54] 
the French National Assembly pro- 
claimed the convocation of a Na- 
tional Convention, and pronounc- 
ed the suspension of the execu- 
tive power in the hands of the 
King. All those ecclesiastics who 
had not taken the oaths required, 
or who retracted and persisted in 
their retraction, were ordered in 
eight days to quit the limits of 
their respective departments, and 
in fifteen days the kingdom. Dis- 
obedience to the decree was to 
be punished with banishment to 
French Guianne. Those who left 
the kingdom in a voluntary man- 
ner were not to have either pen- 
sion or revenue, but to be allowed 
three livres: for every ten leagues, 
or about a penny a mile for the 
journey. Infirm priests, and those 
above sixty years of age were ex- 
empted. And so great was the 
jealousy of that order, that the ec- 
clesiastics thus excepted were not 
permitted to live in the country 
at large, but to be assembled in the 
chief town of each department, in 
a house of which the municipality 
was to have the inspection. This 
dreadful decree was followed by 
the most numerous and direful ca- 
lamities. England was distinguish- 
ed above all other countries for the 
generosity with which she received 
and supported the exiles, who, to- 
wards the end of 1792, had fled in 
so great numbers from the fury of 
their countrymen, At the same 
time that this decree was passed and 
put in execution against the refrac- 
story priests, the council general of 
the commune of Paris issued orders 
‘that all the vessels, images, and 
other moveables in the churches of 
Paris, whether of gold or silver, 
should be removed, and sent to the 
aint. From the priests and images, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
the reformers proceeded to the 
demolition of certain statues: which 
they seemed to consider as a kind 
of auxiliaries of the clergy in sup- 
port of monarchy. The statues in 
the public places; of Louis XII. 
inthe Place Royal; Louis XIV. in 
the places Vendome and Victoire; 
those of Louis XV. &c. and all the 
statues of bronze, were converted 
into cannon; and thus it was said 
were drawn over from the cause of 
tyranny to that of liberty. Thus 
pursuing their victory over royalty, 
and willing to remove every thing 
that might lead to its restoration, 
they decreed, on a motion by Bris- 
sot, that the Swiss regiments in the 
service of France ceased to be in 
the service of France; but at the 
same time that France wished to 
continue in peace and amity with 
them. The suppression of the Or- 
der of Merit, or of St. Louis, was 
decreed in the same spirit, All 
claims of indemnity for feudal 
rights were abolished; and an act 
for the division of waste lands was 
followed by one for the division 
and sale of the lands of all the emi- 
grants. 
As the decree against emigrants, 
and for the divison of their lands, 
was an excellent expedient for en- 
riching the nation, it readily oc- 
curred that it would be good policy 
to increase the number of emi- 
grants, or to punish those who did 
not emigrate, so as to put an end 
to the race of ancient proprietors 
in France. 
rests and domiciliary visits were in- 
stituted, under the inspection of — 
the bloody municipality. Two — 
hundred and eighty members of © 
; 
a 
the common council of Paris, and — 
about six hundred officers belong- _ 
ing to the sections, were basely — 
employed — 
For this purpose ar- — 
| 
’ 
