GENERAL HISTORY. 



[155 



His majesty, on June 26th pub- 

 lished the following ordinance: 



Louis &c. Considering the 

 various laws by which France had 

 prohibited the traffic known by the 

 name of the Slave Trade, and 

 especially our ordinance of the 

 8th of January 1817, and the law 

 of the 15th of April 1818; 

 wishing to secure by every means 

 in our power the abolition of the 

 Slave Trade in every part of our 

 dominions — on the report of our 

 Minister Secretary of State for 

 the Marine and Colonies, — We 

 have ordained and do ordain as 

 follows : — 



Art. 1. — There shall be con- 

 stantly maintained on the coasts 

 of our African establishments, 

 a cruising squadron of our marine, 

 for the purpose of visiting all 

 French vessels which shall appear 

 within the limits of our posses- 

 sions on the said coasts, and of 

 preventing every violation of our 

 laws and ordinances. 



On Sept. 30th the King began 

 to appoint the Presidents and 

 "Vice-presidents of the Electoral 

 Colleges convoked by his 

 ordinance. 



On the same day his Majesty 

 issued an ordinance respecting 

 the National Guard, of which the 

 following is an extract : — 



Louis, &c. From the account 

 presented to us, respecting the 

 actual situation of the National 

 Guard, we have recognised that 

 the circumstances which rendered 

 necessary a special composition 

 of that public force having ceased 

 to exist, we ought to make it 

 revert to the system which the 

 laws no%v in operation prescribe, 

 and which may facilitate the 

 execntion of the law for recruiting 



the army. The series of legisla- 

 tive measures relative to the 

 National Guard, having been 

 represented to us, we are con- 

 vinced that the laws of the 12th 

 Sept. and i2th Dec. 1790, 3rd 

 Aug. and 14th Oct. 1791, mo- 

 dified by the legislative act of 

 the 24'th Sept. 1805, have served 

 as the bases of the different 

 regulations Mhich have been pub- 

 lished; that these laws subsist in 

 such of their dispositions as are 

 not contrary to the Chamber, and 

 to the institution which it has 

 established ; that they especially 

 preserve their force ^in whatever 

 determines the rank, the service, 

 and the discipline of the National 

 Guard, and whether while seden- 

 tary or communal, they remain 

 under the civil authority, or 

 whether in the case of extraor- 

 dinary service, they are placed 

 under military authority. 



We have therefore resolved to 

 bring back the National Guard 

 to its municipal institution, with- 

 out however intending that there 

 should result from the provisions 

 of this ordinance any relaxation 

 in the habitual service which ia 

 performed wherever this force is 

 organized. 



Persuaded that the National 

 Guard and the officers retained, 

 will continue to be animated with 

 the same zeal which the chiefsand 

 soldiers of all those corps mani- 

 fested under another organization, 

 we are pleased to testify to them 

 all our lively satisfaction. 



The National Guard, which, 

 under the command of our well 

 beloved brother, Monsieur, has 

 rendered brilliant services to 

 France, will find in our support 

 and in his kindness, equal motives 



for 



