HISFORICAL CHRONICLE. 
———————OOee 
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26. 1792. 
Foreien. 
France. 
Trial of the bing. 
“Tue principal businefs that has 
occupied the attention of the 
French National Convention 
since our last, has been'the trial 
of the king. After many long 
and tumultuous debates, it ‘was 
at length decreed that he fhould 
be brought to the bar of that 
afsembly on the 11th of De- 
céember, to answer ‘to such in- 
terrogatories as fhould be put 
to~him. Having been accor- 
dingly put to the bar, about 
twelve o’clock that day, he 
there underwent a ‘long exami- 
nation. ‘The questions put to 
him related chiefly to his ha- 
ving supplied the ‘emigrant 
“princes with money ; refusing 
_*to sanction the decrees of the 
National Afsembly ; leaving the 
country destitute of the means 
of defence ; and employing the 
Swifs guards for the purpose of 
-establifhing his own authority, 
independent of the other con- 
-stituted authorities of the state. 
‘The king was calm, <ollec- 
-ted, unembarrafsed. ‘He an- 
swered every question with- 
out hesitation, as it was put. 
' Sometimes he said he acted as 
the law had authorised him; to 
others he s¥d the accusation 
VOL. XII. c¢ 
was false, and the evidenc 
produced, forgeries. With re- 
gard to others, the blame he al- 
leged lay not with him, but 
with the ministers under whose 
department it fell. On the 
whole, seldom hasan accused 
person appeared at the bar ofa 
‘court of justice, who acted 
with more dignity or propriety 
than Lewis xv1; for his con- 
duct was equally free from 
insolence as meannefs, and was 
neither petulant nor timid ; but 
cool, grave, and guarded, 
though upen, and seemingly 
candid. 
By the queries pat ‘to him, it 
would seem that the accusa- 
tions they have to bring against 
him are of a nature much lefs 
serious than was expected ; and 
the proofs alluded to, seem to 
be much lefs decisive than was 
in general supposed. ‘The pub- 
lication of these proceedings 
has produced a great change on 
the mind of the public respec- 
ting him, even in France. 
He was permitted to sit du- 
ring this examination, and he 
concluded by afking leave to 
have counsel to afsist him in 
preparing his defence, which 
was granted. He made choice 
lof Tronchet aud Target, 
¢ 
