50 | 
mer times, the reign of Lewis the 
XIV. particularly, caleulations of 
the number of victories and trophies 
won. by the French armies. were 
pompously distributed to all the 
members and departments of go- 
vernment, and published with much 
splendour and solemnity in all parts 
of the republic. In these it was 
stated, that the French had been 
victorious in two hundred and sixty 
engagements, thirty of them pitched 
battles. Of theirenemies upwards 
of one hundred and fifty thousand 
had been slain, and near two hun- 
dred thousand made prisoners. A- 
bout eight thousand pieces of can- 
non had been taken, and one hun- 
dred and eighty thousand muskets. 
These atchievements had taken 
place within the space of three years 
and a_half, commencing with Sep- 
tember, 1793, andending with Fe- 
bruary, 1797. Since which, upwards 
of twenty thousand more of the 
Austrians had either been killed or 
taken during the hostilities that pre- 
- Ceded the armistice, and prelimina- 
Ty pacification, concluded in April 
following, between France and the 
emperor. 
While the arms of France were 
obtaining so many successes abroad, 
the internal peace of that country 
Was continually shaken, by the ir- 
reconcileable disposition of those 
who opposed the present constitu- 
tion.. Stung with resentment at 
the many disappointments they had 
experienced in their efforts toover- 
turn it, these, instead of relaxing, 
had rather encreased their resolu- 
tion to persevere, and fall in the at- 
tempt, shouldsuchafateattend them, 
than desist from what they looked 
upon as equally apeint of honourand 
of duty. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 179%. 
Such still continued to be the cha- 
racter of that resolute party which 
opposed the republic, and was deter- 
mined, at all hazards, to labour for 
its destruction, and the restoration 
of monarchy. These two objects 
were incessantly intheir contempla- 
tion. The blood that had been so pro- 
~ fusely andvainly shedfortheir accom- 
plishment was considered only a just 
and necessary tribute, which every 
loyal subject should hold himself 
under the most conscientious obliga- 
tion to pay; when summoned to do 
it by those who bore the Jawfnl com~- 
mission of thesovereign, and when- 
ever any prospect appeared of act- 
ing to advantage in his service. 
These principles were strongly 
current among large numbers in 
every part of France. The persecu- 
tion and sufferings which those, who 
professed them, were liable to un- 
dergo, did not seem to make much 
impression upon them: undeterred 
by the vigilance, with which their 
motions were watched, they acted 
together with a concert and bold- 
ness that exposed them to perpetual 
detection. Butsuch was their cou-. 
rage and firmness, that they took 
little or no care to conceal their 
principles. Their conduct, in fact, 
bordered on temerity, their zeal be- 
ing such as to overleap all the bounds 
of discretion, and to set their op- 
pressors at defiance. 
Among men of this description 
it was not diftlicult to find agents, 
as well as adherents, by those stre- 
nuous friends to royalty, who still 
abounded in France: the’staunch 
republicans dreading the effects of 
this unconquerable antipathy to 
their cause, and alarmed by the 
freqvent intelligence of threatened 
insurrections, contracting on their 
side 
’ 
