serious nature. This was an as- 
sembly of those members of the 
legisluture that had lately been of 
the convention. The design of 
this meeting was previously to 
agree what measures to propose, 
and in what manner to carry them 
through the two houses, or coun. 
cils, as they were denominated. 
This meeting now became the _re- 
~ceptacle of ail the discontented and 
disappointed members of the le- 
gislative body ; end being compos- 
ed of the most numerous part of 
the legislature, occasioned much 
perplexity to the directory, which, 
they plainly perceived, was inclin- 
ed to moderate measures, and more 
desirous to please the public than 
to gratify any partys The chief 
agents and corrduétors of this meet- 
ing were exactly those who had go- 
verned the late convention. ‘Lhe 
head of tho moderate party, and the 
new-elected third, never apppeared 
in this meeting, which they justly 
looked upon as an assem)lage of fac- 
tious men, who met together to 
concert how to perpetuate the 
principles of their party, and en- 
force the practice of them. As the 
publications daily coming out were 
not favourable to them, and ma- 
nifested a decided predilection for 
the moderate party and the new 
third, this meeting came to a re. 
‘solution to curtail the liberty of 
the press, by means that should 
place it under their own dire€tion. 
But here a division took place in 
the meeting itself. This liberty 
was so clearly the great bulwark of 
all other liberty, that when the 
motion to shackle it was brought 
forward, not only the moderates 
| 
. 
and the new third strenuously op. 
posed it, but when the votes were 
collefted, a majority of the whole 
HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
[125 
legislature was found to ‘concur 
with them. 
This was a matter of no small 
surprize to the faction, that had 
hitherto so constantly carried every 
question it had thought proper to 
propose; but it was a subje@ of 
the highest satisfation to the pub- 
lic at large. It shewed that the 
spirit of terrorism was evaporating 
even among its former abertors, 
and that upon questions of essen. 
tial importance, a-majority for jast 
and reasonable measures might be 
expected. What rendered this 
matter the more remarkable, the 
restriction was proposed by two 
public writers, Chenier and Loa. 
vet, both, the first especially, men 
of abilities. Private rancour, how- 
ever, against persons who had 
taken up the pen in opposition to 
them, was well known to have 
prompted them, and it was chiefly 
for that reason their proposal met 
with a negative. 
This precedent, in the mean 
time, opened an agreeable pros. 
pect to the nation. The dread of 
the terrorists began to abate, and 
people flattered themselves, that, 
between the dire€tory and the 
moderates, an union of sentiments 
would be formed, of sufficient 
weight to counterpoise that odious 
faction, and to prevent its res 
gaining that ascendancy of which 
it_ appeared so desirous, doubtless, 
in the general opinion, for the very 
worst purposes, But the faction 
itself, looking upon this discomfi- 
ture as of little importance, and 
affecting only a couple of indivi. 
duals, for whom they entertained 
but a small regard, persisted bold. 
ly in its endeavours to domineer 
over their opponents in the legis. 
lative body, and to frustate the 
spirited 
