HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



15S 



Kibtsntain torrent, may be but of 

 abort duratioo*. 



The public mind being thus pre- 

 pared, by every artifice, to repose 

 implicit faith in Bonaparte, a new 

 'event occurred, which materially 

 contributed to accelerate the com- 

 pletion of his projects. 



Early in the month of February, 

 a plot was deteded, the obje6t of 

 which seems to have been the over- 

 throw of the government. The 

 principal persons implicated in it, 

 were general Pichegru, Georges 

 Cadoudal, formerly a leader of the 

 insurgents in Britanny, Lajollais, 

 a confident of the former, and se- 

 veral other individuals attached to 

 the latter. It likewise appears that 

 general Moreau had, to a certain 

 extent, entered into the views of 

 Pichegru, and had had some secret 

 interviews with him since his return 

 to Paris. It was also positively as- 

 serted, that the conspirators had 

 come to the resolution of making 

 away, 

 Bonaparte. 



The first intimation of this intrigue 

 seems to have been given by a con- 

 fidential agent of the parties, who 

 had been arrested near Calais, on 

 his return from England. 



Lajollais, Moreau, and several 

 others were, hereupon, arrested ; 

 but Pichegru and Georges, though 



in the first instance, with 



known to be at Paris, found means, 

 for a short time, to screen them- 

 selves from the researches of the 

 police. 



On the 17th of February, a long 

 and detailed report, relative to this 

 conspiracy, Avas made to the go- 

 xernment, by the grand judge, mi- 

 nister of justice. + 



This paper having been read to 

 the tribunate, the president, after 

 making a few observations on the 

 subject, concluded by declaring, in 

 the name of the assembly, that they 

 would be responsible for the life of 

 Bonaparte, which secured to France 

 her glory and her prosperity. Ha 

 then proposed that the tribunate 

 should, in a body, wait on the first 

 consul, in order to express their 

 detestation of the meditated attempt, 

 and to congratulate him on his 

 escape from the threateived danger. 



Hereupon, the brother of general 

 Moreau, who was a member of this 

 body, testified his deep concern to 

 fiixd that endeavours had been mad« 

 to traduce a man who had rendered 

 such important services to the re- 

 public, and who was deprived of 

 the liberty of exculpating himself. 

 He made a solemn declaration of 

 his brother's innocence, and de- 

 manded that he should be brought 

 to trial before any ordinary tribu- 

 nal, for he could easily make it 



appear, 



*The whole of this flatterina; representation being founded upon the supposition, 

 that the pecuniary resources of France were adequate to the maintenance of the 

 various establishments therein mentioned, without touching upon the additional 

 expences occasioned by the war, it behoves us to observe, that extraordinary I'unds 

 to the amount of 150 millions lovrnois, (about 6,250,000/. sterling) had been re- 

 ceived, in the course of the precediuii year, fromcoiitriliutions levied on the United 

 States, Hanover, the Hanse Towns, Spain, nnd Portusral ; independently of which 

 aid, nearly a fourth part of the French army was maintained at the expence of 

 Italy, Holland, and Hanover. 



For the happiness of the world at large, it is devoutly to be hoped, that this wilj 

 liijt be a permanent revenue ! 



t Vide State Paper?, p. 616. 



