Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-11-26
FRANCE.

Gentlemen; The Committee whom vol, obarr.d ~
examine the proposition for iupeuchinp the Ex
ministers who signed the Ordonnances Of July 2s
nave given to the examination all the cons;,iaru
ton required by subject upon which general Mt
tentlon ls so strongly fixed At the moment of -eu-
tctnS into the path which the Charter opens before
10 OBTAIN the exposition of facts which have so
ecePiy compromised our social order. you must be es
Ious That religious scrupuloslty should be united
WIN elevated views of policy in the exercise of
IIsht derived from our institutions This desire i'm
Pcscu upon your committee duties of the full exten.
OF which they have been conscious They G.t flat
you invested them with maCisteriul power the
Pnclpoi characteristic ofwhic should be jmpartaIitv
T. ~as oenswer the confidence you reposed in them
ra. at the commencement of these proceedings they
oetermlned TO ask you to delegate them part of
your authority; which was necessary as much nrobo
wy 70 rehder regular the detention of suc, of the ex
Hhstcrs as hud been arrested, solely ON the author
lsat'on OF the public voice, as TO fix by the couc,r
renee OF Their own dccai atons and the testimony of
witnesses, the real point of view in which this nm
parchment ought to be regarded.
An investigation, therefore, was commenced
-Four OF the OK Ministers, ut Tours and ST. Lo were
transferred TO VnceDncs, virtue of variants issued
Wy I'M Commit c; they were immediately examined
anu tue warrants OF transfer forthwith convert
ca into Warrants OF detention. Witnesses vnrs
'heard; the documents Which might serve for elements
ACCOMPLISHMENTS were sent for the different Gov
ernment offices, and examined will, scrupul,s care
The orders issued by the Commission and eyecu,oJ
by the ushnrs of the Chamber, were every where
unhesitatingly obcyed This preliminary invcstiaa-
sob, Which, SStauISneS and cOnSCCrattS rirhS
had equally tor Its object Ia furnish YOU with the
meaus OF forming correct judgment, and to afford
to the accused all the means of deieucr thew have
right 10 claim.
Nevertheless, the documents obtained at the d;h;.r
emf pubic Offices arc incomplete I, is uscertained
that. at the moment of the catastrophe the most mn
portant OF them were destroyed, so that q veil still
covers most ct the projects, the dcvelopement of
which was to have secured the execution OF the fatal
Crdonnances. But looking at these Ordonnances in
their ensemble your committee could not bnnn
themselves TO the resolution to consider them
as lncdental,-thdt is TO say, al an isolated
TACT, springing from circumstances of the musient
anu destitute OF connection with the past.
phey therefore took survey of several wears
preceding and acquired the deplorabe certainty that
the Ordonnances of July 25 we're the fufIncnt of 4
plan which the Crown had long contempla ed
: Louis XVIII. had scarcely been restored to the
throne OF his ancestors when he was able to appre-
ciae the PROJECTS OF the cDurters and those OF the
IN ;mberS of his own family VIVA, they were when
at the beginning OF revolution they had Quilted
the soil of France, they remained when he returned
with them from exile. -
Their long solOurn in foreign land and the dave
OF adversely, which for many others would have bern
fruitful lessons. had been sterile for them. Louis
AVlli s'rove hard against their eforts-sometin,es
with, and often without success. Councils were
formed independent Of his Government, which we're
shnsbly felt in all the branches of The Adrnins,ra
tion' ana paraysed lis movement; thus two Govern
u1enis were already existing in the State
The extreme age OF Louis XVIII felt the n,eIun
clioly influence nf these coulsels; under him bepan
That six years Administration whose mission apneared
to be to accomplish the Counter ,Revou,ien: under
TINS Monarch, and perhaps opposition to his iuc
nation Spain beleId French army stile her asnrn
lions for liborty; and the celebrated Ordonnance of
AnduJar annihilacd it at the moment Of its uubca
ton.
at the dcab of that Monarch, the proiec,s cor.
ceived under his reign began to be broupht into
practice. Phe new King Ilastened to give satisfac-
Ion TO the Clergy by the Law of Sacrilege and to
the Eingrant by the Indemnity Inv. he .t,o,n,,od
fhn Press, ,,s b<,T u
Ject which excited against the Ministers who were
the authors of 1T such Just resentment He tried to
chslaVe enc profession most useful to mankind by
another Law Project affecting Medical Juries and
SCHOOLS OF VI edicine, and endeavoured to prepare
Tue public mind for the suppression of the Jnry bv
proposing Its suppression for the crimes of Baratry
and Piracy AT length the Coulter Revolution was
openly avowed, and the fturity reserved for France
was no longer mystery aud every interest was
threatened at once.
However. i'll this Chamber, where Ministers had
Maue themselves SO many partisans, an opposition
Yves formed. which, wurmly seconded by public oon
ION began to render Itself formidable Alarmed at
the prospect of losing the majority in the Chambers
government formed the hardy resolution of convo'
kiDg new Colleges; they hoped by means OF threats
fraud ana corruption TO obtain Chamber favorable
To them, and by these measures COMPLETED the d;s
gust OF every upright mind and honest heart through
out the nation.
At tho same time, in order to secure tho Cbar,bs,
or Peers, they filed that assembly with their crea
lures, and laboured to change its majority nv &C.
-, "t '' numerous ana unpopular creations
sfapp'iy the elections did not answer their hopes
and before the new Chamber they were forced TO
adjourn the projects which they bad in contemtla-
tioD.
no nation is more conGding than France: when
ut the opening of the Session of 1923 IL bea ri e.
me lips OF ITS King the promise of happier f,ture
Vt ereaIted, and forgot the past. Although SO often
deceived, 1t again permtted itself to hope There
would oe lngrafitncc IN not acknowledging the ser
vices which the admlnst ration rendered. IN tho
country III the course of the first session. The INV
destined 10 repress electoral Frauds and that on the
press although the absence ola jury was to be re-
gIHueo' are monuments which attest desire to
give to the country The guarantees so LONG locked
Tor. But even this desire a subject Of dist rust
10 court equally suspicious and insincere The ad
InlnIstrat'on OF that period maintained its ground
with ciihcuity, and suffered The SECOND session IN
pass away without any useful result for the deve
JoPement OF orr institutions. Tie Chambers sopo
rated; gloomy prcsentiments filed the public mind.
c'ns! they were too soon discovered to be wei