpierre compelled the framing of two, which fortunately came too late for his purposes.

The cafe of the denounced members was ably argued by Carnot and Lindet, who had been their col leagues in the committee of public fafety, under Robefpierre. During his empire, faid they, every man trembled for his fafety, and all his commands were implicity obeyed. None of thofe members of the convention, who fo inexorably condemned the obnoxious members, would probably have dared to act otherwife than they did, driven by compulfion, and unable to refift. The generality of men allowed these reafonings to be valid. Notwithftanding that they looked on the accufed members as implicated in the criminal conduct of Robefpierre, ftill they abfolved them of his atro. cious defigns, and were willing to confider them as acquiefcent in his orders, merely from the total inabi lity to prevent their execution, and from the dread of becoming inftant ly the victims of their difobedi

ence.

While the trial of these members, which commenced, before the convention, on the twenty - fecond of March, was pending, and it yet appeared