FRA 
Robefpierre now took the lead as the mod active per- 
fecutor of the royal family ; and on the ift of Auguft fol¬ 
lowing, he obtained a decree againft the queen on a charge 
of confpiracy againft the ftate. In purfuance of this edift, 
fhe was called from her bed in the middle of the night, 
and removed from the Temple to the Conciergerie, the 
moft degrading prifon in Paris. Before her departure her 
pockets were rifled ; flm was refilled the confolation of a 
parting interview with her attendants ; and was hurried 
into a hackney coach, which conveyed her to clofe con¬ 
finement. Her apartment was a cell eight feet fquare, 
with a thinly-covered draw mattrefs to deep on, and her 
daily fare was the common food of liofpitals. Her perfon 
no longer exhibited thofe graces which had exalted her 
fame; the beauties of her countenance were obliterated 
by grief and agitation ; her frame was enfeebled, and her 
whole appearance indicated the feverity and cruelty of her 
perfecutors. 
After remaining in this horrid dungeon two months, a 
victim to the indolence of the gaolers, who even admit¬ 
ted people to gaze on her as a fight, fhe was brought to 
trial. A commit tee of the jacobin club was felefted to pre¬ 
pare the adtof accufation, and Hebert, one of the agents, 
founded on a pretended converfation with the young 
prince a charge fo unnatural and abominable, that even 
Robefpierre himfelf exprelfed indignation at the wicked- 
nefs and folly of the fabrication. The aft of accufation 
againft: her was a repetition of the libels which had during 
fo many years blackened her fame, and it referred to 
tranlaftions previous even to her marriage ; but no evi¬ 
dence was found to fubftantiate any charge againft her ; 
and all the arts of preparation, promife, and terror, could 
not produce one perfon fufficiently hardy to accufe her 
of any crime or aft of immorality. Some allufions to the 
fuppofed irregularities of her life were made in the in¬ 
terrogatory to which (he was fubjefted ; but fheanfwered, 
with magnanimous defiance, that no one could rejoice 
more than herfelf that every aft of her life fiiould be 
thoroughly inveliigated. During the progrefs of her 
trial, which took place on the 14th of Oftober 1793, her 
deportment was dignified, firm, and compofed ; her ac¬ 
quittal was not expefted ; her deftrudlion having been 
refolved on before the procefs commenced. 
Her execution followed on the 16th, immediately after 
her condemnation. Cannon were planted in the ftreets 
and on the bridges, and a numerous body of national 
guards attended for prefervation of order. The queen 
was feated on a tumbril, with her back to the horfe, and 
the mode of her carriage, the poverty of her attire, and 
the general wretchednefs of her appearance, difgraced the 
national convention, who could fuffer the widow of a 
monarch, and the (ifter of a reigning emperor, to be thus 
made theobjeftof fuch mean and wretched refentment. 
The royal viftim met her fate with courage, and during 
her whole progrefs to the place of execution betrayed 
neither weaknefs nor affeftation of fuperior heroifm. Her 
body was thrown into a grave in the church-yard of La 
Madelaine, which was filled up with quick-lime, com¬ 
pletely to deftroy her remains, as had been the cafe with 
the late unfortunate king. 
Thus peri filed the elegant Antoinette, daughter of Leo¬ 
pold emperor of Germany, and the mod accomplifhed 
woman of her age. If fhe had foibles, let us benevolently 
hope they were expiated by the poignancy of her fuf- 
ferings ; nor feek to difturb the allies of a princefs doomed 
to an ignominious death, only becaufe file was the once 
envied confort of a monarch unjuftly fentenced to the 
fame rigorous and cruel fate. 
INTERREGNUM. 
The gloom and confternation which overfpread Paris 
on the completion of this greateft of national crimes, was 
increafed, not only by the aflaffination of Le Pelletier, 
but by the (hutting of the barriers againfi all the friends 
of the late royal futferers, whereby, it is faid, fix thou- 
Vol. VII. No. 468. 
N C E. 789 
fand perfons were arretted as emigrants. The people 
alfo faw themfelves about to be plunged into a general 
war with frelh enemies, who were haftening to join the 
league againft France. We do not mean here to enter 
into a detail of the political ftruggles that occurred in 
any other country than that in the narrative of whofe re¬ 
volution we are now engaged. It will thetefore only be 
neceflary to remark in general, that moft of the foreign 
powers thought themfelves endangered by the propaga¬ 
tion of thofe fpeculative opinions which had overturned 
the French monarchy; and with thefe Great Britain 
united in an ofi'enfive war. The republicans for fome 
time endeavoured to conciliate the favour of the Britifh- /* 
government ; but finding this impoftible, the national 
convention/on the iff of February, 1793, on the motion 
of Brilfot, decreed, that in confequence of certain afts of 
aggreflion, the French republic is at war with the king 
of England and the ftadtholder of the United Provinces. 
War was likewife declared againft Spain : fo that in the 
courfe of the fummer of 1793, France was at war with- 
all Europe, excepting only Swifferland, Sweden, Den¬ 
mark, and Turkey. 
In the mean time Dumouriez, who was proceeding 
agreeably to his orders, made an attack upon Holland ; 
but in doing this he difperfed his troops in fuch a manner 
as to expofe them to a dangerous attack on the fide of 
Germany. He ordered general Miranda U> inveft Mae- 
ftricht, while he advanced to block up BreaSand Bergen- 
op-zoom. Breda furrendered on the 24th of February; 
Klundert was taken on the 26th ; and Gertruydenberg- 
on the 4th of March.—But here the triumphs of Du- 
mouriez ceafed : the fieges of Williamftadt and Bergen- 
op-zoom were vigoroufiy but unfuccefsfiilly prelfed : on 
the ift of March, general Clairfait, having pafled the 
Roer, attacked the French pofts, and compelled them to 
retreat with the lofs of two thoufand men. Thefollow- 
ing day the Auftrians attacked them anew with confide- 
rable fuccefs. On the 3d, the French were driven from 
Aix-la-Chapelle, with the lofs of four thoufand men 
killed, and fixteen hundred taken prifoners. 
The fiege of Maeftricht was now raifed, and the French 
retreated to Tongres, where they were alfo attacked, and 
forced to retreat to St. Tron. Dumouriez here joined 
them, but did not bring his army along with him from 
Holland. After fome fkirmifhes, a general engagement 
took place at Neerwinden. It was fought, on the part 
of the French, with great obftinacy ; but they were at 
length overpowered by the nfimber of their enemies, 
and, perhaps, alfo by the treachery of their commander. 
This defeat was fatal. The French loft three thoufand 
men, and fix thoufand immediately returned home to 
France. Dumouriez continued to retreat, and on the 
22d he was again attacked near Louvain. He now, 
through the medium of colonel Mack, came to an un~ 
derftanding with the Imperialifts; and it was agreed that 
his retreat fiiould not be interrupted : it was fully fet¬ 
tled between him and the Auftrians, that, while the latter 
took pofteffion of Conde and Valenciennes, he fhould 
march to Paris, diffolve the convention, and place the 
fon of the late king upon the throne. 
The rapid retreat and lucceflive defeats of general 
Dumouriez, foon rendered hisconduft fufpicious. Com- 
mifiioners were fent from the executive power for the 
purpofe of difeovering his defigns. They diflembied, 
and pretended to communicate to him a fclieme of a 
counter-revolution. He confefied his intention of dif- 
folving the convention and the jacobin club by force, 
which he faid would not exift three weeks longer, and of 
reftoring monarchy. On the report of tliele commil- 
fioners, the convention fent Bournonville, the minifter of 
war, to fuperfede and arreft Dumouriez, along with Ca¬ 
mus, Blancal, La Marque, and Quinette, as commiflioners, • 
Dumouriez, having intelligence of what was pafting, af- 
fembled his chofen troops, which confided of from 
eighteen to twenty thoufand men, and afked them if any 
9 P part 
