304 
The following are the principal tepics 
which have lately engaged the Legiflative 
Affemblies of France. 
In the fitting of the Council of five 
hundred, 1ft March, Peres du Gers called 
the attention of the Council to fome cruel 
and unjuit proceedings which had taken 
place, in compliance with the 26th article 
of the lawof the roth Fructidor. Inha- 
bitants (he faid), even of the city of Paris, 
had been put upon the lift of Emigrants 
without their knowledge, and made liable 
to be torn from their families, and de- 
aes up to military execution, before 
they could have an opportunity of proving 
that the infcription of their names on the 
emigrant lift was erronccus. He con- 
élade d by moving that a committee should 
Be appointed to examine whether it may 
not be convenient to modify the law of 
the 19 Fructidor. This moticn brougat 
Gn a tumultuous debate ; the order of the 
day was moved for on. one hand ; 3 the 
printing of the motion was called for on 
the other. Tallien eed contended for 
the reference to a committe <¢ We are 
affured,’? faid Tallien, 6 “i judicial 
‘aflaffmations have been committed, at 
which every member ‘of | this aflembly 
ought to biufh. I would by no means 
accufe the military commifficns : the Jaw 
is precile, and, after identifying the 
perfon, they are obliged to condemn to 
death every individual who is brought 
before them, whole name is infcribed « on 
the lift of emigrants. “The conftituticn 
requires, and ‘with ju fice, that the 
cowardly and perfidious emigrants fhould 
never tread the foul of France ; but juttice 
ads that the innocent thould not be 
‘confounded with the guilty.” “He moved 
«¢ that the “fpeech be printed, and a- 
meflage fent to the Directory to fufpend 
the execution of the judgment prone un need 
by | the military commifficns. 
After ‘a lone difcuilion,' the council 
referréd the motion toa committee, and 
ordered a meffage on the fubject to be 
ran{mitted to ‘the Directory.” 
In the fitting of the 6th of March the 
Prefident announced a meflage from the 
Executive Direétory in ater to a meif- 
fage from the Council on.the abceve-men- 
tioned fubject. The Directory ftate, that 
they had in vain endeavoured to tr ace the 
erigin of the hopes which the emigrants 
entertai in, ‘and which’ they“do net at- 
tempt to difguife, till the ditcuffion which 
took place {ome days before, “in the hall 
of the’ legiflative body, diffipated ‘their 
doubts, and furnifhed them mvwith the moft 
complete explanation. — —s ft even ap~ 
z 
State of Public Affairs. 
pears,” fay they, ‘ that the enemies 
of the public welfare had {peculated on 
the effect of the peeches to be pronounced. 
from your tribune ; if any judgment may 
be formed from the charaéter and number 
of the perfons who ‘loitered about the 
avenues to your hall. The Direétory do 
not, however, believe that the object of 
the reprefentatives was to protect great 
criminals, or to ferve the purpofe of a 
party.”°—They conclude with informing 
the Council that the flighteft modification 
of the law of the r9th Fruétidor, would 
plunge the country into the moft ferious 
dangers. The Council of five hundred 
ordered the meffage to be printed. . Peres, 
the propofer of this qu ueftion, declare 
that it was ever his intention to defend 
the Emigrants, and that he withdrew his 
motion, as the government by its meflage 
guarantied the lives of jnnocent citizens. 
The ele&tions for the new third of the 
Legiflative Affemblies, took piace in the 
beginning of April, and are faid to have 
proceeded in 2 manyer favourable to the 
views of the Executive Dire€tory, with a 
few exceptions. : 
On the sth of April the citizens of 
Montebourg, in the department offla 
Manche, amounting to fev en-eighths of 
thofe ae to vote, complained to the 
council of five hundred, of their being 
diffoived by an armed farce contrary to 
law, by habe: gier, Commiffioner of the 
Directory. The petitioners demanded 
the annulment of the operations of the 
firft fection of the Primary Affembly. 
The petition and vouchers were tranfinitted 
to the Directory. 
The French negociators, by their per- 
emptory manner of proceeding, have 
lately accelerated the bufineis aE the 
Congrefs at Raftadt. In the fitting of 
the 5th of February, it was found shat 
they greatly difconcerted the Deputies 
from the Imperial States, by their fir mnefs 
in adhering to their overtures refpeting 
the left banks of the Rhine. In this 
fitting the German’ Deputies recognized 
the neceffity of yielding to the fevere 
declaration demanded of them; but ever 
anxious to gain time, they only pee 
to know of Treilhard pee Bonnier, to 
waat point on the left banks of the Rhine 
they wifhed.to extend the ceflion of the 
German territory. The paper prefented 
on this occafion adds, that as foonas there 
fall no longer remain any uncertainty on 
this head, the paper wat fhall ceafe, and 
the conferences fhall continue ou the bafis 
on whi ae AY were cpened. 
: French plenipot, entiaries in their 
; ; 3 : ; aniwer 
