New-York daily tribune., 1842-07-28
From the Foreign Quarterly for July.
TIE REIGN OF TERROR


tiers who are always better than their word he not
only relates what he has seen, but great deal that
it was utterly Impossible for him to see. and as
revelations of the latter class youchsaled to us
with the same d tai and precision : the former,
We are forced 10 acknowledge VI. Georges Dsval
10 be a person Of that lively imagination, with
which to Tloralize song Il not always 10
stoop to truth The plain fact Is, that our au-
thor hatred of the and events OF the ronch
Revolution is mot without rcasOn) 30 itense that,
where lie cannot relate "A witness, hci by no
mean. unfrcqucnilv. invcnts as "a partisan. with
all the nalyetC Of HcrolotUs, he give. u the par
ticular. of interviews at which be ~as not present,
and the exact dialogue Of conversations which adj
1Ditied Of no caycs-droppcr. Besides TIN, happy
eif of invention, Nature has bestowed on VI.
Georges Duyal turn isr banter and railiery; and,
even when relating circ instances ia which hc was
d parry concerned, his love Of ironiea humor and
his benevolent desire to the reader iead him
into sundry WHY cSaggcratiou- and ira'esues'
which, while tho prove IN, agreeable quantities a. Il
writer deract from our faith in hin 1s historian.
These allowances made there however remains
10 the volumes before "a much to instruct the stu.
dent in his surrey Of ihs men and the time, Of
which they treat. VI Duval confesses in his Pre-
face the Indignation with which he regards the
fallacious title Of Historic, Of the Resolution, be-
ing in truth nothing better than impudent apollo
gies for that epoch Of ruin, Of blood, and oi tears
1t i, easy to conceive the feelings of irritation
and disgust with which an ho2est man who had
actually lived amidst the horrors of Paris III the
Reign of Terror, who had seen the tumbrils PASS
inc his windows TO the Barrisrc du Irone, who
had behed the infsrated mob butchering gray
headed priest. and shouting round the head, borne
on a pike, of some poor woman VINO had 'ehtuIed
10 bity bcncfactor,- regard the phllOsoPhlz-
ing excuses and argumenta;ye dogmas which
some would-be Friend Of Liberty, and Lover of the
People, issue, from the security Of hs c.oset.
It is nque,,iouabv true, indeed, that in the
vices of the old ctgirsc We must seek the causes
of the revolutionary crimes. 1t is probably rather
10 nations than 10 individuals that We are to refer
the awful menace. " The sins of the fathers are
visited on the sons But no less true Is II to all,
whom philosophical refnements have not besotied,
that humanity itself is endangered if we allow the
circumstances that conduce to guilt, to steal away
our natural horror Of the guilt itself. Rgdy
speaking all guilt Is but the result of previous cir
cumstance. TO neglected education, vicious ex-
ample we may trace the crimes which send the
thief to the hulls and the murderer to the gIbbet
But we do noi therefore hold excused Jack Shep-
pard and Daniel Good What education and eX-
ample 10 the man, government and legislation
are 10 the people. We shall do right II We blame
the causes which make demon of the multitude.
bu, most wrong If we regard the demon itself only
as the suffering angel.
Ii is not our intention, hsweycr, 10 so over the
beaten and hachncyed ground of the political
event, of that hateful time compemmorated by
NJ. Duyal We propose rather to cut rapid and
somewhat irregular path through the mighty held
before us, in search only ot those facts and
principles which appear TO "a 10 suggest some
thing new and not unimportant IN the Philosophy
of History.
The era of Modern civilization as distinct from
the Fcuial, begins in France with the large and
determined policy Of Cardinal Rchelieu. And il
is from his period that ne to date the primary
causes of the Revolution of the Eighteenth Century
high churchnan and an absolute monurchst, the
two-fod object of Richelieu was carried ont with
the simple severity OF a strong mind thoroughly IN
earnest To reduce Dissent into the Onc Church
to subjugate Aristocracy from the check upon
Monarchy to the ornament Of Court; for these
objects he lived. and these objects he accom- lish-
ed, upon the whole, with rapid and singular sue
cess. He had the qualities necessary to ms pur-
pose. Had he been more vlrtuOus he would have
been crushed by the uobles-moro vicious he would
have scandaiized the people. His ruthless sevcri-
". never caprclous, though often cruel, was con
Quoted on "A broad and Ineligible system II never
invaded the lives and properties of the masses 1t
more often secured their properties aud lives, 10y
terrible examples amongst the mobiles, whose struS-
scs were nearly a., iss associated with the crlm-
ina designs of civil Wal. Ia his ann at absolute
monarchy hs WA, far too comprehensive a states
man to mediate the erection ot an oriental des-
potism for he loved France even better than mon
archy He desired To make France secure and IN
tcgral For this he Inundated Au-tria-ior tins
he disodged the Huguenots from Rochelle (thai
harbor of the dsaectcd)-tor tins hc crushed every
subject powerful enough disturb the peace ofthe
country.t But IN consolidating monarchy his psl-
cv tended To create subiects-not slaves. He IA
vored commerce aud trade He gave greater sccu-
ri,v to Justice, and more impartial regularity To
law He dcsired-as far As his wreichcd literary
taste and his lite airy oalousics Yet more wretch
ed. would prrnit-io encourage and circulate the
reiincmenjs ot intellectual cultivation. 10 HIM
France Is indebted for the academy, which, 1t not
productive ID literature. Al least raised literature
into honor. Al cminently practical man. ne Wa'
aware that the surcs; settlement of >iate depends
ON the adequacy of it, finance, and he bequcaih-
cd an immense treasure. and. with due allowance
for the notions II the time. sufficiently effective
system OF finance. rs legacy to that throne, which
he had found the weakest to leave the most power
full. in Christendom. The effects of RicIeheu /,
policy were Immediately apparent IN the society OF
France under the reign %. Louis NV. The des-
cendant- OF the turbulent barous OF the -cagIe
became the cour,iers of Versailles The provincial
castles were deserted. re,aiucrs had passed into
peasants the old ties between the highest and the
loves, order were rent away. And there already
ycar;ed the WIDE gulf between The gay gentleman
of Paris and his tenant haiasscd tor rent, which
existed not between th9 noble and the va,sai.
whom tue chace and the camp united.
With the struggles of the House Of Nalos had
commenced tha, spirit of nationality which united
all frenchmen agains the oreigncr-wirill he COM