$2] 
tion; circumstances. rendered _ it 
necessary, and our patriotism ren- 
ders us worthy of it. The peo- 
ple at length, tired of being, during 
four years, the dupes of the perfidy 
of the court, have thought it time 
to endeavour to save the empire, 
on the brink of ruin. Legislators! 
All that we have to do is to assist 
the people. We came here in 
their name to be adyised by you in 
measures for the public service. 
Petion, Manuel, and Danton are 
still our colleagues. Santerre is at 
the head of the armed force. The 
people who have deputed us to 
you have given us in charge to de- 
clare that they will acknowledge 
no other judges of the extraordi- 
nary measures which necessity and 
resistance to oppression have oblig- 
ed them to adopt, than the French 
people united in the Primary As- 
semblies.” Thus, instead of being 
advised by the Assembly, they pre- 
scribed the conduct to be observed 
by that body in the most peremp- 
toryterms. They wanted to cover 
and protect the crimes that had 
been committed, by the authority 
of a National Convention. The 
address from the Common Council, 
that had now assumed the reins of 
government, was heard with great 
applause by the people in the tri- 
bunes. The Assembly (August 
1792) having agreed on a call of 
the House to determine who were 
present, as many members had ab- 
sented themselves either through 
ANNUAL REGISTER, »1792. 
fear, or some. other motive, took 
the following oath: “1 swear, in 
the name of the nation, to main- 
tain liberty and equality, or to die 
at my post.’”’—On a motion made 
by M. Verginaud, the French 
people were invited to form a Na- 
tional Convention. The execu- 
tive power was suspended until 
such time as the. National Conven- 
tion should decide on proper mea- 
sures for securing the blessing of 
freedom to the people. .The pay- 
ment of the civil, list was also sus- 
pended; it was decreed, as already 
mentioned, that both the King and 
royal family should remain under 
the protection of the Assembly as 
hostages: and all public officers, » 
whether civil or military, who 
should leave their posts in the pre- 
sent moment of danger, were de- 
clared infamous, 
On a motion made by Brissot it 
was decreed, that the present minis- 
ters had lost the confidence of the na- 
tion,and they immediately proceed- 
ed to vote six new ones (August 14, 
1792); Le Brun for Foreign Af- 
fairs; Danton * for the Adminis- 
tration of justice ; Monge, a teach- 
er of navigation, for the Marine; 
and the patriotic ministers lately 
dismissed, Roland, Servan, and 
Claviere; the first for Home As- 
fairs, the second for the War De- 
partment, and the third for Con- 
tributions+. These three were 
appointed provisionally, because the 
King might be restored to his au- 
* This factious and violent republican had received Jarge sums from the court; 
which were given in order to soften him, and by his means to prevent extremities. 
+ They had been in March, 1792, appointed by the King, through Dumou- 
riez’s influence. The secret friends of the King had advised him to try at that 
time a Jacobin administration. 
They advised to dismiss them when Dumouriez 
had some misunderstanding with them, and to dismiss Dumouriez at the same time, 
Nine months before the 10th of August, d’Ablancourt, a nephew of M. de Ca- 
lonne, had been appointed Secretary at War—this choice was not popular. The 
republican faction recalled the three patiotic Jacobin ministers. 
thority 
