agg} ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
upon the fentiments of mankind, 
and particularly on the neighbour- 
ing ftates, with refpect to tae wil 
dom, moderation, juftice, and peace- 
able difpofition which predominated 
in the new.government; which ail 
Europe would then find itfelf inte- 
refted in fupporting, and which the 
moft remote nations could not avoid 
regarding with refpect and adinira- 
tion. 
But this mefflage from the king 
threw the city of Paris into a itate 
of the moft violent agitation, and led 
the populace nearly to the point of 
renewing all the outrages which they 
had ever before exhibited; for this 
ever reftlefs and turbulent people 
thought fit to conceive, that the 
whole bufinefs was the etfect of a 
connected plot, formed by the king 
and the ariftocrates, in order to find 
a pretence for uniting the naval and 
military forces of both nations, and 
thereby accomplifhing a counter re- 
volution. Upon this occafion Mi- 
rabeau, who had the fortune of be- 
ing fo often alternately, the idol, or 
the averfion of the mob, became the 
object of their utmoft execration and 
rage. For having given it as his 
opinion in the affembly, “ that in 
the prefent fituation of affairs, the 
power of peace and war muft be left 
to the king:’’ although he had m- 
troduced this opinion by a long pre-~ 
lude aiming at popularity, but which 
was, however, rather too fublime to 
be eafily underftood, it was immedi- 
ately reported, either by the demo- 
¢ratic party in the ailembly, or by 
thofe in the galleries, that he had 
been bribed by the court: and this 
charee being fpeedily conveyed to 
the populace, a pamphlet was within 
a few hours cried and hawked about 
“the ftreets, entitled, “ The great 
Treachery of the. count, Mirabeau.” In 
this dangerous predicament he fhew- 
ed great ftoutnefs, and braved the 
democrates; but found means foon 
after, ‘as ufual, to reconcile mat- 
ters. 
The affembly immediately pub- 
lifhed their decree, which, with other 
explanations on the fubject, and 
means ufed to affuage the fever of 
the people, reftored things tu a ftate 
of quiet. They then appointed a 
committee to examine into and res 
port upon, all treaties of alliance ex- 
ifting between France and other 
countries. This enquiry was found- 
ed upon a new doé¢trine at this time 
held by many of the moft violent 
republicans, .that all treaties con- 
cluded by kings were in their nature 
illegal, therefore null, and confe- 
quently fhould not be binding on 
the nation. : 
We fhall purfue this fubje& with 
refpect to Spain to its conclufion, 
though a lapfe of feveral weeks too 
place before it was again brough 
forward. It appears fromthe event, | 
that however other treaties were con-. 
fidered, it was determined to fup- _ 
port the connection and alliance 
with Spain, even at the hazard of « 
war; a confequence which, in the 
prefent convulfedand disjointed ftate 
of the nation, muft have been, at- 
tended with the utmoft danger. 
During this interval, the difpofition” 
of the people, with refpeét to Eng- 
land, had undergone a fudden and 
total change. Violent fpeeches had — 
been made both in the afflembly and 
the popular clubs, and violent pam- — 
phlets publifhed, all calculated to — 
agitate and inflame the public mind, 
by expatiating upon the ambitious 
views and dangerous defigns attri-. 
buted to England. Commercial jea- 
loufy was rouzed and brought into 
play to further this change in the — 
national 
