[3f 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794, 



now added. Those whom the 

 former motive did not so much in- 

 flut-nce as the Inlter, found the ve- 

 ■^jmpense they desirfdj and no 

 •nan herceforlh woukliiave to com- 

 plain of neglect, or of unequitable 

 usage. 



A law \vas als() passed for the 

 relief of mendicants, and the pre- 

 vention of mendicity. The mul- 

 titudes who subsisted by the beg- 

 ging of alms, were prohibited from 

 appearing in the public roads, and 

 bound to reside in houses appointed 

 for them, and where they would 

 beprovided with employment suit- 

 able to every one's age and capacity 

 for labour. IMindness and other 

 calamities that claimed the hn- 

 manity of the public, were also 

 taken into consideration. The de- 

 crees for the above purposes took 

 place in the coarse of June and 

 July. ' 



During these two months, the 

 victories obtained by the French 

 over the powers combined against 

 them, in every country wherein 

 the war was waged, seemed to cast 

 a lustre on the administration under 

 which they v/ere so triumphant, 

 that would induce the public to 

 Icjok with indulgence on its errors 

 and deficiencies in other respects. 

 Eut ixaC cruelties of Robespierre 

 %vere pf a nature not to admit of 

 exculpation. They came home 

 t<j every man's teeling so acutely 

 and with so t'^emeudous an aspect, 

 that the whole mass of society was 

 evidently interested in providing 

 speedily against their continuance. 

 In the per'-nasion that such was the 

 disposition of all reputable people, 

 thi' party that had been some time 

 busiedinconcertingmeasuresagainst 

 the ruhng powers, proceeded with 

 additional vigour and celerity in 



bringing them to maturity. At the 

 head of this party were CoUot 

 D'Herbois, Taliien.Freron.Va ier. 

 Bourdon de L'Oise, and LeGendre. 

 1 hey were all men of noted abilities 

 and intrepidity. Th?. latter hadbecn 

 the intimate friend of Danton, and 

 lamented his deth sobitteiiy, that 

 many were astonished at tt.e for- 

 bearance of Robespierre, in suffer- 

 irg a man to exist Mhom he knew 

 to be his inveterate enemy, and to 

 live in the strictest union with those 

 in opposition to l\ini. Nor was it 

 less surprising that, knowing, as 

 he did, the intentions harboured 

 against him, he should have re- 

 mained ina^ti^•ehimself, andtiusted 

 to tiie exertions of his partizms. 

 Even they condemned his absence 

 from the scenes of contention, 

 wherein they were involved on his 

 account ; and thought itwould have 

 been more becoming the chief of 

 so formidable a party to have head-i 

 ed ii in person, than to have de- 

 volved upon them alone the task of 

 confronting his enemies, the num-j 

 ber of whom was hourly increasing. 

 The more decent classes had long 

 beheld his conduct with a silent and 

 secret detestation, that waited only 

 for anoccasion to shew itself. With 

 whatever zeal the lower rankg 

 espoused hi? cause, the great num- 

 bers among them who had suffered 

 throughhistvraiiny, hadleft friends 

 and relations, whose resentmeijt he 

 co\ild not stifle, Jtlid who were no{ 

 wanting in the means, as well as 

 the inclination, to represent him in 

 an odious light. Thus he had to 

 guard against the low as well as 

 the better sort ; and he must have 

 seen how imprudently he had acted, 

 by indulging tirat proneness to cru- 

 elty which had created him ene- 

 mies in so nianv different quarters. 



Tha 



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