HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
| last year of the monarchy. But 
_ we cannot, on this occasion, pass 
over in silence the journal of the 
- eccurrences in the Temple, by Mr, 
ral ery, the faithful and heroic valet 
de chambre of the King; in the pe- 
_ tusal of which we are agitated be- 
tween indignation and grief, admi- 
ration and compassion. The mo- 
ralist in the contemplation of such 
a scene, is for a time lost in per- 
plexity and doubts concerning the 
vays of Providence; and even re- 
ligious faith itself might be in some 
danger of being staggered, if this 
principle had not been found in the 
present, as well as in so many for- 
mer instances, to console and sup- 
port the mind under evils not to be 
removed or assuaged by any or all 
of the resources of humanity. 
_ The same spirit of democratical 
rage and contempt of all consti- 
tuted authority, law, or justice, 
which had prevailed in Paris from 
the 9th of August, under the direc- 
tion of factious agitators, prevailed 
also in the election of the National 
Convention. A circular letter 
from the municipality of Paris, and 
countersigned by Danton, minister 
_ of justice, was sent to all the other 
‘municipalities in the kingdom, Its 
object was to procure the appro- 
bation of the whole kingdom to 
‘the massacres, and even to recom- 
mend them, in case of necessity, 
to imitation. ‘“ The prisoners,” 
they said, ‘had been put to death 
. Tay people: An act of justice, 
which appeared (to them) indispen- 
bly necessary to keep in awe le- 
of traitors.” It was under 
‘the impressions that such produc- 
yeti. 
[61 
tions were capable of producing, 
that the primary and electora! as- 
semblies were held for chusing a 
new Assembly. The clergy were 
banished ; the higher and the most 
honourable of the nobility had fled 
or fallen by the hand of assassina- 
tion; the royal family in prison 
expected their fate;—all who 
favoured royalty or distinction of 
rank,* were held in abhorrence; 
and those who had been called’ pas- 
sive, as well as the active citizens, 
had been declared to be eligible to 
all honours and offices of the state. 
The vilest of the people had com- 
pletely triumphed, and they now 
proclaimed at once their victory and 
sanguinary intentions ; so that good 
men were discouraged from mixing 
in the ferocious and unprincipled 
crowd; and the convention was 
chesen for the greater part, out 
of the most despicable and des- 
perate men in the kingdom, 
Jt was common for bands of as- 
sassins, at the instigation of Danton, 
and other leaders, to attend and 
overawe the freedom of elections. 
At Rheims there appeared, among 
other candidates, one Armonville, 
a butcher, a man of noted brutality 
of manners. At the name of Ar- 
monville there was a great murmur 
and outcry of indignation; but the 
armed federates cried out, “‘ We 
must have Armonville. If you do 
not give us Armonville, we will con- 
tinue the massacres, agreeably to 
the letter of the municipality of 
Paris.” 
The National Convention, with 
unlimited authority, assembled at 
Paris, on the 20th of September. 
_* So general and strong was the hatred of the noblesse, including not only the 
nobles, but what we call Gentry, that it was under deliberation whether any of 
this order should be permitted to hold commissions in the French army, 
Twelve 
