STAT EPA P E RS, 
Message from the Wirectory, addressed 
to the Council of Ancients, dated the 
5th Pluviose ( fan, 25) and read 
in a Secret Committee. 
Citizens LEGISLATORS, 
The enemies 
spoken of peace, but it was to relax 
our preparations, while they them- 
selves redoubled their efforts for 
continuing the war; they wish to 
weaken the courage of our defend- 
ers, by lulling them with the hopes 
of approaching peace, which they 
themselves do not cease to elude by 
the most evasive forms, and the 
most frivolous pretexts. This per- 
fidy on their part is not new, and 
the reports they have affeéted to 
circulate on this subject, since the 
commencement of hostilities, have 
always been seized and believed 
by the foreign faction which they 
Maintain among us. But these 
manceuvres have never been coun- 
tenanced by the executive direc. 
tory, who in offering peace to the 
coalesced powers on conditions as 
moderate as are consistent with the 
National dignity, have neglected 
nothing for assuring new triumphs 
to the republican arms. 
- The French should know that 
they never can have peace with 
their enemies till they shall have 
rendered it impossible for them to 
pursue their disastrous projects, 
This epoch i isnot far off; it must 
crown a vigorous campaign, and we 
have reason tothink that that which 
is about to be opened will yield in 
nothing to that of the third year. 
The government already acquires 
strength every day, and the hopes 
_ of the enemies of the interior, of a 
disagreement between the legisla- 
tive body and the directory, dis- 
appear every day ; the circulation 
of provisions begins to be re-esta. 
of France have. 
[267 
blished ; the young citizens are de- 
sirous of rejoining their colours ; 
the general a¢tivity contributes to 
second the salutary and decisive 
measure of the torced loan; the 
certainty, in short, of seeing all 
the ta¢tious punished, whether their 
royalism be open or concealed, or 
whether they dissemble it under the 
last forms of anarchy ; every thing, 
in short, announces, that if we 
are forced by our implacable ene- 
mies to cover still their bloody 
plains with our soldiers, it will be 
to gain soon new laurels, to enjoy 
from henceforward the unalterable 
repose that is assured by the consti- 
tution, sworn to by all Frenchmen, 
and the return of morality and jus- 
tice, the love of labour and ceco- 
nomy. Citizens legislators, you are 
aware of what renders the service so 
painful in the ‘present moment, 
notwithstanding the prodigious 
resources which are still to be found 
in the Republic, is the absence of 
representative signs of exchange, 
swallowed up by that avarice which 
renders it impossible to provide the 
nessary supplies for the armies, 
We must devise some substitute, 
and the directory can perceive no 
other except that of raising articles 
in kind, at least-those which are 
at present most necessary and in- 
dispensable, such as horses for car. 
riages and for the use of cavalry. 
The principal cause of the little 
success of portes campaign was 
the deficiency”of the means of con. 
veyance, and the superiority of our 
enemies’ cavalry. The evil in- 
creased every day, and we are 
obliged to tell you, citizens legisla. 
tors, that if there is not taken, in 
this respeét, a measure prompt and 
efficacious, we must expect defeats. 
The direétery requests that yeu 
will 
