BRITISH AND FOREIGN HISTORY; For the Year 1791. CHAPTER I. France. State of Parties previous to the Meeting of the States-General. Riot at Paris. Affembly of the States. Contest with refpect to the Mode of voting by Orders or by Pull. The Tiers Etat conflitute themselves a National Affembly. Affembly repulfed from the Hall of the States. Take an oath never to feparate till the Conflitution be fettled. Royal Seffion. Union of the Orders. Projects of the Court. Paris encircled with Military. Soldiers releafed from Prifon by the Populace. Famine in Paris. Remonfrance of the Affembly. Difmiffion of M. Neckar. Disturbances at Paris. Firmness of the National Affenlly. The Baflille taken. WHATEVER may be the ul- humanity will neceffarily be arrested confequences of the by fome fcenes on which it is imFrench Revolution, its origin and poffible to dwell with fatisfaction, progrefs conftitute perhaps the moft and the judgement of the politician interefting fubject of modern hif- will as neceffarily meet with fome tory. It has exhibited the fingu tranfactions which it cannot aplar fpectacle of twenty-fix millions prove. There is nothing fo diffiof citizens, with a unanimity which cult to moderate and reftrain as pois unparalleled, with a perfeverance pular fentiment; and the vacillatiwhich was irrefiftible, and in op- ons of opinion are feldom regulated, pofition to the ftrongest of human but commonly vibrate frois one exprejudices, demanding and recover-treme to the other. ing their long-loft rights. It has exhibited fomething till more extraordinary; and has evinced, that a tanding army is no longer that paffive engine in the hand of defpotifm, that it was formerly imagined; and that to retain mankind in a ftate of flavery, they must be kept in a ftate of ignorance. In the detail of fuch a revolution, the eye of The attention of all Europe was fixed on the meeting of the ftatesgeneral, while the minds of the French themfelves continued to be agitated by a variety of different and contending paffions and opinions. Thofe who were in poffeffion of power, were delirous of retaining it; and those who had no dependence but upon their abilities, hoped that a new constitution of things would elevate them to that rank, to which, from their merits, they conceived themselves entitled. The two great parties, which were afterwards to divide the nation, were already formed. The pertinacity with which the privileged orders were determined to adhere to their peculiar advantages, is evident from what we have ftated in our preceding volume; and on the other hand, a multitude of writers of the greatest eminence were employed in exciting the tiers état to the affertion of its rights. The claims of the nobility and clergy were examined with acuteness, with precifion, with refearch. The balance of ability was greatly on the fide of the people, and the ufages of antiquity faded before the light of genius and of truth. Previous to this period, that extraordinary fociety or club was formed, which has fince had fo confiderable, and perhaps fo dan gerous an influence over the public affairs. Its members inftituted an active correfpondence throughout the kingdom, and, by cultivating a uniformity of opinion on political fubjects, produced, in time, that uniformity of will which afterwards appeared to govern the popular counfels. The political fchifm which had already taken place, was not likely to be compofed during the neceffary turbulence of an election. Yet the fyftem on which the French elections are conducted, is lefs liable to tumult and disorder than where there is an open and immediate poll; and though the leaders of parties were fufficiently animated in the fupport of their particular fentiments, the great body of the people were either dubious of the confequences, or were not yet warmed in the conteft. The meetings for the nomination of electors were not fo numerously attended as might have been fuppofed; and even in fome places where a thousand voters were expected, not above fifty appeared. The fpirit of the two parties appeared in the cahiers (or inftructions to their representatives) which were drawn up upon this occafion. The nobility and the clergy in their feparate chambers digefted their inftructions, the firft object of which was to preferve what they were pleafed to confider as their own rights, the fecond to demand the rights of the people. The monarch, according to this fyftem, was the only devoted party; and with his rights the flates-general might make as free as they pleafed. All parties, however, agreed in renounc ing a part of their pecuniary privileges. The inftructions of the tiers état were haftily compofed; but that uniformity of fentiment, which the fufferings of the people, and the activity of their leaders had produced, was evident in them all. They demanded the fuppreffion of more abufes than the national affembly has been able in three years to deftroy, more than perhaps ever can be eradicated; and a confiderable number of their requifitions are ftill remitted to the confideration of pofterity:-all, however, were unanimous in demanding a conftitution, liberty, the affumption of natural rights, and the protection of the public treafure from the depreda tions of the court. The deputies of each order departed thus inftructed to maintain the claims of their particular party. "Thofe of the tiers état," fays a diftinguifhed member of the affembly, "carried with them the benedictions and the prayers of the multitude." Such were the objects which oc cupied the reflecting part of the na tion tion; but whatever might be the It is evident that the voting by putting a negative on the proceed ings of the other two, was the only ftratagem which the court party could employ to difconcert the meafures of the patriots; and it must be confeffed, that fuch an arrangement would probably have rendered the whole proceedings of the ftatesgeneral a folemn farce, and could never have established any substantial reform. This was the great queftion which was prefently to involve the national representatives in faction and conteft. Whilft thefe important affairs were in agitation, a circumftance occurred which is fuppofed on all fides to have originated in fome malevolent motive, whether of a public or a private nature is not fo eafy to decide. In the populous fuburb of St. Antoine, a very confiderable paper-manufactory was carried on, and a number of workmen confequently maintained by a refpectable citizen of the name of Reveillon. This gentleman had accufed a certain Abbé Roy, a dependant of the Count d'Artois, of forgery, and the matter was before the courts. Whether, therefore, it arofe from a private revenge in the abbé, or whether the court party might imagine that a riot at Paris would afford a fair apology for the approach of fuch a number of troops as might effectually awe the reprefentatives of the nation, is uncertain. A groundless report was malicioufly fpread, that Mr. Reveillon intended confiderably to lower the wages of his workmen, that he had afferted the bread was too good for them, and that they might subfift as well upon potatoe flour, with many infinuations to the fame purpofe. On the 27th of April, both the fuburbs of St. Marc and St. Antoine were in motion, and Mr. Reveillon was burnt in effigy. The A 3 moft extraordinary circumftance was, that it had been announced to the police, that the preceding days a number of strangers had entered the city, and thefe men were now the leaders of the infurrection, and by profufely fcattering money amongst the mob, increafed both its numbers and its ferocity. A fmall detachment of the French guards was fent to effect their difperfion, but it was too weak to refift the rabble. At the dawn of the following day, the outrages were renewed, and Mr. Reveillon's houfe was pillaged and deftroyed. At length a formidable party of the military was ordered out, and, after a confidera ble carnage, the tumult was quelled. Paris was fcarcely recovered from the great terror and apprehenfion which this infurrection occafioned, when the day appointed for the meeting of the ftates-general arrived. The 5th of May 1789 will be long meniorable in the annals of France, and it was indeed a day of feftivity to the whole natios. It commenced, agreeably to ancient custom, with a cligious.act. The reprefentatives of the people, preceded by the clergy, and followed by the king, repaired to the temple of God, accompanied with an immenfe crowd, offering vows and prayers for fuccefs to their labours. The whole ceremony indicated the diftinction of orders, and evinced that it was the fecret determination of the court ftrictly to maintain it. Faithful to the cuftoms of 16:4, the nobility were arrayed in a fumptuous robe, and the deputies of the commons in the habit of the law. Thus while the nobility and the higher clergy glittered in gold and jewels, the reprefentatives of the people appeared in mourning; but the fpeétators were not dazzled by fplendid appearances, that body which reprefented the nation engroffed all its applaufe, and Vive le tiers état! was echoed from every quarter. The affembly was opened by a fpeech from the throne, in which the monarch declared his fatisfaction at feeing himfelf furrounded, after fo long an interval, by the reprefentatives of his people--he mentioned the heavy debt of the public, a part of which had accumulated during his own reign, but in an honourable caufe-he hinted at the general difquiet and the love of innovation which had taken poffeffion of the minds of the people; but depended on their wifdom and moderation in the adoption of alterations; and concluded by warm profeffions of his own attachment to the public welfare. The fpeech of M. Barretin, the keeper of the feals, was but little attended to :-it, as well as that of the king, recommended temper in adopting alterations in the government; intimated, that the king had acceded to the wishes of his people in granting to the tiers état a double reprefentation, but left the great question of voting by orders or by poll entirely undecided. The attention which was refused to the keeper of the feals, was most liberally accorded to Mr. Neckar, though his addrefs continued for three hours. It did not, however, pafs exempt from criticiim-fome alledged that it was an ill-arranged and ill-digefted mafs; the republicans complained that he did not enlarge fufficiently on their favourite topic; they expected it to be filled with projects and with fyftemsthe privileged orders withed him to be more explicit in tracing out a plan of proceedings for the itatesgeneral-but all agreed that nothing could be more luminous and fatis factory |