Historical Epochs of the French Revolution Part 5

19. The last sitting of the legislative a.s.sembly.

CHAPTER III.

1792.

_Sept_. 20. First sitting of the third legislature, which takes the t.i.tle of National Convention. It consists of 745 members.

21. Decreed, that royalty is abolished, and that the kingdom of France is a republic.

The battle of Grand-Pre gained by General Dumouricr.

22. Danton resigns the ministry in order to take a place in the convention.

23. The old Marshal Luckner is ordered to the bar of the convention.

27. Mons. Cazotte, an author much esteemed, and who with difficulty escaped from the a.s.sa.s.sins of the 2d of September, is conducted to the guillotine at 80 years of age.

29. The Austrians begin to bombard Lisle (sic).

Spires taken by the army of Gen. Custine.

_Oct_. 2. The Duke of Brunswick, commanding the Prussians, begins his retreat from France, and raises the siege of Thionville.

4. The t.i.tle of Citizen is subst.i.tuted for those of Monsieur and Madame by a decree.

7. The Austrians raise the siege of Lisle.

8. Ma.s.sacre at Cambray.

9. The soldiers of General Dumourier ma.s.sacre their prisoners.

10. Servan quits the ministry.

Garat is appointed minister of justice.

13. Verdun evacuated by the Prussians.

14. A civic festival in honour of the conquest of Savoy.

18. Nine emigrants guillotined in the Place-de-Greve.

22. The French retake Longwy.

23. Mayence taken by General Custine.

24. Great accusations of Roland to the convention.

25. The French territory evacuated by the Austrians and Prussians.

26. Frankfort on the Main taken by the French.

31. A great number of returned emigrants denounced to the commune of Paris.

_Nov_. 2. All work at the camp near Paris is stopped.

3. The house of the deputy Marat is invested, and the people demand his head.

4. Robespierre endeavours to acquit himself of the charges brought against him by the deputy Louvet.

6. Report in the a.s.sembly of disturbances in the department of Mayence and Loire.

Three hundred millions of a.s.signats issued with new emblems.

A discourse upon Atheism p.r.o.nounced by Dupont, and applauded by the convention.

The Princess de Rohan-Rochefort is sent to prison for having written to the ex-minister Bertrand.

7. The battle of Gemappe--the Austrians are defeated by superior numbers, and an immense artillery.

Dumourier after his victory takes Mons.

A revolt announced at Guadaloupe.

10. Decreed, that all emigrants who shall return to France shall suffer death, whether men, women, or children, not excepting those who had never borne arms.

12. Ghent taken by the French.

14. Brussels taken by the French.

19. General Montesquieu emigrates.

23. De la Coste, ex-minister, and Du Fresne de St.

Leon, committed to the prison of the Abbaye.

24. Insurrection at Chartres and the neighbourhood, on account of bread.

25. The King asks of the convention some Latin books, that he may instruct his son himself.

26. Address from Finisterre to the convention, denouncing the deputies Marat, Robespierre, Danton, Chabot, Barire, and Merlin. Buzot supports the accusation.

27. Kersaint proposes to the convention to make a descent upon England with one hundred thousand men, and to sign an immortal treaty upon the Tower of London, which shall fix the destiny of nations, and confirm liberty for ever to the world.

The Belgians protest against a decree which trenches on their sovereignty.

30. Decree, charging the munic.i.p.alities to keep registers of baptisms, marriages and buryings.

_Dec_. 1. Pethion quits the mayoralty to become a member of the convention.

Chambon is elected his successor.

Manuel gives up the place of procureur de la commune for a seat in the convention; Chaumette succeeds him.

3. Decreed that Louis Capet shall be brought to trial, and that the convention shall be his judges.

4. Decreed, that whoever shall propose the restoration of royalty shall suffer death.

8. The royal family is forbid the use of knives, scissars,(sic) or razors; the King not to be shaved, but his beard clipped with scissars.

9. The bust of Mirabeau torn from the Pantheon, and dragged by the populace to the Place-de-Greve.

The minister of justice reads to the convention 150 addresses from the communes of Normandy in favour of the King.

Philip Egalite renounces all eventual succession to the crown of France, to a.s.sume the t.i.tle of French citizen.

18. The King is interrogated at the bar of the convention.

Barrere is president.

He demands for his advocates Target and Tronchet, the former refuses to defend him; but Mons. de Malesherbes, making a voluntary offer of being his defender, is accepted with Tronchet, and Monsieur de Seze is added to them.

The mayor of Paris, the procureur de la commune, le secretaire Greffier, and thirty munic.i.p.al officers on horseback, escorted the King's carriage when he was going to the bar of the convention to be interrogated, and to hear the act of his accusation read. The president said, "Louis,--The French "people accuse you of having committed a mult.i.tude "of crimes in order to establish tyranny upon the "ruins of liberty." The King having answered with great precision and coolness, "Louis," said the president, "a copy shall be given to you of your accusations. The convention permits you to retire, and will acquaint you with the result of its deliberations."

14. The charge d'affaires of Spain writes an earnest letter in favour of the King, from his master. The convention treats it with neglect.

16. The French make themselves masters of Aix-la-Chapelle.

The King is brought a second time to the bar of the convention. Monsieur de Seze makes an able speech in his defence at the bar. The King then speaks to the convention: "My counsel has laid before you my "justification and defence, I have nothing to add "but this, that, in addressing you perhaps for the "last time, I declare that my conscience reproaches "me with no crime towards my country, and that my "advocates have spoken nothing but the truth."

27. Generals Luckner and Rochambeau made marshals of France.

1793 _January_. Roland publishes a letter to oppose the calumnies against him.

The loyal subjects of Brabant send an address to the emperor.

Mont Blanc declared to be an 84th department, of which Chamberry is the capital; this new department contains 364,652 souls.

General Dumourier writes some severe truths to the convention, and offers to give in his resignation, disclaiming all pretensions to a dictatorship.

The convention rejects the King's appeal to the people.

Prince Charles of Hesse-Philipstadt dies of wounds he received at Frankfort.

The alien bill pa.s.sed in England; in consequence of which, persons suspected may be sent out of the kingdom by the executive power.

The Prussians and Hessians drive the French from Hocheim.

The King of Prussia publishes a declaration, that his army enters Poland only because that country was infested with French democratic madness.

Remarkable address of the department of Finisterre against Marat and Robespierre.

La Fayette is conveyed to Magdebourg.

The Empress of Russia a.s.signs lands in the Crimea to French emigrants, and causes to be paid to the Prince of Conde, at Frankfort, 200,000 rupees for the expences of journey.

Dumourier goes to Paris while the convention is debating about the King. The jacobins insult him.

His army is said to be 120,000 strong.

General Custine celebrates at Mayence the festival of liberty, by burning the archiepiscopal ornaments.

17. The convention terminates its deliberations 18. concerning the King. He is condemned to 19. death. All endeavours to delay the execution of the sentence are rejected.

Of the members of the convention, 366 vote for death absolutely; 23 for death, but leaving it hereafter to be discussed, when the execution should take place; 8 for death, and a certain delay or respite; 2 for death at the peace; 319 for detention; and 2 for detention in irons.

Pelletier, one who voted for the King's death, is a.s.sa.s.sinated at a tavern.

20. Louis hears with calmness the reading of his sentence of death. Allowed only two hours to take a final leave of his wife, his children, and his sister, who are frantic with grief.

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21. Louis is conducted to the scaffold; his behaviour is steady and dignified, he speaks a few words protesting his innocence, forgiving his enemies, and hoping that his death might restore peace to his wretched country. The commander of the troops orders the drums and trumpets to strike up, that his voice might be drowned, and that he should not proceed. In a minute after this, his head is severed from his body. A dead silence prevails in Paris. The places of public amus.e.m.e.nt and all shops are shut up. His last will soon after published.

The minister Roland, after a.s.sisting at the King's execution resigns his office, so do the deputies Manuel and Kersaint.

24. The remains of Pelletier are placed with great ceremony in the Pantheon.

The French envoy at Naples demands and obtains an audience of the King.

The convention decrees, that their army shall consist of 502,000 men next campaign.

26. Dumourier leaves Paris for the army, with orders to take Cologne, cost what it may.

Liege determines to unite itself with France.

Paris, who a.s.sa.s.sinated Pelletier, is arrested, but shoots himself.

General mourning at London and Madrid for Louis XVI.

The convention decrees the union of Nice to the republic of France.

The British ministry signify to Mons. Chauvelin, who had been amba.s.sador from Louis XVI. that he is no longer to be considered as such, and must quit England.