HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
along the Maese; general Moreau 
towards the bank s of ‘the Rhine ; 
Scherer and Marceau occupied the 
frontiers of Spain; Kellerman was 
posted on the Alps; and Canclava 
and Hoche on the coasts of the 
Channel, and the Bay of Biscay. 
These were all names of great cele. 
brity among the French, who flat. 
tered themselves, that no European 
armies or generals could be brought 
into competition with their own; 
and that ere long the French re- 
public would not only be universally 
acknowledged, but would give laws 
to all the adjacent nations. 
They certainly had nothing to 
apprehend, at this juncture, from the 
combined strength of all Europe. 
Had they followed the advice of 
their wisest politicians, and brought 
theiz schemes of revenge and punish- 
ment on their enemies, as they ex- 
pressed themselves, within a mode. 
rate compass, they might have at- 
tained a situation of security, from 
which it would have been highly 
dificult, if not impraéticable, to 
remove them. But unexpected suc- 
cess wrought that effect on the 
minds of their rulers, which it so 
seldom fails to work upon most men. 
They resolved, it seems, to strain 
their acquired powers to the utmost, 
in order to carry their vast projects 
into execution. They still kept on 
foot armies, the total of which a- 
mounted to more than a million, 
exclusively of more than two hun- 
dred thousand civil officers. To 
maintain these multitudes, the con- 
quered countries to the north of 
F rance, underwent the severest op- 
pression, and were stripped of what- 
ever the rapacity of their ambitious 
masters could deprive them. The 
circulation of assignats was compel! - 
ed ; the price was fixed on all the 
[73 
necessaries demanded ; and fabrica- 
tions in metal of all kinds were 
seized for public use. To these trea- 
sures from abroad, their calculations 
added at home, besides the stand- 
ing taxes, .the prodigious list of 
estates sentenced to confiscation, and 
the immense value of moveable 
property for sale, together estimated 
at three thousand millions of livres, 
with the vast sums annually expect. 
ed from the forced loan, levied up- 
on every individual, proportionably 
to his income. But great as these 
resources appeared, they did not 
answer the exigencies of the state. 
The credit of the assignats declined 
so rapidly, in the course of the pre- 
sent, as well as the preceding year, 
that, at the close of 1795, they 
were fallen one thousand beiow par. 
Such was the distress for money, 
that, in the course of this year, the 
French government emitted twenty 
thousand millions of livres in notes, 
in addition to ten thousand millions 
already fabricated since the revolu- 
tion. Other demands pressed, at 
the same time, upon government, 
exclusively of those required» by 
state necessities. The population 
of France, formerly its strength and 
glory, while supported by arts and 
commerce, was now become a fa- 
mished multitude, dependent on 
government for a daily allowance 
of food, The sums expended for 
their maintenance, amounted to 
near four millions sterling annually, 
So heavy an incumbrance on the 
public, had induced some persons 
to insinuate the propriety of dismiss- 
ing all supernumerary individuals 
from the capital, to which the resort 
of the poor was become greater than 
ever, on account of this allowance. 
But, on mature consideratjon, it 
was found safer to submit to this ine 
conveniency, 
