116} 
‘much partiality to one side, still the 
reponderance of number would 
dave rested with the popular choice. 
But the very reverse happened. Out 
of five direétors, four were of the 
ruling faQion. These were Reubel, 
Latourneur de la Manche, Barras, 
Sieyes, and Lareveiliere Lepaux. 
Reubel was a man of strong, though 
pot shining parts, born in the pro- 
vince of Alsatia, where he exercised 
the profession of the. law, and early 
distinguished himself, by pleading 
the cause of the lower, against the 
upper classes, and braving ministe- 
rial power undeér the old royal go. 
vernment, He had been employed 
“jn some arduous and jntricate affairs 
by the opposition to the court, and 
had always condu¢ted himself with 
an inflexible determination never to 
abandon that party. He now reap- 
ed the réward of his attachment to 
it; no man was more confided in 
by the republicans. He was one 
from principle, and his very man- 
ners displayed an austere simplicity 
that highly recommended hm to 
them. Latourneurdela Manche was 
originally an officer in the army : 
his abilities were moderate; but 
he was of a steady and resolute dis. 
position: firmly and decidedly a 
republican, but averse to severity, 
and an avowed enemy te the violent 
measures pursued by the jacobins 
and terrorists. Barras was one of 
the most singular characters that 
have figured in the revolution, De- 
scended from a very ancicnt and no- 
ble family in Provence, and heir to 
the title of yiscount, he. entered 
young into the army, like most 
young noblemen, during the mo- 
narchy. Throughaseries of adven- 
tures that rendered him peculiarly 
remarkable, he rose into notice, and 
became at last a decided partisan of 
‘ 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
the revolutionists. His invincible 
courage extricated him more than 
once trom very difficuit and dange- 
rous situations. ‘This qualification 
recommended him to ‘he convention 
upon three trying occas‘ons: on the 
27th of July, 1794, when Robers- 
pierre was overthrown; on tre 
2oth of May, this year, when the’ 
insurgeots of the suburb of St. An. 
toine were suppressed; and on the 
sth of October, when the Parisians 
were subdued. His courage and 
conduc on each of these emergen- 
cies were greatly serviceable to the 
convention, and they now thought 
it prudent to place a man in the di- 
rectory, in whose attachment and 
intrepidity they could confide, and 
who, though not possessed of splen- 
did parts, knew how to command 
attention, and make himself feared, 
if not respetted, Sieyes is a name 
better known, perhaps, than that 
of any man in France, since the 
breaking outof therevolution. Bred 
a clereyman, he made a distinguish. 
ed figure in that profession, and 
would probably have risen to the 
first ecclesiastical dignities, had not 
the church been overturned as well . 
asthestate. He stood forth an able 
champion against the seizure of the 
clergy’s revenues, He was, how. 
ever, more conspicuous by the part 
he acted in favour of the revolution. 
From his ideas proceeded the famous 
declaration of the rights of man, and 
many other strong measures of the 
constituent assembly. Hisopinions 
on government have always carriéd 
much influence; yet he has often 
been suspected of indecision on 
these matters. ‘The dexterity,with — 
which he had weathered all the 
storms of the revolution, wherein so 
many able men have been wrecked, - 
subjected him to the suspicion of 
having | 
