Jenks's Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland [Me.]) 1799-1802, 1800-02-24

nately iubje9cd the French people to the cen
iure and to the appreciation Of an aaonihed
world, that of the 18th Brumaire is. in my o
pnon, the mott complete, the mott unexpected,
and hitherto. except one, the mot bloodlels.
do not mean to fly, mil we fee their exit,
| that the chief actors, in this fage of the per
| forn,ance, are entitled either to praile or to
| condemnation, in much more eminent degree
| than their predeceGors, in the grand pantomm
ieal Exhibition, which, for the Ian ten wears, has
| contributed the principal fource of Judy and
arnuiement, of contemplation, Of hope, of fear,
| ofhorror, or of delight to the various nations
| of the univerfe on the contrary, am difpofed
to conGdcr tie change 10 recently efctecd) OF
| the rulers of France as change of figures ia a
puppet ihow, rather than change of men,
poarding different or oppofrc principles,
and aiming at different or oppoG,e ends. 10
| fad, il feems to have depended upon fomethirg,
not very unlike the turning up Of ltraw, whedl-
er the crafty Corlican, Whole views of ufurpa
ton at length began to develope tncmfeves,
ibould, after having become matter of the fe-
cret deligns of the two great parties, into which
the active politicians of France are at prefent
divided, attach himfclf to the jacobins or the
anti jaeobins. The latter, however, he found
amongt Others, two very cogens reafons for
preferring they are both more numerous and
more traetable, and, if we may believe them.
felves, they are alto more wife. Upon this oc-
| Gallon, indeed, it muf be confeaed their meat
ures have been concerted and put in execution
| with uncommon fecrecy, prompttudc and diff
cretion if they are not rather to be conGdcre
| as tools in the hands of Buonaparte, Whole great
popularity, joined to their fears of the oppoIite
party, ha, enabled him to put them fuccefiy-ly
| n motion.
Il has been remarked by fagaeiors writer
on politics, tina, fatfion will al any time give
| up their country to foreign power, rather than
| To the dominion of an oppoli.e faction and
ihould preliime they will not be le.s ready, wheo
reduced To The alternative Of chooGng to deliver
| tin preference into the hands of an uiurper
This conduit ia times Of violence and pr,icrip.
| ton, is founded on tie principle Of felf prsier
walton and il ies ms TO have been the fear oil
| profsrip,ion, which threw the Council of Anti
! ents into the AIMS of bnonaparte.
| But LEFT lhould fem TO Judge too harfhly
of Bronaparte, and the party, who by h. al
| iiItance, now enjoy perhaps momentaFy tri
umph ia France, fh.ll iuppofe myle!f an ad
| vocate alternately for both parties, and tate
what think may be laid, in that capacity, ir
! defenee of each.
! If I were inclined to defend the coudua oil
| Duonaparte and the Couecil Of Ancients,
efhould fay--,hat Hniing hmfelf by an unpre'
eedented popularity, in the actual poileiion OF
an almoR unlimited power, he determined to
ufe it in the manner which he deemed mca
conducive to til: general good that in orde'
to promote this o5jca, the Council of Ancieats
determined to Join him, and apprehending nc
danger from his ambition, which had taken
| quite another and more noble direction than
that of Cxfar or Of Cromwell. they refolvcI, io'
la limited tim-, to invcl him, in conjuadion
with two colleagues with all the civil and mil
itary authority OF the Gate that the bet mole
! of cffeaing the falutary purpofes IN view, wal
to fihpend from their fanaions, or entirely to
crufh the oppoite faction that therefore, they
were certain, extcrnslly, of obtaining the con.
| fent of the allied powers to a fair and honour
able peace and determined, internally, to enaA
wife and jnf laws for the future government OF
the country land 6nally, that the extraordi
nary powers, which had, for theie purpofes
been delegated TO or aaumed by the Coniuls,
would, at the expiration of the tina limited, be
| fpontaneouny furrendered by them.-Ail the.e
tniOgS Dciuy Scitdii, diiu IL pSuS anu SSitot''
that the me ans which the Confuls will purfue,
will b. well calculated to obtain the grand OBJ
| ief Of their appointment. the predominant par
,v mnR aand juahed, in the opinion of every
rational man, for the apparently monitrous aet
of ufurpation which they have committed, in
violating, and in csfea diaoving. the whole ma.
tional representation Of France.
But let Us hear the advocate Of the other
iide Of the queaon, In fair realoning,t mutt
iaised be granted, that the great utility clearly
aiceftained, will juaify even the violation of
principles. But the determining that general
utility ought never to depend upon the judge
mcnt Of one or few men. Suppoing thefe
men 10 be the LEAH corruptble within the whole
circle of human nature, vet as no man is in
capable OF being Intoxicated by an exccfs Of
power OF of .opIauf., It is folly or madneis to
throw ,fucontroulcd. the deltinies Of nation