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 circumstances denoting more defpondency than be came so respectable 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 difpleasure 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.

CHAP.

dently wifhed for a return of fuch imes as they had formerly enjoyed. This party was the most numerous in France, but they were forced to conceal their fentiments, and they were not united. They were of courie, as ufually happens in all counties, 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 oppolite 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 defigns, and contained them within bounds. So rcftlefs 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 na ture, 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 impetuofity of temper which characterize 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 Roberspierre, put a ftop to thofe executions. The prudence of the commiffioners fent to pacify thefe departments, had almoft reftored them to peace and mutual conciliation, when, unfortunately for their repose, 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 thofe departments had filled the places of adminiftration, in their respective districts, 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 thofe 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 partizans, who ftrove with indefatigable zeal to re-establish the reign of terrorifm. But the directory, who felt the neceflity of putting an end to the influence which the jacobins

were

were endeavouring to recover, recalled Freron, and commiflioned two men of moderate principles, Inard 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 earnefily to fruftrate this commillion, 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 commiflion. Government was apprehensive 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, entrusted to the directory, which wifely determined to drop retrospective meafures, and, by lenient means, to reftore tranquillity to the departmen's in queftion.

The jacobins were highly offended by the moderate councils which they now perceived the directory was refolved to purfue. They accuted 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 almost exclusively the first places under government.

This defertion of the jacobin intereft fubjected the directory to the

moft violent rancour of that restless and daring party: but, heedlefs of their hatred and menaces, government alleged thefe as reafons 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, obvíoufly levelled at them: thofe, for inftance, that made it a capital crime to hold feditious meetings, or to attempt the re-establishment 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 truft 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 dilobedience 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 legiflature.

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 refpective regiments. Upon their refufal to obey, a power[L3]

ful

ful body of troops were fent for, which brought them to fubmiffion. The legion was disbanded, and difperfed into the communes to which the men belonged.

This proved a measure of the most fortunate policy. Incensed at the proceedings of government against them, the jacobins had formed one of the most daring and deeply-planned confpiracies that had yet taken place among the many, which had marked this eventful revolution. It was conducted with the profoundeft fecrecy. The confpirators never met twice in the fame place; and it was hardly poffible to trace their motions, though their leaders conftantly affembled every day, and government was apprifed of the exiftence of a plot.

The minifter of police, Merlin, of Douay, a name well known, being either inactive or lukewarm in this affair, another man was placed in his office, of more activity and zeal. This was Cochon, who exerted himfelf with fo much care and diligence, that the haunts of the confpirators were at length discovered, and most of the principal ones arrefted.

The confpiracy was to have been carried into execution upon the eleventh of May, and the discovery of this defign was not made till the ninth. On the morning of the tenth, the directory informed the two councils of the particulars of this confpiracy, which was in every respect a most dreadful and dangerous one. Two men were at the head of it, equally noted for their boldness and refolution. The one was Babeuf, from whom it took its name. This man, conformably to the custom prevailing among the

rigid democrats at this time, had affumed the name of a famous republican of old, Gracchus, thereby to denote his inflexible adherence to the popular caufe. He was a man of parts, in the exercise of which nothing was able to daunt him. The other chief actor in this confpiracy was the celebrated Drouet, the poft-master of Varennes, who ftopped the unfortunate Lewis XVI. in his flight; and, as a reward of his fidelity to the nation, was elected a member of the convention. Having fallen into the hands of the Auftrians, and fuffered a long and fevere imprisonment in Germany, he had acquired a popularity which recommended him fo ftrongly to the people of his own district, that they elected him a deputy to the legifiative body, when the new conftitution was formed. The other principal authors of this confpiracy were general Roffignol, notorious for his cruelties in La Vendée; Julian, a confidential agent of Roberfpierre; Amar, a noted affociate of that tyrant; Laignelot, a man of abilities and a member of the late convention.

The plan of the confpirators, as laid by the directory before the two councils, was to massacre these three bodies, the field-officers of the Parifian military, and the constituted authorities of Paris, and to give up the citizens to plunder and flaughter. From the papers that were feized, it appeared that they had formed a complete fcheme of government. The legislature was to have confifted of about seventy of thofe members of the late convention, who had not been re-elected; of a deputy from each of the provincial departments; and of fome of the deputies

to