Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1804-05-23

CONSUL.
From ne Dungeon IF The 1emfie, YEN
fose loth, Year XII. March l, 1904.
&c SIR,
"SlNCE your ambition requires more
victims, strike, but do not calumniate
those you butcher. Wade in the blood OF
innocence, but spare honor in taking away
life.
eff you expect from me the suppl
cant's petition, read no farther. In this
dungeon, where your tyranny has plunged
me, l am more elevated than you upon
| yur usurped throne So say all Just men
of my contemporaries, and future ages will
confirm their sentence. No Sir, on the
borders of eternity call you to an account
Tor your treason against my country and
! against myself. Do you rememae, our
mutual agreement on the 9th November,
| 1899? Talleyrand, Sieyes and lie Fevre
! were PRESENT. PROMISED 10 die by your
sidein the attempt Of removing the Direc-
,orialiyrants. You swure to establish Co
vernment, not dehcn3ing uhon The life Of
! one individual, nor tsrannicdi, but firm,
stable and liberal; beslowing freedom on
Frenchmen, and worthy to obtain by graz
,itude from foreign nations, that confidence
and esteem, which your predecessors and
yourself have commanded by the dread of
your bavonets. When | shortly after
! wards went to head armes-disorganize
and eated-your last words were :--'' I
knoGoyonr iope of your country, De victorious
and France sh0N force admiration eU,n from
her '+O7is u f3cs, by The liberty she ENJOYS at
home, Gbythe"eVcrosify ofhrrerfrrnai neFo-
ciarioas! How have you fulfilled these great
PROMISE how have you respected, these
oa,hs! In my degraded country, | see
nothing but cringing slaves and proud ty-
rants; base placcmen and infamous spies.
Every where in Europe, from Sicily 70
Moscow, yourself and your government
are alike feared and deiested. Deny those
( facts if you can! You have long followed
the example of Sylla the triumvire irn-
tate, for month only, Sylla, the private
: citizen, and YOU shall b convinced, that
the compliments of selfish and enslaved
! princes prove no more the standard of me-
rit in u governor, than the fattery of vile
courtiets, or the praise of corrupted coun-
sellors.
" But as this will probably be the last
I s'hiN NtoN yOo VIII uCAl NUM- IO4!SlQGI
what l now tell you, not as the cnvious
defamation Of an imprisoned rival general
but as the genuine efTusion of the mind
Of dying patriot, who forgives his death
and your ingratitude. You pretend that
my countrymen are happy, and satisfied
with your government. Let it be so, lho'
slaves can have no opinion, or at least dare
+. not express one, Bnt you are mortal as
well as myself If you love Frenchmen,
let not their happiness depend upon your
life. You have too much sense not TO
know that, with you the Consulate for Lille
will expire in the Bonaparje family: and
other pretenders of other upstart families
combat for, annihilate, or occupy con-
sular throne, Of only some few years stand
ing. AS TO your right of appointing a
successor in your will, remember that
Louis XIV. the royal descendant of City
kings, was, after reign of upwards of
thrcescore years not Eve minutes corpse
before his will was overturned a will ap.
proved by the Princes OF the Blood, re-
gistered in hisParliament, and appiauded
bY all his courtiers and that Ibe Duke OF
Maine was shut up az prisoner when he
expected TO rule as Regent.
"To prevent our children and grand
children from suffering tie wretchedness
OF our forefathers by turns tormented by
anarchy, or crushed by tyranny (; and from
witnessing those scenes of horror, terror
and scandal we have seen; recall the lie.
| gal heir 20 the throne of France, and Ii.
nit seyerally his authority: make him a
King but rot despot. Such was the plan
of Pichegru, of myself, and Of Georges {:
and with this plan your preservation was
necessarily connected, because we wanted
your fortune, your talents and your rank
as well as our own services to watch the
reign of foreigner, who though misfsr-
tunes NAV have made him prudent, suf-
ferings liberal, and gratitude just may by
relatives less patriotic than himself, be
tempted to extend his power.
I" defy your Grand Judge, and his
horde of spies to prove any thing contrary
TO this assertion. My wife, my mothor
rn-Iaw, and my brother, know nothing of
this loyal undertaking. ! should regard
the day Of my death with greater salts
faction than those of my triumphs, could
! but hope that it served to make my coun-
try hourishing my fellow citizens free and