HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
thority by the new convention; in 
which case he would have the right 
to confirm or reject them, and name 
others. 
August 13th, 1792, the plan of a 
decree for summening the National 
Assembly was proposed by M. 
Gaudet. The Primary Assemblies 
for chusing the electors were ap- 
gee for the 26th of August. 
e electors for the Convention 
were to assemble on the second of 
September; and the members cho- 
sen for the Convention, which 
were not to exceed in number the 
present Legislative Assemblv, were 
to meet at Paris on the 20th of the 
same month. ‘The former distinc- 
tion of citizens into active and 
passive was suppressed; all that was 
now necessary in order to entitle a 
man to vote, was, that. he should 
be 2i years of age, a Frenchman 
who had lived for one year in the 
country on his own revenue, or 
the produce of his labour; and 
that he should not be in a state of 
servitude. The citizens in the 
Primary Assemblies, and the elec- 
tors in the Electoral Assemblies, 
were to take an oath to defend 
liberty and equality, or die in 
defending them. The regulations 
respecting elections were not de- 
creed, but only recommended, as 
the present Assembly did not as- 
sume the right of ordaining a form 
ao exercise of sovereignty in 
the formation of a National Con- 
vention. The electors wert to 
have three livres a day during their 
mission, and to be allowed at the 
rate of one livre a league for tra- 
velling expences. These, with 
od decrees and regulations, were 
nt by couriers to the eighty- 
three departments of France. Com- 
‘missioners were also sent to the ar- 
[53 
mies to explain the conduct of the 
Assembly, with orders to arrest 
La Fayette, and powers to sus- 
pend general officers, of whatever 
rank, 
Couriers were also dispatched to 
all the provinces, for the purpose 
of explaining the motives and views 
of the Assembly to all the pro- 
vinces, which were in expectation, 
as in the days of the first revolution, 
of some great event, and ready to 
receive any impression. 
There was now, however, a dif- 
ference in the situation 0: men’s 
minds, At first, the hope of being 
better was the predominant pas- 
sion; it was now the fear of being 
worse. A general distrust, lassi- 
tude, and despondency was appa- 
rent throughout the whole of the 
provinces ; yet such was the acti- 
vity of the Jacobins, that congra- 
tulatory addresses to the Assembly 
for their firm conduct in dethroning 
the King, were sent from all quar- 
ters. 
In the mean time the Assembly, 
under the influence as well as pro- 
tection of the municipality of Paris, 
proceeded in the exercise of sove- 
reign power in a manner that shew- 
ed what opinion they entertained 
of those assemblies of the people to 
whom alone the municipality had. 
appealed as judges of the deeds of 
the 10th of August. They imme- 
diately began, or rather continued, 
an attack (August 1792) on all 
things that made a distinction of 
property and rank, and all that 
could form a barrier between the 
order, elegance, and harmony of 
society, and the rude assaults of 
the vulgar, on all the fruits of in- 
dustry and art. They adopted and 
published a manifesto, drawn up 
by Brissot, of the motives on which 
[FE] 3 the 
