192 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



the most public manner, as all true 

 revolutionists ought to do. 



Pel ire eight in the evening the 

 resnlt of the deliberation will be 

 pub'ished, mentioning tlie number 

 ot" the siitfrages. 



(Signed) Alex. Bousouet. 

 President of the revolutionary 

 committee. 



Preamlh of the decree by which the 

 revolutionat^ committee was csta~ 

 lllshed at G.neva. 



Liberty, equality, independence. 



REVOLUTIONARY TRIBUNAL. 



Eevolutionary citizens, 



FOR nearly a century, liberty has 

 painfully contended against ari- 

 stocracy : the peo[)!e of Geneva 

 now straggle for the restoration of 

 their rights. For nearly a century 

 the country has been harrassed by 

 the pie ensions constantly renewed, 

 of certain citizens, who persuaded 

 themselves that the people were 

 made for them, and th.it the repub- 

 lic was t' eir inheritance. 



The revolution of 17g2 had ap- 

 parently the effect of terminatinij 

 for ever the reign of the aristocracy 

 you have too long endured. 



But, revolutionary citizens, those 

 among you who fancied that the 

 above revolution had done every 

 thing to establish in this republic 

 the reign of equality, were strangely 

 abused! — Those who conceived that 

 the constitution, latterly accepted, 

 would secure to the people all the ad- 

 vantages of liberty, were much mis- 

 taken! you invited all the Genevese 

 to the enjoyment of the rights of 

 citizenship ; but the enemies of 

 equality continued the same, with 



all their pretensions and all their 

 prejudices. In accepting the con- 

 stitution you extinguished the ari- 

 stocracy of tne 1; ws i but the ari- 

 stocracy of names, of riches, and of 

 manners, lost no part of its energy 

 and activity. 



The entire mass of the aristocrats 

 and their adherents remained in the 

 posture of an enemy, whcm a check 

 has just humbled, but who waits the 

 firstfavourableopportunity to wreak 

 his revenge, and recover his superi- 

 ority. 



With an utter detestation of the 

 principles of the constitution, they 

 had accepted it, because it covered 

 them, as well as the citizens in ge- 

 neral, with its shield ; and because 

 under shelter of the severe measures 

 it had adopted against the abuses 

 cf authority, and of the scrupulous 

 formalities to which it subjected the 

 course of justice, they might ma- 

 ncr.uvre secretly with sure impunity. 

 Their hostile dispositions wer?, 

 however, uotequivocal. — Have yon 

 in reality seen them renounce their 

 pretensions, and abjure their oM 

 errors ? have }ou observed the dis- 

 solution of that scandalous coalition 

 which was formed to combat equa- 

 lity ) have you seen them embrace 

 the excellent opportunities afforded 

 them by our civic festivals, to fra- 

 ternize with us ? in short, have you 

 seen one of them even abandon the 

 fastidious pomp of aristocracy, to 

 unite sincerely with us around the 

 simpleslandardof libert) ? no; — but 

 you have seen thecrimiual obstinacy 

 with which some of them refused 

 to take the civic oath, and \vith 

 what repugnance others consented 

 to pronounce it. You have heard 

 their counter-revolutionary predic- 

 tions and prophecies; and no longer 

 ago than the last year, when the 

 Piedmontese 



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