88] 
recently committed the most cri- 
minal excesses—that under the 
pretext of acting as ministers of 
public justice, Frenchmen, grati- 
fying their hatred and private re- 
venge, have shed the blood of 
Frenchmen, even since our au- 
thority has been universally estab- 
lished and acknowledged through- 
out the whole extent of our king- 
dom. It is true that great crimes, 
infamous treasons, have beencom- 
mitted, and plunged France into 
an abyss of calamities ; atrocious 
persecutions have been exercised 
against such of our faithful sub- 
jects as, following the banners of 
our dearly-beloved nephew (the 
duke of Angouleme), have cou- 
rageously endeavoured with him 
to save I'rance: but the punish- 
ment of these crimes ought to be 
national, solemn, and regular.” 
The proclamation proceeded in 
this strain hoping that this odious 
attempt to anticipate the action of 
the laws had already ceased, and 
expressing a conviction that his 
Majesty’s veice would not be 
heard in vain in a country where 
he had “ received so many proofs 
of loyalty and affection.” Such a 
reprimand was more a proof of 
favour than of displeasure, and 
threw the wrong rather upon the 
sufferers of present injury, than 
upon the party inflicting it. The 
fact appears to have been, that 
the protestants in France were in 
general inclined to the cause of 
Buonaparte, who had not only 
been always a friend to religious 
toleration, but in his new eccle- 
siastical establishment had made 
alegal provision for the protestant 
clergy. As, where opposite sects 
are nearest to a parity, their mu- 
tual animosity is most rancorous, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1815. 
it is probable that in this quarter 
party differences, religious and 
political, subsisted with uncom- 
mon violence, and each in its 
turn may have taken occasion 
from the circumstances of the 
time to wreak its vengeance upon 
the other. The King’s proclama- 
tion alludes to persecutions exer- 
cised upon the royalists during 
the sway of the usurper. What- 
ever they might have been, they 
were returned with usury as soon 
as the Bourbons were restored to 
power ; and falling chiefly or 
solely upon the protestants, they 
took the character of a religious 
persecution, and were marked 
with its peculiar severity. If the 
relations are to be depended upon, 
the barbarities practised against 
the protestant inhabitants of Nis- 
mes and its vicinity would have 
disgraced a nation of savages.— 
The oppressed party took up arms, 
apparently in self defence, and 
disorders prevailed in the depart- 
ment which the authority of the 
government was unable to re- 
press. On August 30th, Count 
Neipperg, commander of a divi- 
sion of the Austrian army, pub- 
lished a proclamation at Nismes, 
informing the inhabitants of the 
departments in which his troops 
were quartered, that he had re- 
ceived orders to concur with the 
civil and military authorities ap- 
pointed by the King, in maintain- 
ing the public tranquillity, and 
that he should particularly assist 
in the measure of disarming.— ~ 
Disturbances, however, still con- 
tinued to prevail in that part of 
France, and at a late period of the 
year the protestants at Nismes 
were obliged by the popular vio- 
lence to suspend their public wor- 
