238 
both in church and state; its no- 
bility, and the loyal of every de- 
scription, weré indiscriminately at- 
tacked; and the persons (worthy 
indeed of their office), who were 
_ chosen for this filthy task, were 
the outcasts of the Irish rebellion, 
and some apostate English, who 
were found but too willing to en- 
gage in the parricide. About this 
time also, appeared a series of let- 
ters, in some of the daily French 
papers, and aiterwards collected 
and republished, as ** A Collection 
of Letters on the English Nation;” 
in which the national character, its 
laws, institutions, society, customs 
and manners; weye systematically 
decried and villified: and whose 
author, on his return from his mis- 
sion (for it was well known that he 
was employed and paid tor the ex- 
press purpose), was rewarded by 
Benapaite, with honors and emo- 
lumeat.—Thus much, to shew the 
species of re¢alation, meditated by 
France. 
On the 7th of August, however, 
ten days before M. Otto’s proposi- 
tions were made to the English 
minister, and three weeks nearly,be- 
fore lord Hawkesbury’s reply, when 
the publication must have been suf- 
ficiently notorious, the Moniteur, 
which we have already described as 
the vehicle of the official communi- 
cations of the French government, 
amid a variety of the grossest ca- 
lumnies, asserted that the Vendean 
chief, Georges, was openly caressed 
in London, and wore his red rib- 
bon (that of the Bath), as a reward 
for having constructed the infernal 
machine*, which destroyed part of 
Paris, and put to death thirty 
* Machine Infernale, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, - 1803. 
women, children, and peaceablé 
citizens ; and that, doubtless, had 
he succeeded (in destroying the first * 
consul), he would have received the 
order of the garter. Thus asserting; 
in laneuage riot to be misunder- 
stood, that the King of England 
had bestowed the highest reward of 
military merit, and one of the most 
distinguished badges of honor; on an 
assassin. 
It doubtless became the prudence 
or the magnanimity of the English 
government, not to take any formal 
notice of those repeated acts of un- 
disguised hostility, on the part of 
France, and to return, under all 
the circumstances we have de- 
tailed, that reply which we have 
already noticed at sufficient length 
in its place; and thus was this im- 
portant subject of discussion left; 
in a state of much greater irritation 
than at its commencement; both 
parties sullenly withdrew; from 2 
contest in which the not having en- 
tirely succeeded, and the having 
conceded too much, left each dis- 
satisfied, As the subject, hence- 
forward, becomes of minor consi- 
deration (though renewed upon two 
subsequent occasionst), we shall 
here dismiss it, with remarking; 
that however mortifying to a British 
reader, the tone of submission on 
the part of the English government; 
it should be more than balanced, 
by the reflection, that he can sa- 
tisfactorily deduce, from the cir- 
cumstances attending it, that the 
freedom of the British press was 
thereby acknowledged to be inviol- 
able, and worthy of all the eulo= 
gies that have been bestowed upon 
it by successive ages. The disgrace 
+ Vide Official Correspondence, Nos 85 and 23, 
ak, 
! 
a ae 
