The Mirrour — Concord, N.H., 1792-11-19 00:00:00, page 1

FRANCE.
Exposition of the Motives on which the
French National Aflembl, have pro
claimed the Convocation of a National
Convention, and pronounced the Sus
pension of the Executive Power in the
bauds of Louis xvi.
THE National Assembly owe to the
nation, to Europe, and to pof
terity,a rigorous account of the motives
which have determined their late refo %
lotions.
Placed between the duty of remain
ing faithful to their oaths, and that of
laving their country, they wished to
fulfil both at, the fame time, and to do
all that the publick fafety required,
without usurping the powers with
which the people had not entrusted
them..
At the opening of their session, an
assemblage of emigrants, formed on
the frontiers, kept up a correspondence
with all the enemies of liberty that
were still to be found in the depart
ments, or among the troops of the line;
and fanatical Priests, infusing trouble
into superstitious minds, fought to per
suade those deluded citizens that the
constitution wounded the rights of con
science, and that the law had confided
the functions of religion to fchrfmati
cal and lacrilegious persons.
Finally; a league formed among
powerful Kings menaced the liberty of
France —They fancied they had a right
to fix to what degree the interest of
their dfefpotifm permitted us to be free,
& flattered themselves that they should
fee the foVerejgnty of the people, and
the independence of the french empire,
fall-down before the arms of their Aaves.
Thus every thing announced a civil
and religious war, of which a foreign
, war would soon increase the danger.
The National Assembly thought it
their duty to repress the emigrants,
and to restrain the factious Priests by
severe decrees ; and the King employ
ed agaioft these decrees the suspensive
refufal of fandipn which the constitu
tion granted him. In the mean time,
thole emigrants and those Priests were
busily ading in the name of the King:
It was to re-establish him in what they
called his lawful authority, (hat the
former had taken up arms, aud thelat
ter were preaching affaffipation and trea-
{THE Editor of The Mirrour wifoes to render it
a True and Accurate Refleaor of Men and
Manners— His aim is that it may be really uje
ful —and as every thing of importance, which
ref,efts the prefect distressing difficulties of our gen
erous and worthy allies, the french, is eagerly
s o after, he presents the following Important
French State Paper.— He hopes his Patrons
will excuje his publishing only a part of it this
week—the remainder next week.]
Volume I.]'
By last Wednesday's MAIL.
Published by ELIJAH RUSSELL, at his Office, near Mr. Hannaford's Tavern, in CONCORD, NEWHAMPSH I re.
FOREIGN.
CONCORD, MO N D AY, November 19, 1792.
The Mirrour.
son. These emigrants were the bro
thers of the king, hit relations his
former body-guards.—And while the
correspondence of these fafts, with the
conduct of the King, authorized, nay,
enjoined distrust, this refufal of the fane
cion applied to decrees that could not
be suspended, without being annihilat
ed,(hewed clearly how the veto, suspen
sive according to the law, rendered de
finitive by the manner ofemploying it,
gave to the King the unlimited and ar
bitrary power of rendering null all the
measures which the legislative -body
might think necessary for maintaining
liberty 4 r
From that moment,from one end of
the kingdom to the other, the people
(hewed those gloomy difeontents that
announced storms ; and the suspicions
which accused the executive power,
displayed themselves with energy.
The National Assembly were not
difeouraged. Princes, who profeffed
themselves the allies of France, had
given to the emigrants not only an asy
lum, but the liberty of arming, of
forming themselves into military bodies
—of levying (oldiers of providing mi
litary stores ; and the King was invited
by a solemn message, to break, on this
violation of the rights of nations, a si
lence that had been kept but too long.
He seemed to yield co the national
wish ; preparations for war were order
ed: But it was soon perceived, that
the negociations conduced by a minis
try, weak or treacherous, were con
fined to obtain vain promises, which
remained unexecuted, could not be re
gared but as a snare or an insult. The
league of Kings assumed in the mean
time, a new activity ; —And at the
head of this league, appeared the Em
perour,brother-in-law to the Kingof the
french, united to the nation by a trea
ty ufeful to him alone—and which the
constituting assembly, deceived by the
ministry, had maintained, by facrific
ing, to preserve the hope, at that time
well founded, of an alliance with the
house of Brandenburgb.
The National Assembly thought
chat it was necessary for the fafety of
France, and to oblige the Emperour to
declare whether he would be her ally,
or her enemy; and to pronounce be
tween two contradictory treaties, of
which the one bound him to give fuc
cours to France, and the other engag
ed him to attack her ; treaties which
he could not reconcile, without avow
ing the intention of separating the King
of the nation, and from repre fencing
a war against the french people, as
fuccours granted to his ally.±The Em
perour's answer augmented cnediftruft
which this combination of circum
fiances rendered so natural. In it he
repeated the absurd charges against the
Assembly of the Reprefentaiives of the
french people ; against the popular so
cieties established in our cities, with
which the partisans of the french min
istry had long wearied the counter
revolution presses. He made protes
tations, of his define to continue the al
ly of the King ; and he had just fign<
ed a new league against France, in fa
vour of the authority of the King of
the french.
These leagues, these treaties, the in
trigues of the emigrants, who had so
licited them in the name of the King,
had been concealed by the Ministers
from the Representatives of the people.
No publick disavowal of these intrigues
no effort to prevent or dissolve this
conspiracy of Monarchs, had (hewn ei
ther to the citizens of France, or the
nations of Europe, that the King had
fincefely united his own caule to that
of the nation.
This aparent connivance between the
cabinet of the Thuilleries and that of
Vienna, struck every mind; the Na
tional Assembly thought it their duty
to examine with vigour the conduct of
the Minister of foreign affairs,; and a
decree of accusation was the result of
this examination—His colleagues dis
appeared with him, and the King's
council was formed of Patriot Minif
ters.'
The successor of Leopold followed
the coorfe of his father. He thought
proper to require for the Princes, for
merly possessing Feirs in Alsace, in''
demnifications incompatible with the
french Constitution, and derogatory to
the Independence of the nation. He
wanted France to betray the confi
dence, and violate the rights of the
people of zlvifenon. At length he an
nounced other taufes of complaint,
which could not, he said, be dilcuffed
before having tried the force of arms.
The King seemed to feel that this
provocation to war could not be borne
patiently, without betraying a fyme
iul weakness ; he seemed to feel how
perfidious was this language of an ene
my, who pretended to take an interest
in his fate, and to delire his alliance,
for no purpose but to few feeds of dis
cord between him and his people, cal
culated to enervate our forces, and to
flop or disconcert their motions ; he
proposed war by the unanimous voice
of his council, and war was decreed.
_ By protesting the assemblages of the
emigrants, by permitting them to me
nace our frontiers, by showing troops
in readinefa to second them on the fiift
success, by preparing a retreat for them,
by persisting in a threatening league,
the King of Hangar, obliged France to
male preparations of defence, ruinous
in their expenft—exhaufted her finan
ces—encouraged the audacity of the
conspirators dilperfed through the de
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