quickly followed. Without this enthusiasm the revolution of 1799 would not probably have been conceived, and certainly could not have been exccuted. Human nature is prone to caft off all melancholy reflections, and anticipations, and to grafp at fome object of hope, if poffible. This difpofition is particularly remarkable in the French nation. They are alfo diftinguifhed by another propenfity, indulged to excefs: a devoted attachment to fome object of fond admiration. Their whole attention, their pride, and their hopes were, at this time, fixed as on a centre, on Buonaparte. Of him alone they thought, fpoke, and dreamed. From him, fome great though unknown good was to arife to France, and every class of men in the republic. Six months had not elapfed fince a majority, in the nation and the legiflative councils, had condemned the expedition to Egypt as imprudent, and the fource of that reverfe of fortune, which had been experienced both in Italy and Germany. This was urged, as matter of accufation against the ex-directors Merlin, Rewbel, and la Réveillere Lepaux, who infifted that the expedition to the Eaft was project-. ed and infifted on, in oppofition to the fentiments of the executive government, by Buonaparte. The fame pofition was maintained, in fundry memorials by the ex-bishop Talleyrand, and Charles la Croix. The afcendant obtained, by the general, over the public councils, they faid had overcome all oppofition on the part of the directory. This question concerning the propriety or impropriety, the advantages or difadvantages of the expedition against Egypt, was now loft in an admiration and fond attachment to the hero who conducted it, returned after many perils, and deeds of valour, within the Freneh territories. It was this boundlefs attachment and confidence, no doubt, that encouraged Buonaparte to form the defign of fubverting the present conftitution and government, or confirmed him in that defign, if already formed. The fituation of the republic in its relations, both external and internal, were fuch as foftered difcontent and invited to innovation. Though victory had returned to the French ftandards in Switzerland, the privations and fufferings of the armies of both Switzerland and Italy were very great, and a fubject of loud complaint against adminiftration. The forced loan of 100 millions of which only a fmall portion was collected, had fhaken public credit, damped the fpirit of induftry, and produced, with many inconveniences and fufferings, much difcontent and murmurming among the bufy claffes of the people. But, the imbecillity and rafhness of government, ftill farther increased the general diffatisfaction, anxiety, and alarm, by a law known by the name of the law of Hoftages. During the administration of the late directors, various projects had been formed, and prefented to the legislature, for the fuppreffion of diforders under the title of a law for the refponfibility of the different diftricts, known by the name of Communes, or Communities. Thele projects had hitherto been deemed inadequate to the purpose. In the mean time, the evils, for which they were intended as a remedy, grew up to an alarming height, particu [B3) Larly arly in the western departments: which determined the council of five hundred to apply a remedy ftill more violent. By the law of Hoftages, paffed on the twelfth of July, it was decreed, among other articles, that when a department, or commune, was notoriously in a state of civil diforder, the relations of emigrants, and nobles, comprehended in the Tevolutionary law of the twentyfifth of October, third year of the republic, their grand-fathers, grandmothers, fathers and mothers, and individuals, who, without being relations, or ex-nobles, were known to form part of the affemblies or bands of aflaffins, fhould be perfonally and civilly refponfible for whatever affaffinations or robberies were committed in their communes; that whenever diforders fhould take place the adminiftration of departments fhould take hoftages among thefe claffes, and that they fhould be authorized to do fo, even before any declaration of fuch department or commune being in a state of diforder; that thefe hoftages fhould furrender themselves, on demand, in fuch places as fhould be pointed out; that a delay of ten days fhould incur constraint by force, and flight, If a murder was committed on any public functionary, defender of the country, or purchafer of national domains, or any perfon of this character carried off, four hoflages were to be banished for every perfon fo murdered or carried off, befides a fine of fix thoufand livres. Every, hoflage was made refponfible for the payment of four thoufand livres, in cafe of any murder in his community, to be paid into the public treafury, of fix thoufand to the widow, and three thoufand to the children of the perfon affaffinated: which indemnity was allowed likewife to every perfon mutilated. The fame refponibility was alfo extended to whatever damage or wafte was committed againit property. And the law was to have its due courfe, till the conclufion of a general peace. The effects of this law were fuch as might have been expected. While fome, from the various motives of ambition, intereft, and refentment, were tempted to commit innumerable acts of oppreffion, others were driven to defpair. departments of the wet as had never been thoroughly reduced to an obedience to the republic, the law of Hoftages was a fignal of almoft general revolt, not only feveral of those who had been formerly chiefs of the infurgents and again took up the arms which they had laid down, but others who had hitherto remained quiet, preferred a ftate of infurrection, and oppofition to tyranny, before a submiffion to laws of fo atrocious a nature. Tumults and riots had for fome time difturbed the peace of different departments, when, towards the end of Auguft, a general infurrection broke out in the department of Mayenne, on the right of the Loire. Here the infurgents, who had hitherto remained in the woods, or villages remote from general refort and communication, appeared under their leaders in force, made themselves masters of feveral towns, depofed the conftituted authorites, feized their papers, took republican hoftages, and proclaimed by public advertile ments the object of their rifing in arms: which was, the restoration of the monarchy without limita tions. As the republican force in that quarter was but weak, and the fpirit of difcontent and revolt, general and ardent, the infurrection pread fo rapidly, that, in a fhort fpace of time, no lefs than twenty departments were, more or lefs, in a state of infurrection. From Scepeaux, Chatillon, d'Audigne, and Turpin, commanded in Anjou and Britanny, as far as Morbihan; generals Georges and de Sol, the Lower Britanny; le Mercier, the diftricts lying towards St Brieux. The count d'Autichamp was at the head of the army of Poictou, and of the country on the left bank of the Loire to the confines of Aunis; and under him were the generals Suzannet, Sapineau, Soyer, and Berlier. Of all the great towns throughout these provinces the royalifts were in potletion, and they were all of them stored with ammunition and provifions: fapplies of which, had, from time to time, been landed, on fuch parts of the coaft, as were under their influence and fway by the English. On the whole, the French nation was in a state of dilcontent, alarm, and anxious expectation. The noble families and clergy were profcribed and perfecuted;, the men of property were haralled with requifitions; the jacobins were excluded from the public councils, and ready to attempt any enterprize that might throw all things into confufion, however desperate and dangerous. Their principle place of ftrength was, at firft, Meins. This how ever, on the appearance of the republican troops, they were forced to evacuate, after pillaging it, and taking hoftages. But, by this time, the flames of infurrection had spread far and wide. The infurgents were, for a while, in poffeffion of Nantes, the capital of the depart ment of the Nether Loire, and Port-Brieux, that of the depart ment of the northern coafts. this laft place they did not retreat without carrying off all the public money, and allo the principal inhabitants as hostages. A regular chain of pofts was formed from the Bay of Bifcay almoft to the walls of Paris. The infurgents published manifeftoes, demanded fupplies of men, money, and provifions, and, in a word, affuming the title of the royal and catholic army, exercised within the fphere of their influence and power all the functions of government. This army, which covered fo great an extent of country and amounted in all, to about a hundred thousand men, was formed into five grand divifions. The province of Normandy (for we prefume that the oid divifions of France will yet be more intelligible to most of our readers than the new) was under the orders The nation was of count Lewis Frotté: the pro- in a state of distraction; the govince of Mayne was occupied by a vernment, if not altogether in a formidable army, under the count ftate of languor, indecifion, and de Bourmont. The marquifies of ftupefaction, rather watched and Some measures had indeed been taken for modifying, not repealing, the law of Hoftages, and for deftroying one dreadful engine of defpotifm, in the hands of the late directory, by clofing the lift of emigrants: other measures too, had been taken for alleviating the pub-1 lic diftreffes, but the whole were feeble, and in their operation tardy and inefficacious. [B4] fought A fought for an opportunity offtrengthening their own hands by fome new change, than of compofing the people, and faving the country, by the exercife of any powers or principles inherent in the actual conftitution. The abbé Sieyes had early forefeen, or apprehended the difcordant and fluctuating nature of the various forms of government that had been adopted fince the overthrow of the monarchy. He had attempted, in vain, the introduction of a conftitution, which, though ftill retaining the name, and in fome degree the form of a republic, fhould be confolidated and flayed by one chief magiftrate, and a conftitutional jury, or confervative fenate; and, in the various changes that took place, from time to time, he was a friend, as we have feen, to an increase of power in the hands of the executive government. The great enemies that abbé Sieyes, who had gained an afcendancy in the public councils, had to contend with, was, of courfe, the democratical party. To overthrow the principles and plans of this party, by an oppofite fyftem, in which his own project of a fingle chief, and a conftitutional jury, fhould be adopt ed, was the leading principle in his conduct, and the great object of his inceffant contrivance. It has been faid, that he imparted his defign of eftablishing a ftronger government, by a fresh revolution, to general Joubert, whom he with ed to affociate with himself in this project, and whofe unfullied character, blooming virtues and talents, and popularity rendered a very defirable affociate in fuch an enterprife. Joubert, unwilling to be come the inftrument of political intrigue, accepted the command of the army of Italy. The abbé, it was generally fuppofed, was encouraged and fortified in his defigns, by the countenance and good wishes of the court of Berlin, where he had refided a confiderable time, and which was equally jealous of democratical doctrines, and all con nection with governments founded on fuch principles. The parties which divided and agitated France, at this time, were reduced to two claffes: the one confifting of the jacobins or fierce republicans, who made but little account of either the property or lives of their countrymen, whenever they judged that a facrifice of thefe might be rendered fubfervient to the interefts of their own faction: the other comprehending all who had taken a fhare in the revolution, without participating in its principal enormities, and who arranged themselves around Sieyes and the council of elders, in the hope and expectation of fome approaching change.Though this man had voted for the death of the king, and that in a very unfeeling and inhuman manner,* he affected great regard for the conftitutionalifts of 1791, who had formerly been the objects of his averfion. He gained over the leading men in the council of five hundred, and established his intereft ftill more firmly in that of the elders. The extenfion of his plan, however, was ftill retarded, by various obftacles, when the eyes, the thoughts, and the hopes of all men were fuddenly turned on Buonaparte. No less than three days elapfed, after the unexpected return of this celebrated commander and politician, before he had a perfonal interview with abbé Sieyes: a circumftance, which, undoubtedly, feems to ftrengthen the opinion of thofe who affirm that no fecret correspondence had taken place between these important perfonages; though this apparent fynefs, in a queftion relating to political dexterity, might poffibly be accounted for otherwife; but all this is of little moment.Certain it is, that Buonaparte was careffed, flattered, and courted by both parties, but that he himself did not court any. With politicians, though civil and polite, he was diftant and referved; clofe himfelf, while he liftened to the reports, and put many queftions to others. But while he was thus grave and guarded in his intercourfes with both the moderate and jacobinical party, he was open, frank, and ftudious above all things, by all means to maintain his intereft and popularity in the army. Every officer of diftinction he treated with studied refpect; every private that came in his way, as has been above noticed, with affability and condefcenfion. The directory and the councils determined to do honour to Buonaparte by a fplendid feast, in the church of St. Sulpice, tranfformed into the Temple of Victory. This intention being intimated to the general, he requested that general Moreau might also be invited, and conjoined with himself in every fentiment intended to be exprefled by that entertainment: it is needlefs to add, that his requeft was complied with. He was anxious to prevent any fentiments of rivalty and oppofition, on the part of Moreau, and to gain his confidence and avour. These commanders met together, for the first time in their lives, at the houfe of Gohier, prefident of the directory. General," faid Buonaparte, "I had feveral of your lieutenants in Egypt, and they are very diftinguished officers." The bright luftre of Moreau's reputation was yet inferior to the dazzling fplendour of Buonaparte's fame and character. In the judgement of many military critics he was not inferior, but in the public eye he was fecondary; and being a man of a natural eafinefs, as well as probity of difpofition, and lefs ambitious and daring, he was content to be among the firft in the train of the favourite of fortune. It was for fome time queftioned whether the genius of Buonaparte would, in like manner, gain an afcendancy over that of abbé Sieyes, and which of these men would take the lead in fettling a new government, and in its administration when fettled. Both were men of deep reflection and combination of ideas; both remarkable for taciturnity, the natural concomitant of profound and inceflant meditation; both poffeffed many partifans, and great authority of the ftate: yet, on the whole, their character and condition were not marked by fo many circumftances of refemblance as of difcrimination. Sieyes was a metaphyfician, melancholy, irafcible, fufpicious, and cautious. He was endowed with a quick difcernment of men, things, and circumstances, and capable of turning conjunctures to different purposes, provided that he had time to overcome rising obstacles to his plans, not by force, but by intrigue, or, as he himfelf alleged, by operating on the minds, and convincing the understandings of men, and to weave his complicated web |