68] 
never meant that he should go there; 
and were not a little surprised that 
he should a& for himself, without 
receiving his instractions. So also 
did the count d’Artois, in coming 
without permission to this country. 
The count d’Avary, a confidential 
friend, and officer in the household 
of the count of Provence, Lewis 
XVIII. ina letter to the chevulier 
de Charette, dated at Verona, the 
sixth of September, 1796, . says, 
‘© Endeavour to do away the bad 
effect of the apparent confidence re- 
posed by the king (Lewis XVIII.) 
in the English.’” To many it ap- 
peared, that it was not the plan of 
the English ministry to trust any 
important expedition into the hands 
of Lewis XVIII. ; bat only to waste 
and destroy a part of France, by 
its own inhabitants: a conviction 
which rendered the English admini- 
stration odious not only to a great 
part of the loyalists, but to the other 
parties in France, and nota few of 
the friends of peace and humanity 
in all nations. It has been said that 
the insurgents in the western depart- 
ments of France, wanted only mili- 
tary stores and provisions; and that 
they were averse to the introduction 
ef any formidable army of strangers, 
particularly of English. Yime has 
not yet unfolded the motives which 
influenced the conduét of the British 
ministry : who, professing a desire 
to restore the French monarchy, in 
Opposition to the existing powers, 
as well as a great majority of the 
French nation, nevertheless contri- 
buted only an insignificant force; and 
that too delayed beyond the time 
when it might have done the greatest 
service. It may be said, however, 
that even if no opposition had been 
made to the introduction of fo- 
reigners, on the part of the French, 
a powerful army might have ex. 
cited jealousy, roused national ani- 
ANNUAL’ REGISTER, “1795. 
mosity, and, by effecting an unios 
of parties, consolidated, instead of 
subverting the republic. 
A question arises on this subject, 
how the Vendean party could be 
so easily revived, after being lulled 
into peace—after being reduced al- 
most to total destru@ion? The so- 
lution of the problem is to be found 
in the money given to a number of 
needy and restless busy-bodies, who 
are always going and coming from 
London to Guernsey, and. from 
thence to the French coast. It is 
said, that if a confidential friend 
speak with these persons in private, 
they will not scruple to declare their 
conviction, ™ that to effec a coun- 
ter revolution, by means of the Ca- 
tholic army, is impossible ; but that, 
were they to speak the truth to the 
English ministry, they would wholly 
Jose their confidence and favour.’” 
It is this weakness of listening to 
malcontents and refugees from a 
hostile country, so justly noted by 
Machiavel, in his Discourses on 
Livy, that was the great spring of 
ourcontinued losses, and final defeat, 
in the American war. It is the same 
weakness that has produced many 
disasters, and that threatens finally 
@ similar issue of affairs to this coun. 
try, in the present. 
Phere is no military man who is 
not perfealy sensible, that the sup. » 
posed armies of sixty thousand men, 
and even upwards in La Vendée, 
cannot exist.. They know what aa 
immense quantity of provisions, mi- 
litary stores, horses, carriages, and 
other articles, are necessary to keep 
an army on foot, even for one sea- 
son; and they see plainly, that the 
poor Vendeans will fall a sacrifice in 
‘the end to the regular army .of the 
republicans. But La Vendée has fur- 
nished some very satisfactory para- ~ 
graphsinimperialand royal gazettes, 
» which, | 
. 
