30] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
If ftate neceflity was pleaded as the 
colour or pretence, they obferved, 
that it was at beft the plea only of 
tyrants, and that the fame pretence 
would anfwer the fame purpofe, 
while they had any thing left to 
lofe. If the total failure of the 
cuftomary taxes was brought as an 
argument, the queftion was readily 
put, why the people were armed to 
refit their payment, until better, 
Or at leait other taxes were provid- 
ed, to fupply the deficiency ? They 
faid that the landed proprietors had 
already facrificed a great part of 
their rights and property to the 
public good; that another great 
portion had been totally deftroyed, 
by the cruel devaftations commit- 
ted on their eflates and houles, by 
thofe very people en whom they 
were fhowering benefits; and that 
tiow, in the feafon of their humi- 
liation and diftrefs, fcarcely breath- 
ing from the horrors and ruin which 
they had experienced, to condemn 
them to the fupport of all the ex- 
pences of the nation, was a meafure 
of {uch injuftice and cruelty, as to 
be without example in all the an- 
fals of tyranny. Ner did the fan- 
¢tine and adtive part which Mira- 
beau had taken in pafling this de- 
éree, ferve in any degree to leflen 
theie. impreffions, or to render the 
meature more pleafing.—Upon the 
whole, nothing had yet taken place 
in the courfe of the revolution, which 
ferved fo much to embitter the 
fuinds of men, to increafe the ani- 
tofity and malignity of parties, 
and that through the violence of 
their collifion produced fuch unfor- 
tunate and difgraceful confequences, 
as this meafure of partial taxation. 
During thefe endeavotrs to re« 
medy the diftrefes o¢cafioned by 
the difordered ftate of the finances, 
(which took up no {mall fpace of 
time) the national affembly was 
bufily occupied in forming different 
parts of the new conftitution, and 
particularly in framing their cele- 
brated declaration of the rights of 
men and of citizens. On this laft 
fubject the aflembly feemed greatly 
to bewilder themfelves in abftraé 
queftions and metaphyfical difqui- 
fitions. La Fayette, whofe princi- 
ples were truly and entirely Ame- 
rican, brought forward a declara- 
tion, which was little more or lefs 
than an epitome of all thofe that 
had been adopted by the different 
members of the united flates. This 
might poflibly have been fo far 
received as to become in fome de- 
gree a fort of ground-work to their 
own, if the abbé Sieyes had noe 
compofed an abftraét and difficult 
work, in which he defined and 
traced the rights of man to their 
firft principles. Though the abbé’s 
friends and admirers were unfuc- 
cefsful in their fupport of this pro- 
duction, they, however, procured 
the overthrow of La Fayette’s fy 
tem; but this double failure, in- 
ftead of operating as a difcourage- 
ment, was fucceeded by fuch a 
multitude of plans of new declara- 
tions, that the afiembly, embarraf- 
fed by the variety of choice, feund ~ 
it neceflary to appoint a committees; — 
in order to reduce the fubftance of — 
thofe numerous plans into one di- 
geft, which they might refer to, as _ 
a text book in their deliberations. 
This digeft was as far from af 
fording fatisfaction as the feparaté 
plans, of individuals. In the mean 
time eflays were every day written 
upon the fubjeét, and ‘every man — 
feemed to think it the eafielt is 
a 
