148 
Executive Directory would caufe to be 
yefpected by the confituted authorities, 
and they commanded the minifter of 
finance to order them to be exaétly ob- 
ferved. 
On the 24th of July, after an ani- 
mated fpeech of TALLizN’s, on the dif- 
putes with the Directory, and a warm 
difcuffion on the popular focieties, the 
Council formed itfeif mto a fecret com- 
Mittee, on a meflage from the Directory, 
flating, “© That the embarrafled ftate of 
the finances grew werfe—that every 
branch of the fervice fufered, and woul 
fail in a few days, if a remedy was not 
applied ;—that the credit opened fince 
the 1ft Vendemiaire to that day amount- 
ed to the fum of 403 millions. The fums 
paid, fuch as rents, penfions, &c. amount- 
ed to 20 or 25 miilions; that the whole 
of the fums authorifed to be paid by the 
legiflative body was 425 millions. That 
the minifter had 70 millions of this fum 
to difpofe of s—that it was wonderful, 
confidering the fituation ef the republic, 
that it had arrived at the laft month of 
the year with a fimple authority for an 
expence of 317 millions; while, before 
the revolution, the expences amounted to 
much more.’ After enumerating, with 
great precifion, the flate of their finances, 
the Dsrectory obferved, that there were 
no diipofable means, and thar it was for 
the reprefentatives to find them. ; 
The following is the outline of the 
report of DuFRESNE from the united 
commitees of finance and expence, and 
is in anfwer to the meffege of the Di- 
xectory > = 7 
In the firft part, DUFRESNE pointed 
out fome irregularities in rhe payment of 
the troops. In the fecond:part, he ftated, 
that the extreme penury of the national 
trcafury was occafioned by the unhappy 
profufion of mandats, which had been 
‘given on the warrants of minifters, in 
purfuance of the orders of the Direétory. 
‘They exhibited the treafurtes of the dif- 
ferent depaitments, by difcounts of 30 or 
#0 per cent. which the proprietors of 
tocfe mandats make to the paymafters. 
Hence it happened that the funds deftined 
to the rewies, the penfions, the fubfifience 
of the defenders of the country, and 
their relations, are very much retarded. 
‘Phere remained in the treafury, for 
22,000,0c0 florins, about 64,c00,000 of 
jivres in Batavian refcriptions, payable in 
the courfe of feveral fuccelfive years. It 
had already borrowed 3s,9°00,000 livres 
upon thefe efecis; and it hoped to de- 
Siate of Public Affairs —France. 
XX 
[ Aug. 
rive from shem a new-refource, if the 
commifiore 7s could negociate them under 
a reafonable Jifcount. ‘* Your commitees, 
likewife,’ th reporter added, “* make 
no reflection .n the choice of the moment 
at which the meflage on the embarraff- 
ment of the .reaiury was addrefled to 
you, upon the smprudent publicity the 
Direétory had given to it, and the inti- 
mate relation it Add with a pretended 
motion of order ,TaLLien’s) made the 
fame day from this tribune. 
They confine themfelves to a flate- 
ment of certain poiats on which thes 
Dire€tory probably is not fufficiently in- 
formed, is 
Firft, the credits which the legiflative 
body had opened for the ordinary and 
extraordinary fervice of the different mi-+ 
nifters, amounted, fince the 1f Vende- 
Miaire, to 493 millions, on which the 
minifters had drawn warrants, which had 
been paffed for the fum of 348,710,000 
livres. Secondly, the pay amounted to 
8,123,000 francs per month, for 440,c00° 
men, who were armed as well in the in- 
terior, as five armies without. | 
There was due to the army of the 
Rhine and the Mofeile 1,507,000 livres 
en the rsth Meffidor. The half of alk 
the receipts of the twelve departments, 
in the neighbourhood of which rheyjare, 
had been ailigned for this obje€t, and a 
million from the army of Italy had been 
fent them. The treafury could not per- 
ceive what had prevented the arrival of 
this money at the office of the paymafter, 
and they were afraid it had been diverted 
to other objets. 
The army of Italy had not only funds 
fu%icient for its expences, but the trea- 
fury had received from its paymafter 
ffatements, which fhowed that it had im 
its exchequer, on the rft Meffidor, thir- 
ty-three millions. 
On the fame day, the Council received 
2 meflage from the Directory, informing 
them, that, conficering the urgent de- 
mauds for money, it would be impoflible 
to fuftain the fervice with fuch feeble 
means as the legiflative body. had lately 
provided for that purpofe ;—that the 
difficulty which tne Executive Power ex- 
perienced rendered its fituation worfe 
and worfe every day ;—that this ftate of 
things demanded the more ferious at- 
‘tention of the legiflature, becaufe the 
refources which the republic had left 
would eafily produce an alteration, were 
they properly brought forward. 
About this time, the minifter of fis 
i nance, 
