The National Register.
London, England, 1816-01-14 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

• speakers have vied in meuifesting the iudignatiou with which they
are filled by. such men; each seemed only afraid of expressing it in
too weak:terms. it his, nevertheless, been olreerved, that we act
In-contradiction to our principles, to assume the power of judging
ors that occepioe.. We are not at variance with ourselves, if we re-
, move men whose existence in our midit Will always be incompatible
with cur safety, who discover nothing but an enemy in every good
Firenelunanyand an accomplice in every man whom they can fiud
meast•tomisleada if weitreat them as the members of the Buena-
parte family, who must be sensible of the complete legitiesaey of
the measure which yon are about to pronounce against them.. But
here, again, the great obstacle is the will of the King.
" It is quite sufficient tohave endeavoured to justify the motives
whichaatnied to render it a painfulduty to follow our enusciensee,
since we have not been se fortunate as to gain over the Ministers to
our opinion.. Ldematiel the adoption of the Law Project, with our
amendments." . •
The Sitting was then suspended, on the requisition of the Minis.
ten preeentfor an hour and a half. Those Functionaries then re-
tired, and before the expiration. of two hours.returned, when
: .The Doke de Richelieu stated, they had waited on his Majesty in
theinterval, and recited- to him:the -nature 91 the discussion, in
4tpeie ls.owyaiilicii
ay.biels so ardult a-love for jnotiee, Wended with so much %eneration
far
crii h
clemency,
was appa rant.. Touched w ith the honourable
so many of pin have evinced, the leing consents
to the interatinction into.the 3,1 Article, of the power of hanislenen t
&eat heought -before the Tribuuals) with respect to the 38 indi-
viduals cempriseil in the 2il Article of the Ordinance of the .21th of
.Majosty also approves. the new modelling of the 4th
Article,. relative •to the family of the Usurper, in expunging the
word•t'ree,iete," which, perhaps, may be ill-interpreted, anti which,
in the natural sense, is eiguitied by the evpression of" &sondem."
Oise thfle.ure the. wily anienboents which the King has ehargid4
IMnogive his
.osseml ! The Minister afterwards pointedly obseragd,
at the 4th Article of the Project of theCommissionrso improperly
r4llO an Amendment, superseding many classes to the excep-
tions in, the proposed law, appeared entirely to exclude the idea of
an amnesty. The Duke de Richlieu proceeded farther to observe,
thatatelernand indemnities, would be, under a differeut name; to
melee
,eplOsentions, which had been abolished for ever. Since the
reign of Tiberius to that .of Brionaiyade, confiscations had always
been slenominated intUnnilles. Confiscations were forbidden by
the Cherteri which they hid sworn to obey. They rendered late-
' parable the disasters Occasioned by revolutions. By punishing
41eigC.iitlants; they bequeathed hatred anti vengeance to generations,
and deselated the earth,: like the conquerors in whose train they
4etnie. :With reVect to the Regicides whom the commission pro-
pesed to eapel tor ever from the Preach soil, his Majesty, had
exPfesSe4 hie will to forgive them; and who would attempt to do
yiblencic to his heart, by imposing iipoo him that great sacrifices as
beeeesary condition. of the Law of Amnesty : His Grace con-
cluded by recommending that a Law of Forgiveness should not
prevv a source of diseord. •
'The President having recapitulated the opinions expressed oft
both sites of the qeesiton, the Ist and 2d Articles of the Law were
successively adepted.
Oh the 4th Article, respecting the family 9f Bnonaparte, some
dist:es-ion took:place on, the proposed ins.ertipn of the words de-
scearkottl instead of children, but the latter was ultimately allowed
to remain.
The sth Article passed equally.
M. de Trine/it/ague proposed an amendment to the 6th Article,
eetending the Amnesty to the crimes and offences collimated ue
to bat present time, and which were the result, either of the enter-
prise of ibe Usurper, or of tie re-action which it occasioned. He
meant thk as a protection to the Royalists of the South.
Afteesenie conversation between Messrs. de Serre, Try, Hyde
de Neuville, and M. de Caw, Minister of Police, this amendment
was rejected, and the 6th Article adopted in its original state,
which closed the whole of the Law as presented by the Ministers.
The Preaident then read the 4th "Article, according to the Conte
missime forming its liist amen4ment.
Daverzter flaw-none moved the previous question. When
put to 'the vote, the result appeared donbtful. scrutiny was
then regorge to; the number of the voters was 359, and there ap-
peared lei white hells against 17a black. fire previous question
was therefore carried, amid the amendment lost by a majority cif
einc.—Cries of " Roe /t ll;)i!" resounded' ttitough the haft).
The. President then passed to time seeond amendment relative to
Indemnities.
After soine conversation between Messrs. Clansel de Coussergees
anti Bellart,. M. Cornetarlneourt proposed as an additional amend-
: ment, " That the 01ex:taunt of the condemnations should never

.110111

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rise higher than 12 years revenue of-she possessions of the con-
demned. The estate sto be sequestrated by the AdniiniStration of
landed domains-, and allowances to be deducted from the revenue,
for the rapport of widows, children, or the condemned themselves,
f not sentenced to a capital punishment."
The previous question was then put to the vote, and declared to -
have !wen lost. —( Gr.-at tumult, cries sf No, an—Yes, yes.)--It was
then oneo more put to the vote, and carried by a small majority.
The Chamber then passed to the last amendment of the Cow-
mission, respecting Regicides.
If. Le Courbe de Bethisy.---" 1 shall only answer to one of the
opinion= expressed in this Tribune—Can we be more severe than
the King ? Yes, Gentlemen, we may ; there are circumstances
when we ought. Let us leave to the King, Gentlemen, this im-
poise to pardon, which can only be compared to a propensity
which the factious shew to ahuse it. Can we, would we, desire to
restrain him cram shewing clemency even to magnanimity f No !
for it world no longer be him ; the mild blood of the Bourbons
Cows in his veins, and as the•eldest son of the church he would
pardon. But we, Gentlemen, who owe to France, as its Represen-
tatives, to throw upon the true, the only culpable iudiv:duals, the
horror ofa great crime, must take npon ourselves the weight of
severity, the weight of justice.
The article was put to the vote, and adopted in the affwmative,sJ
in the midst of the most enthusiastic applause. When the nega-
tive was put, only three Members rose, saying—cut of respect for
his- Majesty.
The totality of the Law was then submitted to the-scrutiny, and
adopted by 333 against 32. The number of voters was 366. s
The following is the text 'of the LAW as agreed to by the
Chainber
Art, L A full and entire amnesty is granted to all those who, di-
rectly or indirectly, have taken part in the rebellion and the usur-
pation of Napoleon Buonaparte, except as follows :
IL The Ordinance of the 24th of July shall continue to be exe-
cuted with respect to the individuals comprised in the Ist Article
of that Ordinance.
111, The King may. in the Interval of two months from the date
of the promulgation of the present law, expatriate from France
those of the individuals comprized in the 2d:Article of the said
Ordinance, whom he shall stiffer to remain so comprised, and who
have notilieen brought before the Tribunals. In that case, they
shall depart from Prance in the appointed interval, and not re-
enter the kingdom without the expressed authority of his Majesty,
under pain ot tranporticion. .The King may also deprive them of
all properties and pensions accorded to them by a gratuitous title.
IV. The ascendants, children, and descendants of' Napoleon
Buonaparte,; his uncles and his aunts, his nephews and his nieces,
his brothers,.their wives and deSeendants, his sisters and tlieir
husbands, are excluded from the kingdom In perpetuity, and are
required to depart in the course of one month, undet the Penalties
established by, the gist Art. of the Penal Code... They cannot
enjoy within the kingdom any civil rights, or possess therein any
• property, titles, or pensions, accorded gratuitously to them ; and
they shall be required to sell, in the interval of six months, all
property whatever they may possess by a legal title.
V. The present Amnesty is not applicable to persons against
whom prosecutions have been ordered, or who were under sentence
or judgment before the promulgation of this law. Tim prosecu-
tions shall_ be continued, and the judgments shall be executed ac-
cording to the .due coarse of law.
VI. There shall not be included in the present Amnesty crimes
or olfimces against individuals, at whatever period they have been
committed ' • and those who
.shall be held culpable with respect to
-them, shall be prosecitted according to law.
VII. Those of the Regicides who, in contempt Oa clemency
almost without bounds, have voted for the Additional Act, or have
accepte‘VfnuctiOns or employments from the Usurper ; and who,
.from such condect, are declared irreconcileable enemies to France
and to its legitimate Government, are excluded in perpetuity from
the kingdom, andithall be required to depart therefrom in the
course of one month under the penalties enacted by the 33d
Article of the Penal Nde. Nor can they enjoy any civil rights
within. fheuDkingdom, or possess therein any properties, titles, or
. . .
pensions, ta toed gratditously by them.
. The Chamber adjourned until 1119nday at six o'clock,

.14 .the course of the present reign there have been created 157
reevagvs";,:clucing the same period 48. Peerages have became
extinct ; su that the Luta! increase iu the Peerage since the
its s accession has been IU9.