182) 
tinued like him the oracle of his 
party, and was visited and consult- 
ed by all the great champions it pro- 
duced, both in arms and literature. 
All these circumstances conferred a 
splendour upon Geneva, that en- 
titled it to great distinétion, The 
first kings and states in Eutope, of 
the protestant persuasion, treated it 
unanimously with every mark of re- 
spect, and it continued on this ho- 
nourable footing even during the 
reign of Lewis the fourteenth, who 
strove several times in vain tosubdue 
the spitit with whith it resisted his 
attempts to influence its govern 
‘ment. - The annexation of so ¢ele- 
brated a state to the French empire 
appeared to the direétory ‘an objeét 
worthy of their attention, and they 
were seriously chagrined at their 
failure. 
A compensation for their disap- 
pointment offered itself, about the 
same time, in a province, wherein 
they might claim a better right to 
exercise their sway, and from which 
both they and their countrymen 
_ would derive more honour and pro- 
fit. This was the province of s¢i- 
ence and literature, that had re~ 
mained negleéted during the confu- 
‘sions attending the antecedent peri- 
ods of the revolution. The ne- 
cessity of reviving the spirit of ge- 
nius, that had lain awhile dormant, 
or had only been busied in the arts 
of destruétion, roused at once the 
attention of government, and of the 
whole nation. The great numbers 
of literary men in France, exerted 
themselves, on this occasion, with 
the most commendable zeal. Setting 
asideall partialities, on religious and 
political accounts, they cordially 
‘united im prosecuting the plan pro- 
posed by the ruling powers, for a re- 
gular cultivation of all those depart- 
ANNUAL. REGISTER, 
1796. « 
ments of knowledge and polite learn- 
ing, that conduce to the utility and 
glory ofa nation. : 
Desirous of giving this revival of 
the encouragements, due to literas 
ture, all the solemnity of which it 
was susceptible, the direétory ap-}. 
pointed the fourth of April, 1796, }, 
for a public meeting of all the mem- J, 
bers of the nati nal imstitute, estas}, 
blished the preceding year, at the}, 
z#ra of the new constitution. The 
meeting was held in the largest hall. 
of the ancient palace of the Louvre. 
All the literati, and all the men o' 
genius and reputation in the polite} 
and liberal arts attended. The di 
reétory, the councils, and all persons 
in the principal departments of go- 
4 
f 
vernment were present, together} , 
with the foreign ministers, and as i, 
many speétators as the hall could) | 
contain. The purpose of the mect« 
ing was formally announced, in @ 
speech made by the president of the} , 
dire¢tory. France, he said, de}, 
livered from past miseries, had no 
resolved to revive those arts, throug 
the cultivation of which the natio 
had risen to so high a degree of r 
putation, and commanded the re 
speét ofall Europe. It was the ded 
termination of government, to pay} 
them all the attention, and give. 
them all the encouragement and re’ 
compense which they could possibly} 
claim from a free and enlightened 
people. The president of the na 
‘tional institute, citizen Dusaulx, rey 
plied, in the name of bis brethren} 
that they were all equally animated) 
with the love of freedom, of know 
ledge, and of arts; that they wet 
‘firmly attached to the republic frof 
principle, and the cons¢iousness tha 
in the bosom of freedom all thos 
reat sentiments are generated a 
nurtured, that dignify human natur 
ar 
