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The French, on leaving the right fide of the Rhine, had provided the fortrefs of Kehl with a garrifon, composed of felect officers and foldiers. Moreau's intention was to find the Auftrians fuch employment, in the fiege of this important place, that they thould not have leifure to turn their attention to any other object in that quarter. His project facceeded fo well, that, till the commencement of the enfuing year, their whole time and ftrength were fpent in efforts to reduce this fortrefs. Herein they lost numbers of their beft men. Á very ferious action took place on the twenty-fecond of November.. The garrifon made a general fally, and, driving the befiegers from their line of circumvallation, fpiked all their cannon, and, after making a great flaughter, carried off a large number of prifoners.

In order to balance this check, the Auftrians attacked, on the thirtieth of November, the fortification that covered the head of the bridge of Huninguen, on their fide. The attempt was made in the middle of the night, and the French were driven from their works. Recovering, however, from their diforder, they fell upon the affailants, retook their works, and defeated them fo completely, that they were obliged to retire, with the utmoft fpeed, to a great distance, furioufly purfued by the French, who flew and took vaft numbers, though not without a fevere lofs on their fide, at the firft onfet, which was very unfavourable, and had nearly put the enemy in poffeffion of the head of the bridge, whereby the communication with Kehl would have been cut off, and its reddition accelerated.

VOL. XXXVIII.

This action, for the time it lafted,, and from the mutual animofity of the combatants, was reputed the most deftructive of any that had yet happened during this war. Such was the fury of both the French and Auftrians, that they were wholly intent upon flaughter. Few pri foners were made; and the killed and wounded, on both fides, was computed at four thoufand, the lofs being nearly equal.

The month of December was confumed in operations of this kind, which occafioned the loss of numbers, and ferved only to exercise the fkill and bravery of both parties. It was not till the opening of the next year, that, after a valiant defence of two months, the fortrefs of Kehl furrendered to the Auftri ans, who thereby became poffeffed of a heap of rubbish and ruins. The garrifon carried away the very pallifadoes, and left nothing worth the taking. The works at the head of the bridge were in like manner eva, cuated fome time after, and a final termination put to the operations of the campaign in this quarter.

The French and Auftrian armies, on the lower Rhine, harraffed by the inceffant fatigues they had undergone, came alfo to the determination of concluding hoftilities dur ing the winter. An armiftice took place between them, about the middle of December, by which they mutually agreed to retire into cantonments, and to remain there peaceably, till the fufpenfion fhould be formally declared at an end.

The termination of a campaign fo unfortunate in its commencement, and fo far ourable in its termination, to the Aufirian intere in Germany, totally revived its in[L] fluence

fluence over the diet of the empire at Ratisbon. The confternation that had overwhelmed, it at the near approach of the victorious armies of Jourdan and Moreau, had been marked by circumftances denoting more defpondency than became fo refpectable a body of men, and fubjected them, in fome meafure, to the cenfures of the public, particularly of the court of Vienna, which expreffed high displeasure at

the readiness they had manifested to treat with the enemy. They now were equally folicitous to regain the good-will of the Imperial court, and addreffed it in terms remarkably fubmiffive and thankful for the protection they had received from its armies, and the prefervation of the empire, by the expulfion of the French, through the valour and exertions of the archduke.

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CHAP. X. ·

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State of Parties in France.-A Revival of the Reign of Terror threatened in the Southern Departments by Freron.-The Directory defert and oppofe the Jacobin Intereft.-Confpiracy of Jacobins.-Difcovered and defeated. Arrangements refpecting the Efiates of Emigrants.-Influence of the nonjuring or refractory Clergy troublefome to Government. Scandalmis Neglect of the Execution of Jufice.-Criminal Trials-Money and Fimance.-The fame Impofitions laid on the People of the Auftrian Netherlands as on thofe of France.-New Plots and Injurrections.—Law for reconciling the different Factions in France, by the Extinction of Terror.Propoful for repealing a Law which appeared to fome to bear too hard on the Relations of Emigrants.—Rejected.—But an equitable Aiteration made in that fevere Law.-This a Matter of Triumph to the moderate Party.

IT

T was the policy of the directory, as above obferved, to fecure their own power, by engaging the French nation in continued military exploits, by which the public mind might be occupied otherwife than in inquiries into their own paft or prefent conduct; and by which they might acquire popularity, in proportion to the fuccefs and glory of the French arms. Yet there was, in the midst of all the fucceffes of Buonaparte, in the heart of France, a very numerous party in oppofition to the measures of the government; and this party, by the repulfe of the French from Germany, was daily encreafed. The French, at this period, might be divided into two great claffes: the one bustling and intriguing politicians, never fatisfied while there was anything to be done or undone; for ever in motion, and incapable of reft: the other party, compofed of

men, bred in times before France was feized with a rage for innovation, whofe prejudices were all in favour of monarchy, though not per-, haps unlimited; and of others too, who, though they had originally favoured the principles of the revolution, longed now, above all things, to enjoy the bleffings of peace. When this peaceable party, whether inclined to monarchy, or republicanifm, reflected that all the golden dreams of the reformers had paffed away like vifions of the night, and been followed by nothing but the accumulated evils of war; horror on horror, difappointment on difappointment. When they looked back on former times, plentiful and tranquil; a period too, when they were younger than now, knew more happinefs, and faw every thing. around them in the light of joy and gladnefs; they were fenfible of the livelieft anguifh and regret, and ar[L2]

dently

dently wifhed for a return of fuch times as they had formerly enjoyed. This party was the moft numerous in France, but they were forced to conceal their fentiments, and they were not united. They were of courfe, as ufually happens in all countries, kept under by a fmaller number, in poffeffion of the powers of government. But, in the capital, where the minds of men were ftimulated and fortified in their fentiments and defigns, by mutual intercourfe, and which had fo long been the feat of intrigues and attempts of appofite parties, there was a great number of difcontented individuals, waiting for opportunities of publicly avowing their fentiments, in oppofition to thofe of the prefent rulers, and to fupport them by open force. The vigilance of the directory obviated their designs, and contained them within bounds. So reftlefs and determined, however, were the enemies to the prefent government, that, farther to fecure the public tranquillity, they thought it expedient to add another minifter to the fix already appointed by the conftitution, to whom was given the official title of minifter of the police.

Through precautions of this nature, peace was maintained at Paris, but difturbances broke out, occafionally, in feveral parts of the republic. The fouthern departments, long a prey to that warmth and inpetuofity of temper which charaeterize their inhabitants, were at this time plunged into confufions that required the immediate interpofition of government to fupprefs them.

As the people in thofe parts had been particularly ill treated by the jacobin party, they had, ever fince the fall of Roberfpierre, meditated fchemes of vengeance against the in

ftruments of his tyranny, and of the many cruelties exercifed upon them. They executed thefe fchemes to their full extent; and many of the guilty agents, in the atrocities committed among them, were facrificed to their revenge.

The moderation that governed the councils of those who fucceeded to the power of Roberfpierre, put a ftop to thofe executions. The prudence of the commiffioners fent to pacify thefe departments, had almoft restored them to peace and mutual conciliation, when, unfortunately for their repofe, a man was fent to reprefent and to exercise the fupreme authority of the ftate in thofe parts, who had already fignalized himfelf there by his enormities.

This was the famous Freron, a man of courage and abilities, but of a fierce and fanguinary difpofition. The people in those departments had filled the places of adminiftration, in their respective diftricts, with perfons of their own chufing. Thefe were immediately difplaced by Freron, who fubftituted to them individuals notorious for their crimes and the blood they had fhed. He reinftituted the focieties, and renewed those revolutionary committees that had filled France with fuch horror; and he authorized them to break thofe members of the various municipalities whofe principles differred from their own.

During feveral months, the oppreffed inhabitants of thofe departments were compelled to fubinit to the tyranny of Freron and his parlizans, who ftrove with indefatigable zeal to re-establish the reign of terrorifm. But the directory, who felt the neceffity of putting an end to the influence which the jacobins

were

were endeavouring to recover, recalled Freron, and commiflioned two men of moderate principles, Hnard and Jourdan, to inquire, in conjunction with others, into the caufes of the difcontents and difturbances that had happened in thofe departments. But the jacobin party laboured fo earnestly to fruftrate this commiffion, by calumniating the members that compofed it, that, notwithstanding their accufations were formally declared malicious and illfounded, it was judged requifite, in order to prevent feuds and animofities in the two councils, to diffolve the commiffion. Government was apprehenfive it would make difcoveries that might involve perfons high in office, and occafion jealoufies to be revived, which might defeat the conciliatory views propofed by the new conftitution. The inquiry was, therefore, entrufted to the directory, which wifely determined to drop retrofpective meafures, and, by lenient means, to refore tranquillity to the departments in queftion.

The jacobins were highly offended by the moderate councils which they now perceived the directory was refolved to purfue. They accufed it of having abandoned thofe democratical principles on which the republic was founded, and bafely betrayed thofe from whom it derived its power in the ftate. But the directory unintimidated by their threats, fteadily adhered to its determinations, and gradually introduced into office individuals of their own opinions, in preference to the jacobins, who had hitherto enjoyed almoft exclufively the firft places under government.

This defertion of the jacobin intereft fubjected the directory to the

most violent rancour of that reftlefs and daring party: but, heedlefs of their hatred and menaces, government alleged these as realons for putting a period to their meetings, and fhutting up their places of refort. They reprefented them to the public in the moft odious light, exhorting all good citizens to watch their motions, as full of danger and malevolence to the ftate. They procured laws to be enacted, obvioufly levelled at them: thole, for inftance, that made it a capital crime to hold feditious meetings, or to attempt the re-cftablishment of the conftitution under Roberfpierre. Thofe members of the late convention and committees, reputed the heads of this party, were ordered to leave the capital, and the major part of thofe in offices of trust were difmiffed.

It was not without preffing motives that the directory acted with this feverity towards the jacobins: they were labouring to diffeminate a fpirit of difobedience through all the civil and military departments in the metropolis. They had feduced into open rebellion a body of the latter, known by the appellation of legion of the police. It confifted of men felected from various corps of the army, and ordered to Paris for the fapport of the convention when the Parifians oppofed that article of the conftitution, which ordained a re-election of two-thirds of its members to the new legislature.

As they amounted to ten thoufand men, fuch a force appeared too formidable to be left in the hands of the jacobins, who had to perverted them, that they were no longer to be trufted. They were directed to repair to their relpective regiments. Upon their refufal to obey, a power[L3]

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