A
RESIDENCE IN FRANCE,
i i ' DURING THE YEARS
1792, 1793, I794, AND 1795; f
DESCRIBED
IN A SERIES OF LETTERS
FROM AN
ENGLISH LADY:
WITH
GENERAL AND INCIDENTAL REMARKS
ON THE
FRENCH CHARACTER AND MANNERS.
PREPARED FOR THE PRESS
By JOHN GIFFORD, Esq.
AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF FRANCE, LETTER TO LORD
LAUDERDALE, LETTER TO THE HON. T. ERSKINE, &C.
IN TWO VOLUMES.

THIRD EDITION.
Plus je vis t'Etr anger plus j'aimai ma Patrie.
DU BELLOY,
VOL. I.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR T. N. LONGMAN, PATERNOSTER ROW.

1797-

ADVERTISEMENT TO
THE THIRD EDITION.

HAT a Third Edition of thefe Letters
is now offered to the public, however per
fonally flattering to the Author, is yet the
fource of a much higher gratification than
the mere indulgence of literary vanity. I
regard fo favourable a reception of the work
not as a tribute to talents, but to truth ;
and as a proof that my countrymen, ftill
unperverted by the indefatigable efforts of
democratic writers, receive with partiality
any production which tends to expofe the
miferies and abfurdities of the revolutionary
fyftem, or to promote a rational veneration
for "time-honoured" and well-ordered
governments. Confcious that my motives in publifhing
thefe papers were laudable, and little influ-
vol. i. a enced

11 ADVERTISEMENT,
ehced by felfilh confiderations, I behefdt
without concern the uacandid criticifms and
wilful mifreprefentations of thofe who do
not fcruple to- facrifice truth and rectitude
at the fhrine of their political perverfity ;,
and whofe panegyric is the congenial reward
of thofe productions only which are hoftile
to the interefts of their country.* To fuch
cenfure
* Of the candour of the critics alluded to, the reader will
judge from the fubjoined (pecimen — " The publication," mean
ing tkefe pages, " confifts of a feries of Letters which, it is>
aflerted in the preface, "were "written exaiUly in the fituations-
they defcribe, and remain in their original flate ; yet we know
that during the greater part of the period which is pretended
tp be defcribed here, it was impoffible, from the circumftance*
of the two nations, that any epiflolary corrcfpondence Jhould be
maintained between Frakce and this country'' — This liberal
pailage is intended to convey an idea that the Letters in quef
tion are offered 'to the public as having been fent regularly t»
England according to their dates ; whereas it is frequently-
noticed, that they not Only were not attempted to be fent, but
that tlie utmoft circumfpe&ion was ufed in fecreting them,and
that on fome occafions the facts they contain were arranged
at fubfequent periods from notes haftily and cautioufly taken.
But on this fubjedt I need only refer to the Letters themfelves>
In page 193, Vol. I. 2d edit, a Letter, dated January, 1793*
is exprefsly ftated to be forwarded by a private hand ; and
the writer then declares her intention of forbearing any farther
communication on public events, but for the future gratifica-
- tion of her friends (he fhall continue her remarks till fhe has an

ADVERTISEMENT. W
cenfure I am indifferent, and fuch applaufe
I hope never to merit; but I confefs the
original fcepticifm of the indulgent and re
sectable Britifh Critics was a fubjecl of
fome mortification to me ; and had not the
intimation of thofe doubts been accompa
nied by a liberal acknowledgement of their
removal, even the pleafure derived from the
approving teftimony of talents and virtue
would have been confiderably alloyed.
ConfefTmg then, as I do, the candour of
the Britifh Critics, and fenfible, as I am, of
the value of fuch fufFrage, I yet venture to
exprefs my furprize that they fhould ever
have entertained fufpicions that thefe Letters
were not reaily written by a female. In the
courfe of their labours they muft have en
countered frequent examples of the "fad
variety" of female literature— Female me
an opportunity of being the bearer of them herfelf. — See alfo
pages 367, 377, 378, Vol.1. — and pages 139 and 469,
Vol. II. 2d edit. — The perufal of any of the paflages referred
to will be fufficient to convince the reader, that there are cri
tics by profeffion, who either criticife what they have never
read, or indulge their political prejudices at the expence of
wilful and palpable falfehood. a z taphyficians,

iv advertisement;
taphyficians, female chy mifts, female poi?-*
ticians, and female republicans— -females
who affert the rights, and females who incul
cate the duties, of the fex— females delighting:
in the ariftocratic blazonings and bearings of
heraldry, and females who are the advocates
of equality and red caps — female effayifts
on phlogifton, and female eulogifts on the
ftill more inflammatory fubject. ofthe French
Revolution. If, then., they perufed with
out doubts of their genuinenefs fo many
inftances of the talents and follies, of the
excellencies and aberrations, of the fex,
furely they ought in gallantry to have ad
mitted with equal readinefs the more cir-
cumfcribed claims of a female to fome ac
curacy of obfervation, and the humble
endowments, of plain fenfe.
With regard to the fort of reading which.
thefe volumes are faid occafionally to indi
cate, and which has been remarked as out
of the ufual courfe of female ftudies, I have
only to obferve, (for I do not think it im
portant enough to require apology,) that
an ardent defire for information, perhaps not
always.

ADVERTISEMENT. V
always fufficiently difcriminating, has led me
to prefer fuch authors, to exploring the myf-
terious dungeons and northern towers of mo
dern romance, or corrupting my tafte and
principles with the vapid common-place or
democratic malignity of modern novels.
That this work is both genuine and authen
tic* I have purchafed the right of afferting at
fome rifk of my life, at the expence of
much Differing, and a confiderable lofs of
health. I however deem it difrefpectiul to
the gentleman who has fanctioned it by his
name to add any thing farther on the fub
ject., except to notice, that whoever has read
Mr. Gifford's own productions, muft eafily
perceive, from the correclnefs and elegance
of his ftyle, that he could have had no fhare
in a work abounding in errors, and exhibit
ing all the marks of an inexperienced writer.
The zeal with which Mr. G. has endea
voured to counteract the mifchiefs of Gal-
lican principles, and his fervices in the caufe
* See Letter IT. of Dr. Watfon's Apology for the Bible.
a 3 of

VI ADVERTISExMENT.
of real liberty, entitle him to higher praife
than mine ; and I will therefore facrifice to
his delicacy by filence. Yet in forbearing to
be juft I cannot forbear to be grateful, and I
am happy in thus publicly acknowledging
my perfonal obligation for thofe perfevering
and friendly attentions which I truft will
live in my memory when this feeble effort
of my pen fhall be. forgotten.
The typographical errors of the Firft, and
even of the Second Edition, are grafs and
numerous— the Third I have endeavoured
to render lefs imperfect. ; but it has. not been
in my power to correct the prefs^ and a
work not fuperintended by parental folici-
tude muft unavoidably make frequent claims.
on the indulgence of the reader.

tremminartt

PRELIMINARY REMARKS
BY THE EDITOR.

X HE following Letters were fubmitted to-
my inflection and judgement by the Author,
of whofe principles and abilities I had rea
fon to entertain a very high opinion. How
far my judgement has been exercifed to ad
vantage in enforcing the propriety of intro
ducing them to the notice of the public,
that public muft decide. To me, I confefs,
it appeared, that a feries of important fact.s, '
tending to throw a ftrong light on the inter
nal ftate of France, during the moft impor*
tant period of the Revolution, could neither
prove uninterefting to the general reader,
rior indifferent to the future hiftorian of that
momentous epoch ; and I conceived, that
the appofite and judicious reflections of a
well-formed and well-cultivated mind, na
turally arifing ©ut of events within the imme-
a 4 diate

VIU preliminary remarks.
djate fcope of its own obfervation, could not
in the fmalleft degree diminifh the intereft
which, in my appreherifion, they are calcu
lated to excite. My advice upon this occa
fion was farther influenced by another con
fideration. Having traced, with minute at
tention, the progrefs of the revolution, and
the conduct of its advocates, I had re
marked the extreme affiduity employed (as
well by tranflations of the moft violent pro
ductions of the Gallic prefs, as by original
compofitions,) to introduce and propagate,
in foreign countries, thofe pernicious prin
ciples which have already fapped the foun
dation of focial order, deftroyed the happi-r
nefs of millions, and • fpread defolation and
ruin over the fineft country in Europe. I had
particularly obferved the incredible efforts
exerted in England, and, I am forry to fay,
with too much fuccefs, for the bafe purpofe
of giving- a falfe colour to every action of
the perfons exercifing the powers of govern
ment in France ; and I had marked, with
indignation, the atrocious attempt to ftrip
vice of its deformity, to drefs crime in the
garb of virtue, to decorate flavery with the
fymbols

PRELIMINARY REMARKS. IX
fymbols of freedom, and give to folly the
attributes of wifdom. I had feen, with
extreme concern, men, whom the lenity,
miftaien lenity, I muft call it, of our govern
ment had refcued from punifhment, if not
from ruin, bufily engaged in this fcandalous
traffic, and, availing themfelves of their ex
tenfive connections to diffufe, by an infinite
variety of channels, the poifon of democracy
over their native land. In fhort, I had feen the
Britifh prefs, the grand palladium of Britifh
liberty, devoted to the caufe of Gallic licen-
tioufnefs, that mortal enemy of all freedom,
and even the pure ftream of Britifh criticifm
diverted from its natural courfe, and polluted
by the peftilential vapours of Gallic repub-
licanifm. I therefore deemed it effential,
by an exhibition of well-authenticated facts,
to correct, as far as might be, the evil effects
of mifreprefentatjon and error, and to defend
the empire of truth, which had been aflailed
by a hoft of foes. -
My opinion of the principles on which
the prefent fyftem of government in France
was founded, and the war to which thofe
principles

X PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
principles gave rife, have been leng fmce
fubmitted to the public. Subfequent events,
far from invalidating, have ftrongiyconfirmed
it. In all the public declarations of theDirec-
tory, in their domeftic polity, in their conduct
to foreign powers, I plainly trace the preva
lence of the fame principles, the fame con
tempt for the rights and happinefs of the peo
ple, the fame fpirit of aggreffion and aggran
dizement", the fame eagernefs to overturn the
exifting inftitutions of neighbouring ftates,
and the fame defire to promote " the univer
fal revolution of Europe," which marked
the conduct of Brissot, Le Brun, Des-
moulins, Robespierre, and their difci-
ples. ' Indeed, what ftronger inftance need
be adduced of the continued prevalence of
thefe principles, than the promotion to the
fupreme rank in the ftate, of two men who
took an active patt in the moft atrocious
proceedings of the Convention at the clofe
of 1793, and at the commencement of the
following year ?
In all the various conftitutions wihich
have been fucceffively adopted in that de
voted

PRELIMINARY REMARKS. XI
voted country, the welfare of the people
has been wholly difregarded, and while
they have been amufed with the fhadow
of liberty, they have been cruelly de-
fpoiled of the fubftance. Even on the efta-
blifhment of the prefent conftitution, the
one which bore the neareft refernblance to
a rational fyftem, the freedom di election,
which had been frequently proclaimed as the
very corner-ftone of liberty, was fhamefully
violated by the legiflative body, who, in their
eagernefs to perpetuate their own power, did
not fcruple to deftroy the principle on which
it was founded. Nor is this the only viola
tion of their own principles. A French
writer has aptly obferved, that " En revolu
tion comme en morale, ce n ejl que le premier
pas qui coute :" thus the executive, in imi
tation of the legiflative body, feem difpofed
to render their power perpetual. For though
it be exprefsly declared by the 137th article
of the 6th title of their prefent conftitu-
tional code, that the " Directory fhall be
partially renewed by the election of a new
member every year," no ftep towards fuch
election has oeen taken, although the time
prefcribed

Xli PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
prefcribed by the law is elapfed.— -In a pri
vate letter from Paris now before me, writ
ten within thefe £ew days, is the following
obfervation on this very circumftance: " The
conftitution has received another blow. The
month of Vendemiaire is paft, and our Di
rectors ftill remain the fame. Hence we
begin to drop the appellation of Directory,
and fubftitute that of the Cinqvir, who are
more to be dreaded for their power, and
more to be detefted for their crimes, than
the Decemvir of ancient Rome." The fame
letter alfo contains a brief abftract of the
ftate of the metropolis of the French repub
lic, which is wonderfully characteriftic off
the attention of the government to the wel
fare and happinefs of its inhabitants !
" The reign of mifery and of crime feems
to be perpetuated in this diftracted capital :
filicides, pillage, and affafllnations, are daily
committed, and are ftill fuffered to pafs un
noticed. But what renders our fituation
ftill more deplorable, is the exiftence of an
innumerable band of fpies, who infeft all
public places, and all private focieties. More than

PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Xlli
than a hundred thoufand of thefe men are
regiftered on the books of the modern S ar
ti ne ; and as the population of Paris, at
moft, does not exceed fix hundred thoufand
fouls, we are fure to find in fix individuals
one fpy. This confideration makes me fhud-
der, and, accordingly, all confidence, and all
the fweets of focial intercourfe, are banifhed
from among us. People falute each other, look
at each other, betray mutual fufpicions, ob
ferve a profound filence, and part. This, in
few words, is ari exact defcription of our mo
dern republican parties. It is faid, that po
verty has compelled manyrefpectable perfons,
and even ftate-creditors, to enlift under the
ftandard of Co c hon, (the Police Minifter,)
becaufe fuch is the honourable conduct of
our fbvereigns, that they pay their fpies in
fpecie — and their foldiers, atid the creditors of
the fate, in paper. — Such is the morality,
fuch the juftice, fuch are the republican
/virtues, fo loudly vaunted by our good and
dearef friends, our pensioners— the Gazet
teers of England and Germany !"
There is not a fingle abufe, which the
modern

XIV PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
modem reformers reprobated fo loudly under'
the ancient fyftem, that is not magnified, in
an infinite degree, under the prefent eftablifh-
ment. For one Lettre de Cachet iffued dur
ing the mild reign of Louis the Sixteenth,
a thoufand Mandates d! Arret have been granted
by the tyrannical demagogues of the revo
lution ; for one Bajiile which exifted under
the Monarchy, a thoufand Maifons de Deten
tion have been eftablifhed by the Republic.
In fhort, crimes of every denomination, and
acts of tyranny and injuftice, of every kind,
have multiplied, fince the abolition of roy
alty, in a proportion which fets all the powers
of calculation at defiance.
It is fcarcely poffible to notice the prefent
fituation of France, without adverting to
the circumftances of the War, and to the
attempt now making, through the medium
of negotiation, to bring it to a fpeedy con
clufion. Since the publication of my Letter
to a Noble Earl, now deftined to chew the
cud of difappointment in the vale of obfcu-
rity, I have been aftonifhed to hear the fame
ajffertions advanced, by the members and
advocates

PRELIMINARY REMARKS. XV
advocates of that party whofe merit is faid
to confift in the violence of their oppofition
to the meafures of government, on the ori*
gin of the war, which had experienced the
moft ample confutation, without the affift
ance of any additional reafon, and without
the fmalleft attempt to expofe the invalidity
of thofe proofs which, in my conception,
amounted nearly to mathematical demon-
ftration, and which I had dared them, in
terms the moft pointed, to invalidate. The
queftion of aggreffion before ftood on fuch
high ground, that I had not the prefumption
to fuppofe it could derive an acceffion of
ftrength from any arguments which I could
fupply ; but I was confident, that the au
thentic documents which I offered to the pub
lic would remove every intervenirtg object
that tended to obftruct the fight of inatten
tive obfervers, and reflect on it fuch an ad
ditional light as would fiafh inftant convic
tion on the minds of all. It feems, I have
been deceived ; but I muft(be permitted to
fuggeft, that men who perfift in the renewal
of affertions, without a fingle effort to con
trovert the proofs which have been adduced to

XVI PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
to demonftrate their fallacy, cannot have for
their objed the eftablifhment of truth—
which ought, exclufively, to influence the
conduct of public charaders, whether wri
ters or orators.
With regard to the negotiation, I can de
rive nor/ the fmalleft hopes of fuccefs from a
contemplation of the paft conduct, or of the
prefent principles, of the government of
France. When I compare the projects of
aggrandizement openly avowed by theFrench
rulers, previous \ to the declaration of war
againft this country, with the exorbitant
pretenfions advanced in the arrogant reply of
the Executive Directory to the note prefented
by the Britifh Envoy at Bafil in the month
of February, 1796, and with the more re
cent obfervations contained in their official
note ofthe 19th of September laft, I cannot
think it probable that they will accede to any
terms of peace that are compatible with the
intereft and fafety of the Allies. Their ob
ject is not fo much the eftablifhment as the
extenfion of their republic. -

As

PRELIMINARY REMARK^. XVII
As to the danger to be incurred by a
treaty of peace with the republic of France,
though it has been confiderably diminifhed
by the events of the war, it is ftill unques
tionably great. This danger principally arifes
from a pertinacious adherence* on the part
of the Directory* to thofe very principles
which were adopted by the original promo
ters of the abolition of Monarchy in France*
No greater proof of fuch adherence need be
required than their refufal to repeal thofe
obnoxious decrees (paffed in the months of
November and December* 1793,) which
created fo general and fo juft an alarm
throughout Europe, and which excited the
reprobation even of that party in Eng
land, which was willing to admit the
equivocal interpretation given to them
by the Executive Council of the day. I
proved* in the Letter to a Noble Earl be
fore alluded to, from the very teftimony of
the members of that Council themfelves, as
exhibited in their official inftructions to one
of their confidential agents, that the inter
pretation which they had affigned to thofe
decrees, in their communications with the
vol. 1. b Britifh,

XVIU PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
Britifh Miniftry, was a falfe interpretation,
and that they really intended to enforce the
decrees, to the utmoft extent of their poffible
operation, and, by a literal conftrudion
thereof, to encourage rebellion in every ftate,
within the reach of their arms or their prin
ciples.. Nor have the prefent government
merely forborne to repeal thofe deftructive
laws— they have imitated the conduct of
their predeccfTors, have actually put them
in execution wherever they had the ability
to do fo, and have, in all refpects, as far as
related to thofe decrees, adopted the precife
fpirit and principles of the faction which
declared war againft England. Let any man
read the inftructions ofthe Executive Coun
cil to Publicola Chaussard, their Gom-
mhTary in the Netherlands, in 1793 and
1793, and an account of the proceedings
in the Low Countries confequent thereon,
and then examine the conduct of the repub
lican General, Buonaparte, in Italy— who
muft neceffarily act from the inftructions of
the Executive Directory— and he will be
compelled to acknowledge the juftice of my
remark, and to admit that the latter are
actuated

preliminary remarks. xix
actuated by the fame pernicious defire to
overturn the fettled order of fociety,
which invariably marked the conduct of the
former. " It is an acknowledged fact, that every
revolution requires a provifional power to
regulate its diforganizing movements, and to
direct the ^methodical demolition of every part
of the ancient focial conftitution.—- 'Such ought
to be the revolutionary power.
" To whom can fuch power belong, but
to the French, in thofe countries into which
they may carry their arms ? Can they with
iafety fuffer it to be exercifed by any other
perfons ? It becomes the French republic,
then, to affume this kind of guardianfhip
over the people whom fhe awakens to
'Liberty J *"
Such were the Lacedaemonian principles
avowed by the French government in i ?g2,
* Confiderations Generales fur 1'Efprit et les Principes du
Decret du i j Decembre. P. 184.
\>Z and

xx preliminary remarks.
and fuch is the Lacedemonian policy* purfued
by the French government in 1796! It
cannot then, I conceive, be contended, that
a treaty with a government ftill profeffing
principles which have been repeatedly proved
to be fubverfive of all focial order, which
have been acknowledged by their parents to
have for their object the methodical demolition
of exijling conftitutions, can be concluded
without danger or rifk. That danger, I
admit, is greatly diminifhed, becaufe the
power which was deftined to carry into exe
cution thofe gigantic projects which confti
tuted its object, has, by the operations ofthe
war, been confiderably curtailed. The will
may exift in equal force, but the ability is na
longer the fame. >
But though I maintain the exiftence of
danger in a Treaty with the Republic of
France, unlefs fhe previously repeal the de
crees to which I have adverted, and abrogate
* Machiavel juftly obferves, that it was the narrow po- ,
licy of the Lacedaemonians always to deftroy the ancient con
ftitution, and eftablilh their own form of government, in the
counties and cities which they iubdued. y
the

PRELIMINARY REMARKS. XXI
the acts to which they have given birth, I by
no means contend that it exifts in fuch a de
gree as to juftify a determination, on the
part of the Britifh government, to make its
removal the fine qua non of negotiation, or
peace. Greatly as I admire the brilliant en
dowments of Mr. Burke, and highly as I
refpect and efteem him for the manly and de
cifive part which he has taken, in oppofition
to the deftructive anarchy of republican
France, and in defence of the conftitutional
freedom of Britain, I cannot either agree
with him on this point, or concur with him
in the idea that the reftoration of the Mo
narchy of France was ever the objeSi of the
war. That the Britifh Minifters ardently
defired that event, and were earneft in their
endeavours to promote it, is certain ; not be
caufe it was the object of the war, hut be
caufe they confidered it as the beft means of
promoting the object of the war, which
was, and is, the eflablifhment of the fafety and
tranquillity of Europe, on a folid and perma
nent bafis. If that object can be attained,
and the republic exift, there is nothing in
the paft conduct and profeffions of the Bri-
b3 tiftt

xxii' preliminary remarks.
tifli Minifters, that can interpofe anobftacle
to the conclufion of peace. Indeed, in my
apprehenfion, it would be highly impolitic
in any Minifter, at the commencement of a
war, to advance any fpecifc object, the at
tainment of which fliould be declared to be
thefne qua non of peace. If mortals could
arrogate to themfelves the attributes of the
Deity, if they could direct the courfe of
events, and contrqul the chances of war,
luch conduct Vould be juftifiable ; but on no
other principle, I think, can its defence be
undertaken. It is, I grant, much to be la
mented, that the protection offered to -the
friends of monarchy in France, by the de
claration of the 29th of October, 1793,
could' not be rendered effectual : as far as
the offer went it was certainly obligatory on
the party who made it ; but it was merely
-conditional — reftrided, as. all fimilar offers
neceffarily muft' be, by the ability to fulfil
the obligation incurred.
In paying this tribute to truth, it is not
my intention to retrad, in the fmalleft de
gree, the opinion I have ever profeffed, that the

preliminary remarks. XX111
the reftoration of the ancient monarchy of
France would be the beft poffible means not
only of fecuring the different ftates of Eu
rope from the dangers of republican anarchy,
but of promoting the real interefts, welfare,
and happinefs of the French people them
felves. The reafons on which this opinion
is founded I have long fince explained ; and
the intelligence which I have fince received
from France, at different times, has con
vinced me that a very great proportion of
her inhabitants concur in the fentimerft.
The miferies refulting from the eftablifh-
ment of a republican fyftem of government
have been feverely felt, and deeply deplored ;
and I am fully perfuaded, that the fubjeds and
tributaries of France will cordially fubfcribe
to the following obfervation on republican
freedom, advanced by a writer who had deeply
ftudied the genius of republics : " Di tutte
le fervitu dure, quella e durifjima, che ti fotto-
mette ad una republica ; runa, per che £ la piu
durabile, e mancofi ' puofperarne d'nfare: L'altra
per che il fine della republica e enervare ed in-
b 4 deboiire,

xxiv PRELIMINARY remarks.
debolire, per accrefcere il corpo fuo, tutti gli
tiJtri corpi.*"
¦ London, Nov. ia, J0HN GIFF0RD-
1796.

P. S. Since I wrote the preceding re-.
marks, I have been given to underftand, that
by a decree, fubfequent to the completion of
the conftitutional code, the firft partial re^.
newal of the Executive Diredory was de-r
ferred till the month of March, 1 jgj ; and
that, therefore, in this inftance, the prefent
Diredory cannot be accufed of having vio-.
lated the conftitution. But the guilt is only
to be transferred from the Diredory to the
Convention, who paffed that decree, as well
as fome others, in contradidion to a pofitive
conftitutional law.  Indeed, the Direc-.
tory. themfelves betrayed no greater delir
cacy with regard to the obfervance of the
conftitution, or M. Barras would never
have taken his feat among them ; for the
conftitution exprefsly fays, (and this pofi-.

* Difcorfi di Nicoli Machiavelli, Lib. ii. p. 88. ' tive

PRELIMINARY REMARKS, XXV
tive provifion was not even modified by any
fubfequent mandate of the Convention,) that
no man fhall be eleded a member of the
Diredory who has not completed his for*-
tieth year— -whereas it is notorious that
Barras had not this requiiite qualification,
having been born in the year 1758 !

I avail myfelf of the opportunity af
forded me by the publication of a Second
Edition to notice fome infinuations which
have been thrown out, tending to queftion
the authenticity of the work. The motives
which have induced the author to withhold
from thefe Letters the fandion of her name,
relate not to herfelf, but to fome friends
ftill remaining in France, whofe fafety fhe
juftly conceives might be affeded by the
difclofure. Acceding to the force and pro
priety of thefe motives, yet aware of the
fufpicions to which a recital of important
fads, by an anonymous writer, would natu
rally be expofed, and fenfible, alfo, that a
pertain defcription of critics would gladly avail

XXVI PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
avail themfelves of any opportunity for dif-'
couraging the circulation of a work which
contained principles hoftile to their own ;
I determined to prefix my name to the pub
lication. By fo doing, I conceived that I
ftood pledged for its authenticity ; and the
matter has certainly been put in a proper
light by an able and refpedable critic, who
has obferved that " Mr. Gifford ftands
" between the writer and the public," and
that " his name and charader are the
" guarantees for the authenticity of the
" Letters."
This is precifely the fituation in which I
meant to place myfelf-— precifely the pledge
which I meant to give. The letters are
exadly what they profefs to be ; the pro
dudion of a Lady's pen, and written in. the
very fituations which they defcribe.— The
public can have no grounds for fufpeding
my veracity on a point in which I can have no
poffible intereft in deceiving them ; and thofe
who know me will do me the juftice to- ac
knowledge, that I have a mind fuperior to
the arts of deception, and that I am in
capable

PRELIMINARY REMARKS, XXVII
capable of fandioning an impofition, for
any purpofe, or from any motives whatever.
Thus much I deemed it neceffary to fay, as
well from a regard for my own charader,
and from a due attention to the public, as
from a wifh to prevent the circulation of the
work from being fubjeded to the impedi
ments arifing from the prevalence of a
groundlefs fufpicion.
I naturally expeded, that fome of the
preceding remarks would excite the refent-
ment and draw down the vengeance of thofe
perfons to whom they evidently applied.
The contents of every publication are cer
tainly a fair fubjed for criticifm ; and to the
fair comments of real critics, however re
pugnant to the fentiments I entertain, or
the dodrine I feek to inculcate, I fhall ever
fubmit without murmur or reproach. But,
when men, affuming that refpedable office,
openly violate all the duties attached to it,
and, finking the critic in the partizan, make
a wanton attack on my veracity, it becomes
proper to repel the injurious imputation; and

XXVIU PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
arid the fame fpirit which didates fubmif-
fion to the candid award of an impartial
judge, prefcribes indignation and fcorn at
the cowardly attacks of a fecret affaflin.
April 14, 1797,

DEDICA-

DEDICATION.

TO THE
RIGHT HON. EDMUND BURKE.
SIR,
J.T is with extreme diffidence that I offer
the following pages to Your notice ; yet as
they defcribe circumftances which more than
juftify Your own prophetic refledions, and
are fiibmitted to the public eye from no
other motive than a love of truth and my
country, I may, perhaps, be excufed for
prefuming them to be not altogether unwor
thy of fuch a diftindion.
While Your puny opponents, if opponents
they may be called, are either funk into ob
livion, or remembered only as aflbciated
with the degrading caufe they attempted to
fupport, every true friend of mankind, an
ticipating

XXX DEDICATION.
ticipating the judgement of pofterity, views
with efteem and veneration the unvarying
Moralift, the profound Politician, the inde
fatigable Servant of the Public, and the
warm Promoter of his country's happinefs.
To this univerfal teftimony of the great
and good, permit me, Sir, to join my humble
tribute ; being, with the utmoft refped,
SIR,
Your obedient Servant,
Sept. 12, 1796. THE AUTHOR.

JftEFACE.

PREFACE,

AFTER having, more than once, in the
following Letters, expreffed opinions deci
dedly unfavourable to female authorfhip,
when not juftified by fuperior talents, I may,
by now producing them to the public, fub
jed myfelf to the imputation either of va
nity or inconfiftency ; and I acknowledge
that a great fhare of candour and indulgence
muft be poffeffed by readers who attend to
the apologies ufually made on fuch occa
fions : yet I may with the ftrideft truth
alledge, that I fliould never have ventured
to offer any produdion of mine to the world,
had I not conceived it poffible that informal
tion and refledions colleded and made on
the fpot, during a period when France ex
hibited a ftate, of which there is no example
in the annals of mankind, might gratify
curiofity without the aid of literary embel-
lifhment ; and an adherence to truth, I
flattered

XXXli PREFACE.
flattered myfelf, might, on a fubjed of this
nature, be more acceptable than brilliancy
of thought or elegance of language. The
eruption of a volcano may be more fcienti-*
fically defcribed and accounted for by the
philofopher ; but the relation of the illiterate
peafant who beheld it, and fuffered from its
effeds, may not be lefs interefting to the
common hearer.
Above all, I was aduated by the defire ot
conveying to my countrymen a juft idea of
that revolution which they have been incited
to imitate, and of that government by which
it has been propofed to model our own.
Since thefe pages were writteri, the Con
vention has nominally been diffolved, and a
new conftitution and government have ftu>
ceeded, but no real change of principle or.
adors has taken place ; and the fyftem, of
which I have endeavoured to trace the pro
grefs, muft ftill be confidered as exifting, with
no other variations than- fuch as have been
neceffirily produced by the difference of time
and circumftances. The people grew tired, of

PREFACE. XXXiii
of maffacres in maffe, and executions en de
tail : even the national ficklenefs operated
in favour of humanity ; and it was alfo
difcovered, that however a fpirit of royalifm
might be fubdued to temporary inadion, it
Was not to be eradicated, and that the fuf
ferings of its martyrs only tended to propa
gate and confirm it. Hence the fcaffolds
flow lefs frequently with blood, and the bar
barous prudence of CamilleDesmoulins'
guillotine economique has been adopted. But
exadion and oppreffion are ftill pradifed in
every fhape, and juftice is not lefs violated,
nor is property lefs fecure, than when the
former was adminiftered by revolutionary
tribunals, and the latter was at the difpo
fition of revolutionary armies.
The error of fuppofing that the various
parties which have ufurped the government
of France have differed effentially from each
other is pretty general ; and it is common
enough to hear the revolutionary tyranny
exclufively affociated with the perfon of
Robespierre, and the thirty-firft of May,
1793, confidered as the epoch of its intro-
vol. 1. C dudion,

XXXIV PREFACE.
dudion. Yet whoever examines attentively
the fituation and -politics of France, from
the fubverfion of the Monarchy, will be
convinced that all the principles of this
monftrous government were eftablifhed dur
ing the adminiftration of the Briffotins, and
that the fadions which fucceeded, from Dan-
ton and Robefpierre to Sieyes and "Barras,
have only developed them, and reduced
them to pradice. The revolution of the
thirty-firft of May, 1793, was not a con
teft for fyftem but for power— that of July
the twenty-eighth, 1 794, (9th Thermidor,)
was merely a ftruggle which of two parties
fhould facrifice the other— that of Odober
the fifth, 1795, (13th Vendemiaire,) a war
of the government againft the people. But
in all thefe convulfions, the primitive doc
trines of tyranny and injuftice were watched
like the facred fire, and have never for a
moment been fuffered to languifh.
It may appear incredible to thofe who
have not perfonally witneffed this phcenome-
non, that a government detefted and de-
fpifed by an immenfe majority of the na
tion,

PREFACE. XXXV
tion, fhould have been able not only to refift
the efforts of fo many powers combined
againft it, but even to proceed from defence
to conqueft, and to mingle furprize and ter
ror with thofe fentiments of contempt and
abhorrence which it originally excited.
That wifdom or talents are not the fources
of this fuccefs, may be deduced from the
fituation of France itfelf. The armies of
the republic have, indeed, invaded the ter
ritories of its enemies, but the defolation of
their own country feems to increafe with
every triumph— the genius of the French
government appears powerful only in de-
ftrudion, and inventive only in oppreffion —
and, while it is endowed with the faculty
of fpreading univerfal ruin, it is incapable of
promoting the happinefs of the fmalleft
diftrid under its protedion. The unre-
ftrained pillage of the conquered countries
has not faved France from multiplied bank
ruptcies, nor her ftate-creditors from dying
through want ; and the French, in the midft
of their external profperity, are often diftin
guifhed from the people whom their armies
c 2, have

XXXVI PREFACE.
have fubjugated, only by a fuperior degree of
wretchednefs, and a more irregular de-
fpotifm. With^a power exceffive and unlimited,
and furpaffing what has hitherto been poffef-
fed by any Sovereign, it would be difficult
to prove that thefe democratic defpots have
effeded any thing either ufeful or benefi
cent. Whatever has the appearance of be
ing fo will be found, on examination, to
have for its objed fome purpofe of indivi
dual intereft or perfonal vanity. They ma
nage the armies, they embellifh Paris, they
purchafe the. friendfhip of fome ftates and
the neutrality of others ; but if there be
any real patriots in France, how little do
they appreciate thefe ufelefs triumphs, thefe
pilfered mufeums, and thefe fallacious nego
tiations, when they behold the population
of their country diminifhed, its commerce
annihilated, its wealth diffipated, its morals
corrupted, and its liberty deftroyed™
" Thu9, On deceitful ^Etna's ftow'ry fide
" Unfading verdure glads the roving eye, While

PREFACE. XXXV11
" While fecret flames with unextinguiih'd rage
" Infatiate on her walled entrails prey,
" And melt her treach'rous beauties into ruin."
Thofe efforts which the partizans of re-
publicanifm admire, and which even well-
difpofed perfons regard as prodigies, are the
fimple and natural refult of an unprincipled
defpotifm, ading upon, and difpofing of, all
the refources of a rich, populous, and en-
flaved nation. " II devient aife d'etre habile
lorfqii on s'efl delivre des fcrupules et des loix,
de tout honneur et de toute juf ice, des droits de
fes femblables, et des devoirs de l'autorite'-— a
ce degre d "independence la plupart des obfacles
qui modifient TaSiivite humaine difparaiffent ;
l'on pardit avoir du talent lorfqu'on n'a que de
T impudence, et Tabus de la force paffe pour
energie.* " The operations of all other go-
* " Exertions of ability become eafy, when men have
<l releafed themfelves from the fcruples of confeience, the re-
" ftraints of law, the ties of honour, the bonds of juftice,
" the claims of their fellow creatures, and obedience to their
" fuperiors : — at this point of independence, moft of the
" obftacles which modify human activity difappear ; impudence
" is miftaken for talents ; and the abufe of power paffes for
" energy."
c 3 vernments

XXXVIII PREFACE.
vernments muft, in a great meafure, be
reftrained by the will of the people, and by
eftablifhed laws ; with them, phyfical and
political force are neceffarily feparate con
fiderations : they have not only to calculate
what can be borne, but what will be fubmitted
to : and perhaps France is the firft country
that has been compelled to an exertion of its
whole ftrength, without regard to any ob-
ftacle, natural, moral, or divine. It is for
want of fufficiently inveftigating and allow
ing for this moral and political latitudina-
rianifm of our enemies, that we are apt to
be too precipitate in cenfuring the condud
of the war ; and, in our eftimation of what
has been done, we pay too little regard to
the principles by which we have been di-
reded. An honeft man could fcarcely ima
gine the means we have had to oppofe, and
an Englifhman ftill lefs conceive that they
would have been fubmitted to : for the fame
reafon that the Romans had no law againft
parricide, till experience had evinced the
pojibility of the crime.
In a war like the prefent, advantage is not
altogether

PREFACE. XXXIX
altogether to be appreciated by military fu-
periority. If, as there is juft ground for
believing, our external hoftilitieshave averted
an internal revolution, what we have efcaped
is of infinitely more importance to us than
what we could acquire. Commerce and con
queft, compared to this, are fecondary ob
jeds ; and the prefervation of our liberties
and our conftitution is a more folid blefling
than the commerce of both, the Indies, or
the conqueft of nations.
Should the following pages contribute to
imprefs this falutary truth on my country
men, my utmoft ambition will be gratified ;
perfuaded, that a fenfe of the miferies they
have avoided, and of the happinefs they en
joy, will be their beft incentive, whether
they may have to oppofe the arms of the
enemy in a continuance of the war, or their
more dangerous machinations on the reftora
tion of peace.
I cannot conclude without noticing my
obligations to the Gentleman whofe name is
prefixed to thefe volumes ; and I think it at
the

X* PREFACE.
the fame time incumbent on me to avow,
that, in having affifted the author, he muft
' not be confidered as fandioning the literary
imperfections ofthe work. When the fubjed
was firft mentioned to him, he did me the
juftice of fuppofing, that I was not likely to
have written any thing, the general tendency
of which he might difapprove ; and when,
on perufing the manufcript, he found it
contain fentiments diffimilar to his own, he
was too liberal to require a facrifice of them
as the condition of his fervices.— I confefs,
that previous to my arrival in France in
1792, 1 entertained opinions fomewhat more
favourable to the principle of the revolution
than thofe which I was led to adopt at a fub
fequent period. Accuftomed to regard with
great juftice the Britifh conftitution as the
ftandard of known political excellence, I '
hardly conceived it poffible that freedom or
happinefs could exift under any other : and
I am not fingular in having fuffered this pre-
pofTeffion to invalidate even the evidence of
my t'enfes. I was, therefore, naturally par
tial to whatever profeffed to approach the
objed of my veneration. I forgot that go
vernments

PREFACE. xli
venlments are not to be founded on imita
tions or theories, and that they are perfed
Only as adapted to the genius, manners, and
difpofition of the people who are fubjed to
them. Experience and maturer judgement
have correded my error, and I am perfedly
convinced, that the old monarchical confti
tution of France, with very flight meliora
tions, was every way better calculated for
the national charader than a more popular
form of government.*
* Thofe who are accuftomed to behold in the monarchy of
France only a defpotie and arbitrary government will not fub-
fcribe to this opinion 3 but ere they too haftily condemn It,
I entreat them to perufe attentively the following declaration
of the principles of the old French conftitution (Tancien re
gime) as admitted by the popular party at the commencement
of the revolution —
" Declare, que la France eft une monarchic dans la quelle
le Roi gouverne par des loix fixes et etablies ; qu'au nombre de
ces loix, il en eft de fondamentales ; cfllles qui affurent la
couronne a la maifon regnante aux defcendans d'icelle de male
en male par ordre de primogeniture; celle qui conferve aux
etats generaux feuls convoques legalement, le droit d'odlroyer
les impots; celle qui affure l'inamovibilite des offices de magi-
ftrature; celles qui maintiennent la liberte individuelle, et la
propriete des citoyens, etc. etc."
Arret!: des Chamlrcs du Parlement, 1788.
A critic,

xlii

PREFACE.

A critic, though not very fevere, will
difcover many faults of ftyle, even where
the matter may not be exceptionable. Be
fides my other deficiencies, the habit of wri
ting is not eafily fupplied, and, as I defpaired
of attaining excellence, and was not felici
tous about degrees of mediocrity, I deter
mined on conveying to the public fuch in
formation as I Was poffeffed of, without
alteration or ornament. Moft of thefe Let
ters were written exadly in the fituation
they defcribej and remain in their original
ftate ; the reft were arranged according as
opportunities were favourable, from notes
and diaries kept when " the times were hot
and feverifh," and when it would have been
dangerous to attempt more method. I for
bear- to defcribe how they were concealed
either in France or at my departure, becaufe
I might give rife fo the perfecution and op
preffion of others. But, that I may not attri
bute to myfelf courage which I do not poffefs,
nor create doubts of my veracity, I muft ob
ferve, that I feldom ventured to write till I
was affured ot' fome certain means of con
veying

PREFACE. xliii
veying my papers to a perfon who could
fafely difpofe of them.
As a confiderable period has elapfed fince
my return, it may not be improper to add,
that I took fome fteps for the publication of
thefe Letters fo early as July, 1795. Certain
difficulties, however, arifing, of which I
was not aware, I relinquifhed my defign,
and fhould not have been tempted to refiime
it, but for the kindnefs of the Gentleman
whofe name appears as the Editor.
Sept. 12, 1797.

eu Plata.
F. 4, 1. 8 from the bottom, for endoiuments read endozUmchi.
10, 12 from the top, for Conventionali/ts read Cott/iitu-
tionalifts.
24., 1 7 from the top, for for the?it read to fix them.
36, 11 from the bottom, after purpofe add a comma.
46, 9 from ditto, for defcribing read afcribing.
67, 10, for morality read mortality.
102, 9, for in? read iff.
Ill, 9, for indigjyztion read imagination.
13 1, 13 from the bottom, for feg-a?z read £<g?«.
IjJ7, 12, for expofing read impofing.
IOJ, 4 from the bottom, for his read m.
203, laft line, after with read more.
233> 5 °f tne note' leA farce read force.
236, laft line, for fort read fett.
2<^, 12, for muft read much.
262, for iHa//o?z <fe Arret read Jlfai/bn d' Arret.
388, note, for iwr read tom>.
396, 1 1, for or dozen read o;- a dozen.
399> I J> f°r C^kfr rea<^ affcits.

RESIDENCE IN FRANCE.

LETTER I.

May id, 1792.
JL Am every day more confirmed in the opinion
I communicated to you on my arrival, that the
firft ardour of the revolution is abated.— The
bridal days are indeed paft, and I think I per
ceive fomething like indifference approaching.
Perhaps the French themfelves are not fenfible
of this change ; but I who have been abfent
two years, and have made as it were a fudden
tranfition from enthufiafm to coldnefs, without
paffing through the intermediate gradations, am
forcibly ftruck with it. When I was here in
1790, parties could be fcarcely faid to exift —
the popular triumph was too complete and too
recent for intolerance and perfecution, and the
Noblefie and Clergy either fubmitted in filence,
vol. 1. B or

A RESIDENCE
ot appeared to rejoice in their own defeat, fo
fad, it was the coAfafion of a decifive con
queft— the vidors and the vanquifiied were
mingled together ; arid the one had not leifure
to exercife cruelty, nor the other to> meditate
revenge. Politics had not yet divided fociety -y
nor the weaknefs and pride of the great, with the'
malice and' infolence of the little, thinned the
public places. "The politics of the women went
no farther than a few. couplers in praife of
liberty, and the patrioti&i <sf die men was
confined to an habit de garde nationale, the
device of a button', era nodurnal revel, which
tkey called* mounting: guard. — Money was yet
plenty, at leaft filver, (forthe gold had already
begun to* disappear,) commerce in its ufuaF
train, and, in fhort, to one' who: obferves no-
deeper than myfelfi every thing feemed gay
ahd flourifhing — tlie people were perfuadecE
they were happier ; and-, amidft fuch- an ap
pearance of confent, one muft have been a cold
politician to have examined too ftriclly into
the future. But all this,, my good brother- is m
a great meafure fubftded ; and the difparity is
fo evident, that I almoft imagine myfejf one
of the feven fleepers— and, like them top, the
coin f offer is become rare, and regarded more
as' medals than money. The playful distinctions* of

IN FRANCE. 3
of Ariftocrate and Democrate are degeherated
into the Opprobitim and bitternefs of Party-
political diffenfions pervade and chill the com
mon intercourfe of life — the people are become
grofs and arbitrary, and the higher claffes (from
a pride which thofe who confider the frailty of
human nature will allow for) defert the public
amufements> where they cannot appear but at
the rifk 'of being the marked objects of infult.—
The politics of the women are no longer in-
hoxious-~-their political principles form the
leading trait of their characters ; and as you
know we are often apt to fupply by zeal what
We want in power, the ladies are far from being
the moft tolerant partizans on either fide. — The
national uniform, which- contributed fo much
to the fuccefs of the revolution, and ftimulated
the patriotifm of the young men, is become
general ; and the tafk of mounting guard, to
which itfubjedf s the wearer, is now a ferious and
troublefome duty. — To finifh my obfervations,
and my contraft, no fpecie whatever is to be.
feen ; and the people, if they ftill idolize their,
new form of government, do it at prefent with
great fobriety— -the Vive la nation ! feems now
rather the effect, of habit than of feeling ; and
one feldom hears any thing like the fpontaneous
and enthufiaftic founds I formerly remarked.
b a I have

4 A RESID'ETNCa
I have not yet been here long enough to dif-*
cover the caufes of this1 change ; perhaps they
may lie too deep fbrfucfo an obferver as myfelf:
but if fas' the caufes of important effects fome
times do) they lie on the furface, they will be
lefs liable to efcape me, than aff obferver of
more pretenfions. Whatever my remarks arer
I will not fait to communicate them — the em
ployment will at leaft be- agreeable to me, though*
the refult fhould not be fatisfacftory to you; andf
as I fhall never venture on any reflection, withn.
out relating the occurrence that gave rife to ir>
your own judgement will enable you to. correct
the errors of mine-
I was prefent yefterday at a' funeral fervicev
performed in honour of General Dillon. This;
kind of fervice is common in- Catholic coun-
triesj and confifb in ere<Sting a cenotaph^
ornamented with numerous lights, flowers*
croffes, &e. The church is hung with black,
and the mafs is^ performed the fame as. if the
body wer-e prefent. On account of General"
Dillon's profeffion, the mafs yefterday was at i
military one. It muft always, \ imagine, found
Grange to the ears of a Pf oteftant, to hear no
thing but theatrical mufic on thefe occafionsr
and indeed I could never reconcile myfelf to it;
for

IN FRANCE*: 5
for if we allow any effect to mufic at all,
the train of thought which fhould infpire us
with refpect for the dead, and reflections on
mortality, is not likely to be produced by the
"ftrains in which Dido bewails Eneas, or in
which Armida aflails the virtue of Rinaldo. —
I fear, that in general the air of an opera re
minds the belle of the Theatre where fhe heard
it — and, by a natural tranfition, of the beau
who attended her, and the drefs of herfelf and
her neighbours. I confefs, this was nearly my
own cafe yefterday, on hearing an air from
" Sargines ;" and had not the funeral oration
reminded me, I fhould have forgotten1 the un
fortunate event we were celebrating, and which,
for fome days before, when undiftracted by this
pious ce- emony, I had dwelt on with pity and
horror.* — Independent of any regret for the
fate
* At the firft fkirmifh between the French and Auftrians
near Lifle, a general panic feized the former, and they re
treated in diforder to Liile, crying *' Sauve qui peat, & notes
fomnes trails." — " Let every one fhi'ft for himfelf- — we are
betrayed." The General, after in vain endeavouring to rally
them, was mailacred at his return on the great fquare. — My
pen faulters, and refufes to defcribe the barbarities committed
on the lifelefs hero. Let it fuffice, perhaps more than fuffice
to fay, that his mutilated remains were thrown on a fire,
which thefe lavages danced round, with yells expreflive of
b$ their

*6

A RESIDENCE

fate of Dillon, who is faid to have been a brave
and good officer, -I am forry that the firft event
of this war fhould be marked by cruelty and
licehtidufnefs. — Military difcipline has been,
much relaxed fince the revolution, and from,
the length of time 'fince the French have been
engaged in a land war, many of the troops muft
"be without that kind of courage which is the
effect, of habit. The danger, therefore, of
fuffering them to alledge that they are be
trayed, whenever they do not choofe to fight\
ahd to excufe their own cowardice by afcribirfg-
treachery to their leaders, is incalculable.—
Above all, every infraction of the laws in a
country juft fuppofing itfelf become free can-.
not be too Severely repreffed. The National
/Affembly have done all that humanity could fug-
geft — they have ordered the punifhment of the
affafiins, and have penfioned and adopted the
General's children. The orator expatiated both
their execrable fcftivity. A young Englifliman, .who was fa,
unfortunate as tovbe near the fpot, was compelled to join in
this outrage to humanity. — The fame day a gentleman, the
intimate friend pf our acquaintance, Mad.  ¦, was
walking (unconfcious what had happened) without the gate
which leads to Douay, and was met by the flying ruffians on
tlieir return ; immediately on feeing him they fhouted " Folia
encore un Ariftocrate t" and maffacred him on the fpot. on,

IN FRANCE'. >f
on the horror of the act and its confequences, as
I fhould have thought, with fome ingenuity, had
I not been affured by a brother orator that the
whole was "execrable." But I frequently re
mark, that though a Frenchman may fuppofe
the merit of his countrymen to be collectively
•fuperior to that of the whole world, he fel
dom allows any individual of them to have fo
large a portion as himfelf.-  Adieu : I have
already written enough to convince you I have
neither acquired the Gallomania, nor forgotten
my friends in England ; and I conclude with a
wifh a pr-opos to my fubject— that they may
long enjoy the rational liberty they poffefs and
fo well deferve,- — -^- Yours.

LETTER II. May% 1792.
<U, my dear — — , who live in a land of
pounds, fhillings, and pence, can fcarcely
form an idea of our embafraffments through the
want of them, 'Tis true, thefe are petty evils ;
but when you confider that they happen every
day, ahd every hour, ' and that, if they are not
b 4 very

8 A RESIDENCE
very ferious, they are very frequent, you will
rejoice in the fplendour of your national credit,
which procures you all the accommodation of
paper currency, without diminifhing the circu
lation of fpecie. .Our only currency here con
fifts of affignats of 5 livres, 50, 100, 200, and
upwards : therefore in making, purchafes, you
muft accommodate your wants to the value of
your affignat, or you muft owe the fhopkeeper,
or the fhopkeeper muft owe you ; and, in fhort
as an old woman affured me to day, " C'eftde
quoi faire perdre la tSte," and, if it laftedlong,
it would be the death of her. Within thefe
few days, however, the municipalities have at
tempted to remedy the inconvenience, by cre
ating fmall paper of five, ten, fifteen, and
twenty fois, which they give in exchange for
*affignats of five livres ; but the number they
are allowed to iffue is limited, and the demand
for them fo great, that the accommodation is
inadequate to the difficulty of procuring it. On
the days on which this paper (which is called
billets de conftance) is iffued, the Hotel de Ville
is befieged by a hoft of women collected from
all parts of the diftiit — Peafants, fmall fhop-
keepers, fervant maids, and though laft, not leaft
formidable — fifhwomen. They ufually take their
ftand two or three hours before the time df deli
very,

IN FRANCE. 9
very, and the interval is employed in difcuffing
the news, and execrating paper money. But when
once the door is opened, a fcene takes place
which bids defiance to language, and calls for
the pencil of a Hogarth. Babel was, I dare
fay, comparatively to this, a place of retreat
and filence. Clamours, revilings, contentions,
tearing ofharr, and breaking of heads, generally
conclude the bufinefs ; and, after the lofs of half
a day's time, fome part of their clothes, and the
expence of a few bruifes, the combatants retire
with fmall bills to the value of five, or perhaps
ten livres, as the whole refource to carry on their
little commerce for the enfuing week. I doubt
not but the paper may have had fome fhare in
alienating the minds of the people from the
revolution. Whenever I want to purchafe any
thing, the vender ufually anfwers my queftion
by another, and with a rueful kind of tone en
quires, " En papier, madamep" — and the bar
gain concludes with a melancholy reflection on
the hardnefs of the times. -A. t
The decrees relative to the priefts have like-
wife occafioned much diffenfion ; and it feems
to me impolitic thus to have made religion the
ftandard of party. The high mafs, which is
celebrated by a prieft who has taken the oaths, is

JO A RESIDENCE
is frequented by a numerous, but, it muft bg
'Confefied, an ili-dreft and ill-fcented congrega=
tion ; while the low mafs, which is later, and
which is allowed the nonjuring clergy, has a
igayer audience., but is much lefs crouded.—**
-By the way, I" believe many who formerly, did
not much difturb ¦them'felves^about religious
tenets, have become rigid Papifts fince an adr
herence to the holy fee has become a criterion
of political opinion. But if thefe feparatifts
are bigoted and obftinate, the conventionalifbs
on their fide are ignorant and intolerant.
I enquired my way to-day to the Rue de
I'Hopiral. The woman I fpoke to afked me, in
a menacing tone, what I wanted there.- I re
plied, which was true, that I merely wanted t&
pafs through the ftreet as my neareft way home;
upon which fhe lowered her vdice, and con
ducted me very civilly. — I mentioned the cir
cumftance on my return, and found that the
nuns of the hofpital had their mafs performed
by a prieft who had not taken the oaths, and
that thofe who were fufpected of going to at
tend it were infulted, and fometimes ill treated."
A poor woman, fome little time ago, who con
ceived perhaps that her falvation might depend
on exercifing her religion in the way fhe had
been

IN FRANCE. II
been accuftomed to, perfifted in going, and
was ufed by the populace with fuch a mixture
ol barbarity and indecency, that her life was
defpaired of. Yet this is the age and the coun
try of -Philofophers. — Perhaps you will begin to
think Swift's fages, who only amufed themfelves
with endeavouring -to propagate fheep without
wool, not fo contemptible. " I am almoft con
vinced myfelf, that when a man once piques
himfelf on being a philofopher', if he does no
mifchief you ought to be fatisfted with him.
We paffed: laft Sunday with Mrfde  's
tenants in the country. Nothing can equal the
avidity of thefe people for news. We fat down
after dinner under fome trees in the village,
and Mr. de - — — began reading the Gazette to
the farmers who w?re about us. In a few mi
nutes every thing that could hedr (for I leave
underjtanding the pedantry of a French newf7
paper out of the queftion) were his auditors.
A party at quoits in one field, and a dancing
party in another, quitted their amufements,
and liftened with undivided attention. I be
lieve in general the farmers are the people moft
contented with the revolution, and indeed they
liave reafon to be fo ; for at prefent they refufe
to fell their corn unlefs for money, while they pay

I2, A RESIDENCE
pay their rent in aflignats ; and farms being for
the moft part on leafes, the objections of the
landlord to this kind of payment are of no
avail. > Great encouragement is likewife held
out to them to purchafe national property,
which I am informed they do to an extent that
may for fome time be injurious to agriculture ;
for in their eagernefs to acquire land, they de
prive themfelves of the means of cultivating it
They do not, like our crufading anceftors, "fell
the pafture to buy the horfe," but the horfe
to buy the pafture ; fo that we may expect to
fee in many places large farms in the hands of
thofe who are obliged to neglect them,
A great change has happened within the laft
year, with regard to landed property — fo much
has been fold, that many farmers have had the
opportunity of becoming proprietors. The
rage of emigration, which the approach of war,
pride, timidity, and vanity, are daily increafing,
has occafioned many ofthe Nobleffe to fell their
eftates, which, with thofe of the Crown and thp
Clergy, form a large mafs of property, thrown
as it were into general circulation. This may
in future be beneficial to the country, but the
prefent generation will perhaps have to purchafe
(and not cheaply) advantages they cannot en-

IN FRANCE. 13
joy. A philanthropift may not think of this
with regret ; and yet I know not why one race
is preferable to another, or why an evil fhould
be endured by thofe who exift now, in order
that thofe who fucceed may be free from it.— I
would willingly plant a million of acorns, that
another age might be fupplied with oaks ; but I
confefs, I do not think it quite fo pleafant foF
us to want bread, in order that our defcendants
may have a fuperfluity. ,
I am half afhamed ofthefe felfifh arguments j
but really I have been led to them through
mere apprehenfion of" what I fear the people
may have yet to endure, in confequence of the
revolution. \
I have frequently obferved how little tafte
the French have for the country, and I believe
all my companions, except Mr. de  , who
took (as one always does) an intereft in furvey-J
ing his property; were heartily ennuyis with our
little excurfion. — Mad. de  -, on her arrival,
took her poft by the farmer's fire-fide> and. was
out of humour the whole day, inafmuch as-
our fare was homely, and there was nothing
but ruftics to fee or be feen by. That a plain
dinner fhould be a ferious affair, you may not
wonder;

14 A RESIDENCE
wonder; but the laft caufe of diftrefs, perhaps
you will not conclude quite fo natural at her
years. All that can -be. faid about it is, that
fhe- is a French woman, who rouges, and wears
lilac ribbons, at feventy-four; — 1 hope* in my
zeal to obey ybit, my reflections will not be
too voluminous. — For the prefent I will be
warned by my cOnfcieneei and add only, that
t am, Yoursi

LETTER III.
June i o, I'jcjii
JL OU obferve, with, fome furprize, that I
make ho mention of the Jacobins — the fact is,
that until now I have heard Very little about
them. Your Englifh partizans of the revolu
tion have^ by publifhing their correfpondenee
with thefe focieties, attributed a confequence
to them infinitely beyond what they have had
pretenfions to :— a prophet^ it is faid, is not
honoured in his own country — I am fure a Ja
cobin is not. In provincial towns thefe clubs
are generally compofed of a few of the loweft
tradefmen, who have fo difinterefted a patriot- ifra,

IN FRANCE. i$
ifm, as to beftow more attention on the 'ftate'
than on their own fbops ;' and as a man may be
an excellent patriot without the ariftocr'atic
talents of reading and writing, they -ufually. pro--
vide a feeretary or prefider/t, who can. fup-
ply thefe deficiences — a country attorney, a
PSre de Torato-ire,- ora difban ded capuchin, is
in moft places the candidate for. this office.
The clubs often affemble only to read , the
newfpapers?; but where they are fufficiently irt
force, they make motions for " files, ,J cenfure
f-he municipalities-, and endeavour to1 influence
the elections of the members who compofe
fhem. — That of Paris is fuppofed to confift of
about fix thoufand members; but I am told
iheir number and influence are daily incEeaftng,
and that theTNational Affembly is more fub-
fervient to them than it is willing to acknow
ledge — yet, I believe, the people at large are
equally adVerfe to the Jacobins, who are faid
to entertain the chimerical project of forming
a republic, and to the Ariftocrats, who wifh
to reftore the ancient government. The party
in oppofition to both thefe, who are called the-
Feuillans,* have the real voice of the people
* They derive this appellation, as the Jacobins do theirs,
from the convent at which they hold their meetings. with

tS A RESIDENCE
with them, and knowing this, they employ lefs
art than their opponents, have no point of union,
and perhaps may finally be undermined by in
trigue, or even fubdued by violence*
You feem not to comprehend why I include
vanity , among the caufes of emigration, and
yet I affure "you it has had no fmall fhare in
many of them. The gentry of the provinces,
by thus imitating the higher nobleffes imagine
they have formed a kind of a Common caufe-,
which may hereafter tend to equalize the dif*
ference of ranks, and affociate them with thofe
they, have been accuftomed to look up to as
their fuperiors. It is a kind of ton amOng the
women, particularly to talk of their emigrated-
relations,, with an accent more expreflive of
pride than regret, and which feems to lay claim
to diftin&ion rather than pity*
I muft now leave you to contemplate the
boafted misfortune of- thefe belles, that I may
join the card party which forms their alleviation.
 Adieu. , • - ¦

BETTER

ik FRANCE. 17
LETTER IV.*
June 24, 1792.
O U have doubtlefs learned from the public
papers the late outrage ofthe Jacobins, in order
to force the King to confent to the formation of an
army at Paris, and to fign the decree for bariifh-
ing the nonjuring Clergy. The newfpapers will
defcribe td you the proceflion of the Sans-Cu-
lottes, the indecency of their banners, and the
diforders Which were^the refult— but it is irn-
poflible for either them or mt to convey an idea
©f the general indignation excited by thefe
atrocities. Every well-meaning perfon is grieved
for the prefent, and apprehenfive for the future :
and I am not without hope, that this open
avowal of the defigris of the Jacobins; will
unite the Conjiitutionalijls and Ariftocrates, and
that they will join their efforts in defence of
the Crown, as the only means of faving both
from being overwhelmed by a faction, who are
now become too daring to be defpifed. Many
of the municipalities and departments are pre
paring to addrefs the King, on the fortitude
he difplayed ih this hour of ihfult and peril. —
I know not why, but the people have been
taught to entertain a mean opinion of his per
vol. 1. C fonal

t8

A RESIDENCE

fonal courage ; and the late violence will at leaft.
have the good effect of undeceiving them. It
is certain, that he behaved on this occafioii
with, the utmoft coolnefs ; and the Garde Na
tional, whofe hand he placed on his -heart,- ak-
tefted that it had no. unufual palpitation.
That the King fhould be unwilling to fartc-
tlon the railing an array under the immediate
aufpiee of the avowed enemies of himfelf,
and of the conftitution he has fworn to pro
tect, cannot be much-\ssapdered at ; and thofe
who know the Catholic religion, and con
fider that this Prince is devout, and that he
has reafon to fufpect. the fidelity of all who ap
proach him, will wonder ftill lefs that he refufes
to banifh ai clafs of men, whofe influence is ex
tenfive, and whofe intereft it is topreferve their
attachment to him.
Thefe events have thrown a gloom over pri
vate focieties; and public amufements, as I
obferved in a former letter, are little frequented:
fo that, on the whole, time paffes heavily with
a people who, generally fpeaking, have few
refources in themfelves. Before the revolution,
France was at this feafon a fcene of much
gaiety. Every village had alternately a fort of
Fite,

IN FRANCE. 19
Fite, which nearly anfwers to our Wake — but
with this difference, that it was numeroufly
attended by all ranks, and the amufement was
dancing, inftead of wreftling and drinking.
Several fmall fields, or different parts of a
large one, were provided with mufic, diftin
guifhed by flags, and appropriated to the feveral
claffes of dancers — one for the peafants, another
for the bourgeois, and a third for the higher
orders. The young people danced beneath the
ardour of a July fun, while the old looked on
and regaled themfelves with beer, cyder, and
gingerbread. I was always much pleafed with
this village feftivity : it gratified my mind more
than felect and expenfive amufements, be
caufe it was general, and within the power of
all who chofe to partake of it ; and the little
diftinction Of rank which was preferved, far
from diminifhing the pleafure of any, added, I
am certain, to the freedom of all. By mixing
with thofe only of her own clafs, the Payfanne*
was fpared the temptation of envying the pink*
ribbons of the Bourgeoife, who in her turn was
* The head-drefs of the French Payfanne h uniformly
a fmall cap, without ribbon or ornament of any kind, except
in that part of Normandy which is called the Pays de Cau.x,
where the Payfannes wear a particular kind of head-drefs,
ornamented with filver.
ca not

%& A RESIDENCE
not- difturbed- by an immediate rivalfhip wi'tft
die fafh and plumes of the provincial belle,
But this cuftom is now, much on the decline,
The young women -avoid occafions where an
inebriated foldier may offer himfelf as her part
ner in the dance, and her refufal be attended
with infult to herfelf, and8 danger to thofe who
protect, her j, and as this licence is, nearly as-
offenfive to the decent Bourgeoife as to the female
of higher condition, this fort of fete will moft
probably be entirely abandoned.
The people here all dance much better than
thofe of the fame rank in England; but this
national accomplifhtnent is not inftinctive : for
though few of the laborious claft have been
taught to read, there are fcarcely any fo poor
as not to beftow three livres for a quarter's in-
ftruct'ion from a dancing mafter ; ahd with this
three months' noviciate they become qualified
to dance through the reft of their lives.
, The rage for emigration, and the approach
of the Auftrians, have occafioned many reftric-
tions on travelling,-, efpecially near the fea-
eoaft or frontiers. No perfon can pafs through
a town without a paflport from the municipality
he refides in, fpecifying his age, the place of
his

IN FRANCE. Zt
his birth, his deftination, the height of his
perfon, and the features of his face. The
Marquis de C  entered the town yefter
day, and at the gate prefented his paffport as
ufual : the guard looked at the paffport, and in
a high tone demanded his name, whence he
came, and where he was going. M. de C 
referred him to the paflport, and fufpecting the
man could not read, perfifted in »efufing to
give a verbal account of himfelf, but with much
civility preffed the perufal of the paflport; add
ing, that if it was informal, Monfieur might
write to the municipality that granted it. The
man, however, did not approve of the jeft,
and took the Marquis before the municipality,
who fentenced him to a month's imprifonment
for his pleafantry.
The French are becoming very grave, and a
bon-mot will not now, as formerly, fave a man's
life. — I do not remember to have feen in any
Englifh print an ahcedote on this fubject, which
at once marks the levity of the Parifians, and
the wit and prefence of mind of the Abbel
Maury. — At the beginning of the revolution,
when the people were very much incenfed againft
the Abbe, he was one day, on quitting the
Affembly, furrounded by an enraged mobi
c 3 wha

.** A RESIDENCB
who feized on him, and were hurrying him
away to execution, amidft the univerfal cry of
a U lantirne ! a la lantirne ! The Abbe, with
much coolnefs and good humour, turned to,
thofe neareft him, " Eh bien mes arnis et quand
jeferois a la lantirne, en vertex vous plus clair f
Thofe who held him were difarmed, the bon-
mot flew through the croud, and the Abbe
efcaped while they were applauding it.  1
have nothing to offer after this trait which is
worthy of fucceeding it, but will add that I am
always Yours.

LETTER V.
July 24, 179a,
OUR revolution-aera has paffed tranquilly in
the provinces, and with lefs turbulence at Paris
than was expected. I confign to the Gazette-
writers thofe long defcriptions that defcribe
nothing, and leave the mind as unfatisfied as
the eye. I content myfelf with obferving only,
that the ceremony here was gay, impreflive,
.and animating. I indeed have often remarked,
that the works of nature are better defcribed than

IN 'FRANCE. 4J
than thofe of art. The fcenes of nature,
though varied, are uniform ; while the produc
tions of art are fubject to the caprices of whim,
and the viciffitudes of tafte. A\ rock, a wood,
or a valley, however the fcenery may be diver
fified, always conveys a perfect and diftinCt
image to" the mind ; but a temple, an altar, a
palace, or a pavilion, requires a detail, minute
even to tedioufnefs, and which, after all, gives
but an imperfect notion of the object. I have
as often read defcriptions of the Vatican, as of
the Bay of Naples ; yet I recollect little of the
former, while the latter feems almoft familiar
to me, — Many are ftrongly impreffed with the
fcenery of Milton's Paradife, who have but con-
fufed ideas of the fplendour of Pandemonium.
The defcriptions, however, are equally minute,
and the poetry of both is beautiful.
But to return to this country, which is not
abfolutely a Paradife, and I hope wiU not be
come a Pandemonium — the ceremony I have
-been alluding to, though really interefting, is
by no means to be confidered as a proof that
the ardour for liberty increafes : on the con
trary, in proportion as thefe fife's become more
frequent, the enthufiafm which they are meant to
excite feems to diminifh. " For ever mark, Lu-
cilius, when Love begins to ficken and decline,
C4 it

&4 A RESIDENCE
it ufeth . an enforced ceremony." When there
were no federations the people were more united.
The planting trees of liberty feems to have
damped the fpirit of freedom ; and fince there has,
been a decree for wearing the national colours,
theylare more the marks of obedience than proofs;
qf affection.— I cannot pretend to decidewhether-
the leaders ofthe people find their followers lefs,
warm than they were, and think it neceffary to
ftimulate them by thefe fhows, or whether the
fhows themfelves, by too frequent repetition,
have rendered the people indifferent about the
objects of them.— Perhaps both thefe fuppo-.
fitions are true. The French are volatile and
material ; they are not very capable of attach*
ment tp principles. External objects are re-,
quifite for them, even in a flight degree ;' and
the momentary enthufiafm that is obtained by
affecting their fenfes fubfides with the conclfc
ion of a favourite,air, or the end.of a gaudy
proceffion. The Jacobin party are daily gaining ground ;
and fince they have forced, a miniftry i>f-their
qwnqnthe King, their triumph has -become
ftill. more infolent and. decifive.— A ftorm is,
feid to be hovering over us, which I think of
with dread, and cannot communicate with
fafety—

IN PRANCE. SJJ
fafety— <( Heaven fquare the 'trial of thofe who
are implicated, to their proportioned ftrength !"
~ — -Adieu": , -

LETTER Vit
Auguft 4, 1792.
JL Muft repeat to you, that I have no" talent for"
defcription ; and, having feldom been able to
profit by the defcriptions of others, I am mo-
deft enough not willingly to attempt one my
felf. "But, as you obferve, the ceremony of a
fcederation, though familiar to me, is not fo to
my Englifh friends ; I therefore obey your com
mands, though 'certain of hot fucceeding fo as
to gratify your curiofity in the manner you too
partially expect.
The temple where the ceremony was per
formed, was erected in an open fpace, well
chofen both for convenience and effect. Ih a
large circle on this fpot, twelve pofts, between
fifty and fixty feet high, were placed- at equal
diftances, except one larger, 'opening in front
£xy way of entrance. On each alternate poft
were

*6 A RESIDENCE
were faftened ivy*, laurel, &c. fo as to form A
thick body which .. entirely hid the fupport,
Thefe greens were then fhorn j^in the manner
you fee in old.fafhianed gardensfinto the form
of Doric columns, of dimenffons proportioned
to their height. The intervening pofts were
covered with white cloth, which was fo arti
ficially folded, as exactly to refemble fluted pil
lars — from the bafes of which afcended fpiral
wreaths of flowers. The whofe was connected
at top by: a bold feftoon of foliage, and the
?capital of each column was furmounted by a
vafe pf white lilies. In the middle of this
temple was placed an altar, hung round with
lilies, and on mit was depofed the book of the
conftitution. The approach to the altar was by
a large flight^of fteps, covered with beautiful
tapeftry. All this having been arranged and decorated,
(a work of feveral days,) the important aera was
ufhered in by the firing of cannon, ringing of
bells, ind an appearance of buftle and hilarity
not> to be feen on any other occafion. About
ten the members of the diftrict, the munici
pality, and the judges in , their habits of cere
mony^ met at the great church, and from
thence proceededto the altar of liberty. The
troops

IN PRANCE. &7
troops of the line, the Garde National of the
town, and of all the furrounding communes,
then arrived, with each their refpective mufic
and colours, which (referving one only of the
latter to diftinguifh them in the ranks) they
planted round the altar. This done, they retired,
and forming a circle round the temple, left a
large intermediate fpace free. A mafs was then
celebrated with the moft" perfect order and de
cency, and at the conclufion were read the rights
of man and the conftitution. The troops,
Garde National, &c. were then addrefled by
their refpective officers, the oath to be faithful
to the nation, the law, and the King, was ad-
miniftered : every fword was drawn, and every
hat waved in the air ; while all the bands of
mufic joined in the favorite ftrain of ga ira.—~
This was followed by crowning, with the civic
wreaths, hung round the altar, a number of
people, who during the year had been inftru-
mentalin faving the lives of their fellow citizens
that had been endangered by drowning or other
accidents. This honorary reward was accom
panied by a pecuniary one, and a fraternal
embrace from all the conftituted bodies. But
this was not the graveft part of the ceremony.
The magiftrates, however upright, were not all
graceful, and the people, though they under ftood

28

A RESIDENCE

ftOod the Value of" the money, did not that of
the civic wreaths, or the embraces'; they there
fore looked vacant enough during this paFt of
the bufinefs, and grinned moft facetioufly when
they began to examine the appearance of each
other in their oaken crowns, and, I dare fay,
thought the whole comical enough. — This is
one trait of national, pedantry. Becaufe the
Romans awarded a civic wreath for an act of
I humanity, the French have adopted the cuftom 5
i ahd decdrate thus a foldier or a failor, who
\ never heard of the Romans in nis life, except
i in extracts from the New^Teftament at mafs^,
But- to; return to owfete — of which I have
only to add, that the magiftrates departed in the
order they 'obferved in coming, andthe troops
and Garde National filed off with their hats in
the air, and with univerfal acclamations, to the
found of fa ira. — Things of this kind are not
fufceptible of defcription. The detail may be
uninte'refting, while the general effect may have
been impreflive. ' The fpirit of the fcene I have
been endeavourinig to recall feems to have eva-.'
porated under my pen ; yet to the fpectator it
was gay, elegant, and impofing. The dlyw-aa
fine,., a brilliant fun glittered on the banners,
and a gentle breeze gave them motion; while, the

IN FRANCE. 39
the fatisfied countenances of the people added
fpirit and animation to the whole.
I muft remark to you, that devots, and de
termined ariftocrates, never attend on thefe oc
cafions. The piety of the one is fhocked at a
mafs by a prieft who has taken the oaths, and
th.e. pride of the other is not yet reconciled td
confufion of. ranks and popular feftivities. 1
afked a woman who brings us fruit every .day,
why fhe had not come on the fourteenth as
ufual. She told me fhe did not come to the town*
" a caufe de lafasderation"- — ilVous ites ariftocrate
done?" — " Ah, mon Dieu, non — ce ri eft pas que
je.fuis ariftocrate, ou democrate, mais qu£ jefuis
Qhretienne.*" This is an inftance,- among many
Others I could produce, that our legiflators have
been wrong, in connecting any change of the
national religion' with the revolution. I am
every day convinced, that this and the aflignats
are the great caufes of the alineation vifible in
many who were once the warmeft patriots.-  -
Adieu : do not envy us our files and ceremo
nies, while you enjoy a conftitution which re-.
* " On account of the federation. " — " You are an ariftocrate
thdn, I fuppofe ?" — " Lord, no ! It is not becaufe I am an
ariftocrate, or a democrate, but becaufe I am a Chriftian." quiries

»
3^ A RESIDENCE
quires no oath to make you cherifh it : and a
national liberty, which is felt and valued with
out the aid of extrinfic decoration. — --Yours.

LETTER VII.
Auguft 1$, i?94.
J7 HE confternation and horror of which I
have been partaker, will more than apologize
for my filence. It is impoffible for any one,
however unconnected with the country, not to
feel an intereft in its prefent calamities, and to
regret them. I have little courage to write even
now, and you muft pardon me if my letter
fhould bear marks of the general depreffion.
All but the faction are grieved and indignant at
the King's depofirion ; but this grief is without
energy, and this indignation filent. The par^
tizans of the old government, and the friends
of the new, are equally enraged ; but they have
no union, are fufpicious,of each other, and are
finking under the ftupor of defpair, when they
fhould be preparing for revenge.— It would not
be eafy to defcribe our fituation during the laft
week. The ineffectual efforts of La Fayette, and

IN- FRANCE. 31
and the violences occafioned by them, had pre
pared us for fomething ftill more ferious. On
the ninth we had a letter from one of the re
prefentatives for this department, ftrongly ex
preflive of his apprehenfions for the morrow,
but promifing to write if he furvived it. The
day, on which we expected news, came, but
no poft, no papers, no diligence, nor any means
of information. ^The fucceeding night we fat
up, expecting letters by the poft : ftill, how
ever, none arrived ; and the courier only paffed
haftily through, giving no detail, but that Paris
was a feu et a fang.* At length, -|fter paffing
two days and nights in this dreadful fufpence,
we received certain intelligence which even ex
ceeded our fears. — It is needlefs to repeat the
horrors that have been perpetrated. The ac
counts muft, ere now, have reached you. Our
reprefentatiye, as he feemed to expect, was fo
ill treated as to be unable to write : he was one
of thofe who had voted the approval of La
Fayette's conduct — all of whom were either
maflacred, wounded, or intimidated; and.by
this means, a majority was procured to vote the
depofition of. the King. The party allow, by
their own accounts, eight thoufand perfons to
* All fire and flaughter. - have

3* - A RESIDENCE
have perifhedon this occafion ; but the num
ber is fuppofed tO be much more confiderable;
No papers are publffhed at prefent exCept thofe
whofe editors, being, members of the Affembly^,
and either agents or inftigators of the inaffacres, "
are, of courfej interefted in concealing or pal
liating them.— Mr. de^-^has juft now taken
up one ofthefe atrocious; journals, and exclaims*
wtth tears ftarting from his eyes, " On a dbdttu
hflatue d' Henri quatre!*" The facking of Rome
by the Goths offers no picture equal to the
licentioufnefs and barbarity committed in a
country winch- calls itfelf the moft enlightened
in Europe.^But, inftead of recording thefe
horrors* I will fill up my paper with the Choeur
Bearnais.f It was publifhed fome time ago in a
% periodical
* '» They have deftroyed the ftatue of Heriry the Fourth."
-j- Choeur. Bearnais,
« Un troubadour Bearnais,
' *' Les yeux inondes de larniesj
" A' fes montagnards
" Chantoit ce refr'ein foifrce d'alariries—s
" Louis le fils d'Henri
" Eft prifonnier dans Paris !
" II a tremble pour les jours
" De fa compagne cherie
* " Qui n'a trouve de fecours
« Que dans' fa propre energie ;

IN FRANCE. 33
periodical work, (written with great fpirit and
talents,) called « The Acts of the Apoftles," and,
" Elle fuit le fils d'Henri
" Dans les prifons de Paris.
" Quel crime 6nt ils done commis
" Pour etre enchaines de meme ?
" Du peuple ils font les amis,
" Le peuple veut il qu'on l'aime,
" Quand il met le fils d'Henri
" Dans les prifons de Paris ?
" Le Dauphin, ce fils cheri,
" Qui feul fait notre efperance,
" De pleurs fera done nourri ;
'" Les Berceaux qu'on donne en France
" Aux enfans de notre Henri
" Sont les prifons de Paris.
" II a vu couler le fang
" De ce garde fidfele,
" Qui vient d'offrir en mourant
" Aux Frangais un beau modele;
" Mais I-ouis le fils d'Henri
" Eft prifonnier dans Paris.
" II n'eft fi trifte appareil
" Qui du refpecT: nous degage,
" Les feux ardens du Soleil
" Savent percer le nuage : IVi ; ^
" Le prifonnier de Paris
" Eft toujours le fils d'Henri1.
vot. i. D " Franjais,

34 A RESIDENCE
and, I believe, has not yet appeared in Eng-s
land. The fituation of the King gives a pecu
liar intereft to thefe ftanzas, which, merely as
a poetical compofition, are very beautiful. I
have often attempted to tranflate them, but have
always found it impoffible topreferve the effect
and fimplicity of the original. They are fet to
a little plaintive air, very happily characteriftic
of the words.
Perhaps I fhall not write to you again from
hence, as we depart for A-^-^ on Tuefday next.
" Frangais, trop ingrats Frangais
" Rendez le Roi a fa coinpagne,
" C'eft le bien du Bearnads,
" C'eft l'enfant de la Montagne '.
" Le bonheur qu' avoit Henri
" Nous raffurons a Louis.
" Chez vouz l'homme a de fes droits
" Recouvre le noble ufage,
" Et vous opprimez vos rois,
" Ah t quel injufte partage \
" Le peuple eft libre, et Loui*
" Eft prifonnier dans Paris.
" Au pied de ce monument
" Ou le bon Henri refpire
" Pourquoi l'airain foudroyant ?
" Ah l'on veut qu' Henri confpire
" Lui meme contre fon fils
<( Dans les prifons de Paris." A change

IN FRANCE. 35
A change of fcene will diflipate a little the
ferioufnefs we have contracted _ during the late
events. If I were determined to indulge grief
or melancholy, I would never remove from the
fpot where I had formed the refolution. Man
is a proud animal even when oppreffed by mif-
fortune. He feeks for his tranquility in reafon
and reflection ; whereas, a poft chaife and four,
Or even a hard trotting horfe, is worth all the
philofophy in the world. — But if, as I obferved
before, a man be determined to refift confola-
tion, he cannot do better than ftay at home, and
reafon and philofophize.
Adieii :-^-the fituation of my friends in this
Country makes me think of England with plea
fure and refpect ; and I fhall conclude with a
very homely coupler, which, after all the fa-
fliionable liberality of modern travellers, con*
tains a great deal of truth :
" Amongft mankind
" "We ne'er fhall find
" The worth we left at home."
Yours, &c,

B 4 LETTER

36

A RESIDENCE

LETTER VIII.
Auguft aa, 179J.
HE hour is paft, in which, if the King's
friends had exerted themfelves, they might have
procured a movement in his favour. The peo
ple were at firft amazed, then grieved ; but the
national philofophy already begins to operate)
and they will fink into indifference, till again
awakened by fome new calamity. , The leaders
of the faction do not, however, entirely de
pend either on the fupinenefs of their adverfa-,
ries, or the fubmiffion of the people. Money
is diftributed amongft the idle and indigent,
and agents are nightly employed in the public
houfes to comment on newfpapers, written for
the purpofe to blacken the King and exalt the
patriotifm of the party who have dethroned
him. Much ufe has likewife been made of the
advances of the Pruffians towards Champagne,
and the ufual mummery of ceremony has not
been wanting. Robefpierre, in a burft of ex
temporary energy, previoufly ftudied, has de
clared the country in danger. The declaration
has been echoed by all the departments, and
proclaimed to the people with much folemnity.
We were not behind hand in the ceremonial of
the

IN FRANCE. 37
the bufinefs, though, fomehow, the effect was
not fo ferious and impofing as one could have
wifhed on fuch an occafion. A fmart flag,
with the words " Citizens, the country is in
danger," was prepared ; the judges and the
municipality were in their coftume, the troops
and Garde National under arms, and an orator,
furrounded by his cortege, harangued in the
principal parts of the town on the text of the
banner which waved before him,
All this was very well ; but, unfortunately,
in order to diftinguifh the orator amidft the
croud, it was determined he fhould harangue
on horfeback. Now here arofe a difficulty
which all the ardour of patriotifm was not able
to furmount. — The French are in general but
indifferent equeftrians ; and it fo happened that,
in our municipality, thofe who could fpeak
could not ride, and thofe who could ride could
not fpeak. At length, however, after much
debating, it was determined that arms fhould
yield to the gown, or rather, the horfe to the
orator — with this precaution, that the monture
fhould be properly fecured, by an attendant to
hold the bridle. Under this fafeguard, the rhe
torician iffued forth, and the firft part of the
fpeech was performed without accident ; but
d 3 when,

3" A RESIDENCE.
when, by way of relieving the declaimer, the
. whole military band began to flourifh ca kay
the horfe, even more patriotic than his rider,
curvetted and twifted with fo much animation,
that however the fpectators might be delighted,
the orator was far from participating in their
fatisfaction. After all this, the fpeech was to
be finifhed, and the filence of the mufic did
not immediately tranquillize the animal. The
orator's eye wandered from the paper that con
tained his fpeech, with wiftful glances towards
the mane ; the fervor of his indignation againft
the Auftrians was frequently calmed by the in
voluntary frifkings he was obliged to fubmit to ;
and at the very crifis of the emphatic decla
ration', he feemed much lefs occupied by his,
country's danger than his own, — The people,
who were highly amufed, I dare fay, conceived
the whole ceremony to be a rejoicing, and at
every repetition that the country was in danger
joined with great glee in the chorus of ca ira*
Many of the fpectators, I believe, had for
• * The oration confifted of feveral parts, each ending with
a kind of burden of " Citoyens, la patrie eft en danger ;" and
the arrangers of the ceremony had not felected appropriate
mufic : fo that the band, who had been accuftomed to play
nothing elfe on public occafions, ftruck up ca ira at every
declaration that the country was in danger I feme

IN PRANCE. 39
fome time been convinced of the danger that
threatened the country, and did not fuppofe it
much increafed by the events of the war ; others
were pleafed with a fhow, without troubling
themfelves about the occafion of it ; and the
mafs, except when rouzed to attention by their
favourite air, or the exhibitions of the equef-
trian orator, looked on with vacant ftupidity. — ¦
This tremendous flag is now fufpended from a
window of the Hotel de Ville, where it is to
remain until the infcription it wears fhall no
longer be true ; and I heartily wifh, the
diftreffes of the country may not he more
durable than the texture on which they are
proclaimed. Our journey is fixed for to-morrow, and all
the morning has been pafled in attendance for
our paffports. — This affair is not fo quickly dif
patched as you may imagine. The French are,
indeed, faid to be a very lively people, but we
miftake their volubility for vivacity ; for in their
public offices, their fhops, and in any tranf-
action of bufinefs, no people on earth can be
more tedious — they are flow, irregular, and
loquacious ; and a retail Englifh Quaker, with
all his formalities, would difpofe of half his
flock in lefs time than you can purchafe a three
D 4 fois

4-0 A RESIDENCE
fois ftamp from a brifk French Commis. You
may therefore conceive, that this official por
traiture of fo many females was a work of time,
and not very pleafant to the originals. The
delicacy of an Englifhman may be fhocked at
the idea of examining and regiftering a lady's
features one after another, like the articles of a
bill of lading ; but the cold and fyftematic gal
lantry of a Frenchman is not fo fcrupulous. —
The officer, however, who is employed for this
purpofe here, is civil, and I fufpected the
infinity of my nofe, and the acutenefs of Mad.
de  's chin, might have difconcerted him ;
but he extricated himfelf very decently. My
nofe is enrolled in the order of aquilines, and
the old lady's chin pared off to a " menton un,
peupointu.*" The carriages are ordered for feven to mor
row. Recollect, that feven females, with all
their appointments, are to occupy them, and
then calculate the hour I fhall begin increafing
my diftance from England and my friends. I
fhall not do it without regret ; yet perhaps you
will be lefs inclined to pity me than the unfor
tunate wights who are to efcort us. A journey

* A longifli chin. of

IN FRANCE. 41
of an hundred miles, with French horfes,
French carriages, French harnefs, and fuch an
unreafonable female charge, is, I confefs, in
great humility, not to be ventured on with
out a moft determined patience. — I fhall write
to you on our arrival at Arras ; and am, till
then, at all times, and in all places, Yours.

LETTER IX. Hefdin.
E arrived here laft night, notwithftanding
the difficulties of our firft fetting out, in tole
rable time ; but I have gained fo little in point
of repofe, that I might as well have continued
my journey. We are lodged at an inn which,
though large and the beft in the town, is fo dif-
guftingly filthy, that I could not determine to
undrefs myfelf, and am now up and fcribbling,
till my companions fhall be ready. Our embarka
tion will, I forefee, be a work of time and la
bour ; for my friend, Mad, de  , befides
the ufual attendants on a French woman, a
femme de chambre and a lap-dog, travels with
feveral cages of canary-birds, fome pots of cu
rious

4^ A RESIDENCE
rious exotics, and a favourite cat ; all of which
muft be difpofed of fo as to produce no intef
tine commotions during the journey. Now if
you confider the nature ofthefe fellow-travellers,
you will allow it not fo eafy a matter as may at
firft be fuppofed, efpecially as their fair miftrefs,
will not allow any of them to be placed in any
other carriage than her own. — A fray happened
yefterday between the cat and the dog, during
which the birds were overfet, and the plants
broken. Poor M. de  , with a fort of
rueful good nature, feparated the combatants,
reftored order, and was obliged to purchafe
peace by charging himfelf with the care of the
aggreflbr. I fhould not have dwelt fo long on thefe tri
fling occurrences, but that they are character-
iftic. In England, this paffion for animals is
chiefly confined to old maids, but here it is
general. Almoft every woman, however nu
merous her family, has a nurfery of birds, an
angola, and two or three lap dogs, who fhare
her cares with her hufband and children. The
dogs have all romantic names, and are enquired
after with fo much folicitude when they do not
make one in a vifit, that I was fome time before
I difcovered that Nina and Rofme were not the
young

IN FRANCE, 43
young ladies of the family. I do not remember
to have feen any hufband, however mafter of
his houfe in other refpects, daring enough to
difplace a favourite animal, even though it
occupied the only vacant fauteuil,*
The entrance into Artois from Picardy,
though confounded by the new divifion, is
fufficiently marked by a higher cultivation, and
a more fertile foil. The whole country we have
paffed is agreeable, but uniform ; the roads are
good, and planted on each fide with trees,
moftly elms, except here and there fome rows of
poplar or apple. The land is all open, and fown in
divifions of corn, carrots, potatoes, tobacco, and
poppies— of which laft they make a coarfe kind
of oil for the ufe of painters. The country is
entirely flat, and the view every were bounded
by woods interfperfed with villages, whofe little
fpires peeping thiough the trees have a very
pleafing effect.
The people of Artois are faid to be highly
fuperftitious, and we have already paffed a num
ber of fmall chapels and croffes, erected by the
road fide, and furrounded by tufts of trees.
* Arm chair. Thefe

44 A RESIDENCE
Thefe are the inventions of a miftaken piety ;:
yet they are not entirely without their ufe, and
I cannot help regarding them with more com
placence than a rigid Proteftant might think
allowable. The weary traveller here finds fhelter
from a mid-day fun, and folaces his mind while
he repofes his body. The glittering equipage
rolls by — he recalls the painful fteps he has paft,
anticipates thofe which yet remain, and per
haps is tempted to repine ; but when he turns
his eye on the crofs of Him who has promifed
a recompence to the fufferers of this world, he
checks the figh of envy, forgets the luxury
which excited it, and purfues his way with re-
Agnation. The Proteftant religion profcribes,
and the character of the Englifh renders un
neceffary, thefe fenfible objects, of devotion;
but I have been always of opinion, that the
levity of the French in general would make them
incapable of perfevering in a form of worfhip
equally abftracted and rational. The Spaniards,
and even the Italians, might abolifh their croffes
and images, and yet preferve their Chriftianity j
but if the French ceafed to be bigots, they
would become atheifts.
This is a fmall fortified town, though not of
ftrength to offer any refiftance to artillery. Its
proximity

IN FRANCE. 45
proximity to the frontier, and the dread of the
Auftrians, make the inhabitants very patriotic.
We were furrounded by a great croud of peo
ple on our arrival, who had fome fufpicion that
we were emigrating ; however, as foon as our
paflports were examined and declared legal,
they retired very peaceably.
The approach of the enemy keeps up the
fpirit of the people, and, notwithftanding their
diffatisfaction at the late events, they have not yet
felt the change of their government fufficiently
to defire the invafion of an Auftrian army. —
Every village, every cottage, hailed us with the
cry of Vive la nation ! The cabaret invites you
to drink beer a la nation, and offers you
lodging a la nation — the chandler's fhop fells
you fnuff and hair powder a la nation — and
there are even patriotic barbers whofe figns
inform you, that you may be fhaved and have
your teeth drawn a la nation ! Thefe are acts
of patriotifm one cannot reafonably object to ;
but the frequent and tedious examination of
one's paflports by people who can't read, is not
quite fo inoffenfive, and I fometimes lofe my
patience. A very vigilant Garde National yef
terday, after fpelling my paflport over for ten
minutes, objected that it was not a good one.
I main-

46 A RESIDENCE
I maintained that it was; and feeling a momen
tary importance at the recollection of my coun
try, added, in an affuring tone, " Et d 'ailleurs
jefuis Anglaife et par confequent libre d'aller ou
bon me femble.*" The man flared, but admitted
my argument, and we paffed on.
My room door is half open, and gives me a
profpect into that of Mad. de L  -, which is
on the oppofite fide of the paflage. She has
not yet put oh her cap, but her grey hair is
profufely powdered ; and, with no other gar
ments than a fhort under petticoat and a Corfet,
fhe ftands for the edification of all who pafs,
putting on her rouge with a ftick ahd a bundle
of cotton tied to the end of it. — All travellers
agree in defcribing great indelicacy to the
French women ; yet I have feen ho accounts
which exaggerate it, and fcarce any that have not
been more favourable than a ftrict adherence to
truth might juftify. This inattractive part of
the female national character is not confined to
the lower or middling claffes of life ; and art
Englifh woman is as likely to be put to the!
blufh in the boudoir of a Marquife, as in the'
* " Befides, I am a native of England, and, confequenttyj
have a right to go where I pleafe." fhop

IN FRANCE. 47
fhop of the grifette, which ferves alfo for her
drefling-room. If I am hot too idle, or too much amufed,
you will foon be informed of my arrival at
Arras ; but though I fhould neglect to write,
be perfuaded I fhall never ceafe to be, with
affection and efteem, Yours, &c.

LETTER XI.
Arras, Auguft, 179a.
IHE appearance of Arras is not bufy in pro
portion to its population, becaufe its population
is not equal to its extent; and as it is a large,
without being a commercial, town, it rather
offers a view of the tranquil enjoyment of wealth,
than of the buftle and activity by which wealth
is procured. The ftreets are moftly narrow
and ill paved, and the fhops look heavy ahd
mean; but the hotels, which chiefly occupy
the low town, are large and numerous. — •
What is called la Petite Place, is really very
large, and fmall only in comparifon with the
great one, which, I believe, is the largeft in
France,

48 A RESIDENCE
France. It is, indeed, an immenfe quadrangle — «
the houfes are in the Spaniih form, and it has
an arcade all round it. The Spaniards, by whom
it was built, forgot, probably, that, this kind of
fhelter would not be fo defirable here as ih their;
own climate. The manufacture of tapeftry^
which a fingle line of Shakfpeare has immori'
talized, and affociated with the mirthful image
of his fat Knight, has fallen into decay. The;
manufactures of linen and woollen, are but in-
confiderable ; and one, which exifted till lately,.
of a very durable porcelain^ is totally neg^;
lected. The principal article of commerce is
lace, which is made here in great quantities.
The people of all ages, from five years old to
feventy, are employed in this delicate fabrick.
In fine weather you will fee \vhole- ftreets lined.:,
with females, each with her cufhion on her lap. ;
The people of Arras are uncommonly dirty, and
the lacemaker3 do not in this matter differ from
their fellow citizens ; yet at the door of a houfe,
which, but for the furrounding ones, you would
fuppofe the common receptacle of all the filth
in the vicinage, is often feated a female arti-
zan, whofe fingers are forming a point of un-
blemifhed whitenefs. It is inconceivable how faft
the bobbins move uhder their hands ; and they
feem to beftow fo little attention on their work, that

IN FRANCE. 49
that it looks more like the amufement of idle-
nefs than an effort of induftry. I am no judge
of the arguments of philofophers and politi1--
dans for and againft the ufe of luxury in a
ftate ; but if it be allowable at all, much may
be faid in favour of this pleafing article of it.
Children may be taught to make it at a very
early age, and they can work at home under
the inflection of their parents, which is cer
tainly preferable to crouding them together in
manufactories, where their health is injured,
and their morals are corrupted.
By requiring no more implements than about
Ave fhillings will purchafe, a lacemaker is not
dependent on the fhopkeeper, nor the head of
a manufactory. All who choofe to work have
it in their own power, and can difpofe of the
produce of their labour, without being at the
mercy of an avaricious employer ; for though
a tolerable good workwoman can gain a decent
livelihood by felling to the fhops, yet the profit
of the retailer is fo great, that if he rejected a
piece of lace, or refufed to give a reafonable
price for it, a certain fale would be found with
the individual confumer: and it is a proof of
the independence of this employ that no one
will at prefent difpofe of her work for paper,
vol. i. E and

$6 A residence;
and it ftill continues to be paid for in money,-
Another argument . in favour of encouraging
lace-making is1, that it cannot be ufnrped by
men :'• you may have men-milliners, men-man-'
tuamakers, and even ladies valets, but you
cannot well fafhion the clumfy and inflexible"
Angers- of men to lace-making. We import*'
great quantities tof laee from this country, yet
I imagine we might, by attention, be enabled
to fupply other countries, inftead of purchafing
abroad ourfelves. The art of fpihnihg is daily
improving iii England ; ahd if thread fuffi
ciently fine can be manufactured, there is no
reafon why we fhould not equal our neighbours'
in the . bfeauty of this- artiefe.. The hands of
Englifh Womeri are more delicate than thofe
of the French ; and our climate is much the
fame as thatof Bruffels, Arras, Lifle, &c. where
the fineft laee is made.
The population of Arras is eftimated af about
twenty-five thoufand fouls, though many people
tell me it is greater. It has, however, been
.lately much thinned by emigration, fttppreflion
of convents-, and the decline of trade, occa
fioned by the abfence of fo many rich inhabi
tants. — The Jacobins are here become very for
midable ; they have taken poffeffion of a church for

IN FRA'NCE*. 5X
fof their meetings', and, from being the ridi
cule, are become the terror of all moderate
people. Yefterday was appointed for taking the new
'oath of liberty and equality. I did not fee the
ceremony, as the town was in much confufion,
and it was deemed unfafe to be from home. I
underftand it was attended only by the very re-
:fufe of the people, and that, as a gaUdntirie
'analogue, the Prefident of the department gave
his arm to Madame Duchene, who fells apples
"5h a cellar, and is Prefidente of the Jacobin
^'tlilb. It is, howeVer, reported to-day, that
fhe is in disgrace with the fociety for her cOn-
-:defcenfion ; ahd her parading the town with a
man of forty thoufand livres a year is thought
to be too great a compliment to the ariftocracy
of riches : fo that Monf. le Prefident' s political
gallantry has availed him nothing. He has de-
fcafed and made himfelf the ridicule of the Arif-
'i'focrates an'd Conftitutionalifts, without paying
his court, as he intended, to the popular faction.
I would always wifh it to happen fo to thofe who
offer up incehfe to the mob. As human beings,
as one's fellow creatures, the poor and uninformed
have a claim to our affection and benevolence,
but when they become legiflators, they are ab-
e a furd

$*• A RESIDENCE
furd and contemptible tyrants.— A propos-^
were obliged to acknowledge this new fove
reignty by illuminating the houfe on the occa->
fion ; and this was not ordered by nocturnal
vociferation,, as.in England, but by a regular
command from an officer deputed for that pur-
P°fe. I am concerned to fee the people accuftomed
to take a number of incompatible oaths with"
indifference : it neither will nor- can come to-
any good; and I am ready to exclaim with
Juliet—" Swear not at all." Or, if ye muft
fwear, quarrel not with the Pope, that your
confciences may at leaft be relieved by difpen-
fations and indulgences*.
To-morrow we go to Lifle, notwithftanding
the report that it has already beenfummoned to-
furrender. You will fcarcely fuppofe it poffible,
yet we find it difficult to learn the certainty of
this, at the diftance of only thirty miles ; but
Communication "is" 'much lefs frequent and eafy
here than in England. I am not one of thofs
" unfortunate women Who delight in war ;!*
and, perhaps, the fight of this place, fo fa
mous for its fortifications, will not be very
amuflng to "me, 'Hor furnifh much matter of
- J communi-

IN. FBANCE. 53
communication for my friends; but I fhall write,
if it be only to affure you that. I am not made
prize of by the Auftrians.  Yours, &c, .

LETTER XII.
Lifle, Auguft, 179a.
JL 0 U reftlefs iflanders, who are continually
racking imagination to perfect the art of moving
from one place to another, and who can drop
afleep in a carriage and wake at an hundred
miles diftance, have no notion of all the diffi
culties of a day's journey here. In the firft
place, all the horfes of private perfons have
been taken for the ufe of the army,, and thofe
for hire are conftantly employed in going to the
camp — hence there is a difficulty in procuring
horfes. Then a French carriage is never in
order, and in France a job is not to be done
juft when you want it— fo that there is often a
difficulty in finding vehicles. Then there is
the difficulty of paflports, and the difficulty
of gates, if you want to depart early. Then
the difficulties of patching harnefs on the road,
and, above all, the inflexible fang froid of
£ 3 drivers.

5^. A RESIB-ENCE"
drivers. All thefe things confidered, you wil|
not wonder that we came here a day after we..
intended, and arrived at night, when we
Ought "to. have arrived . at noon,  The car
riage wanted: a trifling repair, and we could
get neither paflports nor horfes. The horfes
were gone to the army — -the municipality, to,
the club — and the blackfmith. was. employed
at the barracks in making a. patriotic harangue
to the foldiers. But we at length furmounted
all thefe obftacles, jand reached this place laft
night. The road between Arras and Lifte is equally
rich with that we before paffed, but is. much
more diverfiffed. The plain of Lens., is now
fuch a fcene of fertility, that one forgets if
has once been that of war and carnage;. We,
endeavoured to learn in the town whereabouts
the column was erected that comme.morates.that;
famous battle,* but no one feemed to know.
any thing of the matter. One who, we flat
tered ourfelves, looked, more intelligent than
the reft, and whom we fupppfed might be an,
attorney, upon being afked for this fpot,-rr
(where, added Mr. de  -, by way of aflift-
ing his, memory, " le Prince de Condi s'eft battu.
ft bien") — replied, " Pour la bataille je n en fah.
*, 1.648. rien%

IN FRANCE. 5J
fien, mais pour- le . Prince tie 'Condi il y a deja
quelque terns qu'il eftemigri-^-on le dit a Coblentz.*
After this we thought it -in vain to make any
farther enquiry; and continued our walk about
the town-.
Mr. P . , who, according to French cuf
tom", had not breakfafted> took a fancy to flop
at abaker's fhop and buy a roll. The man be-
ftowed fo much more civility on us than our
two fois were worth, that I obferved, on quit
ting the fhop, I was fure he muft be an Arif
tocrate. Mr. P — — , who is a warm Confti-
tutioiialift, - difputed the juftice of my infer
ence, and we agreed to return, and learn the
baker's political principles. After afking for
more rolls, we accofted him with the ufual
phrafe, " Et vous, Monjieur, vous etes bon pa-
friot"e?"—iCAb, monDieu, oui, (replied he,) ilfaut
fijen Titre a pref ent. \" Mr. P  admitted the
maiVs tone of voice and countenance as good

* " Where the Prinee of Conde fought fo gallantly."
" As to the battle, I know nothing about the matter ; but for
the Prince of Conde, he emigrated fome time fince — they fay-
he is at Coblentz."
f " And you, Sir, are, without doubt, a good patriot ?"—
*' Oh Lord, Sir, yes ; one's obliged to be fo, now-a-days."
e 4 evidence;,

j?0". A RE^TD'EnSe
evidence, and acknowledged i I was right.— It
is certain that the French ^have taken it ! into
their heads, that coarfenefs of, manners is a ne
ceffary confequence of liberty, and that there is
a kindof lize nation in-being too civil; fo that,
in general, I think I can difcover the principles
of fhopkeepers, even without the indications
of a melancholy mien at theaffignats, or lamen
tations oh the times.
The new doctrine of primeval equality has
already made. fome progrefs. At a fmall inn at
Carvih, where, upon the aflurance that they
had every thing in the world, we flopped to,
dine, oh my obferving they had laid more
covers than wererneceffary,4 the woman ar*-
fwered, " Et les domefiiques, ne dihent ils pas ¦¦?*"
We told her not with tis,-^ and- the plates were
taken away ; but we heard her muttering in the
kitchen, that fhe believed We were ariftocrates
going fo emigrate. She might imagine alfo that
wei' we're difficult fo- fatisfy, for we found it
impoffible to dine, and left the houfe hungry,
riotwithftanding there was "every thing iri the
worldi' ih it. S':!-;- acnqqfi sa. ;
¦i i-- )ar>v"'-j} :'¦' b--i?!\.f \ ... ; ¦ ¦'--'--.- >¦-.,« - -,'_<•
' •"* " And, pray, are the fervants io have no dinner?''
-.'.i'j wj « ">7 '',.-, !)>i^, v'7 " "7-. ..¦¦;, vm?.r.«
t '-* On

: IN- FRANCE, 57
:7-Qnthe road between Garvin tandLifle we
faw Dumouriez, who is going to take the com
mand of the army, and has now been vifiting
the camp of Maulde. He appears to be under
the middle fize, - about : fifty years of age, with
a brown -complexion, dark eyes, and an ani
mated countenance. He . was not originally
diftinguifhed either by birth or fortune, and
has arrived at his prefent fituation by a -concur
rence of fortuitous circumftances, by great and
various talents, much "addrefs, and a fpirit of
intrigue, He is now fupported by the prevail
ing party ; and, I cdnfefs, I could not regard
with much complacence a man, whom the ma
chinations of the Jacobins had forced into the
miniftry, and whofe hypocritical and affected
refignation has contributed to deceive the peo^
pie, and ruin the King.
: -Lifle has all the air of a great town, and the
mixture of commercial induftry and military
occupation gives it a very gay and populous
appearance. The Lillois are highly patriotic,
highly incenfed againft the Auftrians, and re
gard the approaching fiege with more contempt
than apprehenfion. I afked the fervant who
was making my bed this morning, how far tha
enemy was off. " Une lieue et demie, ¦ ou deux
lieuest

a9 A RESIDENCE
hues, a moins qu'ils ne fqient plus avancis A,
fuis Her*" replied fhe, with the utmoft indif
ference.— I own, I did not much approve of
fuch a vicinage, and a view of the fortifications
(which did not make the lefs impreffion, becaufe
I did no,t underftand them,) was ahfolutely ne-.
ceflary to raife my drooping courage.
This morning was dedicated to, vifiting the
churches, citadel, and Collifee (3 place of"
amufement in the manner of our Vauxhall) *
but all thefe things have been fo often defcribed
by much abler pens, that I cannot inpdeftly
pretend jtoadd any thing on. the fubject-..
In the evening we were at the theatre, which
is large, and handfome ; and the conftant refi-
dence qf a numerous garrifon enables it to en-.
terrain a very good fet of performers. :— their-
operas in particular are extremely weil got up.
J faw Zemire ei Azar -given better than at Drury
Lane.-rdn the farce, which was called Le Fran-
pis a. fjottdres, was introduced a character they
called that of an Englifhman, (Jack Roaftbeef,)
who pays Ids addreffes to a nobleman's daugh
ter, in a .box coat, a large hat flouched over
¦* " A league and a half, or tyro leagues ; unlefs, indeed,
they have advanced fince yefterday." his

-IN J?*AStC-E. 59
his.eyesv-aiid an oaken towel in lnVhond— in'
fhort, the whole figure exatfly refembling that
qf a -watchman. ffHis converfation is grofs. and
fareaftic, interlarded with oaths, or relieved by
fits of fullen taciturnity— -fuch a lover as one
may fuppofe, though rich, and the clioice of
the lady's father, makes no impreffion ; andthe
author has flattered the national vanity by mak
ing the heroine give the preference to a French
Marquis. -Now there is no doubt but nine-
tenths of the audience thought this a good
portraiture of "the Englifh character, and en
joyed it with all the fatisfaction of confcioas
fuperiority. — The ignorance that prevails with
regard to our manners and cuftoms, among a
people fo near us, is furprizing. n'It is true, that
the twbleffe who have vifited England with
proper recommendations, and have been intro
duced to, the beft" fociety, do us juftice: the
men of letters alfo, who, from party motives,
extol every thing Englifh, have done us perhaps
more than juftice.-" But I fpeak of 'the. French
in general j not the lower claffes only, but the
gentry of the provincesf^and even thofe whom
other refpects have pretenfions to. information.
The fact is," living ih England is expenfive : a
Frenchman, whofe income here fupports him
as a gentleman, goes over and finds all his habits
J of

6o

A RESIDENCE"

of ceconomy infufficient to keep him. from ex
ceeding the limits he had prefcribed to himfelf?
His decent lodging alone cofts him a great part
of his revenue, and obliges him to be ftrictly
parfimonious of the reft. This drives him to
affociate chiefly with his own countrymen, to
dine at obfcure coffee-houfes, and pay his court
to opera-dancers. He fees, indeed, our the-.
atres, our public walks, the outfide of our pa-.
laces, and the infide of churches : but this, gives
him no idea of the manners of the people in
fuperior life, or even of eafy fortune. Thus
he goes home, and afferts to his untravelled.
countrymen, that our King and Nobility are
ill lodged, our churches mean, and that the
Englifh are barbarians, who dine without foup,.
ufe no napkin, and eat with their knives. — I
have heard a gentleman of fome refpectability
here obferve, that our ufual dinner was an im
menfe joint of meat half dreft, and a difh of
vegetables fcarcely dreft at all.-^Upon queftion-
ing him, I difcovered he- had lodged in St.
Martin's Lane, had likewife boarded at a coun
try attorney's of the loweft clafs, and dined a&
an ordinary at Margate,
Some few weeks ago the Marquis de P — — *
fet out from Paris in the diligence, and accom panied

IN FRANCE.-' 6t
pariiedby his fervant, with a defign of emi
grating. Their only fellovV-traveller wa's an
Englifhman, whom they frequently addreffed,
and endeavoured to enter into converfation with 5
but he either remained filent, or- gave them to
underftand he was intirely ignorant of the lan
guage. Under this perfuafion the Marquis and
his valet freely difeuffed their affairs, arranged
their plan of emigration, and expreffed, with
little ceremony, their political opinions. At
the end of their journey they Were denounced
by their companion, and conducted to prifon.
The magiftrate who took the information men
tioned the circumftance when I happened to be
prefent. Indignant at fuch ah act in an Erig-
lifhman, I enquired his name. You will judge
of my furprize, when he affured me it was the
Englifh Ambaffador. I obferved to him, thai
it was* not common for our Ambaffador to travel
in ftage-coaches : this, he'faid, he knew ; but
that having reafon- to fufpect the Marquis*
Monfieur l'Ambafladeur had had the goodnefs
to have him watched, and had taken thisjburney
on purpofe to detect him. It was not without
much reafoning,- and the evidence of a lady
who had been in England long enough to know
the impoflibility of fuch a thing, that I would
juftify Lord G— — *- from this piece of complai- fance

fo k Iti-SfiS-ENCE
fance to the JaCobiris, and convince the worthy
magiftrate he had been Iriip'ofed. iipon: yet this
mart is the- Profeffor of Eloquence at a cbllege,-
is the oracle df the jacobin fociety, ahd may
perhaps become a member of the Convention;
This feems fo almoft incredibly abfurd, that
I fhould fear td repeat it, Were it hot known td
many befides myfelf; but I think I may Venture
to pronounce, from my own obfervation, and
that of differs, whdfe judgement, ahd Occafion^
of exercifing it, give weight to their oppinions,
that the generality Ofthe French who have read
a little are mere pedants, nearly unacquainted
with modern hatidns, their commercial and po
litical relation, their internal law3, characters j
or mariners. Their ftUdres are chiefly confined
to Rollih and Plutarchj the deiftical works df
Voltaire, arid the vifioriary politics' df Jeah
Jaques. Hence they amufe their hearers with
allufions to Caefar and Lycurgus, the Rubicon
and Thermopylae— hence they pretend to be tod
enlightened for belief, and defpife all govern
ments not founded on the Contrdt Social, bt trie
Profejfibn de Fbi. They are ari age -removed
frorii the ufeful Iiteratureand general mforrriatioh
Of the thiddlfe clafles ih Our Own country — they
talk familiarly of Sparta and Lacedemoh, arid
have about the fame idea of Rtlffia 4s 'they Have
of Gaffraria. Yours. LETTER

IN FRANCE. 63.

LETTER XIII.
Lifle, 1792:-
" MARRIED to another, and that before
thofe fhoes wete old with which fhe followed
my poor father to the grave." — There is fcarcely
any circumftance, or fituatiori, in which, if
ehe's memory were good, one fhould not be
mentally quoting Shakfpeare. I have juft now
been whifpering the above, as I paffed the altar
6f liberty, which ftill remains on the Grande
Place. But "¦ a month, a little month," , agoy
on this altar the French fwore to maintain the
conftitution, ahd to be faithful to the law and
the King ;: yet this conftitution is no more, the
laws are violated, the King is dethroned, and
thfe altar is now only a monument of levity and
perjury, which they have not feeling enough to
remove.- The Auftrians afe daily expected to befiege
this place',- and they may deftroy, but they will
not take it. I do not, as you may fuppofe,
Venture to- fpeak fo decifively in a military
point of view — I know as little as poflible of
the excellencies of Vauban, or the adequacy of
the garrifon ; but I draw my inference from the
fpirit

64 A RESIDENCE
fpirit Of enthufiafm which prevails among the
inhabitants of every elafs — every individual
feems to partake of it : the ftreets refound with
patriotic acclamations, patriotic fongs, war,
and defiance.— -Nothing can be more animating
than the theatre; Every allufion to the Au
ftrians, every fong or fentence, expreffive of
determined refiftance, is followed by burfts of
affent, eafily diftinguifhable not to be the effort
of party, but the. fentiment' of the people in
general.. There are, doubtlefs, here, as in all
other places,- party diffehfions ; but the threat
ened liege feems at leaft to have united all for
their common defence : they know that a bomb
makes ho diftinction between Feuillans,. Jaco
bins, or Ariftocrates, arid neither are fo anxious
to deftroy the other, when it is only to be done
at fuch a rifk to themfelves. I am even willing
to hope that fomething better than mere felfifh-
nefs has a fhare in their uniting to preferve one
of the fiheft, and, in every fenfe, one of the
moft iritereftirig, towns in France* Lifie, Saturday*
We ate juft on our departure for Arras,
where, I fear, we fhall fcarcely arrive before the
gates are flint. We have been detained here
much

IN PRANCE. 6^
much beyond our time, by a circumftance in-
nnitely'fhocking, though, in fact, not properly
a fubject of regretf One of the aflaffins of
General Dillon was this morning guillotined
before the hotel Where we are lodged, — I did
not, as you will conclude, fee the operation ;
but the mere circumftance of knowing the mo
ment it was performed, and being fo near it,
has much unhinged me. The man, however,
deferved his fate, and fuch an example was par
ticularly neceffary at this time, when we are
without a government, and the laws are relaxed.
The mere privation of life is, perhaps, more
tpiickly effected by this inftrument than by any
other means ; but when we recollect that the
preparation for, and apprehenfion of, death,
conftitute its greateft terrors ; that a human hand
muft give motion to the Guillotine as well, as to
the axe ; and that either accuftoms a people,
already fanguinary, to the fight of blood, I think
little is gained by the invention. It was ima
gined by a Monf. Guillotin, a phyfician of
Paris, and member of the Conftituent Affem
bly. The original defign feems not fomuch
to fpare pain to the criminal, as obloquy to
the executioner. I, however, perceive little
difference between a man's directing a Guillo
tine, or tying a rope ; and I- beheve the people
vol. 1. F are

66

A RESIDENCE

are of the fame opinion.. They will never fee
any thing but a bourreau * in the man whofe
province it is to execute the fentence of the
laws, whatever name he may be called by, or
whatever inftrument he may make ufe of.— ^
I have concluded this letter with a very un-
pleafant fubject, but my pen is guided by cir
cumftances, and I do not invent, but communis
cate.— Adieu. Yours, &c.

LETTER XIV.
i
Arras, Sept. I, 1 792.
LAD I been accompariied by an antiquary
this morning, his fenfibility would have been'
feverely exercifed ; for even I, whofe refpect
for antiquity is not fcientific, could not help
lamenting the modern rage for devaluation
whieh has feized the French. They are rer
moving all " fhe time-honoured figures" of the
cathedral, and painting its maffive fupporters'
in the ftyle of a ball-room. The elaborate un-
couthnefs of ancient feulpture is not, indeed^
¦* Executioner.- very

IN PRANCE. Of'
very beautiful ; yet I have often fancied there
was fomething more Amply pathetic in the auk-
ward effigy of an hero kneeling amidft his tro
phies, or a regal pair with their fupplicating
hands and furrounding offspring, than in the
graceful figures ahd poetic allegories of the
modern artift. The humble intreaty to the
reader to <f praye for the foule ofthe departed,"
is not very elegant — yet it is better calculated
to recall the wanderings of morality, than the
flattering epitaph, a Fame hovering in the air,
or the fufpehded Wreath of the remunerating
angel.  —But I moralize in vain — the rage of
thefe hew Goths is inexorable : they feem fo-
licitouS to deftroy every veftige Of civilization,
left the people fhould remember they have not
always been barbarians.
After obtaining ah order frOm the municipa
lity, we went to fee the gardens and palace
bf the Bifhop, who has emigrated. The gar
den has nothing very remarkable, but is large
and well laid out, according to the old ftyle.
It forms a very agreeable walk, arid, when the Bi
fhop poffeft it, was open for the enjoyment of
the inhabitants, but it is how fhut up and in dif
order. The houfe is plain, and fubftantially
furnifhed, and exhibits no appearance of un-
jf a becoming

68 A RESIDENCE
becoming luxury. The whole is now the pro-
perty of the nation, and will foon be difpofed
of. — I could not help feeling a fenfation of me
lancholy as we walked over the apartments.
Every thing is marked in an inventory, juft as
left; and aa air of arrangement and refidence
leads one to reflect, that the owner did not
imagine at his departure he was quitting it per
haps for ever. I am not partial to the original
emigrants, yet much may be faid for the Bi
fhop of Arras. He was purfued by ingratitude,
and marked for perfecution. The Robefpierres
were young men whom he had taken from a
mean ftate, had educated, and patronized.
The revolution gave them an opportunity of
difplaying their talents, and their talents pro
cured them popularity. They became enemies
to the clergy, becaufe their patron was a Bi
fhop ; and endeavoured to render their bene
factor odious, becaufe the world could not
forget, nor they forgive, how much they were
indebted to him.— Vice is not often paflive;
nor is there often a medium between gratitude
for benefits, and hatred to the author of theifi.
A little mind is hurt by the remembrance of
obligation— begins by forgetting, and, not un
commonly, ends by perfecuting.
We

IN PRANCE. &)
We dined and pafled the afternoon from
home to-day. After dinner our hoftefs, as
ufual, propofed cards; and, as ufual in French
focieties, every one affented : we waited, how
ever, fome time, and no cards came — till, at
length, converfation-parties were formed, and
they were no longer thought of. I have fince
learned,1 from one of the young women of the
houfe, that the butler and two footmen had all
betaken themfelves to clubs and Guinguettes ,*
and the cards, counters, &c. could not be ob
tained. This is another evil arifing from the circum
ftances of the times. All people of property
have begun to bury their money and plate,
and as the fervants are often unavoidably
privy to it, they are become idle and imperti
nent — they make a kind of commutation of
diligence for fidelity, and imagine that the ob
fervance of the one exempts them from the ne-
ceflity of the other. The clubs are a conftant
receptacle for idlenefs ; and fervants who think
proper to frequent them do it with very little cere
mony, knowing that few whom they ferve would
* Small public houfes in the vicinity of large towns, where
the common people go on Sundays and feftivals to dance and
make merry,
f 3 be

7° / A RESIDENCE
be imprudent enough to discharge them for their
patriotifm in attending a Jacobin fociety. Even
fervants who are not converts to the new prin
ciple cannot refift the temptation of abufing a
Utde the power which they acquire from a know
ledge of family affairs. Perhaps the effect of the.
revolution has not, on the whole, been favour
able to the morals of the lower clafs of people ;
but this fhall be the fubject of difcuffion at fome
future period, when I fhall have had farther
opportunities of judging.
We yefterday vifited the Oratoire, a fernr-
nary for education, which is now fuppreffedi.
The building is immenfe, and admirably calcu
lated forthe purpofe, but is already in a ftate of
dilapidation ; fo that, I fear, bythe time the legif
lature has determined what fyftem of inftrutticm
fhall be fubftituted for that wjiich has, been,
abolifhed, the children (as the French are fond
of examples from the ancients) will take their-
leflbns, like the Greeks, in the open air ; and,
in the mean while, become expert in lying and
thieving, like the Spartans.
The Superior of the houfe is. an immoderate,
revolutionift, fpeaks Englifh very well, and
is a great admirer of our party writers. In his
room

IN FRANCE. 71
room I obferved a vaft quantity of Englifh
books, and on his chimney ftood what he called
a patriotic, clock, the dial of which was placed
between two pyramids, on which were infcribed
the names of republican authors, and on the
top of one was that of our countryman, Mr.
Thomas Paine— whom, by the way, I under
ftand you intended to exhibit in a much more
confpicuous and lefs tranquil fituation. I affure
you, though you are ungrateful on your fide of
the water, he is in high repute here— his works
are tranflated — all the Jacobins who can read
quote, and all who cant admire, him , and
poffibly, at the very moment you are fentencing
him to an inftallment in the pillory, we may
be awarding him a triumph.-  -Perhaps we
are both right. He deferves the pillory from
you, for having endeavoured to deftroy a good
conftitution — and the French may with equal
reafon grant him a triumph, as their conftitu
tion is likely to be fo bad, that even Mr. Tho
mas Paine's writings may make it better !
Our houfe is fituated within view of a very
pleafant public walk, where I am daily amufed
with a fight of the recruits at their exercife.
This is not quite fo regular a bufinefs as the drill
ih the Park. The exercife is often interrupted
F4 by

7^ A RESIDENCE
by difputes between the officer and his Hives—*
foine are for turning to the right, others to the
left, and the matter is not unfrequently adjufted
by each going the way. that feemeth beft unto
himfelf.' The author ofthe " Atles des Ap6lres*"
cites a Colonel who reprimanded one of his
corps for walking ill—" Eh Diantre, (replied
the man,) comment t>eux tu que je marche bien
quand tu as fait mes fouliers trop. etroits :-^" but
this is no longer a pleafantry— -fuch circum
ftances are very common. A Colonel may often
be tailor to his own regiment, and a Captain
operate on the heads of his whole company, in
his civil capacity, before he commands them ia
his military one*
The walks I have juft mentioned were ex
tremely beautiful, but a ,great part of the
trees have been cut down, and the ornamental
parts deftroyed, fince the revolution — I know
not why, as they are open to the poor as well
as the rich, and were a great embellifhment
to the low town. You may think it ftrange
that I fhould be continually dating fome de-»
* " The A&S of the Apoftles."
•f- " And how the deuce can you expect me to march wel!*
when you have made my (hoes too tight ?" ftruction

IN FRANCE. 73
ftruction from the ssra of the revolution — that
I fpeak of every thing demolifhed, and of no
thing replaced. But it is not my fault — " If
freedom grows deftructive, I muft paint it:"
though I fhould tell you, that in many ftreets
where convents have been fold, houfes are
building with the materials on the fame fite.— «
This is, however, not a work of the nation,
but of individuals, who have made their pur-
chafes cheap, and are haftening to change the
form of their property, left fome new revolu
tion fhould deprive them of it,  Yours, Sac.

LETTER XV.
Arras, Septemher, 1793..
J^IOTHING more powerfully excites the
attention of a ftranger on his firft arrival, than
the number and wretchednefs of the poor at
Arras. In all places poverty claims compaf
fion, but here compaffion is accompanied by
horror — one dares not contemplate the object
one commiferates, and charity relieves with an
averted eye. Perhaps with Him, who regards
equally the forlorn beggar ftretched on the
threfhold,

74 A RESIDENCE
threfhold, confumed by filth and difeafe, and
the blooming beauty who avoids while fhe fuc-
cours him, the offering of humanity fcarcely
expiates the involuntary difguft ; yet fuch is
the weaknefs of our nature, that there exifts a
degree of mifery againft which one's fenfes are
not proof, and benevolence itfelf revolts at the
appearance of the poor of Arras. — Thefe are
not the cold and faftidious reflections of an,
unfeeling mind- — they are not made without
pain : nor have I often felt the want of riches
and confequence fo much as in my incapacity
to promote fome means of permanent and fub-_
ftantial remedy for the evils I have been de^
fcribing. I have frequently enquired the caufe
of this fingular mifery, but can only learn that;
it always has been fo. I fear it is, that the
poor are without energy, and the rich without
generofity. ,
The decay of manufactures fince the laft
century muft have reduced many families to
indigence. Thefe have been able to fubfift
on the refufe of luxury, but, too. fupine for
exertion, they have fought for nothing more ;.
while the great, difcharging their confciences;
with the fuperfluity of .what adminiftered to
their pride, foftered the evil, inftead of en
deavouring

IN FRANCE. 75
deavouring to remedy it. But the benevolence
of the French is not often active, nor exten
five ; it is more frequently a religious duty
than a fentiment. They content themfelves
with affording a mere exiftence to wretched-
pefs ; and are almoft ftrangers to thofe enlight
ened and generous efforts which act beyond the
moment, and feek not only to relieve poverty,
but to banifh it. Thus, through the frigid
and indolent charity of the rich, the mifery
which was at firft accidental is perpetuated,
beggary and idlenefs become habitual, and are
transmitted, like more fortunate inheritances^
from one generation to another.
This is not a mere conjecture — I have lif-_
tened to the hiftories of many of thefe unhappy
outcafts, who were more than thirty years old,
and they have all told me, they were born in
the ftate in which I beheld them, and that
they did not remember to have heard that their
parents were in any other. The National Af
fembly profefs to effectuate an entire regene
ration of the country, and to eradicate all evils,
moral, phyfical, and political. I heartily wifh
the numerous and miferable poor, with which
Arras abounds, may become one of the firft
objects of reform; and that a nation which boafts

7" A RESIDENCE
boafts itfelf the moft polifhed, the moft power
ful, and the moft philofophic in the world, may
hot offer to the view fomany obje&s fhocking
to humanity.
The citadel of Arras is very ftrong, and, as
I am told, the chef d'ceuvre of Vauban ; but
placed with fo little judgement, that the military
call it la belle inutile.* It is now uninhabited,
and wears an appearance of defolation— th?
commandant and all the officers of the ancient
government having been forced to abandon it ;
their houfes alfo are much damaged, and the
gardens entirely deftroyed.-^-*— \ never heard
that this popular commotion had arty other mo
tive than the general war of the new doetrines>
on the old,
I amforry to fee that moft of the volunteers
who go to join the army are either old men or
boys, tempted by extraordinary pay and fcar
city of employ. A cobler who has. been ufed
to rear canary birds for Mad. de— ~, brought
us this morning all the birds he was poffeffed
of, and told us he was going to-morrow tothe
frontiers. We afked him why, at his age, he

* The ufelefs beauty, fhould

IN FRANCE. 77
fhould think of joining the army. He faid, he
had already ferved, and that there were a few
months unexpired of the time that would entitle
him to his penfion. — '"Yes; but in the mean
while you may get killed ; and then of what
fervice will your claim to a penfion be ?" — -
" N' ayez pas peur, Madame — Je me menagerai
bien — on nefe bat pas pour ces gueux la comme pour
fen Roi.*"
M. de  is juft returned from the camp
of Maulde, where he has been to fee his fon.
He fays, there is great diforder and want of dif-
ciplirie, and that by fome means or other the
common foldiers abound more in money, and
game higher, than their officers. There are two
young women, inhabitants of the town of St.
Amand, who go conftantly out on all fkirmifh-
ing parties, exercife daily with the men, and
have killed feveral of the enemy. They are
both pretty — -one only fixteen, the other a year
or two older. Mr. de  ¦ faw them as they
were juft returning from a reconnoitring party.
Perhaps I ought.to have been afhamed after this
* " No fear of that, Madam — I'll take good care of my
felf : a man does not right for fuch beggarly rafcals as thefe as
lie would for his King." recital

7* A RESIDENCE
recital to decline an invitation from Mr. de
¦  's fon fo dihe with him at the camp ; but
I cannot but feel that I am an extreme coward,
and that 1 fhould eat with no appetite in fight
of an Auftrian army. The very idea of thefe
modern Camillas terrifies rne-^their creation
feems an error df nature;*
Our hoft, whofe politeriefs is indefatigable;
accompanied us a few days ago to St. Eloy, a
large "and magnificent abbey, about fix miles
from Arras. It is built on a terrace, which
commands the furrounding country as far as
Douay ,• and I think I counted an hundred and
fifty &eps from the houfe to the bottom of the
garden, which is On a level with the road:
The cloiftefs are paved with marble, and the
Church neat and beautiful beyond defcription.
The iron work ofthe choir imitates flowers and
* Their riame was Fernig; they were natives of St. Amand,'
and of no remarkable origin. They followed Dumouriez into
Flanders, where they fignalized themfelves greatly, and be
came Aides-de-Camp to that General. At the time of his
defe&iori, one of them was (hot by a foldier, whofe regi
ment (he was endeavouring to gain over. Their houfe having
been razed by the Auftrians at the beginning of the war, was
rebuilt at the expence of the nation; but, upon their partici
pation in Dumouriez' treachery, a fecond decree of the Aflembly
again levelled it with the ground. foliage

IN FRANCE. 70
foliage with fo much tafte and delicacy, that
Xbut for the colour) One would rather fuppofe
it to be foil, than any durable material.— The
monks ftill remain, arid although the decree
has paffed for their fuppreffion, they cannot fup-
pofe it will take place. They are moftly old
taen, and, though I am no friend to thefe in
ftitutions, they were fo polite and hofpitable
that I could not help wifhing they were permit
ted, according to the defign of the firft Affem
bly, to die in their habitations — efpecially as
the fituation of St. Eloy renders the building
ufelefs for any other purpofe.- — —A friend of
Mr. de  has a charming country-houfe near
the abbey, which he has been obliged to deny
himfelf the enjoyment of, during the greateft
part of the fummer ; for whenever the family
return to Arras, their perfons and their carriage
are fearched at the gate, as ftrictly as though
they were fmugglers juft arrived from the coaft,
under the pretence that they may aflift the re
ligious of St. Eloy in fecuring fome of their
property, previous to the final feizure.
I obferve, in walking the ftreets here, that the
common people ftill retain much ofthe Spanifh
caft of features : the women are remarkably
plain, and appear ftill more fo by wearing faals,
The

So A RESIDENCE
Thefaalis about two ells of black filk or fluff,
which is. hung, .without tafte or. form, on the
head, ahd is extremely unbecoming : but it is
worn only by the lower clafs, or by the aged
and devotees*
1 am a Very voluminous COrrefpondertt, but
if I tire you, it is a proper punifhment for your
infincerity in defiring me to continue fo. I
have heard of a governor of one of our Weft
Ihdia iflands who was univerfally detefted by
its inhabitants, but who, on going to England,
found no difficulty in procuring addreffes ex
preffive of approbation and efteem. The con
fequence was, he came back arid continued
governor for life. — ; — -Do you make the appli
cation of my anecdote, and I fhall perfevere in
fcribbling. — '—Ever Yours.

LETTER XVI. Arras, 1792;
JlT is not fafhionable at prefent to frequent any
public place ; but as we are ftrangers, and of no
party, we often pafs our evenings at the theatre.
I am fond of it — not fo much on account ofthe
reprefentation,

IN FRANCE. 8l
reprefentation, as of the opportunity which it
affords 'for obferving the difpofitions ofthe peo
ple, and the bias intended to be given them. The
ftage is now become a kind of political fchool,
where the people are taught hatred to Kings,
Nobility, and Clergy, according as the perfecu
tion of the moment requires ; and, I think, one
may often judge from new pieces the meditated
facrifice. A year ago, all the fad catalogue of
human errors were perfonified in Counts and
Marquiffes ; they were not reprefented as indi
viduals whom wealth and power had made
fomething too proud, and much too luxurious,
but as an order of monfters, whofe exiftence,
independently of their characters, was a crime,
and whofe hereditary poffeffions alone implied
a guilt, not to be expiated but by the forfeiture
of them. This, you will fay, was not very
judicious -. and that by eftablifhing a fort of
incompatibility of virtue with titular diftinc-
tions, the odium was transferred from the living
to the dead — from thofe who poffeffed thefe
diftinctions to thofe who inftituted them. But,
unfortunately,, the French were difpofed to find
their nobleffe culpable, and to reject every
thing which tended to excufe or favour them.
The hauteur of the nobleffe acted as a fatal
equivalent to every other crime ; and many,
vcl, i. G who

$2 A KESIDENTTE'
who did not credit other imputations, rejoiced!
in the humiliation of their pride. The^people,,
the rich merchants, and even the leffer gentry,
all eagerly concurred in the deftrudtion of an
order that had difdained or excluded them ?
and, perhaps, of all the innovations which
have taken place, the abolition of rank has ex
cited the leaft intereft.
It is now lefs neceffary to' blacken the no->
bleffe, and the compofitions of the day are di
rected againft the Throne, the Clergy, and
Monaftic Orders. All the tyrants of paft ages
are brought from the fhelves of faction and
pedantry, and affimilated to the mild and cir-
cumfcribed" monarchs of modern Europe. The
doctrine of popular fovereignty is artfully in-
ftilled, and the people are ftimulated to exert a
power which they muft implicitly delegate to
thofe who have duped and misled them. The
frenzy of a mob is reprefented as the fubli-
meft effort of patriotifm ; and ambition and
revenge, ufurping the title of national juftice,
immolate their victims with applaufe. The
tendency of fuch pieces is too obvious; and
they may, perhaps, fucceed in familiarizing
the minds of the people to events which, a few
months ago, would have filled them with horror. There

IN FRANCE. 83
There are alfo numerous theatrical exhibitions,
preparatory to the removal of the nuns from their
convents, and to the banifhment of the priefts.
Ancient prejudices are not yet obliterated, and I
believe fome pains have been taken to juftify thefe
perfecutions by calumny. The hiftory of our
diffolution of the monafteries has been ranfacked
for fcandal, and the bigotry and abufes of all
countries are reduced into abftracts, and ex
pofed on the ftage. The moft implacable re
venge, the moft refined malice, the extremes
of avarice and cruelty, are wrought into trage
dies, and difplayed as acting under the mafk of
religion ahd the impunity of a cloifter ; while
operas and farces, with ridicule ftill more fuc-
cefsful, exhibit convents as the abode of licen-
tioufnefs, intrigue, and fuperftition.*
Thefe efforts have been fufficiently fucceff-
ful — not from the merit of the pieces, but
from the novelty of the fubject. The people
in general were ftrangers to the interior of con-
events : they beheld them with that kind of re-
fpect which is ufually produced in uninformed
minds by myftery and prohibition. Even the
monaftic habit was facred from dramatic ufes ;
* See Les Rigueurs du C/oitre — Les Viclimes Cloitrees — Les
Beligieufes de Cambrai — Les Vifitandines, &c, &c.
G 2 ft)

?4 A JLESr&EirCZ
fo that a reprefentation pfcloiffers, monks, and-,
nuns, their coftumes and mariners, never fails
to attract the multitude.- — -But the fame
caufe which renders them curious, makes them
credulous. Thofe who have feen no farther than.
the Grille, and- in general. thofe: who. have been
educated :- in convents1,- are equally unqualified
to judge of the lives of the religious ; ''and their
minds,, having nounternat conviction or know
ledge of the r truth,, eafily become the converts
of fland'er andfaJfehbodV .
I cannot help.thinking, that there is fome
thing mean and. cruel im this procedure. If
policy, demand the facrifice, it does not require
that me victims fhould be rendered odious;-!
and if it be neceffary to difpoffefs them of their .
habitations, they ought not, at the moment
they are thrown upon the world, to be painted.
as monfters unworthy of its pity or protection.
It is the cowardice of the affaffin, who murders
before he dares to rob-
This cuftom of making, public amufements
fubfervient to par-ty^ has, I d'oubt not, much
contributed to the- deftrudtion of all' againft
whom it has. been employed; and theatrical. ca
lumny feems to be always the harbinger of ap
proaching

INVE&ANlCfc.i. 05
proachingruin to its- object ; yet this* is not the
greateft evil which may.arifc fromthefeinfidi-
ous politics — they areequally unfavourable both
to the morals and tafteof the people ; the ftrft
are injured beyond calculation-, and the- latter,
conupted. beyond amendment. The orders of
fociety, which formerly infpired refpect or
veneration, are now debafed and exploded ; and
mankind, once taught to fee nothing but vice
and- hypocrify in thofe whom they had been ac
cuftomed to regard as models of virtue, are eafily-
led to doubt the very exiftence of virtue itfelf:
they know not where to turn for either inftruc-
tion or example; no profpect is offered to them
but the dreary and uncomfortable view of ge
neral depravity ; and the individual is no longer
encouraged to ftruggle with vicious propenfities,
when he concludes them irrefiftibly inherent in
his nature.
Perhaps it was riot poffible to imagine prin
ciples at once fo feductive and ruinous as
thofe now diffeminated. How are the morals
of the people tdtefift a doctrine which teaches
them that the rich Only can be criminal,- and
that poverty is a fubftitute for virtue — that
wealth is holden by the fufferance of thofe who
e 3 do

86 A RESIDENCE
do not poffefs it — and that he who is the fre-*
quenter of a club, or the applauder of a party,
is exempt from the duties of his ftation, and
has a right to infult and opprefs his fellow-
citizens ? All the weakneffes of humanity are
flattered and called to the aid of this pernicious,
fyftem of revolutionary ethics ; and if France
yet continue in a ftate of civilization, it is be^
caufe Providence has not yet abandoned her. to,
the influence of fuch a fyftem.
Tafte is, I repeat it, as little a gainer by the
revolution as morals. The pieces which were
beft calculated to form and refine the minds of
the people, all abound with maxims of loyalty,
with refpect for religion, and the fubordinatiqns.
of civil fociety. Thefe are all prohibited ; and
are replaced by fuftian declamations, tending to
promote anarchy and difcord — by vulgar and
immoral farces, and infidious and flattering
panegyrics on the vices of low life. No drama
can fucceed that is not fupported by the faction;
and this fupport. is to be procured only by vili
fying the Throne, the Clergy, and Nobleffe.
This is a fuccedaneum for literary merit, and
thofe who difapprove are menaced into filence;
while the multitude, ' who do not judge but imi
tate)

IN FRANCE. 87
fate, applaud with their leaders — and thus all
their ideas become vitiated, and imbibe the cor
ruption of their favourite amufement.
I have dwelt on this fubject longer than I in
tended ; but as I would not be fuppofed preju
diced nor precipitate in my affertions, I will, by
the firft occafion, fend you fome of the moft
popular farces and tragedies : you may then
decide yourfelf upon the tendency ; and, by
comparing the difpofitions of the French be
fore, and within, the laft two years, you may
alfo determine whether or not my conclufions
are warranted by fact. Adieu.  Yours.

LETTER XVII.
Arras, 1^92.
UK countrymen who vifit France for the
firft time — their imaginations filled with the
epithets which the vanity of one nation has
appropriated, and the indulgence of the other
fan ctioned — are aftonifhed to find this " land
of elegance," this refined people, extremely
inferior to the Englifh in all the arts that mini-
G4 fter

88/ A RESIDENCE
fter to thfe,, comfort and accommodation of life.
They are furprized to- feel themfelves ftarved
bythe intrufion of all the winds of -heaven, or
fmothered by volumes of fmoke — that no lock
will either open or fhut — that the drawers are
alj, immoveable — and that neither chairs nor,
tables can be preferved in equilibrium. In vain
do they enquire for a thoufand conveniences
which to them feem indifpenfible ; they are not
to be procured, or even their ufe is unknown ;-
till at length, after a refidence in a fcore of):
houfes, in all of which they obferve the fame
deficiencies, they begin to grow feeptical, to
doubt, the pretended fuperiority of France, and,, <
perhaps for the firft time, do juftice to their
own unaffuming country. It muft, however,
be confeffed, that if the chimnies fmoke, they
are, ufually furrounded by marble — that the uri-
ftabfe chair, is often covered with filk — and that
if, a ropmne .cold,, it. is plentifully decked with
gilding, pictures, and glafles. — In fhort, a
French , houfe, is, .generally, more fhowy than
convenient, and feldom .conveys that. idea of
domeftic comfort which, conftitutes, the luxury
of -.an Englifhman.
I obferve, that the moft prevailing ornaments
here are family portraits : almoft every- dwelling, even

in france; 89
eve^ri among the'lower kind of tradefmen, is
peopled with thefe enfigns of vanity ; arid the
painters erriployed on thefe occafions, however
deficient in other requifites of their art, feem
to have an unfortunate knack at preferving
likeneffes. Heads powdered even whiter than the
originals, laced waiftcoats, enormous lappets,
and countenances all ingenioufly difpofed fo as
to fmile at each other, encumber the wainfcot,
and diftrefs the unlucky vifitor, who is obliged
to bear teftimony to the refernblance. When
one fees Whole rooms filled with thefe figures,
one cannot help reflecting dri the goodriefs of
Providence, which thus difiribUfes felf-love, in '
proportion as it denies" thofe ' gifts that excite
the admiration of others. >'
You muft not underftand what! have faid on
the 'furniture of French houfes as applying to
thofe of the nobility or people of extraordinary
fortunes, becaufe they are enabled to add the
conveniences of other countries to the luxuries ;
of their own. Yet even thefe, in my opinion,
have not* the uniform elegance of ari Englifh
habitation : there is always fome difparity be
tween the workmanfhip and the materials — fome
mixture of'fplendour and'Clumfinefs, and a want
of ;what the pairiterS call keeping ; but the houfes of

A RESIDENCE
of the gentry, the leffer nobleffe, and mer.
chants, are, for the moft part, as I have de-
icnbed-abounding in filk, marble, glaffes, anq
Pictures 5 but fli finifhed, dirty, and deficient
in articles of real ufe._I fhould, however,
notice, that genteel people are cleaner here than
in the interior parts of the kingdom. The floors
are in general of oak, or fometimes of brick ;
but they are always rubbed bright, and have
hot that filthy appearance which fo often difguffs
one in French houfes.
The heads of the lower claffes of people are
much difturbed by thefe new principles of uni-
-verfal equality, We enquired of a man we
faw near a coach this morning if it was hired,
" Monfieur — (quoth he — then checking him
felf fuddenly)— no, I forgot, I ought not to fay
Monfieur, for they tell me I am equal to. any
body in the world ':yet, after all, I know not
well if this may be true ; and as. I have drunk
out all I am worth, I believe I had better go
home and begin work again to-morrow." This
new difciple of equality had, indeed, aU the ap
pearance of having facrificed to the fuccefs of
the caufe, and was then recovering from a
dream of greatnefs which he told us had lafted
two days, Since

IN FRANCE.' 9?
Since the day of taking the new oath 'we
have met many equally elevated, though lefs
civil. Some are undoubtedly paid, but others
will diftrefs their families for weeks bythis cele
bration of their new difcoveries, and muft,
after all, like our intoxicated philofopher, be
obliged to return " to work again to-morrow."
I muft now bid you adieu — and, in doing fo,
naturally turn my thoughts to that country where
the rights of the people confift not of fterile
and metaphyfic declarations, but of real defence
and protection. May they for ever remain un
interrupted by the devaftating chimeras of their
neighbours; and if they feek reform, may it be
moderate and permanent, acceded to reafon,
and not extorted by violence !  Yours, &c.

LETTER XVIII.
September 3, 179a.
W E were fo much alarmed at the theatre on
Thurfday, that I believe we fhall not venture
again to amufe ourfelves at the rifk of a fimilar
Occurrence, About the middle of the piece, a
violent

9^ A RESIDENCE
violent outcry began from all parts ofthe houfe;
and feemed to be directed againft our box ; and"
I perceived Madame Duchene, the Prefidente
of the Jacobins, heading the legions of Paradife
wifeh -peculiar animation. You may imagine we'
were not a little terrified. I anxioufly exa-
mined^the drefs of myfelf and my companions,
and obferving nothing that could offend the
affected fimplicity of the times, prepared to
quit the houfe. A friendly voice, however,-
exerting itfelf above the clamour, informed
us that the offenfive objects were a cloak and a
fhawl which hung over the front of the. box.— -
Ybii will fcarcely fuppofe fuch groffnefs poffible
among a civilized people ; but the fact is, our
friends are of- the proscribed ciafs^ and we were:
infulted becaufe in their fociety.--- 1 have before.
noticed, that the guards which were ftationed
in' the theatre before the revolution are now re
moved, and a municipal officer, made confpi
cuous by his fcarf, is placed in the middle front
box, and, in' cafe of any tumult, is- empowered
to call in the military to his affiftance.
• We have this morning- been vifiting two ob
jects, which exhibit this country in very dif-1
ferent points of view — as the feat of wealth,
and the abode of poverty. The firft is the
abbey

IN 'FRANCE., 93
abbey- of. St. Vaaft, a -mqft ,fuperb,pi-le-r now
inhabited by monks-of various orders, but who
are preparing to quit it, in obedience,, to -the
late decrees. Nothing impFeffes one ] with a
ftronger idea of the influence of the Clergy,
than thefe fplendid edifices., We fee- them
reared amidft the folitude of defarts, and- in
the gaiety and mifery of cities ; and while they
c-hear the one and embellifh the other, they
exhibit, in both, monuments of indefatigable
labour and immenfe wealth.— The fafade ,o£
St. Vaaft is- fimple and ftriking, and the cloif-
ters .and every other part of the building are ex
tremely handfome. The library is .fuppofed to
be the fineft in France, except the King's,-
but is .now. under the feal ofjthe nation. -,- A
young monk, who was- our Cicerone, told us
he was forry it was not in his. power-to fhow; it.
" Et nous, Monfieur,- nous fomfrtesf aches auffu*"
Thus-, with the- aid of ~ fignificant -looks, -and
geftures of difapprobation, an exchange -of
fentiments took place, without a fingle expref
fion of treafonable import : both parties under
ftood perfectly well, that in regretting that the
library was inacceffible, each included all" the
circumftances which- attended- it,  A new

. — A3r- V' ;tn'.^Q
* " Artd Ave are not lefe forry than ypurfelk Sip."

church

94 A RESIDENCE
'church was building in a ftyle worthy of the
convent — I thinkj near four hundred feet long ;
but it was difcontinued at the fuppreffion of the
religious orders^ and will now, of courfe, never
he finifhed.
From this abode of learned* eafe and pious
indolence Mr. de  conducted us to the'
Mont dePiete, a national inftitution for lending
money to the poor on pledges, (at a moderate
intereft,) which, if not redeemed within a yearj
are fold by auction, and the overplus, if there
remain any, after deducting the intereft, is
given to the owner of the pledge. Thoufands
of fmall packets are depofited here, which, ta
the eye of affluence, might feem'the very refufe
of beggary itfelf. — -I could not reflect without
an heart-ach, on the diftrefs of the individual,
thus driven to relinquifh his laft covering,
braving cold to fatisfy hunger, and accumu
lating wretchednefs by momentary relief. 1
faw, in a lower room, groups of unfortunate
beings,, depriving themfelves of different parts
of their apparel, and watching with folicitude
the arbitrary valuations ; others exchanging fome
article of neceflity for one of a ftill greater—
fome in a ftate of intoxication, uttering execra
tions of defpair ; and all exhibiting a picture of
human

IN FRANCE. 9^
human nature depraved and miferable. — While
I was viewing this fcene, I recalled the magni
ficent building we had juft left, and my firft:
emotions were thofe of regret and cenfure.
When we only feel, and have not leifure to
reftetl, we are indignant that vaft fums fhould
be expended on fumptuous edifices, and that
the poor fhould live in vice and want : yet the
erection of St. Vaaft muft have maintained great
numbers of induftrious hands ; and perhaps the
revenues of the abbey may not, under its new
poffeffors, be fo well employed. When the
offerings and the tributes to religion are the
fupport of the induftrious poor, it is their beft
appropriation ; and he who gives labour for a
day, is a more ufeful benefactor than he who
maintains in idlenefs for two. — I could not help
wifhingthat the poor might no longerbe tempted
by the facility of a refource, which perhaps, in
moft inftances, only increafes their diftrefs. —
It is an injudicious expedient to palliate an evil,
which great national works, and the encourage
ment of induftry and manufactures, mightera-
dicate.* — With thefe reflections I concluded
r.-^rrf ¦ ¦ ¦><
* In times of public commotion people frequently fend
their va-luable, effects to the Mont de Piete, not only as being
fecure by its ftrength, but as it is refpe&ed by the people, who
are interefted in its preferration, mental

9** A RESIDENCE
mental peace with the monks of St. Vaaft, and
would, had it depended upon me, have readily
comprized the finifhing their great church in
the treaty.
The Primary Affemblies have already taken
place in this department. We happened to enter
a church while the younger Robefpierre was ha
ranguing to an audience, very little refpectable
either in numbers or appearance. They were,
however, fufficiently unanimous, and made up in
noify applaufe what they wanted in other refpects.
If the electors and elected of other departments be
of the fame complexion as thofe of Arras, the
new Affembly will not, in any refpect, be pre
ferable to the old one. I have reproached many
of the people of this place, who, from their
education and property, have a right to take an
intereft in public affairs, with thus fuffering
themfelves to be reprefented by the moft defpe
rate and worthlefs individuals of the town.
Their defence is, that they are infulted and
overpowered if they attend the popular meet
ings, and by electing " les geux et les fcelerats
pour deputis,*" they fend them to Paris, and
fecure their own local tranquillity. — The firft
* The fcrubs and fcoundrels for deputies. Of

IN FRANCE, 97
of thefe-affertions is buttoo true, yet I cannot
but think the fecond a very dangerous experi
ment. They remove thefe turbulent and needy
adventurers from the direction of a club to that
ofthe government, and procure a partial relief by
contributing to the general ruin.
Paris is faid to be in extreme fermentation,
and we are in fome anxiety for our friend,
M. P  , who was to go there from Montmo
rency laft week. I fhall not clofe my letter till
L have heard from him. September 4:
I refume my pen after a fleeplefs night, and
with an oppreffion of mind not to be defcribed.
Parisis the fcene of proscription and maffacres.
The prifoners, the clergy, the nobleffe, . all
that are fuppofed inimical to public faction, or
the objects of private revenge, are facrificed.
without mercy. We are here in the utmoft
terror and confternation — we know not the end
nor the extent of thefe Aorrors, and. every one
is anxious, for himfelf or his friends, Ourfociety
confifts moftly of females, f and we do not venture
out, but hover together like the fowls of hea
ven, when warned, b;y a yague yet. inftinctive
vol. 1. "5H dread

9$ A RESIDENCE
dread of the approaching ftorm. We trembfe
at the found of voices in the ftreet, and cry,
With the agitation of Macbeth, "there's knock
ing at the gate." I do not indeed envy, but I
moft fincerely regret, the peace and fafety of
England. — I have ho courage to add riiore, but
will enclofe a hafty tranflation of the letter we
received froth M. P-  , by laft night's poft.
Humanity cannot comment upon it without
ihuddering.  Ever Yours, &c.
" Rue St. Honore-, Sept. 2, 1792.
"In a moment like this, I fhould be eafily
excufed a breach of promife in not writing ; yet
when I recollect the apprehenfion which the
kindnefs of my amiable friends will feel on my
account, I determine, even amidft the danger
and defolation that furround me, to relieve
them. — Would to Heaven I had nothing more
' alarming to communicate than rny own fitua
tion ! I may indeed fuffer by accident; but
thoufands of wretched victims are at this mo
ment marked for facrifice, and are maffacred
with an execrable irhitation of rule and order :
a ferocious and cruel multitude, headed by
chofen aflaffins, are attacking the prifons,
forcing the houfes of the nobleffe and priefts, and,

IN FRANCE. 99
and, after a horrid mockery of judicial con
demnation, execute them on the fpot. The
tocfin is rung, alarm guns are fired, the ftreets
refound with fearful fhrieks, and an undefinable
fenfation of terror feizes on one's heart. I feel
that I have committed an imprudence in ven
turing to Paris ; but the barriers are now fhut,
and I muft abide the event. I know not to
what thefe profcriptions tend, or if all who are
not their advocates are to be their victims ; but
an ungovernable rage animates the people :
many of them have papers in their hands that
feem to direct them to their objects, to whom
they hurry in crouds with an eager and favage
fury. — I have juft been obliged to quit my
pen. A cart had flopped near my lodgings,
and my ears were aflailed by the groans of an-
guifh, and the fhouts of frantic exultation.
Uncertain whether to defcend or remain, I, af
ter a moment's deliberation, concluded it would
be better to have fhown myfelf than to have ap
peared to avoid it, in cafe the people fhould enter
the houfe, and therefore went down with the beft
fhow of courage I could aflume.  r will draw
a veil over the fcene that prefented itfelf —
nature revolts, and my fair friends would fhud-
der at the detail. Suffice it to fay, that I faw
carts, loaded with the dead and dying, and
H 2 driven

I'OO A RESI»ENCE
driven by their yet enfanguined murderers ; one
of whom, in a tone of exultation, cried, ' Here
is a glorious day for France !* I endeavoured
to affent, though with a faultering voice, and, as
foon as they were paffed, efcaped to my room.
You may imagine I fhall not eafily recover the
ihock I received. — At this moment they fay, the
enemy are retreating from Verdun. At any
other time this would have been defirable, but
at prefent one knows not what.to wifh for. Moft
probably, the report is only fpread with the
humane hope of appeafing the mob. They
have already twice attacked the Temple ; and I
tremble left this afylum of fallen majefty fhould,
ere morning, be violated.
" Adieu — I know not if the courier will be
permitted to depart ; but as I believe the ftreets
are not more unfafe than the houfes, I fhall
make an attempt to fend this. I will write again
in a few days. If to-morrow fhould prove calm,
I fhall be engaged in enquiring after the fate of
my friends. — I beg my refpects to Monf. and
Mad. de  ; and entreat you all to be as
tranquil as fuch circumftances will permit. —
You may be certain of hearing" any news that
can give you pleafure immediately. I have the
honour to be," &c. &c. LETTER

IN FRANCE. . 101

LETTER XVIII.

Arras, September, 1792.
OU will in future, I believe, find me but
a dull correfpondent. The natural timidity of
iny difpofition, added to the dread which a
native of England has of any violation of do
meftic fecurity, renders me unfit for the fcenes
I am engaged in. I am become ftupid and
melancholy, and my letters will partake of the
Oppreffion of my mind.
At Paris, the maffacres at the prifons, are
now over, but thofe in the ftreets and in private
houfes ftill continue. Scarcely a poft arrives
that does not inform M. de  of fome friend
or acquaintance being facrificed. Heaven knows
where this is to end !
We had, for two days, notice that, purfuant
to a decree of the Affembly, commiflioners
were expected here at night, and that the
tocjin would be rung for every body to deliver
up their arms. We did not dare go to bed on
either of thefe nights, but merely lay down in
our robes de chambre, without attempting to
H3 fleep.

J02 A RESIDENCE
fleep. This dreadful bufinefs is, however, paft.
Parties of the Jacobins paraded the ftreets yef
terday morning, and difarmed all they thought
proper. I obferved they had lifts in their hands,
and only went to fuch houfes as have an exter
nal appearance of property. Mr. de  ,
who has been in the fervice thirty years, deli
vered his arms to a boy, who behaved tohim with
the utmoft infolence, whilft he fat trembling and
almoft fenfelefs with fear the whole time they
remained in the houfe ; and could I give you an
idea of their appearance, you would think my
terror very juftifiable. It is, indeed, ftrange
and alarming, that all who have property fhould
be deprived of the means of defending either
that or their lives, at a moment when Paris is
giving an example of tumult and affaffination
to every other part of the kingdom. Knowing
no good reafon for fuch a procedure, it is very
natural to fufpect a bad one. — I think, on many
accounts, we are more expofed here than at
— — , and as foon as we can procure horfes we
fhall depart.— The following is the tranflation
of our laft letter from Mr. P  .
ft I promised my kind friends to write as
foon as I fhould have any thing fatisfactory to
communicate : but, alas ! I have no hope of
being

IN FRANCE. IO3
being the harbinger of any thing but circum
ftances of a very different tendency. I can
only give you details of the horrors I have al
ready generally defcribed. Carnage has not yet
ceafed ; and is only become more cool and more
difcriminating. All the mild characteriftics
that diftinguifh man from the wild beaft feem
annihilated ; and a frantic cruelty, . which is
dignified with the name of patriotifm, has
ufurped every faculty, and banifhed both rea
fon and mercy.
" Monf.  , whom I have hitherto known
by reputation, as an upright, and even humane
man, had a brother fhut up, with a number of
other priefts, at the Carmes ; and, by his fitu-i
ation and connections, he has fuch influence
as might, if exerted, have preferved the latter.
The unfortunate brother knowing this, found
means, while hourly expecting his fate, to
convey a note to Mr.  , begging he would
immediately releafe, and procure him an afy-
lum. The meffenger returned with an anfwer,
that Monf.  had no relations in the enemies
of his country !
" A few hours after, the maffacres at the
h 4 Carmes

104 A RESIDENCE
Carmes took place.— One Panis,* who is in the
Comiti de Surveillance, had, a few days previous
to thefe dreadful events, become, I know not
on what occafion, the depofitary of a large fum
of money belonging to a gentleman of his fec-
tion. A fecret -and frivolous denunciation was
made the pretext for throwing the owner of the
money into prifon, where he remained till
September, when his friends, recollecting his
danger, flew to the Committee and applied for
his difoharge. Unfortunately, the only mem
ber of the Committee prefent was Panis. He
promifed to take meafures for an immediate
releafe. — Perhaps he kept his word, but the
releafe was cruel and final — the prifon was at
tacked, and the victim heard of no more. —
You will' not be furprized at fuch occurrences
when I tell you that G  ,-j* whom you muft
remember
* Panis has fince figured on various occafions. He is a
member of the Convention, and was openly accufed of having
been an accomplice in the robbery of the Garde Meuble.
-j- G  was afterwards ele&ed (doubtlefs by a recom
mendation of the Jacobins) Deputy for the department of
Finifterre, to which he was fent Commiflioner by the Conven
tion. On account of fome unwarrantable proceedings, and
of fome words that efcaped him, which gave rife to a fufpicion that

IN FRANCE. IOS
remember to have heard of as a Jacobin at  ,
is Prefident of the Committee above men
tioned — yes, an aflaffin is now the protector
of the public fafety, and the commune of Paris
the patron of a criminal who has merited the
gibbet. — I know not if we are yet arrived at
the climax of woe and iniquity, but Briffot,
Condorcet, Rolland, &c. and all thofe whofe
principles you have reprobated as violent and
dangerous, will now form the moderate fide of
the Affembly. Perhaps even thofe who are
now the party moft dreaded, may one day give
place to yet more defperate leaders, and become
in their turn our beft alternative. What will
then be the fituation of France ? Who can
reflect without trembling at the profpect r — -
It is not yet fafe to walk the ftreets decently
that he was privy to the robbery of the Garde Meuble, he was
arretted by the municipality of Quimper Corentin, of which
place he is a native. The Jacobins applied for his difcharge, and
for the punifhment of the municipality ; but the Convention,
who at that time rarely took any decifive meafures, ordered
G  to be liberated, but evaded the other part of the
petition which tended to revenge him. The affair of the
Garde Meuble, was, however, again brought forward; but,
moft probably, many of the members had reafons for not dif
cuffing too nearly the accufation againft G  ; and thofe
who were not interefted in fupprefling it, were too weak or too
timid to purfue it farther. dreffed j

*Q^ A RESIDENCE
doffed ; and I have been obliged to fupply
myfelf with trowfers, a jacket, coloured neck
cloths, and coarfe linen, which I take care to
foil before I venture out.

" The Agrarian law is now the moral of Paris,
and I had nearly loft my life yefterday by tear
ing a placard written in fupport of it. I did
it imprudently, not fuppofing I was obferved;
and had not fome people, known as Jacobins,
come up and interfered in my behalf, the con
fequence might have been fatakr-It would be
difficult, and even impoffible, to attempt a
defcription of the manners of the people of
Paris at this moment : the licentidufnefs com
mon to great cities is decency compared with
what prevails in this ; it has features of a pe
culiar and ftriking defcription, andthe general
expreffion is that of a monftrous union of op
pofite vices. Alternately diffolute and cruel,
gay and vindictive, the Parifian vaunts amidft
debauchery the triumph' of aflaflination, and
enlivens his midnight orgies by recounting the
fufferings ofthe maffacred ariftocrates : women,
whofe profeffion it is to pleafe, affume the bonnet
reu<re>* and affect, as a means of feduction,
* Red cap, an

IN FRANCE, 107
an intrepid and ferocious courage.  1 can
not yet learn "if Monf. S  's filter be alive;
her fituation about the Queen makes it too
doubtful; but endeavour to give him hope-
many may have efcaped whofe fears ftill detain
them in concealment. People of the firft rank
now inhabit garrets and cellars, and thofe who
appear are difguifed beyond recollection ; fo
that I do not defpair of the fafety of fome, who
are now thought to have perifhed.— I am, as
you may fuppofe, in hafte to leave this place,
and I hope to return to Montmorency to
morrow ; but every body is foliciting paflports.
The Hotel de Ville is befieged, and I have
already attended two days without fuccefs.—*
I beg my refpectful homage to Monfieur and
Madame de  ; and I have the honour to
be, with efteem, the affectionate fervant of my
friends in general.

«c

You will read M. P  's letter with all the
grief and indignation we have already felt, and
I will make no comment on it, but to give you
a flight fketch of the hiftory of Guermeur,
whom he mentions as being Prefident of the
Committee of Surveillance.— In the abfence of
* man, whom he called his friend, he feduced his

I08 A RESIDENCE
his wife, and eloped with her : the hufband over
took them, and fell in the difpute which en-
fued ; when Guermeur, to avoid being taken by
the officers of juftice, abandoned hiscompanion
to her fate, and efcaped alone. After a variety
,of .adventures, he at length enlifted himfelf as
a grenadier. in the regiment of Dillon. With
much affurance, and talents cultivated above the
fituation in which he appeared, hebecame popu
lar amongft his fellow-foldiers, and the military
impunity, which is one effect of the revolution,
caft a veil over his former guilt, or rather indeed
enabled him to defy the punifhment annexed to
it. When the regiment was quartered' at  ,
he frequented and harangued at the Jacobin
club, perverted the minds of the foldiers by
feditious addreffes, till at length he was deemed
qualified to quit the character of a fubordinate
incendiary, and figure amongft the aflaffins at
Paris. "He had hitherto, I believe, acted with;
out pay, for he was deeply in debt, and without
money or clothes ; but a few. days previous' to
the tenth of Auguft, a leader of the Jacobins
fupplied him with both, paid his debts, pro
cured his difcharge, and fent him to Paris.
What intermediate gradations he may have
paffed through, I know not ; but it is not dif
ficult to imagine the'fervices that have advanced him

' « IN FRANTJE. IOC)
him to his prefent fituation. — It would be un-
iafe to rifk this letter by the poft, and I clofe
it haftily to- avail myfelf of a prefent convey
ance.. — , — I remain, Yours, &c.

LETTER XIX.
Arras, September 14, 1792.
JL HE camp of Maulde is broken up, and we
deferred our journey, that we might pafs a day
at Douay with M. de  's fon. The road
within fome miles of that place is covered with
corn and forage, the immediate environs are
begun to be inundated, and every thing wears
the appearance of impending hoftility. The
town is fo full of troops, that without the in
tereft of our military friends we fhould fcarcely
have procured a lodging. All was buftle and con
fufion, the enemy are very near, and the French
are preparing to form a camp under the walls.
Amidft all this, we found it difficult to fatisfy
our curiofity in viewing the churches and pic
tures": fome of the former are fhut, and the
latter concealed ; we therefore contented our
felves with feeing the principal ones...
The

IIO - A RESIDENCE
The town houfe is a very handfome building,
where the Parliament was holden previous to
the revolution, and where all the bufinefs of the
department of the North is now tranfacted. —
In the council-chamber, which is very elegantly
carved, was alfo a picture of the prefent King*
They were, at the very moment of our en
trance, in the act of difplacing it. We afked
the reafon, and were told it was to be cut in
pieces, and portions fent to the different popu
lar focieties. — I know not if our features be
trayed the indignation we feared to exprefs,
but the man who feemed to have directed this
difpofal of the portrait, told us we were not
Englifh if we faw it with regret. I was not
much delighted with fuch a compliment to our
country, and was glad to efcape without farther
comment. The manners of the people feem every where
much changed, and are becoming grofs and
inhuman. While we were walking on the ram
parts, I happened to have occafion to take
down an addrefs, and with the paper and pen
cil in my hand turned out of the direct path
to obferve a chapel on one fide of it. In a
moment I was alarmed by the cries of my com
panions, and beheld the mufquet of the centi- nel

IN FRANCE. Ill
nel pointed at me, and M. de  expoftula-
tfng with him. I am not certain if he fuppofed
I was taking a plan of the fortifications, and
meant really more than a threat ; but I was
fufficiently frightened, and fhall not again ap<-
proach a town wall with pencil and paper.
M. de  is one of the only fix officers of
his regiment who have not emigrated. With
an indignation heated by the works of modern
philofophers into an enthufiaftic love of repub
lican government, and irritated by the con
tempt and oppofition he has met with from thofe
of his own clafs who entertain different princi
ples, he is now become almoft a fanatic. What
at firft was only a political opinion is now a reli
gious tenet ; and the moderate fectary has ac
quired the obftinacy of a martyr, and, per
haps, the fpirit of perfecution. At the begin
ning of the revolution, the neceffity of deci
ding, a youthful ardour for liberty, and the
defire of preferving his fortune, probably de
termined him to become a patriot ; and pride
and refentment have given liability to notions
which might otherwife have fluctuated with
circumftances, or yielded to time. This is but
too generally the cafe : the friends of rational
reform, and the fupporters of the ancient mo
narchy,

H2 A RESIDENCE
narchy, have too deeply offended each other
for pardon or confidence ; and the country
perhaps will be facrificed by the mutual defer-
tions of thofe moft concerned in its preferva
tion. Actuated only by felfifhnefs and revenge;
each party willingly confents to the ruin of its
opponents. The Clergy, already divided among
themfelves, are abandoned by the Nobleffe —
the Nobleffe are perfecuted by the commercial
intereft — and, in fhort, the only union is
amongft the Jacobins ; that is, amongft a few
weak perfons who are deceived, and a banditti
who betray and profit by their patriotifm.
I was led to thefe reflections by my conver
fation with Mr. de L  and his companions.
I believe they do not approve ofthe prefent ex
tremes, yet they expreffed themfelves with the
utmoft virulence againft the ariftocrates, and
would hear neither of reconcilement nor pallia
tion. On the other hand, thefe difpofitions
were not altogether unprovoked — the young
men had been perfecuted by their relations, and
banifhed the fociety of their acquaintance ;
and their political opinions had acted as an uni
verfal profcription. There were even fome
againft whom the doors of the parental habita
tion were fhut.  Thefe party violences are
terrible ;

iN FRANCE. 113
terrible ; and I was happy to perceive that the
reciprocal claims of duty and affection were not
diminiihed by them, either in M. de  , or
his fon. He, however, at firft refufed to come
to A , becaufe he fufpected the patriotifm
of our fociety. I pleaded, as an inducement,
the beauty of Mad. G  , but he told me fhe
was an ariftocrate. It was at length, however,
determined, that he fhould dine With us laft
Sunday, and that all vifitors fhould be excluded.
He was prevented coming by being ordered out
with a party the day we left him ; and he has
Written to us in high fpirits, to fay, that, be
fides fulfilling his object, he had returned with
fifty prifonersi
We had a very harrow efcape in coming
home— the Hulans were at the village Of  ,
an hour after we pafled through it, arid treated
the poor inhabitants, as they ufually do, with
great inhumanity. — Nothing has alienated the
minds of the people fo much as the cruelties
of thefe troops — they plunder and ill treat all
they encounter; and their avarice is even lefs
infatiable than their barbarity. How hard is
it, that the ambition of Chiefs and the wicked-
nefs of faction, fhould thus fall upon the
innocent cottager, who perhaps is equally a
vol. i* I ftranger

114 A RESIDENCE
ftranger to the names of the one, and the prill*
ciples of the other !
The public papers will now inform you, that
the French are at liberty to obtain a divorce on
almoftany pretext, or even on no pretext at all,
except what many may think a very good one-*
mutual agreement. A lady of our acquaintance
here is become a republican in confequence of
the decree, and probably will very foon avail
herfelf of it ; but this conduct, I conceive, will
not be very general.
Much has been faid of the gallantry of the
French ladies, and not entirely without feafon.:
yet, though fometimes inconftarit wives, they
are, for the moft part, faithful friends — they
facrifice the hufband without forfaking him,
and their common intereft is always promoted
with as much zeal as the moft inviolable at
tachment could infpire. Mad. de C  , whom
we often meet in company, is the wife of an emi
grant, and is faid not to be abfolutely difcon-
folate at his abfence ; yet fhe is indefatigable
in her efforts to fupply him with money : fhe
even rifks her fafety by her folicitude, and has-
juft now prevailed on her favourite admirer to
haften his departure for the frontiers, in order to

IN PRANCE. II£
to convey a fum fhe has with much difficulty
been railing. Such inftances, are, I believe,
not very rare ; and as a Frenchman ufually pre
fers his intereft to every thing elfe, and is not
quite fo unaccommodating as an Englifhman,
an amicable arrangement takes place, and one
feldom hears of a feparation.
The inhabitants of Arras, with all their pa-
triotifm, are extremely" averfe from the affig^
nats ; and it is with great reluctance that they
confent to receive them at two-thirds of their
nominal value. The difcredit of the .paper
money has been now two months at a ftand, and
its rife or fall will be determined by the fuc
cefs df the campaign. — I bid you adieu for the
laft time from hence. We have already ex
ceeded the propofed length of our vifit, and
fhall fet out for St. Omer to-morrow.
Yours.

i a LETTER

1x6

A RESIDENCE

LETTER XX.

St. Omer, September, 1^92,
JL Am confined to my room by a flight indif-
pofition, and, inftead of accompanying my
friends, have taken up my pen to informyou that
we are thus far fafe on our journey. — Do not,
becaufe you are furrounded by a protecting
element, fmile at the idea of travelling forty or
fifty miles in fafety. The light troops of the
Auftrian army penetrate fo far, that none of
the roads on the frontier are entirely free from
danger. My female companions were alarmed
the whole day — the young for their baggage,.
and the old for themfelves^.
The country between this and Arras has theap--
pearance of a garden cultivated for the commorc
ufe of its inhabitants, and has all the fertility
and' beauty of which a flat furface is fufceptible.:
Bethune and Aire I fhould fuppofe ftrongly forti
fied. Idid not fail, in paffingthrough the former,,
to recollect with veneration, the faithful minifter'"
of Henry the Fourth. The misfortunes of thede-
fcendant of Henry, whom Sully* loved, andthe;
*¦ Maximilien de Bethune, Dug de Sully. ftate

IN PRANCE. 117
ftate of the kingdom he fomuch cherifhed, made
a ftronger impreffion on me than ufual, and I
mingled with the tribute'of refpect a fentiment
of indignation. What perverfe and malignant
influence can have excited the people either to
incur or to fuffer their prefent fituation : Were
we not well acquainted with tlie arts of factions,
the activity of bad men, and the effect of their
union, I fhould be almoft tempted to believe
this change in the French fupernatural. Lefs
than three years ago, the name of Henri Quatre
was not uttered without enthufiafm. The piece
that tranfmitted the flighteft anecdotes of his
life was certain of fuccefs — the air that cele
brated him was liftened to with delight — and
the decorations of beauty, when affociated with
the idea of this gallant Monarch, became more
irrefiftible.* Yet Henry the Fourth is now a
tyrant — his pictures and ftatues are deftroyed,
and his memory is execrated ! — Thofe who have
reduced the French to this are, doubtlefs, bafe
and defigning intriguers ; yet I cannot acquit
the people, who are thus wrought on, of un-
feelingnefs and levity. — England has had its
* At this time it was the prevailing fafliion to call any
new inventions of female drefs after his name, and to de
corate the ornamental parts of furniture with his refern
blance, 1 3 revolutions ;

Il8 A RESIDENCE
revolutions ; but the names of Henry the Fifth
and Elizabeth were ftill revered : and the regal
monuments, which ftill exift, after all the vi-
ciflitudes of our political principles, atteft the
mildnefs of the Englifh republicans.
The laft days of our ftay at Arras were em
bittered by the diftrefs of our neighbour and
acquaintance, Madame de P  . She has
loft two fons under circumftances fo affecting,
that I think you will be interefted in the relaj-t
iion. — The two young men were in the army,
and quartered at Perpignan, at a time when
fome effort of counter-revolution was faid to
be intended. One of them was arrefted as
being concerned, and the other furrendered
himfelf prifoner to accompany his brother. —
When the High Court at Orleans was inftituted;
for trying ftate-prifoners, thofe of Perpignan
were ordered to be conducted there, and the
two P  's, chained together, were taken with
the reft. On their arrival at Orleans, their
gaoler- had miflaid the key that unlocked their
fetters, and, not finding it immediately, the
young men produced one, which anfwered the
purpofe, and releafed themfelves.- The gaoler
looked at them with furprize, and afked why,
with fuch a means in their power, they had not
efcaped

IN FRANCE. HCJt
efcaped in the night, or on the road. They
replied, becaufe they were not culpable, and-
had no reafon for avoiding a trial that would
manifeft their innocence. Their heroifm was,
fatal. They were brought, by a decree of the*
Convention, from Orleans toVerfailles, (on their
way to Paris,) where they were met by the mob,
and maffacred.
Their unfortunate mother is yet ignorant of
their fate ; but we left her in a ftate little prefer*
able to that which will be the effect of certainty.
She faw the decree for tranfporting the pri
foners from Orleans, and all accounts of the
refult have, been carefully concealed from her ;
yet her anxious and enquiring looks at all
who approach her, indicate but too well her
fufpicion of the truth.  Monf. de  's
fituation is indefcribable. Informed of the
death of his fons, he is yet obliged to con
ceal his fufferings, and wear an appearance of
tranquillity in the prefence of his wife. Some
times he efcapes, when unable to contain his
emotions any longer, and remains at M. de
 's till he recovers himfelf. He takes no
notice of the fubject of his grief, and we re
flect it too much to attempt to confole him.
14 The

I'20 A KE SI DENCE
The laft time I afked him after Madame de
— — , he told me her fpirits. were fomething
better, and, added he, in a voice almoft fuf-
focated, " She is amufing herfelf with working
neckcloths for her fonsl" — When you reflect
that the maffacres at Paris took place on the
fecond and third of September, and that the
decree was paffed to bring the prifoners from
Orleans (where they were in fafety) on the tenth,
I can fay nothing that will add to the horror of
this tranfaction, or to your deteftation of its
caufe. Sixty-two, moftly people of high rank,
fell victims to this barbarous policy : they
were brought in a fort of covered waggons,
and were murdered in heaps without being taken
out.* LETTER
. * Perhaps the reader will be pleafed at a difcovery, which
it would- have been unfafe to mention when made, or in the
courfe of this correfpondence. The two young men here
alluded to arrived at Verfailles, chained together, with their
fellow prifoners. Surprize, perhaps admiration, had diverted
the gaoler's attention from demanding the key that opened
their padlock, and it was ftill in their poflefiion. On, enr
tering Verfailles, and obferving the croud preparing to attack
them, they diverted themfelves of their fetters, and of every
other incumbrance. In a few moments their carriages were
furrounded, their companions at one end were already mur«
dered,

IN FRANCE. 121

LETTER XXI.

September, 1792.
W E paffed a country fo barren and unin-
terefting yefterday, that even a profeffional
traveller could not have made a fingle page of
it. It ^ was, in every thing, a perfect contraft
to the rich plains of Artois — unfertile, neg
lected vaUies and hills, miferable farms, ftill
more miferable cottages, and fcarcely any ap
pearance of population. The only place where
we could refrefh the horfes was a fmall houfe,
over the door of which was the pompous de-
fignation of Hotel d'Angleterre. I know not
jf this be intended as a ridicule on our country,
or as an attraction to our countrymen, but I,
however, found fomething befides the appella
tion which reminded me of England, and which
one does not often find in houfes of a better out
fide ; for though the rooms were fmall, and only
two in number, they were very clean, and the
dered, and themfelves flightly wounded; but the confufion
increafing, they darted ^midft the croud, and were in a mo
ment undiftinguifliable. They were afterwards taken under
the protection of an humane magiftrate, who concealed them
for fome time, and they are now in perfect fecurity. They
were the only two of the whole number that efcaped. hoftefs

14* A RESIDENCE1
hoftefs was neat and civil. The Hotel d'Angle
terre, indeed, wasnotluxurioufly fupplied, and
the whole Of our repaft was eggs, and tea which
we had brought with us. — In the next room to
that we occupied were two prifoners chained,
whom the officers were conveying to. Arras, for
the purpofe of better fecurity. The fecret hiftory
of this bufinefs is worth relating, as it marks
the character of the moment, and the afcend-
ancy which the Jacobins are daily acquiring.
Thefe men were apprehended as fmugglers,
under circumftances of peculiar atrocity, and
committed to the gaol at  . A few days
after, a young girl, of bad character, who has,
much influence at the club, made a motion*
that the people, in a body, fhould demand the
releafe of the prifoners. The motion was- car
ried, and the Hotel de Ville aflailed by a for
midable troop of failors, fifh-women, &c. —
The municipality refufed to comply, the Garde
National was called out, and, on the mob per-
fifting, fired -over their heads, wounded a few,
and the reft difperfed of themfelves.— Now you
muft underftand, the latent motive of all this
was two thoufand livres promifed to one of the
Jacobin leaders, if he fucceeded in procuring the
men their liberty .-^1 do not advance this merely on

IN PRANCE. $-23
on conjecture. The fact is well known to the
municipality ; and the decent part of it would
willingly have expelled this man, who is one
of their members, but that they found them-.
felves too weak to engage in a ferious quarrel
with the Jacobins. — One cannot reflect, with
out apprehenfion, that any fociety fhould exift
which can oppofe the execution of the laws
with impunity, or that a people, who are little
fenfible of realities, fliould be thus abufed by
names. They fuffer, with unfeeling patience,
a thoufand enormities — yet blindly rifk their
liberties and lives to promote the defigns of an
adventurer, becaufe he harangues at a club,
and calls himfelf a patriot. — I have juft received
advice that my friends have left Laufanne, and
are on their way to Paris. Our firft plan of
paffing the winter there will be imprudent, if
not impracticable, and we have concluded to
take a houfe for the winter fix months at Amiens,
Chantilly, or fome place which has the reputa
tion of being quiet. I have already ordered
enquiries to be made, and fhall fet out with
Mrs.  in a day or two for Amiens. I may,
perhaps, not write till our return ; but fhall not
ceafe to be, with great truth, Yours, &c.

LETTER

xa4 A RESIDENCE
LETTER XXII.
Amiens, September, ij$i.
JL HE department de la Somme has the repu- ''
tation of being a little ariftocratic. I know not
how far this be merited, but the people are cer
tainly not enthufiafts. The villages we paffed on
our road hither were very different from thofe
on the frontiers. — we were hailed by no popular
founds, no Cries of Vive la nation! except from
here and there fome ragged boy in a red
cap, who, from habit, affociated this falutation
with the appearance of a carriage. In every
place where there are half a dozen houfes is
planted an unthriving tree of liberty, which
feems to wither under the baneful influence of
the bonnet rouge.* The Jacobin attribute is
made of materials to refift the weather, and
may laft fome time; but the trees of. liberty,
being planted unfeafonably, are already deacf.
I hope this will not prove emblematic, and that
the power of the Jacobins may not outlive the
freedom of the people.
The Convention begin their labours under
difagreeable aufpices. A general terror feems •
* The ted cap. to

IN FRANCE. 12^
to have feized on the Parifians,, the roads are
covered with carriages, and the inas filled with
travellers. A new regulation has juft taken
place, apparently intended to check this, reftlefs '
fpirit. At Abbeville, though we arrived late
and were fatigued, we were taken to the mu
nicipality, our paflports collated with our per
fons, and at the inn we were obliged to infert
in a book our names, the place of our birth,
from whence we came, and where we were go
ing. This, you will fay, has more the features
of a mature Inquifition, than a new born Re
public ; but the French have different notions
of liberty from yours", and take thefe things very
quietly.— -At Flixecourt we eat out of pewter
fpoons, and the people told us, with much in
quietude, that they had fold their plate, in ex
pectation of adecree ofthe Convention to take it
from them. This decree, however, has not paffed,
but the alarm is univerfal, and does not imply ,
any great confidence in the new government.
I have had miich difficulty in executing my
commiffion, and have at laft fixed upon ahoufe, qf
which I fear my friends will not approve.; but the
panic whicli depopulates Paris, the bombard
ment of Lifle, and the tranquillity whieh has
¦ hitherto

i£o A Residence
hitherto prevailed here, has filled the town,
and rendered every kind of habitation fcarce,.
and extravagantly dear ¦: for you muft remark,
that though the Amienois are all ariftocrates, yet
when an intimidated fuffererof the fame party
flies from Paris, and feeks an afylum amongft
them, they calculate with much exactitude what
they fuppofe neceffity may compel him to give,
and will not take a livre lefs.— -The rent of
houfes and lodgings, like the national funds,
rifes aiid falls with the public diftreffes, and,
like them, is an object of fpeculation : feveral
perfons to whom we were addreffed were ex
tremely indifferent about letting their houfes,,
alledging as a reafon, that if the diforders of
Paris fhould increafe, they had no doubt of
letting them to much greater advantage.
We were at the theatre laft night — it was
opened for the ifirft time fince France has been
declared a republic, and the Jacobins vocife
rated loudly to have the fteur de lys, and other
regal emblems, effaced. Obedience was no
fooner promifed to this command, than it was
fucceeded by another not quite fo eafily com
plied with — they infifted on having the Marfel-
lois Hymn fung. In vain did the manager,
, with

IN FRANCE. 127
With a ludicrous fort of terror, declare, that
there were none of his company who had any
voice, or who knew either the words or the
mufic of the hymn in queftion. " C'eft egal,
il faut chanter,*" refoundedfrom all the patriots
in the houfe. At laft, finding the thing impof
fible, they agreed to a compromife ; and one
of the actors promifed to fing it on the morrow,
as well as the trifling impediment of having no
voice would permit him.— You think your gal
leries defpotie when they call for an epilogue
that is forgotten, and the actrefs who fhould fpeak
it is undreft ; or when they infift upon enliven
ing the laft acts of Jane Shore with Roaft Beef!
What would you think if they would not dif-
penfe with a hornpipe on the tight- rope by Mrs.
Webb ? Yet, bating the danger, I affure you,
the audience of Amiens was equally unreafon-
able. But liberty at prefent feems to be in an
Undefined ftate ; and until our rulers fhall have
determined what it is, the matter will continue
to be fettled as it is now — by each man ufurp-
ing as large a portion of tyranny as his fituation
will admit of. He who fubmits without repi
ning to his diftrict, to his municipality, or even
to the club, domineers at the theatre, or exer-
* "No matter for that, they muft fing." cifes

t2# A RESIDENCE
eifes in the ftreet a manual cenfure on arifto*
cratic apparel.*
Our embarraffment for fmall change is re
newed : many ofthe communes who had iffued
bills of five, ten, and fifteen fois, repayable in
affignats, are become bankrupts, which circum
ftance has thrown fuch a difcredit on all thiskind
of nominal money, that the bills of one town will
not pafs at another. The original Creation of
thefe bills was fo limited, that no town had
half the number requifite for the circulation of
its neighbourhood : and this decreafe, with
the diftruft that arifes from the occafion of it,
greatly adds to the general inconvenience*.
The retreat of the Pruffian army excites more
furprize than intereft, and the people talk of it
with as much indifference as they would of an
event that had happened beyond the Ganges.
The fiege of Lifle takes off all attention from
the relief of Thionville — not on account of its-
importance, but on account of its novelty.— -*
I remain, Yours, &c.
* It. was common at this time to infult women in the ftreets
if drafted too well, or in colours the people chofe to call arif-
tocratic. 1 was myfelf nearly thrown down for having on a
ftraw bonnet with green ribbons.
lETTER

iii prance. t2§
LETTER XXIII.
Abbeville, September, 1794.
E left Amiens early yefterday morning,
but were fo much delayed by the number of
volunteers on the road,' that it was late before
we reached Abbeville. I was at firft fomewhat
alarmed at flnding ourfelves furrounded by fo
formidable a cortege; they however only ex
acted a declaration of our political principles, and
we purchafed our fafety by a few fmiles, and ex
clamations of Vive la nation ! There were fome
hundreds of thefe recruits much under twenty ;
but the poor fellows, exhilarated by their new
uniform and large pay, were going gaily to de
cide their fate by that hazard which puts youth
and age on a level, and fcatters with indifcri-
minating hand the cyprefs and the laurel.
At Abbeville all the former precautions were
renewed — we underwent another folemn identi
fication of our perfons at the Hotel de Ville,
and an abftract of our hiftory was again enre-
giftered at the inn. One would really fuppofe
that the town was under apprehenfions of a
fiege, or, at leaft, of the plague. My "paper
face" was examined as fufpicioufly as though I
vol. 1. K had

13© A RESIDENCE
had had the appearance of a tra-Veftied Achilles7 J
and M  's, which has as little expreffion as
a Chinefe painting, was elaborately fcrutinized
by a Dogberry in fpectacles, who, perhaps,
fancied fhe had the features of a female Ma-
chiavel. All this was done with an air of im
portance fufficiently ludicrous, when contrafted
with the object; but we met with no incivility,
and had nothing to complain of but a little
additional fatigue, and the delay of our dinner*
We flopped to change horfes at Bertiay, and
I foon perceived our landlady was a very ar-j
dent patriot. In a room, to which we waded
at great rifk of our clothes, was a reprefenta^
tion of the fiege of the Baftifle, and prints of
half a dozen American Generals, headed by
Mr. Thomas Paine. On defcending, we found
our hoftefs exhibiting a ftill more forcible pic
ture of curiofity than Shakfpeare's blackfmitlu
The half-demolifhed repaft was cooling on the
table, whilft our poftilion retailed the Gazette,
and the pigs and ducks were amicably grazing
together on whatever the kitchen produced.
The affairs of the Pruffians and Auftrians were
difcuffed with entire unanimity, but when thefe1
politicians, as is often the cafe, -came to adjuft
their own particular account, the conference was

iN FRANCE. *3»
Wis much lefs harmonious. The poftilion of
fered a ten fois billet, which the landlady re
fufed : one perfifted in its validity, the other in
rejecting it— till, at laft, the patriotifm of nei
ther could endure this proof, and peace was
concluded by a joint execration of thofe who
invented this fichu papier—*" forry paper."
At  we met our friend, Mad. de — — ,
with part of her family and an immenfe quantity
of baggage. I was both furprized and alarmed
at fuch an apparition, and found, on enquiry,
that they thought themfelves unfafe at Arras,
and were going to refide near M. de  's
eftate, where they are better known. I really
began to doubt the prudence of our eftablifhing
ourfelves here for the winter. Every one who
has it in his power endeavours to emigrate ;
even thofe who till now have been zealous
fuppbrters of the revolution. — Diftruft and
apprehenfion feem to have taken poffeffion of
every mind. Thofe who are in towns fly to
the country, while the inhabitant of the ifolated
chateau takes refuge in the neighbouring town.
Flocks of both ariftocrates and patriots are trem
bling and fluttering at the foreboding ftorm,
yet prefer to abide its fury, rather than feek
fhelter and defence together. I, however,
k 2 flatter

I32 A RESIDENCE
flatter myfelf, that the new government will hot
juftify this fear ; and as I am certain my friends
will not return to England at this feafon, I fhall
notendeavour to intimidate or difcourage them
from their prefent arrangement. We fhall, at
leaft, be enabled to form fome idea of a republi
can conftitution, and I do not, on reflection,
conceive that any poffible harm can happen
to us.

LETTER XXIV.
October, lf<)2.
JL Shall not date from this place again, intend
ing to quit it as foon as poffible. It is difturbed
by the crouds from the camps, which are
broken up, and the foldiers are extremely brutal
and infolent. . So much are the people already
familiarized with the unnatural depravity of
manners that begins to prevail, that the wife of
the Colonel of a battalion now here walks the
ftreets in a red cap, with piftols at her girdle,
boafting of the numbers fhe has deftroyed at
the maffacres in Auguft and September.
The

IN FRANCE. 133
The Convention talk of the King's trial as
fa. decided meafure ; yet no one feems to admit
even the poffibility that fuch an act can be ever
intended. A few believe him culpable, many
think him misled, and many acquit him totally :
but all agree, that any violation of his perfon
would be an atrocity difgraceful to the nation
at large. — The fate of Princes is often difaftrous
in proportion to their virtues. The vanity,
felfifhnefs, and bigotry of Louis the Fourteenth
were flattered while he lived, and procured
him the appellation of Great after his death.
The greateft military talents that France has
given birth to, feemed created to earn laurels,
not for themfelves, but for the brow of that
vain-glorious Monarch. Induftry and Science
toiled but for his gratification ; and Genius,
forgetting its dignity, willingly received from
his award the fame it has fince beftowed.
Louis the Fifteenth, who corrupted the people
by his example, and ruined them by his ex-
pence, knew no diminution of the loyalty, what
ever he might of the affection, of his people,
and ended his days in the practice of the fame
vices, and furrounded by the fame luxury, in
which he had paffed them. k 3 Louis

X34 A RESIDENCE
Louis the Sixteenth, to whom fcarcely his
enemies afcribe any vices — for its outrages againft
whom faction finds no excufe but in the facility
of his nature — whofe devotion is at once exem
plary and tolerant — who, in an age of licentiouf-
nefs, is remarkable for the fimplicity of his
manners — whofe amufements, were liberal or
inoffenlrve — and whofe conceffions to his people
form a ftriking contraft with the exactions of his;
predeceffors — Yes, the Monarch I have been
defcribing, and, I think, not partially, has been
overwhelmed with forrow and indignities — his
perfon has been degraded, that he might be
defpoiled of his crown, and perhaps the facrifice
of his crown may be followed by that of his life.
When we thus fee the punifhment of guilt
accumulated on the head of him who has not
participated in it, and vice triumph in the
fecurity that fhould feem the lot of innocence*
we can only adduce new motives to fortify our
felves in this great truth of our religion— that
the chaftifement of the one, and reward of the
other, muft be looked for beyond the inflictions:
or enjoyments, of our prefent exiftence.
I do not often moralize on paper, but there are
moments when one derives one's beft confola-
tion from fo moralizing ; and this eafy and fim ple

IN FRANCE. 135
pie juftification of Providence, which refers all
that appears inconfiftent here to the retribution
of a future ftate, is pointed out lefs as the duty
than the happinefs of mankind. This fingle ar
gument of religion folves every difficulty, and
leaves the mind in fortitude and peace : whilft
the pride of fceptical philofophy traces whole
volumes, only to eftablifh the doubts, and nou-
rifh the defpair, of its difciples.
Adieu. I cannot conclude better than with
thefe reflections, at a time when difbelief is
fomething too fafhionable even amongft our
countrymen.  Yours, &c.

LETTER XXV.
Amiens, October, 1792.
JL Arrived here the day on which a ball was
given to celebrate the return of the volun
teers who had gone to the affiftance of Lifle.*
The
* The bombardment of Lifle cofnmenced on the twenty-
ninth of September, at three o'clock in the afternoon, and
Continued, almoft without interruption, until the fixth of
October. Many of the public buildings, and whole quarters
K4 of

136 A RESIDENCE
The French, indeed, never refufe to rejoice
when they are ordered ; but as thefe feftivities
are not fpontaneous effufions, but official ordi
nances, and regulated with the fame method as
a tax or recruitment, they are, of courfe, lan
guid and uninterefting. The whole of their
hilarity feems to confift in the movement of
the dance, in which they are by no means ani
mated ; and I have feen, even among the com
mon people, a cotillion performed as gravely and
as mechanically as the ceremonies of a Chinefe
of the town, were fo much damaged or deftroyed, that the
fituation of the ftreets were fcarcely diftinguifhabls. The
houfes, which the fire obliged their inhabitants to abandon,,
were pillaged by barbarians, more mercilefs than the Auftrians
themfelves. Yet, amidft thefe accumulated horrors, the Lit-
lois not only preferved their courage, but their prefence of
mind : the rich incited and encouraged the poor ; thofe who,
were unable to aflift with their labour, rewarded with thei?
wealth : the men were employed in endeavouring to extinguifb,
the fire of the buildings, or in preferving their effects j while
women and children fnatched the opportunity of extinguishing
the fuzes of the bombs as foon as they fell, at which they
became very daring and dexterous. During the whole of this
dreadful period, not one murmur, not one propofifion to fur
render, was heard from any party. — The Convention decreed,
amidft the wildeft enthufiafm of applaufe, that Lifle had de-
ferved well of the country. — Forty-two thoufand five hundred
balls were fired, and the damages were eftimated at forty mil
lions of livres. court.,

IN FRANCE. I37
court. — I have always thought, with Sterne,
that we were miftaken in fuppofing the French
a gay nation. It is true, they laugh much, have
great gefticulation, and are extravagantly fond
of dancing : but the laugh is the effect of habit,
and not of a rifible fenfation ; the gefture is
not the agitation of the mind operating upon
the body, but conftitutional volatility ; and
their love of dancing is merely the effect of a
happy climate, (which, though mild, does not
enervate,) and that love of action which ufually
accompanies mental vacancy, when it is not
counteracted by heat, or other phyfical caufes.
I know fuch an opinion, if publicly avowed;
would be eombated as falfe and fingular ; yet
I appeal to thofe who have at all ftudied the
French character, not as travellers, but by a
refidence amongft them, for the fupport of my
opinion. Every one who underftands the lan
guage, and has mixed much in fociety, muft
have made the fame obfervations. — See two
Frenchmen at a. diftance, and the vehemence
of their action, and the expreffion of their
features, fhall make you conclude they are dif
cuffing fome fubject, which not only interefts,
but delights them. Enquire, and you will find
they were talking of the weather, or the price of

*3^ A RESIDENCE
of a waiftcoat ! — In England you would be.
tempted to call in a peace-officer at the loud
tone and menacing attitudes with which two
people here very amicably adjuft a bargain for
five livres.— In fhort, we miftake that for a
mental quality which, in fact, is but a corpo
real one ; and, though the French may have
many good and agreeable points of character, I
do not include gaiety among the number.
I doubt much if my friends will approve of
their habitation. I confefs I am by no means.
fatisfied with it myfelf; and, with regard to-
pecuniary confiderations, my engagement is
not an advantageous one. — Madame Dorval, of
whom I have taken the houfe, is a character
very common in France, and over which I was
little calculated to have the afcendant. Offici-
oufly polite in her manners, and inflexibly at
tentive to her intereft, fhe feemingly acquiefces
in every thing you propofe. You would even
fancy fhe was felicitous to ferve you ; yet, after
a thoufand gracious fentiments, and as many
implied eulogiums on her liberality and genero-
fity, you find her return, with unrelenting per-
feverance, to fome paltry propofition, by which
fhe is to gain a few livres; and all this fo
civilly, fo fentimentally, and fo determinedly, that

IN FRANCE. 139
that you find yourfelf obliged to yield, and
are duped without being deceived.
The lower clafs have here, as well as on your
fide of the water, the cuftom of attributing to
Minifters and Governments fome connection
with, or controul over, the., operations of nature.
I remarked to a woman who brings me fruit,
that the grapes were bad and dear this year —
*iAhl mon Dieu, oui, ils ne muriffent pas. U
me femble que tout va mai depuis qu'on a inventi la
nation,*" I cannot, like the imitators of Sterne, tranf
late a chapter of fentiment from every incident
that occurs, or from every phyfiognomy I en
counter ; yet, in circumftances like the prefent,
the mind, not ufually obferving, is tempted to
comment. — I was ina milliner's fhop to-day, and
took notice on my entering, that its miftrefs was,
whilft at her work, learning the Marfeillois
Hymn,"f" Before I had concluded my purchafe,
* <c Ah t Lord, they don't ripen now.— For my part, I
think nothing has gone well fince the nation "was firjl in
vented? f A patriotic air, at this time highly popular. an

140 A RESIDENCE
an officer came in to prepare her for the recep
tion offour volunteers, whom fhe was to. lodge
the two enfuing nights. She affented, indeed,
very gracioufly, (for a French woman never
lofes the command of her features,) but a. mo
ment after, the Marfeillois, which lay on the
counter, was thrown afide in a<pet, and I dare
fay fhe will not refume her patriotic tafk, nor
be reconciled tothe revolution, until fome days
after the volunteers fhall have changed their
quarters. This quartering of troops in private houfes
appears to me the moft grievous and impolitic
of all taxes ; it adds embarraffment to expence,
invades domeftic comfort, and conveys fuch an
idea of military fubjection, that I wonder any
people ever fubmits to it, or any government
ever ventures to impofe it.
I know not if the Englifh are confcious of
their own importance at this moment, but it is
certain they are the centre of the hopes and
fears of all parties, I might fay of all Europe.
The ariftocrates wait with anxiety and folicitude
a declaration of war, whilft their opponents re
gard fuch an event as pregnant with diftrefs, and

IN FRANCE. 14.%
and even as the fignal of their ruin.* The body
of the people of both parties are averfe from in
creafing the number of their enemies ; but as
the Convention may be directed by other mo
tives than the public wifh, it is impoffible to
form any conclufion on the fubject. I am, of
courfe, defirous^f peace, and fhould be fo from
felfifhnefs, if I were not from philanthropy, as
a ceffation of it at this time would difconcert
all our plans, and oblige us to feek refuge at
.  , which has juft all that is neceffary for
our happinefs, except what is moft defirable — •
a mild and dry atmofphere.  Yours, &c.

LETTER XXVI.
Amiens, November, 1792.
JL HE arrival of my friends has occafioned a
fhort fufpenfion of my correfpondence : but
though I have been negligent, I affure you,
my dear brother, I have not" been forgetful ;
and this temporary preference of the ties of
* The war was exclufively a machination of tlie Briflb-
tines, and was as unpopular in France as I underftand it to
have been popular in England, friendfhip

t4* A RESirJENdfe
Frieridfhip to thofe of natutej will be excufed*
when you confider our long feparation.
My intimacy with Mrs. D — — - began when
I firft came to this country, and at every fub-1
feqUent vifit to the continent it has been re
newed and increafed into that rational'kind of
attachment, which your fex feldom allow in
ours, though you yourfelves do not abound in
examples of it. Mrs. D  is one of thofe cha
racters which are oftenef loved than admired — ¦
more agreeable than handfome — good-natured,
humahe, and unaffuming— and with no mental
pretenfions beyond common fenfe tolerably well
cultivated -. The fhades of this portraiture are
an extreme of deljcacy, bordering on faftidf-
oufnefs— a trifle of hauteur, hot in manners,
but difpofition— and, perhaps, a tincture of
affectation. Thefe foibles are, however, in a
great degree, conftitutional : fhe is more an
invalid than myfelf; and , ill health naturally
increafes irritability, artd renders the mind lefs
difpofed to bear with inconveniences ; we
avoid company at firft, through a fenfe of
our infirmities, till this timidity becomes
habitual, and fettles almoft into averfion. — •
The valetudinarian, who is obliged to fly the
world, in time fancies herfelf above it, and
ends

IN FRANCE. 143
fends by fuppofing there is fome fuperiority irt
differing from other people. Mr. D  *- is one
of the beft men exifting— well bred and well in
formed ; yet without its appearing to the com
mon obferver, he is of a very fingular and
original turn of mind. He is moft exceedingly
nervous,' and this effect of his phyfical con
ftruction has rendered him fo fufceptible, that
he is continually agitated and hurt by circum
ftances which others pafs by unnoticed. In
other refpects he is a great lover of exercife,
fond of domeftic life, reads much, and has an
averfion from buftle of all kind.
The barfifhment of the Priefts, which in
many inftances was attended with circumftances
of peculiar atrocity, has not yet produced thofe
effects which were expected from it, and which
the promoters of the meafure employed as a pre
text for its adoption. There are indeed now no
maffes faid but by the Conftitutional Clergy ;
but as the people are ufually as ingenious in
evading laws as legiflators are in forming them,
many perfons, inftead of attending the churches,
which they think profaned by priefts who have
taken the oaths, flock to church-yards, chapels,
or other places, once appropriated to religious
worfhip, but in difufe fince the revolution, and of

14+ A RESIDENCE
of courfe not violated by conftitutional mafleS.
The cemetery of St. Denis, at Amiens, though
large, is on Sundays and holidays fo crouded,
that it is almoft difficult to enter it. Here the
devotees flock irt all' weathers, fay their mafs,
and return with the double fatisfaction of hav
ing preferved their allegiance to the Pope,
and rifked perfecution in a caufe they deem
meritorious. To fay truth, it is not very fur
prizing that numbers fhould be prejudiced
againft the conftitutional 'clergy. Many of them
are, I doubt not, liberal and well-meaning
men, who have preferred peace and fubmiffion
to theological warfare, and who might not think
themfelves juftified in oppofing their opinion
to. a national decifion : yet are there alfo many
of profligate lives, who were never educated
for the profeffion, and whom the circumftances
of the times have tempted to embrace it as a
trade, which offered fubfiftence without labour,
and influence without wealth, and which at
once fupplied a veil for licentioufnefs, and the
means of practifing it. Such paftors, it muft
be confeffed, have little claim to the confidence
or refpect of the people ; and that there are
fuch, I do not affert, but on the moft credible
information. I will only cite two inftances out
of many within my own knowledge. P  n,

IN FRANCE. 145
P -¦ ---n, Bifhop of St. Omer, was originally
a prieft , of Arras, of vicious character, and
many of his ordinations have been fuch as might
be expected from fuch a patron. — A man of
Arras, who was only known for his vicious pur-
fuits, and who had the reputation of having
accelerated the death of his wife by ill treatment,
applied to P — ! — n to marry him a fecond time.
The good Bifhop, preferring the intereft of his
friend to the falvation of his flock, advifed him
to relinquifh the project of taking a wife, and
offered to give him a cure. The propofal was
accepted on the fpot, and this pious affociate
of the Reverend P-  n wasdmmediately in-
vefted with the direction of the confciences,
and the care of the morals, of an extenfive
parifh. Acts of this nature, it is to be imagined,
were purfued by cenfure and ridicule ; but the
latter was not often more fuccefsful than on the
following occafion : — Two young men, whofe
perfons were unknown to the Bifhop, one day
procured an audience, and requefted he would
recommend them to fome employment that would
procure them the means of fubfiftence. This was
juft at a time when the numerous vacancies that
had taken place were not yet fupplied, and many
vol. 1. L livings

J4<>' A RESIDENCE
livings were unfilled for want of candidates. The
Bifhop, who was unwilling that the nonjuring,
priefts fhould have the triumph of feeing their'
benefices remain vacant, fell into1 the fnare,
and propofed their taking orders. The young
men expreffed their joy at the offer ; but, after
looking confufediy on each other, with fome
difficulty and diffidence, confeffed their lives'
had been foch as to= preclude them from the
profeffion, which, but for this impediment,
would have fatisfied them beyond their hopes.
The Bifhop very complaifantly endeavoured
to obviate thefe objectionsj while they con
tinued to accufe themfelves of all the fins in
the decalogue ; but the Prelate at length ob
ferving he had ordained many worfe, the
young men frniled" contemptuoufty,- and, turn
ing ou their heels, replied, that if priefts were
made of worfe men thatt they had' defcribed
themfelves to- be, they begged to be excufed
from affociating with fuch company.
Dumouriez, Cuflihe, Biron, Dillon, &c. are'
doing, wonders, in fpite of the feafon ; but the
laurel is an ever green, and thefe heroes gather-
it equally among the fnows of the Alps, and
the fogs of Belgium. If we may credit the"
French papers too, what they call the caufe of
liberty

tN FRANCE. , t47
liberty is not lefs fuccefsfully propagated by the
pen than the fword. England is faid to be on
the eve of a revolution, and all its inhabitants,
except the King and Mr. Pitt, become Jaco
bins. If I did not believe " the wifh was
father to the thought," I fhould read thefe
affertions with much inquietude, as I have not
yet difcovered the excellencies of a republican
forrn "of government fufficiently to make me
wifh it fubftituted for OUr Own. — It fhould \
feem that the Temple of Liberty, as well as the
Temple of Virtue, is placed on an afcent, and
that as many inflexions and retrogradations oc
cur in endeavouring to attain it. In the ardour
of reaching thefe difficult acclivities, a fall
fometimfes leaves Us lower than the fituation
we firft fet Out from ; or, to fpeak without a
figure, fo much power is exercifed by our
leaders, and fo much fubmiflion exacted from
the people, that the French are in danger of be-
coming~habituated to a defpotifm which almoft
fanctifies the errors of their ancient monarchy,
while they fuppofe themfelves in the purfuit of
a degree of freedom more fublime and more
abfolute than has been enjoyed by any other
nation. — Attempts at political as well as moral
perfection, when carried beyond the limits
compatible with a focial ftate, or the weaknefs
La of

148 A RESIDENCE
of our natures, are likely to end in a depravity
which moderate governments and rational ethics4
would have prevented.
The debates of the Convention are violent
and acrimonious. Robefpierre has been ac-
cufed of afpiring to- the Dictatorfhip, and his
defence was by no means* calculated to exonerate
him from the charge. All the chiefs reproach
each other with being the authors of the late
rnaffacres, and each fucceeds better in fixing
the imputation on his ' neighbour,, than in re
moving it from himfelf. General reprobation,,
perfonal invectives, and long fpeeches, are not
wanting ; but every thing which tends to ex
amination and enquiry is treated with-much more
delicacy and compofure : fo that I fear thefe.
firft legiflators of the republic muft, for the
prefent, be content with the reputation they
have affigned each other, and rank amongft
thofe who have all the guilt, but want the
courage,, of aflaffins.
I fubjoin an extract from a newfpaper, which
has lately appeared.* Ih fpite of the murder offo
*. Extract from " The Courier de I'Egalite," Nov. 1792 :
" There are difcontented people who ftill venture to obtrude
their fentiments on the public. One of them, in a public
print, thus expreiles himfelf— '-I aflerti.

IN FRANCE. 149
fo many journalifts, and the deftruction of the
printing-offices, it treats the September bufinefs fo
' I aflert, that the newfpapers are fold and devoted to
falfehood. At this price they purchafe the liberty of appear
ing; and the exclufive privilege they enjoy, as well as the
contradictory and lying affertions they all contain, prove the
truth of what I advance. They are all preachers of liberty,
yet never was liberty fo ihamefully outraged — of refpect for
property, and property was at no time fo little held facred —
of perfonal fecurity, yet when were there committed fo many
mafflcres ? and, at the very moment I am writing, new ones are
premeditated. They call vehemently for fubmiffion, and obe
dience to the laws, but the laws had never lefs influence : and
while our compliance with fuch as we are even ignorant of is
exacted, it is accounted a crime to execute thofe in force.
Every municipality has its own arbitrary code — every batta
lion, every private foldier, exercifes a fovereignty, a moft ab
folute defpotifm ; and yet the Gazettes do not ceafe to boaft the
excellence of fuch a government. They have, one and all,
attributed the mafJacres of the tenth of Auguft and the fecond
of September, and the days following each, to a popular fer
mentation. The monfters ! they have been careful not to tell
us, that each of thefe horrid fcenes (at the prifons, at La
Force, at the Abbaye, &c. &c.) was prefided by muni
cipal officers in their fcarfs, who pointed out the victims, and
gave the fignal for the affaffination. It was (continue the
Journals) the error of an irritated people — and yet their ma
gistrates were at the head of it : it was a momentary error ; yet
this error of a moment continued during fix whole days of the
cooleft reflection — it was only at the clofe of the feventh that
Pethion made his appearance, and: affected to perfuade the
people to defift. The aflaffins left off only from fatigue, and
lj at

1$0 A RESIDENCE
fo freely, that the editor will doubtlefs foon be
filenced. Admitting thefe accufations to be
unfounded, what ideas muft the people have of
their magiftrates, when they are credited ? It
is the prepoffeflion of the hearer that gives au
thenticity to fiction ; and fuch atrocities would
neither be imputed to, nor believed of, men not
already bad.  :- Yours, &c.

LETTER XXVII.
jDecember, 1 792.
DEAR BROTHER,
ALL the public prints ftill continue ftrongly
to infinuate, that England is prepared for an
infurrection, and Scotland already in actual
at this moment they are preparing to begin again. The Journals
do not tell us that the chief of thefe Scelcrats % employed fub-
ordinate aflaffins, whom they caufed to be clandeftinely mur
dered in their turn, as though they hoped to deftroy the proof
of their crime, and efcape the vengeance that awaits them.
But the people themfelves were accomplices in the deed, for
the Garde National gave their affiftance,' &c. &c.
% We have no term in the Englifh language that conveys an adequate
meaning for this word— -it Teems to 'exprefs the extreme of human
wickednels and atrocity. rebellion :

IN FRANCE. I5l
rebellion : but 1 know the character of our coun
trymen too well to be perfuaded that they have
adopted new principles as eafily as they would
adopt a new mode, or that the vifionary anar-
chifts of the. French government can h^ve made
many profelytes among an humane and rational
people. For many years we were content to
let France remain the arbitrefs of the lighter
departments of tafte : lately fhe has ceded this
province to us, and England has dictated with
uncontefted fuperiority. This I cannot think
very ftrange ; for the eye in time becomes fa
tigued by elaborate finery, and requires only
the introduction of fimple elegance to be at
tracted by it. But if, while we export fafhions
to this country, we fhould receive, in exchange,
her republican fyftems^ it would be a ftrange
revolution indeed : and I think, in fuch a com
merce, we fhould be far from finding the balance
in our favour. Ihave, in fact, little folicitude
about thefe diurnal falfehoods. though I am not
altogether free from alarm as to their tendency.
I cannot help fufpecting it is to influence the
people to a belief that fuch difpofitions exift in
England as preclude the danger of a war, in cafe
if fhould be thought neceffary to facrifice the

King.

l 4 I am

1$% A RESIDENCE
I am more confirmed in this opinion, from
the recent difcovery, with the circumftances at
tending it, of a fecret iron cheft at the Thuil-
leries. The man who had been employed to
conftruct this recefs, informs the minifter, Rol-
land ; who, inftead of communicating the matter
to the Convention, as it was very natural he fhould
do on an occafion of fo much importance, and re
quiring it to be opened in the prefence of proper
witneffes, goes privately ^himfelf, takes the pa
pers found into his own poffeffion, and then
makes an application for a committee to ex
amine them.. Under thefe fufpicious and myf-
terious appearances, we are told that many let
ters, &c. are found, which inculpate the King;
and perhaps the fate of this unfortunate Monarch
is to be decided by evidence not admiffible with
juftice in the cafe of the obfcureft malefactor..
Yet Rolland is the hero of a party who call him,
par excellence, the virtuous Rolland ! Perhaps
you will think, with me, that this epithet is.
mifapplied to a man who has rifen flora an
obfcure fituation to that of firft Minifter, with
out being poffeffed of talents of that brilliant or
prominent clafs which fometimes force them
felves into notice, without the aid of wealth or
the fupport of patronage. Rolland

IN FKANCE. 153
Rolland was infpect'or of manufactories in
this place, and afterwards at Lyons ; and I do
not go too far in advancing, that a man of very
rip-id virtue could not, from fuch a ftation, have
attained fo fuddenly the one he now poffeffes.
Virtue is of an unvarying and inflexible nature:
it difdains as much to be the flatterer of mobs,
as the adulator of Princes : yet how often muft
he, who rifes fo far above his equals, have
ftooped below them ? How often muft he have
facrificed both his reafon and his principles ?
How often have yielded to the little, and op-
pofed the great, not from conviction, but in
tereft ? For in this the meaneft of mankind
refemble the moft exalted ; he beftows not
his confidence on him who refifts his will, nor
fubfcribes to the advancement of one whom he
does not hope to influence. — I m,ay almoft ven
ture to add, that more diffimulation, meaner
conceffions, and more tortuous policy, are re
quifite to become the idol of the people, than
are practifed to acquire and preferve the favour
of the moft potent Monarch in Europe. The
French, however, do not argue in this manner,
and Rolland is at prefent very popular,- and his
popularity is faid to be greatly fupported by the,
literary talents of his wife. I know

154 A RESIDENCE
I know not if you rightly underftand thefe
party diftinctions among a. fet of men whom
you muft regard as united in the common caufe
of eftablifhing a republic in France, but you
have fometimes had occafion to remark in Eng
land, that many may amicably concur in the ac
compli fhment of a work, who differ extremely
about the participation of its advantages ; and
this is already the cafe with the Convention,
Thofe who at prefent poffefs all the power, and
are infinitely the ftrongeft, are wits, moralifts,
and philofophers by profeffion, having Briffot,
Rolland, PethionyCondorcet, &c. at their head;
their opponents are adventurers of a more def- i
perate caft, who make up by violence what they
want in numbers, and are led by Robefpierre,
Danton, Chabot, &c. &c. The only diftinction
of thefe parties, is, I believe, that the firft are
vain and fyftematical hypocrites, whohaveorigi-
nally corrupted the minds of the people by vi-
fionary and infidi ous doctrines, and now maintain
their fuperiority by artifice and intrigue : their
opponents, equally wicked, and more daring, juf
tify that turpitude which the others feek to dif-
guife, and appear almoft as bad as they are.. The
credulous people are duped by both ; while the
cunning of the one, and the vehemence of the
other, alternately prevail. — But fomething too
much

IN PRANCE, 155
much of politics, as my defign is in general
rather to mark their effect on the people, than
to enter on more immediate difcuflions,
Having been at the Criminal Tribunal to-day,
I now recollect that I have never yet defcribed
to you the coftume of the French Judges. —
Perhaps when I have before had occafion to
fpeak of it, your imagination may have glided
to Weftminfter Hall, and depicted to you the
fcarlet robes and voluminous wigs of its refpec-
table magiftrates : but if you would form an
idea of a magiftrate here, you muft bring your
mind to the abftraction of Crambo, and figure
to yourfelf a Judge without either gown, wig,
or any of thofe venerable appendages. Nothing
indeed can be more becoming or gallant, than
this judicial accoutrement — it is black, with a
filk cloak of the fame colour, in the Spaniih
form, and a round hat, turned up before, with
a large plume of black feathers. This, when
the magiftrate happens to be young, has a very
theatrical and romantic appearance ; but when
it is worn by a figure a little Efopian, or with a
large bufhy perriwig, as I have fometimes feen
it, the effect is ftill lefs awful ; and a ftranger, on
feeing fuch an apparition in the ftreet, is tempted to

l$& A RESIDENCE
to fuppofe it a period of jubilee, and that the
inhabitants are in mafquerade.
It is now the cuftom for all people to addrefs
each other by the appellation of Citizen ; and
whether you are a citizen or not — whether you
inhabit Paris, "or are a native of Peru — ftill it
is an indication of ariftocracy, either to exact,
or to ufe, any other title. This is all congruous.
with the fyftem ofthe day : the abufes are real,
the reform is imaginary. The people are flat
tered with founds, while they are lofing in
effentials; and the permiffion to apply the ap
pellation of Citizen to its members, is but a poor
compenfation for the defpotifm of a department
or a municipality.
In vain are the people flattered with a chi
merical equality — it cannot exift in a civilized
ftate, and if it could exift any where, it would
not be in France. The French are habituated
to fubordinafion — they naturally look up to
fomething fuperior — and when one clafs is de
graded, it is only to give place to another. —
The pride of the nobleffe is fucceeded by the
pride of the merchant — the influence of wealth
is again realized by cheap purchafes of the
national domains — the abandoned abbey be
comes

1ft FRANCE^ I_57
comes the delight of the opulent trader, and
replaces the demolifhed chateau of the feudal
inftitution. Full of the importance which the
commercial intereft is to acquire under a repub
lic, the wealthy man of bufinefs is eafily reconciled
to the oppreffion of the fuperior claffes, and
enjoys, with great dignity, his new elevation*
The counting-houfe of a manufacturer of woollen
cloth is as inacceffible as the boudoir of a Mar
quis ; while the flowered brocade gown and
well-powdered curls of the former offer a much
more expofing exterior than the chintz robe
de chambre and difhevelled locks of the more
affable man of. fafliion.
I have read, in fome French author, a maxim
to this effect : — " Act with your friends as
though they fhould one day be your enemies ;'*
and the exifting government feems amply to
have profited by the admonition of their country
man : for notwithftanding they affirm, that
all France fupports, and all England admires
them, this does not prevent their exercifing a
moft vigilant inquifition over the inhabitants
of both countries.  It is already fagacioufly
hinted, that Mr. Thomas Paine may be a fpy,
and every houfeholder who receives a lodger or
vifitor, and every proprietor who lets a houfe, is

t^S A RESIDENCE
is obliged to regifter the names of thofe he enter
tains, or who are his tenants, and to become re-
fponfible for their conduct. This is done at
the municipality, and all who thus venture to
change their refidence, of whatever age, fex
or condition, muft prefent themfelves, and
fubmit to an examination. The power of the
municipalities is indeed very great ; and as
they are chiefly felected from the lower clafs
of fhopkeepers, you may conclude that their
authority is not exercifed with much politenefs
or moderation.
The timid or indolent inhabitant of London*
whofe head has been filled with the Baftilles
and police of the ancient government, and who
would as foon have ventured to Conftantinople
as to Paris, reads, in th'e debates of the Conven
tion, that France is now the freeeft country in
the world, and that ftrangers from all corners
of it flock to offer their adorations in this new
Temple of Liberty. Allured by thefe defcrip
tions, he refolves on the journey, willing, for
once in his life, to enjoy a tafte of the bleffing
in fublimate, which he now learns has hitherto
been allowed him only in the grofs element.
— He experiences a thoufand impofitions on
landing with his baggage at Calais, but he
fubmits

IN FRANCE. 159
fubmits to them without murmuring, becaufe
his countrymen at Dover had, on his embarka
tion, already kindly initiated him into this
fcience of taxing the inquifit'iye fpirit of tra
vellers. After infcribing his name, and reward
ing the cuftorn-houfe officers for rummaging his
portmanteau, he determines to amufe himfelf
with a walk about the town. The firft centinel
he encounters flops him, becaufe he has no
cockade : he purchafes one at the next fhop,
(paying according to the exigency of the cafe,)
and is fuffered to pafs on. When he has fettled
his bill at the Auberge " a V Angloife" and
imagines he has nothing to do but to purfue
his journey, he finds he has yet to procure
himfelf a paffport. He waits an hour and an
half for an officer, who at length appears, and
with a rule in one hand, arid a pen in the other,
begins to meafure the height, and take an in
ventory ofthe features of the aftonifhed ftranger.
By the time this ceremony is finifhed, the gates
are fhut, and he can proceed no farther till the
morrow.- He departs early, and is awakened twice
on the road to Boulogne to produce his paffport:
ftill, however, he keeps his temper, concluding, -
that the new light has not yet made its way to the
frontiers) and that thefe troublefome precautions
may be neceffary near a port. He continues his
route,

$60 A RESIDENCE
route, ahd, by degrees, becomes habituated to this
regimen of liberty ¦ till, perhaps, on the fecond
day, the validity of his paflport is difputed, the
municipality who granted it have the reputation
of ariftocracy, or the whole is informal, and he
muft be content to wait while a meffenger is
difpatched to have it rectified) and the officers
eftablilh the feverity of their patriotifm at the
expence of the ftranger*,
Our traveller, at lerigth permitted to de
part, feels his patience wonderfully diminifliedj
execrates the regulations of the coaft, and the
ignorance of fmall towns, and determines to
ftop a few days arid obferve the progrefs of
freedom at Amiens. Being a large commercial
place, he here expects to behold all the happy
effects of the new conftitution ; he congratulates
himfelf on travelling at a period when he can
procure information, and difcufs his political
opinions, unannoyed by fears of ftate prifons)
and fpies of the police. His landlord, how
ever, acquaints him, that his appearahce at the
Town Houfe cannot be difpenfed with — he at
tends three or four different hours of appoint
ment, and is each time fent away, (after wait
ing half an hour with the valets de ville in the
antichamber,) and told that th« municipal officers

IN FRANCE. l6l
Officers are engaged. As an Englifhman, he
has little relifh for thefe fubordinate fovereigns,
and difficult audiences— he hints at the next
coffee-houfe that he had imagined a ftranger
might have refted two days in a free country,
without being meafured, and queftioned, and
without detailing his hiftory, as though he were
fufpected of defertion ; and ventures on fome im
plied comparifon between the ancient " Mon
fieur le Commandant," and the modern " Citoyen
Maire"—^Yo his utter aftonifhment he finds,
that though there are no longer emiffaries ofthe
police, there are Jacobin informers; his difcourfe
is reported to the municipality, his bufinefs in
the town becomes the fubject of conjecture, he
is concluded to be li un homme fans aveu, *"
and arretted as "fufpecJ ;" and it is not without
the interference of the people to whom he may
have been recommended at Paris, that he is re-
leafed, and enabled to continue his journey.
At Paris he lives in perpetual alarm. One
night he his difturbed by a viftte domiciliate,
another by a riot — one day the people are in
infurrection for bread, and the next murdering
each other at a public feftival; and our country-
* One that can't give a good account of himfelf.
vol. i. M man,

l62 A RESIDENCE
man, even after making every allowance for the
confufion of a recent charge, thinks himfelf
very fortunate if he reaches England in fafety,
and will, for the reft of his life, be fatisfied
with fuch a degree of liberty as is- fecured to
him by the conftitution of his own country.
You fee I have no defign of tempting you to-
pay us a vifit ; and, to fpeak the truth, I think
thofe who are in England will fhow their wifdom
by remaining there. Nothing but the ftate of
Mrs. D  's health, and her dread of the fea
at this time of the year, detains us ; for every
day fubtracts from my courage, and adds to my
apprehenfions.  Yours, &c.

LETTER XXVIIT.
Amiens, January, 1 793.
V ANIT Y, I believe, my dear brother, is
not fo innoxious a quality as we are defirous of
fuppofing. As it is the moft general of ali"
human failings, fo is it regarded with the moft
indulgence : a latent confcioufnefs averts the
cenfure of the weak ; and the wife, who flatter themi-

IN FRANCE. 163
themfelves with being exempt from it, plead
in its favour, by ranking it as a foible too light
for ferious condemnation, or too inoffenflve for
punifhment. Yet, if vanity be not an actual
vice, it is certainly a potential one — it often
leads us to feek reputation rather than virtue,
to fubftitute appearances for realities, and to
prefer the eulogiums of the world to the appro
bation of our own minds. When it takes pof
feffion of an uninformed or an ill-conftitufed
mind, it becomes the fource of a thoufand
errors, and a thoufand abfurdities. Hence
youth feeks a pre-eminence in vice, and age in
folly ; hence, many boaft of errors they would
not commit, or claim diftinction by invefting
themfelves with an imputation of excefs in fome
popular abfurdity — duels are courted by the
daring, and vaunted by the coward — he who
trembles at the idea of death and a future ftate
when alone, proclaims himfelf an atheift or a
free-thinker in public — the water-drinker, who
fuffers the penitence of a week for a fupernu-
merary glafs, recounts the wonders of his in
temperance — and he who does not mount the
gentleft animal without trepidation, plumes
himfelf on breaking down horfes, and his perils
in the chace. In fhort, whatever order of man
kind we contemplate, we fhall perceive that the
m a portion

164 A RESIDENCE
portion of vanity allotted us by nature, when
it is not corrected by a found judgement, and
rendered fubfervient to ufeful purpofes, is fure
either to degrade or rpiflead us.
I was led into this, train of reflection by the
conduct of our Ariglo-Gallican legiflator, Mr.
Thomas Paine. He has lately compofed a
fpeech, which was tranflated and read in his
prefence, (doubtlefs to his great fatisfaction,) in
which he infifts with much vehemence on the
neceflityof trying the King; and he even, with
little credit to his humanity, gives intimations
of prefumed guilt. Yet I do not fufpect Mr.
Paine to be of a cruel or unmerciful nature ;
and, moft probably, vanity alone has inftigated
him to a proceeding which, one would wifh to
believe, his heart difapproves. Tired ofthe
part he was playing, and which, it muft be
confeffed, was not calculated to flatter the cen-
furer of Kings and the reformer of confuta
tions, he determined to fit no longer for whole
hours in colloquy with his interpreter, or in mute
contemplation, like the Chancellor in the Critic;
and the fpeech to whichT have alluded was com
pofed. Knowing that lenient opinions would
meet no applaufe from the tribunes, he inlifis
himfelf on the fide of feverity, accufes all the
Princes

IN FRANCE. l6j
Princes in the world as the accomplices of Louis
the Sixteenth, expreffes his defire for an uni
verfal revolution, and, after previoufly affuring
the Convention the King is guilty, recom
mends that they may inftaritly proceed to his
trial. But, after all this tremendous eloquence,
perhaps Mr. Paine had no malice in his heart :
he may only be folicitous to preferve his re
putation from decay, and to indulge his felf-
importance by affifting at the trial of a Monarch
whom he may not wifh to fuffer. — I think,
therefore, I am not wrong in afferting, that
Vanity is a very mifchievous counfellor.
The little diftreffes I formerly complained of,
as arifing from the paper currency, are nearly
removed by a plentiful emiffion of fmall affig-
nats, and we have now pompous affign ments on
the national domains for ten fois : we have,
likewife, pieces coined from the church bells
in circulation, but moft of thefe difappear as
foon as iffued. You would fcarcely imagine
that this copper is deemed worthy to be hoarded : '
yet fuch is the people's averfion from the paper,
and fuch their miftruft of the. government,
that not an houfewife will part ^with one of
thefe pieces while fhe has an affignat in her
poffeffion ; and thofe who are rich enough to
m 3 keep

l66 A RESIDENCE
keep a few livres by them, amafs and bury this;
copper treafure with the utmoft folicitude and
fecrefy. A tolerably accurate fcale of the national con
fidence might be made, by marking the progrefs
of thefe fufpicious interments. Under the firft
Affembly, people began to hide their gold; dur
ing the reign of the fecond they took the fame
affectionate care of their filver ; and, fince the
meeting of the Convention, they feem equally
anxious to hide any metal they can get. If
one were to defcribe the prefent age, one might,
as far as regards France, call it, both literally
and metaphorically, the Iron Age; for it is cer
tain, the character of the times would juftify the
metaphoric application, and the difappearance
of every other metal the literal one. As the
French are fond of claffic examples, I fhall not
be furprized to fee an iron coinage, in imitation
of Sparta, though they feem in the way of having
one reafon lefs for fuch a meafure than the Spar
tans had, for they are already in a ftate to defy
corruption ; and if they were not, I think a war
with England would fecure the purity of their
morals from being endangered by too much
commercial intercourfe. I cannot

IN FRANCE. 167
I cannot be difpleafed with the civil things
you fay of my letters, nor at your valuing them
fo much as to preferve them ; though, I affure
you, this fraternal gallantry is not neceffary, on
the account you intimate, nor will our country
men fuffer, in my opinion, by any comparifons
I can make here. Your ideas of French gallantry
are, indeed, very erroneous — it may differ in
the manner from that practifed in England, but
is far from having any claim to fuperiority.
Perhaps I cannot define the pretenfions of the
two nations in this refpect better than by faying,
that the gallantry of an Englifhman is a fenti
ment — that of a Frenchman a fyftem. The firft,
if a lady happens to be old or plain, or indifferent
to him, is apt to limit his attentions to refpect,
or utility — now the latter never troubles himfelf
with thefe diftinctions : he is repulfed by no
extremity of years, nor deformity of feature;
he, adores, with equal ardour, both y^oung and
old, nor is either often fhocked by his vifible
preference of the other. I have feen a youthful
beau kifs, with perfect devotion, a ball of cot
ton dropped from the hand of a lady who
was knitting ftockings for her grand-children.
Another pays his court to a belle in her cli
macteric, by bringing gimblettes * to the fa-
* A fort of gingerbread.
m 4 vourite

l68 A RESIDENCE
vourite lap-dog, or attending, with great aflT-
duity, the ingreffes and regreffes of her angola,
who paces flowly out of the room ten times in
an hour, while the door is held open by the
complaifant Frenchman with a moft refpectful
gravity. Thus, you fee, France is to the old what amaf-
querade is to the ugly — the one confounds the
difparity of age as the other does that of perfon ;
but indifcriminate adoration is na compliment
to youth, nor is a mafk any privilege to beauty.
We may therefore conclude, that though France
may be the Elyfium of old women, England is
that of the young. When I firft came into this
country, it reminded me of an ifland I had read
of in the Arabian Tales, where the ladies were
'not deemed in their bloom till they verged to-
.wards feventy ; and 1 conceived the project of •
inviting all the belles, who had been half a
century out of fafliion in England, to crofs the
Channel, and begin a new career of admiration I
*— - — Yours, &c.

BETTER

IN FRANCE. 1%
LETTER XXIX.
Amiens, 179,3.
DEAR BROTHER,
I Have thought it hitherto a felf-evident pro
pofition — that of all the principles which can be
inculcated in the human mind, that of liberty
is leaft fufceptible of propagation by force.
Yet a Council of Philofophers (difciples of
Rouffeau and Voltaire) have fent forth Dumou
riez, at the head of an hundred thoufand men,
to inftruct the people of Flanders in the doc
trine of freedom. Such a miffionary is indeed
invincible, and the defencelefs towns of the
Low Countries have been converted and pil
laged * by a benovolent crufade of the philan
thropic affertors of the rights of man. Thefe
warlike Propagandiftes, however, do not always
convince without experiencing refiftance, and
ignorance fometimes oppofes, with great obfti-
nacy, the progrefs of truth. The logic of Du
mouriez did not enforce conviction at Gemappe,
but at the expence of fifteen thoufand of his own
army, and, doubtlefs, aproportionate number of
the unconverted. * By the civil agents ofthe executive power. Here

170 A RESIDENCE
Here let me forbear every expreffion tend
ing to levity : the heart recoils at fuch a
flaughter of human victims ; and, if a momen
tary fmile be excited by thefe Quixotifms, it
is checked by horror at their confequences ! —
Humanity will lament fuch deftruction ; but it
will likewife be indignant to learn, that, in the
official account of this battle, the killed were
eftimated at three hundred, and the wounded
at fix ! — But, if the people be facrificed, they
are not deceived. The difabled fufferers, who
are returning to their homes in different parts
of the republic, betray the turpitude of the
government, and expofe the fallacy of thefe
bloodlcfs victories of the gazettes. The pedants
of the Convention are not unlearned in the
hiftory of the Praetorian Bands and the om
nipotence of armies; and an offenfive war. is
undertaken to give occupation to foldiers, whofe
inactivity might produce reflection, or whofe
difcontent might prove fatal to the new order of
things. — Attempt's are made to divert the public
mind from the real mifery experienced at horne,
by relations of ufelefs conquefts abroad ; the
fubftantial loffes, which are the price of thefe
imaginary benefits, are palliated or concealed ;
and the circumftances of an engagement are
known but by individual communication, and
when

IN FRANCE. I71
when fubfequent events have nearly effaced
the remembrance of them. — By thefe artifices,
and from motives at leaft not better, and,
perhaps, worfe than thofe I haye mentioned,
will population be diminifhed, and agriculture
impeded : France will be involved in prefent
diftrefs, and configned to future want ; and the
deluded people be punifhed in the miferies of
their own country, becaufe their unprincipled
rulers have judged it expedient to carry war
and devaftation into another.
One of* the diftinguifhing features in the
French character is fang froid — fcarcely a day
paffes that it does not force -itfelf on one's ob
fervation. It is not confined to the thinking part
of the people, who know that paffion and irri
tability avail nothing; nor to thofe who, not
thinking at all, are, of courfe, not moved by
any thing : but is equally poffeffed by every
rank and condition, whether you clafs them by
their mental endowments, or their temporal
poffeffions. They not only (as, it muft be con
feffed, is too commonly the cafe in all coun
tries,) bear the calamities of their friends with
great philofophy, but are nearly . as reafonable
under the preffure of their own. The grief of5
a Frenchman, at leaft, ^partakes of his imputed national

172. A RESIDENCE
national complaifance, and, far from intruding
itfelf on fociety, is always ready to accept of
confolation, and join in amufement. If you
fay your wife or relations are dead, they reply
coldly, " II faut fe confoler .-" or if they vifit
you in an illnefs, " II faut prendre patience."
Or tell them you are ruined, and their features
then become fomething more attenuated, the
fhoulders fomething more elevated, and a more
commiferating tone confeffes, " C'eft bien mai
ieureux — Mais enfin que voulez vous ?*" and in
the fame inftant they will recount fome good
fortune at a card party, or expatiate on the ex
cellence of a ragout. — Yet, to do them juftice,
they only offer for your comfort the fame ar
guments they would have found efficacious in
promoting their own.
This difpofition, which preferves the tran
quillity of the rich, indurates the fenfe of
wretchednefs in the poor ; it fupplies the place
of fortitude in the one, and that of patience
in the other ; and, while it enables both to en
dure their own particular diftreffes, it makes
them fubmit quietly to a weight and excefs of
public evils, whichanynation but this would fink
* " It's unlucky, but what can be faid in fuch cafes ?"
under j,

IN FRANCE. 3173
under, or refift. Amongft fhopkeepers, fervants,
&c. without incurring perfonal odium, it has the
effect of what would be deemed in England
impenetrable affurance. It forces pertinaceoufly
an article not wanted, and'preferves the inflexi
bility of the features at a detected impofition ;
it infpires fervants with arguments in defence of
every mifdemeanour in the whole domeftic
catalogue ; it renders them infenfible either of
their negligences or the confequences of them ;
and endows them with a happy facility of con
tradicting with the moft obfequiouspolitenefs.
A gentleman of our acquaintance dined at a
table d'H6te, where the company were annoyed
by a very uncommon and offenfive fmell. On
cutting up a fowl, they difcovered the fmell to
have been occafioned by its being dreffed with
out any other preparation than that of depluming.
They immediately fent for the hoft, and told
him, that the fowl had been dreffed without
having been drawn: but, far from appearing
difconcerted, as one might expect, he only re
plied, " Cela fe pourrait Men, Monf ear* "
Now an Englifh Boniface, even though he had
already made his fortune, would have been
* "Tis. very poffible, Sir/' mortified

174 A RESIDENCE
mortified at fuch an incident, and all his elo
quence would fcarcely have produced an un-
faultering apology.
Whether this national indifference originate
in a phyfical or a moral caufe, from an ob-
tufenefs in their corporeal formation, or a per
fection in their intellectual one, I do not pre
tend to decide ; but whatever be the caufe, the
effect is enjoyed with great modefty. So little
do the French pique themfelves on this valuable
ftoicifm, that they acknowledge being more
fubject to that human weaknefs called feeling,
than any other people in the world. All their
writers abound in pathetic exclamations, fenti-
mental phrafes, and allufions to " la fenfibiliti
Francaife" as though they imagined it prover
bial. You can fcarcely hold a converfation with
a Frenchman without hearing him detail, with
an expreffion of feature not always analogous,
many very effecting fentences. He is defoli,
dif ef peri, or affl/gi—^rie has le cceur trop fenfible,
le cceur firri, or le cceur navri ; * and the well-
placing of thefe dolorous affertions depends
rather upon the judgement and eloquence ofthe
fpeaker, than the ferioufnefs of the cafe which
* Afrlifted — in" defpair — too feeling a heart — his heart is
wrung or wounded. gave

IN FRANCE. 175
gave rife to them. For inftance, the defpair
and defolation of him who has loft his money,
and of him whofe head is ill dreft, are of dif
ferent degrees, but the expreffions are ufually
the fame. The debates of the Convention, the
debates of the Jacobins, and all the public
prints, are fraught with proofs of this appro
priated fufceptibility, and it is often attributedto
perfons and occafions where we fhould not much
expect to find it. A quarrel between the legif-
latc^rs as to who was moft concerned in promo
ting the m^ffacres of September, is reconciled
with a " fweet and enthufiaftic excefs of fra
ternal tendernefs." When the clubs difpute on
the expediency of an infurrection, or the ne-
ceffity of a more frequent employment of the
Guillotine, the debate terminates by overflow
ings of fenfibility from afl the members who
have engaged in it !
At the affafllnations in one of the prifons,
when all the other miferable victims had pe-
rifhed, the mob difcovered one Jonneau, a
member of the Affembly, who had been con
fined for kicking another member named Gran-
geneuve. As the maffacrers probably had no
¦orders on the fubject, he was brought forth
from amidft heaps of murdered companions, and

I76 A RESIDENCE
and a meffenger difpatched to the -Affembly^
which during thefe fcenes met as ufual,) to en
quire if they acknowledged Jonneau as a mem
ber. A decree was paffed in the affirmative,
and Jonneau brought by the affaffins, with the
decree faftened on his breaft, in triumph to his
colleagues, who, we are told, at this inftance
of refpect for themfelves, fhed tears of tender-
nefsand admiration at the conduct of monfters,
the fight of whom fhould feem revolting to
human nature.*
Perhaps the real fang froid I have before no
ticed, and thefe pretenfions to fenfibility, are
a natural confequence one of the other. It is
the hiflory of the beaft's confeflion— we have
only to be particularly deficient in any quality,
to make us folicitous for the reputation of it;
and after a long habit of deceiving others, we
* When tbe maflacres began, the wife and friends of Jon
neau petitioned Grangencuve on tlieir knees to confent to his
enlargement ; but Graiigeneuve was implacable, and Jonneau
continued in prifon till releafed by the means above mentioned.
It is obicrvable, that at this dreadful moment the utmoft
ftridlnefs was oblerved, and every form literally enforced in
granting the'difcharge of a piifoner. A fufpenfion of all laws,
kuraan and divine, was allowed to the aflaffins, while thofe
only that fecured them their viclims were rigidly adhered to.
finifh

IN FRANCE. 177-
finifh by deceiving ourfelves. He who feels no
compaffion for the diftreffes of his neighbour,
knows that fuch indifference is not very eftim-
able; he therefore ftudies to difguife the cold
nefs of his heart by the exaggeration of his
language, and fupplies, by an affected excefs
of fentiment, the total abfence of it. — The
gods have not (as you know) made me poeti
cal, nor do I often tax your patience with a
flmile, but I think this French fenfibility is to
genuine feeling, what their pafte is to the dia
mond—it gratifies the vanity ofthe wearer, and
deceives the eye of the fuperficial obferver, but
is of little ufe or value, and when tried by the
fire of adverfity quickly difippears.
You are not much obliged to me for this long
letter, as I own I have fcribbled rather for my
own amufement than with a view to yours. —
Contrary to our expectation, the trial of the
King has begun ; and though I cannot properly
be faid to have any realrintereft in the affairs of
this country, I take a very fincere one in
the fate of its unfortunate Monarch — indeed
our whole houfe has worn an appearance of de
jection fince the commencement of the bufi
nefs. Moft people feem to expect it will ter
minate favourably, and, I believe, there are
vol. 1. N very

<tj$ A RESIDENCE
very few v/ho do not wifh fo. Even the Con
vention feem at prefent difpofed to be merciful ;,
and as they judge now, fo may they be judged
hereafter !  Yours.

LETTER XXX.
Amiens, January,, 1793.
JL Do all poffible juftiee to the liberality of my
countrymen, who are become fuch paffionatc
admirers of the French ; and I cannot but la
ment their having been fo ¦ unfortunate in the
choice of the aera from whence they date this
new friendfhip. It is, however, a proof, that
their regards are not the effect of that kind of
vanity which efteems objects in proportion as
they are efteemed by the reft of the world ; and
the fincerity of an attachment cannot be better
evinced than by its furviving irretrievable dif-
grace and univerfal abhorrence. Many will
fwell the triumph of a hero, or add a trophy toj
his tomb ; but he who exhibits himfelf with a
culprit at the gallows, or decorates the gibbet.
with a wreath,, is a friend indeed.

If

IN FRANCE. 179
If ever the character of a people were re
pugnant to amity, or inimical to connection, it
is that of the French for the laft three years.*
In this fhort fpace they have formed a com
pendium of all the vices which have marked
as many preceding ages : — the cruelty and trea
chery of the League — the fedition, levity, and
intrigue of the Fronde -f — with the licentiouf-
* The editor of the Courier de l'Egalite, a moft decided
patriot, thus exprefles himfelf on the injuries and infults re
ceived by the King from the Parifians, and their municipality,
previous to his trial :
" I know that Louis is guilty — but are we tci double his
punifhment before it is pronounced by the law ? Indeed one
is tempted to fay that, inftead of being guided by the humanity
and plnlofophy which dictated the revolution, we have taken
leflbns of barbarity from the moft ferocious favages ! Let us be
virtuous if we would be republicans j if we go on as we do, we
never fhall, and muft have recourfe to a defpot : for of two
evils it is better to choofe the leaft."
The editor, whofe opinion of the prefent politics is thus
expreffed, is fo truly a revclutionilt, and fo confidential a pa
triot, that, in Auguft laft, when almoft all the journalifts were
murdered, his paper was the only one that, for fome time, was
allowed to reach the departments.
f A name given to the party in oppofition to the Court
during Cardinal Mazarin's miniftry. — See the origin of it In
the Memoirs of that period. n 2, nefs

j8t> A RESIDENCE
nefs and political corruption of more modern
epochs. Whether you examine the conduct
of the nation at large, or that of its chiefs and
leaders, your feelings revolt at the one, and
your integrity defpifes the other. You fee the „
idols erected by Folly, degraded by Caprice ; —
fhe authority obtained by Intrigue, bartered by
Profligacy ; — and the perfidy and corruption!
of one fide fo balanced by the barbarity and
levity of the other, that the mind, unable to-
decide on the preference of contending vices,,
is obliged to find repofe, though with regret
and difguft, in acknowledging the general de
pravity. La Fayette, without very extraordinary pre
tenfions, became the hero of the revolution.
He dictated laws in the Affembly, and pre
fer! bed Oaths to- the Garde- National — and,
more than once, infulted, by the triumph of
oftentatious popularity, the humiliation and
diftrefs of a perfecuted Sovereign. Yet when
La Fayette made an effort to maintain, the con
ftitution to which he owed his fame and influ
ence, he was abandoned with the fame levity
with which he had been adopted, and funk, in
an inftant, from a dictator to a fugitive !¦Neckar

IN FRANCE. l8l
Neckar was an idol of another defcription.
He had already departed for his own country,
when he was hurried back precipitately, amidft
univerfal acclamations. AU were full of pro
jects either of honour or recompence — one was'
for decreeing him a ftatue, another propofed
him a penfion, and a third hailed him the father
of the country. But Mr. Neckar knew the
French character, and very wifely declined
thefe pompous offers ; for befote he could have
received the firft quarter of his penfion, or the
ftatue could have been modelled, he was glad
to efcape, probably not without fome apprehen-
fions for his head !
The reign of Mirabeau was fomething longer.
He lived with popularity, was fortunate enough
to die before his reputation was exhaufted, was
depofited in the Pantheon, apotheofifed in form,
and his buft placed as a companion to that of
Brutus, the tutelary genius of the Affembly. —
Here, one might have expected, he would have
been quit for this world at leaft ; but the fame of
a patriot is not fecured by his death, nor can the
gods of the French be called immortal : the
deification of Mirabeau is fufpended, his me
mory put in fequeftration, and a committee ap
pointed to enquire, whether a profligate, expen-
'" n 3 five,

182 A RESIDENCE
five, and neceflitous character was likely to be
corruptible. The Convention, too, feem highly
indignant that a man, remarkable only for vice
and atrocity, fhould make no confcience of be-r
traying thofe who were as bad as himfelf; and
that, after having proftituted his talents from
the moment he was confcious of them, he
fliould not, when affociated with fuch immacu
late colleagues, become pure and difinterefted.
It is very probable that Mirabeau, whofe only
aim was power, might rather be willing to fhare
it with the King, as Minifter, than with fo
many competitors, and only as Prime Speech-
maker to the Affembly : and as he had no rea^
fon for fufpecting the patriotifm of others to be
more inflexible than his own, he might think it
not impolitic to anticipate a little the common
courfe of things, and betray his companions, be
fore they had time to ftipulate for felling him.
He might, too, think himfelf more juftified
in difpofing of them in the grofs, becaufe he
did not thereby deprive them of their right
of bargaining for themfelves, and for each other-
in detail.* The King njight alfo be felicitous to
* La Porte, Steward- of the Houfehold, in a letter to Du-
quefnoy,J dated February, 1 791, informs him that Barrere,
Chairman
% Not the brutal Dufquenoy hereafter mentioned.

IN FRANCE, 1»3
to purchafe fafety and peace at any rate ; and it
is unfortunate for himfelf and the country that he
Chairman of the Committee of Domains, is in the beft difpo
fition poffihle. — A letter of Talon, (then Minifter,) with
remarks in the margin by tlie King, fays, that " Sixteen of
the moft violent members on the patriotic fide may be brought
over to the court, and that the expence will not exceed two
millions of livres : that fifteen thoufand will be fufficient for
the firft payment j and only a Yes or No from his Majefty
will fix thefe members in his intereft, and direcT: their future
conducl:."  -It likewife obferves, that thefe two millions will
coft the King nothing, as the affair is already arranged with,
the Liquidator-General,
Extraft of a letter from Chambonas to the King, dated
June 18, 1792:
" SIRE,
" I inform your Majefty, that my agents are now in mo
tion. I have juft been converting an evil fpirit. I cannot
hope that I have made him good, but I believe I have neutralized
him. — —To-night we fhall make a ftrong effort to gain San-
terre, (Commandant of the Garde National,) and I have
ordered myfelf to be awakened to hear the refult. I fhall take
care to humour the different interefts as well as I can, 
The Secretary of the Cordeliers club is now fecured. — ¦
AH thefe people are to be bought, but not one of them can be
hired.  1 have had with me one Mollet, a phyfician. Per
haps your Majefty may have heard of him. He is an outra
geous Jacobin, and very difficult, for he will receive nothing.
He infifts, previous to coming to any definitive treaty, on be
ing named Phyfician to the Army. I have promifed him, on
N 4 condition

1-84 A RESIDENCE
he had not recourfe to the only effectual
means till ft was too late. But all this refts on
condition that Paris is kept quiet for fifteen days. He is now
gone to exert himfelf in our favour. He has great credit at the
Caffe de Procope, where all the journalifts and " enrages" of
the Fauxboarg St. Germain aflemble. I hope he wili keep his
word.  The orator of the people, the noted Le Maire, a
clerk at tlie Poft-office, has promifed tranquillity for a week,.
and he is to be rewarded.
" A new Gladiator , has appeared lately on the fcene, one
Ronedie Breton, arrived from England. He has already been
exciting the whole quarter of the Poifonnerie in favour of
the Jacobins, but I fhall have him laid fiege to.  Pethion is
to come to-morrow for fifteen thoufand livres, J on account of
thirty thoufand per month which he received under the admi
niftration of Dumouriez, for the fecret fervice of the police. —
I know not in virtue of what law this was done, and it will be
the laft he fhall receive from me. Your Majefty will, I do'ubt
not, underftand me, and approve of what I fuggeft.
(Signed) " chambonas."
Extract from ihe Papers found' af the Tftuilleries.
It is impoffible to warrant the authenticity of thefe Papers ;
on their credibility, however, refts the whole proof of the
moft weighty charges brought againft the King. So that it muft
be' admitted, that either all the firft patriots, of the revolution,.
and many of thofe ftill in repute, are corrupt, or thai the King
was condemned on forged evidence..
"j: This fum was probably on]y to propitiate the Mayor ; and if
Chambonas, as he propofed, refufed faither payment, we may ac
count for Pethion's fubfequent conduct.
no

"IN PRANCE. 185
no better evidence than the papers found at the
Thuilleries ; and as fomething of this kind was
neceffary to nourifh the exhaufted fury of the
populace, I can eafily conceive that it was
thought more prudent to facrifice the dead, than
the living ; and the fame of Mirabeau being
lefs valuable than the fafety of thofe who fur-
vived him, there would be no great harm in
attributing to him what he was very likely to
have done. — The corruption of a notorious
courtier would have made no impreffion : the
King had already been overwhelmed with fuch
accufations, and they had loft their effect : but
to have feduced the virtuous Mirabeau, the
very Confucius of the revolution, was a kind
of profanation of the holy fire, well calculated
to revive the languid rage, and extinguifh the
fmall remains of humanity yet left among the
people. It is fufficiently remarkable, that notwith
ftanding the court muft have feen the neceffity
of gaining over the party now in power, no
veftige of any attempt of this kind has been
difcovered ; and every criminating negotiation
is afcribed to the dead, the abfent, or the
infignificant. I do not, however, prefume to
decide in a cafe fo very delicate : their pane-
gyrifts

ifJtS A RESIDENCE
gy rifts in England may adjuft the claims of
JNlirabeau's integrity, and that of his accufers,
at their leifure,
Another patriot of " diftinguifhed note,"
and more peculiarly interefting to our country*
men, becaufe he has laboured much for their
converfion, is Talleyrand, Bjfhop of Autun.— ~
He was in England fome time as Plenipotentiary
from the Jacobins, charged with eftablifhing
treaties between the clubs, publifh ing fedi tious
manifeftoes, contracting friendly alliances with
difcontented fcribblers, and gaining over neu
tral or hoftile newfpapers. — But, befides his
political and ecclefiaftical occupations, and that
©f writing letters to the Conftitutional Society;
it feems this induftrious Prelate had likewife a
correfpondence with the Agents of the Court,
which, though he was too modeft to furcharge
hisfamebypublifhingit, was, neverthelefs, very
. profitable. I am forry his friends in England are moftly
averfe from epiicopacy, otherwife they might
have provided for him, as I imagine he will
have no objection to relinquifh his claims on
the fee of Autun. He is now under accufa-
tion, and, were he to return, he would not'
find

IN FRANCE, J87
find the laws quite fo ceremonious here as in
England. After labouring with impunity for
months together to promote an infurrection
with you, a fmall private barter of his talents
would here coft him his head ; and I appeal to
the Bifhop's friends in England, whether there
can be a proper degree of freedom in a country
where a man is refufed the privilege of difpofing
of himfelf to the beft advantage.
To the eternal obloquy of France, I muft
include, in the lift of thofe once popular the
ci-devant Duke of Orleans. But it was an un
natural popularity, unaided by a fingle talent,
or a fingle virtue, fupported only by the venal
:fforts of thofe who were almoft his equals in
vice, though not in wealth, and who found a
grateful exercife for their abilities in at once
profiting by the weak ambition of a bad man,
and corrupting the public morals in his favour.
The unrighteous compact is now diflolved >^
thofe whom he has ruined himfelf to bribe have
already forfaken him, and perhaps may endea
vour to palliate the difgrace of having been
called his friends, by becoming his perfecutors.
— Thus, many of the primitive patriots are
dead, or fugitives, or abandoned, or treacherous ;
and

l88 A RESIDENCE
and I am not without fear left the new race
fhould prove as evanefcent as the old-
The virtuous Rolland,* whofe firft refigna>
tion was fo inftrumental in dethroning the King,
has now been obliged to refign a fecond time,
charged with want of capacity, and fufpected
of malverfation ; and this virtue, which was fo
irreproachable, which it would have been fo
dangerous todifpute while it fervedthe purpofes,
of party, is become hypocrify, and Rolland will
be fortunate if he return to obfcurity with only
the lofs of his gains and his reputation.
The credit of Briflbt and the Philofophers is
declining faft — the clubs are unpropitious, and
no party long furvives this formidable omen ;
fo that, like Macbeth, they will have waded
from one crime to another, only to obtain a
ihort-lived dominion, at the expence of eternal
infamy, and an unlamented fall.
* In the beginning of December, the Council-General of
the municipality of Paris opened a regifter, and appointed 3.
Committee to, receive all accufations and complaints whatever
againft Rolland, who, in return, fummoned them to deliver in
their accounts to him as Minifter of the interior, and accufed
them, at the fame time, of the moft fcandalous peculations.
Dumouriez

IN FRANCE. 189
Dumouriez is ftill a fuccefsful General, but
fie is denounced by ohe faction, infulted by
another, ihfidiouflypraifedbyathird ; and^if he
fhould perfevere in ferving them, he has more
difinterefted rectitude than I fufpect him of, or
than they merit. This is another of that Jacobin
'fniniftry which proved fo fatal to the King ;
and it is evident that, had he been permitted to
entertain the fame opinion of all thefe people
as they now profefs to have of each other, he
would have been ftill living, and fecure on his
throne, After fo many mutual infidelities, it might
be expected that one party would grow indif
ferent, and the other fufpicious; but the Prench
never defpair : new hordes of patriots prepare
to poffefs themfelves of the places they are
forcing the old ones to abandon, and the people,
eager for change, are ready to receive them
with -the momentary and fallacious enthufiafm
which ever precedes difgrace ; while thofe who
are thus intriguing for power and influence,
are, perhaps, fecretly deviling how it may be
made moft fubfervient . to their perfonal ad
vantage. Yet, perhaps, thefe amiable levities may not be

iQ° A RESlfjENCE
be difpleafing to the Conftitutional Society ahd
the revolutionifts of England ; and, as the very
faults of our friends are often endearing to us^
they may extend their indulgence to the humane
and liberal precepts of the Jacobins, and the
maflacresof September. — To confers the' truth*
I am not a little afhamed for my country ,whert
I fee addreffes from England to a Convention,
the members of which have juft been aCcufing
each other of aflaffination and robbery, or, in the
ardour of a debate, threatening, Cuffing, and
knocking each other down. Exclufive of their
moral character, confidered only as it appears
from their reciprocal criminations, they have fo
little pretenfion to dignity, or even decency,
that it feems a mockery to addrefs them as the
political reprefentatives of a powerful nation
deliberating upon important affairs.
If a bearer of one of thefe congratulatory
Compliments were not apprized of the forms
of the Houfe, he would be rather aftonifhed^
at his introduction, to fee one member in a
menacing attitude, and another denying his
veracity irt terms perfectly explicit, though not
very civil. Perhaps, in two minutes, the par
tizans of each opponent all rife and clamour,
as if preparing for a combat — the Prefident puts

IN FRANCE. 19 r
puts on his hat as the fignal of a ftorm — the
fubordinate difputants are appeafed — and the
revilings of the principal ones renewed ; till
after torrents of indecent language, the quarrel
is -terminated by a fraternal embrace.*— -I think after
* I do not make any affertions of this nature from con
jecture or partial evidence. The journals of the time atteft
that the fcenes I defcribe occur almoft in every debate. — As a
proof, I fubjoin fome extracts taken nearly at hazard :
" January f th, Convention National-, Prefidence deTreil-
hard. — The debate was opened by an addrefs from the de
partment of Finifterre, expreffing their wrfhes, and adding,
that thefe were likewife the wifhes of the nation at large — that
Marat, Robefpierre, Bazire, Chabot, Merlin, Danton, and
their accomplices, might be expelled the Convention as-
eaballers and intriguers paid by the tyrant9 at war with
France." The account of this debate is thus continued — " The almoft
daily troubles which arife in the Convention were on the point
of being renewed, when- a member, a friend to order, fpoke
as follows, and, it is remarked, was quietly lift-ened to :
' CITIZENS,
' If three months of uninterrupted filence has given me-
any claim to your attention, I now afk it in the name of our
afflicted country. Were I to continue filent any longer, I
fhould render myfelf as culpable as thofe who never hold'
their tongues. I fee we are all fenfible of the painfulnefs of
our fituation. Every day diftatisfied with ourfelves, we come
tothe debate with the intention of doing fomething, and every
day we return without having done any thing. The people
expedt

Xgb A RESIDENCE
after fuch a fcene, an addreffer muft feel a little
humiliated, and would return without finding
his pride greatly increafed by his miffion. It
expect from us wife laws, and hot ftorms and tumults. How
are we to make thefe wife laws, and keep twenty-five millions
of people quiet, when we, who are only feven hundred and
fifty individuals, give an example of perpetual riot and dif
order ? What fignifies our preaching the unity and indivi-
fibility of the republic, when we cannot maintain peace and
union amongft ourfelves ? What good can we expect to do
amidft fuch fcandalous disturbances, and while we fpend our
time in attending to informations, accufations, and inculpations,
for tlie moft part Utterly unfounded ? For my part, I fee but
one means of attaining anything like dignity and tranquillity,
¦ and that is, by fubmitting ourfelves to coercive regulations.''
Here follow fome propofals, tending to eftablifh a little
decency in their proceedings for the future j but the account
from whence this extract is taken proceeds to remark, that
this invitation to peace was no fooner finifhed, than a new
fcene of difturbance took place, to the great lofs of their
time, and the fcandal of all good citizens. One fhould ima
gine, that if ever the Convention could think it neceflary to
aflume an appearance of dignity, or at leaft of ferioufnefs
and order, it would be in giving their judgement relative to
the King. Yet, in determining how a feries of queftions
fhould be difcuiied, on the arrangement of which his fate
feems much to have depended, the folemnity of the occafion
appears to have had no weight. It Was propofed ;to begin by
that of the appeal to the people. This was fo violently com
bated, that the Convention would hear neither party, and
were

IN FRANCE.. I93
It is very remarkable^ that,, on the fame day
on which the friends of liberty and equality of
Manchefter fignalized themfelves by a moft
patriotic compliment to the Convention, be
ginning with " Francais, vous ites fibres,*" they
were, at that very moment,- employed in dif-
ivere a long, time without debating at all. Pethion^nounted
the tribune, and attempted to reftore order ; but the noife
¦was too great for him to be heard. He at length, however,
obtained filence enough to make a motion. Again the mur
murs recommenced. Rabaud de St. Etienne made another
attempt, but was equally unfuccefsful. Thofe that were of
an oppofite opinion refufed to hear hira, and both parties
rofe up and rufhed together to the middle of the Hall. The
moft dreadful tumult took place, and the Prefident, with
great difficulty, procured a calm. Again the ftorm began,
and a member told them, that if they voted in the affirmative,
thofe on the left fide (Robefpierre, 8cc.) would not wait the
refult, but have the King afiaflinated. " Yes ! Yesl (refounded
from all parts) the Scelerats of Paris Will murder him !" —
Another violent diforder enfuing, it was thought no decree
could be palled, and, at length, amidft this fcene of riot and
confufion, the order of queftions was arranged, and in fuch
a manner as to decide the fate of the King. — It was deter
mined, that the queftion of his guilt fhould precede that of
the appeal to the people. Had the order of the queftions
been changed, the King might have been faved, for many
would have voted for the appeal in the firft inftance who did
not dare do it when they found the majority refolved to pro
nounce him guilty.
* " Frenchmen, you are free.''
VOL. I. O cuffing

t()'4 A RESIDENCE
cuffing a petition from numbers of Parifiariswho)
had been thrown into prifon without knowing
cither their Crime or their accufers, and were'
ftill detained under the fame arbitrary circum
ftances. — The law of the conftitution is, that
every perfon arrefted fhall be interrogated within'
twenty-four hours ; but as fhefe imprifonments
were the work of the republican Minifters, the'
Convention feemed to think it indelicate to
interpofe, and thefe citizens of a country whofe
freedom is fo much envied by the Manchefter'
Society, will moft likely remain in durance as-
long as their confinement fhall be convenient
to thofe who have placed them there. — A fhort
time after, Villette, who is a news-writer and
deputy, was cited to appear before the munici
pality of Paris, under the charge of having
inferted in his paper "' equivocal phrafes and
anti-civic expreffions, tending to diminifh the
confidence due to the municipality."— Villette,
as being a membejro^the Convention, obtained
redrefs ; but had he" been only a journalift, the
liberty of the prefs would not have refcued
him. — On the fame day, complaint was made
in the Affembly, that one man had been ar
refted inftead of another, and confined for
fome weeks, and it was agreed unanimoufly,
(a thing that does not often occur,) that the'
powers

IN FRANCE. I95
powers exercifed by the Commrree of Inflec
tion* were incompatible with liberty.
The patriots of Belfaft were not more fortu
nate in the adaptation of their civilities — they
addreffed the Convention, in a ftrain of great
piety, to congratulate them on the fuccefs of their
arms in the " caufe of civil and religious
liberty .-f~" The harrangue was interrupted by
the mal-a-propos entrance of two Deputies, who
complained of having been beaten, almoft
hanged^ and half drowned, by the people of
Chartres, for belonging, as they were told, to
an affembly of atheifticalperfecutors of religion;
and this Convention, whom the Society of Bel-
faff, admire for propagating " religious liberty"
in other countries, were in a few days humbly
petitioned, from various departments, not to
deftroy it in their own. I cannot, indeed, fup
pofe they have really fuch a defign : but the
* Surveillance.  —See Debates, December.
f At this time the municipalities were empowered to fearcH
all houfes by night or day ; but their vifites domiciliaires, as
they are called, being made chiefly in the night, a decree haS
fince ordained that they fhall take place only during the day.
Perhaps an Englifhman may think the latter quite fufficient,
qonfidering that France is the freeeft country in the worlds
and, above all, a republic. o z contempt

I$6 A RESIDENCE
contempt with which they treat religion has
occafioned an alarm, and given the French an
idea of their piety very different from that fo
kindly conceived by the patriots of Belfaft.
I entruft this to our friend Mrs.  , who
is leaving France in a few days ; and as we are
now on the eve of a war, it will be the laft let
ter you will receive, except a few lines occa
fionally on our private affairs, or to inform you
of my health. As we cannot, in the ftate Mrs.
D  is in, think of returning to England at
prefent, we muft truft ourfelves to the hofpi
tality of the French for at leaft a few weeks,
and I certainly will not abufe it, by fending
any remarks on their political affairs out of the
country. But as I know you intereft yourfelf
much in the fubject, and read with partiality
my attempts to amufe you, I will continue to
throw my obfervations on paper as regularly as
I have been accuftomed to do, and I hope, ere
long, to be the bearer of the packets myfelf.'
I here alfo renew my injunction,, that no part
of my correfpondence that relates to French
politics be communicated to- any one, not even
my mother. What I have written has been
merely to gratify your own curiofity, and I
fhould be extremely mortified if my opinions were

IN FRANCE. 197
were repeated even in the little circle of our
private acquaintance. I deem myfelf perfectly
juftifiable in imparting my reflections to you,
but I have a fort of delicacy that revolts at the
thought of being, in the remoteft degree, ac-
ceffary to conveying intelligence from a country
in which I refide, and which is fo peculiarly
fituated as France is at this moment. My feel
ings, my humanity, are averfe from thofe who
govern, but I fhould regret to be the means of
injuring them. You cannot miftake my inten
tions, and I conclude by ferioufly reminding
you of the promife I exacted previous to any
political difcuffion.  Adieu.

LETTER XXXI.
Amiens, February 15, 1 793-
JL Did not, as I promifed, write immediately
on my return from Chantilly ; the perfon by
whom I intended to fend my letter having
already fet out for England} and the rule I have
obferved for the laft three months of entrufting
nothing to the poft but what relates to our
family affairs, is now more than ever neceffary.
03 I have

19$ A RESinENOE-
I have before requefted, and I muft now infift,
that you make 110 allufion to any political mat
ter whatever, nor even mention the name of any
political perfon. Do not imagine that you are
qualified to judge of what is prudent, or what
may be written with fafety — I repeat, no one
in Englaand can form an idea of the fufpicion
that pervades every part of the French go-.
vernment. I cannot venture to anfwer decifively your
queftion reflecting the King — indeed the fub
ject is fo painful to me, that I have hitherto;
avoided reverting to it. There certainly was,
as you obferve, fome fudden alteration in the
difpofitions of the Affembly between the end
of the trial and the final judgement. The caufes.
were moft probably various, and muft be fought-
for in the worft vices of our nature — cruelty,
avarice, and cowardice. Many, I doubt not,
were guided only by the natural malignity of
their hearts; many acted from, fear, and ex-.
petted to purchafe impunity for former compli
ances with the court by this popular expiation ;
a large number are alfo fuppofed to have been
paid by the Duke of Orleans— whether for the
gratification of malice or ambition, time muft
develope.— rBut, whatever were the motives, the
refult

IN FRANCE, 199
refult was an iniquitous combination of the
worft of a fet of men, before felected from all
that was bad in the nation, to profane the name
of juftice — to facrifice an unfortunate, but not
a guilty Prince — and to fix an undelible ftain
on the country.
Among thofe who gave their opinion at large,
you will obferve Paine ; and, as I intimated in
a former letter, it feems he was at that time
rather allured by the vanity of making a fpeech
that fhould be applauded, than by any real defire
of injuring the King. Such vanity, however, is
not pardonable : a man has a right to ruin himfelf,
or to make himfelf ridiculous ; but when his
vanity becomes baneful to others, as it has all
the effect, fo does it merit the punifhment,
of vice.
Of all the reft, Condorcet has moft power
fully difgufted me. The avowed wickednefs of
Thuriot or Marat infpires one with horror ; but
this cold philofophic hypocrite excites contempt
as well as deteftation. He feems to have wa
vered between a defire to preferve the repu
tation of humanity, which he has affected, and
that of gratifying the real depravity of his mind.
Would one have expected, that a. fpeech full of
o 4 benevolent

200 A RESIDENCE
benevolent fyftems, mild fentiments, and aver
fion from the effufion of human blood, was ta
end in a vote for, and recommendation of, the
immediate execution of his, Sovereign ? — But
fuch a conduct is worthy of him, who has re
paid the benefits of his patron and friend* by
a perfecution which ended in his murder.
You will have feen, that the King made fome
trifling requefts to be granted after his deceafe-,
and that the Convention ordered him to be told'j
that the nation, " always great, always juft,"
accorded them- in part. Yet this juft and mag
nanimous people refufed him a preparation of
only three days, and allowed him but a few
hours — fuffered his remains to be treated with
the moft fcandalous indecency — and debated
ferioufly, whether or no the Queen fhould re
ceive fome little tokens of affection he had left
for her.
The King's enemies had fo far fucceeded in
depreciating his perfonal courage, that even his
friends were apprehenfive he might not fuftain
his laft moments with dignity. The event proves
how much injuftice has been done him in this
* The Duke de la Rochefaucault. refpect,

IN FRANCE. SOI
refpect, as well as in many others. His behaviour
was thatof aman who derived his fortitude from
religion — it was that of pious refignation, not
oftentatious courage : it was marked by none of
thofe inftances of levity and indifference which,
at fuch a time, are rather fymptoms of diffrac
tion than refolution ; he exhibited the com-
pofure of an innocent mind, and the ferioufnefs
that became the occafion ; he feemed to be oc
cupied in preparing for death, but not to fear
it. — I doubt not but the time will come, when
thofe who have facrificed him may envy the laft
moments of Louis the Sixteenth !
That the King was not guilty of the prin
cipal charges brought againft him, has been
proved indubitably — not altogether by the af
fertions of thofe who favour him, but by the
confeffion of his enemies. He was, for example,
accufed of planning the infurrectionof the tenth
of Auguft ; yet not a day paffes that both par
ties in the Convention are not difputing the
priority of their efforts to dethrone him, and to
erect a republic ; and they date their machina
tions long before the period at which they at
tribute the firft aggreffion to the King. — Mr. ¦
Sourdat, and feveral other writers, have very
ably demonftrated thefalfehood ofthefe charges ;
but

202 A RESIDENCE
but the circulation of fuch pamphlets was dan*
gerous — of courfe, fecret and limited ; while
thofe which tended to deceive and prejudice
the people were difperfed with profufion, at
the expence of the government.* — I have feen one
* Poftfcript of the Courier de l'Egalit6, Sept. 29 :
" The prefent minifter (Rolland) takes every poffible means
in his power to enlighten and inform the people in whatever
concerns their real interefts. For this purpofe he has caufed
to be printed and diftributed, in abundance, the accounts and
papers relative to the events of the tenth of Auguft. We
have yet at our office a fmall number of thefe publications,.
which we have diftributed to our fuhfcribers, and we ftill give
them to any of our fellow-citizens who have opportunities pf
circulating them."
" A few days after Rolland came into the miniftry, the
Legiflative Aflembly, in order to explain to the people the
neceflity of the revolution of the tenth of Auguft, decreed, on
the eighteenth of the fame month, that an hundred thoufand
livres fhould be placed at the difpofal of the Minifter for the
Home-Department, to defray the expence of printing and dis
tributing fuch •writings as "were calculated to threw light on the
projccls of the enemies to the flate. To accomplish this pur
pofe, it was propofed to print and diftribnte the papers found
at the King's apartments after the taking the Thuilleries.
Thefe were merely to be fent in the ufual ivay to the various-
adminiftrations, and to the popular focieties, throughout the
republic. — But this mode not appearing to me to be adequate
to the end in view, I fuggefted another, which, while it in
cluded the firft, would be the means of circulating thefe lumi nous

IN FRANCE, SOJ
one of thefe written in coarfe language, and
replete with vulgar abufe, purpofely calculated
for the lower claffes in the country, who are
more open to grofs impofitions than thofe of
the fame rank in towns ; yet I have no doubt,
in my own mind, that all thefe artifices would
have proved unavailing, had the decifion been
left to the nation at large : but they were in
timidated, if not convinced ; and the mandate
of the Convention, which forbade this fovereign
people to exercife their judgement, was obeyed
with as much fubmiffion, and certainly with
pous documents to the obfcureft corners, and of inundating,
as it were, all the channels of the public opinion with incon-
teftible proofs of the treachery of the Court. Thefe publica
tions were accordingly delivered free of expence to the dif
ferent journalifts, in numbers equal to thofe of their refpective
fuhfcribers, and by them circulated along with their papers :
fo that all who could read, and who read the news, were
fpeedily convinced, beyond a doubt, of the treachery of the
Court ; and thus the revolution of the tenth of Auguft re
ceived its confirmation.''
The above is extracted from " A Supplement to the Crimes
pf the old Committees of Government," publifhed in 1795,
by J. A. Dulaure, Deputy to the Convention from the de
partment of the Puy de Dome. Dulaure was attached to
Rolland and the Briilbtines, and one of the feventy-three im-
prifoned Deputies who were enlarged fome months' after the
death of Robefpierre. — He was only a drudging look-inright
before the revolution, but his teftimony is of confequence. reluctance.

204 A RESIDENCE
reluctance, than an edict of Louis the Four
teenth,* The French feem to have no energy but to
deftroy, and to refift nothing but gentlenefs or
infancy. They bend under a fir-m or oppreflive
adminiftration, but become reftlefs and turbu
lent under a mild Prince or a minority.
The fate of this unfortunate Monarch has
made me reflect, with great ferioufnefs, on the
conduct of our oppofition-writers in England.
The literary banditti who now govern France
began their operations by ridiculing the King's
private character — from ridicule they 'proceeded
to calumny — and from calumny to treafon ; and
perhaps the firft libel that degraded him in the
eyes of his fubjects opened the path from the
palace to the fcaffbld.-j"--— - 1 do not mean to at
tribute
* The King appealed, by his Counfel, tothe People; but
the Convention, by a decree, declared his appeal of no va
lidity, and forbade all perfons to pay attention to it, under the
fevereft penalties.
-j- As a Monarch, Louis the Sixteenth appears to have been-
irreproachable ; and the fcribblers who were employed to der
preciate him, aware that their efforts would prove abortive if
directed againft his public conduct, began their attacks by mif-
reprefenting

IN FRANCE* 2,o5
tribute the fame pernicious intentions to the
authors on your fide the Channel, as I believe
them, for the moft part, to be only mercenary,
and that they would write panegyrics as foon as
fatires, were they equally profitable. I know
too, that there is no danger of their producing
revolutions in England — we do not fuffer our
principles to be corrupted by a man becaufe
reprefenting his private charafter. Much artifice was employed
to propagate an opinion that this Prince was grofsly intempe
rate ; yet this charge is fupported only by the affertions of
men who could fcarcely have had perfonal knowledge of what
they advanced, and whofe evidence would not have been ad
mitted againft the obfcureft individual : while, on the contrary,
writers, whofe rank or ftation gave them accefs to the King's
prefence, and whofe reputation entitles them to credit, all
concur in afcribing to him the utmoft decorum and modera
tion.— The reader will perhaps not be difpleafed if I add a
fhort extract on this fubject from the eloquent cloge pf Monf.
Montjoye— " Though naturally gay, he was rarely known to laugh
aloud/ and thofe with whom he was not familiar, found him
ferious and referved in his manner.
" His health occafionally required a recourfe to the moft
-violent exercifes, but they never led him to tranfgrefs- the bounds
of fobriety. Until he came to the throne, he had been in the
habit of drinking nothing but water — afterwards he ufed to
mixrwine with it ; but he never drank the latter pure, except
after his meals, when he dipped a piece of bread in half a
glafs of foreign wine."
he

206 A RESIDENCE
he has the art of rhyming nothings into cori*
fequence, nor fuffer another to overturn the
government becaufe he is an orator. Yet
though thefe men may riot be very mifchievous,
they are very reprehenfible ; and, in a moment
like the prefent, contempt and neglect fhould
fupply the place of that punifhment againft
which our liberty of the prefs fecures them.
It is not for a perfon no better informed than
myfelf to pronounce on fyftems Of government — ¦
ftill lefs do I affect to have more enlarged no
tions than the generality of mankind ; but I
may, without rifking thofe imputations, venture
to fay, I have no childifh Or irrational deference
for the perfons of Kings. I know they are not>
by nature, better than other men, and a neg
lected or vicious education may often render
them worfe. This does not, however, make
fne lefs refpect the office. I refpect it as the
means chofen by the people to preferve internal
peace ahd order — tobanifh corruption and petty
tyrants*— and give vigour to the execution of
the laws.
Regarded in this point of viewj I cannot
* " And fly from petty tyrants to the throne." GOLDSMITH. but

IN FRANCE. 207
but lament the mode which has lately prevailed
Of endeavouring to alienafe the confideration
due to our King's public character, by per
fonal ridicule. If an individual were attacked
In this manner, his houfe befet with fpies, his
converfation with his family liftened to, and
the moft trifling actions of his life recorded^
it would be deemed unfair and illiberal, and
he who fhould practice fuch meannefs would
be thought worthy of no punifhment more
refpectful than what might be inflicted by an
oaken cenfor, or an admonitory heel. — But it
will be. faid, a King is not an individual, and
that fuch a habit, or fuch an amufement, is
beneath the dignity of his character. Yet would
it be but confiftent in thofe who labour to prove,
by the public acts of Kings, that they are lefs
than men, not to exact, that, in their private
lives, they fhould be more. — The great proto
type of modern fatyrifts, Junius, does not allow
that any credit fhould be given a Monarch for his
domeftic virtues ; is he then to be reduced to
an- individual, only to fcrutinize his foibles,
and is his ftation to ferve only as the medium
of their publicity ? Are thefe literary miners
to penetrate the recefles of private life, only to
bring to light the drofs ? Do they analyfe only to

2G

8 A RESIDENCE

to difcover poifons ? Such employments may
be congenial to their natures, but have little
claim to public remuneration ¦. The merit of a
detractor is not much fuperior to that of a flat
terer ; nor is a Prince more likely to be amended
by imputed follies, than by undeferved panegy
rics. If any man wifhed to reprefent his King
advantageoufly, it could not be done better than
by remarking, that, after all the watchings of
afliduous neceflity, and the laborious refearches
of interefted curiofity, it appeared that his pri
vate life afforded no other fubjects of ridicule
than, that he was temperate, domeftic, and oeco
nomical, and, as is natural to an active mind,
wifhed to be informed of whatever happened not
to be familiar to him. It were to be defired
that fome of thefe accufations were applicable
to thofe who are fo much fcandalized at them t
but they are not littlenejfes — the littlenefs is in
him who oondefcends to report them ; and I
have often wondered that men of genius fhould
make a traffic of gleaning from the refufe of
anti-chambers, and retailing the anecdotes of
pages and footmen 1
You will perceive the kind of publications
I allude to ; and I hope the fituation of France, and

IN FRANCE. 1209
and the fate of its Monarch, may fuggeft to the
authors a more worthy employ of their talents,
than that of degrading the executive power in
the eyes of the people.

LETTER XXXII.
1 Amiens, Feb. 25, 1J93.
JL Told' you, I believe, in a former letter, that
the people of Amiens were all ariftocrates : they
have, neverthelefs, two extremely popular qua
lifications-— I mean, filth and incivility. I am,
however, far from imputing either of them to
the revolution. This groflhefs of behaviour
has long exifted under the palliating defcrip
tion of " la franchife Picarde* " and the floors
and flairs of many houfes will atteft their pre
eminence in filth to be of a date much ante
rior to the revolution. — If you purchafe to the
amount of an hundred livres, there are many
fhopkeepers who will not fend your purchafes
home ; and if the articles they fhow you do not
anfwer your purpofe, they are moftly fullen3
* " Picardy franknefs.''
vol. 1. P and

SUO A RESIDENCE
and oftert rude. No appearance of fatigue of
infirmity fuggefts to them the idea of offering
you a feat ; they contradict you with imperti
nence, addrefs you with freedom, and conclude*
with cheating you if they can. It was certainly
on this account that Sterne would not agree to
die at the inn at Amiens. He might with
equal juftice, have objected to any other houfe;
and I am fure if he thought them an unpleafant
people to die amongft, he would have found
them ftill worfe to live with. — My obfervation
as to the civility of ariftocrates does iiot hold
good here — indeed I only meant that thofe who
ever had any, and were ariftocrates, , ftill pre
ferved it. „
Amiens has always been a commercial town*
inhabited by very few of the higher nobleffe ;
and the mere gentry of a French province are
not very much calculated to give a tone of
foftnefs and refpect to thofe who imitate them.
You may, perhaps, be furprized that I fhould
exprefs myfelf with little confideration for a-
clafs which, in England, is fo highly refpecta-
ble : there gentlemen of merely independent
circumftances are not often diftinguifhable irt
their manners from thofe of fuperior fortune or
rank. But, in France, it is different : the in
ferior

IN FRANCE. Sit
FeriOr nobleffe are ftiff, ceremonious, and often
tatious ; while the higher ranks were always po
lite tO ftraiigers, and affable to their dependents.
When you vifit fome of the former, yOu go
Shrdugh as rriany ceremonies as though you
Were to be ihvefted with an order, and rife up
and fit down fo many times, that ybti return
more fatigued than you would from a cricket
match ; while with the latter you are juft as
much at your eafe as is confiftent with good
breeding and propriety, and a whole circle is
never put in commotion at the entrance and
exit df every individual who makes part of it.
Any One not prepared for thefe formalities, and
whoi for the firft time, faw an affembly of twenty
people all rifing from their feats at the entrance
of a fingle beau, wOuld fuppofe they were pre
paring for a dance, and that the new comer was
a muficiarti For my part I always find it an
cecondmy of ftrength (when the locality makes
it practicable) to take poffeffion of a window,
and continue ftanding in readinefs until the
hour of vifiting is over, and calm is eftablifhed
by the arrangement of the card tables. — The
revolution has not annihilated the difference of
tank, though it has effected the abolition of
titles ; and I counfel all who have remains of
p % the

tLH a Residence
the gout or inflexible joints, not to frequent the
houfes of ladies whofe hufbands have been en
nobled only by their offices, of thofe whofe
genealogies are modern, or of the collaterals of
ancient families, whofe claims are fo far removed
as to be doubtful. The fociety of all thefe is
very exigent, and to be avoided by the infirm
or indolent. ->
I fend you with this a little collection of airs,
which I think you will find very agreeable.
The French mufic has not, perhaps, all the
reputation it is entitled to. Rouffeau has de
clared it to be nothing but doleful pfalmodies ;
Gray calls a French concert " Une tintamarre
de diable .•" and the prejudices infpired by thefe
great names are not eafily obliterated. We
fubmit our judgement to theirs, even when
our tafte is refractory. — The French com-
pofers feem to excel in marches, in lively airs
that abound in ftriking paffages calculated for
the popular tafte, and yet more particularly in
thofe Ample melodies they call romances, which
are often in a very charming and fingular ftyle. —
Without being either fo delicate or affecting as
the Italian, they have an expreffion of plain
tive tendernefs, which makes one tranquil ra
ther

IN FRANCE. 2-13
ther than melancholy ; and which, though it be
more foothing than interefting, is very delight
ful.  Yours, &c.

LETTER XXXIII.
Amiens, 1 793.
JL Have been to-day to take a laft view of the
convents : they are now advertifed for fale, and
will probably foon be demolifhed. You know
my opinion is not, on the whole, favourable to
thefe inftitutions, and that I thought the de
cree which extinguiihed them, but whichfecured
to the religious already profeft the undifturbed
poffeffion of their habitations during life, was
both politic and humane. Yet I could not fee
the prefent ftate of thefe buildings without
pain — they are now inhabited by volunteers,
who are paffing a noviciate of intemperance and
idlenefs, previous to their reception in the
army ; and thofe who recollect the peace and
order that once reigned within the walls of a
monaftery, cannot but be ftricken with the con
traft. I felt both for the expelled and prefent
poffeffors, and, perhaps, gave a mental pre-
p 3 ference

414 A RESIDENCE
ference to the fuperftition which founded fuclj;
eftablifhments, over the perfecution that de-
ftroys them.
The refigned and pious votaries, who once
fuppofed themfelves fecure from all the vicifc
fitudes of fortune, and whofe union feemed
diffoluble only by the common lot of mortality^
are now many of them difperfed, wandering,
friendlefs, and miferable. The religion which
they cherifhed as a. comfort, and practifed as a.
duty, is now purfued as a crime ; and it is not-
yet certain that they will not have to choofe
between an abjuration of their principles, and the
relinquifhment of the means of exiftence. — -The
military occupiers offered nothing very allevi
ating to fuch unpleafant reflections ; and I be
held with as much, regret the collection of thefe
fcattered individuals, a,s the feparation of thofe
whofe habitatioris they fill. They are moft of
them extremely young, taken from villages, ancf
the fervice of agriculture, and are going to. rifk
their lives in a caufe detefted perhaps by more
than three parts of the nation, and only to. fe
cure impunity to its oppreffors.
It has ufually been a maxim in all civilized
ftates, that when the general welfare neceffitates fome

IN FRANCE. 215
feme act of partial injuftice, it fhall be done
with the utmoft confideration for the fufferer,
and that the required facrifice of moral to poli
tical expediency fhall be palliated, as much as
the circumftances will admit, by the manner
of carrying it into execution. But the French
legiflators, in this refpect, as in moft others,
truly original, difdain all imitation, and are
rarely guided by fuch confined motives. With
them, private rights are frequently violated,
only to facilitate the means of public oppref-
fions — and cruel and iniquitous decrees are ren
dered ftill more fo by the mode of enforcing
them. I have met with no perfon who could con
ceive the neceffity of expelling the female re
ligious from their convents. It was, however,
done, and that with a mixture of meannefs and
barbarity which at once excites contempt and
deteftation. The oftenfible reafons were, that
thefe communities „afforded an afylum to the
fuperftitious, and that by their entire fuppref
fion, a fale of the houfes would enable the nation
to afford the religious a more liberal fupport
than had been affigned them by the Conftituent
Affembly, But they are fhallow politicians who
p 4 expect

2l6 A RESIDENCE
expect to deftroy fuperftition by perfecuting
thofe who practife it : and fo far from adding,
as the decree infinuates, to the penfions of the
nuns, they have now fubjected them to an oath
which, to thofe at leaft whofe confciences are
timid, will act as a prohibition to their receiving
what they were before entitled to.
The real intention of the legiflature in thus
entirely difperfing the female religious, . befides
the general hatred of every thing connected
with religion, is, to poffefs itfelf of an addi
tional refource in the buildings and effects, and,
as is imagined by fome, to procure numerous
and convenient ftate prifons. But, I believe,
the latter is only an ariftocratic apprehenfion,
fuggefted by the appropriation of the convents,
to this ufe in a few places, where the ancient
prifons are full. — Whatever purpofe. it is in
tended to anfwer, it has been effected in a way
difgraceful to any national body, except fuch a
body as the Convention ; and, though it be
eafy to perceive the cruelty of fuch a meafure,
yet as, perhaps, its injuftice may not ftrike you
fo forcibly as if you had had the fame oppor
tunities of inveftigating it as I have, I will
endeavour to explain, as well as I can, the
circumftances.

IN FRANCE. 217
circumftances that render it fo peculiarly
aggravated.* I need not remind you, that no order is of
very modern foundation, nor that the prefent
century has, in a great degree, exploded the
fafhion of compounding for fins by endowing
religious inftitutions. Thus neceffarily, by the
great change which has taken place in the ex-
pence of living, many eftablifhments that were
poorly endowed muft have become unable to
fupport themfelves, but for the efforts of thofe
who were attached to them. It is true that the
rent of land has increafed as its produce became
riiore valuable ; but every one knows that the
lands dependent on religious houfes have always
been let on fuch moderate terms, as by no
means to bear a proportion to the neceffities
they were intended to fupply ; and as the mo-
naftic vows have long ceafed to be the frequent
choice of the rich, little increafe has been
made to the original ftock by the acceffion of
new votaries : — yet, under' all thefe difadvan
tages, many focieties have been able to rebuild
their houfes, embellifh their churches, purchafe
* The iniquity of confifcating the property of the church
i moft ably difcufled in an eifay in the Bloody Buoy. plate,

ai8 A RESIDENCE
plate, &c. &c. The love of their order, that
fpirit of oeconomy for which they are remark
able, and a perfevering induftry, had their ufual
effects, and not only banifhed poverty, but
became a fource of wealth. An indefatigable
labour at fuch works as could be profitably
difpofed of, the education of children, andthe
admiffion of boarders, were the means of en
riching a number of convents, whofe proper
revenues would not have afforded them even a
fubfiftence. But the fruits of active toil or voluntary
privation have been confounded with thofe of
expiatory bequeft and miftaken devotion, and
have alike become the prey of a rapacious and
unfeeling government. Many communities are
driven from habitations built abfolutely with the
produce of their own labour. In fome places,
they were refufed even their beds and linen j
and the ftock of wood, corn, &c. provided
out of the favings of their penfions, (under
ftood to be at their own difpofal,) have been?
feized, and fold, without making them the
fmalleft compenfation.
Thus deprived of every thing, they are fent
into the world with a prohibition either to live
feveral

IN FRANCE, 2ItJ
feveral of them together, to wear their habits,*
or practife their religion ; yet their pennons -j*
are too fmall for them to live upon, except in
fociety, or to pay the ufual expence of board
ing; many of them have no other means of
procuring fecular dreffes, and ftill more will
imagine themfelves criminal in abftaining from.
the mode of worfhip they have been taught to
think falutary. It is alfo to be remembered, that
women of flnall fortune in France often em
braced the monaftic life as a frugal retirement,
and, by finking the whole they were poffeffed
of in this way, they expected to fecure a cer
tain proyifion, and to place themfelves beyond
the r?ach of future viciflitudes : yet, though
the fums paid on thefe occafions can be eafily
afcertained,. no indemnity has been made ;
and many will be obliged to violate their prin
ciples, in order to receive a trifling penfion,
* Two religious, who boarded with a lady I had occafion
to fee fometimes, told me, that they had been ftrictly enjoined
Rot tp drefs like each other in any way.
f The penfions are from about feventeen to twenty-five
pounds fterling per annum. — At the time I am writing, the
neceflaries of life are increafed in price nearly two-fifths of
what they bore formerly, and are daily becoming dearer. The
Convention are not always infenfible to this — the pay of the
f opt foldier js more than doubled, perhaps

2,2,0 A RESIDENCE
perhaps much lefs than the intereft their money
would have produced without lofs of the
principal. But the views of thefe legiflating philofo
phers are too fublimely extenfive to take in the
wrongs or fufferings of cotemporary indivi
duals ; and not being able to difguife, even to
themfelves, that they create much mifery at
prefent, they promife incalculable advantages
to thofe who fhall happen to be alive fome cen
turies hence 1 Moft of thefe poor nuns are,
however, of an age to preclude them from the
hope of enjoying this Millennium ; and they
would have been content en attendant thefe
glorious times, not to be deprived of the ne-
ceffaries of life, or marked out as objects of
perfecution. The private diftrefles occafioned by the dif
folution of the convents are not the only con
fequences to be regretted — for a time, at leaft,
the lofs muft certainly be a public one. There
will now be no means of inftruction for females,
nor any refuge for thofe who are without friends
or relations : thoufands of orphans muft be'
thrown unprotected on the world, and guar
dians, or fingle men, left with the care of chil
dren,

IN FRANCE. 221
dren, have no way to difpofe of them properly.
I do not contend that the education of a con
vent is the beft poffible : yet are there many
advantages attending it ; and I believe it will
readily be granted, that an education not quite
perfect is better than no education at all. It
would not be very difficult to prove, that the
fyftems of education, both in England and
France, are extremely defective; and if the
characters of women are generally better formed
in one than the other, it is not owing to the
fuperiority of boarding-fchools over convents,
but to the difference of our national manners,
which tend to produce qualities not neceffary,
or not valued, in France.
The moft diftinguifhed female excellencies
in England are an attachment to domeftic life,
an attention to its ceconomies, and a cultivated
underftanding. Here, any thing like houfe-
wifery is not expected but from the lower claffes,
and reading or information is confined chiefly
to profeffed wits. Yet the qualities fo much
efteemed in England are not the effect of edu
cation : few domeftic accomplifhments, and little
ufeful knowledge, are acquired at a boarding-
fehool ; but finally the national charaaer afferts
its empire, and the female who has gone through

22,2 A RESIDENCE
a courfe of frivolities from fix to fixteeri, whd
has been taught that the firft " human prin
ciple" fhould be to give an elegant tournure td
her perfon> after a few years' diffipation becomes
a good wife ahd mother, and a rational com
panion fn France, young women are kept in great
feclufion : religion and oeconomy form a prin
cipal part of conventual acquirements, and the
natural vanity of the fex is left to develope it
felf without the aid of authority, Or inftillatiori
by precept— yet, when releafed from thisfober
tuition, manners take the afcendant here as iii
England, and a woman commences at her mar
riage the sera of coquetry, idlenefs, freedom,
and rouge.— We may therefore, I think* Ven
ture to conclude, that the education of a
boarding-fchool is better calculated for the rich,
that of a convent for the middle claffes and
the poor; and confequently; that the fup
preffion of this laft in France will principally
affect thofe to whom it was moft beneficial^
and to whom the want of it will be moft
dangerous; A committee of wife men are now forming
a plan of public inftruction, whieh is to excelevery

IN FRANCE. 2^3
every thing ever adopted in any age or country ;
and we may therefore hope that the defects
Which have hitherto prevailed, both ih theirs
and our own, will be remedied. All we have to
apprehend is> that, amidft fo many wife heads*
more than one wife plan may be produced, and
ia difficulty of choice keep the rifing generation
in a fort Of abeyance, fo that they muft remain
fterile, or may become vitiated, while it is
determining in what manner they fhall be
cultivated-. It is almoft a phrafe to fay, the refources of
France are wonderful, and this is no lefs true
than generally admitted. Whatever be the
"want or lofs, it is no fooner known than fup
plied j, and the imagination of the legiflature
feems to become fertile in proportion to the
exigence of the moment. I was in fome pain
at the difgrace of Mirabeau, left this new kind
of retrofpective judgement fhould depopulate
the Pantheon of the few divinities that re
mained ; mote efpecially when I confidered
that Voltaire, notwithftanding his merits as art
enemy to revelation, had been already accufed
of ariftocracy, and even Rouffeau himfelf might
hot be found impeccable. His Conlrat Social
might not, perhaps, in the eyes of a committee Of

224 A RESIDENCE
of philofophical Rhadmanthus's atone for his
occafional admiration of chriftianity ; and thus
fotae crime, either of church or ftate, dif-
franchife the whole race of immortals, and their
fame fcarcely outlaft the difpute about their
earthly remains.*
My concern, on this account, was the more
juftifiable, becaufe the great fallibility which
prevailed among the patriots, and the very de
licate ftate of the reputation of thofe who re
tained their political exiftence, afforded no
hope that they could ever fill the vacancies in
the Pantheon. — But my fears were very fuper
fluous — France will never want fubjects for an
apotheofis, and if one divinity be dethroned,
" another and another ftill fucceeds," all
equally worthy as long as they continue in
fafhion. The phrenzy of defpair has fupplied
a fuceeflbr to Mirabeau, in Le Pelletier.-f- The
latter had hitherto been little heard of, but his
death offered an occafion for exciting the people
too favourable to be neglected : his patriotifm
and his virtues immediately increafed in a ratio
* Alluding to the difputes between the Convention and
the perfon who claimed the exclufive right to the remains of
Roulleau. ¦J- De St. Fargeao. to

IN FRANCE. 225
to the ufe which might be made of them ;*
a dying fpeech proper for the purpofe was com
pofed, and it. was decreed unanimoufly* that he
fhould be ihftalled in all the rights, privileges,
and immortalities Of the degraded Riquetti.—
The funeral that preceded thefe divine awards
was a farce, which tended mote to provoke a
maffacre of the living, than to honour the dead;
and the Convention, who vowed to facrifice
their animofities on his tomb, do fo little credit
to the conciliating influence of St. Fargeau's
virtues, that they now difpute with more acri
mony than ever.
The departments, who begin to be extremely
fubmiffive to Paris, thought it incumbent on
them to imitate this ceremony ; but as it was
rather an act of fear than of patriotifm, it was
performed here with fo much ceconomy, and
fo little inclination, that the whole was cold
* At the firft intelligence of his death, a member of the
Convention, who was with him, and had not yet had time to
ftudy a fpeech, confefled his laft words to have been, " J'ai
froid" — " I am cold." This, however, would have made no
iigure on the banners of a funeral proceflion ; and I.e Pelletier
Was made to die, like the hero of a tragedy, uttering blank
verfe.
vol. i; Q and

%l6 A RESIDENCE
and paltry. — An altar was erected on the great
market-place, and fo little were the people af
fected by the cataftrophe of a patriot whom
they were informed had facrificed * his life in
their
* There is every reafon to believe that Le Pelletier was
not fingled out for his patriotiim. — It is faid, and with much'
appearance of probability, that he had promifed Paris, with
whom he had been intimate, not to vote for the death of the*
King; and, on his breaking his word, Paris, who feems to
have not been perfeftly in his fenfes, aifaffinated him. 
Paris had been in the Garde du Corps, and, like moft of his
brethren, was ftrongly attached to the King's perfon. Rage'
and defpair prompted him to the commiffion of an act., which
can never be excufed, however the perpetrator may imagine
himfelf the mere inftrument of Divine vengeanee.^Notwith-
ftanding the moft vigilant refearch, he efcaped for fome time,
and wandered as far as Forges d'Eaux, a little town in Nor->
mandy. At the inn where he lodged, the extravagance of
his manner giving fufpicions that he was infane, the munici
pality were applied to, to fecure him. An officer entered his
room while he was in bed, and intimated the purpofe he was
come for. Paris affected to- comply, and, turning, drew a
piftol from under the clothes, and (hot himfelf. — Among the
papers found upon him were fome affecting lines, expreffive
of his contempt for life, and adding, that the influence of
his example was not to be dreaded, fince he left none behind
him that deferved the name of Frenchmen !  " Quon
riinquiete pcrfonnc ! perfomie na etc mon complice- dans la mort
heureufe du Scelerat St. Fargeau. Si Je ne Veuffe pas rencontre
fous ma main, Jc purgeois la France du regicide, du parricide, du

IN FRANCE. 22,7
their caufe, that the only part of the bufinefs
which feemed to intereft them was the extrava
gant geftures of a woman in a dirty white drefs,
hired to act the part of a " pleureufe," or
mournef, and whofe forrow appeared to divert
them infinitely. — It will ever be fo where the
people are not left to confult their own feelings.
The mandate that orders them to affemble may
be obeyed, but " that which paffeth fhow" is
not to be enforced. It is a limit prefcribed by
Nature herfelf to authority, and fuch is the
averfion of the human mind from dictature and
reftraint, that here an official rejoicing is often
du patricide D' Orleans. Qu'on ninquiete perfo?zne/. Tous les
Wrancais font des laches auxquelles Je dis —
" Peuple, dont les forfaits jettent partout 1 ' effroi,
" Avec calme ct plaifir J ' abandonne la "vie
" Ce n'eft que par la mort qu on peut fuir Vinfamie,
" Qu'imprimicfur nos fronts le fang de notre Roi."
" Let no man be molefted on my account : I had no ac
complice in the fortunate death of the mifcreant St. Fargeau.
If he had not fallen in my way, I fhould have purged France
of the regicide, parricide, patricide D'Orleans. Let no man
be molefted. All the French are cowards, to whom I fay — •
' People, whofe crimes infpire univerfal horror, I quit life with
tranquillity and pleafure. By death alone can we fly from
that infamy which the blood of our King has marked upon our
foreheads I"  This paper was entitled " My Brevet of
Honour."
a 3 more

42(5 A RESIDENCE
more ferious than thefe political exactions of
regret levied in favour of the dead.  Yours,
&c. &c.

LETTER XXXIV.
March 23, 1 793.
HE partizans of the French in England:
alledge, that the revolution, by giving them
a government founded on principles of modera
tion and rectitude, will* be advantageous to all
Europe, and more efpecially to Great Britain,
which has fo often fuffered by wars-, the fruit
of their intrigues. — This reafoning would be
unanswerable could the character of the people
be changed with the form of their government;:
but, I believe, whoever examines its admini
ftration, whether as it relates- to foreign powers-
or internal1 policy, Will find that the fame fpirit
of intrigue, fraud, deception, and want of faith,
which dictated in the cabinet of Mazarine or
Louvois, has- been transfufed, with the addition
of meannefs and ignorance',* into a Conftitu tional
* The Executive Councilis compofed ofmen, who, if ever
they were well-intentioned, certainly'appear to be unfii.for the
' government

IN FRANCE. 20g
tional Miniftry, or the Republican Executive
Council. — France had not yet determined on
the articles of her future political creed, when
agents were difpatched to make profelytes in
England, and, in proportion as fhe affumed
a more popular form of government, all the
qualities which have ever marked her as the
difturber of mankind feem to have acquired
new force. Every where the ambafladors of
the republic are accufed of attempts to excite
revolt and difcontent, and England* is now
forced
government of an extenfive republic. Monge, "the Minifter
ofthe Marine, is a profeflbr of geometry; Garat, Minifter of
Juftice, a gazette- writer ; Le Brun, Minifter of Foreign Af
fairs, ditto; and Pache, Minifter of the Interior, a private
tutor. — Whoever reads the debates of the Convention will find
few indications of real talents, and much pedantry and igno
rance. For example, Anacharlis Cloots, who is a member of
the Committee of Public lnftruction, and who one (hould, of
courfe,- expect not to be more ignorant than his colleagues, has
lately advifed them to diftrefs the enemy by invading Scotland,
wliich he calls the granary of England.
* For fome time previous to the war, all the French prints,
and even the members of the Convention, in their debates,
announced England to be on the point of an infurrection.
The intrigues of Chauvelin, their ambaflador, to verify this
prediction, are well known. Briflot, Le Brun, &c. who have
fince been executed, were particularly charged by the adverfe
party with provoking the war with England. Robefpierre,
a 3 and

230 A RESIDENCE
forced into a war becaufe fhe could not be per^=
fuaded to an infurrection. — Perhaps it may be
faid, that the French have taken this part only
for their own fecurity, and to procure adherents
to the common caufe ; but this is all I contend
for — that the politics of the old government
actuate the new, and that they have not, in
abolifhing courts and royalty, abolifhed the
perfidious fyftem of endeavouring to benefit
themfelves, by creating diftrefs and diffention
among their neighbours.* — Louvois fupplied the
Proteftants in the Low Countries with money,
while he perfecuted them in France. The agents
and thofe who fucceeded, were not fo defirous of involving
us in a foreign war, and their humane efforts were directed
merely to excite a civil one. — The third article of accufation
againft Rolland is, having fent twelve millions of livres to Eng
land, to affilt iu procuring a declaration of war. — It is indeed
impoffible for a rational mind to give credit to fuch a charge ;
and it only proves Robefpierre's party to have been confcious.
that the war originated in the intrigues of the French, an<}
that the former were deiirous, at all events, to exonerate them
felves from the odium of fo unpopular a meafure.
* I acknowledge I am not able to fupprefs an emotion of
vanity, when I find my own opinions fupported by thofe of
the author of the Hiftorical Effay on the Ambition and Con
quefts of France, a work which abounds in ufeful information,
and in which, fuch principles as an Englifhman ought to cherifh
are inculcated with great force, and occafionally with great
eloquence. of

IN FRANCE. 231
of the republic, more oeconomical, yet directed
by the fame motives, eke out corruption by
precepts of fedition, and arm the leaders of re
volt with the rights of man ; but, forgetting the
maxim that charity fhould begin at home, in
their zeal for the freedom of other countries,
they leave no portion of it for their own !
Louis the Fourteenth over-ran Holland and
the Palatinate to plant the white flag, and lay
the inhabitants under contribution — the repub
lic fend an army to plant the tree of liberty,
levy a don patriotique,* and place garrifons in
the towns, in order to preferve their freedom. —
Kings have violated treaties from the defire of
conqueft — thefe virtuous republicans do it from
the defire of plunder ; and, previous to opening
the Scheldt, the invafion of Holland was pro
pofed a_s a means of paying the expences of the
war. I have never heard that even- the moft
ambitious Potentates ever pretended to extend
their fubjugation beyond the perfons and pro
perty of the conquered ; but thefe militant
dogmatifts claim an empire even over opinions,
and infift that no people can be free or happy
unlefs they regulate their ideas of freedom and
* Patriotic gift.
a 4 happinefs

Sja A RESIDENCE
happinefs by the variable ftandard of the Jaco.
bin club. Far from , being of Hudibras's phi«
lofophy,* they feenvto think the mind as tan
gible as the body, and that, with the affiftance
of an army, they may as foon lay one "• by the
heels" as the other.-^-Now this I conceive to
be the worft of all tyrannies, nor have I feen
it exceeded on the French theatre, though,
within the laft year, the imagination of their
poets has been peculiarly ingenious and inven
tive on this fuhject.-^-It is abfurd to fuppofe
this vain and overbearing difpofition will ceafe
when the French government is fettled. The
intrigues ofthe popular party began in England
the very moment they attained power, and long
before there was any reafon to fufpect that the
Englifh would deviate from their plan of neu
trality. If then, the French cannot reftrain
this mifchievQus fpirit while their own affairs
are fufficient to occupy their utmoft attention,
it is natural to conclude, that, fhould they once
become eftablifhed, leifure and peace will make*
* " Quoth he, ojie half of man, his mind,
" Is, fui "juris, unconfin'd,
" And ne'er can be laid by the heels,
" Whate'er the other moiety feels." tfUPJBRAS,, them

IN FRANCE.. 233
themdangerous to the tranquillity of all Europe.*
Other governments may be improved by time,
but republics always degenerate ; and if that
which is in its original ftate of perfection ex
hibit already the maturity of vice, one cannot,
without being more credulous than reafonable,
hope any thing better for the future than what
we have experienced from the paft. — It is, in
deed, unneceffary to detain you longer on this
fubject. You muft, ere now, be perfectly con
vinced how far the revolutionary fyftems of
France are favourable to the peace and happi
nefs of other countries. I will only add a few
details which may aflift you in judging of what
* This is likewife the opinion of an author who appears to
poflefs the' beft information, and whofe j udgement is as pro
found as his language is fpirited and elegant —
"It is the invariable doctrine of the Jacobins, that their
moral farce depends exclufively on the extenfion of their fyf
tem to the reft of Europe ; they have neither abandoned nor
difiembled for a moment this firft principle of their confpi-
racy: it is written in every page of their hiftory, as well as in
the code of their Secret Committees.  -- And when I fpeak
of Jacobins, I would not be underftood to mean only that
rabble of mifcreants and journeymen aiiaflins, vulgarly called
Terrorifts — both the fyftem and the appellation belong rigidly
to thofe who founded, to thofe who have fupported, and to
.ithofe who now rule the republic."
Lettre a un Minijire d'Etat par Mallet du Pan.
advantage

234 A RESIDENCE
advantage they have been to the French them
felves, and whether, in changing the form of
their government, they have amended its prin
ciples: or if, in " conquering" liberty, (as they
exprefs it,) they have really become free.
The fituation of France has altered much
within the laft two months; the feat of power
is lefs fluctuating and the exercife of it more
abfolute — arbitrary meafures are no longer inci
dental, but fyftematic — and a regular connec
tion of dependent tyranny is eftablifhed, be
ginning with the Jacobin clubs, and ending with
the committees of the fections. A Ample de
cree, for inftance, has put all the men in there-
public, (unmarried and without children,) from
eighteen to forty-five, at the requisition of the
Minifter of War. A levy of three hundred
thoufand is to take place immediately : each
department is refponfible for the whole of a
certain number to the Convention, the diftricts
are anfwerable for their quota to the depart
ments, the municipalities to the diftrict; and
the diligence of the whole is animated by itine
rant members of the legiflature, entrufted with
the difpofal of an armed force. The latter cir
cumftance may feem to you incredible ; yet is i|
neverthelefs true, that moft of the departments are

IN FRANCE. 235
are under the jurifdiction of thefe fovereigns,
whofe authority is nearly unlimited. We have,
at this moment, two Deputies in the town, who
arreft and imprifon at their pleafure. One-and-
twenty inhabitants of Amiens were feized a few
.nights ago, without any fpeCific charge hav
ing been exhibited againft them, and are ftill
in confinement. The gates of the town are
fhut, and no one is permitted to pafs or re-
pafs without an order from the municipality ;
and the obfervance of this is exacted even of
thofe who refide in the fuburbs. Farmers and
country people, who are on horfeback, are
obliged to have the features and complexion of
their horfes minuted on the paffport with their
own. Every perfon whom it is found conve
nient to call fufpicious, is deprived of his arms;
and private houfes are difturbed during the
night, (in oppofition to a pofitive law,) under
pretext of fearching for refractory priefts. —
Thefe regulations are not peculiar to this de
partment, and you muft underftand them as
conveying a general idea of what paffes in every
part of France.  1 have yet to add, that
letters are opened with impunity — that immenfe
fums of affignats are created at the will of the
Convention — that no one is excufed mounting-
guard in perfon — and that all houfekeepers, and

2,2,6 A RESIDENCE
and even lodgers, are burthened with the quar
tering of troops, fometimes as many as eight or
ten for weeks together.
You may now, I think, form a tolerable
idea of the liberty that has accrued to the
French from the revolution, the dethronement
of the King, and the eftablifhment of a repub
lic. But, though the French fuffer this def-
potjfm without daring to murmur openly, many
a fignificant fhrug and doleful whifper pafs in
fecret,' and this political difcontent has even its'*
appropriate language, which, though not very
explicit^ is perfectly underftood. — Thus, when
you hear one man fay to another, " Ah, mon
Dieu, on eft bien malheureux dans ce moment id •"
or, "Nousfommes dans une pofition tres critique— j
Je voudrois bien voir la fin de tout cela ; * " you
may be fure he languifhes for the reftoration of
the monarchy, and hopes with equal fervor,
that he may liye to fee the Convention hanged.
In thefe fort of conferences, however, evapo
rates all their courage. They own their country
is undone, that they are governed by a fort of
* ." God knows, we are very miferable at prefent— we ate
in a very critical fituation — I Ihould like toiee- an end of ail
this." ... brigands,,

IN FRANCE. 437
fbrigands, go home and hide any fort of valu
ables they have not already fecreted, and re
ceive with obfequious complaifance the next
•vifSte domiciliaire.
The mafs of the people, with as little energy,
have more obftinacy, and are, of courfe, not
quite fo tractable. But, though they grumble
and procraftinate, they do not refift ; and their
delays and demurs ufually terminate in implicit
fubmiffion. The Deputy-commiflioners, whom I have
mentioned above, have been at Amiens fome
time, in order to promote the levying of recruits;
On Sundays and holidays they fummoned fhe
inhabitants to attend at the cathedral, where
they harangued them on the fubject, called for
vengeance on the coalefced defpots, expatiated
on the love of glory? and infifted on the plea
fure of dying for one's country r while the peo
ple liftened with vacant attention, amufedtherri-
felves with the paintings, or adjourned in fmall
committees to difcufs the hardfhip of being
obliged to fight without inclination. — Thus,
time elapfed, the military orations produced
no effect, and no- troops were raifed : / no one
would enlift voluntarily, and all refufed to fettle it

238 A RESIDENCE
it by lot, becaufe, as they wifely obferved, the,
lot muft fall on fomebody. Yet, notwith
ftanding the objection, the matter was at length
decided by this laft method. Thedecifioh had
no fooner taken plaee, than another difficulty en-
fued — thofe who efcaped acknowledged it was
the beft way that could be, devifed ; but thofe
who were deftined to the frontiers refufed to
go.- Various altercations, and excufes, and re
ferences, were the Confequence ; yet, after aU
this murmuring and evafion, the prefence of
the Commiflioners and a few dragoons have ar
ranged the bufinefs very pacifically ; many are
already gone, and the reft will (if the dragoons
continue here) foon followi
This, I affure you, is a juft ftatement ofthe
account between the Convention and the Peo
ple : every thing is effected by fear — nothing
by attachment ; and the one is obeyed only
becaufe the other want courage to refift.— —
Yours, &cc.

LETTER

IN FRANCE. 239
LETTER XXXV,
,lT '
Rouen, March j 1, 1)793.
OUEN, like moft of the great towns in
France, is what is called decidedly ariftocratic ;
that, is, the rich are difcontented becaufe they
are without fecurity, and the poor becaufe
they want bread. But thefe complaints are
not peculiar to large places ; the caufes of them
equally exift in the fmalleft village, and the
only difference which fixes the imputation of
ariftocracy on one more than the other, is,
daring to murmur, or fubmitting in filence.
I' muft here remark to you, that the term
ariftocrate has much varied from its former
fignification. A year ago, ariftocrate implied:
one who was an advocate for the privileges of
the nobility, and a partizan of the ancient g0--
vernment — at prefent a man is an ariftocrate for
entertaining exactly the fame principles which
at that time conftituted a patriot ; and, I believe,
the computation is moderate, when I fay, that
more than three parts of the nation are arifto
crates. The rich, who apprehend violation of
their property, are ariftocrates — the merchants,
who regret the ftagnation of commerce, and
diftruft

24© A RESIDENCE
diftruft the credit of the affignats, are arifto
crates — the fmall retailers, who are pillaged for
not felling cheaper than they buy, and who
find thefe Outrages rather encouraged than re-
prefled, are ariftocrates — ^and even the poor,
who murmur at the price of bread, and the
numerous levies for the army, are, occafionally,
ariftocrates. Befides all thefe, there are likewife various
claffesof moral ariftocrates — fuch as the humane j
who are averfe from maffacres and oppreffion—
thofe who regret the lofs of civil liberty— the
devout, who tremble at the contempt for reli
gion — the vain, who are mortified at the na-<
tional degradation-^-and authors, whofighfor the
freedom of the prefs. — When you Confider this
multiplicity of fymptomatic indications, you
will not be furprized that fuch numbers are
pronounced in a ftate of difeafe ; but our re--
publican phyncians will foon generalize thefe
various fpecies of ariftocracy under the fingle
defcription of* all who have any thing to lofe^
and every one will be deemed plethoric who is
not in a confumption. The people themfelves
who obferve, though they do not reafon, begin
to have an idea that property expofes the fafety
of the owner, and that the legiflature is lefs
inexorable

tN FRANCE* Q,4.t
inexorable when guilt is unproductive, than
when the conviction of a criminal comprehends
the forfeiture of an eftate. A poor tradefman
was lamenting to me yefterday, that he had
neglected an offer of going to live in England ;
and when I told him I thought he was very
fortunate in having done fo, as he would have
been declared an emigrant, he replied, laughing,
"Moi emigri qui n'ai pas unfol /*" '—No, no ; they
don't make emigrants of thofe who are worth,
nothing. And this was not faid with any in
tended irreverence to the Convention, but with
the fimplicity which really conceived the wealth
of the emigrants to be the caufe of the feverity
exercifed againft them.
The commercial and political evils attending
a vaft circulation of aflignats have been often
difcuffedj but I have never yet known the mat*
ter confidered in what is, perhaps, its moft fe
rious point of view— I mean its influence on the
habits and morals of the people. Wherever
I go, efpecially in large towns like this, the
mifchief is evident, and, I fear, irremediable.
That oeconomy, which was one of th« moft-
Valuable characteriftics of the French, is now
* " I an emigrant, who am not worth a halfpenny"!'1
vox. 1. R compa-

24* A RESIDENCE
comparatively difregarded. The people who
receive what they earn in a currency they hold
in contempt, are more anxious to fpend than
to fave ; and thofe who formerly hoarded fix
Hards or twelve fois pieces with great care, would
think it folly to hoard an affignat, whatever its
nominal value. Hence the lower clafs of females
diffipate their wages on ufelefs finery ; men fre
quent public-houfes, and game for larger fums
than before : little fhopkeepers, inftead of
amaffing their profits, become more luxurious
in their table : public places are always full ;
and thofe who ufed,. in a drefs becoming their
ftation, to occupy the parquet' or parterre,
now, decorated with pafte, pins, gauze, and
galloon, fill the boxes r — and all this deftructive
prodigality is- excufed to others and themfelves
" par ce que ce rieft que du papier.*" — It is vain
to perfuade them to oeconomize what they think
a few weeks may render valuelefs ; and fuch is-
the evil of a circulation fo totally discredited,
that profufion affumes the merit of precaution,
extravagance the plea of neceffity, and thofe
who were notlavifh by habit become fo through
tlieir eagernefs to part with their paper. The
buried gold and filver will again be brought
* Becaufe it is only paper. forth.

IN FRANCE; 243
forth, and the merchant and the politician for
get the mifchief of the aflignats. But what can
compenfate for the injury done to the people ?
What is to reftore their ancient frugality, or
banifh their acquired wants ? It is not to be
expected that the return of fpecie will diminifh
the inclination for luxury, or that the human
mind can be regulated by the national finance ;
On the contrary, it is rather to be feared, that
habits of expence which owe their introduction
to the paper will remain when the paper is
annihilated ; that, though money may become
more fearce, the propenfities of which it fup
plies the indulgence will not be lefs forcible^
and that thofe who have no other refources for
their accuftomed gratifications will but too often
find one in the facrifice "of their integrity.—
Thus, the corruption of manners will be fuc
ceeded by the corruption of morals, and the
diflionefty of one fex, with the licentioufnefs of
the other, produce confequences much worfe
than any imagined by the abftracted calcula
tions of the politician, or the felfifh ones of the
merchant. Age will be often without folace,
ficknefs without alleviation, and infancy with
out fupport ; becaufe fome would not amafs for
themfelves, nor others for their children, the
b 2 profits

244 a Residence
profits of their labour in a reprefentative fign of
uncertain value.

I do not pretend to affert that thefe are the
natural effects of a paper circulation — doubtlefs,
When fupported by high credit, and an extenfive
commerce, it muft have many advantages ; but
this was not the cafe in France — the meafure
was adopted in a moment of revolution, and
when the credit of the country, never very con
fiderable, was precarious and degraded — It did
not flow from the exuberance of commerce,
but the artifices of party — it never prefumed,
for.a moment, on the confidence ofthe people-
its reception was forced, and its emiffion too
profufe not to be alarming. — I know it may be
anfwered, that the aflignats do not depend upon
an imaginary appreciation, but really reprefent
a large mafs of national wealth, particularly in
the domains of the clergy : yet, perhaps, it is
this very circumftance which has tended moft
to difcredit them. Had their credit refted only
on the folvency of the nation, though they had.
not been greatly coveted, ftill they would have
been lefs diftrufted ; 'people would not have
apprehended their abolition on a change of go
vernment, nor that the fyftems adopted by one
party might be reverfed by another. Indeed we

IN FRANCE. 245
we may add, that an experiment of this kind
does not begin aufpicioufly when grounded on
confifcation and feizures, which it is probable
more than half the French confidered as facri-
lege and robbery ; nor could they be very
anxious to poffefs a fpecies of wealth which they
made it a motive of confcience to hope would
never be of any value. But if the original
creation of aflignats were objectionable, the fub
fequent creations cannot but augment the evil.
I have already defcribed to you the effects
vifible at prefent, and thofe to be apprehended
in future — others may refult from the new in
undation,* which it is not poffible to conjec
ture ; but if the mifchiefs fhould be real, in pro
portion as a part of the wealth which this paper
is faid to reprefent is imaginary, their extent
cannot eafily be exaggerated. Perhaps you* will
be of this opinion, when you recollect that one
of the funds which form the fecurity of this vaft
fum is the gratitude of the Flemings for their
liberty ; and if this reimburfement be to be made
according to the fpecimen the French army have
'< experienced in their retreat, I doubt much if
the Convention will be difpofed to advance any
farther claims on it ; for, it feems, the inhabitants
of the Low Countries have been fo little fenfible
* 1 aoo Millions — 5,0 millions fterling.
R3 of;

24.6 A RESIDENCE
of the benefits beftowed on them, that even thcf
peafants feize on any weapons neareft hand, and
drub and purfue the retrograding armies as they
would wild beafts ; and though, as Dumouriez
obferves in one of his difpatches, our revolu
tion is intended to favour the country people,
te c'eft cependant les gens de campagne qui sarment
contre nous, et le tocftn forme de toutes parts ;*"
fo that the French will, in fact, have created
a public debt of fo Angular a nature, that every
one will avoid as much as poffible making any
demand of the capital,
I have already been more diffufe than I in-*
tended on the fubject of finance ; but I beg
you to obferve, that I do not affect to calculate,
or fpeculate, and that I reafon only from facts
which are daily within my notice, and which,.
as tending to operate on tlie morals of the
people, are naturally included in the plan |
propofed to myfelf,
I have been here but a few days, and intend
returning to-morrow. I left Mrs. D  very
little better, and the difaffection of Dumouriez,
which I juft now learn, may oblige us to. remove
* " It is, however, the country people who take up arms
againft us, and the alarm is founded from all quarters." to

IN FRANCE. *47
to fome place not . on the route to Paris. 
Every one looks alert and important, and a
phyfiognomift may perceive that regret is not
the prevailing fentiment —
" We now begin to fpeak in tropes,
" And, by our fears, exprefs our hopes."
The Jacobins are faid to be apprehenfive,
which augurs well ; for, certainly, next to the
happinefs of good people, one defires the
punifhment of the bad.

LETTER XXXVI.
Amiens, April 7, 1793.
JlF the fentiments of the people towards their
prefent government had been problematical be
fore, the vifible effect of Dumouriez' conduct
would afford an ample folution of the problem.
That indifference about public affairs which the
profpect of an eftablifhed defpotifm had begun to
create has vanifhed — all is hope and expectation
— thedoors of thofe who retail the newfpapers are
affailed by people too impatient to read them —
each with his gazette in his hand liftens eagerly
B.4 to

248 A RESIDENCE
to the verbal circulation, and then holds a fe
cret conference with his neighbour, and calcu*
lates how long it may be before Dumouriez can
reach Paris. A fortnight ago the name of
Dumouriez was not uttered but in a tone of
harfhnefs and contempt, and, if ever it excited
any thing like complacency, it was When he
announced defeats and loffes. Now he is fpoken
of with a fignificant modulation of voice, it is
difcovered that he has great talents, and his
popularity with the army is defcantedupon with-
a myfterious air of fuppreffed fatisfaction.—
Thofe who were extremely apprehenfive left
part of the General's troops fhould be driven
this way by the fucceffes of the enemy, feem
to talk with perfect compofure of their taking
the fame route to attack the capital; while
others, who would have been unwilling to re
ceive either Dumouriez or his army as peaceful
fugitives, will be " nothing loath" to admit
them as conquerors. From all I can learn, thefe
difpofitions are very general, and, indeed, the
actual tyranny is fo great, and the perfpective
fo alarming, that any means of deliverance
muft be acceptable. But, whatever- may be
the event, though I cannot be perfonally inte
refted, if I thought Dumouriez really propofed
to eftablifh a good government, humanity would

IN FRANCE. 240
would render one anxious for his fuccefs ; for
it is not to be difguifed, that France is at this
moment (as the General himfelf expreffed it)
under the joint dominion of " imbeciiks" and
*' brigands,*" It is poffible, that at this moment the whole
army is difaffected, and that the fortified towns
are prepared to furrender. It is alfo certain that
Brittany is in revolt, and that many other de
partments are little fhort of it ; yet you will not
very eafily conceive what may have occupied
the Convention during part of this important
crifis — nothing lefs than inventing a drefs for
their Commiffioners ! But, as Sterne fays, " it
is the fpirit of the nation 1" and I recollect no
circumftance during the whole progrefs of the
revolution (however ferious) that has not been
mixed with frivolities of this kind.,
I know not what effect this new coftume may
produce on the rebels or the enemy,, but I con-
fefs it appears to me more ludicrous than for
midable, ' efpecially when a reprefentative hap
pens to be of the fhape and features of the one
we have here. Saladin, a Deputy for this depart-
* Ideots and robbers. ment,

i,$0 A RESIDENCE
ment, and an advocate of the town of Amiens,
has already invefted himfelf with this armour
of inviolability; " ftrange figure in fuch ftrange
habiliments," that one is tempted to forget that
Baratraria and the government of Sancho are
the creation of fancy. Imagine to yourfelf a
fhort fat man, of fallow complexion and fmall
eyes, with a faflx of white, red, and blue
round his waift, a black belt with a fword fuf-
pended acrofs his fhoulders, and a round hat-
turned up before, with three feathers of the
national colours : " even fuch a man" is our
reprefentative, who harangues publicly in this
accoutrement, and exercifes a more defpotie
authority than moft Princes in Europe.— He is
accompanied by another Deputy, who was what
is called z-Pire deTOratoire before the revolu
tion — that is, in a ftation nearly approaching
to thatof an under-mafterat our public fchools;
only that the feminaries to which thefe were at
tached being very numerous, thofe employed
in them were little confidered. They wore the
lhabit, and were fubject to the fame reftrictions,
as the Clergy, but were at liberty to quit the
profeffion and marry, if they chofe.—- — I have
been more particular in defcribing this clafs of
men, becaufe they have every where taken an
active and fuccefsful part in perverting and
mifleading

IN FRANCE. 251
mifleading the people : they are in the clubs,
or the municipalities, in the Convention, and
in all elective adminiftrations, and have been
in moft places remarkable for their fedition and
violence. Several reafons may be affigned for the in
fluence and conduct of men whofe fituation
and habits, on a firft view, feem to oppofe
both. In the firft ardour of reform it was
determined, that all the ancient modes of edu
cation fhould be abolifhed ; fmall temporary
penfions were allotted to the Profeffors of Col
leges, and their admiflion to the exercife of
fimilar functions in the intended new fyftem
was left to future decifion. From this time many
of the difbanded oratorians, who knew it would
be vain to refift popular authority, endeavoured
to fhare in it; or, at leaft, by becoming zealous
partizans of the revolution, to eftablifh their
claims to any offices or emoluments which might
be fubftituted for thofe they had been deprived
of. They enrolled themfelves with the Jacobins,
courted the populace, and, by the talent of pro
nouncing Roman names with emphafis, and the
ftudy of rhetorical attitudes, they became im
portant to aflbciates who were ignorant, or
neceffary to thofe who were defigning.
The

2.$2 A RE-SID ENCE
The little information generally -pofleffed by
the middle clafles of life in France, is alfo
another caufe of the comparative importance
of thofe whofe profeflions had, in this refpect,
raifed them fomething above the common level.
People of condition, liberally educated, • have
unfortunately abandoned public affairs for fome
time ; fo that the incapacity of fome, andthe
pride or defpondency of others, have, in a
manner, left the nation to the guidance of pe
dants, incendiaries, and adventurers. Perhaps
alfo the anirnofity with which the defcription
of men I allude to purfued everything attached
to the ancient government, may, in fome degree
have proceeded from a defire of revenge and
retaliation. They were not, it muft be con
feffed, treated formerly with the regard due to
perfons whofe profeffion was in itfelf ufeful and
refpectable ; and the wounds of vanity are not
eafily cured, nor the vindictivenefs of little
minds eafily fatisfied.
From the conduct and popular influence of
thefe Peres de VOratoire, fome truths may be
deduced not altogether ufelefs even to a country
not liable to fuch violent reforms. It affords
an example of the danger arifing from thofe
fudden and arbitrary innovations, which, by
depriving

IN -FRANCE-. .253
.depriving any part of the community of their
ufual means of living, and fubftituting no other,
tempt them to indemnify themfelves by preying,
in .different ways, on their fellow-citizens.-^-
The daring and ignorant often become depre*-
dators of private property ; while thofe who
.have more talents, and lefs courage, endeavour
<to fucceed by the artifices which conciliate
public favour. - 1 am not certain whether the
latter are not to be moft dreaded ofthe two,
for thofe who make a trade of the confidence
of the people feldom fail to corrupt them — »
they find it more profitable to flatter their paf-
.fions than to enlighten their underftandings ;
and a demagogue of this kind, who obtains
an office by exciting one popular infurrection,
will make no fcruple of maintaining himfelf in
it by another. An inference may likewife be
drawn of the great neceffity of cultivating fuch
a degree of ufeful knowledge in the - middle
order of fociety, as may not only prevent their
being deceived by interefted adventurers them
felves, but enable them to inftruct the people
in their true, interefts, and refcue them from
becoming the inftruments, and finally the vicr
tims, of fraud and impofture. The infult and
oppreffion which the nobility frequently experi
ence from thofe who have been promoted by the
revolution,

2^4 A RESIDENCE
revolution, will, I truft, be a ufeful leflbn ih
future to the great, who may be inclined to
arrogate too much from adventitious diftinc
tions, to forget that the earth we tread upon
may one day overwhelm us, and that the meaneft
of mankind may do us an injury from which it
is not in the power even of the moft exalted to
Afield us*
The inquifition begins to grow fo ftrict, that
I have thought it neceffary to-day to bury a
tranflation of Burke. In times of ignorance
and barbarity, it was criminal to read the Bible*
and our Englifh author is prohibited for a fimi
lar reafon — that is, to conceal from the people1
the errors of thofe who direct them : and, in
deed, Mr. Burke has written fome truths, which
it is of mUch more importance for the Conven
tion to conceal, than it could be to the Catholic
priefts to monopolize the divine writings. —
As far as it was poffible, Mr. Burke has fhown
himfelf aprophet : if he has not beeh completely
fo, it was becaufe he had a benevolent heart*
and is the native of a free country. By the one*
he was prevented from imagining the cruelties
which the French have committed ; by the
other, the extreme defpotifm which they endure.
LETTER

IN FRANCE. 255
LETTER XXXVII.
April 20, 1793.
JoEFORE thefe halcyon days of freedom*
the fupremacy of Paris was little felt in the pro
vinces, except in dictating a new fafhion in drefs,
an improvement in the art of cookery, or the
invention of a minuet. At prefent our imita
tions of the capital are fomething more ferious;
and if our obedience be not quite fo voluntary,
it is much more implicit. Inftead of receiving
fafhions from the Court, we take them now
fronvthe dames des halles,* and the municipa
lity 5 and it muft be allowed, that the imagi
nations of our new fovereigns muft exceed
thofe of the old in force and originality.
The mode of pillaging the fhops, for in
ftance, was firft devifed by the Parifian ladies,
and has lately been adopted with great fuccefs
in the departments ; the vifit e domiciliaire, alfo,
which I look upon as a moft ingenious effort of
fancy, is an emanation from the commune of
Paris, and has had an univerfal run. — But it
would be vain to attempt enumerating all the

* Market-women.

obligations

2^6 A RESIDENCE
obligations of this kind which we owe to the
indulgence of that virtuous city : our laft im^
portation, however, is of fo fingular a nature,
that, were we not daily affured all the liberty
in the world centers in Paris, I fhould1 be doubt
ful as to its tendency. It has lately been de*
creed, that every houfe in the republic fhall
have fixed on the outfide of the door, in legi
ble characters, the name, age, birth-place^ and
profeffion of its inhabitants. Not the pooreft
cottager, nor thofe who are too old or too
young for action, nor even unmarried ladies,
are exempt from thus proclaiming the abftract
of their hiftory to paffers-by.— The reigning
party judge very wifely, that all thofe who are
not already their enemies may become fo, and
that thofe who are unable to take a part them
felves may excite others t but, whatever may be
the intention of this meafure, it is impoffible to
conceive any thing which could better ferve
the purpofes of an arbitrary government ; it
places every individual in the republic within
the immediate reach of informers and fpies — it
points out thofe who are of an age to ferve in
the army — thofe who have fought refuge in one
department from the perfecutions of another — *
and, in fhort, whether a victim is purfued
by the denunciation of private malice, or po
litical

IN FRANCE. 257-
litical fufpicion, it renders efcape almoft im
practicable. We have had two domiciliary vifits within the
laft fortnight— -one to fearch for arms, the other
Under pretext of afcertaining the number of
troops each houfe is capable of lodging. But
this was only the pretext, becaufe the munici
palities always quarter troops as they think pro
per, without eonfidering whether you have
room Or hot ; and the real object of this inqui-
fition was to obferve if the inhabitants anfwered
to the lifts placed on the doors, — Mrs* D — —
Was ill in bed, but you muft not imagine fuch
a circumftance deterred thefe gallant republi
cans from entering her room with ah armed
force, to calculate how many foldiers might be
lodged in the bedchamber of a fick female \
The French* indeed, had never* in my remem
brance* any pretenfions to delicacy, or even
decency, and they are certainly not improved
in thefe refpects by the revolution.
It is curious ih walking the ftreets* to obferve
the devices of the feveral claffes of ariftocracy ;
for it is not to be difguifed, that fince the hope
from Dumouriez has vanifhed, though the dif-
guft of the people may be increafed, their ter-
vol. i. S ror

258 A RESIDENCE
ror is alfo greater than ever, and the depart
ments- near Paris have no refource but filetft
fubmiffion. Every one, therefore, obeys the
letter of the decrees with the diligence of fear,
while the fpirit of them is eluded with all th?
ingenuity of hatred. — The rich, for example,
who cannot entirely diveft themfelves of their
remaining hauteur, exhibit a fallen compliance
on a fmall piece of-paper, written in a fmall
hand, and placed at the very extreme of the
height allowed by the law. Some fix their bills
fo as to be half covered by a fhutter ; others
faften them only with wafers, fq that the wind
detaching one or two corners, makes it impof
fible to read the reft.* Many who have courts
or paffages to their houfes, put their names on
the half of a gate which they leave open, fo
that the writing is not perceptible but to thofe
who enter. But thofe who are moft afraid, or
moft decidedly ariftocrates, fubjoin to their re-
gifters, Ci All good republicans .¦" or, ll Vive la
republique, une etindivifible Ijr" Some likewife,
* This contrivance became fo common, that an article was
obliged to be added to the decree, importing, that whenever
the papers were damaged or effaced by the weather, or de
ranged by the wind, the inhabitants fhould replace them,
under a penalty.
j: " The. republic, one and indiviiible for ever 1 "
I"/ , " who

kN frAnCe. 2^9
who are irt public offices, or fhopkeepers who
are very timid, and afraid of pillage, Or are
ripe for a counter-revolution, have a fheet half
the fize of the door, decorated with red caps,
tri-coloured ribbons* and flaming fentences
ending in " Death or Liberty /"
If, however, the French goverrtrrtertt con
fined itfelf to thefe petty acts of defpotifm, I
Would endeavour to be reconciled to it ; but I
really begin to have ferious apprehenfions, not
fb much for our fafety as our tranquillity, and
if I confidered only myfelf, I fhould not heft-
tate to return to England;, Mrs. D  is too
ill to travel far at prefent^ and her dread of
cfoffing the fea makes her lefs difpofed to think
Our fituation here hazardous or ineligible. Mr.
D '•¦""•, too, who, without being a republican
or a partizan of the prefent fyftem, has always
been a friend to the firft revolution, is unwilling
to believe the Convention fo bad as there is
every reafon to fuppofe it; I therefore let my
judgement yield to my friendfhip, and, as I
cannot prevail on them to depart, the danger
Which may attend ouir remaining is an addi
tional reafon for my not quitting them.
The national perfidy which has always diftin-
s a guifhed

z6o A RESIDENCE
guifhed France among the other countries ol
Europe, feems- now not to be more a diplomatic
principle, than a rule of domeftic government.
It is fo extended and generalized, that an indi
vidual is as much liable to be deceived and be
trayed by confiding in a decree, as a foreign
power would be by relying on the faith of
a treaty.  An hundred and twenty priefts,
above fixty years of age, who had not taken
the oaths, but who were allowed to remain by
the fame law that banifhed thofe who were
younger, have been lately arrefted* and are
confined 'together in a houfe which was once
a college. The people did not behold this act
of cruelty with indifference^ but, awed by an
armed force, and the prefence of the Com
miffion -ers of the Convention, they could only
follow tbe priefts to- their prifon with filent:
regret and internal horror. They, however,
venture even now to mark their attachment, by
taking all opportunities of feeing them, and
fupplying them with neeeflaries, which it isnofr
very difficult to do, as they are guarded by the
Bourgeois, who are generally inclined to favour
them. I afked a woman to-day if fhe ftill con
trived to have accefs to- the priefts, and fhe
replied, et Ah, oui, ilya encore dela faciliti, par
ce que l'on ne trouve pas des gardes id qui ne font pas

IN FRANCE. 26t
pas pour eux.*" Thus, even the moft minute
and beft organized tyranny may be eluded ;
and, indeed, if all the agents of this govern
ment acted in the fpirit of its decrees, it would
be infupportable even to a native of Turkey or
Japan. But if fome have ftill a remnant of
humanity left, there are a fufficient number
who execute the laws as unfeelingly as they are
conceived. When thefe poor priefts were to be removed
from their feveral houfes, it was found necef
fary to diflodge the Bifhop of Amiens, who
had for fome time occupied the place fixed on
for their reception. The Bifhop had notice
given him at twelve o'clock in the day to re-
linquifh his lodging before evening ; yet the
Bifhop of Amiens is a conftitutional Prelate,
and had, before the revolution, the cure of a
large panfh at Paris ; nor was it without, much
perfuafion that he accepted the fee of Amiens.
In the fevere winter of 1789 he difpofed of his
plate and library, (the latter of which was faid
to be one of the beft private collections in
Paris,) to purchafe bread for the poor. " But
* " Yes, yes, we ftill contrive it, becaufe there are no
guards to "be found here who don't befriend them."

S3

Tim©

&6& A RESIDENCE
Time hath a wallet on his back, wherein he
puts alms for oblivion ;" and the charities of
the Bifhop could not fhield him from the con--
tempt and infult which purfue his profeffion.
I have been much diftreffed within the laft
few days on account of my friend Madame
de B  . I fubjoin a tranflation of a letter
I have juft received from her, as it will convey
to you hereafter a tolerable fpecimen of French
liberty,
" Maifon de Arrfet at -—-J
"I did not write to you, my dear friend,
at the time I promifed, and you will perceive^'
jby the date of this, that I have had too good
an excufe for my negligence. I have been here
almoft a week, and my -fpirits are ftill fo much
difordered, that I can with difficulty recollect
myfelf enough to relate the circumftances of
our unfortunate fituation ; but as it is poffible.
you might become acquainted with them by
fome other means, I rather determined to fend
you a few lines, than fuffer you to be alarmed
by falfe or exaggerated reports.
*e About two o'clock on Monday morning laft our

IN FRANCE. 263
our fervants were called up, and, on their open
ing the door, the houfe was immediately filled
with armed men, fome of whom began fearching
the rooms, while others came to our bedcham
ber, and informed us we were arrefted by order
of the department, and that. we muft rife and
accompany them to prifon. It is not eafy to
defcribe the effect of fuch a mandate on people
who, having nothingto reproach themfelves with,
could not be prepared for it.  As foon as we
, were a little recovered from our firft terrors, we
endeavoured to obey, and begged they would
indulge us by retiring a few moments till I had
put my clothes on : but neither my embarraff-
ment, nor the ftreams of the child — neither
decency nor humanity, could prevail. They
would not even permit my maid to enter the
room ; and, amidft this fcene of diforder, I was
obliged to drefs myfelf and the terrified infant.
When this unpleafant tafk was finifhed, a ge
neral examination of our houfe and papers took
place, and lafted until fix in the evening : no
thing, however, tending in the remoteft degree
to criminate us was found, but we were never-
thelefs conducted to prifon, and God knows
how long we are likely to remain here. The de
nunciation againft us being fecret, and not being
able to learn either our crime or our accufers,
s4 it

264/ A RESIDENCE
it is difficult for us to take any meafures Tot
our enlargement. We cannot defend ourfelves
againft a charge of which we are ignorant, nor-
combat the validity of a witnefs, who is not;
only allowed to remain fecret, hut is paid per-*
haps for his information.*
" We moft probably owe our misfortune to
fome difcarded fervant or perfonal enemy, for
I believe you are convinced we have not merited
it either by our difcourfe or our actions : if we
had, the charge would have been fpecific ; but we
have reafon to imagine itis nothing more than the
indeterminate and general charge of being arifto
crates. I did not fee my mother or After all the
¦day we were arretted, nor till the evening of the
next : the one was engaged perhaps with Rofim
and the Angola, who were indifpofed, andthe
other would not forego her ufual card-party.
Many of our friends likewife have forborne to
approach us, left their apparent intereft in our
fate fhould involve themfelves ¦ and really the
alarm is fo general, that I can, without much
effort, forgive them.
* At this time informers were paid from fifty to an hun*
dred liyres for each accufation,
"You

IN FRANCE. 06_$
u You will be pleafed to learn, that the
greateft civilities I have received in this un-
pleafant fituation, have been from fome of your
countrymen, who are our fellow-prifoners :
they are only poor failors, but they are truly
kind and attentive, and do us various little fer
vices that render us more comfortable than we
otherwife fhould be ; for we have no fervants
here, having deemed it prudent to leave them
to take care of our property. The fecond night
we were here, thefe good creatures, who lodge
in the next room, were rather merry, and awoke
the child ; but as they found, by its cries, that
their gaiety had occafioned me fome trouble,
I have obferved ever fince that they walk foftly,
and avoid making the leaft noife, after the little
prifoner is gone to reft. I believe they are
pleafed with me becaufe I fpeak their language,
and they are ftill more delighted with your
young favourite, who is fo well amufed, that he
begins to forget the gloom of the place, which
at firft terrified him extremely.
" One of our companions isanonjuringprieft,
who has been imprifoned under circumftances
which make me almoft afhamed of my coun
try .—After having efcaped from a neighbouring department,

266 A RESIDENCE
department, he procured himfelf a lodging in
this town, and for fome time lived very peace
ably, till a woman, who fufpected his profef
fion, became extremely importunate with him
to confefs her. The poor man, for feveral
days, refufed, telling her, that he did not con
fider himfelf as a prieft, nor wifhed to be
known as fuch, nor to infringe the law which
excluded him. The woman, however, ftill
continued to perfecute him, alledging, that her
cOnfcience was diftreffed, and that her peace
depended on her being able to confefs in the
right way. At length he fuffered himfelf to be
prevailed upon — the woman received an hun
dred livres for informing againft him, and,
perhaps, the prieft will be condemned to the
Guillotine.* " I will make no reflection on this act, nor on
the fyftem of paying informers — your heart will
already have anticipated all I could fay. I will
only add, that if you determine to remain in
France, you muft obferve a degree of circum-
fpection which you may not hitherto have
thought neceffary. Do not depend on you?
* He was executed fome time after. innocence,

IN FRANCE. 267
innocence* nor even truft to common pre
cautions — every day furnifhes examples that
both are unavailing. — 'Adieu. — My hufband
offers you his refpects, and your little friend
embraces you fincerely. As foon as any change
in our favour takes place, I will communicate
jt to you ; but you had better not venture to
write — I entruft this to Louifon's mother,
who is going through Amiens, as it would
be unfafe to fend it by the poft. — Again adieu,
' <— — Yours,
<c ADELAIDE DE  ."

LETTER XXXVIII.
Amiens, 1793.
XT is obfervable, that we examine lefs feru-
puloufly the pretenfions of a nation to any par
ticular excellence, than we do thofe of an indi
vidual. The reafon of this is, probably, that our
felf-love is as muqh gratified by admitting the
one, as in rejecting the other. When we allow
the claims of a whole people, we are flattered
with the idea of being above narrow prejudices, and

268 A RESIDENCE
and of poffeffing an enlarged and liberal mind j
but if a fingle individual arrogate to himfelf
any exclufive fuperiority, our own pride im
mediately becomes oppofed to his, and we feem
but to vindicate our judgement in degrading'
fuch prefumption.
I can conceive no other caufes for our hav
ing fo long acquiefced in the claims of the
French to pre-eminent good breeding, in an
age when, I believe, no perfon acquainted
with both nations can difcover any thing to
juftify them. If indeed politenefs confifted in
the repetition of a certain routine of phrafes,.
unconnected with the mind or action, I might
be obliged to decide againft our country ; but
while, decency makes a part of good manners,
or feeling is preferable to a mechanical jar-.
gon, I am inclined to think the Englifh have.
a merit more than they have hitherto afcribed
to themfelves. Do not fuppofe, however, that
-I am going to defcant on the old imputations
of " French flattery," and " French infin-
cerity ;" for I am far from concluding that civil
behaviour gives one a right to expect kind of-:
flees, or that a man is falfe becaufe he pays a
compliment, and refufes a fervice : I only wifh
to infer, that an impertinence is not lefs an im
pertinence

IN FRANCE. 269
pertinence becaufe it is accompanied by a cer
tain fet of words, and that a people, who are
indelicate to excefs, cannot properly be deno
minated " a polite people"
A French man or woman, with no other
apology than " permettez moi,*" will take a book
out of your hand, look over any thing you are
reading, and afk you a thoufand queftions re
lative to your moft private concerns — they will
enter your room, even your bedchamber, with
out knocking, place themfelves between you
and the fire, or take hold of your clothes to
guefs what they coft ; and they deem thefe acts of
rudenefs fufficiently qualified by " Je demande
Men de pardons.^" — They are fully convinced
that the Englifh all eat with their knives, and
I have often heard this difcuffed with much
felf-complacence by thofe who ufually fhared
the labours of the repaft between a fork and
their fingers. Our cuftom alfo of ufing water-
glaffes after dinner is an object of particular
cenfure : yet whoever dines at a French table
muft frequently obferve, that many of the
guefts might benefit by fuch ablutions, and

* " Give me leave."
f " I afk you a thoufand pardons."

their

ijro a Residence
their napkins always teftify that fome previous
application would be by ho means fuperfluous.
Nothing- is more common than'to hear phyfical
derangements, diforders, and their remedies,
expatiated upon by the parties concerned amidft
a room full of people, and that with fo much
minutenefs of defcription, that a foreigner*
without being very faftidious, is On fome oc
cafions apt to feel very unpleafant fympathies*
There are fcarcely any of the ceremonies of a
lady's toilette more a myftery to one fex than
the other, and men and their wives, who fcarcely
eat at the fame table, are in this refpect grofsly
familiar. The converfation in moft focieties
partakes of this, indecency, and the manners
of an Englifh female are in danger of becoming
contaminated, while fhe is only endeavouring
to fuffer without pain the cuftoms of thofe
Ihe has been taught to confide^ as models of
politenefs. Whether you examine the French in their'
houfes or in public, you are every where ftrickert
with the fame want of delicacy, propriety, and
cfeanlinefs. The ftreets are moftly fo filthy,
that it is perilous to approach the walls. The
infides of the churches are often difgufting*
in fpite of the advertifements that are placed in

IN FRANCE. 271
in them to requeft the forbearance of phthifical
perfons: the fervice does not prevent thofe
who attend from going to and fro with the
fame irreverence as if the church were empty ;
and, in the moft folemn part of the mafs, a
woman is fuffered to importune you for a Hard,
as the price of the chair you fit on. At the
theatres an actor or actrefs frequently coughs
and expectorates on the ftage, in a manner one
fhould think highly unpardonable before one's
moft intimate friends in England, though this
habit is very common to all the French. The
inns abound with filth of every kind, and though
the owners of them are generally civil enough,
their notions of what is decent are fo very dif
ferent from ours, that an Englifh traveller is not
foon reconciled to them. In fhort, it would be
impoffible to enumerate all that in my opinion
excludes the French from the character of a
well-bred people. — Swift, who feems to have
been gratified by the contemplation of phyfical
impurity, might have done the fubject juftice j
but I confefs I am not difpleafed to feel that,
after my long and frequent refidenees in France,
I am ftill unqualified. So little are thefe people
fufeeptible of delicacy, propriety, and decency,
that they do not even ufe the words in the fenfe
we

2.JQ, A RESIDENCE
we do,, nor have they any others expreffive or
the fame meaning.
But if they be deficient in the external forms
of politenefs, they are infinitely more fo in that
politenefs which may be called mental. The
fimple and unerring rule of never preferring,
one's felf, is to them more difficult of com-
prehenfion than the moft difficult problem in
Euclid : in fmall things as well as great, their
own intereft, their own gratification, is their
leading principle ; and the cold flexibility which
enables them to clothe this felfifh fyftem in
" fair forms," is what they call politenefs.
My ideas on this fubject are not recent, but
they occurred to me with additional force ort
the perufal of Mad. de B— — 's letter. The-
behaviour of fome of the pooreft and leaft-
informed clafs of our countrymen forms a ftrik
ing contraft with that ofthe people who arrefted
her,- and even her own friends : the unaffected
attention of the one, and the brutality and
neglect of the other, are, perhaps, more juft
examples of Englifh and French manners than
you may have hitherto imagined. I do not*
however, pretend to fay that the latter are all
grofs

IN FRANCE. 273
grofs and brutal, but I am myfelf convinced
that, generally fpeaking, they are an unfeeling
people. I beg you to remember, that when I fpeak
of the difpofitions and charader of the French,
my opinions are the refult of general obferva
tion, and are applicable to all ranks.: but when
my remarks are on habits and manners, they
defcribe only thofe claffes which are properly
called the nation. The higher nobleffe, and
thofe attached to courts, fo nearly refemble
each other in all countries, that they are necef
farily excepted in thefe delineations, which are
intended to mark the diftinguifhing features of
a people at large : for, afluredly, when the
French affert, and their neighbours repeat, that
they are a polite nation, it is not meant that
thofe who have important offices or dignified
appellations are polite : they found their claims
on their fuperiority as a people, and it is in
this light I confider them. My examples are
chiefly drawn, not from the very inferior,
nor from the moft eminent ranks ; neither from
the retailer of a ffiop, nor the claimant of a
tabouret,* or les grandes ou petit es entries ;
but
* The tabouret was a ftool allowed to th© "iadies of the
voi. 1. T Co-oil

274 A RESIDENCE
but from the gentry, thofe of eafy fortunes,
merchants, &c— in fact, from people of that
degree which it would be fair to cite as what
may be called genteel fociety in England.
- This ceflation of intercourfe with our country
difpirits me, and, as it will probably continue
fome time, I fhall amufe myfelf by noting more
particularly the little occurrences whieh may
not reach your public prints, but which tend
more than great events to mark both the fpirit
of the government and that of the people. —
Perhaps you may be ignorant that the prohibi
tion of the Englifh mails was not the confe
quence of a decree of the Convention, but a
fimple order of its Commiflioners ; and I have
fome reafon to think that even they acted at -the
inftigation of an individual who harbours a mean
and pitiful diflike to England and its inhabi
tants. — — Yours, &c.
Court particularly diftinguifhed by rank or favour, when ih
prefence of the Royal Family. — "Les entrees" gave a familiar
accefs to the King and Queen.

LETTER

IN FRANCE. 275
LETTER XXXIX.
May 18, 1793.
EAR fix weeks ago a decree was paffed
by the Convention, obliging all ftrangers, who
had not purchafed national property, or who
did not exercife fome profeffion, to give fecu
rity to the amount of half their fuppofed for
tune, and under thefe conditions they were to
receive a certificate, allowing them to refide,
and. were promifed the protection of the laws.
The adminiftrators of the departments, who
perceive that they become odious by executing
the decrees of the Convention, begin to relax
much of their diligence, and it is not till long
after a law is promulgated, and their perfonal
fear operates as a ftimulant, that they ferioufly
enforce obedience to fuch mandates. This morn
ing, however, we were fummoned by the Com
mittee of our fection (or ward) in order to
comply with the terms of the decree, and had
I been directed only by my own judgement, I
fhould have given the preference to an imme
diate return to England ; but Mrs. D  is
yet ill, and Mr. D  is difpofed to continue.
In vain have I quoted " how fickle France was
branded 'midft the nations of the earth for per-
- t 2 fidy

276 A RESIDENCE
fidy and breach of public faith ;" in vain have
I reafoned upon the injuftice of a government
that firft allured ftrangers to remain by infidious
offers of protection, and now fubjects them to
conditions which many may find it difficult to
fubfcribe to : Mr. D—  wifhes to fee our
fituation in the moft favourable point of view :
he argues upon the moral impoffibility of our
being liable to any inconvenience, and perfifts
in believing that one government may act with
treachery towards another, yet, diftinguifhing
between falfehood and meannefs, maintain its
faith with individuals — in fhort, we have con
cluded a fort of treaty, by which we are bound
under the forfeiture of a large fum, to behave
peaceably and fubmit to the laws. The govern
ment, in return, empowers us to refide, and
promifes protection and hofpitality.
It is to be obferved, that the fpirit of this
regulation depends upon thofe it affects pro
ducing fix witneffes of their " civifme;*" yet
fo little intereft do the people take on thefe
* Though the meaning of this word is obvious, we have
no one that is exactly fynonvmous to it. The Convention
intend by it an attachment to their government : but the peo
ple do not trouble themfelves about the meaning of words —
they meafure their unwilling obedience by the letter. occafions,

IN FRANCE. 277"
occafions, that our witneffes were neighbours
we had fcarcely ever feen, and even one was
a man who happened to be cafually paffing
by. Thefe Committees, which form the laft
link of a chain of defpotifm, are compofed of
low tradefmen and day-labourers, with an at
torney, or fome perfon that can read and write,
at their head, as Prefident. Priefts and nobles,
with all that are related, or any wife attached,
to them, are excluded by the law1; and it. is
underftood that true fans-culottes only fhould
be admitted.
-With all thefe precautions, the indifference
and hatred of the people to their government
are fo_ general, that perhaps, there are few
places where this regulation is executed fo as
to anfwer the purpofes of the jealous tyranny
whichconceivedit. The membersof thefeCom-
mittees feem to exact no farther compliances
than fuch as are abfolutely neceffary to the mere
form of the proceeding, and to fecure them
felves from the imputation of difobedience ;
and are very little concerned whether the real
defign of the legiflature be aecomplifhed or not.
This negligence, or ill-will, which prevails in
various inftances, tempers, in fome degree, the
'effects of that reftlefs fufpicion which is the
t 3 ufual

278 A RESIDENCE
ufual concomitant of an uncertain, but arbi
trary, power. The affections or prejudices that
furround a throne, by enfuring the fafety of
the Monarch, engage him to clemency, and
the laws of a mild government are, for the
moft part, enforced with exact nefs; but a
new and precarious authority, which neither
impofes on the underftanding nor interefts- the
heart, which is fuppomd only by a palpable
and unadorned tyranny, is in its nature fevere,
and it becomes the common caufe of the people
to counteract the meafures of a defpotifm which
they are unable to refift. — This (as I have before
had occafion to obferve) renders the condition
of the French lefs infupportable, but it is by
no means fufficient to banifh the fears of a
ftranger who has been accuftomed to look for
fecurity, not from a relaxation or difregard of
the laws, but from their efficacy ; not from the
characters of thofe who execute them, but from
the rectitude with which they are formed. —
What would you think in England, if you were
obliged to contemplate with dread the three
branches of your legiflature, antl depend for
the protection of your perfon and property on
foldiers and conftables ? Yet fuch is nearly
the ftate we are in; and indeed a fyftem of in
juftice and barbarifm gains ground fo faft
that

IN FRANCE. 27^
that almoft any apprehenfion is juftified. —
The Tribunal Revolutionnaire has already con
demned a fervant maid for her political opi
nions ; and one of the Judges of this tribunal
lately introduced a man to the Jacobins, with
high panegyrics, becaufe, as he alledged, he
had greatly contributed to the condemnation
of a criminal. The fame Judge likewife apo
logized for having as yet fent but a fmall num
ber to the Guillotine, and promifes, that, on
the firft appearance of a " Briffotin" before
him, he will fhow him no mercy.
When the minifter of public juftice thus
avows himfelf the agent of a party, a govern
ment, however recent its formation, muft be
far advanced in depravity ; and the corruption
of thofe who are the interpreters of the law
has ufually been the laft effort of expiring
power. My friends, Monf. and Mad. de B  , are
releafed from their confinement ; not as you
might expect, by proving their innocence, but
by the efforts of an individual, who had mere
weight than their accufer : and, far from ob
taining fatisfaction for the injury they have
received, they are obliged to accept as a favour
T4 the

280 A RESIDENCE
the liberty they were deprived of by malice
and injuftice. They will, moft probably, ne
ver be acquainted with the nature of the charges
brought againft them; and their accufer will
efcape with impunity, and, perhaps, meet with
reward. All the French papers are filled with defcrip
tions of the enthufiafm with which the young
men " ftart to arms*" at the voice of their
country ; yet it is very certain, that this en
thufiafm is of fo fubtle and aerial a form as to
be perceivable only by thofe who are interefted
in difcovering it. In fome places thefe enthufiaf-
tic warriors continue to hide themfelves — from
others they are efcorted to the place of their deP
tination by nearly an equal number of dragoons ;
and no one, I believe, who can procure money
to pay a fubftitute, is difpofed to go himfelf.
This is fufficiently proved by the fumsdemanded
by thofe who. engage as fubftitutes : laft year
from three to five hundred livres was given j
at prefent no one will take lefs than eight hun-
.dred or a thoufand, befides being furnifhed
with clothes, 8cc. The only real volunteers
are the fons of ariftocrates, and the relations
* Offian. of

IN FRANCE. 28l
of- emigrants, ¦ who, facrificing their principles
to their fears, hope, by enlifting in the army,
to protect their eftates and families : thofe like-
wife who have lucrative employments, and are
afraid of lofing them, affect great zeal, and
expect to purchafe impunity for civil pecula
tion at hpme, by the military fervices of their
children abroad.
This, I affure you, is the real ftate of that
enthufiafm which occafions fuch an expence of
eloquence to our gazette-writers ; but thefe fal
lacious accounts are not like the ephemeral
deceits of your party printsin England, the effect
of which is deftroyed in a few hours by an oppo
fite affertion. None here are bold enough to
contradict what their fovereigns would have
believed ; and a town or diftrict, driven almoft
to revolt by the prefent fyftem of recruiting,
confents very willingly to be defcribed as march
ing to the frontiers with martial ardour, and burn
ing to combat les efclaves des tyrans J By thefe
artifices, one department is misled with regard
tothe difpofitions of another, and if they do
not excite to emulation, they, at leaft, reprefs
by fear ; and, probably, many are reduced to
fubmiffion, who would refift, were they not
doubtful of the fupport and union of their
neighbours.

2^2 A RESIDENCE
neighbours. Every poffible precaution is taken
to prevent any connection between the different
departments — people who are not known can
not obtain paffports without, the recommenda
tion of two houfekeepers — you muft give an
account of the bufinefs you go upon, of the
carriage you mean to travel in, whether it has
two wheels or four ; all of which muft be-fpe-
cified in your paffport : and you cannot fend
your baggage from one town to another without
the rifk of having it fearched. All thefe thing*
are fo difgufting and troublefome, that I begin
to be quite of a different opinion from Brutus,
and fhould certainly prefer being a flaveamong
a free people, than thus be tormented with the
recollection that I am a native of England in
a land of flavery. Whatever liberty the French
might have acquired by their firft revolution,
it is now much like Sir John Cutler's worfted
ftockings — fo torn, and worn, and difguifed by-
patchings and mendings, that the original tex
ture is not difcoverable.  Yours, &c.

LETTER

IN FRANCE. 283
LETTER XL.
June 3, 1793.
have been three days without receiving-
newfpapers ; but we learn from the reports of
the courier, that the Briffotins are overthrown,
that many of them have been arrefted, and feveral
efcaped to raife adherents in the departments. I,
however, doubt much if their fuccefs will be
very general : the people have little preference be
tween Briffot and Marat, Condorcet and Robe-
fpierre, and are not greatly folicitous about the
names or even principles of thofe who govern
them — they are not yet accuftomed to take that
lively intereft in public events which is the
effect of a popular conftitution. In England
every thing is a fubject of debate and conteft,
but here they wait in filence the refult of any
political meafure or party difpute; and, without
entering into the merits of the caufe, adopt
whatever is fuccefsful. While the King was
yet alive, the news of Paris was eagerly fought
after, and every diforder of the metropolis cre
ated much alarm : but one would almoft fup
pofe, that even curiofity had ceafed at his death,
for I have obferved no fubfequent event (except
the defection of Dumouriez) make any very
ferious

284 A RESIDENCE
ferious impreffion. We hear, therefore, with
great compofure, the prefent triumph of the
more violent republicans, and fuffer without
impatience this interregnum of news, which is
to continue until the Convention fhall have
determined in what manner the intelligence of
their proceedings fhall be related, to the de
partments. The grand object of the people's folicitude
at prefent, is rather their phyfical than their po
litical exiftence ; provifions are become enor-
moufly dear, and bread very fcarce : our fervants
often wait two hours at the baker's, and then re
turn without bread for breakfaft. I hope, how
ever, the fcarcity is rather artificial than real.
It is generally fuppofed to be occafioned by the
unwillingnefs of the farmers to fell their corn for
paper. Some meafures have been adopted with
an intention of remedying this evil, though
the origin of it is beyond the reach of decrees.
It originates in that diftruft of government whieh
reconciles one part of the community to ftarving
the other, under the idea of felf-prefervation.
While every individual perfifts in eftablifhing
it as a maxim, that any thing is better than
affignats, we muft expect that all things will be
difficult to procure, and will, of courfe, bear
a high

IN FRANCE. 285
a high price. I fear, all the empyricifm of the
legiflature cannot produce a noftrum for this
want of faith. Dragoons and penal laws only
" linger, and linger it out;" the difeafe is in
curable. My friends, Monf. and Mad. de B  , by
way of confolation for their imprifonment, now
find themfelves on the lift of emigrants, though
they have never been a fingle day abfent from
their own province, or from places of refidence
where they are well known. But that they may not
murmur at this injuftice, the municipality have
accompanied their names with thofe of others
who have not even been abfent from the town,
and of one gentleman in particular, who I believe
may have been feen on the ramparts every day
for thefe feven years. — This may appear to you
only very abfurd, and you may imagine the
confequences eafily obviated ; yet thefe miftakes
are the effect of private malice, and fubject the
perfons affected by them to an infinity of ex-
pence and trouble. They are obliged, in order
to avert the confifcation of their property, to
appear, in every part of the republic where they
have poffeffions, with atteflations of their con
ftant refidence in France, and perhaps fuffer a
thoufand mortifications from the official igno
rance

286 A RESIDENCE
ranee and brutality of the perfons to whom they
apply. No remedy lies againft the authors of
thefe vexations, and the fufferer who is prudent
fears even to complain.
I have, in a former letter, noticed the great
number of beggars that fwarm at Arras : they
are not lefs numerous at Amiens, though of a
different defcription-— they are neither fo dif
gufting, nor fo wretched, but are much more
importunate and infolent — they plead neither
ficknefs nor infirmity, and are, for the moft
part, able and healthy. How fo many people
fliould beg by profeffion in a large manufac
turing town, it is difficult to conceive ; but,
whatever may be the caufe, I am tempted to
believe the effecl has fome influence on the
manners ofthe inhabitants of Amiens. I have
feen no town in France fo remarkable for a
rude and unfeeling behaviour, and it is not
fanciful to conjecture that the multitude of
poor may tend in part to occafion. it. The
conftant view of a fort of mifery that excites
little compaffion, of an intrufive neceflity
which one is more defirous to repulfe than to
relieve, cannot but render the heart callous,
and the manners harfh. The avarice of com
merce, which is here unaccompanied by its
liberality,

IN FRANCE. 287
liberality, is glad to confound real diftrefs with
voluntary and idle indigence, till, in time, an
abfence of feeling becomes part of the charac
ter ; and the conftant habit of petulant refufals,
or of acceding more from fatigue than benevo
lence, has perhaps a fimilar effect on the voice,
gefture, and external.
This place has been fo often vifited by thofe
who defcribe better than myfelf, that I have
•thought it unneceffary to mention public build
ings, or any thing equally obvious to the tra
veller or _the refident. The beauty and elegance
of the cathedral have been celebrated for ages,
and I only remind you of it to indulge my
national vanity in the reflection that one of the
moft fplendid monuments of Gothic architec
ture in France is the work of our Englifh an
ceftors. The edifice is in perfect prefervation,
and the hand of power has not yet ventured to
appropriate the plate or ornaments ; but this
¦forbearance will moft probably give way to
temptation and impunity. The Convention
will refpett ancient prejudices no longer than.
they fuppofe the people have courage to defend
them, and the latter feem fo entirely fubdued,
that, however they may murmur, I do not
think any ferious refiftance is to be expected from

a88 A RESIDENCE
from them, even in behalf of the relics of
St. Firmin.*— The buft of Henry the Fourth
which was a prefent from the Monarch himfelf,
is banifhed the town-houfe, where it was for
merly placed, though, I hope, fome royalift
has taken poffeflion of it, and depofited it in
fafety till better times. This once popular Prince
is now affociated with Nero and Caligula, and
it is tc leze nation" to fpeak of him toa thorough \
republican.- — I know hot if the French had be
fore the revolution reached the acme of perfec-.
tion, but they have certainly been retrograding
very faft fince. Every thing that ufed to create
fondnefs and veneration is defpifed, and things
are, efteemed only in proportion as they are
worthlefs. Perhaps the buft of Robefpierre
may one day replace that of Henry the Fourth,
and, to fpeak in the ftyle of an eaftern epiftle/
" what can I fay more ?"
Should you ever travel this way with Gray
in your hand, you will look for the Urfuline
convent, and regret the paintings he mentions :
but you may recollect, for your confolation,
that they are merely pretty, and remarkable
* St. Firmin, the patron of Amiens, where he is, in many
of the ftreets, reprefented with his head in his hand-. only

IN FRANCE. 289
only for being the work of one of the nuns.— <
Grav, who feems to have had that enthufiaftic
refpect for religious orders common to young
minds, admired them on this account : and
numbers of Englifh travellers have, I dare fay,
prepoffeffed by fuch an authority, experienced
the fame difappointment I myfelf felt on vifit
ing the Urfuline church. Many of the chapels
belonging to thefe communities were very fhowy,
and much decorated with gilding and fculpture :
fome of them are fold for a mere trifle, but the
greateft part are filled with corn and forage,
ahd on the door is infcribed " Magazin des
armies." The change" is almoft incredible to
thofe who remember, that lefs than four years
ago the Catholic religion was ftrictly practifed,
and the violation of thefe fanctuaries deemed
facrilegious. Our great hiftorian * might well
fay " the influence of fuperftition is fluctu
ating and precarious ;" though, in the prefent
inftance, it has rather been reftrained than fub
dued ; and the people, who have not been con
vinced, but intimidated, fecretly lament thefe
innovations, and perhaps reproach themfelves
confeienttoufly with their fubmiffion.
Yours. * Gibbon.
VOL. r. U LETTER

290 a Residence
LETTER XLI.
June 20, 1 ygg.
MeRCIER, in his Tableau de Paris, no
tices, on feveral occafions, the little public
fpirit exifting among his countrymen — it is
alfo obfervable, that many of the laws and
cuftoms prefume on this deficiency, and the
name of republicans has by no means altered
that cautious difpofition which makes the French
confider either misfortunes or benefits only as
their perfonal intereft is affected by them. — lam
juft returned from a vifit to Abbeville, where
we were much alarmed on Sunday by a fire at
the Paraclete convent. The. tocfin rang great
part of the day, and the principal ftreet ofthe
town was in danger of being deftroyed. In
fuch circumftances, you will fuppofe, that
people of all ranks, eagerly crouded to offer
their fervice, and endeavour to ftop the pro
grefs of fo terrible a calamity. By no means —
the gates of the town were fhut to prevent its
entire evacuation, many hid themfelves in gar
rets and cellars, and dragoons patrolled the
ftreets, and even entered the houfes, to force
the inhabitants to affift in procuring water ;
while the confternation, ufually the effect of
fuch

IN FRANCE. 291
fiich accidents, was only owing to the fear of
being obliged to aid the fufferers. — -This em
ployment of military coercion for what huma
nity alone fhould dictate, is not afcribeable to
the principles of the prefent government — it
was the fame before the revolution, (except that
the agents of the ancient fyftem were not fo
brutal and defpotie as the foldiers of the re
public,) and Compulfion was always deemed
neceffary where there was no ftimulant but the
general intereft.
In England, at any alarm of the fort, all
diftinction of ranks is forgotten, and every one
is felicitous to contribute as much as he is able
to the fafety of his fellow citizens ; and, fo far
from an armed force being requifite to procure
affiftance, the greateft difficulty is. to reprefs
the too-officious zeal of fhe croud — I do not
pretehd to account for this national difparity,
but I fear what a French gentleman once faid
to me of the Parifiahs is applicable to the ge
neral character, " Ils font tous egoifies,*" and
they would not do a benevolent action at the
rifk of foiling a coat or tearing a ruffle.
Diftruft of the affignats, and fcarcity of
* " They are all felfilh ! "
v a breads

402 A RESIDENCE
bread, have Occafioned a law to oblige the far*
rners, in every part of the republic, to fell their"
corn at a certain price, infinitely lower than
what they have exacted for fome moriths paft.
The confequence of this was, that, on the fuc-
ceedirig market days, no corn Came to market,
ahd detachments Of dragoons- are obliged to
fcour the country to preferve us from a famine.
If it did hot convey an idea both of the de
fpotifm and want- with which the nation is
afflicted, one fhould be amufed by the ludi
crous figures of the farmers, who enter the
town preceded by foldiers, and tepofirig with
doleful vifages on their facks of wheat. Some
times you fee a couple of dragoons leadirig ih
triurrfph an old woman and an afs, who follow
with lingering fteps their military conductors ;
and the very afs feems to fympathize with his
miftrefs on the difafter of felling her corn at a
reduced price, and for paper, When fhe had
hoped to hoard it till a ' counter-revblutiori
fhould bring back gold and filvef.
The farmers are now^ perhaps, the gredteft
ariftocrates in the country;" but' -as' both their
patriotifm and their ariftocracy have been a mere
calculation of intereft, the feverity exercifed On
their avarice is not much'to be regretted. The
original

IN FRANCE. 293
original fault is, however, in an ufurped go
vernment, which infpires no confidence, and
which, to fupplyan adminiftration lavifh beyond
¦all example, has been obliged. to iffue fuch an
immenfe quantity of paper as nearly deftroys its
credit. In political, as in moral vices, the
firft always neceffitates a fecond, and thefe muft
ftill be fuftained by others; until, at length,
the very fenfe of right and wrong becomes im
paired, and the latter is not only preferred from
habit, but from choice.
Thus the arbitrary emiffion of paper has.
been neceflarily followed by ftill more arbitrary
decrees to fupport it. For inftance — the people
have been obliged to fell their corn at a ftated
price, which has again been the fource of various
and general vexations. The farmers, irritated by
this meafure, concealed their grain, or fold it
privately, rather than bring it to market.-^-
Hence, fome were fupplied with bread, and
others abfolutely in want of it. This was reme
died by the interference of the military, and a
general fearch for corn has taken place in all
houfes without exception, ia order to difcover
if any was fecreted ; even our bedchambers
were examined on this occafion : but we begin
'I -- u3 _ to

294 A RESIDENCE
to be fo accuftomed to the vifit e domiciJiaire^
that we find ourfelves fuddenly furrounded by
the Garde National, without being greatly
alarmed. — I know not how your Englifh pa
triots, who are fo enamoured of French liberty,
yet thunder with the whole force of their elo
quence againft the ingrefs of an excifeman to a.
tobacco warehoufe, would reconcile this do
meftic inquifltion ; for the municipalities here
violate your tranquillity in this manner under
any pretext they choofe, and that too with an
armed cortige fufficient to undertake the fiege
of your houfe in form..
About fifteen departments are in infurrection,
oftenflbly in behalf of the expelled Deputies ;
but I believe I am authorized in faying, it is by
no means the defire of the people at large to
interfere. All who are capable of reflection
confider the difpute merely as a family quarrel^
and are not partial enough to either party to
adopt its caufe. The troops they have already
raifed have been collected by the perfonal
intereft of the members who contrived to
efcape, or by an attempt of a few of the royalifts
to make one half of the faction fubfervient to,
the deftruction of the other. If you judge ofthe
principles

IN FRANCE. 295
principles of the nation by the fuccefs of the
Fcederalifts,* and the fuperiority of the Con
vention, you will be extremely deceived ; for
it is demonftrable, that neither the moft zea
lous partizans of the ancient fyftem, nor thofe
of the abolifhed conftitution, have taken any
fhare in the difpute ; and the departments moft
notorioufly ariftocratic have all fignified their
adherence to the proceedings of the Affembly.
Thofe who would gladly take an active part in
endeavouring to eftablifh a good government,
are averfe from rifking their lives and properties
in the caufe of Briflbt or Condorcet. — At
Amiens, where almoft every individual is an
ariftocrate, the fugitive Deputies could not pro
cure the leaft encouragement, but the town
would have received Dumouriez, and proclaimed
the King without oppofition. But this fehifin
* On the 3 iff. 'of May and 2d of June, the Convention,
who had been for fome months ftruggling with the Jacobins
and the municipality of Paris, was furrounded by an armed
force : the moft moderate of the Deputies (thofe diftinguifhed
by the name of Briilbtins,) were either menaced into a com
pliance with the meafures of the oppofite fadfion, or arrefted ;
others took flight, and, by reprefenting the violence and flavery
in which the majority of the Convention was holden, excited
fome of the departments to take arms in their favour. — This
conteft, during its fhort exiftence, was called the war of the
Fcederalifts. — The refult is well known.
v 4 in

296 A RESIDENCE
in the legiflature is confidered as a mere con*
teft of banditti, about the divifion of fpoily
not calculated to excite an intereft in thofe they
have plundered and oppreffed. ...
The royalifts who have been fo miftaken as
to make any effort on this occafion, will, J, fear,
fall a facrifice, having acted for the moft part-
without union or concert ; and their junction
with the Deputies renders them fufpicious, if
not odious, to their own party, , The extreme
difficulty, likewife, of communication between
the departments* and the ;ftrirt watch obferved
over all travellers, form another obftacle to the
fuccefs of any attempt at prefent ; and, on the
whole, the only hope, of deliverance for the
French feems to reft upon the allied armies and
the infurgents of LaVendee.
When I fay this, I do not affert frorn-preju"*
dices, which often deceive, nor from conjecture,,
that is always fallible; but from unexception
able information — from an. . intercourfe : with?
various ranks of people,, and a minute obferv
ance of all. I have fcarcely met_with a fingle-
perfon who does not relate the, progrefs of the:
infurgents in La Vendee with an air of fatisfac-,-
tion, or who does not appear to expect with
impatience

IN FRANCE. 297
impatience the- furrender of Conde : and even
their language, perhaps unconfeiouily, betrays
their fentiments ; for I, remark, they do not,
when they fpeak of any victory gained by the
arms of the republic, lay, Nous, or Noire armie,
but, Les Francaisy and, Lis troupes de la re-
publique ; — and that always in a tone as though
they were fpeaking of an enemy. — : — Adieu.

LETTER XLII.v'ffij' June 30, 1793: •
modern travellers are moftly either
fentimental or philofophical, or courtly or po
litical ; and I do not remember to have read
any who defcribe the manner of living among
the gentry and middle ranks of life in France,
I will, therefore, relieve your attention for a
moment from our actual diftreffes, and give
you the picture of a day as ufually pafled by
thofe who have eafy fortunes and no particular
erriployment.-^-The focial aflemblage of a whole
family in the morning, as in England, is not
verv common, for the French do not generally
breakfaft : when they do, it is without form, and

298 A RESIDENCE
and on fruit, bread, wine, and watery or fome
times coffee ; but tea is fcarcely ever ufed,
except by the fick. The morning is therefore
paffed with little intercourfe, and in extreme
difhabille. The men loiter, fiddle, work ta-
peftry, and fometimes read, in a robe de chambre,
-or a jacket and " pantalons ;*" while the ladies,
equipped only in a fhort' manteau and petticoat,
vifit their birds, knit, or, more frequently, idle
away the forenoon without doing any thing.
It is not cuftomary to walk or make vifits be
fore dinner, and if by chance any one calls,
he is received in the bedchamber. At half
paft one or two they dine, but without altering
the negligence of their apparel, and the bu
finefs of the toilette does not begin till imme
diately after the repaft. About four vifits of
ceremony begin, and may be made till fix or
feven, according to the feafon ; but thofe who
intend paffing an evening at any particular
houfe, go before fix, and the card parties ge
nerally finifh between eight and nine. People
then adjourn to their fupper engagements which
are more common than thofe for dinner, and
are, for the moft part, in different places, and
confidered as a feparate thing from the earlier
* Trowfers, amufements

IN FRANCE. 299
amufements of the evening. They keep better
hours than the Englifh, moft families being in
bed by half paft ten. The theatres are alfo
regulated by thefe fober habits, .and the dra
matic reprefentations are ufually over by nine.
A day paffed in this manner is, as you may
-imagine, fufeeptible of much ennui, and the
French are accordingly more fubject to it than
to any other complaint, and hold it in greater
dread than either flcknefs or misfortune. They
have no conception how one can remain two
hours alone without being ennuye a la mort ;
and but few, comparatively fpeaking, read for
amufement : you may enter ten houfes without
feeing a book ; and it is not to be wondered at
that people, who make a point of ftaying at
home all the morning, yet do not read, are
embarraffed with the difpofition of fo much
time. — It is this that occafions fuch a general
fondnefs for domeftic animals, and fo many
barbarous muficians, and male-workers of ta-
peftry and tambour.
I cannot but attribute this liftleflhefs . and
diflike of morning exercife to the quantity
of animal food the French eat at night, and
to going to reft immediately after it, in con
fequence

300 A RESIDENCE
fequence of which their activity is checked
by indigeftions, and they feel heavy and un
comfortable for half the fucceeding day. —
The French pique themfelves on being a gayer
nation than the, Englifh ; but they certainly
muft exclude their mornings from the account,
for the. forlorn and neglected figure of a French
man till dinner is a very antidote to chearful-
nefs, efpecially if contrafted with the animation
of our countrymen, whofe forenoon is pafled
in riding or walking, and who make themfelves
at, leaft decent before they appear even in their.
own families.
The great difficulty the French have in find
ing amufement makes them averfe from long
refidences in the country, and it is very un»,
common for thofe who can afford only one
houfe not to prefer a town ; but thofe whofe
fortune will admit of it, live about three months
of the year in .the country, and the. reft in. the
neighbouring town.' This, indeed, as they
manage, it, is.no very confiderable, expence,.
for the fame furniture often -ferves for both
habitations, and the one theyTquit being left
empty, requires no perfon. to take charge of it,
efpecially as houfe-breaking is very uncommon;
in France;, at leaft it was fo before the revolu tion,

IN FRANCE. 301
t'idrt, when the police was more ftrict, and the
laws againft robbers were more fevere.
You will fay, I often defcribe the habits and
manners of a nation fo frequently vifited, as
though I were writino- from Kamfchatka or
Japan: yet it is certain, as I have remarked
above, that thofe who are merely itinerant have
riot opportunities of obferving the modes of
familiar life fo well as one who is ftationary,
and travellers are in general too much occupied
by more important obfervations to enter into"
the minute and trifling details which are the"
fubject of my communications to you. But if
your attention be fometimes fatigued by occur
rences Or relations too well known, or of too
little confequence to be interefting, I claim'
forile merit in never having once defcribed the
proportions of a building, nor given you the
hiftory of a town ;' and I might have cbntrived
as well to tax your patience by an erudite de
fcription, as by a fuperficial reflection, or 3. female
remark. The truth is, my pen is generally
guided by circumftances as they rifej and my
ideas have "feldom any deeper origin than the
fcene before mei I have "ho books here, ahd
lam apt to think if prbfefted travellers' were
deprived of this fefource, many learned ety
mologies

301, A RESIDENCE
mologies and much profound compilation would
be loft to the modern reader.
The infurgents of La Vandee continue to
have frequent and decided fucceffes, but the
infurrections in the other departments languifh;
The avowed object of liberating the Conven
tion is not calculated to draw adherents, and
if any better purpofe be intended, while a fac
tion are the promoters of it, it will be regarded
with too much fufpicion to procure any effec
tual movement. Yet, however partial and un
connected this revolt may be, it is ah object of
great jealoufy and inquietude : all the addreffes
or petitions brought in favour of it are received
with difapprobation, and fuppreffed in the of
ficial bulletin of the legiflature ; but thofe which
exprefs contrary fentiments are ordered to be
inferted with the ufual terms of " applaudi,
adopti, et mention honorable." — In this manner
the army and ,the people, who derive their'
intelligence from thefe accounts, (which are
palled up in the ftreets,) are kept in ignorance
of the real ftate of diftant provinces, and*
what is ftill more important for the Conven
tion, the communication of examples, which
they know fo many are difpofed to imitate* is
retarded. The

IN FRANCE. 303
The people here are nearly in the fame ftate
they have been in for fome time — murmuring
in fecret, and fubmitting in public ; expecting
every thing from that energy in others which
they have not themfelves, and accumulating
the difcontents they are obliged to fupprefs.
The Convention call them the brave republicans
of Amiens ; but if their bravery were as unequi
vocal as their ariftocracy, they would foon be
at the gates of Paris. Even the firft levies are
not all departed for the frontiers, and fome who
were prevailed on to go are already returned. — -
All the neeeflaries of life are augmenting in
price — the people complain, pillage the fhops
and the market one day, and want the next.
Many of the departments have oppofed the re
cruiting much more decidedly than they have
ventured to do here ; and it was not without
infpiring terror by numerous arrefts, that the
levies which were immediately neceffary were
procured.— -France offers no profpect but that
of fcarcity, diforder, and oppreffion ; and my
fri,ends begin to perceive that we have com
mitted an imprudence in remaining fo long.
No paflports, can be now obtained, and we muft,
as well as feveral very refpectable families ftill
here, ..abide the event of the war. Some

304 a Residence
Some weeks have elapfed fince I had letters
from England, and thofe we receive from the
interior come open, or fealed with the feal of
the diftrict. This is not peculiar to our letters,
as being foreigners, but the fame; unceremonious
inflection is practifed with the correfpondence
of the French themfelves. Thus, in this land
of liberty, all epiftolary intercourfe has ceafed,
except for mere matters of bufinefs ; and though
in the declaration of the rights of man it be
afferted, that every one is entitled to write or
print his thoughts, yet it is certain no perfon
can en truft a letter to the poft, but at the rifk
of having it opened ; nor could Mr. Thomas
Paine himfelf venture to exprefs the flighteft
difapprobation of the meafures of government,
without hazarding his freedom, and, in the
end, perhaps, his life. Even thefe papers, which
I referve only for your amufement, which con
tain only the opinions of an individual, and
which never have been communicated, I am
obliged to conceal with the utmoft circumfpec-
tion ; for fhould they happen to fall into the
hands of our domiciliary inquifitors, I fhould
not, like your Englifh libellifts, efcape with
the gentle correction of imprifonment, or the
pillory. — A man, who had murdered his wife,
was lately condemned to twenty years impri
fonment

in frahge. 305
fonmeht only; but people are guillotined every
day for a fimple difcourfe* or an inadvertent
expreffion . ¦ ¦ Yours>

LETTER XLIII. >
Amiens, July j, 1 793*
jLT will be fome corifolatioh to the French, ifj
from the wreck of their civil liberty ^ they be
able to preferve the mode Of adminiftering juf
tice as eftablifhed by the conftitution of 1789*
Were I not Warranted by the beft information,
I fhould not venture an opinion on the fubject
without much diffidence, but chance has af
forded me opportunities that do not often occur
to a ftranger* and the new code appears to me,
in many parts, fingularly excellent, both as to
principle and practice.-— Juftice- is here gra-1
tuitous— -thofe who adminifter it are elected by
the people— they depend only on their falaries4
and have no fees whatever* Reafonable allow
ances are made to witneffes both for time and ex
pences at the public charge— a lofs is not doubled
by the cofts of a profecution to recover it. In.
vol. 1. X cafes

306 a residence
cafes of robbery, where property found is de
tained for the fake of proof, it does not become
the prey of official rapacity, but an abfolute
reftitution takes- place. — The legiflature has,
in many refpects, copied the laws of England,
but it has Amplified the forms, and rectified
thofe abufes which make our proceedings in fome
cafes almoft as formidable to the profecutor as
to the culprit. Having to compofe an entire
newfyftem, and beingunfhackledby profeflional
reverence for precedents, they were at liberty
to benefit by example, to- reject thofe errors
which have been long fanctioned by their anti
quity, and are ftill permitted to- exift, through
our dread of innovation. The French, how
ever, made an attempt to improve oh the trial
by jury, which I think only evinces that the in
ftitution as adopted in England is not to be ex
celled. The decifion is here given by ballot —
unanimity is not required — and three white balls
are fufficient to acquit the prifoner. This de
viation from our mode feems to give the rich
an advantage over the poor. I fear, that, in the
number of twelve men taken- from any country,
it may fometimes happen that three may be
found corruptible : now the wealthy delinquent
can avail himfelf of this human failing ; but,
if through

iN FRANCE. £0J
*'e through tatter'd robes fmall vices do appear,"
and the indigeht finner has lefs chance of
efcaping than another.
It is to be. fuppofed, that, at this time, the
vigour of the criminal laws is much relaxed,
and their execution difficult. The army offers
refuge and impunity to guilt Of all kinds, and
the magiftrates themfelves would be apprehen
five of purfuing an offender who was protected
by the mob, or, which is the fame thing, by the
jacobins. The groundwork of much of the French
fcivil' jurifprudence is arbitration, particularly
in thofe trifling proceffes which originate in
a fpirit of litigation ; and it is not eafy for
a man hete, however well difpofed, to fpend
twenty pounds in a conteft about as many
pence, or to ruin himfelf in order to fecure the
poffeffion of half an acre of land. In general*
redrefs is eafily obtained without unneceffary
procraftination, and with little or no coft. Per
haps moft legal codes may be Ample and effica
cious at their firft inftitution, and the circum
ftance of their being encumbered with forms
which render them complex and expenfive, may
be the natural confequence of length of time and
; x a change

3&8 A RESIDENCE
change of- manners. Littleton might require ritS
commentary in the reign of Henry II. and the
myfterious fictions that conftitute the fcience of
modern judicature were perhaps familiar, and
even, neceffary, to our anceftors. It is to be re
gretted that we cannot adapt our laws to the age
in which we live, and affimilate them to our cuf
toms ; but the tendency of our nature to ex-1-
tremes perpetuates evils, and makes both the
wife and the timid enemies to reform. We
fear, like John Calvin, to tear the habit while we
are ftripping off the fuperfluous decoration ;
and the example of this country will probably
long act as a difccuragement to all change,
either judicial or political. The very name of
France will reprefs the defire of innovation —
we fhall cling to abufes as though they were our
fupport, and every attempt to remedy them will
become an objection of fufpicion and terror*
- — Such are the advantages which mankind wilt
derive from the French revolution.
The Jacobin conftitution is now finifhed;
and, as far as I am able to judge, . it is what
might be expected from fuch an origin : cal
culated to flatter the people with an imaginary
fovereignty — to place the whole power of elec
tion in the clafs moft eafily misled— to exclude from

IN FRANCE.' 30(jr
from the reprefentation thofe who have a na
tural intereft in the welfare of the country, and
to eftablifh the reign of anarchy and intrigue. —
Yet, however averfe the greater number of the
French may be from fuch a conftitution, no town
or diftrict has dared to reject it ; and I remark,
that amongft thofe who have been fore'moft
in offering their acceptation, are many of the
places moft notorioufly ariftocratic. I have
enquired of fome of the inhabitants of thefe
very zealous towns on what principle, they acted
fo much in oppofition to their known fenti
ments : the reply is always, that they fear the
vengeance of the- Jacobins, and that they are
awed by military force. This reafoning is, of
courfe, unanfwerable ; and we learn, from the
debates of the Convention, that the people have
received the new conftitution " avec la plus
vive reconnoiffance,*" and that they have all
fworn to die in its defence.-  Yours, &c
* With the moft lively gratitude.

*3

LETTEB.

IIQ A RESIDENCE

LETTER XLIV.

JuIy h> I'm?-
JL HE return of this day cannot but fuggeffc
very melancholy reflections to all who are wit--
neffes of the changes which a Angle year has?
produced. In twelve months only the govern
ment of France has been overturned, her com
merce deftroyed, the country depopulated to,
raife armies, and the people deprived of bread
to fupport them. A. defpotifm more abfolute*
than that of Turkey is eftablifhed, the manner**
of the nation are corrupted, and its moral'
character is difgraced in the eyes of all Eu
rope. A barbarous rage has laid wafte the
faireft monuments of art — whatever could em-.
bellifk fociety, or contribute to foften ex
iftence, has difappeared under the reign ofthefe
modern Goths — even the neeeflaries, of life
are becoming rare and inadequate to the con*
fumption — the rich are plundered and perfe-.
cuted, yet the poor are in want-— the national
credit is in the laft ftage of debafement, yet
an immenfe debt is created, and daily ac
cumulating ; and apprehenfion, diftruft, and
mifery, are almoft univerfal. — All this is the
work of a fet of adventurers who are now
divided

IK FRANCE. 3IS
divided among themfelves — who are accufing
each other of thofe crimes which the world im
putes to them all — and who, confcious they
can no longer deceive the nation, now govern
with the fear and fufpicion of tyrants. Every
thing is facrificed to the army and to Paris, and
the people are robbed of their fubfiftence to
fupply an iniquitous metropolis, and a military
force that awes and oppreffes them.
The new conftitution has been received here
officially, but no one feems to take the leaft
intereft in it ; it is regarded in juft the fame
light as a new tax, or any other minifterial
mandate, not fent to be difcuffed but obeyed.
The mode of proclaiming it conveyed a very
juft idea of its origin and tendency. It was
placed on a cufhion, fupported by Jacobins in
their red caps, and furrounded by dragoons.
It feemed the image of Anarchy guarded by
Defpotifm.— In this manner they paraded the
town, and the facred volume was then depofed
on an altar erected on the Grand Place. — The
Garde National, who were ordered to be under
arms, attended, and the conftitution was read.
Afewof the foldiers cried " Vive-la republique /"
and every one returned home with countenances
x 4 in

3IZ A RESIDENCE
in which delight was by no means the prevail-
ing expreffion.
A trifling incident which I noticed on this
occafion, will ferve, among others of the fame
kind that I could enumerate, to prove that even
the very lower clafs of the people begin to ridi
cule and defpife their legiflators. While a mu
nicipal officer was very gravely reading the con
ftitution, an afs forced his way acrofs the fquare,
and placed himfelf near the fpot where the
ceremony was performing : a boy, who was
under our window, on obferving it, cried out,
" Why don't they give him the accolade fra*
ternellef*" — " Yes, (rejoined another,) and
admit-him aux honneurs de la fiance.-^" Thia
* Fraternal embrace. — This is the reception given by that
Prefident to any one whom the Convention wifh particularly to
diftinguifh. On an occafion of the fort, the fraterna.1 embrace
was given to an old Negrefs. — The honours of the fitting are?
alfo daily accorded to deputations of fifh-women, chimney->
fweepers, children, and all whofe millions are flattering,"
There is no homage fo mean as not to gratify the pride of thofe
to whom dominion is new ; and thefe expreffions are fo often
and fo ftrangely applied, that it is not furprizing they are be-«
come the cant phrafes of the mob.
¦f To the honours of tbe fitting. difpofitioft-

IN FRANCE. 313
difpofition to jeft with their misfortunes is,
however, not fo common as it was formerly.
A bon mot may alleviate the lofs of a battle,
and a lampoon on the court folace under the
burthen of a new impoft ; but the moft thought-
Jefs or improvident can find nothing very face
tious in the profpect of abfolute want— -and
thofe who have been ufed to laugh under a cir-
cumfcription of their political liberty, feel
very ferioufly the evil of a government which
endows its members with unlimited power, and
enables a Deputy, often the meaneft and moft
profligate character of his department, to im-
prifon all who, from caprice, intereft, or ven
geance, may have become the objects of his
perfecution, I know this will appear fo monftrous to an
Englifliman, that, had I an opportunity of
communicating fuch a circifmftance before it
were publicly authenticated, you would fup
pofe it impoffible, and imagine I had been
miftaken, or had written only from report ; it
is neverthelefs'true, that every part of France
is infefted by thefe Commiffioners, who difpofe,
without appeal, of the freedom and property
of the whole department, to which they are
fent. It frequently happens, that men are de
legated

314 A RESIDENCE
legated to places where they have refided, and
thus have an opportunity of gratifying their.
perfonal malice on all who are fo unfortunate
as to be obnoxious to them. Imagine, for a
moment, a village-attorney acting with uncon-
trouled authority over the country where he
formerly exercifed his profeffion, and you will
have fome idea of what paffes here, except that
I hope no clafs of men in England are fo bad
as thofe which compofe the major part of the
National Convention.—  Yours, &cr

LETTER XLV,
July 23, iJ()3k
JL HE events of Paris which are any way re*.
markable are fo generally circulated, that I do
not often mention them, unlefs to mark their ef
fect on the provinces : but you will be fo much
misled by the public papers with regard to the
death of Marat, that I think it neceffary to
notice the fubject while it is yet recent in my
memory. Were the clubs, the Convention, or
the fections of Paris to be regarded as exprafr
fing the fenfe of the people, the affaffinatioQ of

IN FRANCE. 3I«J
of this turbulent journalift muft be confidered
as a national misfortune : yet fo far is this from
being the cafe, that the departments are for the
moft part, if not rejoiced, indifferent — and
many of thofe who impute to him the honour
of martyrdom, or affift at his apotheofis, are
much better fatisfied both with his chriftian and
heathen glories, than they were while he was
living to propagate anarchy and pillage. The
reverence ofthe Convention itfelf is a mere poli
tical pantomime. Within the laft twelve months;
nearly all the individuals who compofe it have
treated Marat with contempt ; and T perfectly'
remember even Danton, one of the members of
the Committee of Salut Publique, accufing him
of being a contre revolutionnaire.
But the people, to ufe a popular expreffion
here, require to be eleclrified. — St. Fargeau is al
moft forgotten, and Marat is to ferve the fame
purpofes when dead, to which he contributed
while living. — An extreme groffnefs and want of
feeling form the characteriftic feature ofthe Pa-
rifians; they are ignorant, credulous, and material,
and the Convention do not fail on all occafions
to avail themfelves of thefe qualities. The
corps of Marat decently enclofed in a coffin
Would have made little impreffion* and it was not

316 A RESIDENCE
not pity, but revenge, which was to be ex
cited. The difgufting object of a dead leper
was therefore expofed to the eyes of a metropolis
calling itfelf the moft refined and enlightened
of all Europe —
" And what t' oblivion better were confign'd,
" Is hung on high to poifon half mankind."
I know not whether thefe lines are moft appli
cable to the difplay of Marat's body, or the
confecration of his fame, but both will be a
lafting ftigma on the manners and morals of
Paris. If the departments, however, take no inte
reft in the lofs of Marat, the young woman
who affaflinated him has created a very lively
one. The flighteft anecdotes concerning her
are collected with avidity, and repeated with
admiration ; and this is a ftill farther proof of
what you have heard me advance, that neither
patriotifm nor humanity has an abundant
growth in this country. The French applaud
an act in itfelf horrid and unjuftifiable, while
they have fcarcely any conception of the mo
tive, and fuch a facrifice feems to them feme-
thing fupernatural. — The Jacobins affert, that
Charlotte

IN FRANCE. 317
Charlotte Corday was an emiffary of the allied
powers, or, rather, of Mr. Pitt ; and the Pa-
rifians have the complaifance to believe, that a
young woman could devote herfelf to certain
defiruction at the inftigation' of another, as
though the fame principles which would lead
a perfon to undertake a diplomatic commiffion,
would induce her to meet death.
I wrote fome days ago to a lady of my ac
quaintance at Caen, to beg fhe would procure
me fome information relative to this extraordi
nary female, and I fubjoir. an extract of her-
anfwer, which I have juft received:
" Mifs Corday was a native of this depart
ment, and had, from her earlieft years, been
very carefully .educated by an aunt who lives at
Caen. Before fhe was twenty fhe had decided
on taking the veil, and her noviciate was juft
expired when the Conftituent Affembly inter
dicted all religious vows for the future : fhe
then left the convent, and refided entirely with
her aunt. The beauty of her perfon, and par
ticularly her mental acquifitions, which were
fuperior to that of French women in general,
rendered her an object of much admiration. She
fpoke uncommonly well, and her difcourfe of
ten-

31S A. RESIDENCE
ten turned on the ancients, and on fuch fub>
jects as indicated that mafculine turn of mind
which has fince proved fo fatal to her. Perhaps
her converfation was a little tinctured with that
pedantry not unjuftly attributed to our fex when
they have a little more knowledge than ufual*
but, at the fame time, not ih fuch a degree as
to render it unpleafant. She. feldom- gave any
opinion oh the revolution, but frequently at
tended the municipalities to folicit the penfions
of the expelled religious, or on any other occa*
fion where fhe could be ufeful to her friends.
On the arrival of Petion, Barbaroux, and others
of the Briffotin faction, fhe began to frequent
the clubs, and to take a more lively intereft in
political affairs. Petion, and Barbaroux efpe
cially, feemed to be much reflected by her.
It was even faid, fhe had a tender partiality for
the latter ; but this I- believe is untrue. — I
dined with her at her aunt's on the Sunday
previous to her departure for Paris. Nothing
very remarkable appeared in her behaviour*
except that fhe was much affected by a muftef
of the recruits who were to march againft
Paris, and feemed to think many lives might
,be loft on the occafion, without obtaining any
relief for the country. — On the Tuefday fol
lowing fhe left Caen, 'under pretext of vifiting her

IN FRANCE. 319
her father, who lives a Sees. Her aunt ac
compained her to the gate of the town, and
the feparation was extremely forrowful on botli
fides. The fubfequent events are too well
known to need recital."
On her trial, and at her execution, Mifs
Corday was firm and modeft ; and I have been
told, that in her laft moments her whole figure
was interefting beyond defcription. She was
tall, well formed, and beautiful — her eyes,
efpecially, were fine and expreffive — -even her
drefs was not neglected, and a fimple white
difhabille added to the- charms of this felf-
devoted victim. On the whole, it is not pof
fible to afcertain precifely the motives which
determined her to aflaffinate Marat. Her letter
to Barbaroux expreffes nothing but republican
fentiments ; yet it is difficult to conceive that
a young woman, who had voluntarily embraced
the life of a cloifter, could be really of this
way of thinking. — I cannot but fuppofe her
connection with the Deputies arofe merely from
an idea that they might be the inftruments of
reftoring the abolifhed government, and her
profeffion of republican principles after fhe was
arrefted might probably be with a view of faving
Duperret, and others of the party, who were ftill

320 A RESIDENCE
ftill in the power of the Convention. — Her fe--.
lection of Marat ftill remains to be accounted
for. He was, indeed, the moft violent of the
Jacobins, but not the moft dangerous* and the
death of feveral others might have been more
ferviceable to the caufe. Marat was, however,;
the avowed perfecutor Of priefts and religion*
and if we attribute any influence to Mifs Cor*
day's former habits, we may fuppofe them to
have had fome fhare in the choice of her victim*
Her refufal of the miniftry of a conftitutional
prieft at the fcaffold ftrengthens this opinion*
We pay a kind of involuntary tribute of ad
miration to fuch firmnefs of mind in a young
and beautiful woman ; and I do not recollect
that hiftory has tranfmitted any thing parallel
to the heroifm of Charlotte Corday. Love, re-'
venge, and ambition, have often facrificed their
victims, and fuftained the courage of their vo
taries under punifhment ; but a female, ani
mated by no perfonal motives, fenfible only to
the, misfortunes of her country, patriotic both,
from feeling and reflection, and facrificing her-
felf from principle, is fingular in the annals of
human nature. — Yet, after doing juftice to fuch
an inftance of fortitude and philanthropic de
votion, I cannot but fincerely lament the, act. to
which it has given rife. At a time when fo many
fpirits

IN FRANCE. 32*
fpirits are irritated by defpair and oppreffion,
the example may be highly pernicious, and a
caufe, however good, muft always be injured
by the ufe of fuch means in its fupport.—
Nothing pan fanctify an aflaffination ; and were
not the French more vindictive than humane,
the crimes of the republican party would find
a momentary refuge in this injudicious effort
to punifh them.
My friend La Marquife de  has left
Paris, and is now at Peronne, where fhe has
engaged me to pafs a few weeks with her; fo
that my next will moft probably be dated from
thence.— Mr. D-  is endeavouring to get a
paflport for England. He begins to regret
having remained here. His temper, naturally
impatient of reftraint, accords but ill with the
portion of liberty enjoyed by our republicans.
Corporal privations and mental interdictions
multiply fo faft, that irritable people like him
felf, and valetudinarians, like Mrs. D  >
and me, could not choofe a worfe refidence ;
and, as we are now unanimous on the fubject,
I hope foon to leave the country. — There is,
as you obferve in your laft, fomething of in
dolence as well as friendfhip in my having fo
long remained here ; but if actions were always
Y analyzed

32& A RESIDENCE
analysed fo ftrictly, and we were not allowed
to derive a little credit -from our weakneffes*
how many great characters would be reduced
to the common level. Voltaire introduced a fort
of rage for anecdotes, and for tracing all events
to trifling caufes, whieh has done much more
towards exploding the old-fafhioned fyftem of
the dignity of human nature than the dry max
ims of Rochefaucault, the fophifms of Mande
ville, or even the malicious wit of Swift. This is
alfo another effect of the progrefs of philofophy :
and this fort of moral Quixotifm, continually
in fearch of evil, and more gratified in dif-
covering it than pained by its exiftence, may
be very philofophical, but it is at leaft gloomy
and difcouraging ; and we may be permitted
to doubt whether mankind become wifer or
better by learning that thofe who have been
moft remarkable either for wifdom or virtue
were occafionally under the influence of the
fame follies and paffions as other people.—
Your uncharitable difcernment, you fee, has
led nie' into a digreflion, and I have, without
intending it, connected the motivesof my ftay
with reflections on Voltaire's General Hiftory,
Barillon's Letters, and all the fecret biography
of- our modern libraries. This, you will fay,
is only a chapter of a " man's importance Tto
himfelf ;"

IN FRANCE. 32^
himfelf;" but public affairs are nOw fo con-
fufed and difgufting, that we are glad to
encourage any train of ideas not affociated
with them. ,
The Commiffioners I gave you fome account
of in a forrher letter are departed, and we have
lately had Chabot, an Ex-capuchin, and a pa
triot of fpecial note in the Convention, and one
Dumont, an attorney of a neighbouring vil
lage. They are, like all the reft of thefe mif
fionaries, entrufted with unlimited powers, and
infpire apprehenfion and difmay wherever they
approach. The Garde National of Amiens are not yet
entirely fubdued to the times, and Chabot
gave fome hints of a project to difarm them*
and actually attempted to arreft fome of their
officers ; but, apprized of his defign, they re
mained two nights under arms, and the Ca
puchin, who is not martially inclined, was fo
alarmed at this indication of refiftance* that
he has left the towrt with more hafte than cere
mony.— He had, in an harangue at the cathe
dral, inculcated fome very edifying doctrines
on the divifion of property and the right of
pillage ; and it is not improbable, had he not
y 2 With-

324 A RESIDENCE
withdrawn, but the Amienois would have ven
tured, on this pretext, to arreft him. Some of
them contrived, in fpite of the centinel placed
at the lodging of thefe great men, to pafte up
on the door two figures, with the names of
Chabot and Dumont, in the " fatal pofition
of the unfortunate brave ;" and though, certain
events in the lives of thefe Deputies may have
rendered this perfpective of their laft moments
not abfolutely a novelty, yet I do not recollect
that Akenfide, or any other author, has enu-
merated a gibbet amongft the objects which,
though not agreeable in themfelves, may be
reconciled to the mind by familiarity. I wifh,
therefore, our reprefentatives may not, in re
turn for this admonitory portrait of their latter
end, draw down 'fome vengeance on the town,
not eafily to be appeafed. I am no aftrologer,
but in our fublunary world the conjunction of
an attorney and a renegade monk cannot prefent
a fortunate afpect ; and I am truly anxious to
find myfelf once again under the more benign
influence of your Englifh hemifphere. 
Yours.

LETTER

IN FRANCE. 325
LETTER XLVI.
Peronne, July 29, 1793.
JEjVERY attempt to obtain paflports has been
fruitlefs, and, with that fort of difcontented re-
fignation which is the effect of neceffity, I now
look upon myfelf as probably fixed here till a
peace. I left Mr. and Mrs. D  yefterday
morning, the difappointment operating upon
them in full force. The former takes longer
walks than ufual, breaks out in philippics againft
tyrannies of all kinds, and fwears ten times a
day that the French are the moft noify people
upon earth — the latter is vexed, and, for that
reafon, fancies fhe is ill, and calculates, with
great ingenuity, all the hazard and inconvenience
we may be liable to by remaining here. I hope,
on my return, to find them more reconciled.
At Villars de Bretonne, on my road hither,
fome people told me, with great gaiety, that
the Englifh had made a defcent on the coaft of
Picardy. Such a report (for I did not fuppofe
it poffible) during the laft war would have made
me tremble, but I heard this without alarm,
having, in no inftance, feen the people take
that kind of intereft in public events which
y 3 formerly

326 A RESIDENCE
formerly made a refidence in France unpleafanf
to an individual of an hoftile nation. It is not
that they are become more liberal, or better
informed — no change Of this kind has been
difcovered even by the warmeft advocates of
the revolution ; but they are more indifferent,
and thofe who are not decidedly the enemies of
the prefent government, for the moft part
concern themfelves as little about the events of
the war, as though it were carried on in the
South Sea.
I fear I fhould rifk an imputation on my ve-?
racity, were I to defcribe the extreme ignorance
and inattention of the French with refpect to.
public men and meafures. They draw no con
clusions from the pafl, form no conjectures for
the future, and, after exclaiming " II ne pent
pas durer comme cela" they, with a refignation
which is certainly neither pious nor philofophic,
leave the reft to the agency of Providence. — •
Even thofe who are more informed fo bewilder?
themfelves in the politics of Greece and Rome,
that they do not perceive how little thefe are
applicable to their own country. Indeed, it
fliould feem that no modern age or people is
worthy the knowledge of a Frenchman. — I have
often remarked, in thercourfe of our corre-
fpondence,

IN FRANCE. 3^7
fpondence, how little they are acquainted with
what regards England or the Englifh ; and
fcarcely a day paffes that I have not occafion to
make the fame obfervation.
My conductor hither, who is a friend of
Mad. de T  , and'efteemed " bien inftruit,"
was much furprized when I told him that the
population and fize of London exceeded that of
Paris — that we had good fruit, and better ve
getables than were to be found in many parts
of France. I faw that he fufpected my vera
city, and there is always on thefe occafions fuch
a decided and impenetrable incredulity in a
Frenchman as precludes all hopes of convincing
him. He liftens with a fort of felf-fufficient
complacence which tells you he does not confider
your affertions as any thing more than the
exaggerations of national vanity, but that his
politenefs does not allow him to contradict you.
I know nothing more difguftingly impertinent
than this ignorance, which intrenches itfelf be
hind the forms of civility, and, affecting to
decline controverfy, affumes the merit of for
bearance and moderation : yet this muft have
been often obferved by every one who has lived
much in French fociety : for the firft emotion
of a Frenchman, on hearing any thing which
y 4 tends

328 A RESIDENCE
tends to place another country on an equality/
with France* is doubt — this doubt is inftantly re
inforced by vanity — and, in a few feconds, he is
perfectly fatisfied that the thing is impoffible.
One muft be captious indeed to object to
this, did it arife from that patriotic feeling fo
common in the Englifh ; but here it is all va
nity, downright vanity : a Frenchman muft
have his country and his miftrefs admired,.
though he does not often care much for either
one or the other. I have been in various parts
of France in the moft critical periods of the
revolution — I have converfed with people of all
parties and of all ranks — and I affert, that I
have never yet met but with one man who had
a grain of realpatriotifm. If the Athenian law
were adopted which doomed all to death who
fhould be indifferent to the public welfare in a
time of danger, I fear there would be a woeful
depopulation here, even among the laudeft
champions of democracy.
It is not thirty miles from Amiens to Pe-
ronne, yet a journey of thirty miles is not now
to be undertaken inconfiderately ; the horfes
are fo much worked, and fo ill fed, that few
perform fuch a diftance without reft and ma
nagement.

IN FRANCE. 329
nagement. If you wifh to take others, and
continue your route, yrou cannot, or if you
wait while your own horfes are refrefhed, as a
reward for your humanity you get ftarved
yourfelf. Bread being very fcarce, no family
can get more than fufficient for its own con
fumption, and thofe who travel without firft
fupplying themfelves, do it at the rifk of find
ing none on the road.
Peronne is chiefly remarkable in hiftory for
never having been taken, and for a tower where
Louis XI. was confined for a fhort time, after
being outwitted in a manner fomewhat furpri
zing for a Monarch who piqued himfelf on his
talents for intrigue, by Charles le Temeraire,
Duke of Burgundy. Its modern reputation
arifes from its election of the Abbe Maury
for its reprefentative, and for entertaining
political principles every way analogous to
fuch a choice.
I found the Marquife much altered in her
perfon, and her health much impaired, by the
frequent alarms and continual apprehenfions
fhe had been fubject to at Paris. Fortunately
fhe has no imputation againft her but her rank
and fortune, for fhe is utterly guiltlefs of all
political

33® A RESIDENCE
political opinions ; fo that I hope fhe will be
fuffered to knit ftockings, tend her birds and
dogs, and read romances in peace.  Yours,
&c. &c.

LETTER XLVII.
Auguft I, 1793.
VV HEN the creation of affignats was firft
propofed, much ingenuity was employed in
conjecturing, and much eloquence difplayed
in expatiating upon, the various evils that might
refult from them ; yet the genius of party,
however ufually fuccefsful in gloomy perfpec-
tive, did not at that time imagine half the in
convenience this meafure was fraught with. It
was eafy, indeed, to forefee, that an immenfe
circulation of paper, like any other currency,
muft augment the price of every thing ; but
the exceffive difcredit ofthe aflignats, operating
a'cceflarily to their quantity, has produced a
train of collateral effects of greater magnitude
than even thofe that were originally apprehended.
Within the laft twelve months the whole country
are become monopolizers — the defire of reali
zing has fo poffeffed all degrees of people, that
there

IN FRANCE. 33I
there is fcarcely an article of confumption
which is not bought up ahd fecreted. One'
would really fuppofe that nothing was perifh
able but the national credit — the nobleman,
the merchant, the fhopkeeper, all who have
affignats, engage in thefe fpeculations, and the
neceflities of our diffipated heirs do not drive
fhem to refources for obtaining money more
whinyfical than the commerce now practifed
here to ge,t rid of it. I know a beau who has
converted his hypotheque * on the national do
mains info train pil, and a General who has
given thefe -' airy nothings" the fubftance and
form of hemp and leather !-j~ Goods purchafed
from fuch motives are not, as you may conceive*
fold till the temptation of an exorbitant profit
feduces the proprietor to rifk a momentary
* Mortgage.
t In the late rage for monopolies in France, a perfon who
had obferved the vaft daily confumption of onions, garlick, and
efchalots, conceived the projecl of making the whole diftri£t
of Amiens tributary for this indifpenfible article. In confe
quence, he attended feveral market-days, and purchafed all
•that came in his way. The country people finding a ready
fale for their onions, poured in from all quarters, and our
projector found that, in proportion as he bought, the market
became more profufely fupplied, and that the commodity he
had hoped to monopolize was inexhauflible. poffeffion

332 A RESIDENCE
poffeffion of aflignats, which are again difpofed
of in a fimilar way. Thus, many neeeflaries of
life are withdrawn from circulation, and when
a real fcarcity enfues, they are produced to the
people, charged with all the accumulated gains
of thefe intermediate barters.
This illiberal and pernicious commerce,
which avarice and fear have for fome time kept
in great activity, has at length attracted the
notice of the Convention, and very fevere laws
are now enacted againft monopolies of all kinds.
The holder of any quantity of merchandize
beyond what he may be fuppofed to confume
is obliged to declare it to his municipality,
and to expofe the articles he deals in in writing
over his door. Thefe claufes, as well as every
other part of the decree, feem very wife and
equitable ; but I doubt if the feverity of the
punifhment annexed to any tranfgrelfion of it
will not operate fo as to defeat the purpofes in
tended to be produced. A falfe declaration is
punifhable by fix years imprifonment, and an
abfolute non-compliance with death. — Black-
ftone remarks, that it is the certainty, not the
feverity, of punifhment, which makes laws effi
cacious ; and this muft ever be the cafe amongft
an humane people. — An inordinate defire of
gain

IN FRANCE. 333
gain is not often confidered by mankind as
very criminal, and thole who would willingly
fubject it to its adequate punifhment of fine
and confifcation, will hefitate to become the
means of inflicting death on the offender, or
of depriving him of his liberty. The Poets
have, from time immemorial, claimed a kind
of exclufive jurifdiction over the fin of avarice :
but, unfortunately, minds once fteeled by this
vice are not often fenfible to the attacks of
ridicule ; and I have never heard that any poet,
from Plautus to Moliere, has reformed a fingle
mifer. I am not, therefore, forry that our legif
lature has encroached on this branch of the
poetical prerogative, and only wifh that the
mild regimen of the Mufes had been fucceeded
by fomething lefs rigid than the prifon or the
guillotine. It is true, that, in the prefent in
ftance, it is not the ordinary and habitual
practice of avarice which has called forth the
feverity ofthe laws, but a fpecies fo deftructive
and extenfive in its confequences, that much
may be faid in defence of any penalty fhort of
death; and fuch is the general diftruft of the
paper-money, that I really believe, had not
fome meafure of the kind been adopted, no
article fufceptible of monopoly would have
been left for confumption. There are, how
ever,

334 A RESIDENCE
ever, thofe who retort on the government, and
affert, that the origin of the evil is in the wafte
and peculation of its agents, which alfo make
the immenfe emifiion of paper more neceffary ;
and they are right in the fact, though not in
their deduction — for as the evil does exift, what
ever may be the caufe, it is certainly wife t'd
endeavour to remedy it.
The pofition of Valenciennes, which isfup--'
pofed to be on the eve of a furrender — the'
progrefs of the infurgents in La Vendee — the
difcontents in the South — and the charge of
^treachery againft fo many of the Generals, and
particularly Cuftine — all together feem fo have
agitated the public extremely ; yet it is rather
the agitation of uncertainty than that occafioned
by any deep impreffion of hope or fear. The
people wifh to be relieved from their prefent
fituation, yet are without any determinate views
for the future ; and, indeed, in this part of the
country, where they have neither leaders nor
.union, it would be very difficult for them to
take a more active part.
The party ofthe Foederalifts languifh, merely
becaufe it is nothing more than a party, and a party
of which the heads excite neither intereft nor
efteem,,

IN FRANCE. 23S
efteem. I conclude you learn from the papers all
the more important events, and I confine myfelf,
as ufual, to fuch details as I think lefs likely to
reach you. The humanity of the Englifh muft
often banifh their political animofities when
they read what paffes here ; and thoufands of
rny countrymen muft at this moment lament
with me the fituation to which France is re
duced by projects in which common fenfe
can diftinguifh no medium between wickednefs
and folly.
All apparent attachment to royalifm is now
cautioufly avoided, but the royalifts do not
diminifh by perfecution, and the induftry with
which they propagate their opinions is nearly
a match for all the force armee of the repub
licans. — It is not eafy to print pamphlets or
newfpapers, but there are certain fhops which
one would think were difcovered by inftinct,
where are fold a variety of myfterious em
blems of royalty — ftich as fans that have no
vifible ornaments except landfcapes, &c. but
when opened by the initiated, prefent tole
rable likeneffes of the Royal Family ; fnuff-
boxes with fecret lids, containing miniature
bufts of the late King ; and mufic fo in-
¦genioufly printed, that what to the common eye

336 A RESIDENCE
eye offers only fome popular air, when folded
fo as to join the heads and tails of the notes
together, forms fentences of very treafonable
import, and by no means flattering to the ex-
ifting government. — "I have known thefe inter
dicted trifles purchafed at extravagant prices
by the beft-reputed patriots and by officers who
in public breathe nothing but unconquerable
democracy^ and deteftation of Kings. Yet,
though thefe things are circulated with extreme
caution, every body has fomething of the fort,
and, as Charles Surface fays, " for my part, I
don't fee who is out of the fecret."
The belief in religious miracles is exploded,
and it is only in political ones that the faith of
the people is allowed to exercife itfelf. — We have
lately feen exhibited at the fairs and markets
a calf, produced into the world with the tri-
coloured cockade on its head ; and on the
painted cloth that announces the phcenomenon
is the portrait of this natural revolutionift, with
a mayor and municipality in their official fcarfs,
addreffing the four-footed patriot \yith great
ceremony. We fet out early to-morrow morning for
Soiffons, which is about twenty leagues from
hence.

IN FRANCE. 33JT
hence. Travelling is not very defirable in the
prefent circumftances, but Mad. de F  has
feme affairs to fettle there which cannot well
be entrufted to a third perfon. The times,
however, have a very hoftile appearance, and
we intend, if poffible, to be abfent but three
days.  Yours,

LETTER XLVIII.
Soiflbns, Auguft 4, 1793.
' AND you may go byBeauvais if you will,
for which reafon many go by Beauvais ;" and
the ftranger who turns out of his road to go
by Soiflbns, muft ufe the fame reafoning, for
the confeioufnefs of having exercifed his free
agency will be all his reward for vifiting Soif-
fons. This, bythe way ; for my journey hither
not being one of curiofity, I have no right to
complain ; yet fomehow or other, by affociating
the-idea of the famous Vafe, the ancient re
fidence of the firft French Kings, and other
circumftances as little connected as thefe I fup
pofe with modern hiftory* I had ranked Soiflbns
in my imagination as one of the places I fhould
vol. 1. Z fee

338 A RESIDENCE
fee with intereft. I find it, however, only a
dull, decent-looking town, tolerably large, 'but
not very populous. In the new divifion of
France it is the capital of the department De-
l'Aifne, and is of courfe the feat of the admi
niftration. We left Peronne early, and, being fo fortu
nate as to encounter no accidental delays* we
arrived within a league of Soiflbns early in the
afternoon. Mad. de E  ', recollecting an
acquaintance who has a chateau not far out of
our road, determined to ftop an hour or two ;
for, as fhe faid, her friend was fo " fond of
the country," fhe fhould be fure to find him
there. We did, indeed, find this Monfieur*
who is fo " fond of the country," at home,
extremely well powdered, dreffed in a ftriped
filk coat, and engaged With a card party, on
a warm afternoon on the third of Auguft.— The
chateau was fituated as a French chateau ufually
is, fo as to be benefited by all the rtoifes and
odours of the village — built with a large fingle
front, and a number of windows fo judicioufly
placed, that it muft be impoffible either to be
cool in fummer or warm in winter.
We walked out after taking fome coffee, and
I learned

fcN FRANCEi 33fj
i learned that this lover of the country did not
keep a fingle acre of land in his own hands,
but that the part immediately contiguous to
the houfe was cultivated for a certain fhare of
the profit by a farmer who lives in a miferable
looking place adjoining, and where I faw the
Operations of the dairy-maid carried on amidft:
pigs, ducks, and turkeys, who feemed to have
eftablifhed a very familiar accefs.
Previous to our arrival at Sbiflbris, the Mar-
quife (who, though fhe does not confider me
as an ariftocrate, knows I am by no means a
Republican,) begged me to be cautious in ex-
preffing my fentiments* as the Comte de  •,
where we were going, had embraced the prin
ciples of the revolution very warmly, and had
beeh much blamed by his family on this ac
count Mad. de F— — added, that fhe had
not feeti him for above a year, but that fhe be
lieved him ftill to be " extrimement patriote."
We reached Monf. de — ^-'s juft as the family
were fet down to a Very moderate fupper, and
I obferved that their plate had been replaced by
pewter. After the firft falutations were Over,
it was foon vifible that the political notions of
the Count were much changed. He is a fen-
z a Able

340 A RESIDENCE
fible reflecting man, and feems really to wifh
the good of his country. Fle thinks, with
many others, that all the good effects which
might have been obtained by the revolution will
be loft through the contempt and hatred which
the republican government has drawn upon it.
Monf. de  has two fons who have dif
tinguifhed themfelves very honourably in the
army, and he has himfelf made great pecuniary
facrifices ; but this has not fecured him from1
numerous domiciliary vifits and vexations of
all kinds. The whole family are at intervals
a little penfive, and Monf. de  told us, at
a moment when the ladies of the houfe were out
of hearing, that the taking of Valenciennes had
occafioned a violent fermentation at Paris, and
that he had ferious apprehenfions for thofe who
have the misfortune to be diftinguifhed by their
rank, or obnoxious from their fuppofed prin
ciples — that he himfelf, and all who were pre-
fumed to have an attachment to the conftitution
of ninety One, were much more feared, and of
courfe more fufpected, than. the original ari
ftocrates — and " enfin" thathe had made up his
mind a la Frangaife to the worft that could hap
pen. I have

IN FRANCE. 34t
I have juft run over the papers of the day,
and I perceive that the debates of the Con
vention are filled with invectives againft the
Englifh. A letter has been very opportunely
found on the ramparts of Lifle, which is in
tended to perfuade the people that the Britifh
government has diftributed money and phof- /
photic matches in every town in France — the
one to provoke infurrection, the other to fet
fire to the corn.* You will conclude this letter
to be a fabrication, and it is imagined and ex
ecuted with fo little ingenuity, that I doubt
whether it will impofe on the moft ignorant of
the people for a moment.
The Queen has been transferred to the Con-
ciergerie, or common prifon, and a decree is.
paffed for trying her ; but perhaps at this mo
ment (whatever may be the refult hereafter)
they only hope her fituation may operate as a
* " The National Convention, in the name of violated
humanity, denounces to all the world, and to the people of
England in particular, the bafe, perfidious, and wicked con-
duel of the Britifh government, which does not hefitate to
employ fire, poifon, aflaffination, and every other crime, to
procure the triumph of tyranny, and the deftru&ion of tlie
rights of man." Decree, ifl Auguft, 1793.
Z3 check

34* A RESIDENCE
check upon the enemy ; at leaft I have heatd;
it doubted by many whether they intend to
proceed ferioufly on this trial fo long threat
ened.— —Perhaps I may have before noticed
to you that the Convention never feemed capa
ble of any thing great or uniform, and that all
their proceedings took a tinge from that frivo
lity and meannefs which I am almoft tempted
to believe inherent in the French character.
They have juft now, amidft a long firing of
decrees, the objects of which are of the firft
confequence, inferted one for the deftruction of
all the royal tombs before the tenth of Auguft,
and another for reducing the expences of the
King's children, particularly their food, to bare
neeeflaries. Had our Englifh re-volutiqniftsr
thus employed themfelves, they might have
expelled the fculptured Monarchs from the
Abbey, and waged a very fuccefsful war on the
admirers of Gothic antiquity ; but neither the
Stuarts, nor the Catholic religion, would have
had much to fear from them.
We have been wandering about the town alls
day, and I have not remarked that the fucceffes
of the enemy have occafioned any regret.
When I was in France three years ago, you
may recollect that my letters ufually contained fome

IN FRANCE., 343
fome relation of our embarraffment and delays,
owing to the fear and ignorance of the people.
At one place they apprehended the introduc
tion of foreign troops — at another, that the
Comte d' Artois was to burn all the corn. In
fhort, the whole country teemed with plots and
counterplots, every one of which was more ab
furd and inexplicable than thofe of Oates, with
his whole tribe of Jefuits. At prefent, when
a powerful army is invading the frontiers, and
people have not in many places bread to eat,
they feem to be very little folicitous about the
former, and as little difpofed to blame the
ariftocrates for the latter.
It is really extraordinary, after all the pains
that have been taken to excite hatred and re-
fentment againft the Englifh, that I have not
heard of a fingle inftance of their having been
infulted or molefted* Whatever inconvenien
ces they may have, been fubjected to, were acts
of the government, not of the people ; and
perhaps this is the firft war between the two na
tions in which the reverfe has not been the cafe.
I accompanied Mad. de — — this afternoon
to the houfe of a rich merchant, where fhe had
bufinefs, and who, fhe told me, had been a
* z 4. furious

344 A RESIDENCE
furious patriot, but his ardour is now confider
ably abated. He had juft returned from the
department,* where his affairs had led him ;
and he affures us, that in general the' agents of
the republic were more inacceffible, more in
folent, corrupt, and ignorant, than any em
ployed under the old government. He demur
red to paying Mad. de  a fum of money
all in affignats hface\jr and this famous patriot
would readily have given me an hundred livres,
for a pound fterling.
We fhall return to Peronne to-morrow, and!
have availed myfelf of the hour between cards
and flipper, which is ufually employed by the
French in undreffing, to fcribble my remarks.
In fome families, I fuppofe, flipping in difha-
bille is an arrangement of ceconomy, in others '
of eafe ; but I always think it has the air of
preparation for a very folid meal ; and, in ef
fect, flapping is not a mere ceremony with either
fex in this country.
* Here ufed for the place where the public bufinefs is trant-
adl'ed. f Affignats a face — that is, with the King's effigy ; at this
time greatly preferred to thofe iffued after his death. I learn*

IN FRANCE. 345
I learnt in converfation with M. de  ,
whofe fons were at Famars when the camp was
forced, that the carnage was terrible, and that
the lofs of the French on this occafion amounted.
to feveral thoufands. You will be informed of
this much more accurately in England, but you
will fcarcely imagine that no official account
was ever publifhed here, and that in general
the people are ignorant of the circumftance, and
all the difafters attending it. In England, you
have oppofition papers that amply fupply the
omiflions of the minifterial gazettes, and often
dwell with much complacence on the loffes and
defeats of their country ; here none will ven
ture to publifh the leaft event which they fup
pofe the government wifh to keep concealed.
I am told, a leading feature of republican go
vernments is to be extremely jealous of the
liberty of the prefs, and that of France is, in
this refpect, truly republican. — Adieu.

BETTER,

A RESIDENCE

LETTER XLIX.

Peronne, Auguft, ijyj?,
JL Have often regretted, my dear brother, that
my letters have for fome time been rather in
tended to, fatisfy your curiofity than your affec
tion. At this moment I feel differently, and I
rejoice that the inquietude and danger of my
fituation will, probably, not come to your know
ledge till I fhall be no longer fubject to tbem*
I have been for feveral days unweli, and yet my
body, valetudinarian as I am. at beft, is now the-
better part of me ; for my mind has. been fo
deranged by fufpenfe and terror, that I expect
to recover, my health long before I fhall be able
to. nanquilflze my fpirits,,
On our return from Soiflbns I found, by the
public prints, that a decree had paffed for ar-.
refting all natives of the countries with, which
France is at war, and who had not conftantly re-.
fided here fince 1789.— -This intelligence*
as you will conceive, fufficiently alarmed me„
ahd I loft no time in confulting Mad. de  's,
friends on the fubject, who were generally of
opinion that the decree was merely a menace^
and that it Was too unjuft to be put in execu tion.

IN FRANCE. 347
tion. As fome days elapfed and no fteps were
taken in confequence, I began to think they were
right, and my fpirits were fomewhat revived ;
when one evening, as I was preparing to go fo
bed, my maid fuddenly entered the room, and,
before fhe could give me any previous explana-*
tion, the apartment was filled with armed men.
As foon as I was collected enough to enquire the
pbject of this unfeafonable vifit, I learned that
all this military apparel was to put the feals on
my papers, and convey my perfon to the Hotel
de Ville !— I kriew it would be vain to remon-
ftrate, and therefore made an effort to recover
my fpirits and fubmit. The bufinefs, however
was not yet terminated, my papers were to be
fealed-r-and though they were not very volumi
nous, the procefs was more difficult than you
would imagine, none of the company having
been employed on affairs of the kind before.
A debate enfued on the manner in which it
fliould be done, and, after a very tumultuous
difcuffion, it was fagacioufly concluded to feal
up the doors and windows of all the apartments
appropriated to my ufe. They then difcovered
(that they had no feal fit for the purpofe, and a
new confultatjon was holden on the propriety of
affixing a cypher which was offered them by
one qf the Garde National.
This

348 A RESIDENCE
This weighty matter being at length decided,
the doors of my bedchamber; dreffing-room,
and ofthe apartments with which theyeommuni-
cated, were carefully faftened up, though not
without an obfervation on my part that I was
only a gueft at Mad. de  's, and that an order
to feize my papers or perfon was not a mandate for
rendering a part of her houfe ufelefs. But there
was no reafoning with ignorance and a fcore of
bayonets, nor could I obtain permiffion even to
take fome linen out of my drawers. On going
down flairs, I found the court and avenues to
the-garden amply guarded, and with this nu
merous efcort, and accompanied by Mad. de
 , I was conducted to the Hotel de Ville.
I know not what refiftance they might, expect
from a fingle female, but, to judge by their
precautions, they muft have deemed the ad
venture a very perilous one. When we arrived
at the Hotel de Ville, it was near eleven o'clock :
the hall was crouded, and a young man, in a
dirty linen jacket and trowfers and dirty linen,
with the air of a Poliffon and the countenance
of an affaflin, was haranguing with great ve
hemence againft the Englifh, who, he afferted,
were all agents of Pitt, (efpecially the women,)
and were to fet fire to the corn, and corrupt the
garrifons of the fortified towns. — The people
liftened

IN FRANCE. 345
liftened to thefe terrible projects with a ftupid
fort of furprize, and, for the moft part, feemed
either very carelefs or very incredulous. As
foon as this inflammatory piece of eloquence
was finifhed, I was prefented to the ill-looking
orator, who, I learned, was a reprefsntant du
peuple. It was very eafy to perceive that my
fpirits were quite overpowered, and that I could
with difficulty fupport myfelf : but this did not
prevent the reprefentant du peuple from treating
me with that inconfiderate brutality which is
commonly the effect of a fudden acceffion of
power on narrow and vulgar minds. After a
variety of impertinent queftions, menaces of
a prifon for myfelf, and exclamations of hatred
and vengeance againft my country, on pro
ducing fome friends of Mad. de  , who
were to be anfwerable for me, I was releafed,
and returned home more dead than alive.
You muft not infer, from what I have re
lated, that I was particularly diftinguifhed on
this occafion, for though I have no acquaintance
with the Englifh here, I underftand they had
all been treated much in the fame manner. — •
As foon as the reprefentant had left the town,
by dint of felicitation we prevailed on the
municipality to take the feal off the rooms, and
content

3,$d A RESIDENCE
content themfelves with felecting and fecuring
my papers, which was done yefterday by a
commiffion, formally appointed for the purpofei
I know hot the quality of the good citizens td
torhom this important charge was entrufted, but
I concluded from their cOftume that they had
been fhore'' ufefully employed the preceding
part of the day at the anvil and laft. It is cer
tain, however, they had undertaken a bufinefs
greatly beyond their powers. They indeed
turned over all my trunks and drawers, and
dived to the bottom of water-jugs and flower-
jars with great zeal, but neglected to fearch A
large portfolio that lay on the table, probably
from not knowing the ufe of it ; and my fervant
conveyed away fome letters, while I amufed-
them with the fight of a blue-bottle fly through
a microfcope. They were at firft much puz
zled to know whether books and mufic were'
Included under the article of papers, and were'
very defirous of burning a hiftory of France',-
becaufe they difcovered, by the title-page, that
it was " about Kings ;*" but the moft difficult
* They were alfo particularly folieitous to fecure a copy of
Gray's beaTitiful Ode, written in the Album of the Grande
Chartreufe. They did not, indeed, underftand it, but the
word Rcligio in the firft line convinced them unaniinoufly that
it muft be quelque chofe dc fanajiquc I part

IN FRANCfi. 35s
part of this momentous tranfaction was taking
an account of it in writing. However, as only
One of the company could write, there was no
difputing as to the fcribe, though there was
much about the manner of execution. I did
not fee the compofition, but I could hear that
it ftated " comme quoi" they had found the
feals unbroken, " comme quoi" they had taken
them off, and divers " as hows" of the fame kind.
The whole being concluded, and my papers de
pofited in a box, I was at length freed from
my guefts, and left in poffeffion of my apart-
ments. It is impoffible to account for this tfeatment
of the Englifh by any mode of reafoning that
does not exclude both juftice and policy; and
viewing it only as a fymptom of that defperate
wickednefs which commits evil, not as a means,
but an end, I am extremely alarmed for our
fituation, At this moment the whole of French
politics feem to center in an endeavout to ren
der the Englifh odious both as a nation and as
individuals. The Convention, the clubs, and
the ftreets of Paris, refound with low abufe of
this tendency ; and a motion was made in the
former, by one Gamier, to procure the aflaffi
nation of Mr. Pitt. Couthon, a member of the
Comiti

3$2 A RESIDENCE
Comiti de Salut Publique, has propofed and
carried a decree to declare him the enemy of
mankind ; and the citizens of Paris are ftunned
by the hawkers of Mr. Pitt's plots with the
Queen tofiarve all France, andmafifacre all the pa
triots. — Amidft fo many efforts* to provoke the
deftruction
*. .When our reprefentative appeared at Abbeville with an
intention of arrefting the Englifh and other foreigners, the
people, to whom thefe miflionaries with unlimited power*
were yet new, took the alarm, and became very appre
henfive that he was come likewife to difarm their Garde Na-'
tional. The ftreets were* crouded, the town-houfe was befet,
and Citizen Dumont found it necetfary to quiet the town's,
people by the following proclamation. One part of his pur
pofe, that of enfuring his perfonal fafety, was anfwered by it;
but that of exciting the people againft the Englifh, failed —
infomuch, that I was told even the loweft clafles, fo far from
giving credit to the malignant calumnies propagated againft
the Englifh, openly regretted their arrcftation.
" CITIZENS,
" On my arrival amongft you, I little thought that ma
levolence would be fo far fuccefsful as to alarm you on the
motives of my vifit. Could tlie ariftocrates, then, flatter them
felves with the hope of risking you believe I had the inten
tion of difarming you > Be deaf, I befeech you, to fo abfurd
a calumny, and feize on tliol'e who propagate it. I came
here to fraternize with you, and to aflift you in getting rid
of thofe malcontents and foreigners, who are ftriving to
deftroy the republic by the molt infernal manoeuvres.  ¦
An horrible plot has been conceived. Our harvcfts are to be
fired

IN FRANCE. 353
deftrudtion of the Englifh, it iswonderful, when
we confider the fanguinary character which the
French people have lately evinced, that we are
yet fife, and it is in effect only to be accounted
for by their difinclination to take any part in the
animofit'ies of their government.
I have juft received a few lines from Mrs.
D  , written in French, and put in the poft
without fealing. I perceive, by the contents,
though fhe enters into no details, that circum
ftances fimilar to thofe I have defcribed have
likewife taken place at Amiens. In addition to
my other anxieties, I have the profpect of a
long feparation from my friends ; for though I
am not in confinement, I cannot, while the de
cree which arrefted me remains in force, quit
the town of Peronne. I have not often looked
fired by means of phofphoric matches, and all the patriots
aflaflinated. Women, priefts, and foreigners, are the inftru-
ments erriployed by the coalefced defpots, and by England
above all, to accomplilh thefe criminal defigns. — A law of
the firft of this month orders the arreft of all foreigners born
in the countries with which the republic is at war, and not
fettled in France before the month of July, 1789. In exe
cution of this law I have required domiciliary vifits to be made.
I have urged the prefervation of the public tranquillity. I
have therefore done my duty, and only what all good citizens
muft approve."
vol. 1. A a forward

^54 A RES TD ENCE
forward with folittle hope, or fo little certainty p,
and though a firft- rate philofopher might make
up his mind to a particular event, yet to be
prepared for aihy thing, and ali things, is a
more difficult matter.
The hiffories of Greece and Rome have long
conftituted the grand refources of French elo
quence, and it is- not till within a few days that
an orator has difcovered all this good learning,
to be of no ufe — not* as you might imagine,.
becaufe the moral character and political fitu
ation of the French differ from thofe of the
Greeks and Romans-, but beeaufe they are fu
perior to all the people who ever exifted, and
ought to be cited as models* inftead' of de
fcending to become copyifts. " Therefore, (con
tinues this Jacobin fage, whofe name is Hen-
riot, and who is highly popular,), let us burn all
the libraries and afl the antiquities, and have no;
guide but ourfelves — let us cut off the heads of
all the Deputies who have not voted according
to our principles, baftifli or imprifoh all the-
gentry and the clergy, and guillotine the Queens
and General Cuftihe !"
Thefe are the ufual fubjects of difcuffion at
the clubs, and- the Convention, itfelf is not
much*

iN FRANCE* 333
much more decent. I tremble when I recollect
that I am in a country where a member of the
legiflature propofes rewards for aflaffination,
and the leader of a fociety, that pretends to
inform and inftruct the people, argues in favour
of burning all the books. The French are on
the eve of exhibiting the Angular fpectacle of
a nation enlightened by fcience, accuftomed to
the benefit of laws and the enjoyment of arts,
fuddenly becoming barbarous by fyftem* and
finkiflg into ignorance from choice, — When
the Goths fhared the moft curious antiques by
Weight* werts they hoc more civilized than
the Parifian of 1793, who difturb3 the afhes
of Henry the Fourth, or deftroys the monu
ment of Tufenne* by a decree ?— *I have myfelf
been forced to an act very much in the fpirit
Of the times, but I could not, without fifking
my own fafety* do otherwife ; and I fat up late
laft night for the purpofe of burning Burke,
which I had brought with me, but had for
tunately fo well concealed, that it efcaped the
late inquifitiofl. I indeed made this facrifice
to prudence with great unwillingnefs — every
day, by confirming Mr. Burke's affertions, or
fulfilling his predictions, had fo increafed my
reverence for the work, that I regarded it as
a kind of political oracle. I did not, however,
1 a a a deftroy

356 A RESIDENCE
deftroy it without an apologetic apoftrophe t®
the author's benevolence, which I am fure would
fuffer, were he to be the occafion, though in
voluntarily, of conducting a female to a prifon
or the Guillotine,
li How chances mock, and changes fill the
cup of alteration up with divers liquors." — On
the fame hearth, and in a mingled flame, was
eonfunned the very conftitution of 1789, on
which Mr. Burke's book was a cenfure, and
which would now expofe me to equal danger
were it to be found in my poffeffion. In col
lecting the afhes of thefe two compofitions, the
tendency of which is fo different, (for fuch is
the complexion of the moment, that I would
not have even the fervant fufpect I had been
burning a quantity of papers,) I could not but
moralize on the mutability of popular opinion.
Mr. Burke's Gallic adverfaries are now moft of
them profcribed and anathematized more than
himfelf. Perhaps another year may fee his buft
erected on the piedeftal which now fupports-
that of Brutus or Le Pelletier.
The letters I have written to- you fince the
communication was interrupted, with fome
other papers that I am folicitous to preferve, I
have

IN FRANCE. 357
have hitherto always carried about me,- and I
know not if any danger, merely probable, will
induce me to part with them. You will not, I
think, fufpect me of attaching any confequence
to my fcribblings from vanity ; and if I run
fome perfonal rifk in keeping them, it is be
caufe the fituation of this country is fo fingular,
and the events which occur almoft daily fo im
portant, that the remarks of any one who is
unlucky enough to be a fpectator, may inte
reft, without the advantage of literary talents.
——Yours.

LETTER L.
Peronne, Auguft 24, 1793.
1 Have been out to-day for the firft time fince
the arreft of the Englifh, and, though I have
few acquaintance here, my adventure at the
Hotel de Ville has gained me a fort of popu
larity. I was faluted by many people I did not
know, and overwhelmed with expreffions of re
gret for what had happened, or congratulations
on my having efcaped fowell.
a a 3 The

.358 A RESIDENCE
The French are not commonly very much
alive to the fufferings of others, and it is fome
mortification to my vanity that I cannot, but
at the expence of a reproaching confcience,
afcribe the civilities I have experienced on this
occafion to my perfonal merit. It would doubt
lefs have been highly flattering to me to relate
the tender and general -intereft I had excited
even among this cold hearted people, who
fcarcely feel for themfelves : but the truth is,
they are difpofed to take the part of any onq,
whom they think perfecuted by their govern
ment ; and their reprefentative, Dumont, is fo
much defpifed in his private character, and
detefted in his public one, that it fuffices to
have been ill treated by him, to enfure one a
confiderable portion of the public good will.
This difpofition is not a little confolatory, at
a time when the whole rage of an oligarchical
tyranny, though impotent againft the Englifh
as a nation, meanly exhaufts itfelf on the few
helplefs individuals within its power. Embar»
raflments accumulate — and if Mr. Pitt's agents
did not moft obligingly write letters, and thefe
letters happen to be intercepted juft when they
are moft neceffary, the Comiti de Salut Publiqyte
would be at a lofs how to account for them.
• Affignats

IN FRANCE. 359
Aflignats have fallen into a difcredit beyond
example, an hundred and thirty livres having
been given for one Louis-d'or ; and, as if this
were not the natural refult of circumftances like
the prefent, a correfpondence between two
Englifhmen informs us, that it is the work of
Mr. Pitt, who, with aa unparelleled ingenuity,
has contrived to fend couriers to every town in
France, to concert meafures with the bankers for
this purpofe. But if we may believe Barrere, one
of the members of the Committee, this atro
cious policy of Mr. Pitt will not be unrevenged,
for another intercepted letter contains aflu-
rances that an hundred thoufand men have
taken up arms in England, and are preparing
to march againft the iniquitous metropolis that
gives this obnoxious Minifter fhelter.
My fituation is ftill the fame — I have no hope
of returning to Amiens, and have juft reafon
to be apprehenfive for my tranquillity here. I
had a long converfation this morning with two
people whom Dumont has left here tojteep the
town in order during his abfence. The fubject
was to prevail on them to give me a permiffion
to leave Peronne, but I could not fucceed.
They were nor, I believe, indifpofed to gratify
me, but were afraid of involving themfelves.
a a 4 One

360 A RESIDENCE
One of them expreffed much partiality for the
Englifh, but was very vehement in his difap-
probation of their form of government, which
he faid was " detefiable." My cowardice did
not permit me to argue much in its behalf, (for
I look upon thefe people as more dangerous than
the fpies of the old police,) and I only ventured
to obferve, with great diffidence, that though
the Englifh government was monarchical, yet
the power of the Crown.was very much limited;
and that as the chief fubjects of our complaints
at prefent were not our inftitutions, but certain
practical errors, they might be remedied without
any violent or radical changes ; and that our
nobility were neither numerous nor privileged,
and by no means obnoxious to the majority of
the people. — " Ah, vous avez done de ,1a no-
'blejfe en Angleterre, cefont peut-etreles milords,*"
exclaimed our republican, and it operated on
my whole fyftem of defence like my uncle
Toby's fmoke-jack, for there was certainly no
difcuffing the Englifh conftitution with a poli
tical critic, who I found was ignorant even of
the exiftence of a third branch of it ; yet this
reformer of governments and abhorrer of Kings
* " What, you have nobility in England then ? The milords,
I fuppofe." \ has

IN FRANCE. 361
has powers delegated to him more extenfive
than thofe of an Englifh Sovereign, though I
doubt if he can write his own language ; and
his moral reputation is ftill lefs in his favour
than his ignorance — for, previous to the reso
lution, he was known only as a kind of fwind-
ler, and has more than once been nearly con
victed of forgery.  This is, however, the
defcription of people now chiefly employed,
for no honeft man would accept of fuch com-
rniflions, nor perform the fervices annexed to
them. Bread continues very fcarce, and the popu
lace of Paris are, as ufual, very turbulent : fo
that the neighbouring departments are deprived
of their fubfiftence to fatisfy the wants of a
metropolis that has no claim to- an exemption
from the general diftrefs, but that which arifes
from the fears of the Convention. As far as I
have opportunity of learning or obferving, this
part of France is in that ftate of tranquillity
which is not the effect of content but fupine-
nefs; the people do not love their government,
hut they fubmit to it; -and their utmoft exer
tions amount only to a little occafional obfti-
nacy, which a few dragoons always reduce to
compliance. We are fometimes alarmed by
reports

36a A RESIDENCE
reports that parties of the enemy are approach
ing the town, when the gates are fhut, and the
great bell is toll'd ; but I do not perceive that the
people are violently apprehenfive about ttfe mat
ter. Their fears are, I believe, for the moft
part, rather perfonal than political — they do not
dread fubmiffion to the Auftrians, but military
licentioufnefs. I have been reading this afternoon Lord
Orrery's definition of the male Cecifbeo, and
it reminds me that I have not yet noticed to
you a very important clafs of females in France,
who may -not improperly be denominated fe
male Cecifbeos. Under the old fyftem, when
the rank of a woman of fafliion had enabled
her to preferve a degree of reputation and
influence, in- fpite of the gallantries of her
youth and tlie decline of her charms, fhe
adopted the equivocal character I here allude
to, and, relinquifhing the adorations claimed
by beauty, and the refpect due to age, chari
tably devoted herfelf to the inftruction and ad
vancement of fome young man of perfonal qua.-
lifications and uncertain fortune. She prefented
him to the world, panegyrized him into fafhion,
and infured his confequence with one fet of
females, by hinting his fucce'fles with another. By

IN FRANCE. 363
By her exertions he was promoted in the army
or diftinguifhed at the levee, and a career be
gun under fuch aufpices often terminated in a
brilliant eftablifhment. — In the lefs elevated
circle, a female Cecifbeo is ufually of a certain
age, of an active difpofition, and great volu
bility, and her functions are more numerous
and lefs dignified. Here the grand objects are
not to befiege Minifters, nor give a ton to the
protigi at a fafhionable ruel\e, but to obtain for
him the folid advantages of What fhe calls " un
bon parti.* " To this end fhe frequents the houfes
of widows and heireffes, vaunts the docility of
his temper, and the greatnefs of his expecta
tions, enlarges on the folitude of widowhood,
or the dependence and infignificance of a fpin-
fter; and thefe prefatory encomiums ufually
end in the concerted introduction of the Pla
tonic "ami,"
But befides thefe principal and important
cares, a female Cecifbeo of the middle rank
has various fubordinate ones — fuch as buyin°-
linen, choofing the colour of a coat, or the
pattern of a waiftcoat, with all the minutiaj of
the favourite's drefs? in which fhe is always
* A good match. confulted

/

364 A RESIDENCE
confulted at leaft, if fhe has not the whole
direction. It is not only "n the firft or intermediate
claffes that thefe ufeful females abound, they are
equally common in more humble fituations, and
only differ in their employments, not in their
principles. A woman in France, whatever be
her condition, cannot be perfuaded to refign her
influence with her youth ; and the Rourgeoife
who has no pretenfions to court favour or the
difpofal of wealthy heireffes, attaches her dive
by knitting him flockings, forcing him with
bons morceaux till he has an indigeftion, and
frequent regales of coffee and liqueur.
You muft not conclude from all this that there
is any gallantry implied, or any fcandal ex
cited — the return for all thefe fervices is only
a little flattery, a philofophic endurance of the
card-table, and fome fkill in the diforders of
lap-dogs. I know there are in England, as
well as in France, many notable females of a
certain age, who delight in what they call
managing, and who are zealous in promoting,
matches among the young people of their ac
quaintance ; but for one that you meet with in
England there are fifty here. I doubt'

IN PRANCE. 365,
I doubt much if, upon the whole, the mo
rals of the Englifh women are not fuperior to
thofe of the French ; but however the queftion
may be decided as to morals, I believe their
fuperiority in decency of v manners is indifpu-
table — and this fuperiority is, perhaps, more
confpicuous in women of a certain age, than in
the younger part of the fex. We have a fort
of national regard for propriety, which deters
a female from lingering on the confines of gal
lantry, when age has warned her to withdraw ;
and an old woman that fhould take a paflionate
and exclufive intereft about a young man not
related to her, would become at leaft an object
of ridicule, if not of cenfure : — yet in France
nothing is more common ; every old woman
appropriates fome youthful dangler, and, what
is extraordinary, his attention's are not diftin-
guifhable from thofe he would pay to a younger
object. — I fliould remark, however, as fome
apology for thefe juvenile gallants, that there
are very few of what we call Tabbies in France ;
that is, females of fevere principles and con
tracted features, in whofe apparel every pin has
its deftjnation with mathematical exactnefs, who
are the very watch-towers of a neighbourhood,
and who give the alarm on the firft appearance
of incipient frailty. Here, antique dowagers and

366 A RESIDENCE
and faded fpinfters are all gay, laughing*
rouged, and indulgent — fo that 'bating the fub*
traction of teeth and addition of wrinkles, the
difparity between one fcore and four is not fo
great :
" Gay rainbow filks their mellow charms enfold,
" Nought of thefe beauties but themfelves is old."
I know if I venture to add a word in defence!
of Tabbyhood, I fhall be engaged in a war with
yourfelf and all our young acquaintance ; yet
in this age, which fo liberally " foftens, and
blends, and weakens, and dilutes" away all
diftinctions, I own I am not without fome par*
tiality for ftrong lines of demarcation; and,
perhaps, when fifty retrogrades into fifteen* it
makes a worfe confufion in fociety than the toe
of the peafant treading on the heel ofthe cour
tier. — —But, adieu : I am not gay, though I
trifle. I have learnt fomething by my refidence
in France, and can be, as you fee, frivolous
under circumftances that ought to make me
grave.  Yours.

LETTEH

IN FRANCE. 367
LETTER Lf.
Peronne, Auguft 29, 1^3.
JL HE political horizon of France threatens
nothing but teinpefts. If we are ftill tranquil
here, it is only becaufe the ftorm is retarded,
and, far from deeming ourfelves fecure from its
violence, we fuffer in apprehenfion almoft as
much as at other places is fuffered in reality.
An hundred and fifty people have been arrefted
at Amiens in one night, and numbers of the
gentry in the neighbouring towns have fhared
the fame fate. This meafure, whieh I under
ftand is general throughout the republic, has
occafioned great alarms, and i3 beheld by the
mafs of the people themfelves with regret. In
fome towns, the Bourgeois have prefented peti
tions to the Reprefentatives on miffion in be
half of their gentry thus imprifoned ; but
far from fucceeding, all who have figned fuch
petitions are menaced and intimidated, and
th'e terror is fo much increafed, that I doubt
if even this flight effort will be repeated any
where. The levie en map, or rifing in a body, whicfe has

3^8 A. RESIDENCE
has been for fome time decreed, has not yet
taken place. There are very few, I believe,
"that comprehend it, and fewer who are difpofed
tocomply. Many confultations have beenholden,
many plans propofed ; but as the refult of all
thefe confultations andplans is to fend a certajif
number to the frontiers, the fuffrages have never
been unanimous except in giving their nega
tive. — Like Falftaff 's troops, every one has fome
good caufe of exemption ; and if you were to
attend a meeting where this affair is difeuffed
you would conclude the French to be more phy-
fically miferable than any people on the globe.
Youths, in apparent good health, have internal
diforders, or concealed infirmities — fome are
near-fighted — others epileptic — one is nervous,
arid cannot prefent a mufquet — another isrheu*-
matic, and cannot carry it. In fhort, accord
ing to their account, they are, a collection of
the lame, the halt, andthe blind, and fitter
to fend to "the hofpital, than to take the field.
But, in fpite of all thefe diforders and inca
pacities, a confiderable levy muft be made,
arid the dragoons, will, I dare fay, operate very
wonderful cures.
" The furrender of Dunkirk to the Englifh is
regarded ae inevitable. I am not politician < enough

IN FRANCE. 369
enough to forefee the confequences of fuch an
event, but the hopes and anxieties pf all parties
feem directed thither, as if the fate of the war
depended on it. As for my own wifhes on the
fubject, they are not national, and if I fecretly
invoke the God of Armies for the fuccefs of
ray countrymen, it is becaufe I think all that
tends to deftroy the prefent French government
may be beneficial to mankind. Indeed, the
fucceffes of war can at no time gratify a think
ing mind farther than as they tend to the efta-
blifliment of peace.
After feveral days of a mockery which was
called a trial, though the witneffes were afraid
to appear, or the Counfel to plead in his favour,
Cuftine has fuffered at the Guillotine. I can be
no judge of his military conduct, and Heaven
alone can judge of his intentions. None of
the charges were, however, fubftantiated, and
many of them were abfurd or frivolous. Moft
likely, he has been facrificed to a cabal, and
his deftruction makes a part of that fyftem
of policy, which, by agitating the minds of
the people with fufpicions of univerfal trea-
fon and unfathomable plots, leaves them no
refource but implicit fubmiffion to their popu
lar leaders.
vol. 1. B b The

37° A RESIDENCE
The death of Cuftine feems rather to have-
ftimulated than appeafed the barbarity ofthe
Parifian mob. At every defeat of their armies
they call for executions, and feveral of thofe
on whom the lot has fallen to march againft
the *e'nemy have ftipulated, at the tribune of
the Jacobins, for the heads they exact as a
condition of their departure,* or as the reward
of their labours. The laurel has no attraction
for heroes like 'thefe, who inveft themfelves
with the baheful yew and inaufpicious cyprefs,
and go to the field of honour with the dagger
of the affaffin yet enfanguined. " Fair fteeds,
gay fhields, bright arms,-f-" the fancy-created
deity, the Wreath of fame, and all that poets;
have imagined to decorate the horrors of war,
are not neceffary to tempt the grofs barbarity
bf the Parifian: he feeks not glory, but car
nage— his incentive is the groans of defencelefs
victims — he inlifts under the ftandard of the
Guillotine, and acknowledges the executioner
for his tutelary Mars.
* Many infifted they \vouId not depart until after the^eafh
of the Queen— fome claimed the death of one General, fome
that of another, and all, the lives or banifhment of the gentry
and clergy. /
-J- Spenfer,
, In

IN FRANCE. 371
In remarking the difficulties that have oc
curred in carrying into execution the levie en
majfe, I neglected to inform you that the
prime mover of all thefe machinations is your
omnipotent Mr. Pitt — it is he who has fomented
the perverfenefs of the towns, and alarmed the
timidity of the villages — he has perfuaded fome
that it is not pleafant to leave their fhops and
families, and infinuated into the minds of others
that death or wounds are not very defira
ble — he has, in fine, fo effectually atchieved
his purpofe, that the Convention iffues decree
after decree, the members harangue to little
purpofe, and the few recruits already levied,
like thofe raifed in the fpring, go from many
places ftrongly efcorted to the army. — I wifh I
had more peaceful and more agreeable fubjects
for your amufement, but they do not prefent
themfelves, and " you muft blame the times,
not me." I would wifh to tell you that the legif
lature is honeft, that the Jacobins are humane,
and the people patriots ; but you know I have
no talent for fiction, and if I had, my fituation
is not favourable to any effort of fancy.
Yours.

Bb2 LETTER

2,ft A RESIBENCE^

LETTER LII.

Peronne, Sept. 7, 1795.
JL HE fucceffes of the enemy on all fldes„
the rebellion at Lyons and Marfeilles, with the
increafing force of the infurgents in La Vendee,
have revived our eagernefs for news, and if the
indifference of the French character exempt
them from more patriotic fenfations, it does
not banifh curiofity ; yet an eventful crifis,
which in England would draw people together,
here keeps them apart. When an important
piece of intelligence arrives, our provincial po
liticians fhut themfelves up with their gazettes,
fhun fociety, and endeavour to avoid giving
an opinion until they are certain of the ftrength
of a party, or the fuccefs of an attempt. In tlie
prefent ftate of public affairs, you may there
fore conceive we have very little communica
tion — we exprefs our fentiments more by looks
and geftures than words, and Lavater (admit
ting his fyftem) would be of more ufe to a
ftranger than Boyer or Chambaud. If the
Englifh take Dunkirk, perhaps we may be a
little more focial and more decided.
Mad. de  has a moft extenfive acquaint ance,-

^N PRANCE.' 373
ance, and, as we are fituated on one of the roads
from Paris to the northern army, notwithftand
ing the cautious policy of the moment, we are
tolerably well informed of what paffes in moft
parts of France; and I cannot but be aftonifhed,
when I combine all I hear, that the government
is able to fuftain itfelf. Want, difcord, and
reoc'lion, aflail it within — defeats and loffes
from without. Perhaps the folution of this
political problem can only be found in the felf
ifhnefs of the French character, and the want
of connection between the different depart
ments. Thus one' part of the country is fub
dued by means of another ; the inhabitants of
the South take up arms in defence of their
freedom and their commerce, while thofe of
the North refufe to countenance or affift them,
and wait in felfifh tranquillity till the fame op
preffion is extended to themfelves. The ma
jority of the people have no point of union nor
mode of communication, while the Jacobins,
whofe numbers are comparatively infignificant,
are ftrong, by means of their general corre
spondence, their common center at Paris, and
the exclufive direction of all the public prints.
Rut, whatever are the caufes, it is certain that
the government is at once powerful and de-
teffed — almoft without apparent fupport, yet
Bb3 difficult

374 A RESIDENCE
difficult to overthrow : and the fubmiflion of
Rome to a dotard and a boy can no longer
excite the wonder of any one who reflects on
what paffes in France.
After various decrees to effect the levie en
mafife, the Convention have difcovered that this
fublime and undefined project was not calcu
lated for the prefent exhaufted ftate of martial.
ardour. They therefore no longer prefume on
any movement of enthufiafm, but have made a
pofitive and fpecific requifmon of all the male
inhabitants of France between eighteen and
twenty-five years of age. This, as might be
expected, has been more effectual, becaufe it
interefts thofe that are exempt to force the
compliance of thofe who are not. Our young
men here were like children with a medicine —
they propofed firft one form of taking this mi
litary potioh, then another, and finding them
all equally unpalatable, would not, but for a
little falutary force, have decided at all.
*
A new law has beeh pafled for arrefting all
the Englifh who canhot produce two witneffeB
of their civifm'e, and thofe whofe conduct is
thus guaranteed are to receive tickets of hof-
pplalily, which they are to wear as a protection. This

IN FRANCE. 375
This decree has not yet been carried into effect
at Peronne, nor am I much difturbed about it.
Few of our countrymen will find the matter
very difficult to arrange, and I believe they
have all a better protection in the difpofition of
the people towards them, than any that can be
affured them by decrees of the Convention.
Sept. n. The news of Lord Hood's taking
pofleflion of Toulon, which the government
affected to difcreditfor fome days, is now afcer
tained ; and the Convention, in a paroxifm of
rage, at once cowardly and unprincipled, has
decreed that all the Englifh not refident in
France before 1789, fhall be imprifoned as
hoftages, and be anfwerable with their lives
forthe conduct of their countrymen and of the
Toulonefe towards Bayle and Beauvais, two De
puties, faid to be detained in the town at the
time of its furrender. My firft emotions of
terror and indignation have fubfided, and I
have, by packing up my clothes, difpofing of
my papers, and providing myfelf with money,
prepared for the worft. My friends, indeed,
perfuade me, (as on a former occafion,) that the
decree is too atrocious to be put in execution ;
but my apprehenfions are founded on a principle
not likely to deeeive me— namely, that thofe
b b 4 who

37<5 A RESIDENCE
who have poffeffed themfelves of the French
government are capable of any thing. I live
in conftant fear, watching all day and liftening
all night, and never go to bed but with the ex
pectation of being awakened, nor rife without
a prefentimentof misfortune. — I have not fpirits
nor compofure to write, and fhall difcontinue
my letters until I am relieved from fufpenfe,
if not from uneafinefs. I rifk much by pre
ferring thefe papers, and, perhaps, may never
be able to add to them ; but whatever I may
be referved for, while I have a hope they may
reach you they fhall not be deftroyed.-  1
bid you adieu in a ffate of mind which the
circumftances I am under will defcribe better
than words.— — Yours,

LETTER LIII.
Maifon d'Arret, Arras, Oft. lj, 1793.
DEAR. BROTHER,
JL HE fears of a timid mind ufually magnify
expected evil, -arid anticipated fuffering often
diminifhes the effect of an apprehended blow ;
yet my imagination had fuggefted lefs than.. I
have

IN FRANCE. 377
have experienced, nor do I find that a prepara
tory ftate of anxiety has rendered affliction
more fupportable. The laft month of mv life
has been a compendium of mifery ; and my
recollection, which on every other fubject feems
to fail me, is, on this, but too faithful, and will
enable me to relate events which will intereft
you not only as they perfonally concern me,
but as they prefent a picture of the barbarity
and defpotifm to which this whole country is
fubject, and to which many thoufands befides
myfelf were at the fame inftant victims.
A few evenings after I concluded my laft, the
firing of cannon and ringing the great bell an
nounced the arrival of Dumont (ftill Reprefen
ts' ive en miffion in our department). The town
was immediately in alarm, all the gates were
fhut, and the avenues leading to the ramparts
guarded by dragoons. Our houfe being in a
diftant and unfrequented ftreet, before we could
learn the caufe of all this confufion, a party of
the national guard, with a municipal officer at
their head, arrived, to efcort Mad. de  ¦
and myfelf to a church, where the Reprefentant
was then examining the prifoners brought be
fore him. Almoft as much aftonifhed as terri
fied, we endeavoured to procure fome informa tion

37& A RESIDENCE
"€ion of our conductors, as to what was to be
the refult of this meafure ; but they knew no
thing, and it was eafy to perceive they thought
the office they were executing an unpleafant
one, The ftreets we paffed were crouded with
people, whofe fllent confternation and difmayed
countenances, increafed our forebodings, and
depreffed the little courage we had yet preferved.
The church at our arrival was nearly empty,
and Dumont preparing to depart, when the
municipal officer introduced us to him. As
foon as he learned that Mad. de  was the
fifter of an emigrant, and myfelf a native of
England, he told us we were to pafs the night
in a church appointed for the purpofe, and that
on the morrow we fhould be conveyed to Arras.
For a moment all my faculties became flif-
pended, and it was only by an effort almoft
.convulfive that I was able to afk how long it was
probable we fhould be deprived of our liberty.
He faid he did not know- — " but that the
raifing ofthe fiege of Dunkirk, and the lofs
of fix thoufand troops, which the French had
•taken prifoners, would doubtlefs produce an
infurrection in England, par confequent a peace,
and our releafe from captivity !"
¦ You may be affured I felt no defire of free dom

IN FRANCE. 379
dom on fuch terms, and fhould have heard this
ignorant and malicious fuggeftidn only with
contempt, had not the implication it conveyed
that our detention would not terminate but with
the war overwhelmed every other idea. Mad.
Qe  then petitioned that we might, on
account of our health, (for we were both really
unwell,) be permitted to go home for the night,
accompanied by guards if it were thought ne
ceffary. But the Reprefentant was inexorable,
and in a brutal and defpotie tone ordered us
away. — When we reached the church, which
was to be our prifon till morning, we found
about an hundred and fifty people, chiefly old
men, women, and children, difperfed- in me
lancholy groupes, lamenting their fituation, and
imparting their fears to each other. The gloom
of the building was increafed by the darknefs of
the night; and the noife of the guard, many of
whom were intoxicated, the odour of tobacco,
and the heat of the place, rendered our fituation
almoft infupportable. We foon difcovered fe
veral of our acquaintance, but thisaffociation in
diftrefs was far from confolatory, and we paffed
the time in wandering about together, and con-
fulting upon what would be of moft ufe to us
in our confinement. We had, indeed, little
to hope for from the morrow, yet the hours
dragged

380 A RESIDENCE
dragged on heavily, and I know not if ever I
beheld the return of light with more pleafure.
I was not without apprehenfion for our perfonal
fafety^ I recollected the maffacres in churches
at Paris, ahd the frequent propofitions that had
been made to exterminate the gentry and clergy ;
and Mad. de  has fince confeffed, that flic*,
had the fame ideas.
Morning at length came, and our fervants
were permitted to enter with breakfaft. They
appeared forrowful and terror ftricken, but of-
fered'with great willingnefs to accompany us
whitherfoever we fliould be fent. After a me
lancholy fort of difcuffion, it was decided that
we fhould take our femmes de chambres, and that
the others fhould remain for the fafety of the
houfe, and to fend us what we might have oc
cafion for. This fettled, they returned with
fuch directions as we were able to give them,'
(God knows, not very coherent ones,) to pre
pare for our journey : and as Our orders, how
ever confufed, were not very voluminous, they
were foon executed, and before noon every
thing was in readinefs for our departure. The
people employed by our companions were
equally diligent, and we might very well have
fet out by one o'clock, had our eafe been at aU
confidered 1

IN FRANCE. 381
confidered ; but, I know not why, inftead of
fo providing that we might reach our deftina-
tion in the courfe of the day, it feemed to have
been purpofely contrived that we fhould be all
night on the road, though -we had already
paffed ohe night without reft, and were ex-
haufted by watching and fatigue.
In this uncertain and unpleafant ftate we
waited till near fix o'clock ; a number of fmall
covered' waggons were then brought, accom
panied by a detachment of dragoons, who were
to be our efcort. Some time elapfed, as you
may fuppofe, before we could be all fettled in
the carriages and fuch a cavalcade put in mo
tion ; but the concourfe of people that filled
the ftreets, the appearance of the troops, and
the tumult occafioned by fo many horfes and
carriages, overpowered my fpirits, and I re
member little of what pafled till I found we
were on the road to Arras. Mad. de  '£
maid now informed us, that Dumont had arrived
the evening before in extreme ill humour, fum
moned the municipality in hafte, enquired how
many people they had arrefted, and what de
nunciations they had yet to make. The whole
body corporate trembled, they had arrefted
no one, and, ftill worfe, they had no one to
accufe ;

, A' RESIDENCE
accufe ; and could only alledge in their he-
half, that the town was in the utmoft tranquilli
ty, and the people were fo well difpofed, that all
violence was unneceffary. The Reprefentant be
came furious, vociferated {tout grofjierement a.
la Franfaife,*) that he knew there were five
thoufand ariftocrates in Peronne, and that if he
had not at leaft five hundred brought him be
fore morning, he would declare the town in a
ftate of rebellion.
Alarmed by this menace, they began to
arreft with all poffible fpeed, and were more
folicitous to procure their number than to make
difcriminations. Their diligence, however, was
inadequate to appeafe the choleric legiflator,
and the Mayor, municipal officers, and all the
adminiftrators of the diftrict, were in the morn
ing fent to the Caftle, whence they are to be
conveyed, with fome of their own prifoners,
-to Amiens.
Befides this intelligence, we learned that be
fore our fervants had finifhed packing up our
trunks, fome Commiflioners of the fection ar
rived to put the feals on every thing belonging
* In the vulgar French manner. to

IN FRANCE. 383
to us, and it was not without much altercation
that they confented to our being furniflied with
¦neceffaries — that they had not only fealed up
all the houfe, but had placed guards there,
each of whom Mad. de  is to pay, at the
rate of two fhillings a day.
We were too large a body to travel faft, and
%y the time we reached Bapaume (though only
fifteen miles) it was after twelve ; it rained dread
fully, the night was extremely dark, the roads
were bad,~and the horfes tired; fo that the officer
who conducted us thought it would be difficult
Jto proceed before morning. We were therefore
once more crouded into a church, in our wet
clothes, (for the covering of the waggon was
not thick enough to exclude the rain,) a few
bundles of damp ftraw were diftributed, and
we were then fhut up to repofe as well as we
could. All my melancholy apprehenfions of
the preceding night returned with accumulated
force, efpecially as we were now in a place where
We were unknown, and were guarded by fome
of the newly-raifed dragoons, of whom we all
entertained very unfavourable fufpicions.
We did not, as you may well imagine, at
tempt to fleep — a bed of wet ftraw laid on the
pavement

384 A RESIDENCE
pavement of a church, filthy, as moft French
churches are, and the fear of being affaflinated,
refifted every effort of nature herfelf, and we
were very glad when at the break of day we were
fummoned to continue our journey. About ele
ven we entered Arras : the ftreets were filled by
idle people, apprized of our arrival; but no
one offered us any infult, -except fome foldiers,
(I believe, by their uniform, refugees from the
Netherlands,) who cried, " a la Guillotine !— a
la Guillotine!"
The place to which we were ordered had
been the houfe of an emigrant, now converted
into an houfe of detention, and which, though
large, was exceffively full. The keeper, on our
being delivered to him, declared he had no room
for us, and we remained with our baggage in the
court-yard fome hours before he had, by dif- <
lodging and compreffing the other inhabitants,
contrived to place us. At laft, when we were half.
dead with cold and fatigue, we were fhown to
our quarters. Thofe allotted for my friend, my
felf, and our fervants, was the corner of a garret
without a cieling, cold enough in itfelf, but ren
dered much warmer than was defirable by the
effluvia of a fcore of living bodies, who did not
feem to think the unpleafantnefs of their fitua tion

IN FRANCE. 385
tion at all increafed by dirt and offenfive fmells.
Weary as we were, it was impoffible to attempt
repofing until a purification had been effected:
we therefore fet ourfelves to fprinkling vinegar
and burning perfumes ; and it was curious to ob
ferve that the people, (all gens comme il faut*)
whom we found inhaling the atmofphere of a
Caffrarian hut, declared their nerves were in
commoded by the effence of rofes and vinaigre
des quatre voleurs.
As a part of the room was occupied by men,
our next bufinefs was to feparate our corner by
a cuEtain, which we had fortunately brought
with our bedding ; and this done, we fpread
our mattreffes and lay down, while the fervants
were employed in getting us tea. As foon as we
were a little refrefhed, and the room was quiet
for the night, we made up our beds as well as
we could, and endeavoured to fleep. Mad.
de -^ — and the two maids foon forgot their
cares ; but, though worn out by fatigue, the
agitation of my mind conquered the difpofition
of my body. I feemed to have loft the very
faculty of fleeping, and pafled this night with
almoft as little repofe as the two preceding ones.
* People of fafliion.
vol. 1. C c Before

386 A RESIDENCE
Before morning I difcoVerted that remaining fa*
long ih damp clothes, and the other circum
ftances of our journey, had given me cold,
arid that I had all the fymptoms of a violent
fever. I leave you to conjecture, for it would be
irfipoflible to detail, all the mifery of illnefs in?
fuch a fituatio'ri ; and I will- only add, that by
the care of Mad de  , whofe health- was
happily lefs affected, and the attention of my
maid, I was able to leave the room in about
three weeks. — I muft nOw feerete this for fome
days, but will hereafter refiime my little riarra-
five, and explain how I have ventured to write
fO much even in the very neighbourhood of the
Guillotine.  Adieu. ¦

LETTER LIV.
Maifon d' Arret, Arras, Oct. 17, 1795,
tire night I concluded my laft, a report
that Commiflioners were to vifit the houfe on
the morrow obliged me to difpofe of my papers
beyond the poffibility of their being found. The
alarm

IN FRANCE. 387
alarm is now over, and I proceed. — After fome
thing more than three weeks indifpofition, I be
gan to walk in the yard, and make acquaint
ance with our fellow-prifoners. Mad. de — ¦¦ — ¦
had already difcovered feveral that were known
to her, and I now found, with much regret,
that many of my Arras friends were here alfo.
Having been arrefted fome days before us, they
were rather more conveniently lodged, and
taking the wretchednefs of our garret into con
fideration, it was agreed that Mad. de 
fliould move to a room lefs crouded than our
own, and a dark clofet that would juft contain
my rhattreffes was refigned to me. It is indeed a
very ferry apartment, but as it promifes me a
refuge where I may fometimes read or write in
peace, I have taken poffeffion of it very thank
fully. A lock on the door is not the leaft of
its recommendations, and by way of fecuring
myfelf againft all furprize, I have contrived
an additional fattening by means of a large nail
and the chain of a portmanteau — I have like-
wife, under pretext of keeping out the wind,
papered over tfye cracks of the door, and pro
vided myfelf with a fand-bag, fo that no one
can perceive when I have a light later than
ufual.— -With thefe precautions, I can amufe
myfelf by putting on paper any little occur-
c c 2 fences

»'8&

A RESIDENCE

rences that I think worth preferving, without
much danger, and perhaps the details of a
fituation fo new and fo ftrange may not be un-
interefting to you.
We are now about three hundred in number
of both fexes, and of all ages and conditions — ¦
ci devant nobleffe, parents, wives, lifters, and
other relations of emigrants * — priefts who have
not taken the oaths, merchants and fhopkeepers
accufed of monopoly, nuns, farmers that are
faid to have concealed their corn, • miferable
women, with fcarcely clothes to cover them, for
not going to the conftitutional mafs, and many
only becaufe they happened to be at an inn,
or on a viiit from their own town, when a
general arreft took place of all who are what
is called etrangers, that is to fay, not fo
reigners only, but not inhabitants of the town
where they are found. — There are, befides, va
rious defcriptions of people fent here on fecret
informations, and who do not themfelves know
the precife reafon of their confinement. I
* It is obferved by a French author, that this abfurd and
barbarous policy was not praetifed during tlie American revo
lution — " On -uort qu'en Amcrique les crimes des individus. ne
rejaillijfcnt fas fur leurs families" Voyage de Chaftelleux. imagine

IN FRANCE. 389
imagine we are fubject to nearly the fame rules
as the common prifons : no one is permitted to
enter or fpeak to a " detenu' but at the gate*
and in prefence of the guard ; and all letters,
parcels, bafkets, &c. are examined previous to
their being either conveyed from hence or re
ceived. This, however, depends much on the
political principles of thofe who happen to be
on guard: an ariftocrate or a conftitutionalift
will read a letter with his eyes half fhut, and
infpect bedding and trunks in a very fummary
way; while a thorough-paced republican fpells
every fyllable of the longeft epiftle, and opens
all the roafted pigs or duck-pies before he allows
their ingrefs. — None ofthe fervants are fuffered
to go out, fo that thofe who have not friends
in. the town -to procure them neceffaries are
obliged to depend entirely on the keeper, and,
of courfe, pay extravagantly dear for -every
thing: but we are fo much in the power of thefe
people, that it is prudent to fubmit to fuch im-
ppfuions without murmuring.
I did not, during my illnefs, read the papers,
and have to-day been amufing myfelf with. a
large packet. General Houchard, I find, is
arrefted, for not having, as they fay he might
have done, driven all the Englifh- army into
c c 3 the

39<* A RESIDEN-C-E
the fea, after railing the fiege of Dunkirk : yet
a few weeks ago their utmoft hopes fcarcely
amounted to the relief of the town ; but their
fears having fubfided, they have now leifure
to be jealous ; and I know no fituation fo little
to be envied under the prefent government as
that of a fuccefsful General.— Among all1 their
important avocations, the Convention have
found time to pafs a decree for obliging -women
to wear fhe national cockade-,* under pain of
imprifonment ; and the municipality of the
fuperb Paris have -ordered that the King's
family fhall, in future, ufe pewter fpoons and
eat brown bread !
Oct. 18. I begin to be very uneafy about
Mr. and Mrs. D  . I have written feveral
times, and ftill receive no anfwer. I fear they
are in a confinement more fevere than my own,
or that our letters mifcarry. A fervant of
Mad. de  's was here this morning, and
no letters had come to Peronne, unlefs, as my
* Even in the prifon we were obliged to fubmit to the igno
miny of this decoration. Our cockades, however, were
ufually not larger than a filver groat ; but when Dumont was
expected, I obferved that the patriotifm of my female com
panions increafed, and the national colours on their heads were
confpicuous enough to have diftinguifhed a ftaff officer. friend

IN FRANCE. 391
friend endeavours to perfuade me, the man
would not venture to give them in prefence of
the guard, who, par excellence, happened to be
a furious Jacobin. — We had the mortification
of hearing that a very elegant carriage of Mad.
-4e  's has been put in requifition, and taken
to convey a tinman and two farriers who were
going to Paris on a miflion — that two of her
farmer's beft horfes had been killed by hard
work in. taking provifions to the army, and
that they are now cutting down the young
wood on her eftate to make pikes. — The feals
are ftill on our effects, and the guard remains
in poffeffion, which has put us to the expence
of buying a variety of articles we could not
well difpenfe with: for, on examining the
baggage -after our arrival, we found it very
much diminiflied ; and this has happened to
almoft all the people who have been arrefted.
-Our fufpieions naturally fall on the dragoons,
and it is not very furprizing that they fliould
attempt to fteal from thofe whom they are cer
tain would pot dare to make any complaint.
Many of our fellow-prifoners are^embarraffed
fey their fervants having quitted them. — One
Collot d'Herbois, a member of the Comiti de
Mut Public, has propofed to the Convention
c c 4 to

39* A RESIDENCE
to collect all the gentry, priefts, and fufpected
people, into different buildings, which fhould
' be previoufly mined for the purpofe, and, on
the leaft appearance of infurrection, to blow
them up all together.- — You may perhaps con
clude, that fuch a project was received with
Korror, and the advifer of it treated as a mon-
fter. Our humane legiflature, however, very
coolly fent it to the committee to be difcuffed,
without any regard to the terror and apprehen
fion which the bare idea of a fimilar propofal
muft infpire in thofe who are the deftined vic
tims.. I canhot myfelf believe that this abo
minable fcheme is intended for execution,' but
it has neverthelefs created much alarm in timid
minds, and has occafioned in part the defec
tion of the fervants I have juft mentioned.
Thefe who were fufficiently attached to their
mafters and miftrefles to endure the confine-
... ; ment and privations of a Maifon d'Arrit, trem-
ble at the thoughts of being involved in the
common ruin of a gunpowder explofion ; and
the men feem to have lefs courage than the wo
men, at leaft more of the latter have confented
to remain here. — It was atrocious to publifh
fuch a conception, though nothing perhaps was
intended by it, as it may deprive many people of

IN FRANCE. 3g^
of faithful attendants at a time when they are
moft neceffary.
We have a tribunal revolutionnair* here, with
its ufual attendant the Guillotine, and execu
tions are now become very frequent. I know
not who are the fufferers, and avoid enquiring
through fear of hearing the name of fome ac
quaintance. As far as I can learn, the trials are
but too fummary, and little other evidence is
required than the fortune, rank, and connec
tions of the accufed. The Deputy who is
Commiffioner for this department is one Le
Bon, formerly a prieft- — and, I underftand, of
an i immoral and fanguinary character, and that
it is he who chiefly directs the verdicts of the
juries according to his perfonal hatred or liis
perfonal intereft. We have lately had a very
melancholy inftance of the terror created by this
tribunal, as well as of the notions that prevail
of its juftice. A gentleman of Calais, who had
an employ under the government, was accufed
of fome irregularity in his accounts, and, in
confequence, put under arreft. The affair be
came ferious, and he was ordered tcyprifon, as a
preliminary to his trial. When the officers en
tered his, apartment to take him, regarding the
Judicial procedure as a mere form, and con
cluding

394 A RESIDENCE
eluding it was determined to facrifice him, he
in a frenzy of defpair feized the dogs- in the
chimney, threw them at the people, and, while
they efcaped to call for afliftance, deftroyed
himfelf by cutting his arteries. — It has appeared,
fince the death of this unfortunate man, that
the charge againlt him was groundlefs, and
that he only wanted time to arrange his papers,
in order to exonerate himfelf entirely.
Oct. 19. We are difturbed almoft nightly by
the arrival of fre (h prifoners, and my firft quef
tion of a morning is always " N'efi il pas du
monde entre la mat V— — -Angelkpve's - ufual
reply is a groan, and " Ah, mon. Dieu., out"
" Une dixaine de pritres ;" or, " Une itrgnttMne
dembles :* " and I obferve the depth of the groan ,
is nearly in proportion to the quality of the
perfon fhe commiferates. Thus, a groan for a
Comte,, a Marquife, or a Prieft, is much more
audible than one for a fimple gentlewoman or a
merchant; and thei arrival of a Bifhop (efpe
cially if hot one of the conftitutional clergy)
is announced in a more for* owful key jtkan
either, .nq.,.>. . i.b ,:cr , n.ivs- :i,-rM\ f;zity
i!f.i: \r. -,uiiotf v'fi :.;,T:,ck»r-|
-* " Did not fome people arrive ki-the night ?"-— " yes,,G<jd
help us-i— Jialf a ./core priefts, or twenty or thirty ^gentry."-
While

IN FRANCE. 395
- While I was walking in the yard this mora
ine-, I was accofted by a female whom I imme
diately recollected to be Victoire, a very pretty
.couturier e,* who ufed to work for me when I
was at Panthemont, and who made your laft
holland fhirts. I was not a little furprized to
fee her in fuch a fituation, and took her afide
to enquire her hiftory. I found that her mo
ther was dead, and that her brother having fet
up a little fhop at St. Omer, had engaged her
to go and live with him. Being under five-
and-twenty, the laft requifition obliged him to
depart for the army, and leave her to carry on
the bufinefs alone. Three weeks after, fhe was
arrefted at midnight, put into a cart, and
brought hither. She had no time to take any
precautions, and their little commerce, which
was in haberdafhery, as well as fome work fhe
had in hand, is abandoned to the mercy of the
people that arrefted her. She has reafon to
fuppofe that her crime confifts in not having
frequented the conftitutional mafs ; and that
her accufer is a member of one of the town
committees, who, fince her brother's abfence,
has perfecuted her with difhonourable pro-
pofals, and, having been repulfed, .has taken
* Sempftrefs. this

A RESIDENCE
this method of revenging himfelf. Her con
jecture is moft probably right, as, fince her-
imprifonment, this man has been endeavour
ing to make a fort of barter with her for her
releafe. I am really concerned for this poor creature,
who is at prefent a very good girl, but if fhe re
main here fhe will not only be deprived of her
means of living, but perhaps her morals may be
irremediably corrupted. She is now lodged in
a room with ten or dozen men, and the houfe is
fo crouded that I doubt whether I have intereft
enough to procure her a more decent apart
ment. What can this ftrange policy tend to, that
thus expofes to ruin and want a girl of one-and-
twenty— not for any open violation of the law,
but merely for her religious opinions ; and this,
too, in a country which profeffes toleration as
the bafis of its government ?
' My friend, Mad. de  s'ennuye terribly ;
fhe is not incapable of amufing herfelf, but is
here deprived of the means. We have no cor
ner we can call our own to fit in, and no retreat
when we wifh to be out of a croud except my
clofet,

IN FRANCE. 39*7
clofet, where we can only fee byr candle-light.
Befides, fhe regrets her employments and
projects for the winter. She had begun paint
ing a St. Therefe, and trahflating an Italian
romance, and had nearly completed the educa
tion of a dozen canary birds, who would in a
month's time have accompanied the harp fo de-
• rightfully, as to overpower the found of the
inftrument. I believe if we had a few more
fquare inches of room, fhe would be tempted,
if not to bring the whole chorus, at leaft to
confole herfelf with two particular favourites,
diftinguifhed by curious topknots, ahd rings
about their necks.
With all thefe feminine propenfities, fhe is
very amiable, artd her cafe is indeed fingularly
cruel and unjuft. — Left, at an earlv age, under
the care of her brother, fhe was placed by him
at Panthemont (where I firft became acquainted
with her) with an intention of having her per
fuaded to take the veil ; but finding her averfe
from a cloifter, fhe remained as a penfioner
only, till a very advantageous marriage with the
Marquis de  , who was old enough to be
her father, procured her releafe. About two
years ago he died, and left her a very con
fiderable fortune, which the revolution has re
duced

39&* A RESIDENCE
ebuced to nearly one-third of its former value.
The Comte de  , her brother, was one of
the original patriots, and embraced with great
warmth the popular caufe ; but having very
narrowly efcaped the maffacres of September,
179a, he immediately after emigrated.
Thus, my poor friend, immured by het
brother till the age of twenty-two in a con
vent, then facrificed three years to a hufband
of a difagreeable temper and unfuitable age, is
now deprived of the firft liberty fhe ever en
joyed, and is made anfwerable for the conduct
of a man over whop fhe has no fort of influ
ence. It is not therefore, extraordinary that
fhe cannot reconcile herfelf to her prefent fitu
ation, and I am really often more concerned
on her account than my own. Cut off from
her ufual refohrces, fhe has no amufement but
wandering about the houfe ; and if her other'
caufes of uneafinefs be not augmented, they
are at leaft rendered more intolerable by her
inability to fill up her time.-  -This does
not arife from a deficiency of underftanding,
but from never having being accuftomed to
think. Her mind refembles a body that is
weak, not by nature, but from want of exer
cife ; and the number of years fhe has paffed in

IN FRANCE. 399Y
in & eonvenf has given her that mixture of
childifhnefs and romance, which, by making
frivolities neceffary, renders the mindincapabk
of exertion or felf-fupport.
Oct. 20. The unfortunate Queert, after a trial
of fome days, during which fhe feems to have
behaved with great dignity and fortitude, is no
l&hger fenfible of the regrets of her friends on
fhe malice of her enemies. It is fingular, that
I have not yet heard her death mentioned in
the prifon — every one looks grave and effects
filence. I believe her death has not occafioned
an effect fo univerfal as that of the King, and
whatever people's opinions may be, they are
afraid of exprefling them : for it is faid, though I
know not with what truth, that we are fur-
founded by fpies, and feveral who have the
appearance of being prifoners like ourfelves
have being pointed out to me as the objects of
this fufpicion.
• v I, do not pretend to undertake the defence of
the. Queen's mput ed faults— ^yet I think there
are fome at leaft which one may be very fairly
permitted to doubt. Compaffion fhould not
make me. ah advocate for guilt— but I may,
without facrificing morals to pity, venture to
obferve,

40O A RESIDENCE
obferve, that the many fcandalous hiftories cir
culated to her prejudice took their, rife at the
birth of the Dauphin,* which formed fo infur-
moun table
* .Nearly at the. fame time, and on, the fame occafion, there
were literary partizans of the Duke of Orleans, who endea
voured to perfuade the people that the man with the iron mafk,
who had fo long excited curiofity and eluded conjecture, was
the real fon of Louis XIII.-— and Louis XIV. in confequence,
fuppofiti tious, and only the illegitimate offspring of Cardinal
Mazarin and Anne of Auftria — that the fpirit of ambition and
intrigue wliich characterized this Minifter had fuggefted this
fubftitution to the lawful heir, and that the fears of the Queen
and the confufion of the times had obliged her to acquiefce :
" Cette opinion ridicule, et dont les dates connues de l'hif-
toire demontrent l'abfurdite, avoit eu des partifans en France—
elle tendoit a avilir -la maifon regnante, ct a perfuader au
peuple que le trone n'appartient pas aux defcendans de
Louis XIV prince furtivement fubftitue, mais a la pofterite du
fecond fils de L°uis XIII. qui eft la tige de Ia branche d'Or-
Ieans, et qui eft rcconnue comme defcendant legitimement, et
fans objection, du Roi Louis XIII."
Nouvelles Confiderations fur tc 2Lfque de Fer,
Mc?noirs de Richelieu.
" This ridiculous opinion, the abfurdity of which is de
monftrated by hiftorical dates, had not been without its par
tizans in France. — It tended to degrade the reigning family,
and tp make the people believe that the throne did not of right
belong to the defcendants of Louis XIV. (a prince TttrVepti-
tioufly intrude J) but to the pofterity of the fecond fon of
Louis

IN FRANCE. 40t
toQuntable a bar to the views of the Duke of
Orleansv He might hope, by popularity, to
fuperfede the children of the Count d'Artois>
who was hated ; but an immediate heir to the
Crown could be removed only by throwing fuf-
picions on his legitimacy. Thefe pretenfions,
it is true, were fo abfurd, and even incredible,
that had they been urged at the time, no in
ference in the Queen's favour would have been
admitted from them ; but as the exiftence of
fuch projects, however abfurd and iniquitous,
has fince been demonftrated, one may now,
with great appearance of reafon, allow them
feme weight in her juftification.
The affair of the necklace was of infinite
differvice to the Queen's reputation ; yet it is
Louis XIII. from whom is derived the branch of Orleans,
and who was, without difpute, the legitimate and unobjection
able offspring of t/ouis XIII."
New Confiderations on the Iron Mafk.-—
Memoirs of the Due de Richelieu.
The author of the above Memoirs adds, that after the taking
of the Baftile, new attempts were made to propagate this
opinion, and that he himfelf had refuted it to many people,
by producing original letters and papers, fufficiently demon-
flrative of its abfurdity.
vol. x. Dd remarkable^

402- A RESIDENCE
remark-able, that the moft furious of the Jaco
bins are filent on this head, as far as it regarded
her, and always mention the Cardinal de Rohan
in terms that fuppofe him the culpable party t
but, " whate'er her faults-, her woes deferve
compaffion ;" and perhaps the moralift, who is
not too fevere, may find fome excufe for a
Princefs, who, at the age of fixteen,. poffibly
without one real friend or difinterefted advifer,.
became the unreftrained idol of the moft licen
tious Court in Europe. Even her enemies do
not pretend that her fate was fo much a merited
punifhment as a political meafure : they alledge,
that while her life was yet fpared, the valour of
their troops was checked by the poffibility of
negotiation ; and that being no more, neither
the people nor armies expecting any thing but
execration or revenge, they will be more ready
to proceed to the moft defperate extremities. —
This you will think a barbarous fort of policy,.
and confideri-ng it as national, it appears no lefs
ablurd than barbarous ; but for the Convention,
whofe views perhaps extend little farther than
to-.faving their heads, peculating, and receiving
their eighteen livres a day, fuch meafures, and
luch a principle of action, are neither unwife
nor unaccountable : " for the wifdom of civi
lized nations is not their wifdom, nor the ways of

IN FRANCE. 403
of civilized people their ways.*"  It has been
reported that the Queen was offered her life, and
the liberty to retire to St. Cloud, her favourite
refidence, if fhe would engage the enemy to
raife the fiege of Maubeuge and withdraw ; but
that fhe refufed to interfere.

LETTER LV.
Arras, 1793.'
OR fome days previous to the battle by
which Maubeuge was relieved, we had very
gloomy apprehenfions, and had the French
army been unfuccefsful and forced to fall back,
* I have been informed, by a gentleman who faw the
Glueen pafs in her way to execution, that the fhort white;
bed gown and the cap which fhe wore were difcoloured by
fmoke, and that her whole appearance feemed to have been
intended, if poffible, to degrade her in the eyes of the multitude.
The benevolent mind will recollect with pleafure, that even
the Queens enemies allow her a fortitude and energy of cha
racter which muff~have counteracted this paltry malice, and
rendered it incapable of producing any emotion but contempt.
On her firft being removed to tbe Conciergerie, fhe applied
for fome neeeflaries ; but the humane municipality of Paris
refufed them, under pretext that the demand was contrary to
the fyftem Qf la faintd egalitk — " holy equality,"'
»d 3 it

404 A RESIDENCE
it is not improbable but the lives of thofe de
tained in the Maifons d' 'Arret* might have been
facrificed under pretext of appeafing, the people,
and to give fome credit to the fufpicions fo in-
duftrioufly inculcated that all their defeats are
occafioned by internal enemies. My firft carer
as foon as I was able to go down flairs, was to
examine if the houfe offered any means of
efcape in cafe of danger, and I believe, if we
could preferve our recollection, it might be
practicable ; but I can fo little depend on my
ftrength and fpirits, fhould fuch a neceflity
occur, that perhaps the confolation of knowing
I have a refource is the only benefit I fhould
ever derive from it. „
Oct. 1 1. I have this day made a difqovery of
a very unpleafant nature, which Mad. de 
had hitherto cautioufly concealed from me. All
the Englifh, and other foreigners placed under
fimilar circumftances, are now, without excep
tion, arrefted, and the confiscation of their pro
perty is decreed. It is uncertain if the law is to
extend to wearing apparel, but I find that on this
ground the Committee of Peronne perfift in
refufing to take the feals off my effects, or" to
* Houfe of detention. permit

IN FRANCE. 405
permit my being fupplied with any neceffaries
whatever. In other places they have put two,
four, and, I am told, even to the number of
fix o-uards, in houfes belonging to the Englifh:
and thefe guards, exclufive of being paid each
two fhillings per day, burn' the wood, regale
on the wine, and pillage in detail all they can
find, while the unfortunate owner is ftarving in
a Maifon d'Ar.ret, and cannot obtain permiffion
to withdraw a fingle article for his own ufe. — The
plea for this paltry meafure is, that, according
to the report of a deferter efcaped from Toulon,
Lord Hood has hanged one Beauvais, a member
of the Convention. I have no doubt but the
report is falfe, and, moft likely, fabricated by
the Comiti de Salut Public, in order to palliate
an act of injuftice previoufly meditated.
It is needlefs' to expatiate on the atrocity of
making individuals, living here under the faith
of the nation, refponfible for the events of the
war, and it is whifpered that even the people
are a little afhamed of it ; yet the government
are not fatisfied with making us accountable for
what really does happen, but they attribute acts
of cruelty to our countrymen, in order to ex-
cufe thofe they commit themfelves, and retaliate
imagined injuries by fubftantial vengeance. —
D d 3 Legendre,

406 A RESIDENCE
Legendre, a member of the Convention, has
propofed, with a moft benevolent ingenuity,
that the manes of the aforefaid Beau vai s fliould
be appeafed by exhibiting Mr. Luttrell in an
iron cage for a convenient time, and then hang
ing him.
A gentleman from Amiens, lately arrefted
while happening to be here on bufinefs, in
forms me, that Mr. Luttrell is now in the com
mon gaol of that place, lodged with three
other perfons in a miferable apartment, fo
fmall, that there is not room to pafs between
their beds. I underftand he was advifed to
petition Dumont for his removal to a Maifon
de Arret, where he would have more external
convenience ; but he rejected this counfel, no
doubt from a difdain which did him honour,
and preferred to fuffer all that the mean malice
of thefe wretches would inflict, rather then afk-
any accommodation as a favour. — The diftin
guifhing Mr. Luttrell from any other Englifh
gentleman is as much a proof of ignorance as
of bafenefs-; but in this, as in every thing elfe,
the prefent French government is ftill more
wicked than abfurd, and our ridicule is fup-
preffed by our deftination. Oct,

IN FRANCE. 40^
' Oct. 22. Mad de  's homme d'affaires* has
been here to-day, but no news from Amiens.
I know not what to conjecture. My patience
is almoft exhaufted, and mv 'fpirits are fatigued.
Were I not juft now relieved by a diftant prof-
peel: of fome change for the better, my fituation
would be infupportable.  " Oh world ! oh
world ! but that thy ftrange mutations make
us wait thee, life" would not --yield to age."
We fhould die before our time, even of moral
difeafes, unaided by phyfical ones; but the
uncertainty of human events, which is the
w worm i'the bud" of happinefs, " is to the
miferable a cheering and confolatory reflection.
Thus have I dragged on for fome weeks, poft-
pomng, as it were, my exiftence, without any
refource, fave the homely philofophy of " nous
verrons demain.-f"
At length our hopes and expectations are
become lefs general, and if we do not obtain
our hberty, we may be able at leaft to procure
a more eligible prifon. I confefs, the fource
of our hopes, and the protector we have found,
are not of a dignity to be ufhered to your
* Agent. f « We fhall fee to-morrow."
^ o d 4 notice

408 A RESIDENCE
notice by citations of blank verfe, or fcraps of
fentiment ; for though the top of the ladder is
not quite fo high, the firft rounds are as low
as that of Ben Bowling's.
Mad. de  's confidential fervant, who
came here to-day, has learned, by accident,
that a man, who formerly worked with the
Marquis's tailor, having (in confequence, I
fuppofe, of a political vocation,) quitted the
felling of old clothes, in which he had acquired
fome eminence, has become a leading patriot,
and is one df Le Bon's, the Reprefentative's,
privy counfellors. Fleury has renewed his ac
quaintance with this man, has confulted him
upon our fituation, and obtained a promife
that he will ufe his intereft with Le Bon in
our behalf. Under this fplendid patronage, it
is not unlikely but we may get an order to be
transferred to Amiens, or, perhaps, procure our
entire liberation. We have already written to
Le Bon on the fubject, and Fleury is to have
a conference with our friend the tailor in a
few days to learn the fuccefs of his mediation ;
fo that, I truft, the bufinefs will not be long
in fufpenfe. «
We have had a moft indulgent guard to-day, who,

IN FRANCE. 409
who, by fuffering the fervant to enter a few
paces within the gate, afforded us an oppor
tunity of hearing this agreeable, intelligence ;
as alfo, by way of epifode, that boots being
wanted for the cavalry, all the boots in the
town were laft night put in requifition, and
as Fleury was unluckily gone to bed before the
fearch was made at his inn, he found himfelf
this morning very unceremonioufly left boot-
lefs. He was once a famous patriot, and the
oracle of Mad. de  's houfehold ; but our
confinement had already fhaken his principles,
and this feizure of his " fuperb Englifh boots"
has, I believe, completed his defection.
Oct. 25. I have difcontinued my journal for
three days to attend my friend, Mad. de  ,
who has been ill. Uneafinefs, and want of air
and exercife, had brought on a little fever,
which, by the ufual mode of treatment in this
country, has been confiderably increafed. Her
diforder did not indeed much alarm me, but
I cannot fay as much of her medical affiftants,
and it feems to me to be almoft fupernatural
that fhe has efcaped the jeopardy of their pre-
fcpptions. In my own illnefs I had trufted to
nature, and my recollection of what had been
ordered me on fimilar occafions ; but for Mad.
de  •

410 A RESIDENCE
de  I was lefs confident, and defirous of
having better advice, 'begged a phyfician might
be immediately fent for. Had her diforder been
an apoplexy, fhe muft infallibly have died, for
as no perfon, not even the faculty, can enter,
without an order from the municipal Divan,
half a day elapfed before this order could be
procured. At length the phyfician and furgeon
arrived, and I know not why the learned pro-
feflions fhould impofe on us more by one ex
terior than another ; but I own, when I faw the
phyfician appear in a white camblet coat, lined
with rofe colour, and the furgeon with dirty
linen, and a gold button and loop to his hat, I
began to tremble for my friend. My feminine
prejudices did not, however, in this inftance,
deceive me. After the. ufual queftions, the
patient was declared in a fever, and condemned
to cathartics, bleeding, and " bon bouillons ;"
that is to fay, greafy beef foup, in which there
is never an oeconomy of onions. — When they
were departed, I could not help expreffing my
furprize that people's lives fhould be- entrufted
to fuclv hands, obferving, at the fame time, to
the Baron de L  , (who is lodged in the
fame apartment with Mad. de  ,) that the
French muft never expect men, whofe educa
tion fitted them for the profeffion, would be
come

IN PRANCE. 411
eome" phyficians, while they continued to be
paid at -the rate of twenty-pence per vifit. —
Yet, replied the Baron, if they make twenty
vifits a day, they gain forty livres — " et c'eft
de quoi vivre.*" It is undeniably de quoi vivre,
but as long as a mere fabliftence is the only
profpect of a phyfician, the French muft be
content to have their fevers cured by " draftics,
phlebotomy,' and beef foup."
They tell me we have now more than five
hundred detenus\ in this fingle houfe. How fo
pany have been wedged in I can fcarcely con
ceive, but it feems our keeper has the art of
calculating with great nicety the fpace requifite
for given number of bodies, and their being
able to refpire freely is not his affair, Thofe
who can afford it have their dinners, with all
the appurtenances, brought from the inns or
traiteurs ; and the poor cook, fleep, and eat,
by fcores, in the fame room. I have perfuaded
my friend to fup as I do, upon tea : but our
affbciates, for the moft part, finding it incon
venient to have flippers brought at night, and
being unwilling to fubmit to the fame priva-
* Jt ia a living. -j- Perfons confined. tions,

414 A RESIDENCE
tions, regale themfelves with the remains of
their dinner, re-cooked in their only apart
ments, and thus go to fleep, amidft the fumes
of perdrix a. T onion, ceufs a la tripe,* and all the
produce of a French- kitchen.
It is not, as you may imagine, the Bourgeois,
and lefs diftinguifhed prifoners only, who in
dulge in thefe highly-feafoned repafts, at the
expence of inhaling the favoury atmofphere
they leave behind them : the beaux and petites
maitreffes, among the ci-devant, have not lefs
exigent appetites, nor more delicate nerves ; and
the ragout is produced at night, in fpite of
the odours and diforder that remain till the
morrow, I conclude, notwithftanding your Englifh
prejudices, that there is nothing unwholefome
in filth, for if it were otherwife, I cannot ac
count for our being alive. Five hundred bo
dies, in a ftate of coacervation, without even
a preference for cleanlinefs, " think of that
Mafter Brook." All the forenoon the court
is a receptacle for cabbage leaves, fifh fcales,
leeks, &c. &c. — and as a French chambermaid
* Partridge a L'onion — eggs h la tripe. ufually

IN FRANCE. 413
ufually prefers the direct road to circumambu-
lation, the refufe of the kitchen is then wafhed
away by plentiful inundations from the dref-
fing-room — the paffages are blockaded by foul
plates, fragments, and bones ; to which if you
add the fmell exhaling from hoarded apples and
gruyere cheefe, you may form fome notion of
the fufferings of thofe whofe olfactory nerves
are not robuft. Yet this is not all — nearly every
female in the houfe, except myfelf, is accom
panied even here by her lap-dog, who fleeps in
her room, and, not unfrequently, on her bed;
and thefe Lefbias and Lindamiras increafe the
infalubrity of the air, and colonize one's ftock-
ings by fending forth daily emigrations of fleas.
For my own part, a few clofe November days
will make me as captious and fplenetic as Mat
thew Bramble himfelf. Nothing keeps me in
tolerable good humour at prefent, but a clear
frofty morning, or a high wind.
Oct. 27. I thought, when I wrote the above,
that the houfe was really fo full as to be inca
pable of containing more ; but I did not dojuf-
tice to the talents of our keeper. The laft two
nights have brought us an addition of feveral
waggon loads of nuns, farmers, fhopkeepers,
&c. from the neighbouring towns, which he
has

4l4 A RESIDENCE.
has ftill contrived to lodge, though much iis
the way that he would pack goods in bales*
Should another convoy arrive, it is certain that
we muft fleep perpendicularly, for even now,
when the beds are all arranged and occupied
for the night, no one can make a diagonal
movement without difturbing his neighbour. — '
This very fociable manner of fleeping is very
far, I affure you, from promoting the harmony
of the day ; and I am frequently witnefs to the
reproaches and recriminations occafioned by
nocturnal mifdemeanours. Sometimes the lap-
dog of one dowager is accufed of hoftilities
againft that of another, and thereby producing
a general chorus of the reft — then a four-footed
favourite ftrays from the bed of his miftrefs,
and takes poffeffion of a General's uniform — *
and there are female fomnambules, who alarm
the modefty of a pair of Bifhops, and fufpended
officers, that, like Richard, warring in their
dreams, cry " to arms," tothe great annoyance
of thofe who are more inclined to fleep in peace.
But, I underftand, the great difturbers of the
room where Mad de  — fleeps are two cha-
noines, whofe nofes are fo fonorOus and fo uti-
-tuneable as to produce a fort of duet abfolutely
incompatible with fleep ; and one of the com
pany is often deputed to interrupt the'ferenade by

IN FRANCE. 4l^
by manual application (mais tout en badinant et
avec polite fe*) to the offending parties.
All this, my dear brother, is only ludicrous
'in the relation ; yet for fo many people to be
thus huddled together without diftinction of
age, fex, or condition, is truly miferable. —
Mad. de  is ftill indifpofed, and while fhe
is thus fuffocated by bad air, and diffracted by
the 'various noifes of the houfe, I fee no prof-
pect of her recovery.
Arras is the common prifon of the depart
ment, and, befides this, there are a number of
other houfes and convents in the town appro
priated to the fame ufe, and all equally full.
God knows when thefe iniquities are to termi
nate ! So far from having any hopes at pre
fent, the rage for arrefting feems, I think, ra
ther to increafe than fubfide. It is fuppofed
there are now more than three hundred thoufand
people in France confined under the fimple im
putation of being what is called " gens fufpecl:"
but as this- generic term is new to you, I will,
by way of explanation, particularize the feveral
* But all in pleafantry, and with politenefs. fpecies

416 A RESIDENCE
fpecies as claffed by the Convention, and thefl
defcribed by Chaumette, folicitor for .the city
of Paris ;* and it muft be allowed by all who
refide
* Decree concerning fufpeclecf people.
" Art. I. Immediately after the promulgation of the pre
fent decree, all fufpedfed perfons that are found on the terri
tory of the republic, and who are ftill at large, fhall be put
under arreft.
" II. Thofe are deemed fufpicious, who by their connec
tions, their converfation, or their writings, declare themfelve*
partizans of tyranny or fcederation, and enemies to liberty —
Thofe who have not demonftrated their means of living or the
performance of their civic duties, in the manner prefcribed by
the law of March laft — Thofe who, having been fufpended from
public employments by the Convention or its Commiffioners,
are not reinftated therein — Thofe of the ci-devant nobleffe, who
have not invariably manifefted their attachment to the revolii- _
tion, and, in general, all the fathers, mothers, fons, daugh-*
ters, brothers, lifters,.; and agents of emigrants— All who h^ve
emigrated between. the ill of July, 1789, and 8th of April,
1792. " III. The execution of the decree is confided to the Com
mittee of Infpeclion.. The individuals arrefted fhall be taken
to the houfes of confinement appointed for their reception.
They are allowed to take with them fuch only of their effects
as are ftrictly neceffary, the guards fet upon them fhall be paid
at tbeir expence, and they fhall be kept in confinement until the
peace. — The Committees of Inflection fhall, without delay,
tranfmit to. the Committee of General Safety aji account ofthe
perfons-

IN FRANCE. 417
refide in France at this moment, and are capa
ble of obferving the various forms under which
hatred
perfons arrefted, with the motives of their arreft.*— The
civil and criminal tribunals are empowered, when they deem
it neceflary, to detain and impriibn, as fufpected perfons,
thofe who being accufed of crimes have nevcrthelefs had no hill
found againft them, (lieu a occupation,) or -who have even been
tried and acquitted"
Indications that may ferve to diftinguifh fufpicious perfons,
and thofe to whom it will be proper to refufe certificates
of civifm :
" I. Thofe who in popular aflemblies check the ardour of
the people by artful fpeeches, by violent exclamations or threats.
" II. Thofe who with more caution fpeak in a myfterious
Way of the public misfortunes, wbo appear to pity the lot o£
the people, and are ever ready to fpread bad news with an
affectation of concern.
" III. Thole who adapt their conduct arid language to fhe
circumftances of the moment— ^who, in order to be taken for
republicans, put on a ftudied aufterity of manners, and ex-
* If this were obferved, it was but a mockery, few perfons ever
knew the precife reafon of their* confinement. The tbiuminous re-
gitlers of the prifons feldom Ugnified any thing more than that " fuch
a one was arretted as fufpicious,'' or " par mefure de futete generate. "
Occafionally however they contained fpecific charges, fuch as the follow
ing ; " Vivian perruquier, prefenu d'imbecillite et de peu de civifme,"
(for which lack of imderftanding and of civifm the faid Vivian was
kept a year in clofe confinement) " Robert for forgetting to renew
his carte de citoytn."
vol.i. Ec claim

AIo* A RESIIJENC'E
hatred for the government flfelters itfelf, thatr
the latter is a chef d' muvre in its kind. $Tow
Claim with vehemence againft the moft trifling error * in 3
patriot, but mollify when the crimes of an Ariftocrate or s
Moderle are the fubject of complaint.
" IV; Thofe who -pity avaricious farmers and fliopfceepei-Sy
againft whom the laws have been neceflarily directed.
" " V. Thofe who with the words liberty, country, republic,
-&c. conftantly mtheirrnouths, hold intercourfe with ci-devant
Nobles, Contrc-revolutionnaires, Priefts, Ariftocrates, FeUiHans,.
&c. a«d take an intereft in their concerns.
" VI. Thofe who not having borne an active part in the
revolution, endeavour to excufe themfelves by urging the regu
lar payment of their taxes, their patriotic gifts, and their
fervice in the Garde National by fubftitute or otherwife.
" VII. Thofe who received the republican conftitution with
coolnefs, or who intimated their pretended apprehenfions for
its eftablilh ment and duration.
" VIII. Thofe who, having done nothing againft liberty,
liave done as Tittle Tor it.
" IX. Thofe who do not frequent the affembly of their
* Thefe trifling events were, being concerned in the malTacrea of
September, 179a — public peculations — occafional, and even habitual
robbery, forgeries, &c. &c. &c.  The fecond, fourth, fifth, fixth and
fevcnth claffes. were particularly numerous, infomuch that I doubt
whether they would not have included nineteen-twentieths of all the
- . people in France who were honeft 01 at all capable of reflection .
* feftion,

IN FRANCE. 4ICJ*
Now, exclufive ofthe above legal and moral
indications of people to be fufpecSled, there are
alfo outward and vifible figns which we are told
from the tribune of the Convention, and the
Jacobins, are not much lefs infallible — fuch as
Gens a bas defoiirayis, mouchetis—-& chapeaurond
•ejrbabit carri — calotte pincie, etroite — d hot tes ci
ties — les mufcadins^Freloquets — Robinets, &c*
The confequence of making the cut of a man's
coat, or the fhape of his hat, a teft of his poli
tical opinions, has been the transformation ofthe
whole country into republicans, at leaft as far a3
depends on the coftume ; and where, as is natu
ral, there exifts a confcioufnefs of inveterate
ariftocracy, the external is more elaborately
*' a la Jacobine." The equipment, indeed, of
fedtion, and offer, for excufe, that they are no orators, or have
no,time to fpare from their own bufinefs.
" X. Thofe who fpeak with contempt of the conftituted
authorities, of the rigour of the laws, of the popular focieties,
and the defenders of liberty.
' " XI. Thofe who have figned anti-revolutionary petitions,
or any time frequented unpatriotic clubs, or were known as
partizans of La Fayette, and accomplices in the affair of the
Champ de Mars."
* Pepple that wear fpotted or ftriped filk ftockings— round
hats— -fmall coats — tight breeches — blacked boots — perfumes
- *-*oscombsT— fprigs ofthe Jaw, &c.
e e 2 a French

42» A RESIDENCE
a French patriot of the lateft date is as fingular
as his manners, and in both he is highly dif-
tinguifhable from the inhabitants of any other
country: from thofe of civilized nations, be
caufe he is grofs and ferocious — from thofe of
barbarous ones, becaufe his groffnefs is often
affected, and his ferocity a matter of principle
and preference.
A mart who would not be reckoned fufpecT
now arrays himfelf in a jacket and trowfers
(a Carmagnole) of ftriped cotton or coarfe
cloth, a neckcloth of gaudy cotton, wadded
like a horfe-collar, and projecting confiderably
beyond his Chin, a cap of red and blue cloth,
embroidered in front and made much in the form
of that worn by the Pierrot of a pantomime,
with one, or fometimes a pair, of ear-rings,
about the fize Of a large curtain-ring ! Finally,
he crops his hair, arid carefully encourages the
growth of an enormous' pair of whifkers, which
he does not fail to perfume with volumes of to
bacco fmoke. He, however, who is ambitious
of ftill greater eminence, difdains thefe fop
peries, and affects an appearance of filth and
rags, which he dignifies with the appellation of
ftern republicanifm and virtuous poverty ; and
thus, by means of a thread-bare coat out at
elbows,

IN PRANCE. 42*
elbows, wooden fhoes, and a red woollen cap,
the rich hope to fecure their wealth, and the
covetous and intriguing to acquire lucrative
employment.  Rolland, I think, was the
founder of thefe modern Francifcans, and with
this miferable affection he machinated the
death of the King, and, during fome months,
procured for himfelf the exclufive direction of
the government.
All thefe patriots by prefcription and fyftem
have likewife a peculiar and appropriated di
alect — they addrefs every one by the title of
Citizen, thee and thou indiftinctly, and talk
pf nothing but the agents of Pitt and Cobourg,
the coalefced tyrants, royal ogres, fatellites of
the defpots, automaton flaves, and anthropophagi;
and if they revert to their own profperous ftate,
and this very happy country, it is, un peuple
libre, un peuple heureux, and par excellence la
terre de la liberti.*— It is to be obferved, that
thofe with whom thefe pompous expreffions are
moft familiar, are officers employed in the war
like fervice of mutilating the wooden faints in
churches, and arrefting old wqmen whom, they
,.0 nO'I^ii:- ; ^Jry . ..1. ¦
*. " A free people— a happy people — and, above all others,
the land of libert y." 1 , ^1 .
• vn7 Ee3 encounter

4-2,'S A RESIDENCE
encounter without national cockades ; or mem-.
bers of the municipalities, now reduced to
execute the offices of conftables, and whofe
chief functions are to hunt out fufpected peo
ple, or make domiciliary vifits in queft of
concealed eggs and butter. But, above all, this
democratic oratory is ufed by tailors, fhoe-
makers, &c* of the Committees of Infpection,
to whom the Reprefentatives on million have
delegated their unlimited powers, who arreft
much on the principle of Jack Cade, and with
whom it is a crime to read and write, or to ap-
peardecently dreffed. Thefe ridiculous accoutre-
:(r For fome months the departments were iiifefted bv peo
ple of this defcription — corrupt, ignorant, and infolent. Their
motives of arreft were ufually tbe hope of plunder, or
tlie defire of diftreffing thofe whom they had been ufed to
look upon a-; their fuperiors. — -At Arras it fufficed even to
have difobliged the wives of thefe mifcreants to become the
object of perfecution. In fome places they arrefted with the
moft barbarous caprice, even without the fhadow of a reafon.
At Hefden, a fmall town in Artois, Dumont left the Mayor
earte blanche, and in one night two hundred people were
thrown into prifon. Every where thefe low and obfcure
dominators reigned without controulj and fo much were the
people intimidated, that inftead of daring to complain,' they
treated their new tyrants with the moft fervile adulation.—
J have feen a ci-devant Comtefle coquetting with all her might
a Jacobin tailor, and the richeft merchants of a town foliciting
very humbly the good offices of a, dealer in old clothes. ments.;.

IN PRANCE. 4'i3
ments, and this magnificent phrafeology, are in
themfelves very harmlefs ; but the afcendancy,
which fuch a clafs of people are taking has be
come a fubjefl of juft alarm. — The whole ad
miniftration of the country is now in the hands
of uninformed and neceffitousprofligates, fwind-
lers, men already condemned by, the laws,
and who, if the revolution had not given them
«' place and office," would have been at the
galleys, or in prifon.*' To thefe may be added
a few men of weak character, and unfteady
principles, who remain in office becaufe they
fear to refign ; with a few, and but very few,
ignorant fanatics, who really imagine they are
free becaufe they can moleft and deftroy with
* One of the adminiftrators. of the department de la Somme
(which, however, was more decently compofed than many
others,) was, before the revolution, convicted of houfe- breaking,
and another of forgery j and it has fince been proved on va
rious occafions, particularly on the trial of the ninety-four
Nantais, that the revolutionary Committees were, for the moft
part, compofed of tlie very refufe of fociety— adventurers,
thieves, and even aflaffins j and it would be difficult to ima
gine a crime that did not there find reward and protection.—
Jn vain were the privileges of the nobility aboliftied, and>
religion profcribed. A new privileged order arofe in the
Jacobins, and guilt of every kind, without the femblance of
penitence, found an. afylum in thefe Committees,, and an in
violability more facred than that afforded by the demolifhed
altars,
e e 4 impunity

4^4 A RESIDENCE
impunity all they have hitherto been taught to
refpect, and drink treble the quantity they did
formerly. Oct. 30. For fome days the guards have been
fo untraceable, and the croud at the door has been
fogreat, thatFleury was obliged to make various
-efforts before he could communicate the refult
of his negotiation. He has at length found
means to inform us, that his friend the tailor
had exerted all his intereft in our favour, but
that Dumont and Le Bon (as often happens be
tween neighbouring potentates) are at war, and
their enmity being in fome degree fubject to
their mutual-fears, neither will venture to libe
rate , any .prifoner arrefted by the other, left
fuch a difpofition to clemency fhould be feized
on by his rival, as a ground of accufation.* —
- - All,
* But if they did not free the enemies of each other, they
"revenged themfelves by throwing into prifon all their mutual
friends — for the temper of the times was fuch, that, though
thefelReprefentatives were exprefsly invefted with unlimited
pawers, .they did not venture to fet any one at liberty without
¦a multitude of forcus and a long attendance : on the contrary,
they arrefted without any form at all, and allowed their myr
midons to harrafs and confine the perfons and fequefter the
property of all whom they judged proper. — It feemed to have
been art elementary principle with thofe employed by the
government

IN FRANCE. 4a5
AU, therefore, that can be obtained is, a pro-
mife to have us removed to Amiens in a fhort
time ; and I underftand the detenus are there
treated with confideration, and that no tribunal
revolutiomaire has yet been eftablifhed.
My mind will be confiderably more at eafe if
this removal can be affected. Perhaps we may
not be in more real danger here than at any
other place, but it is not realities that conftitute
the mifery of life ; and fituated as we ate, that
imagination muft be phlegmatic indeed, which
does not create and exaggerate enough to prevent
the poffibility of eafe. — We are, as I before
obferved, placed as it were within the jurif
diction of the Guillotine ; and T have learned
<c a fecret1of our prifon-houfe" to-day which
Mad. de  had hitherto concealed from me,
and which has rendered me ftill more anxious
'to quit it. Several of our fellow-prifoners, whom
I fuppofed only transferred to other houfes,
have been taken away to undergo the ceremony
of a trial, and from thence to the fcaffold.
Thefe judicial maffacres are now become com
mon, and the repetition of them has deftroyed
government at this time, that they rifked nothing in doing all
the mifchief they could, and that they erred only ip not $Qujg
.. enough, at

42.6 A RESIDENCE
at once the feeling of humanity and the fenfe
of juftice. Familiarized to executions, tho
thoughtlefs and fanguinary people behold with
equal indifference the guilty or innocent vic
tim ; and the Guillotine has not only ceafed to
be an object of horror, but is become almoft a
fource of amufement.* The
* At Arras this horrid inftrument of death was what they
called cn permanence, (ftationary,) and fo little regard was
paid' to the morals of the people, (I fay the morals, becaufe
every thing which tends to deftroy their humanity renders
tbem vicious,) that it was often left from one execution ta
another with the enfangu'med tracea of the laft. victim but
too evident. — Children were taught to amufe themfelves by
making models of the Guillotine, with which they deftroyed
Hies,' and even animals. On the Pontneuf, a.t Paris, a fort
of puppet-fhow was exhibited daily, whofe^Doaft it wag to
give a, very exact imitation of a gidlhtinage ; and the hurthen
ot a popular fong current for fome months was. " Danfons.
la Guillotine"  On the 2 lit of January, 1794, the anni-
vcrfary of the King's death, thei Convention were invited to>
celebrate' it on the " Place de la Revolution ," where, during
the ceremony, and in prefence of the whole legiflative body^
feveral people were executed. It is hue, Bourdon, one of
the J)eputies_, complained of this indcaency ; but not fo much
on account of the circumftance itfelf, as becaufe it gave fome
pf the people an opportunity" of telling him, in a fort of way
he might probably deem prophetic, that one of the victims
was a Reprefentativc of the People. The Convention pre
tended to order that fome enquiry fhould be made why, at
fuch a moment, fuch a place was chofen ; but the enquiry came to

IN FRANCE, 4^7
' The dark and ferocious character of Le Bon
developes itfelf Iiourly : the whole department
trembles before him ; and thofe who have leaft.
merited perfecution are, with reafon, the moft
apprehenfive. The moft cautious prudence of
conduct, the moft undeviating rectitude in thofe1
who are by their fortune or rank obnoxious to
the tyrant, far from contributing to their fecu
rity, only mark them out for a more early facri
fice. What is ftill worfe, thefe horrors are not
likely to terminate, becaufe he is allowed to pay
out of the treafury of the department the mob
that are employed to popularize and applaud
io nothing, and I have no doubt but the executions were pirr-
pofbly intended as analogous to the ceremony. — It was proved
thatvLe Bon, on an occafion when he chofe to be a fpectator
of fome executions he had been the caufe of, fufpended the
operation while he read the newfpapers aloud, in order, as he
faid, that the ariftocrates might go out of tlie world with the
additional mortification of learning the fuccefs of the repub
lican arms in their laft moments,
. The people of Breft were fuffered to behold, I had almoft
faid to be amufjd, with (for if thofe who order fuch fpectacles
are.deteftable, the people that permit them are not free from
blame,) the fight of twenty-five heads ranged in a line, and
ftill .cqnvulfed with the agonies of death.— The cant word
for tlie Guillotine was « our holy mother;" and verdifts of
condemnation were called prizes in the Sainte Lotterie—
£ holy lottery.'1 them.

42.8 A RESIDENCE
them. — I hope, in a few days, we fhall receive
our permiffion to depart. My impatience is, a
malady, and, for nearly the firft time in my
life, I am fenfible of ennui; not the ennui oc
cafioned by want of amufement, but that which
is the effect of unquiet expectation, and which
makes both the mind and body reftlefs and in
capable of attending to any thing. I am incef-
faptly haunted by the idea that the companion
of 7 to-day . may to-morrow expire under the
Guillotine, that the common acts of focial in
tercourfe may be explained into intimacy, inti
macy into the participation of imputed trea
sons, and the fate of thofe with whom we are
affociated become our own. It appears both
ufelefs and cruel to have brought us here, nor
do I yet know any reafon why vM were not
all removed to Amiens, except it was ta avoid
expofing to the eyes of the people in the
places through which we muft pafs too large
a number of victims at once. — The caufe of
our being removed from Peronne is indeed
avowed, as it is at prefent a rule not to confine
people at the place of their refidence, left they
fhould have too much facility of communica
tion with, or afliftance from, their friends.*
We
* In fome departments the nobles and priefts arrefted were
removed from ten to twenty leagues diftant from their homes ;
and

IN FRANCE. 420
We fhould doubtlefs have remained at Arras
until fome change in public affairs had pro
cured our releafe, but for the fortunate dif
covery of the man I have mentioned ; and the
trifling favour of removal from one prifon to
another has been obtained only by certain ar
rangements which Fleury has made with this
fubordinate agent of tyranny, and in which
juftice or confideration for us had no fhare.
Alas ! are we not miferable ? is not the country
miferable, when our only refource is in the vices'
of thofe who govern ? — It is uncertain when we
fhall be ordered from hence — it may happen
when we leaft expect it, even in the night, fo
that I fhall not attempt to write again till we
have changed our fituation. The rifk is at pre-*
fent too ferious, and you muft allow my defire
of amufing'you to give way to my folicitude
for my own prefervation.

and if they happened to have relations living at the places-
where they were confined, thefe laft were forbidden to refide
there, or even to travel that way.

LETTER

439 A RESIDENCE
LETTER LVI.
Bicetre at Amiens, Nov. 1 8, 1 793*
J_NOTjS voila done encore, logics a la nation;
that is to fay, in the common prifon of the de
partment, amidft the thieves, vagabonds, ma
niacs, &c. confined by the old police, and the
gens fufpecls recently arrefted by the new.  -
I write, from the end of a fort of elevated barn,
fixty or feventy feet long., where the interftices
of the tiles admit the wind from all quarters, ahd
fcarcely exclude the rain, and where an old
fcreen and fome curtains only feparate Mad,
de  -, myfelf, and our fervants, from fixty
priefts, moft of them old, fick, and as wretched
as men can be, who are pious and refigned.
Yet even here I feei comparitively at eafe, and
an efcape from the jurifdiction of Le Bon and
his mercilefs tribunal feems cheaply purchafed
by the facrifice of our perfonal convenience;
I do not pretend to philofophize or ftoicize, or to
any thing elfe which implies a contempt of life*
- — I have, on the contrary, a moft unheroic fo
licitude about my exiftence, and confider my
removal to a plaCe where I think we are fafe, as
a very fortunate sera of our captivity. After

IN PRANCE. A31
After many delays and difappointments,
Fleury at length procured an order, figned by
the Reprefentative, for our being transferred
to Amiens, under the care of two Gardes Na
tionaux, and, of courfe, at our expence. 
Every thing in this country wears the afpect of
defpotifm. At twelve o'clock at night we were
awakened bythe officer on guard, and informed
we were to depart on the morrow ; and, not-
"withftanding the difficulty of procuring horfes
and carriages, it was fpecified, that if we did
not go on the day appointed, we were not to
go at all. It was, of, courfe, late before wc
could furmount the various obftacles to our
journey, Mid procure two crazy cabriolets, and
a cart for the guards, ourfelves, and baggage.
The days being fhort, we were obliged to fleep at
Dourlens; and, on our arrival at the caftle,
which is now, as it always has been, a ftate-
prifon, we were told it was fo full, that it was
abfolutely impoffible to lodge us, and that we
had better apply to the Governor, for permif
fion to fleep at an inn. We then drove to the
Governor's* houfe, who received us very ci
villy,
* The Commandant had been originally a private foldier in
the regiment of Dillon.— I know not how he had obtained his
advancement, but, however obtained, it, proved fatal to him :
he

4g&. A RESIDENCE
yilly, and with very little perfuafion agreed to
our requeft. At the beft of the miferable inns
in. the town we were informed they had no
room, and that they could not accommodate us
in any way whatever, except a fick officer then
in the houfe would permit us to occupy one of
two beds in his apartment.
In England it would not be very decent to
make fuch a requeft, or to accept fuch an ac
commodation. In France, neither the one nor
the other is unufual, and we had fuffered lately
fo many embarraffments of tfys kind, that we
were, if not reconciled, at leaft inured to them. ,
Before, however, we could determine, the
gentleman had been informed of our. fituation,
and came to offer his fervices. You may judge
of our furprize when we found in the ftranger,
who had his head bound up and his arm in a
fling, General — — , a relation of Mad. de  .
We had now, therefore, lefs fcruple in fharing
his room, though we agreed, notwithftarjding,
only to repofe a few hours in our clothes.
he was, a very fhort time after I faw hira, guillotined at Arras,
for having borrowed money of a prifoner. His real crime
was, probably, treating the prifoners in general with too much
confideration and indulgence ; and at this period every fnf-
picion of jtjhc kind was fatal. After

m FRANCE. 43$
After taking fome tea, the remainder of the
evening was dedicated to reciprocal converfa
tion of all kinds ; and our guards having ac
quaintance in the town, and knowing it was im
poffible for us to efcape, even were we fo in
clined, very civilly left us to ourfelves. We
found the General had been wounded at Mau
beuge, and was now abfent on congi for the
recovery of his health. He talked of the pre
fent ftate of public affairs like a military man
who is attached to his profeffion, and who
thinks it his duty to fight at all events whatever
the rights or merits of thofe that employ
him. He confeffed, indeed, that they were
repulfing their external enemies, only to con
firm the power of thofe who were infinitely
more to be dreaded at home, and that the con
dition of a General was more to be commiferat-
ed at this time than any other : if he mifcarry,
difgrace and the Guillotine await him— -if he be
fuccefsful, he gains little honour, becomes an
object of jealoufy, and affift3 in rivetting the
chains of his country. He faid, the armies were
for the moft part licentious and infubordinate,
but that the political difcipline was terrible — •
the foldiers ate allqwed, to drink., pillage, and,
infult their officers with impunity, but all com
binations are rigoroufly fuppreffed, the flighteft <
murmur againft the Reprefentative on million
vol.i. Ff ij

434 ' •* RESIDENCE
is treafon, -and to difapprove of a decree ofthe
Convention, death— that every man of any note
in the army is befet with fpi-es, and if they
leave "the camp on any occafion, it is more ne
ceffary to be on their guard againft thefe' wretches
than againft an ambufeade of the enemy ; and
he related a circumftance which happened to
Tfimfeif, as- an example of whax he mentioned,
and which will give you a tolerable idea of the
prefent fyftem of government. — After the relief
Of Dunkirk, being quartered in the neighbour
hood' of St. Omer, he occafionally went fo the
tbwn on his private concerns. One day, while-
he was waiting- at the inn where he intended-
t'o dine, two young men accofted him', and
after engaging hi'm in a general converfation for
fome time, began to talk with- great freedom,,
though with an affected caution of public men
and meafures, of the banditti who governed,
the tyranny that was exercifed, and the fupine-
riefs of the people : in fhort, of all thofe too-
poignant truths whieh conftitute the leze nation
of the day. Monf. de  was not at firft
very attentive, but finding their difcourfe be
come ftill more liberal, it excited his fufpiciohs,
arid'caftingtiis eyes on a glafs oppofite to where
they were converfing, he perceived a fort of
intelligence between them, which immediately
fuggefted to feim the profeffion of his com
panions ;

IN PRANCE. 43$
panions; and calling to a couple of dragoons
who h£d attended him, ordered them to arreft
the two gentlemen as ariftocrates, and convey
them without ceremony to prifon. They fub
mitted, feemingly more furprized than alarmed*
and in two hours the General received a note
from a higher power, defiring him to fet them
at liberty, as they were agents of the re
public. Duquefnoy one of the Reprefentatives now
with the Northern army, is ignorant and brutal
in the extreme. He has made his brother (who,
as well as himfelf, ufed to retail hops in the
ftreets of St. Pol,) a General ; and in order to
deliver him from rivals and critics, he breaks,
fufpends, arrefts, and fends to the Guillotine
every officer of any merit that comes in his way.
After the battle of Maubeuge, he arrefted a
General Bardell,* for accomodating a wounded
prifoner of diftinction (I think a relation ofthe
Prince of Cobourg) with a bed, and tore with
his own hands the epaulette from the fhoulders
of thofe Generals whofe divifions had not fuf>
tained the combat fo well as the others. His
temper, naturally favage and choleric, is im-
* The Generals Bardell and D'Ayemes, and feveral others,
were afterwards guillotined at Paria. -1 .
Ffa tated

436 A RESIDENCE
tated to fury by the habit of drinking large-
quantities of ftrong liquors ; andMad.de  's
relation affured us, that he had himfelf feen him
take the Mayor of Avefbes (a venerable r-i-i
man, who w.is prefenting fome petition ^o him.
that regarded the town,) by the hair, r.na throsf
him on the ground, with the geftures of an en
raged cannibal. He alfo confined one of his own
fellow deputies in the tower of Guife, upon
a very frivolous pretext, and merely on his own
authority. In fact, I fcarcely remember half
the horrors told us of this man ; and I fhall
only -remind you, that he has an unlimited con-
troul over the civil conftitution of the Northern
army, and over the whole department of the
North. You, I fuppofe, will be better informed of
military events than we are, and I mention our
friend's conjecture, that (befides an enormous
number of killed) tbe wounded at Maubeuge
amounted to twelve or fourteen thoufand, only
to remark the deception which is ftill practifed
on the people ; for no publifhed account ever
allowed the number to be more than a" few hun
dreds.— Befides thefe profeffional details, the
General gave us fome very unpleafant family
nones. On returning to his father's chateau^
'-- where

IN FRANCE. , 437.
where he hoped to be taken care of while his
wounds were curing, he found every room in
it under feals, three guards in poffeffion, his,
two filters arrefted at- St. Omer, where they
happened to be on a vifit, and his father and
mother confined in feparate houfes of detention
at Arras. After vifiting them, ancf making fome
ineffe'tual applications for their relief, he came
to the neighbourhood of Dourlens, expecting to
find an afylum with an uncle,, who had hitherto
efcaped the general perfecution of the gentry.
Here again his difappointment and chagrin were
renewed : his uncle had been carried off to
Amiens the morning of his arrival, and the
houfe rendered inacceffible, by the ufual affix
ture of feals, and an attendant pair of myrmidons
to guard them from infraction. Thus excluded
from all his family habitations, he had taken up
his refidence for a day or two at the inn wher,e
we met him, his intention being ,to return, tjo
Arras. . ,
In the morning we made our adieus .and pur
fued our journey ;, but, tenacious pf.thjs com
parative liberty and the enjoyment of pure air,
we prevailed on our conductors, to let us dine
on the road, fo that we lingered with the un-
willingnefs of truant children, ajid did' not reach
F f 3 Amiens

43^ A RESIDENCE
Amiens until dark. When we arrived at the
Hotel de Ville, one of the guards enquired how
we were to be difpofed of. Unfortunately for
us, Dum ont happened to be there himfelf, and
on hearing we were fent from Arras by order
of Le Bon, declared moft furioufly (for our
Reprefentative is fubject to choler fince his ac-
Ceffion to greatnefs) that he would have no pri
foners received from Arras, and that we fhould
fleep at the Conciergerie, and be conveyed -back
again on the morrow. Terrified at this menace,
we perfuaded the guard to reprefent to Dumont
that we had been fent to Amiens at our own in
ftance, and that we had been originally arrefted
by himfelf, and were therefore defirous of re
turning to the department where he wasonmif-
fion, and where we had more reafon to expect
juftice than at Arras. Mollified, perhaps, by
this implied preference of his authority, he con
fented that we fliould remain for the prefent at
Amiens, and ordered us to be taken to the Bicetre.
Whoever has been ufed to connect with the
word Bicetre the idea of the prifon fo named
at Paris, muft recoil with horror upon hearing
they are deftined to fuch an abode. Mad. de  ,
yet weak from the remains of her illnefs, laid
hold of mein a tranfport of grief ; but, far from
being able to calm or confole her, my thoughts were

*' . IN FRANCE. 439,
were fo bewildered that I did not, till we alighted
at the gate, begin to be really fenfible of our
fituation. The night was dark and dreary, and
our firft entrance was into a kitchen, fuch as
my imagination had pictured the fubterraneous
one of the robbers in Gil Bias. Here we under
went the ceremony of having our pocket-books
fearched for papers and letters, and our trunks
rummaged for knives and fire-arms. This done,
we were fhown to the lodging I have defcribed,
and the poor priefts, already infuffrably croud
ed, were obliged almoft to join their beds in
order to make room for us.  1 will not pain
you by a recital of all the embarraffments and
diftreffes we had to furmount before we could
even reft ourfelves. We were in want of every
thing, and the rules of the prifon fuch, that it
was^nearly impoffible, for fome time, to procure
any thing : but j:he human mind is more flexible
than we are often difpofed to imagine it ; and
in two days we were able to fee oar fituation in
its beft point of view, (that is, as an efcape from
Arras,) and the affair of fubmitting our bodies
tp our minds muft be atchieved by time. — We
have now been here a week. We .have founded
the very depth of humiliation, taken our daily
allowance of bread with the reft of the, prifoners,
?f A an£

44° A RESIDENCE
and contracted a moft friendly intimacy with
the gaoler
I have difcovered fince. our arrival, that the
order for transferring us hither defcribed me as
a native of the Low Countries. I know not
how this has happened, but my friend has. in-
fifted on my not rectifying the miftake, for as
the French talk continually of re- conquering
Brabant, fhe perfuades herfelf fuch an event
would procure me my liberty. I neither defire
tbe one nor expect the other ; but, to indulge
her, I fpeak no Englifh, and avoid two or three
of my countrymen who I am told are here.
There have been alfo fome Englifh families who
were lately removed, but the French pronounce
our names fo ftrangely, that I have not been
able to learn who they were.

LETTER LVII.
November 19, I793>
HE Englifh in general, efpecially of late
years, have been taught to entertain Very for
midable notions of the Baftille and Other ftate
prifons of "the ancient government, ahd they
¦¦- -were,

IN FRANCE. 441
were, no doubt, horrid enough; yet I have
not hitherto been able to difcover that thole of
the new republic are any way preferable. Tlie
only difference is, that the great number of
prifoners which, for want of room, are obliged
to be heaped together, makes it impoffible to
exclude them as formerly from communication,
and, inftead of being maintained at the public
expence, they now, with great difficulty, are
able to procure wherewithal to eat at their own.
Our prefent habitation is an immenfe building,
about a quarter of a mile from the town, in-
. tended originally for the common gaol of the
province. The fituation is damp and unwhole-
forne, and the water fo bad, that I fhould fup
pofe a long continuance here of fuch a number
of prifoners muft be productive of endemical
diforders. Every avenue to the houfe is guard
ed, and no one is permitted to.ftop and look up
at the windows, under pairfbf becoming" a~relt-
dent. We are ftrictly prohibited from all ex
ternal intercourfe, except by writing ; and every
fcrap of paper, though butan order for a dinner,
paffes the inquifition^of-three^differpnt people
before it reaches its deft i nation, and, of courfe,
many letters and notes. are miflaid, and never
fent at all. — There ,is no court or garden in
Which the prifoners are allowed to walk, and the

44& A RESIDENCE
the only -exercife they can take is . in damp
paffages, or a fmall yard, (perhaps thirty
feet fquare,) which often fmells fo deteftably,
that the atmofphere of the houfe itfelf is, lefs
mephitic. Our fellow-captives are a motley collection
of the victims of nature, of juftice, and of ty
ranny — of lunatics who are infenfible of their
fituation, of thieves who deferve it, and of
political criminals whofe guilt is the accident
of birth, the imputation of wealth, or the
clerical profeffion. Among the latter is, the
Bifhop of Amiens, whom I recollect to havcf
mentioned in a former letter. You will wonder
why a conftitutional Bifhop, once popular with
the democratic party, fhould be thus treated.
The real motive was, probably, to degrade in
his perfon a minifter of religion — the often-
fible one, a difpute with Dumont at the
Jacobin club. As the times grew alarming, the
Bifhop, perhaps, thought it politic to appear at
the club, and the Reprefentative meeting him
there one evening, began to interrogate him
very rudely with regard to his opinion of the
marriage of priefts. M. Dubois replied, that
when it was officially incumbent on him to ex
plain himfelf, he would do fo, but that he. did not

•IN FRANCE, 443
not tfnnk-frhe club a place for fuch difcuflions,.
or fomething to this purpofe. " Tu preva-
riques'pdonc ! — Je I ' art'tle fur h champ:'*" the-
j3ilhop was accordingly arrefted at the inftant,
and conducted to the Bicetre, without even being
fuffered to go home and furnifh himfelf with
neceffaries ; and the feals being immediately
put on his effects, he has never been able to
obtain a change of linen and clothes, or any
thing. elfe — this too at a time when the penfions
of the clergy are ill paid, and every article of
clothing fo dear as to be almoft unpurchafe-
ableby moderate fortunes, and when thofe who
might otherwife be difpofed to aid or accom
modate their friends, abandon them through
fear of being implicated in their misfortune.
But the Bifhop, yet in the vigour of life, is
better capable of enduring thefe hardfhips than
moft of the poor priefts with whom he is affo
ciated : the greater number of them are very
old men, with venerable grey locks — and-their
tattered clerical habits, fcanty meals, and
wretched beds, give me many an heart-ache.
God fend the conftant fight of fo much mifery
may not render me callous !— It is certain, there
* " What, you prevaricate !— I arreft ybu inftantly." are

444 A RESIDENCE
are people here, who, whatever their feelings
might have been on this occafion at firft, deerri.'
now little affected by it. Thofe who are too
much familiarized with fcenes of wretchednefs,
as well as thofe to whom they are unknown,
are not often very fufceptible ; and Lam fome
times difpofed to cavil with our natures, that
the fufferings which ought to excite our benevo
lence, and the profperity that enables us. to
relieve them, fhould ever have a contrary effect.
Yet this is fo true, that I have fcarcely ever
obferved even the poor confiderate towards
each other — and the rich, if they are frequently
charitable, are not always companionate.* Nov.
* Our fituation at the Bicetre, though terrible for people
unufed to hardfliips or confinement, and in fail, wretched as
perfonal inconvenience could make it, was yet Elyfium, com
pared to the prifons of other departments. At St. Omer, the
prifoners were frequently difturbed at midnight by the entrance.
of men into, their apartments, who, with the deteftable. enfign
of their order,, (red caps,) and pipes in their mouths, came
by-way of frolic to fearch their pockets, trunks, &"c. — At
^ontreuil, the Maifons d' Arret were under, the direction of
3 CoromiHary, whofe behaviour to the female prifoners was too
atrocious for recital — two young women, in particular, who
refufed to purchafe milder treatment, were locked up. in a
room, for feventeen days.  Soon after I left Arras, every
prifon became a den of horror. The miferable inhabitants
were fubjecT: to, the agents of LeBon, whofe avarice, cruelty, ami

IN FRANCE.. 445,
,=tjMbv: zoi Befides the gentry, and clergy of
this department, we have likewife for com-
n " -n.- , panions
ahd Ircentioufnefs, were beyond any thing a humane mind can-
imagine. Sometimes the houfes were fuddenly furrounded by
an armed force, the prifoners turned out in the depth of winter*
for feveral hours into an open court, during the operation of
robbing them of their pocket-books, buckles, ear-rings, or
whatever article of value they had about them. At other
times they were vifited by the fame military array, and de
prived of their linen and clothes. Their wine and provifions
were iikewife.taken from them in the fame manner — wives
werefeparated from their hufbands, parents from their children,
old men treated with the moft favage barbarity, and young wo
men with an indecency ftill more abominable. All communi
cation, either by writing or otherwife, was often prohibited for
Many'.days together, and an order was once given to prevent
even the entry of provifions, which was not revoked till the
prifoners became abfolutely diftrefled. At the Hotel Dieu they
were forbidden to draw more than a fingle jug of water in
twenty-four hours. At the Providence, the well was left three
days without a cord, and when tlie unfortunate females confined
there procured people to beg water of the neighbours, they.
were refufed, " becaufe it was for prifoners, and if Le Boh
heard of it he might be difpleafed !" Windows were blocked up,
not to prevent efcape, but to exclude air ; and when the gene
ral fcarcity rendered it impoffible for the prifoners to procure
fufficient food for their fupport, their (mail portions were dr-
miaiftied at the gate, under pretext of fearching for letters, &c."
—People, refpe&able both for their rank and chara&er, were
employed to clean the prifons and privies, while their tow and
infolent tyrants looked on and infulted them. Oh an occafion
when orie of the Maifons d' Arrets was on fire, guards' were
planted

44^ A RESIDENCE
panions a number of inhabitants of JLifle, ar*
refted under circumftances fingularly atrocious.,.
even where atrocity is the characteriftic of almoft
every proceeding.— In the month of Auguft. a,
decree was paffed to oblige all the nobility,
clergy, and their fervants, as well as all thofe
perfons who had been in the fervice of emi
grants, to depart from Li fle in eight-and-forty
hours, and prohibiting their refidence within
twenty leagues from the frontiers. Thus ba-
nifhed from their own habitations, they took re
fuge in different towns, at the prefcribed dif
tance ; but, almoft as foon as they were arrived,
and had been at the expence of^ fettling them
felves, they were arrefted as ftrangers,* and
conducted to prifon.
It will not be improper to notice here the con
duct of the government towards the towns that
planted round, with Orders to fire upon thofe that fliould at
tempt to efcape. — My memory has but too faithfully recorded
thefe and ftill greater horrors ; but curiofity would be gratified
but too dearly by the relation.
I added the above note lome months after writing the letter
to which it is annexed.
* I have before, I believe, noticed that the term etranger
at this time did jiot exclufively apply to foreigners, but-to fuch
as had come from one town to another, who were at inns or oil
a..vifit to their friends. have

IN PRANCE. 447
have been befieged. Thionville,* to whofe gal
lant defence in 1792 France owed the retreat of
the PrufHans and the fafety of Pai'is, was after-
Wards continually reproached with ariftocracy ;
and when the inhabitants fent a deputation to fo
licit an indemnity for the damage the town had
fuftained during the bombardment, a member of
fhe Conversion threatened them from the tri
bune with " indemnitis a coup de baton!" that
is, in our vernacular tongue, with a good
threfhing. The inhabitants of Lifle, who had been'
equaily-ferviceable in ftopping the progrefs of
the Auftrians, for a long time petitioned with
out effect to obtain the fums already voted for
their relief. The nobleffe, and others from
thence who have been arrefted, as foon as it was
known that they were Lillois, were treated with
* Wiropfen, who commanded there, and whofe conduct
at the time was enthufiaftically admired, was driven, moft
probably by the ingratitude and ill treatment of the Conven
tion, to head a party of the Foederalifts.— Thefe legislators
perpetually boaft of imitating and furpaffing the Romans, and
it is certain, that tlieir ingratitude has made more than one
Coriolanus. The difference is, that they are not jealous for the
liberty of the country, but for their own perfonal fafety. peculiar

44^ A RESfDENCE
peculiar rigour ;* and an armie revolutionnaire,-\
with the Guillotine for a ftandard, has lately
harraffed
* The Commandant of Lille, oh his arrival at the Bic&re,
was ftripped of a confiderable fum of money, and a quantity of
plate he had -unluckily brought with him bv way of fecurity.
Out of this he is to be iupplied with fifty livres at a time in
paperj which, according to the exchange and the price of
every thing, is, I fuppofe, about half a guinea.
f The arm'ee revolutionnatre -was firft railed by order of the5
Jacobins, for the purpofe of fearching the countries for pro*
virions, and conducting them to Paris. Under this pretext,
a levy was made of all the moft defperate ruffians that could
be collected together. They were divided, into companies,
each with its. attendant Guillotine, and then diftributed in the
different departments ; they had extraordinary pay, and feent
to have been fubjecled to no difcipline. Many of them were
diftinguifhed by the reprefentation of a Guillotine in miniature,
and a head juft fevered, on their cartouch-boxes, It would be
impoffible to defcribe half the enormities committed by thefe
Banditti': wherever they went they were regarded as a fcourge,
and every heart ihrunk at their approach. Lecointre, of
Verfailles, a member of the Convention, complained that a
band of thefe wretches entered the houfe of a farmer, one of
his tenants, by night, and after binding the family hand and
foot, and helping themfelves to whatever they could find, they
placed the farmer with his bare fe?t on the chaffing-difh of hot
afhes by way of forcing him to difcover where he had fecreted
his plate and money, which having fecured, they fet all the
veffels of liquor running, and then retired. You

IN PRANCE. 449
harraffed the town and environs of Lifle, as
though it were a conquered country. The gar
rifon and national guard, indignant at the hor
rors they committed, obliged them to decamp.
Even the people of Dunkirk, whofe refiftance
to the Englifh, while the French army was col
lecting together for their relief, was perhaps of
more Gonfequence than ten victories, have been
fince intimidated with Comrniffioners, and Tri
bunals, and Guillotines, as much as if they had
been convicted of felling the town. In fhort,
under this philanthropic republic, perfecution
feems to be very exactly proportioned to the
fervices rendered. A jealous and fufpicious?
government does not forget, that the fame
energy of character which has enabled a people
to defend themfelves againft an external enemy,
may alfo make them lefs fubmiffive to domeftic
oppreffion ; and, far from repaying them with
the gratitude to which they have a claim, it
You are not to fuppofe this a robbery, and the aftors com
mon thieves ; all was in the ufual form—" au nom de la lot"
and for the fervice of the republic ; and I do not mention this
inftance as remarkable, otherwife than as having been noticed
in the Convention. A thoufand events of this kind, even ftill
more atrocious, have happened; but the fufferers who had not
the means of defence as well as of complaint, were obliged,
through policy, to be filent.

VOL. I.

g treats

450 a residence^
treats them, on all occafions, as opponents,-
vvhom it both fears- and hates.

Nov. 22'. We have been walking- in the yard
to-day with General Laveneur, who, for an act
which in any other country would have gained
him credit, is in this fufpended from- his com
mand. — When Cuftine, a few weeks before his
death, left the army to vifit fome of the neigh
bouring towns, the command devolved on La
veneur, who received, along, with other official
papers, a Tift of counterfigns-, which, having
probably been made fome time, and not altered
conformably to the changes of the day, con
tained, among others, the words Condorcet—
Conftitution; and thefe were in their turn given
out. On Cuftine's trial, this was made a part
of his aecufation. Laveneur, recollecting that
the circumftance had happened in the abfence
of Cuftine, thought it incumbent on him to take
the blame, if there were any, on himfelf, and .
wrote to Paris to explain the matter as it really
ftOod ; but his candour, without availing Cuf
tine, drew perfecution on himfelf, and the only
notice taken of his letter was an order to arreft
him. After being dragged from one town to
another, like a criminal, and often lodged in
dungeons

IN FRANCE. 45 r
dungeons and common prifons, he was at length
depofited here,
I know not if the Generals principles are re
publican, but he has a very democratic pair of
whifkers, which he occafionally ftrokes, and
feems to cherifh with much affection* He is,
however, a gentleman-like man, and expreffes
fuch anxiety for the fate of his wife and chil
dren, who are! now at Paris, that one cannot
but be interefted in his favour. — As the agents'
of the republic never err on the fide of omif
fion, they arrefted Monf. Laveneur's aid-de
camp with him ; and another officer of his ac
quaintance, who was fufpended, and living at
Amiens, has fhared the fame fate, only for en
deavouring to procure him a trifling accommo
dation. This gentleman called on Dumont, to
beg that General Laveneur's fervant might be
permitted to go in and out of the prifon on his
matter's errands. After breakfafting together,
and converfing on very civil terms, Dumont
told him, that as he concerned himfelf fo much
in behalf of his friend, he would fend him to
keep the latter company, and at the conclufion
of his vifit he was fent prifoner to the Bicetre.
Perhaps the greater part of between three.
G § a and

4&a A RESIDENCE
and four hundred thoufand people, now im'-*
prifoned on fufpicion, have been arrefted for
reafons as little fubftantial. — I begin to fear
my health will not refift the hardfhip of a long
continuance here. We have no fire-place, and
are fometimes ffarved with partial winds from
the doors and roof; at others, faint and heart-
fick with the unhealthy air produced by fo
many living bodies. The water we drink is
not preferable to the air we breathe ; the bread
(which is- now every where fcarce and bad)
contains fuch amixture of barley, rye, damaged
wheat, and trafh of all kinds, that, far from
being nourifhed by it, I lofe both my ftrength
and appetite daily. — Yet thefe are not the worft
of our fufferings. Shut out from all fociety,
victims of a defpotie and unprincipled govern
ment capable of every thing, and ignorant of
the fate which may awai t us, we are occafion^
ally oppreffed by a thoufand melancholy ap
prehenfions. I might, indeed, have boafted of
my fortitude, and have made myfelf an heroine
on paper at as fmall an expence of words as it
has coft me to record my cowardice : but I am
of an unlucky. conformation, and think either
too much or too little (I know not which) for
& female philofopher; befides, philofophy is
getting into fuch ill repute, that not poffeffing the

IN FRANCE. 453
the reality, the name of it is not worth af-
fuming, A poor old prieft told me juft now, (while
Angelique was mending his black coat with
white thread,) that they had left at the place
where they were laft confined a large quantity
of linen, and other neceffaries; but, by the
exprefs orders of Dumont, they were not al
lowed to bring a fingle article away with them.
The keeper, too, it feems, was threatened with
difmiffion, for fupplying one of them with a
fhirt.— In England, where, I believe, you ally
political expediency as much as you can with
juftice and humanity, thefe cruelties, at once
little and refined, will appear incredible ; and the
French themfelves, who are at leaft afhamed of,
if they are not pained by, them, are obliged to
feek refuge in the fancied palliative of a " ftate
of revolution." — Yet, admitting the neceffity
of confining the perfons of thefe old men, there
Can be none for heaping them together in filth
and mifery, and adding to the fufferings of
years and infirmity by thofe of cold and want.
If, indeed, a ftate of revolution require fuch
deeds, and imply an apology for them, lean-
not' but wifh the French had remained as they
were, for I know of no political changes that
g g 3 can

454 A RESIDENCE
can compenfate for turning a civilized nation
into a people of favages. It is not finely the
eating acorns or ragouts, a well powdered head,
or one decorated with red feathers, that confti
tutes the difference between barbarifm and
civilization; and, I fear, if the French pro
ceed as they have begun, the advantage of
morals will be confiderably on. the fide of the
unrefined favages.
The converfation of the prifon has been much
engaged by the fate of an Englifh gentleman,
who lately deftrOye«f himfelf in zMaifon d' Arret
at Amiens. His confinement had at firft deeply
affected his fpirits, and his melancholy -increaf
ing at the profpect of a long detention, ter
minated in deranging his mind, and occafioned
this laft act of defpair. — I never hear of filicide
without a compaffion mingled with terror, for,
perhaps, fimple pity is too light an emotion to
be excited by an event .which reminds us, that
we- are fufceptible of a degree of mifery too
great to be borne— too ftrong for the efforts of
inftinct, reflection, and religion. — r-I could
moralize on the neceffity of habitual patience&
and the benefit of preparing the mind for great
evils by a philofophic endurance of little ones j
but I am at the Bicetre — the winds whiftle round
me

IN FRANCE.. 455
me — I am befet by petty diftreffes, and we do
not expatiate to advantage on endurance while
we have any thing to endure. — Seneca's con
tempt for the things of this world was doubtlefs
fuggefted in the palace of Nero. He would
not have treated the fubject fo well in difgrace
and poverty. Do not fuppofe I am affecting
to be pleafant, for I write in the fober fadnefs
of conviction^-that human fortitude is often
no better than a pompous theory, founded on
felf-love and felf-deception,
I was furprized at meeting among our fellow-
prifoners a number of Dutch officers. I find
they had been fome time in the town on their
parole, and were fent here by Dumont, for re
fufing to permit their men to work on the for
tifications. — The French government and its
agents defpife the laws of war hitherto obferved ;
they confider them as a fort of arifiocratie mili-
taire, and they pretend, on the fame principle,
to be enfranchifed from the law of nations. —
An orator of the Convention lately boafted, that
he felt himfelf infinitely fuperior to the preju
dices of Grotius, Puffendorff, andVatel, which
Jie calls " '¦ I "arifiocratie diplomatique." — Such fub
lime fpirits think, becaufe they differ from the
g g 4 reft

456 A RESIDENCE
teft of mankind, that they furpafs them. Like
Icarus, they attempt to fly, and-are perpetually;
ftruggiing in the mire. — Plain common, fenfe
has long pointed out a rule of action, from
which all deviation is fatal, both to nations and
individuals. England, as well as France, has
furnifhed its examples ; and the annals of genius
in all countries are replete with the miferies of
eccentricity. — Whoever has followed the courfe
of the French revolution, will, I believe, be
convinced, that the greateft evils attending on
it have been occafioned by an affected con
tempt for received maxims. A common ban
ditti, acting only from the defire of plunder,
or men, erring only through ignorance, could
not have fubjugated an whole people, had they
not been affifted by narrow-minded philofo-,
phers, who were eager to facrifice their country
to the vanity of making experiments, and were
little folicitous whether their fyftems were good/
or bad, provided they were celebrated as the
authors of them. Yet, where are they now ?
Wandering, profcribed, and trembling at the
fate of their followers and accomplices. — The
Briffotins, facrificed by -a party even worfe
than themfelves, have died without exciting
cither pity or admiration. Their fall was con
fidered

IN FRANCE. 457
fidered as the natural confequence of their ex
altation, and the courage with which they met
death obtained no tribute but a cold and iimple
comment, undiftinguifhed from the news of
the day, and ending with it.
December. Laft night, after we had been
afleep about an hour, (for habit, that " lulls
the wet fea-boy on the high and giddy maft,"
has reconciled us to fleep even here,) we were
alarmed by the trampling of feet, and fudden
unlocking of our door. Our apprehenfions
gave us no time for conjecture — in a moment
an ill-looking fellow entered the room with a'
lantern, two foldiers holding drawn fwords, and
a large dog 1 The whole company walked as it
were proceffionally to the end of the apartment,
and, after obferving in filence the beds on each
fide, left us. It would not be eafy to defcribe
what we fuffered at this moment ; for my own
part, I thought only of the maffacres of Sep
tember, and the frequent propofals at the Jaco
bins and the Convention for difpatching the
" gensfufpecl," and really concluded I Was go
ing to terminate my exiftence " revolutionnaire-
ment." I do not now know the purport of
thefe vifits, but I find they are not unufual, and

458 A RESIDENCE
and moft probably intended to alarm the pri
foners.

After many enquiries and meffages, I have
had the mortification of hearing that Mr. and
Mrs. D— - — were taken to Arras, and were
there even before I left it. The letters fent to
and from the different prifons are read by fo
many people, and pafs through fo many hands,
that it is not furprizing we have not heard from
each other. As far as I can learn, they had ob
tained leave, after their firft arreft, to remove to
a houfe in the vicinity of Dourlens for a few
days, on account of Mrs. D  's health, which
had fuffered-by paffing the fummer in the town,
and that at the taking of Toulon they were again
arrefted while on a vifit, and conveyed to a
Maifon d'Arrit at Arras. I am the more anxi
ous for them, as it feems they were unprepared
for fuch an event; and as the feals were put
upon their effects, I fear they muft be in want
of every thing. I might, perhaps, have fuc
ceeded in getting them removed here, but
Fleury's Arras friend, it feems, did not think,
when the Convention had abolifhed every other
part of Chriftianity, that they intended ftill to
exact a partial obfervance of the eighth article of

JN FRANCE. 459
of the decalogue ; and having, in the fenfe of
Antient Piftol, " conveyed" a little too notori
oufly, Le Bon has, by way of fecuring him from
notice or purfuit, fent him to the frontiers in
the capacity of Commiffary.
The prifon, conlidering how many French
inhabitants it contains, is tolerably quiet — to
fay the truth, we are not very fociable, and
ftill lefs gay. Common intereft eftablifhes a
fort of intimacy between thofe of the fame
apartment ; but the reft of the houfe pafs each
Other, without farther intercourfe than filent
though fignificant civility, Sometimes you fee
a pair of unfortunate ariftocrates talking poli
tics at the end of a paffage, or on a landing-
place ; and here and there a bevy of females, en
defhabilli, recounting altogether the fubject of
their arreft. One's ear occafionally catches a
few half-fuppreffed notes of a profcribed air,
but the unhallowed founds of „the Carmagnole
and Marfeillois are never heard, and would be
thought more diffonant here than the war-
whoop. In fact, the only, appearance of gaiety
is among the ideots and lunatics. — "Je mennuye
furieufement," is the general exclamation. — An
Englifhman confined at the Bicetre would ex
prefs himfelf more forcibly, but, it is certain, the

460 A RESIDENCE
the want of knowing how to employ, themfelves
does not form a fmall part of the diftreffes of
our fellow-prifoners ; and when they tell us
they are ic ennuyis" they fay, perhaps, nearly
as fnuch as they feel— for, as far as I can ob
ferve, the lofs of liberty has not the fame effect
on a Frenchman as an Englifhman. Whether
this arifes from political caufes, or the natural
indifference "of the French character, lam not
qualified to determine ; probably from both :
yet when I obferve this facility of mind gene*
ral, and by no means peculiar to the higher
claffes, I cannot myfelf but be of opinion, that
it is more an effect of their orginal difpofition
than of their form of government ; for though
in England we were accuftomed from our child
hood to confider every man in France as liable
to wake and find himfelf in the Baftille, or at
Mont St. Michel, this formidable defpotifm
exifted more in theory than in practice ; and if
courtiers and men of letters were intimidated
by it, the mafs of the people troubled them
felves very little about Lettres de Cachet. The
revenge or fufpicion of Minifters might fome
times purfue thofe who aimed at their power,
or aflailed their reputation ; but the leffer gen
try, the merchants, or the fhopkeepers, were
very feldom victims of arbitrary imprifonment— >-
and

JN FRANCE. 46.I.
and I believe, amongft the evils which it was
the object of the revolution to redrefs, this
(except on the principle) was far from being
of the firft magnitude. I am not likely, under
my prefent circumftances, to be an advocate
for the defpotifm of any form of government ;
andl only give it as a matter of opinion, that
the civil liberty of the French was not fo often
and generally violated,* as to influence their
character in fuch a degree as to render them
infenfible of its lofs. At any rate, we muft rank
it among the bizarreries (unaccountable whimfi-
cal events) of this world, that the French
fhould have been prepared, by the theory of
oppreffion under their old fyftem, for enduring
* I remember in 1789, after the deftructioii ofthe Baftille,
our companionate countrymen were taught to believe that this
tremendous prifon was peopled with victims, and that even the
dungeons were inhabited; yet the truth is, though it would
not have told fo pathetically, or have produced fo much thea
trical effect, there were only feven perfons confined in the
whole building, and certainly not one in the dungeons. The
iron cages, of which fo much has been faid, were not, as is
generally fuppofed, moveable, and of fuch a fize as the idea
of a cage conveys, but fmall clofets entirely grated with iron,
from whence they derived their appellation. — See Howard on
Prifons.— In 1794, on the fcite of the Baftille was placed one
of the Guillotines fiiett in conftant activity. — Is not this a com
pendious, but expreffive, hiftory of the Revolution I the

46i A RESIDENCE
the practice of it under the new one ; ahd that
what during the monarchy was only poffible to
a few, is, under the republic, almoft certain
to all.

LETTER LVIII.
Amiens, Providence, Dec. io, 1793.
vV E have again, as you will perceive, changed
our abode, and that too without expecting, and
almoft without defiring it. In my moments of
fullennefs and defpondency, I was not very fe
licitous about the modifications of our confine
ment, and little difpofed to be better fatisfied
with one prifon than another : but, heroics
apart, external comforts are of fome impor
tance, and we have, in many refpects, gained
by our removal.
Our prefent habitation is a fpacious building,
lately a convent, and though now crouded with
more prifoners by two or three hundred than it
will hold conveniently, yet we are better lodged
than at the Bicetre, and we have alfo a large gar
den, good water, and what above all is der
firable,

IN FRANCE.' 463
firable, the liberty of delivering our letters or
meffages ourfelves (in prefence of the guard)
to any one who will venture to approach us.
Mad. de — - — • and myfelf have a fmall cell,
where we have juft room to place our beds, but
we have no fire-place, and the maids are obliged
to fleep in an adjoining paffage.
A few evenings ago, while we were at the
Bicetre, we were fuddenly informed by the
keeper that Dumont had fent fome foldiers with
an order to convey us that night to the Provi
dence. We- were at firft rather furprized than
pleafed, and reluctantly gathered our baggage
together with as much expedition as we could,
while the men who were to efcort us were ex
claiming " a la Franca fe" at the trifling delay
this occafioned. When we had paffed the gate,
we found Fleury, with fome porters, ready to
receive our beds, and overjoyed at having pro
cured us a more decent prifon, for it feems,
he could by no means reconcile himfelf to the
name of Bicetre. We had about half a mile
to walk, and on the road he contrived to ac
quaint us with "the means by which he had fo-
licited this favour of Dumont. After advifing
with all Mad. de  '9 friends who were yet
at liberty, and finding no one willing to make an

4^4 A residengB
an effort in her behalf, for fear of involving
themfelves, he difcovered an old acquaintance
in the " femme de chambre" of one of the
Reprefent ant's miftreffes. — —This, for one of
Fleury's fagacity, was a fpring to have fet tha
whole Convention in a movement ; and in a few
days he profited fo well by this female patro
nage, as to obtain an order for transferring us
hither. On our arrival, we were informed, as
ufual, that the houfe was already full, andrthat
there was no poffibilty of admitting us. We
however, fet up all night in the keeper's room
with fome other people newly arrived like our-.
felves, and in the morning, after a little dif-
puting and a pretty general derangement ofthe
more ancient inhabitants, we were " nichies,"
as I have defcribed to you. *
We have not yet quitted our room much* but
I obferve that, every one appears more chearful,
and more ftudied in their toilette, than at the
Bicetre, and I am willing to infer from thence
that confinement, here is lefs infupportable. —
I have been employed two days in enlarging
the notes I had made in our laft prifon, and in
making them more legible, for I ventured no
farther than juft to fcribble with a pencil in a
kind of fhort-hand of my own invention, and not

IN FRANCE. 465
not even that without a variety of precautions.
I fhall be here lefs liable either to furprize or
obfervation, and as foon as I have fecured what
I have already noted, (which I intend to do to
night,) I fhall continue my remarks in the ufual
form. You will find even mor-e than my cuf-
totnary incorrectnefs and want of method ¦
fince we left Peronne ; but I fhall not allow
your competency as a critic, until you have
been a prifoner in the hands of French
republicans, It will not be improper to notice to you a
very ingenious decree of Gallon, (a member of
the Convention,) who lately propofed to embark
^11 the Englifh now in France at Breft, and then
to fink the fhips. — Perhaps the Committee of
Public Welfare are now in a fort of benevolent
indecifion, whether this, or Collot d'Herbois'
gunpowder fcheme, fhall have the preference.
Legendre's iron cage and fimple hanging will,
doubtlefs, be rejected, as too flow and formal.
The mode of the day is " les grandes mefures."
If I he not ferioufly alarmed at thefe propo
fitions, it is not that life is indifferent to me,
or that I think the government too humane to
adopt them. My tranquillity arifes from re
flecting that fuch meafures would be of no
WL< <• H^ political

466 A RESIDENCE, &C
political ufe, and that we fhall moft likely be
foon forgotten in the multitude of more im
portant concerns. Thofe, however, whom I
endeavour to confole by this reafoning, tell me
it is nothing lefs than infallible, that the inuti
lity of a crime is here no fecurity againft its
perpetration, and that any project which tends
to evil will fooner be remembered than one of
humanity or juftice.

END OF VOL. I.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 01479 4763