HISTORY OF EUROPE. 151 



he proposed, that the Convention 

 should forracvlly decree, that the 

 committees, while they preserve 

 the right of arresting the mem- 

 bers ot the Coiivgntiou, should not 

 however consijjn them to the revo- 

 lutionary iribuaal until a decre:' of 

 accusation had been passed against 

 them by their fellow deputies. It 

 was additionally moved by another 

 member, of great conspicuity and 

 importance, Merlin of Douai, that 

 the right of passing acts of accusa- 

 tion against its own members, and 

 of directing the tribunals to try 

 them, was exclusively lodged in the 

 Convention. 



The passing of these motions was 

 the first .check, to the power of Ro- 

 "bespieiTe that he had never expe- 

 rienced in the Convention. It 

 vi'as a mortification whicli, from the 

 recent display of his consequence 

 two days before, he had little ex- 

 pected. He seemed, from this day, 

 to have lost much of his confidence. 

 He neither shewed himself in the 

 committees, nor in the Convention. 

 Here a large and spirited party was 

 decidedly formed against him. 

 The committee of general security 

 was no less hostile , and in tliat of 

 public safety, the most considerable 

 part of the members were no less 

 his enemies. 



Tills was a mortifying reverse of 

 his former situation. He bore it, 

 however, with great coolness of 

 temper, and employed himself in 

 devibing means to counteract the 

 schemes of hisadversaries; of whi(;h 

 through the numerous tnbei of 

 spies and informers at hisci^nuHaud, 

 he had sufficient jntelligence. Tho' 

 personally absent from the Con- 

 vention, he was highly solicitous, 

 through the medium ol his two 

 most intimate «nd trustv a"-enls, 



L 



St. Just and Couthon, to labour 

 for the preservation of his popu- 

 larity, by procuring a number of 

 jalutary laws to be passed. Those 

 which principally deserve mention, 

 were the regulations in favour of 

 seamen entitled to prize-money ; 

 the equitable distribution of which 

 was very judiciously provided for. 

 Another national service of im- 

 portance, was the prevention of 

 the pernicious effects to the public 

 finances, so mueh dreaded and ex- 

 pected from the deluge of counter- 

 feit assignats now poured into 

 France from foreign parts. Thro* 

 the arrangements made to obviate 

 their circulation, they proved of 

 little detriment where it was in- 

 tended they should have done most. 

 Not more than 60fX)l, sterling of 

 these forged notts found their way 

 to the treasury : the remainder 

 fell upon the people at large. 



A decree was pas-itd for the re- 

 gulation of military promotions. 

 One third of the posts, fro n a sub- 

 lieutenant to a chief of bdilalion, 

 were, by this decree, appropriated 

 to those who had signalized them- 

 selves by their bravery ; one third 

 were to be conferred according to 

 seniority J and another third by 

 election. By this arrangement the 

 first vicancy in every corps was 

 given to seniority, the second by 

 election, and the thiri was disposed 

 of by the Convention. A list of 

 those preferred for their valour and 

 services was ordered to be publish- 

 ed every decade, and distributed 

 throughout the army. The effect 

 of this regulation was prodigious : 

 it ii^Stanlly excited a spirit ot emu- 

 lation, that pervaded all the armies 

 ot the republic. To the emhu- 

 siasm that already anim:it;ed them, 

 the proi-pecL of remuneialiun wai 



•i })0\V 



