difpofitions may, in fo critical a conjuncture, find an adequate return; and that a fpeedy and fatisfactory anfwer may be given to the demand which his Majefty has directed to be made in his name at Copenhagen, both of reparation for what is past, and of fecurity against the repetition of these outrages.

In order to give the greater weight to his Majefty's reprefentations on this fubject, and to afford at the fame time the means of fuch explanations refpecting it, as may avert the neceffity of those extremities to which his Majefty looks with the greatest reluctance, his Majefty has charged Lord Whitworth with a fpecial miffion to the court of Denmark, and that minifter will immediately fail for his deftination.

That court cannot but fee in this determination a new proof of the King's delire to conciliate the prefervation of peace with the maintenance of the fundamental rights and interefts of his empire. July 30, 1800. (Signed) GRENVILLE.

Meffage from the Executive Committee of the Helvetic Republic to the Councils at Berne, on the 7th of Auguft.

The Executive Committee to the Legislative Body.

Citizens Representatives;

IF ever deliberation deferved the most impartial attention, the most entire, the abfolute filence of all paffion, and of all private intereft, it is that of the prefent moment, in which the Executive Committee, preffed by the imperious fentiment of duty, proceeds to lay before you the real ftate of our country, and to propofe to you, at the fame time, the only meafure that can fave it from total deftruction. A tranfient glance at the interior of our focial organization would fuffice to convince us that it is advancing with rapid ftrides to approaching diffolution. We have a conftitution which is neither calculated for our wants nor our refources, deftitute of fecurity for its own exiftence, full of contradictions and imperfections; no organic law to defignate the means by which that conftitution fhould be kept in motion, its place, or the fphere of action; all the old relations diffolved, and the new left vague and indefinite; the fecurity of perfons and property expofed to the attacks of arbitrary power, from the defect of the protecting forms of civil liberty; an innumerable crowd of public functionaries, the immature produce of the choice of a people not fufficiently prepared for the exercise of their fovereignty. Thefe functionaries, finking under the weight of the facrifices which they have been obliged to make for thefe two years paft to the public weal; tired out even by the effect of the constraint which binds them to their places, and most of them

without

without a knowledge of their rights and duties; the most abundan refources of the ftate converted into real burdens; a fyftem of finance, vicious in its foundation, and without means of execution; the capital of the public fortune mortgaged for the fupport of the current expenfes; the national credit annihilated in every quarter; a crowd of preffing wants, for which even triple the prefent receipts would be far from fufficient; the afyla opened for indigence and' fick nefs deprived of their most indifpenfable neceffaries; the numerous clafs of the minifters of religion ftruggling with want and mifery; in the place of public patriotifm and public fpirit, every where the most complete indifference, or the most frantic animofity; the public authority fallen into difcredit; an open contempt for the laws; a contempt which must long ago. have produced all the horrors of anarchy, and the complete over, throw of all focial order, if the character of our people, and the compreffion of two years of misfortunes, in aid of this inert force, had not refifted the progrefs of diforganization. Such, citizens reprefentatives, are the principal features of the dreadful picture, the colours of which it would be in vain to attempt to foften, or to queftion their reality.

Some of the caufes which have led to this ftate of things prefent themselves in the manner in which our revolution was effected, and may therefore pafs for the refult of circumstances. However, it is certain, that the greater part of them muft be attributed to the men whofe hands received and have had the protection of the depot of public affairs.

The Executive Committee, citizens reprefentatives, will not here anticipate the impartiality of your own individual reflections. It leaves you the care of reconfidering in your own minds, and appreciating yourselves, the career which you have followed thefe two years; to inquire what the Helvetic nation had a right to expect from its reprefentatives; and to declare, in the presence of the nation which judges you, and of Europe, whofe eyes are fixed on you, how far this expectation has been fulfilled. Your judgment will be the more impartial, as more than once already the acknowledgment of your infufficiency has been heard in your bofom without contradiction. The Committee admits, on its part, with the fame candour, that it has not filled the extent of public confidence. But, the fimple inftrument of execution, it has thought right to follow the line marked out for it, from which it would be forced in vain to change its direction: for how could it undertake any effential amelioration, while its least equivocal measures were mifconftrued and perverted, and the means of public safety rejected, merely because it propofed them? How could it be able to fet bounds to the progrefs of the spirit of party and demagogues, when both one and the other found an afylum, or, rather, altars, in your affemblies? How could it be VOL. X.

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able

able to re-establish an equilibrium between the wants and the revenues of the ftate, while the former were continually receiving new wounds, and the latter multiplying and augmenting every day? How could it be able to fecure refpect and obedience to the law, while too often paffion and perfonal hatred prefided at its enaction; while the overthrow of the law was preached with impunity in the midst of you; while the bad citizen, he who withed to withdraw himself from the civic obligation, from a charge impofed upon all by the manifeft will of the legitimate authority, was fure of finding defenders, even in the fanctuary of the laws? Where could the Executive Committee find power to act, while it was a fyftem with part of the legiflature to degrade it in the eyes of the nation, to deprive it of confidence, and, confequently, of all falutary influence? In vain has it endeavoured to draw your attention to the pernicious Confequences of this conduct. In vain has it attempted ways of reconciliation. Instead of acceding to them, you have been feen, led away by diftruft, and blinded by paffion, to trefpafs, even further than before, beyond the bounds of the authority confided to your care, openly to attack the independence of the judicial order, the fole fhield of civil liberty, and even to compromife, in an effential degree, its diplomatic relations of the highest importance.

This conduct of the legislature, these perpetual diffenfions, whether between the reprefentatives of the people themselves, or between them and the executive power, have been the fruitful fource of all the calamities which now force us to defpair of an amelioration of our lot under the present forms, and to fee in a change of the authorities the fole means of public fafety. But there is another point of view in which this change becomes ftill more urgent. The moment does not appear to be far off, citizens reprefentatives, when the question will be agitated for preparing the paffage for a better order of things, and when a new conflitution, adapted to the character of the nation, will be eftablished on the bafis of civil liberty, of equality, of political rights, of the proper diftribution of authority, and of the reprefentative fyftem. That fuch a conftitution could never be the work of a numerous affembly, fluctuating at the will of ruling paflions, is an opinion which the useless efforts hitherto made to effect it fufficiently prove. This conftitution, deftined to rally not only the prefent generation, but to conftitute the happiness of those which are to follow, requires to be pondered in the calm of reflection, and is the only mean of giving to the edifice folidity and fymmetry; it must be the work of an affembly in which there fhall be found at once concord of parties and limitation of numbers.

The inmediate advantage from this reduction of the legislative

councils

councils is a very confiderable faving in the public expenses; a faving which our fituation imperiously demands.

In truth, it ought to be expected from the firft functionaries of the nation, that in their eagerness on every question of facrifices to give an example, they would, from their ardent zeal, avoid injuring the principles of juftice and equality in thofe points where, above all others, a wound would be moft felt. On the contrary, the Executive Committee mult declare, that the payments ordered from time to time by the decree in favour of the firft authorities, have been the principal caufe of the abfolute want in which the functionaries of the cantons have been left thefe two years; and that if the most urgent expenses have been fuffered to run in arrear, it is to be attributed to that unjuft procedure, against which the executive power struggled in vain.

Such, citizens reprefentatives, are the motives which oblige the Executive Committee to propofe to you, by the project of the decree fubjoined to this meffage, a change of the legiflative and executive authorities. Their developement will convince you that this change, to effect its purpose, cannot be accomplished except in the forms propofed. All modification that might be attempted to be introduced into thefe forms, every delay in the decifion, which is fufceptible of no delay whatever, would evince nothing but a firm refolution to reject the laft, the only mean of public safety still left in your hands.

Republican health.

The Prefident of the Executive Committee,

(A true copy.)

Secretary General,

(Signed)

(Signed)

FINSLER. MOUSSON.

Upon this meffage of the Executive Commiffion, of the 7th of Auguft, confidering that the prefent ftate of the public refources, as well as the neceffity of preparing the establishment of a new conftitution, imperiously demand a reduction of the legislative body, the Grand Council, after having declared urgency, has refolved,

Art. 1. From the date of the prefent decree, the legislative councils are adjourned.

2. In their place is eftablished a legislative council of 43

members.

3. To form this council, the Executive Commiffion fhall, in the fpace of 24 hours after the receipt of the prefent decree, proceed to make choice of 35 members from the ci-devant legifla

ture.

4. Immediately after having convoked them, the Executive Commiffion thall refign their powers into their hands, and the members who compofe it thall take their places, in the legislative council.

1

5. To the council, thus conftituted, fhall be added eight members, who fhall be taken from the generality of the citizens, and fhall proceed to the filling up the places that may become vacant by refufal or dismission.

6. The Legislative Council fhall choofe feven members, from its own body, who fhall form a new executive council.

7. The Legislative Council fhall reunite the authority and the functions which the fifth chapter of the Conflitution gives to the two fections of the legislature. It fhall exercife thofe functions with the fame rights, and under the fame obligations.

8. The Legislative Council fhall exercife the fame power which the fixth chapter of the Conftitution gives to the Directory, with the fame rights, and under the fame obligations.

9. The Legislative Council, as foon as a project of the law fhall have been adopted by a majority of its members, thall communicate it to the Executive Council, that it may give its advice on fuch project.

10. The Executive Council is bound to communicate its advice in the space of two days, if the project of the decree be accompanied with a declaration of urgency; and in the space of fix days, without fuch declaration.

ri. After having heard the advice of the Executive Council, the Legislative Council fhall have power, according to circumftances, to open a new difcuffion on the fubject; but in all cafes the project must be put to the vote again, and not pass into a law till after the fecond vote.

12. The two authorities established by the prefent law shall continue their functions until the new conftitution fhall be projected, then accepted by the Helvetic nation, and put in execu

tion.

After the reading of thefe pieces in the Grand Council, a difcuffion took place, in which all the speakers appeared convinced of the neceffity of adopting the proposed measure. A member went fo far as to fay that he would not adopt it, but on the full conviction that it would equally take place, though it should be rejected. It paffed the Grand Council without the leaft oppofition. A miller of Zurich, named Relftap, was the only oppofer.

It was not fo in the Senate, where a ftrong repugnance has been shown to accept the propofition of the Government, and it has referred it to the examination of a committee, charged to make a report this morning. But the Executive Committee, little fatisfied with this delay, which would be of the moft ferious confequence to the public tranquillity, fummoned the prefident to convoke the Senate yesterday, that he might proceed immediately to accept or reject the refolution of the Grand Council. The Senate,