to their prifoners, they were commanded by one of my ancestors. The republican Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans, when they butchered their prifoners, were always headed by fome of my forefathers. In America, when the favages fcalp, burn, or torture their captives, they only follow my family regulations. The Spaniards in South America, in bravely murdering the defencelefs Indians, were guided by fome perfons of my race. When, at St. Bartholomew, the French Catholics facrificed the French Proteftants; and feventy years afterwards the Irish Catholics immolated the Irish Proteftants, my great-grandfather's grandfather, and my great-grandfather's father, were the facrificers. But my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, poor fouls! were degraded to be fome defpicable jack-ketches or grand inquifitors. The ungrateful world advanced in civilization; humanity and generofity profcribed barbarity, and fe rocity was forced to give place to juft and liberal fentiments. My grandfather died broken-hearted, when Louis XVI. afcended the throne; and my father expired from joy, at the taking of the Baftile, on the 14th of July 1789. My relation, Jourdan the Cutthroat, there became my inftructor. I affifted him the fame year, on the 6th of October, to difpatch our prifoners, the difarmed garde de corps at Verfailles, and to carry their heads before the King's carriage to Paris. I was with him at Avignon on the 16th October 1791, where we cleared the prifons of thirteen women and forty-eight men. This was our first patriotic trial to purge en masse revolutionary France of its prifoners. The year 1792 was our family jubilee and glory. At Paris, Verfailles, Meaux, Rheims, Lyons, Nantes, and in all the departments, we regenerated France, in emptying its prifons of fixteen thoufand, chained, detained, and fufpected men, women, and children. In reward for thefe civic tranf- actions we were ennobled by the virtuous French republicans, and furnished with a new name for history, as famous and dreaded as any before us. During the following year, in aiding Marat and Robespierre with our heads, our army were bufy in working for Fouché at Lyons and in La Vendée; and for citizens Barras and Bonaparté at Toulon. It was in this laft city, where our prefent citizen First Conful claimed confanguinity with us, although he did not make good his claims before Vendemiaire year 4 (October 1795), when eight thoufand Parifian carcaffes convinced us, and all Europe, that he was one of our family. In 1794, after the republican decree of "No quarter to the English," Carnot fent me to Flanders, Brabant, and Holland, with the rank of aide-de-camp; but ariftocracy was there the order of the day; and had not Citizen Van Damme received me, I fhould, to the difgrace of the Great Nation, have returned as I went. At Quiberon, in 1795, I banquetted for weeks with Citizens Tallien and Hoche, and every day fome fresh game was provided for me. I was occupied in Italy in 1796, and particularly at Verona in 1797; and after fome hundred petty deeds with my relative Napoleone the First, to whofe staff I have ever fince belonged, I went with him to Egypt and Syria, and the hills of Jaffa: the fcattered bones and bleaching skulls record for ever our prefence there. Such are fome of my titles for demanding of you a fraternal hug as to my obligations to you, no idea can yet be formed, either by yourself, or any of your co-operators. Idlenefs, the mother of all vice, with fome years otium cum dignitate, had nearly broken my family fpirit: thanks to your political and philofophical plan, I hope again to be called into activity. Citizen Napoleone has already convoked a family council, and we are about to deliberate, not where to end, but where to begin which would be the moft advantageous to our cause and interest, the murder murder of the French prisoners in England, or of the English prifoners in France? We are about to cal culate with our ufual fang-froid the efficacy of feveral inftruments of deftruction, and to make fome experiments, if poisonous draughts are not more expeditious than grape-fhot, fuflades, drowning, cutting with fwords, or ftabbing with daggers. Citizen, although I only fufpect, but am not certain, that you belong to our fraternity, I have a propofal to make, which, if you approve, will fix our renown for ever. My friend, the Confular Prefect Jean de Brie, propofed, ten years ago, to embody a corps of regicides; why not improve upon his plan, and organize a corps of prifonicides? If you will be the commander, I fhall head the staff, and befides provide a numerous body of recruits from our Confular Senate, Council of State, Miniftry Tribunat, and from our army, all trained and tried men during the laft fourteen years. I fhall improve your prefent noble ideas, by extracts from your paft bloody annals; and you fhall be convinced how eafily you and I, with our fellow-citizens, may undisturbed enjoy our firefide, and fpeculate upon maffacres, whilft the volunteers are fighting our battles, expofed to the fatigue of marches, to the inclemency of the weather, to fufferings from want and privations, and to all the dangers of war. We may regard ourselves as a corps de referve; and when the battles are over, and we have nothing to fear, then, and not before then, we will bravely pour out from our hiding holes, and kill the chained or difarmed, dispatch the wounded, and mutilate and ftrip the dead. Vive la Republique ! Health and fraternity! Your fellow-citizen, Paris, the 16th Vendemiaire, E. 4 SEPTEMBERIZER. P. S. P. S. Our family council has broken up, and I enclose the decree which makes you one of us. Napoleone has determined to iffue addreffes to his Corfican flaves and foldiers; and Talleyrand is writing memorials to all nations, announcing that the English have always been Septemberizers. The official preffes of the Moniteur are bufy in reprinting your philofophic fophiftry, with additional remarks and notes, to prove to prefent and future ages, that you are the official interpreter of the fentiments of your countrymen. ACT OF GOVERNMENT. Paris, the 16th Vendemiaire, Year 12 of the - NAPOLEONE Bonaparté, the Firft Conful of the French republic, having heard the reports of the Minifters of Humanity, Philofophy, Juftice, and Policy, decrees, that an iron heart of honour of the St. Cloud manufactory, fhall immediately be tranfmitted to Citizen Morning Poft, as a reward for his intended improvement in the code of the revolutionary laws of nations, and on the regicide laws of war. Our Grand Judge and Grand Officers of our Grand Legion of Honour, are ordered to infert the name of Citizen Morning Poft in the Matricular Register of our faid Legion, that he from this day may enjoy all the rights, prerogatives, and privileges of his honourable fellow-citizens and comrades. (Signed) BONAPARTE, By the order of his Confular Majefty, VIVE LA MORT! [From the fame.] CORPS OF PRISONICIDES. Citizen Morning Poft, member of the Corfican Legion of Honour, Commander in Chief. STAFF. Thirty-two. Confular Senators, fixteen Counsellors. of State, forty Legislators, twenty-five Tribunes, fifty Prefects, twenty Furies of the Guillotine, the whole family of Septemberizers, with hangmen, executioners, thieftakers, bailiffs, &c. of all nations. BATTALION OF POISONERS. Poifoner in Chief Ift Affiftant 2d ditto 3d ditto Napoleone Bonaparté. Charles M. Talleyrand. BATTALION OF THE GUILLOTINE. Citizen Santerre. Citizen Carnot. Citizen Barrere. 2d ditto General Brune. General Loison. General A. Berthier. THE CUT-THROAT BATTALION. General Van Damme. Citizen Merlin, the Con fular Attorney-general. Citizen Real, Counsellor of State. THE NOYADES, OR DROWNING BATTALION. Commander Affiftant Citizen Fouché, Confular Senator. E 5 THE |