lives. If such men did not deserve well of their country, who were those that did? However integrity and unblemished character might be desirable and indispensable in the representatives of the nation, expe. rience was not less wanted. With out this essential, the work of near six years might be undone in a few months; the labours of patriots, the toils of statesmen, the victories of warriors, might be thrown away, and France return again to that groveling situation from which she had been uplifted by the revolution, The foes to those men who had ef fected such great things, could hardly be reputed friends to the liberty of France. Such was the substance of the allegations in favour of the convention: but the hour was fast ap. proaching, when arguments would be laid aside, and force decide the knotty question between the two contending parties. They both saw that no other mode of decision remained, and trusting to the means they had reciprocally provided to ensuresuccess, they resolved to come to action. The anger of the Parisi. ans was particularly inflamed at the sight of those terrorists who had been let loose from their prisons, they said, to renew the massacres of September, 1792. They appealed to the impartial world, whether a stronger proof could be given, that the system of Roberspierre was to be revived, than the employing of such cut-throats and assassins, by the convention, in support of its mea. sures. But the chiefs of this body were now completely prepared. Hearing that the citizens were as. sembling in great force, they commissioned general Menou, who had the command of the military force stationed in Paris, to march against them. He repaired accordingly, on the fourth of October, to that section of the city which was their head-quarters, and required them to lay down their arms. They an swered that they would comply with this requisition, provided the terrorists did the same. The general not being empowered to treat, nothing was concluded, and both sides parted: but the convention, irritated at the general for not acting according to their intent, ordered him to be broke for disobedience. The sword was now drawn, and all thoughts of reconciliation vanish. ed. The people of Paris were now to make trial whether the con fidence they had placed on the mili tary was well or ill founded. They chose the night of the fourth of October for the mustering of the sections. They paraded the streets with beat of drums and summons to arms. By twelve at noon, the next day, they were put in order for fight. ing, and took possession of several posts of importance. The combat be. gan about this time in the proximity of the conventional hall, towards which the citizens were marching: the rancour subsisting between them and the terrosists occasioned a most bloody and desperate conflict; these and the reguiar troops were joined together, contrarily to the hopes of the Parisians: but this unexpected junction did not daunt them: they fought with such fury, that although they had no cannon, they several times seized that of the conventional troops, and turned it against them. The number and discipline of those who were all come from the victori. ous armies, fixed at length the for. tune 7 tune of the day. After a fight, that lasted four hours, they were compelled to give way: they retreated to their head-quarters, and continued the battle with unabated valour till past midnight, when broken and defeated on every side they yieldeda dear-bought victory to the conventional forces. The ill success of this engagement, near the hall of the convention, was owing to the ab. sence of those sections that were coming to their assistance, from that part of Paris which lies on the other side of the river Seine. They were crossing the bridges, when they were met by the conventional troops, which broke them at once with their cannon. As they were un provided with artillery, they were unable to renew the charge, and the bridges remained in possession of the former. It was in this conflict that Buonaparte appeared first on the theatre of war, and by his cou. rage and conduct laid the foundation of that confidence in his powers which conducted him so soon after to preferment and to glory. Thus ended the memorable fifth of October, 1795, or the thirteenth of Vendemaire, to speak in the republican style. The numbers that fell were not very considerable, not amounting to more than a thousand. But a fatal precedent was established: the convention had set itself above the law, and had succeeded by force of arms in this unwarrantable at. tempt. It was fortunate for the convention, that a decision had taken place so expeditiously; for numbers were on their march to Paris to join the inhabitants: but hearing of their ill success, they laid down their arms before the troops were dispatched from the vanquished capital to oppose them. No humiliation or diap. pointment could be greater than was experienced by the citizens of Paris, on this disastrous occasion. Relying on the amity of the regu. lars, they had neglected the most es. sential measures for an undertaking of so much importance to the com. munity, as that of frustrating the dictatorial authority assumed by the convention. They had provided no artillery, they had appointed no commanders, they had formed no plan, and hardly a sixth part of the city militia was arrayed on this fatal day. Had the citizens brought their whole force into action, and prepared for it with their customary prudence, many were of opinion, that the convention must have yielded to their remonstrances, especially if they had been enforced in due time, and before the conven. tion had received those succours from the armies, which enabled it to triumph over all legal opposition. Nevertheless, the discreetest of this ambitious body saw the ne. eessity of making such a representa. tion of this business to the nation at large, as might impress it with a per. suasion, that a victory of the utmost consequence had been obtained over the royalists, and that the insurgents at Paris were people of this party, who had long been resorting to Paris in order to unite in a general struggle against the republicans. An agent of the royal party happened about this time to be dis. covered at Paris. From his papers a correspondence was reported to have been traced with his employers abroad, relating to this very insur. rection; and passages in proof of it were published; but they were broken and unconnected, and afforded no proper evidence. A va. riety of publications in the conventional pay asserted also, with their usual confidence, that the English ministry was deeply concerned in this fruitless attempt to overthrow the republic: but they obtained no credit with the discerning part of society. The Parisians had acted so much in the face of day, their conduct had been so candid and open, their opposition to the conventional schemes so regular and clear, that no handle had been af forded to their most malicious enemies, to tax them with any more than an inveterate antipathy to the measures pursued by the convention, and a firm determination to resist them by force. The use which the convention made of this success, was dictated by the keenest resentment for the charges it had been loaded with by the citizens, with so much truth, though with such defamatory language. These were deprived of all their arms and warlikestores, and a military commission appointed to try them as rebels. As no resistance could be apprehended after subduing that of the metropolis, the convention felt itself released from all restraints. It now published, without fear of opposition, or even of contradiction that the majority of votes in the departments were decidedly for the mode of election they had proposed. The terror they had inspired was such, that no more dissentient voices were heard in the public assemblies of the peo. ple. But the expression of discontent was not the less forcible in the private meetings of those individuals who had not lost all sense and spirit. They foresaw that by the suppression of the courageous resistance of the capital, the rest of the nation would be so intimidated, that the members of the convention, who were the most obnoxious to the public, would, in defiance of its opinion and sentiments, be seated in the future legislature; which, under another name, would still be little more, if any more than the present convention. Such, it appeared, through influence, intrigue, andeve. ry species of machination, was the power of this body become, that they would easily find means to prevent the election even of that third of new members, which they had held forth to the public, merely to obviate the clamours and scandal they must have encountered, had they not employed this deception. But exclusively of these considerations, which principally regarded France, there was, in the opinion of the public, another, which alone ought to have induced them to let the law take its due course. A new constitution had been formed by the convention, and accepted by the peo. ple. The theory seemed well adapted to the wishes of the generality, and not only the French, but not a few of their neighbours, appeared satisfied with it. The backwardness of these to treat with France was avowedly the uncertainty and fluctuation of the government; but, more than all, the character of its present rulers. The declared sentiments of soine among these were sincere; and they were, for that reason, well pleased, when they understood that a new constitution was fraining, and still more, when they were informed that the legislature was to consist wholly of new members. They doubted not that these would bring apter dispositions for peace than their predecessors, whom they had long viewed with a malevolent eye, and 1 1 and considered in the light of ene. mies, much more than they did the French vation. What must, there. fore, it was said, be their disappoint. ment, on finding, that hardly any other alteration was intended in the form of the French government than of names? The same persons that now presided over the affairs of France, in the assembly, styled the convention, would continue to direct them, under the appellation of council of ancients, and of juniors. What expectations could foreign powers harbour, of meeting with more facility to treat, than they had done before? They would have the same men to deal with, the same pretensions to combat, the same an. tipathies would still subsist on both sides. The abhorrence with which foreigners beheid those men, who had shed so much of the blood of their fellow citizens, would still in fluence any correspondence that might be opened with foreign powers. They would meet the same individuals, whom they had lately indulged the hopes of never meeting again. Had a total change taken place in the constitution, had it, in reality, been framed so as to devolve the supreme authority into new hands, the lassitude now felt, both by France and the coalition, would have smoothened the road to a general pacification, equally wanted, and equally desired by both. But confidence would instantly vanish, when the coalesced powers found themselves so grossly disappointed. Instead of pacific dispositions, they would directly conceive the most violent suspicions, that the convention meaned to deceive at once both the French, and the powers with which they were at war. Such were the reasonings of a great number of individuals among the French; but the convention was now in a condition to supersede all arguments. Proud of a situation that rendered them uncontroulable masters of their country, the sole object now in their contemplation was, to cement the absolute autho. rity they had acquired, so as to ren. der it indissoluble, and to reduce their opponents at home to such a degree of weakness, as to deprive them of the very idea of raising any opposition. With this view, the predominant party in the convention procured a commission to be appointed, consisting of five persons, who were empowered to consult together what measures were proper to be adopted, in order to save the country. As soon as this commission was passed, and notice of it given to the public, all France was struck with amazement. A constitution, it was said, had been framed; and now the convention, by whose orders it was framed, came forward with a declaration, that such was the danger of the state, that nothing less than a dictature of five men, invested with absolute power, would be able to save it; this was exactly the mode, and the very style adopted by the ancient Romans, in times of great calamity and danger. The situation of France was calamitous indeed, incessantly exposed, as it was, to internal ty. ranny; but with what other danger was it threatened at the present hour? its foreign enemies were thoroughly humbled, and ready to enter into terms of peace, provided they could depend on the permanence of the government with which they made them. Such a government. was on the point of being settled to the universal satisfaction of the French nation, when its rulers, for reasons which did not appear, thought proper to suspend the great expectations they had raised, by recurring to a precedent which had never failed to be accompanied with the worst evils of tyranny. Regardless of these popular com. - plaints, the convention proceeded in the adoption of the measures se.. cretly planned by the leaders of the jacobins and terrorists, who seemed again to have gained an ascendancy in the convention, and to dictate whatever they thought proper. They had truly verified their own assertion, that activity and boldness peculiarly belonged to them. The other members bowed implicitly to their opinions, and confirmed, with. out hesitation, whatever they proposed. Meanwhile, the public remained in a state of surprise and alarm, at the conduct of a body of men, whom they were at a loss in what light to consider, whether as intending to adopt the constitution they had recommended for accept. ance, or to pass it by, without far ther notice, and erect themselves into a supreme power, without con. sulting the nation, and trusting only to the sword for their support, against the opposition of their coun. trymen. The day was approaching that had been fixed upon by the conven. tion, formally to lay down their authority; but no signs of such an intention were perceivable; the permanence of its power was the very subject on which the commis, sion of five was busily employed. The people now saw, that the perpetuation of its authority was evi. dently the design of the convention, in which case the reign of barbarity would certainly return, as the public, however terrified by the late success of that body, in suppressing the Parisians, would not remain entirely passive, in its submission to such unwarrantable usurpation. The days of Roberspierre were now present to every man's memory; the very expression used by the conven. tion, in appointing a commission to save the country, reminded the public of the many similar terme employed by that tyrant and his party, whenever oppressive and sanguinary designs were in agitation. The jacobinical faction, that domineered in the convention, seemed resolved to persevere in the arbitrary plans that had so long suc. ceeded in the hands of their prede. cessors of that party, when in power. But there still remained in that body a few men of a determined spirit, who, struck with indignation at the apathy or cowardice of those pliant members who suffered themselves to be so ignominiously governed, resolved, at all hazards, to stem the torrent that threatened to overbear the moderate party, and to render it a passive accomplice in the iniquitous schemes of that ambitious and unprincipled faction, which had again nearly accomplished its pernicious designs. The principal of those members, who exerted them. selves on this critical occasion, were Thibaudeau, Lanjuinais, Boissy d'Anglas, Larevelliere Lepaux, Lariviere, and Lesage. The com mission of five were about to enforce the report for the permanence of the convention, when the first of those members, inflamed with rage at the pusillanimous acquiescence that appeared in the assembly, un dauntedly arose, and in a speech replete with fire and energy, opposed the |