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MUSES* RETREAT. s- o V E USES, SUPPOSED TO BE WRITTEN BY ALEXANDER SELKIRK, During hit falitary aiods at Juan Fernandez. I am monarch of all 1 survey, My right there is none to difptite, From the centre all round to the sea, I am lord of the fowl and the brute. Oh solitude! where are the charms That sages have seen in thy face ? Better dwell in the miilft of alarms, Than reign in this horrible place. 1 am out of humanity’s reach, 1 mud linifli my journey alone, Never hear the sweet rr.ulic of speech, I Hart at the found of my own. The beads that roam over the plain, My form with indifference fee, They arc so unacquainted with man, Their tameness is fliocking to me. Society, friendfliip, and love, Divinely bellow'd upon man, O had l the wings of a dove, How soon would I taftc you again ! Mv sorrows I then might afiuagc, In the Ways of religion and truth, Might learn from the wifdoni ot age, And bt cheer’d by the fellies of youth. Religion ! what treasure untold, Rclides in that heav’uly word . More precious than diver or gold, Or all that this earth can afford. But the found of the church-going bell, Thcfe vallics and rocks never heard, Ne’er ftgli’d at the found of a knell, Or fniil and when a sabbath appear and. Yc winds, that have maetc me your fpoft, Convey to this desolate fliorc, Some cordial endearing report Os a land 1 fliall vilit no more. Mv friends do they now and then fend A with or a thought after me ? O tell me 1 yet have a friend, Though a friend 1 am never to fee. How fleet is a glance of the mind ! Compar’d with the speed of its flight, The tempt 11 itl'elf lags behind, And the fwift-winged arrows’ of night. When I think of my own native land, In a moment 1 seem to be there; But, alas! recollection at hand Soon hurries me back to dcipair. But the fca-fotvl is gone to her nest, The bead is laid down in his lair, Iv’n here is a season of rch, And I to my cabin repair. There is mercy in every place, And mercy, encouraging thought 1 Gives even affliction a grace, And reconciles mail to his lot. NATIONAL CONVENTION. September io. Bequino proposed the adoption of the invention of citizen Legroes, who had fabricated arms and legs, by which those who had 101 l them in the service of their country may be rendered still ufeful.- The proposition was sent to the com mittee of public inflruftion, The executive council informed the convention, that they had appointed Carteaux, general of the army of Italy, in the room of Brunet ; and Dabby, general of the army of the Alps, in the place of Kellerman. Thcfe appoint ments were approved of. September 24. The minister of war announced, that the executive council had appointee general Jourdan to the command o the army of the North, vacant by the removal of general Houchard ; genera T'crrand to the command of the army of the Ardennes, vacant by the promo tion of Jourdan ; general Delmas to the command of the army of the Rhine, in the room of genera! Landremont, ; unplaced i and general Moreau to the igbmmatul of the army of the Mozeile, vacant by the removal of general Scan bourg. The minifler Cubmitted these ap pointments to the approbation of the national convention Several members teftified their afton ifitment, that so many generals Ihould bedifplaced and replaced, without the minister giving any reason for so doing. “ It is necessary,” said Dnroy, “ to know of what crime Houchard and Landremont are guilty. I declare, that when I was commiftioner at the army of the Rhine, I always saw Landremont fight like a true republi can. He has rendered services, and enjoys the confidence of the army. I also ask, ifDelmasj whois named to flic ceed Landremont, is the brave, but in experienced young man whom I have seen commander of a battalion of La Correrc r I demand, that the commit tee of public welfare give us a report in this present fitting upon these re movals and new nominations.” “ I also desire to * know (said Geniffieux) why a citizen (Doppet) has been appointed general ot the army of the Var ; who, although a patriot full of spirit, was but a (hurt time fmee a physician ? Wheie has he acquired •military knowledge ? Ihe executive council ought to make known its mo tives tor thele charges.” Duhsim—“ In this difeuffion you confiJer men, and not things. Y>u are placed between the dangers of treachery, and those of ignorance. It is true, you might be betrayed ; but (our soldiers might be left to be cut in rieces for want of skill. You ought to avoid both. You ihould endeavour to have generals who are patriots, and men of abilities. I demand, that whenever the minister propoles these k.nd of changes, he (hall be obliged to present a lift in two columns, upon one of which (hall be the name of the candidate, and upon the other, his a£ls ; of civifm, his proofs of service, his orrner lit nation, his age, and the place of his birth ” Saint Andre.—“ Houchard is the approver ot Cutline’s fy.Lm ; let it be known, that it these men had not l>. > n displaced, the northern frontier would have been irrecoverably loft. Remem ber, that the army of the Mozeile, while it was marching to the relief of Mayence, went only at the tate ol one league a day, and returned at the rate of eight or nine leagues. Why ihould there be this difference, if the generals had not a regular fy Item of trealon r In terrogate the soldiers of tlte army ol the Mozeile, and it will be seen, that Houchard is detested. With what pride did he receive the representatives of the people, who wilhed to bring him back to the paths of patriotism ? Saint Andre then dej/wunced Barthelemi, chief of the etat-major of the northern army. After fome debate, the assembly de creed —that whenever mintliers shall nominate orcafhicr officers, they shall give in their reasons lor lo doing. The committee of public welfare (hail make a report to-morrow on all these points, and the causes of these charges and promotions. The minister of war announced, that he had appointed d’Aubigny as second in command in the army of the North. Bourbon, Billaud, and others said, that this d’Aubigny was a notorious cheat; and they wished to denounce the minis ter for recommending such a lellow. Ordered, that a report be made, whether this d’Aubigny is the fame man who Hole 10,000 livres from the Thuilleries on the rofti of August 1 The commitlioners of the conven tion deputed to the department ot Lower Seine, transmitted their several deliberations with refpedl to provisions. Thry have fuppliedfome markets, and have difperfedthecounter-revolutionifts at Rouen, which city is quiet. Several adminiltrators of the department of [’Eure have been re-organized, and arc composed of true fans culottes. Chateaneuf Randon wrote from Saint Just, near Lyons, under date of I the 19th, that the people in a body had purged the mountains and defiles of the Mufcadins of Lyons ; 300 of them were seized with their horses, effects and money. He tranfmiied copies of •two summonses which he had sent, but without effect, to the Lyonefe. September 25. “ For several days,” exclaimed Goupilleau, “ no news has been trans rnitted to us relative to the war of La Vendee. I require to know why a victorious army, which had advanced fix league, was ordered to retreat ? I wish the committee of public fafety to inform us of the situation of affairs in La Vendee.” Decreed. A member wilhed Duhem to give fome account of a letter which he had received from the North. Ihe con vention immediately palled a decree, ordering him to read it. Duhem immediately mounted the tribune. “ The letter I have received,” he exclaimed, “ is by no means con solatory ; but a free people have no need of consolation. We have con quered royalty and federaliim ;we have ltill to subdue the cowardly and intriguing. The following is the let ter which I have received from the North, from my colleague Bentabole : “ Arras, September 22. “ I fend you a letter written from Arras to the convention ; support it with firmnefs ; our situation is terrible, Without immediate and considerable abidance, we can undertake nothing against the enemy more powerful than ourselves. The army of the. North muff be considered as the advanceti guard of the whole republic ; fend us reinforcements; we are in want of provisions ; the fwortl muff cut asunder the reins of the power of the adminis trators of the departments.” The following is the letter ; it is da ted the 22J ot September. “ The army of the North ought to be the point of re-union for the forces of the republic. “ The subsequent is a rapid review of our obstacles, and the rneafures it will be neceffajy to take. The defeats at Cambray and Qoefnoy counteract the success at Dunkirk, and force us to return to the fuccour of Cambray. Our disgraces proceed from the inef fectual refiitance made by the strong puts. It will be necessary to fend away several inhabitants corrupted by the gold of the Englilh minister “ The army wants a reinforcement of 40,000 men from the Moselle and the Rhine. The enemy luve more than 50,000 men. “ Fhe contingents derived from the decree ordering all citizens to hold themselves inreadinefs,areof no service, on account of their want ot arms. The oid squadrons are incomplete, and a de cree ought tobe paffedfor incorporating the new levies with the old squadrons. *■ General officers are wanting, and we complain of injustice and partiality in the appointment of them. The brother of our colleague Duquefnoy is g :neral of the division, whilll colonel Kukmont, of the 13th regiment of chaffeurs, who poffeifes abilities and adivity, cannot obtain a brevet for the rank of brigadier general. “ We are in general in want of winter clothing : on the conclusion of .he campaign every thing depends ; we have to fear that this demand may not be attended to, which would be the greatest of misfortunes. We are defi cient in cavalry, and the vacancies in the squadrons are not filled up.” Brizen, one of the commilfioners to the army of the North, in a written speech, added lome important fads to this letter. He announced that, only a league from Douay, a body of the enemy had plundered the villages with out one sortie being made trom the garrison, or one movement from the French camp ; that the villages in the ci devant provinces of Hainault, Flan ders, Crambrefis, and Picardy, are en tirely exposed to the ravages of the enemy, who daily come over to the gates of Sf. Quintin. Brez concluded with desiring that the mod vigorous measures ihould be taken for the defence of the North. He then combated the defen five fyftetn, which he considered as contrary to the French national c’ araCler. A French man cannot remain encamped ; he re quires fome foe to attack, fume pi,ft to carry, fame objedl to obtair. He proposed that a general report < n the situation of the Northern fronti-r lha.i be made, and that every thing shall he fold to the people, that they may be rendered capable of every thing Briez was added to the committee of public fafety, and his speech was ordered to be printed. Ofiober 2. The representatives of the people with the army of the Alps, informed the con vention, that the army before Lyons had attacked and carried an advantage’ u poft.the defence of which had colt the Lvcmefe a great many men. The Lyonefe, laid the commiftion ers, (fill continue a vigorous defence ; they make daily failies, and fvc al persons are executed each d3y, for cx prefling a wilh to surrender the city to the republic. All hose who have de manded the protection of the cum miftiuners have received it. The report relative to Briffot, and the arrefled deputies This report, which had been so long and anxiously expe&ed, was preffnted by Amar. The convention observed the moft p-oiound lilelice outing the readirg of the report. After Amar had concluded, .he following decree was proposed. 1. That the convention Ihould ac ctife Briffot, Vergneaux, Genfunne, Guadet. Duperret, Can a, Svllery, Fati chet, D tftcet, Fonfrede, Due >s, Ga mon, M lievant, Gardier, Valazne, Vatadi, Vallee, Duprat, Mainvielle, de la Haje, B noet,Ch tmbon.Condorcer, Lacaze, Liddon, Fermont, Mazuier, Savary, Lehardi, Hardi, Borl an, Rouyer, Antibout, Lafource, Lefterp, Beauvais, Ifnard, Duval,(LowerSeine) Deverite, Benon, Nod, Coutlard, Andre, (of Corsica) Grangen me, Vegee, and Philip Egalite, of having conspired against the unity and iudivali bility of the republic. 2 ‘They shall imras'iiu.!,! k. by the revolutionary tribunal. 3. The present decree is trot to pro duce any alteration in the acctffa ion against Buzot, Louvet and Petion, who are accuLa of being traitors to th ir country. Those who signed the protests of the 6th and 19th of June last, and who are not mentioned in the firft article of the decree, lhall immediately be put in a Hate of arrest, and their eff ds sealed up. The committee of gene al fafety lhall prepare a separate report relative to them. Fonfrede, one of the arrested de puties, requested permission to (late fjme particulars relative to a faCl con tained in the report. He defired to defer his statement till he Ihould be tried by the revolution ary tribunal. “ Ducos and I,” exclaimed he, “ have been a cufed of having written letters to Bourdeaux.” Albite, interrupting him, “ Os hav ing malfacred the patriots at Mai feilles, of having produced the surrender ci Toulon, the rebellion of Lvons, the defection of La Vendee, of all ih fe crimes you are accused. Attempt not to speak here ; the tribunal is the pro per place.” The convention passed the decree of accusation. [As soon asit was known by the peo ple, who waited in great crowds on the outside of the Thuilleries, that the con vention had passed th ? decree of accusa tion, exclamations ot v vela republic proceeded from every perffn.J Billaud Varennes. The conven tion has just performed a signal ad of justice. But why this de ay with re fpetd to that woman who has occrffi ‘ti ed the shedding of Io much b o J> Need I mention the name of the wo man to whom I allude ? Need I lay that (he is the widow of Louis C ! pet I move that her trial before the revolu tionary tribunal begin this week.” The motion was agreed to.