CHA P. V. Political Parties in France. -Decree against Clubs.-Buonaparte declares his Attachment and Resolution to abide by the Republican Party.-Addresses to the Directory from the Armies.-The Directory split into two Parties.-The one violently Republican, the other inclined to moderate and conciliatory Measures.-Feuds between the Directory and the Councils.-A large Body of Troops, in Violation of the Constitution, called to Paris.-Remarkable Address to the Directory, by the Army of the Sambre and Meuse.-Effect of this on the Councils.-Causes assigned, by the Directory, for Fermentations that had taken place in the Army. Concert between the Directory and the Army -The Councils alarmed. -Resolutions of the Councils for the Purpose of restraining within due Bounds the Authority of the Directory. THE HE conduct of opposition began now to meet with general disapprobation. Their designs were viewed as intirely hostile to the republic; and the directory, which had lost ground in the esteem and attachment of the public, regained it so effectually, that, notwithstanding the boldness and strength of numbers they had to encounter, they clearly perceived, that a ma jority of the people was ready to befriend them, should matters be carried to extremity. The royalists had, in the mean time, indulged in the most sanguine hope, that they were on the eve of a counter-revolution. Relying upon the protection of their numerous partisans, in the legislative body, they assumed a freedom of speech and behaviour extremely offensive to the republicans, whom they scrupled not to revile and abuse in a very daring and outrageous manDer. Alarmed at this sudden au dacity, the friends to the commonwealth judged it necessary to unite, as heretofore, in clubs and associations. Their antagonists did the same, and their mutual rancour broke out in frequent quarrels. But the enemies to the opposition so powerfully outnumbered their friends, that these found it necessary to have recourse to a decree of the councils, to prevent the encrease of the republican clubs, by formally prohibiting all meetings for political discussions, under heavy penalties. The passing of this decree, which was effected on the twenty-fourth of July, proved the influence still retained by the opposition; but it also evinced and augmented their unpopularity, as it shewed how little disposed they were to place any dependance on the people at large: but they had enemies still more dangerous. The military. were decidedly in the interest of the commonwealth, and openly resolved to to support it. The directory were deeply connected with the general officers, of whom they were constitutionally invested with the ap pointment. Through these it was secure of the army, and felt no disquietude at the attempts of the opposition, sure of crushing them, should it become necessary to employ force. Buonaparte, the favourite of the republican part of the French nation, had openly declared his determination to abide by the republic. On the fourteenth of July, the anniversary day of the revolution, he thence took occasion to inform his army, that counter-revolutionary designs were in agitation, and to exhort them to remain true to the cause for which they had shed so much of their blood. His address produced its intended effect, by preparing the officers and soldiers, under his command, to second him in all the measures he might propose for the service of his party. The securing of a man, who was the terror of his enemies, and the admiration of all Europe, placed the directory at once above all apprehensions. They now assumed a firmer tone, and resolved to exert all the powers they possessed, in destroying, at one stroke, the hopes of all their enemies. The first step which they took, on this critical emergency, was to dismiss the present ministers, andappoint others in their room, in whose fidelity they could better confide. This was not done without occasioning violent complaints from opposition. The right of the directory to act in this manner could not constitutionally be controverted; but they were called upon, by a formal notice, to lay an account of the state of the nation before the two councils. The conduct of the directory met with the fullest approbation of all the armies. The various eddresses from each of these were calculated to inspire government with the highest confidence, and opposition with the most serious apprehensions. The first divisions that led the way were those of Joubert and Masseua, belonging to the army of Italy: in the address of Joubert, severe notice was taken of the strictures, passed in the council of five hundred, on the conduct of Buonaparte; and the priesthood, to use the words of the address, was accused of heating the heads, and sharpening the daggers, of the enemies to the republic. The address of Massena's division was penned with still more asperity. "The constitution violated, emis grants returning, priesis, rebels to the laws protected, republicans murdered." Such was the picture it drew of France. It threatened conspirators against the republic with extermination, telling them, that, the swords which had destroyed the armies of kings were still in the hands of their conquerors, and that the road to Paris would not present more obstacles than that to Vienna. The divisions, commanded by generals Augereau, Eernardotte, and Vignolle, forming also part of the army in Italy, followed the examples of the former; and expressed no less zeal for the directory, and enmity to the royalists. In addition to these military addresses to the directory the ministers newly appointed by them were not wanting in their endeavours to serve the republican cause. Schrerer, the new minister of war, a veteran of ficer of distinguished merit, publish ed a declaration to the armies, inviting every officer and soldier to confide in him, as their ancient companion in the perils and hardships attached to their profession, and to lay their complaints and grievances before him with candour and freedom, promising, on the part of government, a faithful and equitabl: antion to all their just demands: exhorting them to continue true to the present constitution, and reminding them of the solemn oath they had taken to maintain it. The minister of police, Lenvir Laroche, issued an address to the citizens of Paris, wherein he warned them to beware of the calamities that must attend a new revolution, and strenuously to act in defence of the established constitution. He spoke to people who had deeply experienced the miseries that had afflicted France, and that were generally well affected to the repub lican system. that the most effectual method of preventing it, would be to take opposition by surprise, and, before they had made sufficient preparations, to repel force with force; not doubting, that, by previously striking a successful blow, they would coinpel opposition to submit, and, at onc, defeat all their plans. In this determination, however, only three of the directory concur red. These were, Barras, Reubel, and Lareveillere. They had always professed republican principles, and had been long considered as the heads of that party; their colleagues Carnot and Barthelemi, the latter especially, were reputed less firm in their adherence to it, and more inclined to conciliation with the opposition. What the precise views of this party were, were rather conjectured than ascertained: but the general opinion was, that their in-, tentions were too friendly to the royalists, to permit those who harboured them to enjoy any share of authority in the republic; and that the sooner they were expelled from their seats in the councils, the greater would be the security of the commonwelth. Such, however, was the dread entertained by the directory, and their adherents, of the intrigues and resolution of the royalists, that, notwithstanding the support they derived from their official situations, This party was headed by men and the attachynent of the generality of tried abilities, who perceiving of people, they came to a determina- the necessity of acting with detertion to call in the farther assistance mination and promptitude in the of the military. This they did with present conjuncture, resolved imme the more readiness, that unless they diately to aim a blow at that memtook preventive measures they were ber of the directory, whom they conscious that the numbers of roy- considered as the most dangerous of alists, daily repairing to Paris, would their enemies. Reubel and Labecome so considerable, that, added reveillere, though resolute and steato those who abetted the opposition, dy republicans, were much less they would altogether form so pow-sonally formidable than Barras, who erful a body, as not to be overcome had been bred a soldier, and had without much difficulty. Intend- gone through many of the peris ing, if it were possible, to avoid attending a military life with singnbloodshed, they were convinced, lar success and intrepidity. To him per n in a great measure, was due the triumph of the late convention over those who opposed the re-election of twothirds of that body, on the establishment of the present constitution. To oust a man of his character from the directory, would certainly have proved a leading step to the execution of the designs entertained by the opposition: but the only method, whereby to effect such an attempt, was to prove him of years insufficient for so high a promotion. Every kind of exertion was employed for the purpose of ascertaining the reality of this disqualification: but they all failed, and he remained in the possession of his seat. These feuds between the councils and the directory, were viewed with much disapprobation by the moderate part of both. That of the ancients, which had, since its institution, been remarkable for interposing its weight, either in obviating or suppressing differences, acted, on this occasion, with its usual impartiality and discretion. It negatived the motions that had been carried, for abolishing several of the powers hitherto exercised by the directory, and suspended its assent to some decrees that appeared too favourable to the nonjuring clergy. But the die was cast, and all endeavours at reconciliation were lost in the inveteracy now daily increasing between the contending parties. There were in the opposition several individuals of noted courage. The most conspicuous of these were Pichegru and Willot, who, being both military men, were, conformably to the spirit of their profession, earnest in promoting active measures, To these two were entrusted the charge of new-modelling the national guard. This numerous body of men had, by the constitution, been placed under the immediate management of the directory, which had the appointment of all the officers. The alteration proposed by Pichegru and Willot was, that in each department a select number of reputable persons, clected for that purpose, should make out a list, to which the nomination of officers by the directory should be confined. This scheme was much applauded, as neither depriving that body of the elective privilege, vested in it, nor giving them too much power in its exercise. The proposal, therefore, was readily accepted, and passed, on a motion, in the affirmative. The directory, on the other hand, acting with the expedition of men conscious of being beforehand with their adversaries, pursued, with equal secrecy and vigour, the mea sures it had adopted against the op position. The arrival of a body of troops, within seven leagues of Pa ris, was announced in that city, on the twentieth of July, to the great surprize and anxiety of the council of five hundred, who could not mistake the cause of their approach to the capital so much nearer than the laws permitted, Ten years imprisonment was the sentence incur. red by the directory, for bringing a military force within such a distance of any place where the legislature held its meetings. Convinced that such an infraction of the constitution could not have taken place without the orders, either positive or implied, of the directory, the council instantly laid a formal com plaint of it before that body., But the answer was, that the moment the directors were apprised of it, they ordered the troops to remove to a legal distance, attributing their approach to the inadvertence of the commissary at war, or some other mistake. This answer did not remove the suspicions or fears of the council. It appointed a committee to examine the message of the directory. This committee reported, that no answer had been given to the principal part of the council's message, demanding who had given orders for the marching of those troops. On this report, another message was voted to the directory, requiring an explicit answer. To this requisition, the directory replied by acknowledging, that they had given the order to march, but not the line of marching. It stated the distance from Paris, to the place where the troops had arrived, to be thirteen leagues, instead of seven, as at first asserted. This reply did not appear satisfactory. Pichegru represented it as evasive. Had the destination of the troops been for Brest, as pretended, their line of march should have been to the north, and not to the south of Paris. The speech of Willot, on this subject, unfolded a variety of alarming particulars. The troops themselves did not scruple, he said, to avow against whom they were marching. It was, by their, own confession, against the councils, whom they had been taught to look upon as the enemies of their country, and striving to dissolve its present government. Delahaie, another member of the opposition, spoke no less explicitly, on this occasion, He represented the march of the troops, as the effect of a conspiracy against the legislature, of which the certainty could not be doubted. Troops, he said, were within a day's VOL. XXXIX. march of Paris, and, as it had been surmised, by one in power, a thou sand men were to attack the council of five hundred, as many more that of the ancients, and the patriots would perform the rest. These transactions took place between the twentieth and the last of July. On the fourth of August, information was brought to the councils, of the various circumstances attending the movements of the troops destined for Paris. They consisted of about twenty-seven thousand men, drawn from the army of the Sambre and Meuse, instead of nine thousand, as had been reported. They were to encamp in the neighbourhood of the capital. Every effort was used to seduce the officers and soldiers, and to enflame them against the legislative body. Numbers of them had resorted clandestinely to Paris, and some hundreds of disorderly people had been provided with arms and ammuni tion, to join them. The armies, in violation of all discipline and subordination to the laws, deliberated and corresponded with each other. They made decrees, and issued proclamations, without any attempt to restrain them by the constituted authorities. On receiving this intelligence, the council resolved to demand of the directory the documents it had promised, relating to the march of the troops, requiring an answer in three days. and insisting, at the same time, on knowing what measures had been taken to put a stop to the violation of that article of the con stitution, which prohibited the armies from entering into deliberations. During these critical agitations, the heads of the military had either [F] assumed, |