.^18 GEN 
])arty, then In power at Paris, reque/ting the afllftance of 
t he French in tlie eftablifliinent of what they termed the 
juft principles of liberty. In confequence of tlieir folicita- 
tion, general Montefquieu advanced towards Geneva. 
On his approacii, deputies from the council were im- 
mediately dilpatched to enquire into the reafons of his 
condudl. The anfwer of tlie general was, that the 
French republic had been infulted by the Genevefe 
calling in the trpops of Swifferland as foon as the French 
forces had entered Sardinia ; which circumftance, he 
added, r lainly evinced that the ariftocratic party at Ge¬ 
neva were inclined to favour the enemies of France. 
After fome time fpcnt in fruitlefs negociation, the ma- 
giftrates, perceiving themfelves incapable of.def;nding 
the ancient conftitution, palTed a decree in favour of 
equal rights, with only fome flight* reftridlions. The 
popular party, however, would not accept that as a fa¬ 
vour which they demanded as a riglit ; and therefore, 
on the 30th of November, 1792, tliey appeared in arms, 
and infilled that every department of the government 
fliould be filled by individuals of their own party. The 
fyndic of the guard, Micheli Ducrefl, being ordered by 
the magiflrates to beat to arms, not only reAifed to obey 
their orders, but delivered the keys of the park of ar¬ 
tillery into the hands of the infurgents. On the ill of 
Detiember they made themfelves mailers of Geneva, af- 
fumed the red cap, and adopted the manners of the 
French revolutioniils. The members of the former 
government voluntarily refigned their funftions, and li¬ 
berty and equality was proclaimed. Provifional com- 
inittees, called the committees of fafety and adminillra- 
tion, were formed, which were confirmed by an afl'em- 
bly cpmpofed ot the old and newly-adinitted citizens. 
On the 25th of February, 1793, a convention fimilar to 
that of France was formed, confifting of 120 members. 
The firlt a6ts of this convention were to abolilh the 
great council, and to transfer nearly all the power of 
the little council to the general alTembly. This con- 
flitution, with all its faults, was accepted by the peo¬ 
ple at large, and was even acknowledged by the Swifs 
cantons. Order and harmony w'ere in appearance re- 
llored, when the public tranquillity was again diflurbed 
by the vifionary dodlrines propagated by the circle of 
equality, which ftill held its meetings, and perfevered 
in its delufive metaphyfical fcheme of the general 
equality of rights. The principal members of this 
club were now citizens Gefnet and the abbe Soulavie, 
wlio h.ad acted as their deputies with the Briflbtin party 
at Paris, and an advocate, of the name of Boufquet. 
An affelTment upon property being in agitation by-the 
inagiilrates, the circle of equality feized this opportu¬ 
nity of fpreading the report, that the propofed afleff- 
mcnt was to be laid principally upon the poor, while 
the rich were to be almoft wholly exempted ; and at 
the fame time fuggefled the neceflity of the people tak¬ 
ing tlie government into their own hands. 
In the night of the i8th of July, Boufquet and Gef¬ 
net announced to the aifembly that a confpiracy was 
planned againfl: the people by the ariftocrats. Upon 
this denunciation the mofl furious of the patriots ran to 
arms, to punifhthe traitors; while the more moderate 
contemled, ,that the fovereign affembly Ihould not be 
diflurbed by fuch alarms. While, however, the prefi- 
dent was putting the queftion, about twenty of tlie 
mofl violent of the members, headed by Boufquet, ran 
out of the hall, calling upon the people to take up 
aims. Being joined by vafl numbers of the loweft of 
ihe people, they feized tlie artillery, plundeied the 
houi'es of the citizens, and difarmed fuch as they tiiought 
hoflile to their views. 
From this moment all the miferies and hon ors of a 
revolutionary flate commenced. The rich were torn 
from their houles and tlirown into dungeons, where up¬ 
wards of fix hundred of the principal inhabitants of the 
city were crowded together, among whom were mofl of 
3 
EVA; 
the magiflrates who had been depofed in 1792. A re-^- 
volutionary tribunal was erected, of which Boufquet 
was eledfed prefident, and which held its fittings in one 
of the halls of the Hotel de Ville. The firft feven pri- 
foners w’ho were brought before this tribunal w’ere, 
M. Decombres, lieutenant-colonel of the regiment of 
Geneva; M. Cayla, the ex-fyndic ; the worthy and pa¬ 
triotic M. Prevoft, procurator-general ; M. Deroch. 
ment, counfellor; and three others. M. Decombres- 
and the other three were condemned by the tribunal, 
and the reft were acquitted ; but as they were members 
of patrician families, and held the firft places in the 
flate, the afl'embly of the revolutionifts, intoxicated by 
the wine that had been plentifully diftributed on the oc- 
cafion, imagined that their acquittal was a fufficient 
proof of a plot to fave the ariftocrats, who, in the opi¬ 
nion of thefe deluded wretches, all merited the punilh- 
ment of death. While the moderate among the aflem- 
bly were endeavouring to prove the contrary, the en¬ 
raged part of the mob ran from the afl'embly to the pri- 
fon, and, feizing the I'even unfortunate perfons, brought 
them to the fatal ground. A fquare battalion was 
formed, and thefe feven vidlims of the worfl of tyran¬ 
nies were inflantly fliot!—Their next ftep was to lower 
the rate of intereft of money, and to annul all leafes. 
In addition to thefe atrocities, the mofl facred rites of 
religion were converted into ridicule, and the mofl hor¬ 
rible blafphemies were publicly countenanced. 
The revolutionary tribunal, not fatisfied with the 
innocent blood which had already flow'ed, ordered three 
more prifoners to be brought before them ; Fatio, ex- 
fyndic ; Naville, cx-procurator; and Andead, a banker. 
M. Naville, who was a man of diflinguiflied talents, de-- 
fended himfelf fo ably, and appealed fo forcibly to the 
pallions and confciences of the revolutionary tribunal, 
that one of his judges, on pafling fentence, faid to him, 
“ I have two confciences ; one of them acquits you, and 
the other condemns you, in order to fave tlie republic." 
“ The republic will lole then in me z. great citizen,''’ coolly 
replied Naville ; and this fingular and bold expreflion, fa 
deferiptive of his charabler, was ftrictly true. When the 
judgment of the court was pafl'ed on him, “ I will now, 
(faid he,) in my turn, pronounce that fentence which 
awaits you and all your accomplices. Wh:n enriched 
by plunder, and become abfolute maflers of the flate, 
expccb not to enjoy in peace the fruit of your crimes. 
All the barriers tliat you have broken down to arrive 
at defpotifin, will be alfo broken down for you. New 
faflions will fpring up in the midlt of your fadtion ; 
you will be engaged in a conftant flruggle with each 
■other for pow'er. Like tigers you united to catch your 
prey ; and like them you will I'pill one another’s blood 
in difputing which fhall devour it. You will thus be¬ 
come yourfelves the avengers of the fliades of-your 
vicliiiis : but there will be this difference between you 
and them—iliat your victims will have ended tlieir days 
with'tlie coafolatioii of having a pure confc.ience, v/hich 
raifes the foul to its Creator; and you will die witli 
he.arts burfting with rage ; your execution will be pre¬ 
ceded hy the mofl g tHing ideas ; defpair will rend your 
feeling;, for liaving imbrued your hands in innocent 
blood, and torture you with the dread of falling into 
the abyfs dug. wilii your own hands.— Vou will die without 
daring to raife your eyes toward heaven." 
The judg'es of tliis horrid court fat fourteen days, 
during,which time five hundred and three perfons w-ere 
tried, of v.’hicli number tliirty-feven were condemned; 
but only elevenfuifered death, the other twenty-fix hav¬ 
ing found means to efcape. One hundred were I'entenced 
to be banillied ; three hundred to be imj: rifoned, fome 
for life and others for various periods ; and the remain¬ 
der obtained tircir liberty. 'Fhe fangtiinary fpirit of 
Boufquet and iiis alTociates, was happily fucceeded by a 
milder fyflem. The friends of tlie revolution of 1792 
were too much the friends of their country to confent 
to 
