104 ANN U AL" REGI STER, 1794. 



.dec, their distresses in this desolated 

 country were such., thai the main 

 object of tl'.eir oi)erations was to 

 procure ;hemselves a sufficiency of 

 pro isions tor their existence Ma- 

 ny a bloody cngagisment took place 

 from this sole niotive. It was an 

 absolute struggle for life, much 

 more than for victory ; but as e- 

 fore this was obtained, the other 

 could not be secured, the Vendeans 

 were necessitated to conquer or to 

 die. As men thus circumstanced, 

 and thus resolved, must naturally 

 become formidable to their ene- 

 inies, the Veodeans reneu'cd the 

 terror with w'.ich they had been 

 viewed by the republican troops 

 antecedently to their late disasters, 

 and became as much dreaded as 

 ever. They revived their former 

 system of combating; and not- 

 withstanding the immense number 

 of enemies surroiindins; them on 

 every side, they continued vigor- 

 ously and successfully to maintain 

 their groundancltobearupinvincibly 

 both against theindefaugablectfort 

 of their enemies, and the still more 

 insupportable pressure of that pri- 

 vation of necessaries, which is so 

 apt to overcome tlic resolution of 

 the tirmcst minds. 



When we consider this invinci- 

 ble courage under the greatest suf- 

 ferings, and this determination to 

 persevere in resisting their enemies 

 to the hst breath, our admiration 

 cannot be refused to the power and 

 iniiueuce of those principles that 

 inspired them with so ranch hero- 

 ism. Those vhich actuated the 

 people of La Vendee, had the 

 strength of ages in their favour. 

 They had been traditionally handed 

 down from father to son for a long 

 succession, and were not of a na- 

 ture to be easily eri dicatcd : £cncz.i- 



tions past had cherished them a» 

 the greatest comfort of life, and the 

 most powerful support in its many 

 trials : nations around had ado ted 

 them ; and even those who were 

 lukewarm in their attachment could 

 not ''eny that they ^vere a source 

 of the brightest hopes and consola- 

 tions. These principles were, a tirtn 

 belief in the tenets of the Roman 

 Catho'ic pensuasioii , and a convic- 

 tioJj that the King had been unjust- 

 ly dethroned, and that his son was 

 lawftd heir to the crown. Faithful 

 to these maxims, they looked on 

 the Convention not only as rebels 

 to the Kmg and monarchy, but as 

 enemies to the Ciuistian religion, 

 in abolishing its legal establishment; 

 and persecuting its ministers for re- 

 fusing to comply rj'ith their injunc- 

 tions. 



Sp-h were the foundations on 

 which the Vendeans erected their 

 resistance, and their reso ution to 

 perish rather than embrace the re- 

 publican system, or submit in reli- 

 gious matters to the decrees of the 

 Convention. What contributed 

 in the highest degree to confirm 

 the Vendeans in those determi- 

 nations, was the influence of tl>eir 

 spiritual pastors, and the vastnuni- 

 b. rs of ecclesiastics who had taken 

 refuge among them. Their since- 

 rity in the cause for which they 

 cnn tended could not be doubted : 

 they had sacrificed all worldly con- 

 siderations, rather than forsake it, 

 and had shewn themselves ready to 

 lay down their lives in it.s support. 

 They accompanied the insurgents 

 to the field of battle, exposed to 

 the same dangers as the combatants. 

 They comforted the dying, tliey 

 attended the wounded, and per- 

 formed every pious and humane 

 otiice that religion and charity could 



dictate. 



