136 Memoir of Armand Carrel. 



" National." He about this time also deeply studied the history of 

 England ; and the impressions which this made upon him only served 

 to increase his ardent thirst for freedom. His political opinions thus 

 exhibited themselves more openly than ever in the " History of the 

 Counter-revolution in England," which he published shortly after- 

 wards. In this work, which is marked by great ability, profound 

 thought, and forcible reasoning eloquently expressed, he endeavoured, 

 as he states, to avoid instituting any comparison between the Stuarts 

 and the Bourbons. But in spite of this, the feelings of the author 

 burst out, and it may easily be seen that he both anticipated and 

 wished, that the fate of the two families might be the same. 



But it was the "NATIONAL," which appeared towards the end of the 

 reign of the elder branch of the house of Bourbon, which has ren- 

 dered the name of Armand Carrel so celebrated, and which will 

 convey it to immortality. This journal, and its comprehensive name, 

 were projected by himself, and established by his own efforts and 

 those of Thiers and Mignet, who were editors conjointly with him; 

 each of the three taking the entire control for six months at a time. 

 The politics of the journal thus appeared to be of different shades ; 

 being openly republican under Carrel's management ; while the 

 object of Thiers seemed to be confined to the overthrow of the system 

 of the Bourbons, and the expulsion of the elder branch of the family 

 in favour of the Duke of Orleans. Mignet merely re-echoed the 

 opinions of Thiers. This policy afterwards procured the two latter 

 the situations of ministers in the first cabinet of Louis Philippe, and 

 to this alone Thiers owes his present elevation. A similar offer it is 

 understood was made to Carrel ; but his integrity was greater, and he 

 refused to sacrifice his principles for place, with the same devotion 

 which had formerly prompted him to reject an offer of life at the 

 expense of his honour. 



Carrel may be regarded as the first mover of the revolution of 

 July ; for on the morning, when the " Moniteur" appeared with the 

 celebrated ordinances which cost Charles X. his throne, he hurried 

 to the office of his journal, and before noon of the same day had 

 published an address to his countrymen in which the following 

 spirited passage occurs : " The ministry of the 8th of August have 

 not considered it their duty to be guided by the Chamber; they 

 wish to have the opinion of the Electoral Colleges. They have seen 

 that they could not fail to succumb before the laws ; and they there- 

 fore would recall those laws which, for the last fifteen years, France 

 has been accustomed to practise, to respect, and to cherish. The 

 three ordinances which follow appeared in the * Moniteur' of this 

 morning. There is no necessity for comment upon them. France 

 is again entering upon a career, from which for the last fifteen 

 years she had believed herself to be happily extricated; and she is 

 again falling into a revolution, brought on by the government itself. 

 Thrown, in spite of herself, out of the pale of the law, she is threat- 

 ened with never being able to enter it again, except through fresh 

 storms. It is at least a consolation for France to be able to say, that 

 she has committed no crime, that her conduct for the last year has 

 not deserved the severe measures, which are now to be adopted 



