and we have moved for the reform of a law, which the critical period at which it was made, rendered neceffary. We propose to you to authorise the committee to lay before you fome al terations on this head, which will tend equally to favour the innocent, and bring to punishment the guilty.

We propose to you to haften the judgment of foreigners, and of thofe generals who have confpired with the tyrants who make war against us. To render ourselves terrible to the ene mies of our country is not fufficient-we muft preferve its defenders: we therefore intreat you to form fome plan for the relief of those who have fought and fuffered in the cause of liberty.

The French army is not only the terror of its enemies-it is the glory of the nation and of humanity. In marching to victory, our brave warriors cry Vive la Republique-in falling under the fword of the enemy, their cry is Vive la Republique. Their last words are hymns to liberty, and their departing fighs are, prayers for the country's welfare.

If our generals had imitated our foldiers, Europe would, long fince, have been conquered. The provifion made for the defenders of the country have appeared to us to be too finall; we believe, that without inconvenience they may be increafed one third. The immenfe refources of the Republic will permit it. -The country demands it.

It appears alfo to us that the wounded foldiers, and the wives and children of those who have died for their country, experience the formalities of the law, many difficulties which prevent their receiving all the advantages which it intended they should enjoy.

To remedy this inconvenience we think it will be proper to allot them official counfel to enable them more easily to obtain their rights.

Report made by B. Barrere, on the 1ft of February, 1794, in the Name of the Committee of Public Safety, to the National Convention of France, on the Neceffity of augmenting the Fabrication of Arms, Salt-petre, and Powder, in order to increase fuddenly and in a vaft Proportion, the Means which the Republic employs for its Defence, and the Extermination of its Enemies.

UR land forces have made a glorious campaign; and our naval force will procure us an honourable peace. Peace has been talked of; you have been told that you mean to fubject the English people to your meafures; that you intend to tranfport Paris to London. Why will you lavish so much French blood? The confederate powers fue for peace. You wish to dethrone all kings-Do you wish it for the purpose of

undoing

undoing the revolution, or, at least, in order to retard its beneficial confequences? This is the common language of the moderates!

The committee prepare a terrible war, with the only view of obtaining a folid peace. You defire peace; the leagued kings do the fame; but mark at what price! A diplomatic agent in a neutral country faid the other day, "The confederate powers are willing, provifionally, to acknowledge the French republic." (Burfts of laughter)-Well, let us provifionally deftroy all tyrannical governments. (Applauded.) Do you know what the coalefced kings are propofing to you? A ceffation of hoftilities for two years. ("No ceffation of hoftilities!" was the general cry.) They offer you a two years armiftice, for the purpose of establishing among you New Vendees, in order to recover their exhaufted ftrength, to carry off your merchandize, to infect the popular focieties by their agents; to ftir up new confpiracies among you; perfidiously to take from you your arms, your provifions, and to give you at laft fome royal fcoundrel for a mafter. This is the ceffation of hoftilities which is offered you; at the term of its expiration, they will grant you peace, they fay; and this peace is to be ratified by the French people. Can it be forgotten, that a faction, whofe intention it was to deftroy liberty by this means, made fimilar propofals.

The French people defired peace; but an honourable peace, a peace fuch as we shall be ready to fign. The tyrants offer you peace, because they have neither money nor foldiers. A negociator faid lately in Switzerland, "but fuppofe it was intended to talk of peace, to whom in France fhould an application of that kind be addreffed?"-" To whom? This is not difficult to be determined," anfwered the national agent; "we have a hundred thoufand negociators at the army of the Rhine; a hundred thousand in the fouth; as many at the northern army." (Bursts of applause.)

Why should the French people not act as Rome did? Why fhould we not furround all kings with the famous circle of Popilius? If the British people with for peace, why do they not speedily detach themfelves from their infernal and defpotic government? Let them ceafe to behave like flaves, and we will grant them peace. The kings, we are told, demand peace -but what have thefe defpots hitherto done to obtain it?— Have they ceafed to provoke the neutral governments against us, and to direct their perfidious manoeuvres against a free people? Arms and gun-powder muft alone procure us peace. After ftating that the two great objects of the report was to produce an extraordinary fabrication of arms and of powder, and that those objects could not be accomplished by the adop

tion of the old fyftem, Barrere proceeded to ftate that the committee had made Paris the center for the extraordinary fabrication of arms. "It is but fitting," he exclaimed, "that that city, which faw a tyrant perifh, fhould forge the thun derbolt that is to ftrike to the earth all other tyrants."

Barrere then gave an account by which it appears, that 300 forges have been established at Paris, that the three great arfenals contained more than 500 workmen employed in making guns; that 680 firelocks are made every day, and that it is expected that this number will foon be increafed to 1000. That, in the departments, forges have been eftaklifhed for the fabrication of guns, fwords, and bayonets. For cafting cannon, there are fifteen founderies at Paris-under the old government, there were only two. These fifteen founderies caft 1,100 pieces of brafs cannon a month. There are befides two founderies for iron cannon.

With refpect to the making of falt-petre and gunpowder, the report gives the following account:

Refearches have been made with the greatest industry for such places as were most likely to afford falt-petre. Enlightened commiffioners and celebrated chymifts were fent into the departments of the Indre and the Loire, always famous for its richnefs in falt-petre, but never yet properly and in a revolutionary manner explored. Complete fuccefs has attended the endeavours of thefe men. The department of Vauclufe has also furnished a confiderable quantity of this valuable commodity. The ftrong castles, thofe feudal faftneffes, that were ordered to be demolished, attracted next the attention of your committee.--Nature there had fecretly regained her rights, and had produced falt-petre for the purpose, as it fhould feem, of facilitating the execution of your decree, by preparing the means of deftruction.-From these ruins which ftill frown on the liberties of the Republic, we have extracted the means of producing good; and thofe piles which have hitherto glutted the pride of defpots, and covered the plots of La Vendee, will foon furnish wherewithal to tame the traitors-and to overwhelm the difaffected. The rebellious cities have also afforded a large quantity of falt-petre -Commune Affranchie, and port de la Montagne, will pay a fecond tribute to our artillery.

Soon after we had fixed our attention on this fubject, our ideas experienced a confiderable degree of extenfion.-That revolutionary genius which produces, in a few days, effe&ts which are fearce produced in years under the filence and ftupidity of defpotic or ariftocratic governments-that revolutionary genius whofe movements are fo active-which concentrates years and ages, created in a moment, new means fuperior to all thofe which had hitherto been adopted that revolutionary

volutionary genius fpoke, and the earth immediately furrendered this terrible and deftructive article, which he had hitherto concealed in her bofom.

According to the old method, it was difficult to obtain as much powder as was neceffaryComplicated and difficult machines were wanted, and the fabrication was of course flow. Proper fituations were to be found on the banks of rivers, and a favourable feafon was requifite to fpread and dry the powder for fix weeks-A dangerous mechanifm was ufed, and a fingle accident might facrifice the lives of several valuable citizens!

Instead, therefore, of employing fuch ingenious, though dangerous machines, we endeavoured to fimplify the means, and to adopt fuch a mode as fhould not reduce us to the neceffity of having recourfe to mechanics.

New means, as fimple as they are excellent, have put us in a condition to re-produce powder at all times, in all feasons, and in all places. Each day will furnish a certain quantity properly prepared, and of a good quality.

An anecdote not well known, has for a long while proved the poffibility of producing this article.

La Bourdonnaye, while in the Baftile, let off a pistol in his dungeon before the keeper :--The keeper was aftonished."See!" (exclaimed La Bourdonnaye)" the manner in which I am armed, and how eafily I could put an end to my exiftence! I have fcraped falt-petre from the walls of my dungcon-my fire afforded me charcoal-my matches brimftone-iny pewter spoon furnishes me with balls, and a golden tweezer can be converted into a pistol ""

A few days were fufficient to complete this discovery, and to conftitute it into an art.-Every thing is fimplified-and now, this revolutionary nitre, the refining of which formerly occupied at least fix weeks, is refined in a few days.

Charcoal and brimftone are already collected.

Pot-afh, fo neceffary to the purifying falt-petre, will be alfo procured, notwithstanding our enemies endeavour to deprive us of it-Befides, the quantity which we have taken, and ftill continue to take from them, all the departments are in a ftate of requifition to furnish it. The forests, those retreats and faftneffes of the rebels of La Vendee, will be converted into pot-afh, and the infulted and poisoned foil, thus purified by fire, will yield at the fame time abundance of this precious falt.

Eighteen infpectors have been fent into the different departments.

Mineralogifts have also been fent to examine all the mineral materials, (metals, falts, brimstone, charcoal) which the be

nignant

hignant hand of nature holds forth to the defenders of berty !

(After fuggefting that every houfe which had furnished falt-petre fhould be honoured with a civic infcription, the report proceeds in the following manner :)

Nature feems to have forefeen that France would become the fruitful foil of liberty. She has made her rich in all those articles which are neceffary to deftroy tyrants. Religion procured for her the precious metals-fuperftition afforded her bells of brafs-nature has been prodigal in mines of copper and iron, and more than a million pounds of falt-petre remain in the peaceful habitations of the citizens.-Each poffeffes this natural mean of defence in the fame manner as each poffeffes the innate love of liberty.

(Barrere now mentioned the names of the fections employed in collecting falt-petre, and recommended the greatest activity to all citizens.)

Twenty-four millions of pounds of powder were wanted for the approaching campaign. The Republic expreffed her wants, and they were immediately fupplied. Twenty-four millions of pounds have been procured.

Let those barbarous foreigners, who bombard our cities, fet fire to our depots, and blow up our magazines of powder.From the ashes of the burnt cities and magazines we shall be able to procure materials for fupplying immediately the lofs.

Methinks I hear the yell of thofe incorrigible beings who depreciate all projects which are founded on principles adverse to the common routine of action.-I hear them declare, and their hypocritical and venal partifans repeat, that we are in want of powder. Let them be ftruck dumb by the following intelligence:-That the new meafutes which we propose, are only fupplements to those wants which have been supplied, and that we are now in fuch a fituation as to have nothing to fear on this fubject.

The defect of all old fyftems is, that they circumfcribe the energies of man, and affect to confine the powers of the human mind within given and defined limits.-Thefe new fystems, however, which we have founded, allow to the human race the unbounded ufe of their faculties; and if the revolution of France had produced no other good than this folitary one, that it has carried the mind into regions untrodden before, and elevated it to a height which it never before attained, the univerfe, I fay, would ftill be indebted to us for this great

event.

Who is ignorant of the means which our enemies use to attack us internally, by endeavouring to create a famine, by forging our affignats, by checking the operations in our ports, VOL. II.

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