Historical Epochs of the French Revolution Part 17

The five members of the executive directory are, La Reveillere, le Paux, la Tourneur, Carnot, Rewbell, and Barras; all ex-deputies of the national convention.

_Nov_. The legislative body is employed in discussing a decree pa.s.sed in the last sitting of the convention, which imposed a tax of six milliards on the landed property, and two milliards upon industry.

The criminal tribunal acquits Gen. Menon, suspected of having taken part in the, rebellion of the sections.

The depreciation of a.s.signats is at this time so great, that a pair of shoes costs 300 livres, a yard of cloth 3000, a bushel of potatoes 120, a pound of bread 40, a pound of coffee and of sugar 175, a pound of candles and of soap 80 livres each; a louis-d'or is worth 4,600 livres.

The executive directory obtains a grant of three milliards, to be at its discretion distributed among the different offices.

The subsistence of Paris not being a.s.sured, it is decreed, that 250 quintals (each 100lbs. weight) be levied on the departments bordering on Paris.

The Cape of Good-Hope is taken by the English.

The trial of Comartin, one of the chiefs of the Chouans, occupies at present the military tribunal, and all Paris.

The republican generals, and many deputies of the convention are implicated in this affair.

A ship full of emigrants, among whom are the Duke de Choiseul and the Count de Montmorency, is driven by a tempest into Calais. They are given up to the criminal tribunal of that city.

Besides the sum above granted to the executive directory, twenty-one millions more are allowed to them. Thirty millions more added for the expences of the legislative body.

23. Public and formal audiences are given by the executive directory to foreign amba.s.sadors.

Insurrection of 15,000 peasants in the Velay.

Manheim is taken by the Austrians; 394 pieces of cannon are found in it.

Worms and Spires are retaken by the Austrians.

Decreed, that the executive directory may sell the moveable or personal property of the republic, (le mobilier) even to the timber in the national forests.

_Dec_. According to the report upon the finances, the arrears due amount to 3,500,000,000 livres; the debt to the national bank is 31,000,000 in specie, and 7,500,000 in specie to foreigners.

The service of the next month requires 20,220,000,000 in a.s.signats.

Letter from the directory to the legislative body declaring, that the state is in the most calamitous situation; that the springs of government are almost broken, that the public treasure is exhausted, and that they are threatened with evils, which may overwhelm the republic.

Decreed, that a forced loan shall be levied of 600,000,000 in specie upon a million of citizens.

It is computed that by means of three hundred millions in specie, thirty milliards of a.s.signats will be taken out of circulation. In this forced loan a.s.signats are to be taken at one per cent.

A motion is made to sell Compiegne, Fontainbleau, Chantilly, Ramboullet, Meudon, St. Germaine, St.

Cloud, Choisy, Vincennes, and the wood of Boulogne.

The legislative body decrees 1500 millions for the service of the armies.

Boissy d'Anglas proposes to restrain the liberty of the press.

The city of Deux-Ponts taken by the French under General St. Eyr (sic).

The supplying Paris alone with provisions costing 350 millions every ten days, the directory acquaints the legislative body that the funds granted for that purpose are exhausted.

Decreed, that the directory shall nominate all the judges not elected by the primary a.s.semblies.

All the ministers agree in declaring that every thing is lost, if haste be not made in procuring funds.

Merlin of Douai, minister of justice, writes to all the criminal tribunals, to perform their duty with energy towards the emigrants, against whom the republic had sworn eternal war till death.

New successes of the republicans in Italy.

The Austrians continue to obtain advantages over Pichegru and Jourdan.

Gronville, envoy from the republic to Copenhagen, is threatened with recall if his Danish Majesty does not acknowledge the French republic.

Cambon, to exculpate himself from charges of misconduct, publishes an account, setting forth, that during forty-four months of his administration there were issued only 11,578,056,623 livres in a.s.signats, and in the ten months and a half after him there were issued 17,852,226,000 livres in a.s.signats.

Judgment and Execution of

LOUIS XVI. KING OF FRANCE;

WITH A LIST OF THE

_Members the National Convention_,

Who voted for and against his Death.

AND

THE NAMES OF MANY OF THE MOST CONSIDERABLE SUFFERERS IN THE COURSE OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, DISTINGUISHED ACCORDING TO THEIR PRINCIPLES.

THE THIRD EDITION.

BY H. GOUDEMETZ, _A French Clergyman, Emigrant in England_.

TO THE TRULY HUMANE AND BENEVOLENT, WHOSE LIBERALITY THE AFFLICTED STRANGER HAS SO LARGELY EXPERIENCED, THIS LITTLE PUBLICATION, HONOURED WITH THEIR PATRONAGE AND PROMOTED BY THEIR MUNIFICENCE, is, IN TESTIMONY OF THE GRAt.i.tUDE WITH WHICH HIS HEART OVERFLOWS, MOST THANKFULLY AND RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED,

BY THEIR EVERLASTINGLY OBLIGED AND DEVOTED HUMBLE SERVANT,

H. GOUDEMETZ,

JUDGMENT

AGAINST

LOUIS XVI.

IN the National, Convention of France, [Footnote: N.B. In this Convention, 76 were ex-n.o.bles; between 50 and 60 ex-priests; the rest consisted of lawyers, merchants, husbandmen, and a great number of artisans, men who had no property, but what they acquired by spoil from the rich.] on the 17th, 18th, and 19th days of January, 1793, the three following questions were successively put to the vote.

QUESTION THE FIRST.

Is LOUIS guilty or not?

Of the 745 members of the Convention, 20 were absent, 5 sick, 27 gave modified opinions, 693 voted in the affirmative.

President "I declare in the name of the National Convention LOUIS "CAPET to be found guilty of a conspiracy against the liberty of the "nation, and of an attempt to disturb the public security."

QUESTION THE SECOND.

_Shall the sentence to be pa.s.sed upon LOUIS be referred to the sanction of the people?_

The result of the _appel nominal_ on this question was; 3 sick; 20 absent; 10 refused to vote; 283 voted for, and 424 against it.

President "I declare in the name of the National Convention, that its "sentence shall not be submitted to an appeal to the people."

QUESTION THE THIRD

_What punishment shall be inflicted upon LOUIS?_

The _appel nominal_ for the definitive sentence, by DEPARTMENTS.

[Editor's note: The decisions of the members of the convention are given Department by Department and the list is followed by an alphabetical list of the members with the page number on which each appears. For this reason it has been decided that the page numbers of the original publication should be shown from this point.]