50] ANNUAL REGISTER, ifilt. 



spectators ; after which his Ma- 

 jesty, with the Duchess of Angou- 

 leme, proceeded for the Thuille- 

 ries. At the palace he was met by 

 Monsieur, and the two brothers 

 tenderly embraced, amid&t,the re- 

 peated acclamations of the hiulti- 

 tude. We shHll not attempt a de- 

 tail of the public decorations and 

 displays of rejoicing on this me- 

 morable day. It has been hinted 

 by observers that the tokens of sa- 

 tisfaction were not so lively and 

 general as might have been wished ; 

 the idea of receiving a sovereign 

 imposed on the nation by hostile 

 arms, probably intruding to damp 

 the patriotic feelings that ought tobe 

 excited by the restoration of peace 

 and a mild system of government. 

 The most perfect order and tran- 

 quillity however prevailed through- 

 out Paris ; and the behaviour of 

 his Majesty in the whole scene 

 was such as did honour to the sen- 

 sibility and humanity of his cha- 

 racter. 



On the preceding day, Louis 

 published a declaration respecting 

 that most important subject, the 

 future Constitution of France. He 

 said, " After having read atten- 

 tively the plan of the Constitution 

 proposed by the Senate in the ses- 

 sion of the 6th of April last, we 

 have recognized that the bases 

 were good, but that a great many 

 articles, bearing the appearance of 

 • the piecipitation with which they 

 have been digested, cannot, in 

 their existing form, become the 

 fundamental law of the state." He 

 then mentioned having convoked 

 the present senate and legislative 

 body for the 10th of June next, in 

 order to take into consideration 

 the result of the labours of himself 

 in conjunction with a commission 

 chosen out of those two bodies, in 



framing a constitution, of which 

 the following are to be the bases : 

 The representative body to be 

 maintained as it exists at this day, 

 divided into two bodies, the se- 

 nate, and the chamber of deputies 

 of the departments ; the taxes to 

 be freely granted ; public and in- 

 dividual liberty to be secured ; the 

 liberty of the press respected, sav- 

 ing the necessary precautions for 

 the public tranquillity ; the liberty 

 of worship guaranteed ; property to 

 be inviolable, and the sale of 

 national estates irrevocable ; the 

 ministers responsible; the judges 

 irremoveable, and the judicial 

 power independent ; the public 

 debt guaranteed ; the pensions, 

 ranks, and honours of the mili- 

 tary, and the ancient and new no- 

 bility, to be preserved ; the legion 

 of honour maintained ; all French- 

 men to be admissible to employ- 

 ments, civil and military : no 

 individual to be disturbed for his 

 opinions or votes. This declaration 

 appears to have given general sa- 

 tisfaction ; indeed, the bases, if 

 liberally construed, contain all the 

 fundamental points of free govern- 

 ment. The two legislative bodies, 

 who were presented in ceremony to 

 the King on May 6th, expressed by 

 their presidents the most respect- 

 ful sentiments of attachment to his 

 person, and confidence in his as- 

 surances. 



The impatience of the French 

 to be freed from those armies of 

 foreigfiers which had been their 

 conquerors, and could not be other- 

 wise than burdens to the coun- 

 try, was not put to a trial longer 

 than necessity required. Some 

 difficulties having been experienced \ 

 with regard to the cession of the i 

 administration of several provinces ' 

 in France occupied by the allies^ ' 





