South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1835-02-14


before them, in the House of Represen-
tatives at Washington, on the slst De-
cember, 1894. BY JOHN Quincy AD-
ANS, a member of the House.
Continued.
Fellow Citizens ofthe Senate and
House of Representatives ofthe U. S.
He continued to take deep inter.
est in the concerns of the U. States, and
exerted his influence with the French
Government TO obtain reductions Of
duties favorable to their commerce and
fisheries. In the summer Of 1886, he
visited several Of the German Courts,
and attended the last great review by
Frederick the Second of his veteran
army-a review unusually splendid,
and specially remarkable by the atten>
dance Of many Of the most distinguished
military commanders of Europe. In
the same year the Legislature of Vir.
GINA manifested the continued recollec-
zion of his services rendered to the PEG.
pie Of that Commonwealth, by COM
plimentary token ofgratitude not less
honorable than it was unusual. They
resolved that two busts of Lafay to
be executed by the celebrated sculptor,
Houdon, should be procured at their
expense ; that one of them should be
placed in their own Legislative Hall,
and the other presented, in their name,
10 the municipal authorities of the city
Of Paris. /. was accordingly present.
ed by Mr.. Jefferson, then Minister
Plenipotentiary Of the United States in
France, and, by the permission Of Lou
is the Sixteenth, was accepted, g. with
appropriate soemnity, placed in one
ofthe Halls Of the Hotel de Vile OF the
Metropolis of France.
We have gone through one stage Of
the life Of Lafayette we are now to
see him acting upon another theatre
in cause still essentially the same, but
: in the application Of its principles to
bis own country.
The Immediately originating ques-
ton which occasioned the French Rev.
olution was the same with that from
which the American Revolution had
sprung-Taxation of the People with
out their consent. For nearly two cen,
turies the Kings of France had been
accustomed to levy taxes upon the
People by Royal Ordinances. But il
was necessary that these Ordinances
should be registered in the Parlaments
or Judicial Tribunals and these Par.
liaments claimed the right of remon.
strating against Them, and sometimes
. refused the registry of them itself. The
members Of the Parliaments held their
Offices by purchase, but were appoint
ed by the King, and were subject to
sbanishment or Imprisonment, at his
pleasure. Louis the Fifteenth, towards
.lhs close OF his reign, had abolished
the Parliaments, but they had been re.
stored at the accession OF his successor.
The finances of the kingdom were
in extreme disorder. The Minister,
or Comptroller General, DE Calonne,
after attempting various projects for
obtaining the supplies, the amount and
need Of which he was with lavish hand
daily increasing, bethought himself al
last, Of calling for the counsel of others.
He prevailed upon the King to con.
woke, not the States General, but an
Assembly of N0tables. There was
something ridiculous in the very name
by which this meeting was called, but
j. consisted of a selection from all the
Grandees and Dignilaries of the King
dom. The two brothers of the King
all the Princess of the blood, Arch
bishops and Bishops, Dukes and Peers
the Chancellor and Presiding Mem.
bers of the Parliaments distinguish.
ed Members Of the Noblesse and the
Mayors and Chief Magistrates of few
of the principal cities of the Kingdom,
constituted this Assembly. 1t was a
representation of every interest but
that Of the People. They were ap-
pointed by the King-were members
Of the highest Aris.ocracy, and were
assembled with the design that their
deliberations should be confined ex-
clusively TO the subjects submitted to
their consideration by the Minister
These were certain plans devised by
him for replenishing the insolvent Trea-
sury, by assessments upon the privi-
legged classes, the very Princes, Mobiles,
Ecclesiastics, and Magistrates exclu-
siyely represented in the Assembly il.
self.
Of this meeting the Marquis de La.
fayette was member. II was held in
February, 1887, and terminated in the