94] 
bois, at Lyons, produced, on this 
occasion, a multi‘udeof retal‘ations. 
/His adherents, and chiefly the in- 
struments of hisinhumanities, were 
eagerly sought after, and dragged 
from their places of concealment. 
No mercy was shewn them: Those, 
even, who had been thrown into 
prison, with a view of bringing 
them to irial, were not allowed to 
‘wait for a legal condemnation, and 
were massacred in their dungeons, 
Violations of the law were reputed 
justifiab'e, against men who, under 
its pretended sun€tion, commitied 
so many acts of injustice. But the 
jacobins, who pertinaciously insist- 
ed, that nothing had been done 
while they were in power, but what 
was fully warranted by the strictest 
necessity, inveighed with unabated 
fury, against this reaction of their 
own principles upon themselves, 
and attributed the merciless treat- 
ment, so many of them now expe- 
rienced in theirturn, to the ill-timed 
lenity of those who, with all their 
pretences to be republicans, had ra- 
ther permit the republic to perish, 
than maintain it by deeds of season. 
able severity. 
A motive which, though not ac- 
knowledged, still might be justly 
presumed to operate powerfully in 
the vengeance now exercised against 
the jacobins, was the death of 
the son of Lewis XVI. That un- 
happy child had been confined in 
the Temple, at the same time with 
his unfortunate parents. He had 
now suffered imprisonment near 
‘three years, and his constitution had 
been greatly impaired by the wretch. 
edness of his situation, Jt had been 
_ proposed in the convention to set 
him at liberty. Numbers of the 
wagmest adherents to the republi- 
© 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
can system disapproved of this bar. 
barous detention of a mere infant, 
who cou!d not, were he liberated, 
put the republic in greater danger 
than it wou'd be liabie to from any 
other individual, young or old, of the 
Bourkon family. While this sub. ~ 
s sed, inheritors of itsclaims would 
never be wanting: and while the 
rest were out of the convention’s 
power, itlittle availed to retain this 
féeble infant, whoze health was on 
the decline, amd who, as secon as 
deceased, would be replaced in his. 
pretensions by others in the v'gour 
of life. But these considerations 
were disregarded: he was kept 
in a close confinement, and, if re- 
ports may be credited, he was used 
with much inhumanity*. So severe 
a lot, especially at his time of life, 
doubtless accelerated his end; he 
died on the ninth day of June, in 
the twelfth year of his age. The 
enemies to the convention hinted 
suspicions of poison; but they were 
discredited. There was, in truth, 
no need toaggravate the guilt of the 
conventicn; their injustice and 
barbarity, inexercising such lawless 
tyranny and oppression over an in- 
necent and helpless infant, suffi- 
ciently disgraced them with every 
friend to humanity. 
The daughter of the unhappy 
Lewis still remained in their hands ; 
but the most considerate of thecon. 
vention were desirons to liberate 
her. The decease of her brother 
had excited almost universal com. 
miseration, at the fate of two child. 
ren born to so splendid a destiny , and 
doomed to so gloomy a reverse of 
fortune. These sentiments had a 
proper effect; those who were at 
the head of the French government 
felt them so strongly, that they 
_ * Every horrid contrivance, it was loudly asserted, was put into execution, for 
enervating his frame,-undermining his health, and debauchiag or stupifying both 
his mind and body. 
thought 
