The Mirrour — Concord, N.H., 1792-11-26 00:00:00, page 4

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were bound to confine themselves to conjuring
the People, in the Name of their Country, to
follow the simple Regulation traced out for
them.ln these, the Forms instituted for E
le&ions were refpeded, because the Eftablifli
merit of new Forms, even supposing them to
have been better; would have been a Source of
Delay, perhaps of Division. They preferred
in them none of the Conditions of Eligibility,
none of the Limitations of the Rights of ele^-
ing or being eleded, established by the former
Laws, because these Laws, which are so many
, Reftridions on the Exercise of the Right of
Sovereignty, are not applicable to a National
Convention ; in which this ought tobe exer
cised with complete Independence; The Dif
tindion of adive Citizens appears not in these
Regulations, because it is also Reftfiftion of the
Law. The only Conditions' required are those
which Nature hasprefcribed, such as theNecef
fity of being cohneded, by a fixed Residence,
with the Territory, for which the Right'of
Citizenship is exmifed, of having attained the
Age at which'Men are held, by the Laws of
the Nation of which they make a Part, to be
in a Condition to exercise their personal Rights;
finally, of having preserved absolute Independ
ence of Will.
But to aflemble new Representative, of the
People required Time ; although the Nation
al Assembly have made as short as possible, the
Periods of the Operations which the Conven
tion made necessary ; although they accelerat
ed the Period at which they must cease to
bear the Burden of the Publick Weal, in fuck
a manner as to avoid the least Suspicion of
ambitious Views ; the term of 40 Days
would still have exposed the Country to great
Misfortunes, and the People to Dangerous
commotions, if to the King had been left the
Exercise of the Powers conferred upon him by
the Constitution ; and the Suspension of these
Powers appeared to the Reprefentative^ of the
People, the only Means of faring Frante and
Liberty.
In pronouncing this necessary Sufpenfion,~
the Assembly have not exceeded their Powers.
The Constitution authorizes* them ,to pro
nouce it in the Case of the Absence of the
King, when the Term at which this absence
incurs a legal Abdication's not yet arrived,
that is to fay, in the Case in which there is not
yet Ground for a definitive Resolution, but in
which a provisional A6l of Rigour is evidently
necessary, in Which it would be absurd to
leave the Power in Hands which Could no
longer make a free and beneficial use of it.
In the present Instance, then, these Condi
tions are as evidently united, as in the Case
provided for by the Conititution, and in con
dueling ourselves by the Principle which the
Coriftitution has pointed out, we have obeyed
it—far from having infringed it contrary to
our Oaths.
The Constitution forefaw, that all Accu
mulation of Powers was dangerous, and might
Change into Tyrants of the People, those who
,ought to be only their Representatives ; but
itjudged also, that this Danger supposed a long
Exercise of this Extraordinary Power, and the
Term of two Months is that which is fixed
for all Cases in which it permits this Union of
Powers, which in all other Cases it has so rig
curoufly prescribed.
The National Assembly, far from extending
this Term, has reduced it to forty Days only;
and far from exceeding the Period fixed by
Law on the Pleaof Neceflity, they have bro't
themselves within the narrowest limits.
When the Power of fan&ioning the Laws is
fufpentied, the Constitution has pronounced,
that the Decrees of the legislative Body ftqll
have of themselves the Character and Authori
ty of Laws ; and since he, to whom the Con
stitution gave the Choice of Ministers, could
no longer exercise his Fundions, it was neces
sary that anew Law ffiould put the Choice in
to other Hands. #
- The Assembly conferred the Right on them
selves, because this Right could not be given
but to Electors- who belonged to the whole
Nation, and because they alone have that
Charaaer at present. But they were careful
to avoid giving Ground for the Suspicion that,
in conferring this Pomeron themselves, they
fought to gratify ambitious personal Views ;
they decreed, that the Ele&ion should be made
aloud, that each of them ihould pronounce
his Choice in Presence of the National Repre
sentation, in Presence of the numerous Citi
zens who attended their Sittings. They took
Care that each of their own Body Ihould have
his Colleagues for his Judges, the Publick for
a Witness, and should answer for his Choice
to the whole Nation.
Frenchmen ! Let us i^|f all our Forces
against the sovereign Tyrannytyhich dares to
threaten with its Vengeance twenty fix mill
ions of freemen ! Within fix Weeks a Pow
er, which every Citizen acknowledges, will
pronounce on our Division: Woe to the man
who listening, during this short Interval, to
personal Sentiments, (hall not devote himfelf
wholly to the common Defence, who shall not I
fee, that at the Moment when the fovereignl
Will of the People is about to fpeak', we have
no Enemies but the Conspirators ofPLiNirz,
and their Accomplices.
It is in the midst of a foreign War, at the
Moment when numerous Armies are prepare
ing for a formidable Invasion, that we call up
on the Citizens to difeufs in a peacableAffem-•
bly the rights of Liberty. That which would
have appeared rafli among other People, seem
ed to us not above the Courage and Patriot
ism of the French ; and undoubtedly we shall
not have the Misfortune of finding ourselves
deceived in judging you worthy to forget eve
ry other Interest but that of Liberty, of facri
ficing every other Sentiment to the Lave of
our Country.-
Citizens, it is for you to judge, if your Re
prefentives have Exercised for your Good the
Powers you have confided to them, if they
have a&ed according to your wishes, in mak
ing use of their Powers which neither they,
nor you could forefee to be necessary. For
us, we have difeharged our Duty in seizing
with Courage on the only means of preserving
Liberty that occurred to our Consideration.
Ready to die for it, at the Post in which you
have placed us, we shall carry with us, at least,
on quitting the Post, the Consolation of hav
ing maintained it faithfully.
Whatever Judgment our Contemporaries
or Posterity may pass upon us, we shall not
have to dread that of our Confidences ; to
whatever Danger we may be exposed, the
Happiness will remain to us of haviug spared
the Torrents of French Blood, which a Con
dud more weak would have made to flow ; we
shall be spared Remorse at least ; nor shall we
have to reproach ourselves with having seen
a Means of saving our Country, and riot hav
ing dared to embraced. (Signed.)
GAUDET, President.
Goujon, G. Romme, Marans, Cres
tin, Arena Lecointre Puira
.vaux, / Secretaries.
DENMARK.
COPENHAGEN, August 28.
IT is difficult to express the sensation
which the accounts of the events of
the loth of August, which the French
Minister has received by a Courier, has
caused here. Our Court has resolved
for the present to break off all official
communication with Fr^ce—and not
to resume it during the suspension of
the royal authority. Barom De
B luhme, the Danish envoy at Paris,
has by this time quitted that unfortu
nate capital.
= I 1 ■■■■— WMHBS^MBWBBMMCMf— .-
SPAIN.
MA DR ID, August 25.
Since our court has learned the events
which happened at Paris oh the 10th
instant, and the attempts committed
against His Most Christian Majesty and
his august Family, the system of neu
trality which they seemed to have
adopted is entirely changed : in confer
qhence of which orders have been issued
in Catalonia for every one to declare
the number of his different Carriages,
Horses and Mules, and to be ready to
deliver them on the firft requisition.
The King has also ordered all the draw
in Barce/oma & Rg^r^ to be bought up.
FRANCE.
PAR I S, September 12.
The number of Men that marched
FOREIGN.
from Paris to reinforce the Army from I
the 3d to the 9th Liftant, according co |
the Account kept #the Commandant ■
General of the rational Guard,
9897. To these are so be added 2,20 q
that marched on 10th. and'sooo ,
who have gone frm the neighbour
ing'Dtftri making in all about
17,000 able bodied &n,we|l armed
equipped. The Ccfomiffioners to th@4
Difttid of Soiffots, &c. ,rite that thefr ]
shall fend 10,000 Men to Chalons,. well 4
aimed and equipped, and 53 Pieces off ~
Cannon of the Arsenal of La Fete.'
The Commissioners sent to Rocte,
fort write that they have sent 37 wag
gon loads of Ammunition by Land, 4
and that.feveral Vtffels with Cannon J
are already failed for Ronen. "'
The National Guards and Gend
armes at Chalons proposed visiting the
prison, and executing summary justice
on the Rifoners ; in other words, im
itating the Murders of Paris. From
this detestable purpose they were dis
suaded by the Commissioners of the
National Assembly there.
The Commissioners to the Depart
ment of the Soute write, that the
most perfect Tranquility reigns at
Avignon, the Garrison of which con
fills of 4000 Men well armed, difei
plined, and obedient. Two Battalions
of the Department of La Drome, con
lifting of 800 Men each, desire to be
employed, and the Commissioners re
commend them as fit for immediate
Service.
The Adminiftfators of the Depart
'ment of the Lower Seine write, that
having before sent one Battalion to the
Colonies ; they have now sent 2 to the—.
Frontiers, and twelve Pieces of Cannon
for the Defence of Paris ; that eight
Companies beside are ready to March
to Meaux on the shortest Notice, and
the number of Sailors at their Disposal,
amounts to 15,000.
Commissioners sent to Chalons by the,
Commons of Paris, state a Number of (
Vohioteers,* part of the Garrison of
Verdun, with a Detachment of the Re-,
giment, formerly Walsh's, marching
armed towards Meaux, had been ftop/fr
ped at Dormans by the Gerdermerie,
and conducted to Chalons. These Men
b on their March gave out that Verdun
was given up by the administrative Bo
dies, and the Inhabitants, who obliged
the Garrison to ferrender ; that they
had been loaded with Favours by the,
King of Prussia and the Duke of Brunfr’
wick, who faio to them and to the Peo-',
ple, " You have Nothing to fear frore
our Armies ; we come not to make
War upon you, but merely to reeftab
lilh Louis xvi. on the Throne. Far,
therefore, from opposing our Efforts,
it is your Interest to follow cur Stand
ard, or at least to remain quiet, and so
much the more, as you are every where
" betrayed, and your Defeat certain."—
The Commissioners of the National
Assembly, by a Letter dated the 10th
Instant, confirm this Account.
The Camp at Chalons is begun, and
two Battalions are under Arms.
[The above Foreign News is copied
from Papers brought by the last Veflet
from France, Which lately arrived at
Portsmouth, as mentioned in our /#,.]