and, notwithstanding the most unremitting exertions on their part, wherein no means were spared either to be derived from their own resources, or from those of their neighbours, to accomplish our de struction; we have seen the preceding year brought to a close, without one of those mighty threats having been realized. On the contrary, we have had the satisfaction to witness every attempt levelled against the internal peace and prosperity of the British empire, completely baffled, by the unanimity, zeal, and energy of our countrymen; and the implacable hostility of the enemy accompanied with no greater triumph abroad, than the capture and detention of unarmed individuals, in violation of the rights of hospitality, together with the invasion and pillage of an electorate, which had alone to trust to its neutrality, as a member of the Germanic empire, for security against the power of a nation, which from her enormous extent and prodigious military esta blishments, had arrogated to herself the distinction of The Great: whilst we had to contemplate the success of the British arms, against the islands of St. Lucia and Tobago, and the Dutch settlements in America, added to the discomfiture of his immense armaments employed in the reduction of St. Domingo, and that important colony wrested, perhaps for ever, from the French dominion, by the joint exertions of half-disciplined negroes, and his Britannic majesty's naval force on that station.

Such appears to be the result of the hostile operations of the last year, between the two nations.

Those of the year which we have now to record are still more insig

nificant on the side of the enemy; whilst the internal occurrences of France, and her transactions with other powers, are of a nature to cxcite considerable interest.

The great concessions subscribed to by the British cabinet, in concluding the treaty of Amiens, appear to have misled Bonaparte. The inference drawn by his overbearing mind, was, that the spirit of Great Britain was so far broken, as to suffer his arrogance and ambition to range uncontrolled; but, finding that this country was not so far reduced as implicitly to acquiesce in all his projects, or base enough to participate in them, as he has more than once ventured to suggest, he seems to have considered the exist ing peace with England as an obsta cle to his further aggrandizement, and that a rupture, which he might ascribe to the bad faith and ill-will of this country towards France, would furnish him with a more specious pretext, and more ample means, to consummate his views.By such an event, the French people would again be thrown into a state of uncertainty and dismay, which would the better enable him to increase his personal influence and authority, by the augmentation of his various establishments, civil and military; whilst all nurmurs would be silenced by the dread of the revival of those sanguinary scenes which had occurred during the course of the revolution, and to which, it was very generally feared, the overthrow, or the weakening of the existing government, might lead.

These apprehensions were adroitly inculcated, and kept alive by his partisans, whilst the vigilance and indefatigable attention of the supreme head of the govenment were

loudly

loudly proclaimed on all occasions. The minister of the interior concluded his speech to the legislative body, on the opening of their session of the present year, in the following terms:

"The French people, proud of "their government, confident in "their resources, and happy in "their institutions, express but one "sentiment-love for the august "head of the state-free from fear, "from agitation, from disquietude, "they repose in him the care of "their destinies."

The flourishing state of France was pourtrayed in the most captivating colours, in the official report laid before the legislative body*.— It is there represented, that although the republic had been forced to change her attitude, her situation was in no respect deteriorated, and that the consciousness of her strength was a sure pledge of her prosperity --that the internal tranquillity of the country had not been disturbed since the torch of war had been rekindled by a jealous enemy-that the public indignation against that enemy was as much increased as the devotion to the first consul-that all danger of internal divisions was at an end, in despite of every effort made by the English to promote them. In short, that the war had not even interrupted the plans formed for a time of peace, such as the construction of roads, canals, bridges, and harbours, and objects of a similar nature; and that the government had pursued, with constancy, every measure that tended to establish the constitution, in conformity to the genius and wishes of the citizens,, so as to attach all inte

rests and all hopes to its duration→→ that the finances were in a most thriving condition, and the revenues collected with the greatest facility— that public credit had maintained itself in the midst of shocks of war, and that the sinking fund fulfilled, with constancy and fidelity, its destination-that out of two hundred millions (of livres,) which might have been captured by the enemy, more than two-thirds had been saved-that the Hanoverian army, to the amount of twenty-five thou sand men, had laid down their arms to them, and that their cavalry had been remounted at the expence of a possession dear to the king of England, and which will be a security in their hands of the justice which he will hereafter be obliged to render them-that France will never acknowledge less advantageous conditions than those of the treaty of Amiens-and, finally, that the most perfect harmony subsisted between France and the United States, Helvetia, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and that the tranquillity given to the continent, by the treaty of Luneville, was secured by the last proceedings of the diet of Ratisbon.

Such is the substance of the report made by the government, and well calculated it was (allowing its truth to remain undisputed) to tranquillize the minds of the French people, and inspire them with a firm reliance on their ruler. But, admitting the general truth of this statement, and forgetting for a moment, that, in all similar publications, every unfavourable circumstance is suppressed, we may venture to presume, that the source of so much national prosperity, like the overflow of a

mountain

mountain torrent, may be but of short duration*.

The public mind being thus prepared, by every artifice, to repose implicit faith in Bonaparte, a new event occurred, which materially contributed to accelerate the completion of his projects.

Early in the month of February, a plot was detected, the object of which seems to have been the overthrow of the government. The principal persons implicated in it, were general Pichegru, Georges Cadoudal, formerly a leader of the insurgents in Britanny, Lajollais, a confident of the former, and several other individuals attached to the latter. It likewise appears that general Moreau had, to a certain extent, entered into the views of Pichegru, and had had some secret interviews with him since his return to Paris. It was also positively asserted, that the conspirators had come to the resolution of making away, in the first instance, with Bonaparte.

The first intimation of this intrigue seems to have been given by a confidential agent of the parties, who had been arrested near Calais, on his return from England.

Lajollais, Moreau, and several others were, hereupon, arrested; but Pichegru and Georges, though

known to be at Paris, found means, for a short time, to screen themselves from the researches of the police.

On the 17th of February, a long and detailed report, relative to this conspiracy, was made to the government, by the grand judge, minister of justice. +

This paper having been read to the tribunate, the president, after making a few observations on the subject, concluded by declaring, in the name of the assembly, that they would be responsible for the life of Bonaparte, which secured to France her glory and her prosperity. then proposed that the tribunate should, in a body, wait on the first consul, in order to express their detestation of the meditated attempt, and to congratulate him on his escape from the threatened danger.

He

Hereupon, the brother of general Moreau, who was a member of this body, testified his deep concern. to find that endeavours had been made to traduce a man who had rende red such important services to the republic, and who was deprived of the liberty of exculpating hin self. He made a solemn declaration of his brother's innocence, and demanded that he should be brought to trial before any ordinary tribu nal, for he could easily make it appe ar,

t Vide State Papers, p. 616.

appear, that the accusation against him was an infamous calumny.

It was said, in reply, that the defence of general Moreau should have all the latitude, liberty, and publicity of which so important a cause was susceptible.

Deputations from the senate, the legislative body, and the tribunate waited accordingly on the first consul, and, in terms of strong indignation, deprecated the conspiracy which had been revealed: attributed it to the instigation of England, and exhorted him to pay greater attention than his natural courage prompted him to do, to his personal safety, which was so inseparably connected with that of the nation. The most memorable passage in those addresses is the following, used by Joubert, president of the tritunate.-

"While we imagined, citizen "first consul, that you had nothing "to dread but the dangers of le66 gitimate war, the perfidy of the "English government surrounded 66 you with new snares. What a humi. "liating avowal of its inability to "combat with open arms the re"pairing genius of France."!!!

Bonaparte replied to these addres ses, that, "Since he had at"tained the chief magistracy, many P lots had been formed against his

46

fe. Educated in camps, he never "regarded, as important, dangers "which caused in him no fear.-"But he could not avoid experienc"jing a serious and painful feeling, "when he reflected on the situation " in which that great nation would "have been involved, had this last "conspiracy succeeded: for it was "principally against the glory, the "liberty, and the destiny of the

French people that it was planned.

"He had long since renounced the hope of enjoying the pleasures of private life. All his days were "employed in fulfilling the duties "which his fate and the will of the "French people had imposed upon "him. Heaven would watch over "France, and defeat the strata

gems of the wicked. The citizens "might be free from alarm-his "life would continue as long as it "should be of utility to the nation. "But he wished the French peo"ple to understand, that without "their confidence and affection, "existence would be to him with"out consolation, and to them without an object."

These measures were accompanied by communications to the same effect, issued in general orders to the French armies, and were followed, of course, by corresponding addresses.

That from the sailors, composing what was styled the right wing of the national flotilla, concluded thus:

"Citizen first consul, we wait "with impatience for the moment "when you shall proclaim the hour "of vengeance."

These events, together with the extraordinary activity of the police, created the greatest agitation and alarm.

On the 28th of February, Pichegru was arrested in a private house at Paris, having been betrayed by a person with whom he had lodged: and on the 29th a law was proposed and passed, in the course of a single sitting, by which the punishment of death was denounced against all those who should conceal Georges, or any of his accomplices; and a deputation was charged to communicate this law to Bonaparte.

Duvidal, their organ, on the

occa

occasion delivered the following speech.

"Citizen first consul, the tri"bunate and the legislative body "have adopted measures to cut the "last thread of the conspiracy."These measures would be in vain, "if they were not prompt. Love "of the country dictated to the tri"bunate the wish it has expressed "for their being put in immediate "execution. Every thing is at "stake when you are in danger. "It is the repose, the glory, the "existence of the republic which "must be saved by the preservation "of its chief from criminal attacks. "The French people have inti"mated to us their destinies; you owe it to them, and we requiré "of you to take all means for pre66 serving him in whom centre their "wishes, their affections, and their "hopes."

The first consul answered, that he would take the wish expressed by the tribunate into early and serious consideration.

At the same time a proclamation was issued from the police office, notifying the law which had just passed-informing the inhabitants, that Georges and his associates were still at Paris, from whence it was impossible for them to escape, the barriers and roads being guarded with the utmost vigilance; and summoning all those who had, or did conceal them, to profit of the period allowed by the law, for the purpose of averting its axe. Masters of furnished houses, were ordered to examine all individuals lodging with them. The drivers of hackney coaches were apprized, that such persons were in the habit of using their carriages, and a reward was promised to those who

would assist the police, in securing them. A report was likewise published, describing the persons, to the number of sixty, implicated in. this affair.

Accordingly, on the 9th of March Georges, accompanied by a person of the name of Leridan, the yoɩger, was arrested in a cabriolet, attempting, as it is supposed, to escape from Paris, in the dusk of the evening. He killed, with a pistol shot, the peace officer who stopped the horse, and wounded an other, who endeavoured to seize hin 1.

Several others were daily taken up. Madame Moreau, the wife of the general, was however suffered to remain at liberty; and in Jeed, during his confinement, she experienced, notwithstanding the jealousy of the government, operi marks of attention and compassion, from the inhabitants of Paris. But this lenity towards Madam e Moreau, so unusual on the part of the French government, was more a measure of policy, than of humanity. For the high military reputation of her husband, his probity, moderation, and disinterestedness, had rendered him the idol of a great proportion of the army, and had gained him the esteem of all well thinking persons in France. He was also considered as the natural rival of the first consul, and looked up to as the person most likely to deliver France from his tyranny. He had long excited the jealousy of Bonaparte, but prudence had checked the exercise of that passion by any act of violence. A pretext for his arrestation was consequently an object of the greatest magnitude to the first consul. However, it was still judged expedient to procced against him with caution, lest any apparent

harshuess