258 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



on equitable principles, and capa- 

 ble of maintaining the accustomed 

 relations of peace with other pow- 

 ers, this country, in treating for a 

 pacification, would require only 

 rtioderatc and equitable conditions. 

 If such were aft'ered, said the Duke, 

 the people of France would com- 

 pel tlieir rulers to accept them. 

 As to (he assistance to be expected 

 from our allies, it was in us a mat- 

 ter of sclf-dcceptiou. We had, 

 to use our own phrase, taken up 

 arms in the defence of the rights of 

 all nations: but Sweden, Denmark, 

 and America, did not look upon 

 us as acting in this light; and Ve- 

 nice and Genoa refused to join 

 with us. Of our alliances, Russia 

 did no more than promise ; and 

 Spain, Portugal, and Sardinia, had 

 hitherto effected nothing ; the !a-t 

 ter, indeed, was a mere burden. 

 Prussia, after first declaring war 

 against France, and acting as a 

 principal, had formally seceded 

 from its engagements, and refused 

 to act even as an auxiliary, with- 

 out an exorbitant subsidy. Austria 

 was approaching to a situation that 

 would probably require the help of 

 our finances, notwithstanding that 

 it was more deeply interested in 

 this war than any other member 

 of the coalition. This conduct of 

 the enemies to France had been 

 invariably, said the Duke, marked 

 by inconsistency and duplicity. 

 Prince Cobourg, after uniting with 

 Dumoriez to restore the consti- 

 tution of 1TS9, and publishing a 

 deelaration to that purpose, totally 

 revoked it four days after. All the 

 ether declarations, made subse- 

 quently by other members of the 

 coalition, ditfered from each other, 

 and could not, therefore, be relied 

 •n by that numMous party in 



France, which, though attached to 

 monarchy, know, from past expe- 

 rience, the necessity of its being 

 limited. The Constituent Assem- 

 bly, whose form of a monarchial 

 government was probably the wish 

 of a majority mf the French nation, 

 were unquestionably, for the most 

 part, persons not only of rank, 

 but of virtue and abilities. The 

 system they formed was doubtlesa 

 impcrfect,and required muchemen- 

 dation ; but the calamities that af- 

 terwards befell the French, did not 

 arise from this constitution, but 

 from the intemperate dissatisfaction 

 expressed by the neighbouring pow- 

 ers at the downfall of absolute 

 power ; wh.ich they considered as 

 ominous, and preparatory to their 

 own. This rouzed their enmity 

 and malice at those who had ef- 

 fected this mighty change in tli« 

 government of France. They 

 combined their whole strength, and 

 all their intrigues, to counteract 

 it. Discord and suspicion unhap- 

 pily spread throughout Franco. 

 The vmfortunate monarch, how- 

 ever pure his intentions, was, by 

 the imprudent conduct of those 

 who assumed the character of his 

 friends, and supporters of his rights 

 and dignity, rendered an object of 

 jealousy and mistrust to all the vio- 

 lent partizans of liberty in his king- 

 dom. Through the ill timed and 

 injudicious denunciations against 

 these, and the haughty declarations 

 in his favour by the despotic sove- 

 reigns, who, uith more zeal than 

 sagacity, espoused his cause,— that^ 

 well-meaning and worthy Princ* 

 becameat last suspected of treachery 

 to his people, and of being secretly 

 leagued with the enemies of their 

 newly acquired liberties. Hence a 

 hatred of the monarch grew gene- 

 ral 



