HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
" 
ments. Should a general pacifica- 
tion with the powers in coalition 
against France be once effected, the 
rancour of the republican govern. 
ment would be let loose upon all the 
royalists, without exception; and, 
meeting with no centroul from 
abroad, would make the condition 
ef those who had been concerned 
in the past insurre€tions at home 
so wretched and intolerable, that 
they would be driven into new 
insurrections, 
As the mass of the insurgents were 
under the influence of their leaders, 
so the leaders themselves were 
under the influence of the intrigues 
of the French princes, and pecuniary 
aids and promises of the English mi- 
nistry. This matter, before suspeét- 
ed, and generally believed, has 
lately been placed beyond all doubr, 
by the publication of the secret 
correspondence between Charette, 
Stoffet, Puisaye, and other Ven- 
dean chiefs ; and the count of Pro. 
vence, or claimant of the crown of 
France, and others; a publication 
which has all the charaéteristics 
of authenticity, though, perhaps, 
some letters may have been added to 
the genuine colle@ion ; or some al- 
terations, perhaps, have been made 
in certain phrases, by the prejudices _ 
and party zeal of the editor. A con- 
stant correspondence was kept up 
between the royalists in La Vendée 
and Mr. Windham. The money 
with which they were supplied con- 
Sisted at first, in false assignats, af- 
‘terwards in louis d’ors and guineas, 
and lastly, in English bank-notes ; 
but the value of these last being 
‘Known only to some French mer- 
chants, and so many risks attending 
‘their conversion into specie, they 
were discounted at a very great 
loss. This disadvantage being re. 
| presented, the supplies were again 
remitted in gold, but, in the esti. 
[or 
mation of the Vendean chiefs, al- 
ways in too scanty quantities, It 
appears, that though Charette was 
induced to make peace with the re. 
publicans, neither he nor the other 
principal leaders were tited of the 
war, or in their hearts averse to 
its continuation. But their own 
men wished for, peace: and thus 
the chiefs were obliged to give their 
consent to the moderate and reason- 
able conditions which were offered 
by the republicans. 
The Vendean chiefs were after. 
wards accused of having violated 
many of the articles of the capita. 
lation, This is not improbable ; 
and the more probable, that they 
were stung with the severe re. 
proaches of the royalists most attach- 
ed to the Bourbon family, and, in 
their language, Lewis XVIII. and 
the count d’Artois for having con. 
sented to any sort of accommodation 
with the regicides. On the other 
hand, it was currently said at Paris, 
that the dire€tory, mistrustful of the 
officers who had fallen into their 
hands, still detained many of them, 
notwithstanding the declaration of 
amnesty, inclose confinement. These 
mutual accusations may, both of 
them, have been well founded. It 
often happens, that opposite parties 
are both of them in the wrong, 
It is to be observed, that there was 
no sincere and cordial good under- 
standing between Lewis XVIII. and 
the princes of the coalition, and 
particularly the court of London, 
The design of Lewis was, to make | 
himself independent of the coali- 
tion; and to effectuate his réstora- 
tion, through the instrumentality of 
England, without consulting, sin« 
cerely, any other interests or views 
than his own, The conduét of that 
prince, in attempting to go to 
Toulon, when in our possession, 
gave great offence to ministry; who 
[F2] neveg 
