| 
1796.] 
yards was infcribed.—Death is an eter- 
wal fleep—T his fentence, dictated by fran- 
tic guilt, horrible at every timé, was ftill 
more frightful in thofe days of deftruc- 
tion when life hung upon the tenure of 
-athread—-when this pretended eternal 
night threatened at every initant to open 
and devour every one of us. ‘The fero- 
cious tyrants who then bore fway, not 
fatisfied with turning the earth into an 
abode of tortures and horror, atterapted 
to {natch from us even the {weet il- 
lufions of hope. Jofeph, the emperor of 
Germany ordered the dead to be buried 
in. quick lime, and this edict did what 
could not be effected by perpetual drud- 
gery, wretchednefs, and fervitude. The 
peafant of Tyrol and of Tranfylvania 
haftened to quit acountry where his body 
could not enjoy the privilege of rotting 
undera few feet of earth. In eontem- 
plating thefe facts, the philofopher fighs, 
and deplores the weaknets of humanity ; 
but in confidering this queftion in a light 
purely political and moral, it is of the 
number of thofe which ougnt to occupy 
the attention of the legiflator; for, to at- 
tach him ftrongly to his country, order, 
decency, and dignity, ought every where 
to ftamp their auguft impreffions, and in- 
{pire the citizen with the higheft idea 
of his condition, that at the moment 6f 
death, as in every epoch of his life, it may 
be perceived that he is, or that he was, 
a member of a fociety in which the fub- 
lime charaéter and the dignity of man 
thonei n all their luftre.” : 
On the 28th of June, the feftival of agri- 
culture was celebrated,in Paris,with much 
appropriate gaiety. Itexhibited,very pro- 
perly, more of fimplicity than pomp. It 
vas a teftimonial of refpeét and grati- 
tude, paid by a triumphant republic, to 
an art which, in their own language, 
“‘ the pride and defpotifm of courts have 
tended to bring into contempt.” The 
exchange of the fwords of the warriors 
of France for the inftruments of agri- 
culture, was an emblem of the union 
which ought to exift among all the dif- 
ferent clafles of which fociety is com- 
pofed; that theyowe to eachother a natural 
regard ; that the fimple and laborious life 
of the one, is not le{s ufeful to the coun- 
“try, than the military triumphs of the 
others and, finally, that victory holds 
out to the defenders of France, the pro- 
mife of foon returning to thofe peaceful 
arts which formed the firft occupation 
of their youth, and which will be ho- 
noured by thofe hands that have van- 
guithed their enemies. : 
* The pageantry of this feftival indi. 
Montury Mac. No. VI. 
% 
— Public Afiuirs ..» France, | 
595 
cated, that the arts will ever be difen- 
gaged from the fetters of defpotifm, and 
that they are all children of the fame 
‘family. Here were difplayed all the arts 
that concur alike to embellith the coun- 
try, and to render it illuftrions. The 
groups of old men deaning over their 
ploughs; of young girls bearing flowers 
and fruits; the ‘pleafing affemblage of 
age and youth; and the moral preceptss 
exprefied in the civic fongs, all an- 
nounced, that a wife government may, 
at length, revive in the people the fim- 
plicity of ancient times. The feftival of 
agriculture fucceeded to that of viétories ; 
the order was natural and methodical; it 
was that of repofe after fatigue, of fine 
weather after a tempeft. 
On the 23d of June, the Council of 
Five Hundred, on the report of Maret; 
in the name of a particular commiffion, 
refolved, that 120 millions, fixed value, 
thould be delivered to the minifter of 
Marine and Colonies, forthe expences of 
his department. during the laf two 
months. at: 
On-the fame day the Council refolved, 
in purfuance of the report of a commif- 
fion, that the re-fales of national property 
made up to that time, the original pur- 
chafers of which had emigrated, or had 
negleéted to make good their payments, 
could not be invalidated by the want of 
formalities in the fale. 
On the report of a particular commil- 
fion, the Council alfo refolved, thar the 
national treafury fhould iffue 913,086. li- 
vres for the payment of the pentions of 
wounded or infirm foldiers incapable of 
ferving, as well as of thofe of the widows 
of the defenders of the country killed 
in battle, or in the performance of any 
fervice ; and alfo thofe of the perfons 
employed in the military adminiftration. 
The Executive Directory, confidering 
how much a nation which has acquired 
its liberty by conqueft, and is defirous of 
preferving it, annexes ideas of import- 
ance and intereft to thofe folemnitics. 
which every year recal the remembrance » 
of viétories—confidering thatthe inten - 
tion of the legiflature in fixing the feftivals 
of liberty for the 9th and 10th Thermi- 
dor, has been at the fame time, by a fimi- 
lar inftitution, directed to the celebration 
of the defiru€tion of every fpecies of ty~ 
ranny that has oppreffed France; and that 
the two. feafts, by recalling to mind 
the fall of the triumviral tyranny, 
fhould at the fame time confecrate the 
two moft memorable epochs of the rev 
lution, that of the 14th of July, > 
when the awe made the greatei 
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