them; not because it is apprehenfive of their efforts, but because they weaken the public fpirit, and because it is time to give to the state all that energy which has been vainly attempted to be deftroyed. Government withes to rally all the friends of their country and of liberty by republican inftitutions; because republican inftitutions alone can give energy to the public mind, and operate within, what its victorious arms have effected without.

Awaken, then, republicans of this canton, from your flumbers; you especially, patriots of 1789, who do not confound li berty with licence, and the laws with anarchy. This is the moment in which you must consolidate your work, and fix for ever the fate of France. Rife from your depreffion, fecond the efforts of a government which is perpetually triumphant--a government, which on the 4th of September destroyed the hopes of the royalist faction, and fixed peace, and fecured liberty on the most unfhaken bafis. Dare to avow your principles openly; dare to call yourselves republicans; and may this title, hitherto unfavourablyregarded, become henceforth an honourable title; and may those who do not deserve to share it with you, at leaft learn to be filent. Officers of government! it is to you in particular that I addrefs myself. Remember the republic will only be ferved by those who are the friends of liberty. Remember there is no longer any room to temporize, and that you must frankly show yourselves to be what you are. If there are any among you who are not devoted to the cause of liberty, remember that of all kinds of baseness it is the greatest to receive pay and maintenance and to hold a place under a government which you deteft, and the deftruction of which you are defirous to bring about. Quit your fituations before you are driven from them, and lay afide a mask, which fooner or later will be torn from you.

Zealous officers of the republic, it is on you that the republic particularly relies, and on your example and, your influence, to give vigour to the public mind. Employ in your offices none but the partifans of liberty, and difcard those who have fignalized themselves by contrary opinions. Scrupulously obferve the days of repofe, and let your offices be close fhut on thofe days, and do you yourselves affemble, together with the magiftrates, in the temple of the laws, there to be prefent at the promulgation of the new decrees and orders of government, to hear the recital of their triumphs, the fongs compofed on their victories, and the civic difcourfes, which are to encourage and give strength to the love of the country.

Government requires that I fhould acquaint them with the conduct of those who act contrary to these inftructions; and I notify. to you, that I fhall neither betray the truth nor neglect my duty.

You

You too, who have been included in the requifition, and have been able, by means of the exceptions which government has thought proper to make, to preferve yourselves at home with your families, fhould recollect, that the favour you have met, renders it particularly incumbent on you to refpect government, and to aflift it by combating the enemies at home, while your brave comrades are engaged in contending with thofe abroad.

Citizens of all claffes; at the commencement of hoftilities against England, thefe coafts are about to be covered with the numerous battalions of the conquerors of Italy.-Welcome thefe brave defenders, and receive them with honours; obferve their wounds; remember the acts of valour which they have performed-remember, that half naked, in want of every thing, and forgetting that they had relations and children, and confidering only that their country and liberty were threatened, they fecured these bleffings by their blood-remember that they daily braved death, while you, quietly at home, were contented to read the details of their victories by your fire-fide.-Render them then that tribute of gratitude which they have a right to expect— applause, at least, you owe them.

They indeed may fpeak of their country and of liberty-they know what they have done for them, and may confider them aş their own work, fince, without their efforts, neither the one nor the other would have been in existence. It is by uniting yourfel to thefe men that you will learn to appreciate the value of the great bleflings, liberty and the republic. As to you who abhor thefe benefits you efpecially, ftrangers, to whom the republic affords an afylum-you, too, whom paffions, prejudice, and refentments, render infenfible to her glory and to her triumphs, who daily pour forth your guilty wifhes for her overthrow, whom the memory of paft horrors cannot deter-whoever you be, and wherever you exift, be careful not to mistake the indulgence of government for weaknefs. 1 give you notice, that the end of this indulgence is at hand; and remember, that the power which has deftroyed all the kings of Europe can with a breath annihilate you.

Internal enemies! believe that government knows and fees every thing; clubs, taverns, and places of public entertainment, nothing can efcape their vigilance. Awaken all of you from your error: you efpecially who have fuffered yourselves to be corrupted by perfidious influence, return to thofe fentiments which you owe your country, and draw that line between you and the agents of England which can alone protect you, can enfure you fafety, and hinder you from fharing the punishment which hwaits all men who feek to thwart its projects.

Citizens of all claffes, I fhould betray you were I to conceal a cruel truth. In fpite of my conftant efforts to diftinguish the

mafs

mass of the inhabitants of Calais from fome individuals, perhaps more imprudent than culpable, I have not been able to prevent government miftrufting this commune; I have not been able to prevent them from confidering it in an unfavourable point of view, and from fufpecting that there are a number of individuals in it who oppofe its measures, who regret the monarchical system, and who, devoted to perfidious England, are ready to aflift the views of that power. "We are in poffeffion," fays the Directory, in its letter to me, "of the clue of this plot, and we already know part of the truth, that the public fpirit is corrupted among you, and you alone. You, commiffary, in whom we have placed confidence, you alone, among these numerous denunciations, cannot find one guilty perfon. What are you about?— We remind you of your duties, and of your oath."

No, my fellow-citizens, I profefs it loudly-no, you are not given up to perfidious England. Its gold has not corrupted you; public fpirit is not extinguished among you; and if the English who threatened the walls of Dunkirk, thould have come to prefent themselves before the memorable gates of Calais, it is then that the world would have been convinced that if fome among you were formerly devoted to a king, you would all have been refolved to perish, in order to preserve liberty and the republic.

No; both of them are for you the only object of your wishes and of your folicitude. You have proved this, by the numerous facrifices which you have already made, and you may hereafter make. No-no, you are not Englishmen; you are Frenchmen-you are even republicans. I undertake to convince government that it has been deceived.

At this moment, when the armies approach, when the government is making every preparation for invasion, you must, citizens, remove every fufpicion, by breaking off all connexion and communication with the country which the republic is about to attack, and cover with its arms: you will avoid every correfpondence, which, though really innocent, might excite the jealoufy of the government, and caufe intentions to be afcribed to you which you have not, and which you are far from entertaining. This is one facrifice more, but it is time to make it; and you will make it readily, because it is indifpenfable; because, by fo doing, you will prevent new infinuations from occafioning new errors; because it will be one proof more of your devotion and your civifm.

A patriotic loan is now opened at Paris, in order to accelerate the approaching invafion. Already have the adminiftrations. and the body of merchants at Paris fubfcribed feveral millions. A number of individuals in the departments are haftening to follow this example. You will no doubt imitate them.

Govern

Government has left it to the merchants of Paris to fix themfelves the moft fpeedy mode of repayment; and they will them felves affift the operation of it, which, as far as it appears at prefent, is by the produce of the poftage of Calais.

You will join your offering to mine of 100 franks, which I propole to add to thofe already made. I thall tranfinit it to the municipal adminiftration, who will keep an account of the names of the lenders. The whole fum will be fent off from Calais in ten days, and you will prove, that, so far from the gold of Eng→ land being all-powerful with you, you can yourselves lay down money to humiliate and reduce it.

I repeat it again, fecond my efforts: do not reduce me to the cruel alternative of being obliged either to use severity in the performance of my duty, or to betray it by a culpable indulgence. May I always be happy enough to be able to proclaim the civifm and the virtues of my fellow-citizens, and never unhappy enough to profecute the guilty at the expense of my own feelings.

No! citizens of Calais, you will ftill be what you always have been the friends of the country, of liberty, of equality, and of the conftitution; and you will always gladly exclaim, Vive la republique !

(Signed)

PIGAULT-MAUBAILLARCO Commiffary of the Executive Directory.

Refolution propofed by Villers to the Council of Five Hundred, and adopted, refpecling Ships, on the 11th January.

1. THE

HE fituation of all fhips and veffels, with regard to their quality, as neuter or enemies, fhall hereafter be determined by their cargoes; therefore, every veffel found at fea, laden, or partly laden, with the produce or merchandise of England, or of any of its poffeffions, is declared a lawful prize, whoever be the proprietor of the faid produce or merchandise.

2. No foreign veffel, which in the course of her voyage may have entered an English, port, fhall be permitted to enter any port of the republic, unlefs the be in diftrefs; in which cafe, the fhall be obliged to fail as foon as the caufes of her diftrefs fhall haye ceafed.

3. This refolution fhall be fent to the Council of Ancients, by a meffenger of flate.

[The Council of Ancients approved of the refolution.]

Reports

Report, by Riou, to the Council of Five Hundred, 5 Pluviofe (Jan. 24), refpecting the Treatment of French Prifoners in England*. YOUR committee has executed a moft painful task. They

are now to place before your eyes a series of crimes at which they have already fhuddered--to demand vengeance, in the name of outraged humanity, against the English government-to intereft, while they wound, your feelings-and, in fine, to offer thofe means which they regard as effectual for faving the nearly exhaufted lives of 22,000 republicans, entombed in the dungeons of England.

The English government has heaped the measure of oppreffion, and the cries of death are raised against it from the four quarters of the globe. It has every where fuftained, by guilty means, a power firft eftablished by corruption or by treafon. It feems to wish that rivers fhould not flow but for the use of England-that the feas fhould bear their veffels only, and that all the productions of the New World, and of the diftant regions of Hindofan, fhould become the prey and the aliment of her univerfal commerce. In oppreffed India, not a step can be taken without difcovering the train of English guilt. In that fair country, favoured of heaven, but defolated by man, the English gave, a few years ago, a dreadful example how far defpotifm may go, when joined with avarice and inhumanity. To obtain the merchandife of India at a better rate for England, the company of the latter coined rupees of gold to the amount of feveral millions, but into which there entered at least two-thirds of alloy. Thus the wretched inhabitants were deceived and robbed in their fales. But foon after the English had put this falfe money into circulation, they perceived that they must fuffer themselves, from its return in the way of commerce and of contribution. The Indians were, therefore, ordered to exchange thefe gold for filver rupees. They came with confidence to make this exchange, when the money which was fabricated to rob them was taken only at its actual value-an immenfe lofs to the oppreffed-as great a gain to their oppreffors.

A fhort time afterwards, Bengal was afflicted with an horrible drought. Rice grew only in fome parts, and there in a small quantity. Of this the English took poffeffion; they monopolized with avidity whatever provifion was to be found, and held it in referve for themselves and their fepoys. Thus fecure, they dif dained to attend to a numerous people, who were threatened with

The English government published an account of their treatment of French prifoners, which our readers will find in a fublequent part of this volume, and which proved the allegations of France to be totally unfounded,