HISTORY OF EUROPE,' 



109' 



.defeated or abandoned. Fiance 

 tost a great iiun:iber of inhabitants 

 the best disposed to peace with 

 tbcir neighbours ; and the eneniies 

 of the revolution weie piopoition- 

 ably diminished. 



I'he prospect of a favourable 

 vmination of the dangerous con- 

 test: with the insurgents of La Venr 

 dee, was the most auspicious cir- 

 ^cjimstance that accompanied tiie 

 opening of 1704. The Conven- 

 tion now indulged itself in foiming 

 a variety of regulations for the 

 Jbetter accomplishment of those pur- 

 poses which it doubted not its abili- 

 ty to execute whenever it should 

 have no other enemies to contend 

 with than those that formed the fo- 

 reign coalition. As ttjey had ex- 

 perienced a number of treacheries 

 in several of their pri/icipal officers, 

 they resolved that thek punish- 

 ment should be made as public and 

 impressive as the case would admit. 

 With this view, they passed a de- 

 cree on the first day of th's year, 

 importing that everj' General con- 

 demned to deatli for treason should 

 in future be executed at the head 

 ©f the arniy which he had attempt- 

 ed to betray. In order, at the same 

 time, to chfrish ihat devotion of 

 the army and navy to their inte- 

 rests, which was to be their muin 

 support, tliey abolished the punish- 

 ment of flogging, as unw nrihy of 

 freemen, and derogating from the 

 dignity of llieiv character. Other 

 modes of punishment were adopted 

 less ignominious, bat not less effec- 

 tual: — Stoppingtheir pay, reducing 

 tlieir rank, imprisonment, public 

 reproof, and otht-rs of a like nature. 

 'lo convince the world of their 

 determination to extend th'e rights- 

 of liberty and equality to ail nian- 

 kiod without exception, they pub- 



licly admitted to seats in the Con- 

 vention three deputies from St. 

 Domingo, as representatives of that 

 .colony j two of whom were mulat- 

 tbes, and one a negro. This re- 

 iirark.nble admission look place on- 

 the 3d of February ; and on the 

 4th, the. deputies iaegan the exer- 

 cise of their functions by laying be- 

 fore the Convention an account 

 of the alKiirs of that isl.-ind. It was 

 proposed on this occasion, totally to 

 abolish the practice of slavery in 

 every part of the Fiencli domi- 

 nions ; and the proposal was iin- 

 mediately converted into a decree 

 to that intent. A negro woman 

 who v/as present /ainted, it is said, 

 with pleasure at tlK; honour done 

 tO'her countrya:ien by the French 

 nation. On the ensuii^g day, how- 

 ever, after representing the incon- 

 veniences that might arise from so 

 sudden a transition from ^avery to 

 liberty, it was moved by Danton, 

 that the decree should be reierred 

 to the committee of public safety j 

 that they might frame such regu- 

 lations as should render it etteetual 

 and safe. 



The scarcity which had lately af- 

 flicted France, induced the Convea- 

 tiontoexert itself to the utmost pass,.- 

 for the ciue of an evil w.hich, if not 

 timely remedied, would prol;ably be 

 productive of many othe: s. It was- 

 notoriously to a scarcity that many 

 of the calamities which had attend- 

 ed the first pi-riods of the revolu- 

 tion, and in some measure that the 

 revolution itself, were due, A 

 committee was- appointed to iti-- 

 Misiigate the means of obviating 

 so great an evil, and providing for' 

 t!ic future subsistence of all classes. 

 — Tills committer, on the l/th day 

 of February, laid before the Con- 

 vention a list oi tkc highest i>rIct:R 



thai 



