2A] 
ans, was averse to the war, It 
‘seemed necessary to his ministers, 
for the ostensible reasons set forth 
in the French manifesto: and pro- 
bably for the secret reason, that 
without open hostilities they could 
not keep on foot so great a war es- 
tablishment as was necessary to be 
opposed to the menacing prepara- 
tions of the German and other na- 
tions. -The King on this occasion 
threw all the responsibility on his 
ministers, by making them sign 
each his opinion and reasons for 
going to war, in opposition to his 
own sentiments. These he sent by 
a Mr. Morris, & violent enemy to 
the new constitution, in vindication 
of himself, to the Emperor. This 
mode of justifying himself at the 
expence of men of great probity 
and honour, whom he himself had 
called to the administration (M. 
de Grave, whom all writers, as well 
as the more immediate witnesses of 
his conduct, assert to have been stea- 
dily attached to the person of the 
King and the dignity of the crown ; 
M. de Ja Coste, minister of the ma- 
rine, and M, Duranthon, minister 
of justice, both men of unsullied 
reputation; and finally M. Du- 
mouriez himself, on whom at that 
time Louis lavished his favours and 
confidence); this mode of self-jus- 
tification, it must be allowed, gave 
some colour of plausibility to accu- 
Sations of insincerity ; although 
those who were best ‘acquainted 
with the King, even they who were 
victims to this timid policy, vindi- 
cate the memory of Louis from 
that imputation, and make every 
allowance for a character undecid- 
ed, inactive, and humane to excess, 
acting in a situation new and diffi- 
cult, almost beyond example. 
The declaration of war was fol- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1792. 
lowed by a decree, ordering the 
troops of the line at, Paris to join 
the army on the frontier of France, 
towards the Austrian Netherlands. 
These troops were suspected of in- 
civism, that is to say, attachment to 
the royal cause. The Jacobinical 
party by this measure gained the 
double advantage of getting quit of 
‘Opponents, and replacing them with 
an armed force of different disposi- 
tions, and by whom their own prin- 
ciples and power would not be en- 
dangered, but protected and ad- 
vanced, 
Though the constituted authori- 
ties had all of them been appointed 
by the domineering party, which 
now comprehended the Jacobin 
club, with the leading men of the 
assembly and the ministers, andren- 
dered almost independent of the 
executive power, as well as of one 
another, yet the position in which 
they were placed, required, if it 
were only for self-defence, that 
they should maintain some degree 
of order and obedience to the laws ; 
they therefore became suspected 
persons, or aristocrats, and no in- 
considerable danger was to be ap- 
prehended from a general union of 
their efforts in the cause of govern- 
ment, arising from a general union 
of personal interests: for although 
Petion was mayor of Paris, and Ma- 
nuel and Danton under him, yet 
the spirit of the common council 
was by no means such as to justify 
a dependence on the co-operation 
or passivity of even the municipality 
of Paris, much Jess on those of the 
other cities in the kingdom. Un- 
certain therefore how the munici- 
pality of Paris, and of course how 
the Parisian guards might act inany 
new conjuncture or commotion, 
they determined to have an army 
of 
