encounter all peril; advifing them to demean themselves peaceably, and return to their homes. But they paid no attention to his words, and the crowd ftill continued to increase. A body of citizens was now arrived, and entered the hall. One of them fnatching off the hat of an infurgent, on which was chalked bread and the conftitution of 1793, was inftantly cut down with fabers, and wounded by a musket fhot. A member of the convention, Ferrand, endeavouring to affift him, was immediately murdered by the mob, his head cut off, and fixed upon a pike. It was now four in the afternoon. The tumult was become fo dreadful, and the populace feemed fo difpofed to commit every fort of outrage, that it ap peared no longer fafe to remain among them. The majority of the members thought it prudent to withdraw. Thofe only continued in the hall who were known to be favourable to the principles of the infurgents. This was their time to act, and they took it accordingly. Duroi, Goujon, Dufquefnoi, and Barbotte, rofe one after the another, and proposed several decrees in oppofition to those that had been paffed against the late government and its adherents. They were proceeding in this manner, when an armed body of citizens in company with another of the military, made their way into the hall, and informed the multitude that all the citizens of Paris were under arms, and marching to the aid of the convention, and that if the populace did not immediately depart, no quarter would be given to them. This menace, and the intelligence they received, that general Hoche was at the of the city militia, with a number of the military, ftruck them with fuch terror, that they directly difperfed, and fled on every fide, leaving the hall in the quiet poffeffion of the moderate party, which now returned and refumed their feats. Boiffy D'Anglas, Bourdon De L'Oife and fome others had refolutely ftood their ground, during this terrible fray. The former boldly affumed the prefident's chair, and the latter spoke out fearless of danger. He now infifted on the repeal of the decrees carried by the violence of the jacobin majority that had remained in the hall, together with the arreft of thofe who had propofed them. This was complied with, and Duroi, with the three other members who had feconded him, was taken into cuftody. Had the convention behaved with more caution, after thus defeating its enemies, it is probable that thele would have remained quiet: but their too great fecurity occafioned a renewal of the conteft, with additional violence. The infurgents, though driven from the hall of the convention, and compelled to difperfe for a while, foon reassembled, and finding themselves neither purfued nor molefted, recovered their fpirits, and determined to make a fecond attack. They collected in vaft numbers, and marched to the hall of the convention, provided with cannon, which they pointed against it, to the great alarm of the members, who were wholly unapprifed of what had been transacting by the infurgents, and were totally unprepared to refift them. The citizens who had the preceding day aflifted them with fo much fidelity, and quelled the riot fo effectually, little thought the rioters would, in a few hours after, return to the charge, charge. They were not, therefore, in a state of fufficient preparation to encounter this multitude, and the convention now faw itself alone, and expofed, unaided, to the rage the infurgents, who boldly declared they would make the convention repent of its ill-treatment of them n the preceding day. The convention, convinced they were in the hands of a defperate mob, thought it prudent to temporize and yield to neceffity. They deputed ten members to offer terms of ac commodation and fraternity, and to are them, they were ready to reftore the conftitution of 1793. Thele terms were accepted by the in'urgents but the facility with which thefe demands were granted, induced them to infift upon others. They required the liberation from imprifonment of thofe who had poken in their favour, and that thofe fhould be punished who demanded money in payment in lieu of affignats. These two demands they fwore never to give up. This refolute mode of fpeaking inclined the prefident of the convention to promise them that their requests fhould be taken forthwith into confideration; and he invited the deputies of the infurgents to the honours of the fitting. The bufinefs clofed by giving them the fraternal kifs; and they departed fully fatisfied with the fuccefs of their miffion. All Paris, as foon as apprifed of what had paffed, teftified the utmost aftonishment. Some thought the convention in earneft, and that their condefcenfion proceeded from the defire to prevent any farther effufion of blood, in hopes to bring the infurgents to a better way of thinking, when the prefent ferment was allayed. But most people were of opinion, that as they had acted under constraint, they would not confider their promifes as binding, and would make no fcruple to refcind them, as foon as they were relieved from the terrors naturally infpired by a ferocious mob. The infurgents themfelves doubted the fincerity of the convention, and the heads of them were meditating a third attack. They had been out-lawed by the convention; and he that had killed the member of that affembly had been feized and tried before a court of justice, which had condemed him to death. The infurgents refolved to oppose this fentence, and he was rescued on his way to the place of execution. This act of ditobedience to the law, fully fhewed what might be expected from the infurgents, if they were not effectually fuppreffed. The citizens now lamented their negligence, in fuffering them to rally after having fo completely defeated them, and now faw the neceflity of repairing their errors. They collected their whole strength, and waited on the convention, with the warmeft affurances of fupporting their authority, and of executing whatever they thould decree against the infurgents. Encouraged by thefe profeffions of adherence, the convention declared to the infurgents, that unless they delivered up their arms, together with the affaffin of Ferrand, they fhould be confidered as rebels. This was what the infurgents had expected, the moment they were informed that the citizens were in arms for the convention. They had, in confequence, barricadoed the ftreets leading to the fuburb of St. Antoine, and prepared for a ftout refiftance. But the the suburb was in a fhort time furrounded by large bodies of the military, as well as of citizens; and the infurgents were threatened with a bombardment of their houses, unlefs they complied with the orders of the convention. Seeing that refistance was vain, they offered to capitulate: but they were informed that their fubmiffion must be unconditional. On their hefitating whether to fubmit or to rifk a conteft, the troops of the convention prepared to execute its orders, when the infurgents finding themselves inadequate to the force brought against them, confented to lay down their arms, and furrender at dicretion. To this they were partly forced by the inhabitants of that large and populous fuburb, who reflected that they must be the principal fufferers in cafe of a bombardment, thought it more for their intereft to throw themselves on the mercy of the convention, than to ftand the event of a conflict, which at all events would be ruinous to them, even were the infurgents able, by a vigorous defence, to procure conditions lefs severe. Thus, after a doubtful conflict of three days, fortune declared at laft for the convention. This proved a complete triumph to the moderate party, and an entire overthrow to the terrorifts and their adherents. The arms, artillery, and warlike ftores of this turbulent party of the Parifians, were taken from them, together with that weapon which had proved fo terrible in their hands, and with which fo much mischief had been perpetrated, their pikes; the deprivation, of which fillem with more grief, and m more than any mea d against them. It was a ready inftrument for the pur pofe of an iuftantaneous infurreetion, always at hand, and required no more than bodily ftrength and courage, in neither of which the claffes that chiefly handled it were deficient. They could not help recollecting what feats they had atchieved with this dreadful wea pon. They looked upon themfelves as a conquered people, over whom their victorious fellow citizens would henceforth exercise that empire which their better regulated ftrength had acquired, and to which their more prudent conduct intitled them; a reflexion that ftruck the generality of men, on this occafion, was the impropriety of trufting arms in the hands of any but the decent claffes of the community. All the horrors of the revolution were perpetrated by the lowest descriptions of the people; and terrible as they were, would have been still worse, unless they had been reftrained by the feasonable interpofition of the middling fort of people; few of whom were guilty of those criminal exceffes that brought fo much difgrace on the revolution. After the fuppreffion of this dangerous infurrection, the convention thought it indispensable to make fome examples of its authors and promoters. Six of their own body had largely participated in it. These were tried by a military commiffion, and fentenced to die. Three of them were executed on the scaffold, and three perifhed by their own hands. About fifteen others of inferior note were also put to death; but the convention did not judge it fufficient to punish thefe alone, and were of opinion, that thofe who were the primary caufes of all these commotions, ought to attone for the vils which they had inftigated. On this ground they came to a refolation to remand, for a fecond trial, the three remaining chiefs of the jacobin faction, whofe fentence tranfportation they now conidered as too mild for the enormity of the guilt imputed to them. But two of them went on board the flip that was to carry them to Guiana, and it failed the very evening before the orders arrived for their detention. Thus Collot d'Herbois, and Billaud Varennes, efcaped, at this time, whatever may be their future deftiny, and only Barrere was left behind. He was, purfuant to the refolution taken, committed to close confinement. The fpirit that promoted this infurrection had been more active than was at first suspected; and the convention knew not the full extent of the danger they had escaped, until it was entirely overcome. Thofe, who were the chief contrivers of this bold attempt, had fo concerted it, that it burft, as it were, in one united explofion in many places at the fame time. At Toulon, the refentment of the jacobins, at the imprisonment of feveral of their party, excited them to affemble in fuch numbers, that they bore down all before them: they releafed the prifoners, and in a conflict with thofe who oppofed them, flew a member of the convention, Brunel, took poffeffion of the town, and detained a fquadron that was on the point of failing. Their numbers increafing, they marched to Marfelles, where they expected to be joined by a large body of their confederates: but they were met on their way by a confiderable force of troops of the line, by whom they were defeated with great flaughter. In other parts of France, the activity of the Jacobins had been no lefs remarkable. As their zeal was inextinguishable for the revival of their party, and as they feared no danger in a cause for which their enthufiafm could not be exceeded, they were inceflantly occupied in the framing of plots and confpiracies against their opponents, whom they confidered as inferior to them, both in courage and capacity, and efpecially in their attachment to a democracy, on which they chiefly valued themselves, and looked upon as a proof of the fuperiority of their understanding. Moderation they viewed as the mark of a feeble and timid mind, incapable of thofe terrific exertions neceffary, in their opinion, for the fupport of a popular fyftem. Lenity to its enemies they condemned as treafon to the caufe of liberty. Hence they afferted, that unless the moderates, as they styled them, were destroyed, the royalífts would take advantage of their forbearance, which was founded on pufillanimity, and want of neceffary firmnefs, in the punishment of delinquents. The argument with which they fupported thefe affertions was, the rancour exercifed by the partisans of thofe who had fallen during the fanguinary reign of Robefpierre. Ever fince his fall, the Jacobins had experienced the revenge of the many individuals whofe friends and relations had perifhed through his cruelty. No place in France having efcaped it, the hand of vengeance was lifted on them every where, and numerous were the victims facrificed to the refentment of thofe who had loft their deareft intimates and connections. The atrocities committed by Collot d'Her fo bois, at Lyons, produced, on this occafion, a multitude of retaliations. His adherents, and chiefly the inftruments of his inhumanities, were eagerly fought after, and dragged from their places of concealment. No mercy was fhewn them. Thofe, even, who had been thrown into prifon, with a view of bringing them to trial, were not allowed to wait for a legal condemnation, and were maffacred in their dungeons. Violations of the law were reputed juftifiable, againft men who, under its pretended fanction, committed many acts of injuftice. But the Jacobins, who pertinacioufly infifted, that nothing had been done while they were in power, but what was fully warranted by the stricteft neceffity, inveighed with unabated fury, against this reaction of their own principles upon themfelves, and attributed the merciless treatment, fo many of them now experienced in their turn, to the ill-timed lenity of thofe who, with all their pretences to be republicans, had rather permit the republic to perifh, than maintain it by deeds of feafonable feverity. A motive which, though not acknowledged, ftill might be juftly prefumed to operate powerfully in the vengeance now exercifed against the jacobins, was the death of the fon of Lewis XVI. That unhappy child had been confined in the Temple, at the fame time with his unfortunate parents. He had now fuffered imprifonment near three years, and his conftitution had been greatly impaired by the wretchednels of his fituation. It had been propofed in the convention to fet him at liberty. Numbers of the warmeft adherents to the republi can fyftem difapproved of this bar barous detention of a mere infant, who could not, were he liberated, put the republic in greater danger than it would be liable to from any other individual, young or old, of the Bourbon family. While this fubfifted, inheritors of its claims would never be wanting: and while the reft were out of the convention's power, it little availed to retain this feeble infant, whofe health was on the decline, and who, as foon as deceafed, would be replaced in his pretenfions by others in the vigour of life. But thefe confiderations were difregarded: he was kept in a clofe confinement, and, if reports may be credited, he was used with much inhumanity. So fevere a lot, efpecially at his time of life, doubtless accelerated his end; he died on the ninth day of June, in the twelfth year of his age. The enemies to the convention hinted fufpicions of poifon; but they were difcredited. There was, in truth, no need to aggravate the guilt of the convention; their injuftice and barbarity, in exercifing fuch lawles tyranny and oppreflion over an innocent and helplefs infant, fufficiently difgraced them with every friend to humanity. * The daughter of the unhappy Lewis ftill remained in their hands; but the moft confiderate of the convention were defirous to liberate her. The deceafe of her brother had excited almoft univerfal commiferation, at the fate of two children born to fo fplendid a destiny, and doomed to fo gloomy a reverfe of fortune. Thele fentiments had a proper effect: those who were at the head of the French government felt them fo ftrongly, that they Every horrid contrivance, it was loudly afferted, was put into execution, for ener vating his frame, undermining his health, and debauching or stupifying both his mind and body. thought |