goodnefs of its government, is it not yourfelves who render this glorious teftimony to the fupreme power? Woe be to you, if ever you can forget it! And, furthermore, the rights which in future you will enjoy, have not been demanded, but freely granted: for the with of the majority had not yet appeared among you. It remains for you, dear fellow-citizens, to render yourfelves worthy of thefe bleffings. If liberty be the greatest bleffing to the people, the bafis which fecures it ought to be fo much the more facred; there is nothing great or fublime which may not be yet effected under its aufpices; but a good conftitution can only be the effect of profound difcernment, and the refult of tranquil labour, directed by wifdom and experience. If, on the contrary, it be burried by the heat of the paffions, it is ftifled in its birth. The elevation of fuch an edifice is the work of time, by which alone every thing is matured. To begin by demolishing what gives us a fure fhelter, would be to expofe ourfelves naked to the violence of a tempeft. When a lowering ftorm gathers on the horizon, the pilot who has a fenfe of his duty ftands more ftoutly at the helm, but ftill keeps his fails fpread, the fooner to bring his fhip to an anchor. The welfare of your country, dear brothers, your own, and that of your children, is in your hands. Your wishes are now fatisfied. All that could be granted confiftently with the general good, has been granted. Whoever at this time fhould dare to require more, could only do fo from felfith views, and not for his country; his object could only be to deftroy, not to preferve it. We have but a choice between two things: either an entire obedience to the law and fupreme power, which alone can fave our threatened state; or the overflow of all the wild and ungovernable paffions, the ruin of a flourishing country, the annihilafion of public profperity, the havoc occafioned by the corruption of morals; in fhort, a view of the moft frightful difafters and misfortunes for us and our generation. Who should dare to doubt our refolution? Yes, dear fellow-citizens! you have honoured us with your confidence; you have impofed upon us the task, exceedingly grateful to our hearts, of fupporting your dearest rights and interefts. It is for you then, it is in your name, it is from the bottom of your hearts, that we fwear to save the country; and you cannot belie us. If this act of union, which we this day announce to you, were not enough to difarm all our enemies and annihilate their defigns; if there be one yet remaining who would impofe laws upon us, violate the fanctuary of our liberty, and, in fine, render useless the wife reforms we have been making in our conftitution; then the country will fummon her children; they will affemble, they will prefs round her; and if you should have the miffortune I fortune to be forced to fight, the thorough knowledge you have of your caufe will fupport your courage, while it enfures your fuccefs. The folemn affurance of your rights will be the standard round which you will form an impenetrable wall; it will be the banner you will carry against a powerful enemy, who thenceforth will no longer be to be feared by you: we will place ourfelves befide you, and in the first ranks; it will wave, bleeding in the air, but we will never defert it; we will bring it back with us, or never more return ourselves; and, if pufhed to extremity, we are refolved to die, but in fuch a manner as to recall to the remembrance of pofterity the glorious name of our ancestors. We will bury ourfelves under the ruins of our country, rather than bow our heads under an ignominious yoke. We may cease to be, but our honour muft never be annihilated. Berne, February 5th, 1798. Addrefs of the Government and People of Berne to the Executive Directory of the French Republic, dated Feb.7. Citizens Directors, PERMIT the people of Berne, clofely united to their government, to lay before you, with that franknefs which becomes them towards a great nation, their fincere difpofitions relative to their prefent fituation with refpect to the French government. This people, accustomed at all times to recognife a well-difpofed neighbour in the French nation, to which, for many centuries, they have given the most unequivocal proofs of the fincereft friendship, could not fee, without regret, any alteration in fo happy an alliance. Animated with the moft fincere and upright fentiments, this people, now united to their government, regard it as a most facred duty to declare to you, Citizens Directors, that they ardently defire peace and good neighbourhood, which they have always endeavoured to maintain; and that, where any difficul ties arife between the French nation and their own, they are ready to smooth and remove them, as far as can be effected, without compromifing the independence of a free people, who are firmly refolved to maintain and defend that independence to the laft drop of their blood.. Full of confidence in the juftice of this demand on the part of a people attached to their liberty, we promise ourselves, from your juftice, a prompt and fatisfactory anfwer; and, in this cafe, we affure ourfelves that you will withdraw your troops from our frontiers-upon which our people, who have taken up arms only in their own defence, will voluntarily lay them down. We We take the liberty, Citizens Directors, to renew our request of a prompt answer; and we entreat you to rely on the fincerity of our refpectful devotion towards you and the French nation. Citizens Directors, Your very affectionate, THE GOVERNMENT AND UNITED PEOPLE Letter from General Schauenbourg, Commander in Chief of the Army of Erguel, to Citizen Mengaud, Minifter from the French Republic to the Helvetic Cantons in Bafle. Soleure, 12 Ventose (March 2). IHASTEN, citizen minifter, to inform you, that I this morning attacked and took the village of Longnau. From that place hither every thing has been forced to yield to the arms of the great nation. Eight pieces of artillery, with ammunition-waggons, and 200 prifoners, fell into our hands. Among the prifoners are several staff officers. I fummoned Soleure about ten in the morning, and in half,an hour the gates were opened to me. I have the honour to fend you a copy of the fummons. I directly haftened to set the arrefted patriots at liberty, and have taken every neceffary measure to make the arms of our brave warriors triumph through the whole canton, and fecure the empire of that freedom, which conftitutes the happiness of a people. I fhall have the ho nour to give you an account of every further proceeding, that you may transmit it to the Directory. Health and fraternity. P. S. The arfenal and the artillery on the walls are in our poffeffion. Copy of the Summons to the General in Command at Soleure. THE Directory has commanded me to take poffeffion of the town of Soleure; adding, that if the leaft oppofition is made, or a fingle drop of French blood fpilt, the members of the government of Soleure fhall answer it with their lives and property. Inform the members of your government of the will of the Directory, and open your gates to the republican troops. I give you half an hour to refolve in; when this has elapfed, in case of refiftance, I fhall fire upon the town, and put the garrison to the fword. Letter from General Brune, Commander in Chief of the French Army in Helvetia, to the Executive Directory. Citizens Directors, Head Quarters at Berne, 17 Ventofe (March 7). BERNE is fubdued. It was entered the day before yesterday, at one in the afternoon, by the troops of the republic. General Schauenbourg preceded by about an hour the column under the command of General Pigeon, who after gaining a fignal victory at Neveneck on the Saufen, purfued the remainder of the fanatic bands of oligarchy, even to the gates of Berne. On the 11th I had made every neceffary difpofition, and General Schauenbourg had received orders to direct his movement against Berne by Soleure. The latter furrendered at twelve in the forenoon on being fummoned. The fame day the environs of Fribourg had been occupied at three in the morning. The city being fummoned, an anfwer was returned by the magiftrates, that they were disposed to furrender, but that fome hours were neceffary in order that the evacuation on the part of the Bernefe and armed peasants might be effected without diforder. General Pigeon granted two hours; but foon after, the found of the tocfin was heard in different villages, and a multitude of peafants who came to reinforce the garrifon, were feen entering the town by a gate oppofite to the points of attack. A new fummons was then fent, upon which fome of the citizens and magiftrates came to fay, that they were overawed by the peasants, and were no longer free in their deliberations. The republican foldiers, full of ardour, demanded with loud cries the order of an affault. Some fhells were thrown into the city, and a few flight breaches were made. Ten or twelve intrepid foldiers, at the head of whom was Citizen Barbe, fergeant of the 18th demi-brigade, climbed to the top of the ramparts, and threw themfelves into the town, while others penetrated into a gate half demolished. The one thousand five hundred Bernese, and four or five thousand Bernese who compofed the force of Fribourg, had retired with precipitation with their cannon and arms into the arfenal. The cannon were taken during the purfuit, and a great many muskets were picked up by the way and in the ftreets. I have made the brave Sergeant Barbe a fub-lieutenant. No excess has been committed; difcipline was obferved with as much strictnefs as if the city had been taken only by capitulation. The aristocratic government has been destroyed, and replaced by a provincial government, compofed of men chofen by the bannieres, or fections. The affair of Fribourg coft the enemy more than 400 men, and a great number of wounded. I fent back the prifoners: thefe unhappy perfous wept for joy. To facilitate the taking of Fribourg, and fecond the operations under General Pigeon, I caused an alarm to be given at Morat. The Bernefe evacuated evacuated that town in the evening of the 12th: the 13th was T heavy |