The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-06-20

nv" IA. "h('SHt utipGtiiTn. POvtIty, WEtCh
Al ways takes up its abode in The rciphbouthovo
OF irxury, in addition TO The. want Cf crrnr,t;-
On and Oh br I'D, the cry and thc hope of Ito, rtv.
inc hafangu Oh popular orators, and the eaiiy
Pr oductons of pref3 teen.;nC with irIa,nn.a
tory pIoduStions, rendered Paris thc fcene os
perpetual agitation. The ;rflrcr claEes az the
nauon' ignorant, neglected. debated hy Gryi
tude' goaded by m;ttry, diipoied 10 exc, f, an
fii better irtc, to acquire tha TO pyei;ry, r :; a
freedom, every where preiented The clements OF
coavuhon III ihort, civil war, as well as 4 re-
voiuHo1, bccane alnot inevitable.
MORGAN II bc denied that tne fountain of power
was corrupt, and thlt its turb;, it.la.n at orcr
Poiiited and di!Su!ted the nation. a mutitui.
or grievances eXiaed, d;inquerces cf tie mot
CRIMINAL nature had been lcrC pcrpe r.setl with
ifap'Eity, & the abufes were 10 nurerous As 10
e"'e"u 10 ever! department oil Tie Gate, aud &
~ PROVINCE Oh the empire. Tie monarch a.
fecttd TO unite i'll his own pcrfon the executive
ana Legislative authorities, and often nteriered
ii the Judicial administration. TIE fnaaccs
were reduced TO the noft .!cplc,ab'. cur,,ti,,,.
and the nation, forgetting tie ir,n,,utt. ,xDrr,i
tire or the late WAY, and the eXperfivc fcLenes
entered into for obt aiming a port in the Clam
nell contemplated the prcfuGon CT. ie court, Is
the so'e c'iiit q their nitry The pGri:aDlei.5s,
although Of LAT, the Victorious defenders OF thor
own and the peoples rights, had not aiwa,e
neen aole to withitand the blaze OF mas ffy; and
a royal lemon might at aay time have rendered
" aSt efifneGiing PdrlTountto all ryhiyauce.+t
ne nation was thus left naked and defence.
ielS, whiie the cr0wn was armed With the fup-
port OF cuitom and prejudice, 4 numerous nobi-
ilty, all the disri.ied clergy, and an arnly of
l $4,000 men, large portion of whom were &C.
reignerS.
The Battle, and variety OF filbortlinate Fri
ions, had always opened their dreadful ,uncc-
| ona at the voice OF = reiolute prince; free
preis, which leavestoa 5adminifer the choice Of
his duty or his diihonour, was fill unknown
HttrcS de cae6et, fald publicly towards the end
OF the late reign, had been granted during TIE
early part of the prefcnt with the molt icaneia-
iouS inpunity and, however arliabe, OF how
ever timId the prelcnt monarch might be, yet,
according TO the pretended rights OF the croul.,
another Louis &l. might have fabricated Few
IRON cages tor his victims, or another CLalies
~. Perpetrated new rlaGacres on his nlifCrabie
fubjeGts.
Nor were the grievances OF the people con-
hhed wholly to the eXcrciie or the roya! furtt;-
o2s. The administration of iudice was fourcc
OF continual ceniure and perpetual detpair. The
Offices OF the judicial nlagitratcS we're veual, and
'hey were fuppofed TO rc;E.burfe themitlves,
not only by fees and perluiiitcs, but even hy
the Tale of their deciiions: TO fjIch ihccking
pitch was this carried, that certain females,
known ny inappropriate name, tt wereelnploy-
N.
the fountain of iuftce.
The bulk of the people was overburthened
with taxes, many of which were rather oppref-
hve than productive Offices comforting nobility
were publicly bought and fold; while the nobles
we're exempt from operation % inpuits, atiti
the cier6y contributed only what they pleaied
unoer the name of a benezcleuee.
Ihe occupations Of the merchant and Tie far
iner were confidered as difcreditable the pie
heIaDS jsl III 81 =
IN the tate, and the protection of arms, alone
honorable, was confecrated to the enjoyment OF
particular caR: to command regiment, ora
Ihal-ot-war, it was necetiary to be noble.
Many of the rigours of the feudal iyfrem fill
dligraced the code & the practice of an enlight-
'ened nation. The game laws were enforced
win a 6arbarous, unfeeling, and unrelentins OPP
Pfeiioi1 +: tie death Ola hare or a partridge was
iometimes expiated by lavcry in The gallcys.
The manerial claims were at once odious and
degrading. In fcveral ofthe provinces the pof-
ienoi OF iief, under precnce of digging pond,
could rob iuch as held under, and Duplicated
nm, OF garden or an orchard. The right OF
JIce 7V4'ren was carried 10 an alarming extent;
the numerous doVe-cots not uufrequently aided
the artlhces OF The monopoliier to produce a
dearth; the peaiant Eeheld the rabbit, the phca-
fant, and the pigeon, devotrng the fruits of his
ianours with IMMUNITY, while the fcsnty remnant
OF ms harveft, after being diminiihed bJ ecccii-
aisical exactions, was to be ground at the mill
Of his lord alone.
The farmers in the remote ditricss had reach
ed but Jingle tep beyond the boors of the nor
them nations. Tied down by the hand of po-
verify to the foil where they were born, while
they maintained the clergy by their tithes, and
ailfted the mobiles by their perfonal fervices,
they were fcarccIy able TO flpport their own IA
miles: and in years of famine, which frequent
~ occurred, multitudes actually periihed from
want: nor was this all, for at the period OF
which we now treat, fone of the inhabitants
were actually in a fate of bondage.
Toe people being thus left entirely deAitute
OF redrcis, or protection the ROYAL authority
paramount and unhounded the laws veral; The
Peaiantry oPprefed; agriculture in a languili-
ing fate; commerce corGdercd as degf.-
DING; the public revenues farmed out to gree
dy flnanclers the public money confirmed by
a. court wal!owing in luxury, and every inltitu-
ton at variance with iuftice, policy, and reafon:
a change became inevitable in the ordinary
courie of human events, and like all fudden altc-
ratIonS in corrupt tatcs, was accompanied with
temporary evils aud crirnes, that made many
good men look back on the ancient deipotiim
with figh.
But at this period the cry Of libcrty refunded
in every polbe direction from Paris, the city
where the revolution was engcndered, to the