twenty-fecond of Floreal, and the Buonaparte, while Cornudet was " "your bayonets against me, whenever you find me an enemy to liberty." Fargues recommended, as an anfwer to all calumnies and fufpicions, that the fpeech which had juft been made by the general, thould be publifhed. Lauflat gave it as his opinion that all difcoveries fhould be made, not in a fecret committee, but in the most public manner. "And I too," faid Cornudet, "am of this opinion, fince it has become neceffary. But let it be recollected that the measures to be taken for the public fafety are not to be taken by us only, or without their being feconded by the council of five hundred: and the more efpecially, that in a question which involves the general fafety, the whole French people are entitled to a fhare in the magiftracy." Buonaparte, having returned to the hall of the elders, declared, that if it fhould be thought necessary to name the confpirators, he was ready to name them. Several members recommende:l a fecret committee.— No! no! faid others, let the general have a public hearing. Buonaparte then faid, "It is time to fpeak out; and I have no defigns that I wish to keep fecret. I am not the inftrument of any faction, I am the fervant of the French people. The conftitution, too often violated, is utterly inadequate to the falvation of the people. It is indifpenfably neceffary to have recourfe to means fitted to carry into execution the facred principles of the fovereignty of the people, civil liberty, freedom of fpeech, as of thought; and, in a word, the realization of ideas hitherto only chimerical." The general confoled wives and mothers with the affu rance rance that victory and peace would the people, without the power of foon restore to their embraces their husbands and their children. Courtois declared that there were, at that inftant, commotions in Paris, and that emiffaries had been fent on purpofe to excite - them, Dalphonfe did not deny the ex iftence of public dangers. The conAitution, at different times, had fuffered violation. But I must de clare at this moment, to the French nation, whatever be my fate, that my intentions have always been pure and fimple. The remedy for the exifting evils will, no doubt, confift in the wife measures that fhall be taken by the legislative bodies; but there is no remedy with out the conftitution. A new directory may be chofen, fuch as is worthy of France. But I proteft against any that may be reforted to, to the detriment of the conftitution. I demand that an oath may be taken for the maintenance of the conftitution. The conftitution, faid Cornudet, I refpect, if by this be understood the fovereignty and the facred rights of the people. Bat, can that monftrous power be fuffered to exift, which, on the eighteenth of Fructidor, deftroyed the national reprefentation, and was daring enough, by its own authority, to form a legislature? Is this a confervative power? this that makes continual additions to the weight of that yoke which is already too heavy and hard to be borne by the French people? Away, away with thofe abftractions that have ruined us! Return to the dictates of reafon and found fenfe. Learn wif dom from your own experience. Frame an executive government, that shall have power to protect oppreffing them. I demand that the propofition of Dalphonfe be taken now into confideration, and put to the vote. I demand also, that a meffage be fent to the coun cil of five hundred, to inform them of the discoveries made by Buona. parte.-But it was obferved by Fargues that Buonaparte himfelt had gone to the council of five hundred, carrying with him difpofitions of peace and public fafety. Would you believe it, he conti nued, he has been aimed at by daggers, pointed against him by Arena, whofe malpractices in Italy had been detected by the general; and who had a mind, by his blood, to deface the knowledge and remembrance of his own crimes. At this inftant fome attempt is in agitation. The faction prepare to strike some blow. The general calls on you to unite with him more preffingly than ever, I demand a committee of the whole houfe. Lemercier, the prefident of the council faid, "It is I, it is on my motion, that an altar is now raifed to our country. I am for the abolition of the incoherent charter, the tyrannical code of 1793. But I am far from thinking that we ought to confine ourfelves to fome decrees of regulation. The conftitution is founded on the fovereignty of the people, the divifion of powers, and the freedom of difcuffion. While thefe principles are held facred, is not refpect fhewn to the conflitution?" At four o'clock the council was refolved into a committee. At five it adjourned till nine the fame evening. Let us now follow Buo naparte to the council of five hundred, fitting in the Orangery, which [C3] opened opened on the garden, and where he had to encounter an oppofition of a far more ferious nature than what he had met with in the council of elders. The procefs-verbal of their preceding meeting being read, Gaudin, having briefly reprefented the dangers which threatened the country, from a rapid return to the principles of monarchy on the one hand, and the fury of demagogues on the other, moved that a committee of leven members should be chofen, who fhould make a report on the actual state of the nation, and propofe, at the fame time, fuch measures as they fhould think necessary for the public intereft. Thefe motions were fe conded by feveral voices. But forthwith a very general cry was heard of the conftitution! the confiitution! the constitution or death! No dictatorship! down with the dictators. We are not afraid of bayonets here, we are free. Lucian Buonaparte, the prefident faid, "I am too fenfible of the dignity of my office longer to fuffer the infolent menaces of fome fpeakers. I call them to order." Grand Maison. Reprefentatives, France will doubtless behold with aftonishment the council of five hundred, in confequence of a conftitutional decree of the elders, affembled in this place without being made acquainted with the imminent danger with which we are no doubt threatened. A committee has been moved for to inquire what is proper to be done. It would be better to inquire into what has been done. I demand to know the reafons of that decree which brought us here. What are the great dangers that menace the conftitution I fay the conftitution. For as to a republic, which all the world may have in their mouths, the queftion is, what fort of a republic is understood? Is it fuch a republic as that of Venice? or of the United States? Is it pretended that a republic and liberty exist in England? Certes, it is not in order to live under fuch a government that we have, for the space of ten years, lavished our fortunes, and made all manner of facrifices. I demand that all the members of this council be called on immediately to renew their oath of fidelity to the conftitution. I demand alfo that a meffage be fent to the council of ancients requefting that they would fend us a detailed account of the vast confpiracy that was on the point of overturning the republic. Both these motions were feconded by a number of voices, and with the cries of vive la Republic! vive la Confiitution! The meffage proposed to the elders was agreed to. The motion for renewing the fidelity was alfo agreed to. This ceremony, which took up two hours, was performed by the moderate party, though they were all of them by this time more or lefs acquainted with the real object of their translation to St. Cloud, with the greatest sang froid, as well as by the Jacobins. When the fwearing was over, the secretary read a letter from Bergoeng, a member of that houfe, religning his function of a reprefentative of the people. Two melfages from the elders informed the council of five hundred of their being conflituted, and of their ful pending their deliberations till fimilar information fhould be received, by the elders, from the council of five hundred. A motion was next made made and adopted for an addrefs he to the French people, informing them of the trannation of the councils to St. Cloud. A motion was allo made for fending a message, with intelligence of the councils being conftituted, to the directory. On this, it was obferved by Darracque, "that it would be very proper to fend fuch a meffage, as was propofed, to the directory, provided they knew where to find them; for his part, he did not know, if a directory exifted: whither was the meffage to be directed? It was ridiculous to propose the fending of a meffage to the directory in the prefent circumstances." The motion, however, was agreed to." Bertrand de Calvados confidered it as a happy thing, that the members had renewed their oath of allegiance to the conftitution; and propofed that mention fhould be made of it in the addrefs that had been voted to the French people, to whom it would be an affurance and pledge of the maintenance of the conftitution, and the existence of the national reprefentation." A converfation refpecting the manner in which this notice fhould be worded, was interrupted by a letter of refignation from Barras." The glory," he faid, "which accompanied the return of that illuftrious warrior, to whom he had had the honour of opening the career to glory, the ftriking marks of confidence repofed in him by the legiflative body, and the decree of the national reprefentation convinced him, that, to whatever poft the public welfare might in future call him, the perils of liberty were furmounted, and the interests of the army fecured. He expreffed his joy at returning to the rank of a private citizen: happy, after fo many tem pefts, in remitting the deftinies of the republic, of which he had been one of the depofitaries, entire, and more refpectable than ever."* The council were engaged, as a matter of course, in a converfation about the election of a fucceffor to Barras, when the door of the hall opened, and Buonaparte advanced, uncovered, followed by four grenadiers of the guard belonging to the national reprefentation, without arms. Anumber ofother foldiers, with fome general officers, remained at the door. The whole assembly was inftantly in an uproar: "Who is that? Who is that? Sabres here? Armed men? Outlaw! Outlaw! Down with the dictator!" A great number of members darted from their feats into the middle of the hall, and, feizing the general by the collar, began to fake him, and push him toward the door. A dagger aimed at his breaft by Arena, a Corfican, or, as others affirm, by fome one else, was parried by one of the grenadiers, called Thomé, who accompanied him, and who was flighly wounded by it in the arm. On this, general Lefebre, at the head of a party of grenadiers, rushed into the hall, with the cry of "live the general," and, carried him out. The affeinbly remained for a long time in the greatest agitation. Some officers and loldiers who remained in the hall were bitterly reproached by feveral mem Barras retired peaceably to the country, escorted by a detachment of cavalry, which the general fent him, for his perfonal protection. It is not to be doubted that Buo a parte, as he declared to Bottot, had, at bottom, a kindness for Barras, although, in the impetuofity of paffion, and on a most critical occafion, he was hurried on to mention his name, in the manner we have seen in the council of elders. bers for their conduct. The prefident, Lucian Buonaparte, having, at laft, after many efforts obtained a hearing, "admitted that the commotion that had taken place was natural, and that the feelings of the house, on the occafion of what had jaft paffed, were in unifon with his own. But, after all, it was natural to fuppofe, that the general, in the ftep he had taken, had no other object in view, than to give an account of the fate of affairs, or to communicate fomething or other interefting to the public; at any rate, he did not think that any member of that affembly fhould entertain any fufpicions."Here one member cried out, << Buonaparte has this day fullied his glory: another, Buonaparte has conducted himfelf like a king: a third, I demand that general Buonaparte be called to our bar to give an account of his conduct." Lucian Buonaparte now quitted the chair, which was taken by Chazal. "Degneffe allowed that the council of ancients, in changing the refidence of the legiflature, had not exceeded their powers; but he demanded that they fhould be called on to declare who were the heads and the agents of the confpiracy, forafmuch as it was neceffary to avert the dangers with which they were' threatened. Above all, it was neceffary to provide for their own fafety; and for this end to afcertain, in the first place, the bounds to which their jurifdiction, in matters of police, extended."These motions were feconded by a great number of voices. "Bertrand de Calvados obferved, that, when the council of ancients gave orders for the tranflation of the legiflature to that commune, they had exercised only a conftitu tional privilege; but that, in the nomination of a commander-in-chief, they had ufed an authority to which they had no legal pretenfions. He moved that they fhould forthwith decree, that Buonaparte was not the general of the troops compofing their guard." This motion was alfo fupported by a great number of voices, "Talot conjured the council to recollect the ftations in which they were placed, to be united and vigilant for the public fafety. He was perfuaded that the council of ancients, in adopting fo extraordinary and hafty a measure, did not intend that they fhould carry on their deliberations in a prifon, and at the point of bayonets What? the reprefentatives of the French people in a village furrounded by a military force, and this not at their disposal? Not that I fear the foldiers. They have fought for liberty; they are our relations, our children. Wę have our felves carried arms in the fame caufe. I cannot dread the republican foldier whofe relations have honoured me with their fuffrages, and appointed me their reprefentative in the national affembly; but this I declare, that yefterday the conftitution fuffered violence. The council of ancients had no right to appoint a general; Buonaparte had no right to penetrate into our quarter without orders, that is the truth: as for you, you cannot long give your free votes in your prefent pofition. You ought to return to Paris. Return thither clothed as you are in your official robes. The citizens and foldiers, affuming in an infiant a military attitude, will declare themselves the defenders of their country. I demand an immediate decree, |