The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-10-25 00:00:00

" THE REGENT OF FRANCE.

" Vt.:RON A, FEB. i75.'3
64 TO MONSIEUR MOUNTER, EIL-MEMBER OF TUE CON•
3TITL'ENT ASSEMBLY.

" When you express timidity, Sir, at addressing
me openly on the subject of the means you conceive
calculated to restore order in France, you seem to
forget the claims you enjoy to my consideration.—
My recollection is more fortunate: I shall always
'remember the conduct you pursued towards the King,
my brother, on the sth of October, 1789, though
charged by the Assembly over which you then pre-
sided, with a mission so opposed to the duties of a
faithful subject, which you so zealously fulfilled.—
I shall not forget that if perfidious Counsels had not
prevailed over the reiterated advice which jou trans-
mitted to the King, he would have quitted Versailles,
and perhaps would have prevented, by this step, the
deluge of crimes and disasters with which France has
since beets inundated. The remembrance of a day so
terrific in itself, but so honourable to your, determines
toe to give you a particular mark of my esteem, by
candidly imparting to you my sentiments: the ob.
ject of my letter Is one of general utility.
" You are sincerely desirous of the restoration of
monarchy; what I shall say to you will serve as a
basis for your personal means. You think rightly
in making a great distinction between crime and er-
ror ; the former provokes the hatred of the just and
the rigour of the lams; the latter deserves more pity
than indignation ; and when honestly confessed, it
would be injustice to deny it indulgence. I have
never ceased to entertain this opinion. lam ready
to raise up and to embrace the man, who, being un-
sullied by guilt, but having been hurried away, either
by ignorance or weakness, or even by erroneous
ideas, should throw himself at my feet, acknowledge
his fault, and solicit my pardon. This sentiment is
not only mine, it is that of my brother and of all my
family. The monsters who have seduced the French
people, by fallacious promises of happiness, to I) ran.
size over them, and enrich themselses with spoil,
know the bottom of our hearts; but, as they ate
•wate also that when these truths shall become

known, their edifice will tumble of itself, they resort
to every resource of calumny to stifle them; but this
obstacle will be overcome by dint of courage and per-
severance; and the nation oill learn,' in spite of
them, that we love her, that we only wish for her
good, and that all our labour; teml to that object ;
she oill disruver that the emigrants who have been
so grossly calumniated, quitted their country, not so
much to avoid submission to laws contrary to their
duty and their honour, as to seek against those last,
hich she at present abhors equally with them, a
upport which they could not meet in France, where
a set of miscreants had possessed themselves of the
national power.
•• En a word, sure of my sentiments and those of
my family, France will equally know, that if any
feeling of private vengeance blended itself with the
general desire of restoring order, I should suppress
it, and exert the Royal authority deposited in my
• hands, to maintain a perfect balance between all the
subjects of the King ; but these indulgent disposi-
tions, this inclination to pardon, even to excuse,
are in my heart, it is in the law of God thatl -find
them ; they are not dictated by irksomeness of my
sit eati.m, by an anxiety to quit it. duty and my
honour equally forbid me, at any price, to abide the
authority of the King, which •is confided to me;
all I have in -view is the restoration of the Catholic
religion and of our ancient Constitution. lam far
from confounding, as the perfidy of the detractors
of the Throne have but too often.done, that Consti-
tution with the abuses that have crept into the Ad-
ministration. The only oish of the late King, my
brother, was to destroy them. Such is mine also.—
I will labour unremittingly for that purpose ; and, if
I cannot obtain from the favour of God, to confer
ou the King my nephew, when he shall have attained
his .aajority, his whole nuthority and his Govern-
ment free from' abuse, I shall have at least incul-
cated in him such princi;.!•.s as will easily enable
him to complete tl.e worls I shall have commenced
ft•r him ; hut, I repeat, it is only 'dorm that I wish,
aid 1 :cal never lay a daring hand on our Consti-
tution ; upon t47'.• point l l.now of no compromise
which con be compatibl: r ids my honour and the
good of the State. The indulgence to which lam
so much disposed, will 'only apply to•the guilty, and
not to the results of crimes ; my maxim is, tolerution
for individuals, intolerance fur principles
46 The natural cowequence of this maxim is to
forget the opiniOns which men have lied, but to keep
a watchful eye on ti.ose which men have. Ido not
think it just to admit to the honour of restoring the
throne, only those, whose principles at all times
pore, afford them no occasion for repentance; but
will not (if I may so espress tnyse:f), while curing

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