124] 
from those who might have beea 
inclined to depreciate his merit, but 
he could not escape the insinuations 
against his fidelity to the common- 
wealth. ‘These were industriously 
propagated by its enemies, in order 
to breed suspicions in the govern- 
ment, and to induce it to diminish 
its confidence in him, and thereby ~ 
to set both at variance with each 
other. 
. But the intrigues and publications 
to this intent were ineffectual. It 
was to remove all jealousies of this 
nature that Buonaparte directed his 
aid-de-camp, Lemarois, on present= 
ing the colours, taken at Arcola, to 
the directory, to assure them of the 
inviolable attachment of his army 
to the interest of the republic. 
The mass of the nation, pleased’ 
with the glory accruing to it from 
sO many victories, was strongly pre- 
possessed in favour of a system un- 
der which its arms had so wonder- 
fully prospered. The staunch as- 
serters of a commonwealth were con- 
tinually, reminding the public of the 
disproportion between the people 
at large and those who formerly 
possessed an exclusive authority over 
them. The noblesse did not exceed 
one hundred thousand individuals, 
nor the clergy, with the monastic 
orders, twice that number. Were 
they entitled, in justice and reason, 
to assume a sovereign authority over 
twenty-four millions of people, con- 
taining a far greater number of per- 
sons, possessing worth and capacity, 
equal at least, if not superior, to 
what they could boast?) Was it 
not among the plebeians, as they 
insultingly styled all but themselves, 
that the nation counted the men 
of talents in all professions? Was 
it equitable that these should bow 
the neck to the others, and submit 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1796. 
to that feudal vassalage which had 
so long oppressed and disgraced thg, 
people of France? Having eman- 
cipated themselves from this slavery, 
was it to be expected that they 
should return to it, with their eyes 
open to the contemptible character 
of those who arrogated the right 
of again becoming their tyrants, 
and, after paying the price of so 
much blood, to secure themselves 
aguinst their pretensions, and the 
iniquitous combination of those fo- 
reign despots, who abetted them, in 
hope of sharing the spoils of the 
French nation, after having again 
reduced it to servitude ? 
Reasonings of this kind were more 
acceptable to the generality than the 
arguments employed by the anti-re- 
publicans, who, though they widely 
differed in opinion among themselves, 
were considered as forming but one 
party, to which their enemies gave, 
incommon, the name of royalists; 
meaning thereby to inyolve all the 
opponents of the commonwealth in. 
the indiscriminate imputation of 
being foes to liberty, and asserters 
of arbitrary power. 
The conflicts of opinion upon 
these various subjects were, at this 
period, increasing daily, and threat- 
ened to produce internal convulsions 
in various parts of France, through 
the invincible activity and courage 
of the party in opposition to govern- 
ment. But the vigilance of the 
directory repressed every movement 
that had the least tendency to insur= 
rection, and the decided resolution 
of a]l the armies, to support the pre= 
sent measures, kept the discontented 
in awe. 
No class of men had signalized 
their attachment to republican prin= 
ciples with such fervour and con- 
stancy as the French soldiery.. It 
was 
