369] THE PLEBISCITE IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 7 1 



limits of France were marked by nature and that they must 

 be attained by their four points ; the ocean, the Rhine, the 

 Alps and the Pyrenees."'" "An opinion is growing here," 

 writes Bissot to Dumouriez, "that the French Republic 

 must have no boundary short of the Rhine. Are the minds 

 with you disposed to such union? They must be pre- 

 pared. "^^ " ' We have sworn no conquest' wrote Gregoire, 

 'but if people, included within the borders of the French 

 Republic, desire political affiliation, must we not receive 

 them?'" As Chuquet adds, "Belgium was rich and the 

 fortune of its clergy immense. Why not take hold of those 

 'gigantic revenues of Flemish superstition' and 'enlarge 

 with it the republican Pactole ' " V^ Le Brun, enumerating 

 the advantages of the annexation of Belgium, stated that 

 " France would augment her population by 3 million in- 

 habitants, her army by 40,000 soldiers, her annual revenues 

 by 40,000,000 pounds, and the mortgage of its assignats 

 more than a billion."^^ 



The Belgians, scenting the danger to their freedom, sent 

 a representation to the Assembly in Paris to demand a 

 solemn declaration " that it did not aim at the union of 

 Belgium with France and that it would not impose on Bel- 

 gium the assignats." But Le Brun induced the Belgian 

 Commission to omit from their request these two vital 

 points, and Barere let them know the real sentiment of the 

 Assembly when he asked them whether they had not im- 

 mense treasures which religion for centuries had taken as 

 a deposit for liberty? Arms and assignats, he said, is what 

 an enslaved people needs to break its fetters.''* 



On December 15, 1792, the Assembly adopted the decree 

 which meant the practical annexation of Belgium and 



'" Ibid., p. 195. 



71 Ibid. 



■'^ Il)id. See also note 102. 



'" Cited by Oiuquct, Jemappes, p. 195. More expressions for 

 annexation of BelKium are cited, ibid., p. 195 ff. 



''* Cited, il)id., p. 197, from Monitcur, Dec. 6, 1792; .see also A. 

 Borjfnet. llistoire dcs UelKes, a la iin du XVIII* sieclc, 2 ed , Bru- 

 xclles, Paris, 1861-1862, vol. ii, pp. 90-92. 



