HISTORY OF EUROPE. [55 



cutive government, but to watch 

 over the use that individual corsairs 

 made, in fact, of the power granted 

 them, and to judge ultimately con- 

 cerning results in particular cases, 

 according to the public interest, 

 which required that the actual ex- 

 ercise of piracy should he confined, 

 on the whole, to just reprisals. The 

 consequence was, that tlie neutral 

 powers shewed somewhat of more 

 spirit in defence of their rights; but 

 the privateers abandoning them- 

 selves to an unlimited and licentious 

 exercise of the decree in their fa- 

 vour, carried their indiscriminate 

 piracies to sucli a length, as to drive 

 wholly away from the French coasts 

 those neutral vessels, which good 

 policy would invite and encourage, 

 in order to raise tlie value of the 

 produce and merchandise of France, 

 and lower the jirice of freight and 

 insurance. The French government, 

 taught this by experience, laid it 

 down as a maxim, that the most 

 extended and unlimited piracy is by 

 no means a genuine source of na- 

 tional wealth and prosperity. They 

 were farther abundantly sensible, 

 that an agricultural .state, such as 

 France, rich in physical produc- 

 tions and various industry, which 

 consumes a great deal, and should 

 export a great deal, is particularly 

 interested in the pi-eservation of all 

 commercial relations, in their great- 

 est extent and security. 



Thcdirectory, having represented 

 these things in a memorial, addressed 

 to the legislative bodies, concluded 

 that it was high time to adopt some 

 system of marine affairs, that should 

 be better suited than tlie present to 

 the interest of the country, and fit- 

 ted for curbing and overthrowing 

 the monopolization of the I^nglish. 

 They declared it to be their fixed 



opinion, that, in the present circum- 

 stances, the liberty of privateering, 

 instead of being farther encouraged 

 and extended, should be restrained 

 and modified. 



This memorial, respecting the ma- 

 rine trade, was referred by the coun- 

 cil of five hundred to a secret com- 

 mittee, as it was connected, in seve- 

 ral points, with the relations and 

 connections of France with foreign 

 states. The subject of it was under 

 consideration, but notliing deter- 

 mined on when the directory and 

 legislative councils were suspended 

 by the consular government. A 

 matter of such consequence did not 

 escape the attention of Buonaparte. 

 A decree was passed annulling all the 

 peculating decisionsand practices of 

 Merlin and others,respectingneutral 

 vessels, and restoring the laws and 

 usages of the monarchy in 1778. 



Ill these, and other measures of 

 the consular government, for the 

 correction of abuses, and the secu- 

 rity and tranquillity of the state, it 

 is evident that they were anxious to 

 disjilay, and, no doubt, were ac- 

 tuated sincerely by a spirit of mo- 

 deration, harmony, concord, and a 

 desire of, at least, internal peace : 

 ap;reeix\Ay tothctuasl u/'Biiunap(ir(e, 

 at the feast in the Temple of Vic- 

 tory, "the union of all the French." 

 Jn the mean time, while the con- 

 suls were thus occupied, the com- 

 missions were employed, under 

 their influence and direction in 

 framing a new constitution, the 

 ground work of which was, the 

 form of an ideal republic, drawn 

 up formerly by the abbe Sicyes, 

 which lie had prepared for the con- 

 vention, and to whose judgement 

 he wished to have submitted it, in 

 17.93 — we say wished to have sub- 

 mitted it; for, after he hud ascended 



