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MUSES’ RETREAT.
— 1 1
FEMALE EMBARRASSMENT.
Too plain, dear youth, these tell-tale eye'*,
My heart your own declare ;
But, for Heaven’s fake, let it fufFicc,
P You reign triumphant there.
Forbear your uttnoff power to try,
Nor further urge your fvvay ;
Prcffi not for what 1 mufl deny,
V For fear I fliould obey.
0 Could all your arts fucccfiful prove,
Would you a maid undo,
Whole great est failing is her love,
’ And that her love for you ?
p: Say, would you use that very power,
You from her fondnefs claim,
To rjtiin, in one fatal hour,
A life of fpotlcft fame ?
.Rcfolve not, then, to do an ill,
Bccaul’c, perhaps, you may ;
- But rather use your utinolt ikfl,
To save me, than betray. \
; Be you, vourfelf, my virtue’s guard;
| Defend, aud not purine;
Since ’tis a talk for me too hard
Toiirivc with love and you.
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
October 13.
Pons de Verdun fuggefled fome b
---fervation§. on the decree against Britilh
fubjt-dls,- ’This decree,he Pared, would
be produ&ive of. the mod injurious
confequerices'. The people of Great
Britain had been very ill disposed to
wards the French on account.of the
death of the kingi But they were ra
pidly returning from that enmity, into
which their erroneous attachment to
monarchical prejudices had led them.
He observed, that the republic should
a<St with great caution, and not change
the war which they waged against the
Englilh government, intoa war against
the Englilh nation. He concluded by
moving, that the decree should either
be immediately repealed, or that it
should be extended to all the fubje&s
of all the other powers with whom the
republic is at war. Referred to the
‘Committee of public fafety.
October 14.
The representatives of the people in
the department of la Manche, write,
that the department is animated with
the belt fpir'it; they have attempted to
make bread partly, composed of pota
toes, which upon trial has been found
very nourishing, and of the bell quality,
they have given inltructions for the
planting of potatoes ; all the inhabi
tants congratulate thunfelves on hav
ing found anew resource. The com
mittee of agriculture was charged to
examine whether it would not be ufe
ful to encourage the cultivation of
potatoes all over the republic.
October 16.
‘ The Englilh,’ exclaimed St. Just,
* in their conduit towards us, have
in the molt atrocious manner,
all the laws of nations; and the decree
which has been paired, is a just retali
ationfor the diftrult which the Englilh
government has produced in the minds
of all true republicans. It has been
proposed by a member of the conven
’ tion (Pons de Veidun) that the decree
should be extended to all foreigners :
it should be recollected that the repub
lic does not wage war with the people,
but with the government of Great
Britain. We are the friends of the
people of Great Britain, whom we wilh
to afttft in shaking off the yoke of
slavery. Since the Englilh have
butchered one of our representatives at
Toulon, thehoufeof commons ought
to entertain great apprehensions for
their existence : the blow which they
meditate again!! us will fall upon their
> own heads. Those who w ilh that the
law should be extended to all foreigners,
do not fee that other powers have not
•> lopted the fame mode of conduit as
he Englilh government. We ought
> be in a Hate of revolution, of force
Vd energy, againlt peoplewho conquer
T/.-t'y • r . “Te and corruption! The
- republic of France conquers by open
force.
‘ BrifTot blinded the eyes of the
convention by his falfe pliilofophy :
it is endeavoured now to blind you by
falfe policy.
‘ Your committee of public fafety
have ordered me to propose the follow
ing form of a decree :*
1. Foreigners, born fubjeCts of
powers with which the republic is at
war, lhall be imprisoned till the peace.
2. They lhall be treated with ten
derness.
3. Women married to foreigners
before the promulgation of this law',
lhall not be comprised in it, unless they
should be fiifpeCied themfelvcs, or
married toafufpected person.
Roberfpierre stated, that all strangers
ought to be suspected, and particularly
those who appeared to be patriots.
1 hey were the agents of Austria, which
had (till a faction in the bosom ot the
republic, and employed persons whose
patriot!fm appeared to be molt fierce
and steady.
The 31st of May, he laid, had des
troyed the Englilh and'Pruflian sac
tions : the present decree would destroy
the Austrians. \he law was certainly
levere. It might affedt fome refpeCta
ble philosophers, but men of this
defeription were fevv, and in every
other refpeCt the law was so wife and
magnanimous that it would find apolo
gists even in those who were afteCted
by it.
1 The Englifh,’ he exclaimed, ‘ have
committed the mod Ihocking barbarity
in murdering, in cold blood, the na
tional commillioner at Toulon. This
is an infamy which can only be ex
piated by the destruction of Great
Britain.’
Several objedliohs were fuggefled by
fome of the members, but they were
rtjedled, and the form of the decree, as
proposed by the committee of public
fafety, was adopted.
October 24.
Letter from brigadier-general Vaude'maine.
1 Head quarters at Furnes,
’ October 23.
‘ I set out this morning, at one ;
o’clock, from Dunkirk, with a force!
of infantry and cavalry, to march ■
against Furnes. I divided my troop
into two columns. They arrived be- j
tore this town at five o’clock. 1 im
mediately made the attack, while a
column of 4000 men from Hond i
fchoote attacked it by the gate of Ypres. j
l he enemy, to the number of 3000,
well entrenched with cannon, wilhed
to prevent our entering the town; but
the courage of our republicans terrified
them, and drove them into the town,
the bayonets at their backs. They!
retired in disorder, and our troops (till]
pursued them- This affair colt ns 12
republicans, and fome wounded. An
hundred of the enemy bit the daft, and
we have taken sixty. No pillage was
committed at Furnes. Our soldiers
only know how to fight and conquer,
and with such men what may we not
hope !
‘ Citizen Caftagnies, commandant
of the marine at Dunkirk, has put to
lea with all the Hoops and vellels in
condition : he follows my movements :
he w ill attack Oftend by sea, while I
lhall attack it by land, and I hope that
this town will presently be in cur
pow er.’
Letter from fore, reprcfentatlve of the
pec pie.
‘ Head-quarters at La Croix!
Blanche, October 22.
‘ I announce to the convention
victory upon viCtcry. We every w here
force the enemy, and are now before
and be hind Menin. The Austrians fly
to their own territories—thanks to our
cannoneers. We hear nothing but
lliouts of, advance! vivo la republic!
T his is the rallying word of to-day and
yesterday. The Hanoverian Haves
have fallen on their knees in their re
doubts before general Souham. While
we w ere firing upon Menin, I was at
Willem and F'ailly, where the battle
was more obstinate. These two
villages were forced, and vve have taken
feme fix pounders. The Haves of Pitt,
on their knee?, to the number of five
hundred, declared themselves prisoners,
and vve took at Menin fix pieces of
cannon. I do not know what num
ber have been taken at other points,
but can fay that we have loft very fevv
men, and no cannon,
• For the republic these are glorious
days. If our armies go on like the di
vilion of Lille, there will be no Haves
in Europe in fix months.’
The procureur syndic of the diftriCt
of Tonncre acquainted the conven
tion, that he had Blued an order for
bidding the future celebration of re
ligious ceremonies on Sundays, and
commanding that these ceremonies
should be celebrated on the lafl day of
each decade. He requested that this
order should be communicated to the
Other diltriCts.
■ The convention pasted to the or
of the day, on account of the arti
cle in the constitution allowing the free
exercise of the forms of religion.
The popular society of la Tour du
Pin congratulated the convention on
the recent victories, and exprefted their
detestation of tire treason of Toulon,
requesting that when that city should
lie taken by the republicans, it should
be immediately destroyed. Decreed.
October 25.
Letter from general Souham, near Menin ,
October 23.
* ‘fhe troops which I have the
honour to command have just given
proofs of the greatest courage. The
important ports of Commutes; Nords,
Warncton and Wervvick, were carried
yesterday, with the rapidityoflightning,
by our republican soldiers, commanded
by general Macdonnel. The ports of
Roucq, Hallum, and Menin, were not
too able to refiit the impetuosity of our
columns, commanded by general Du
mondeau. Ait the troops behaved
with the greatest valour.’
Fabre d’Eglantine made a report
upon the names to be introduced into
the new calendar. This was followed
by a plan, which the convention adopt
ed with fome modifications ; of which
this is the fubrtance :—The three au
, tumnal months are to be called—Vin
demaire, Bmmaire, Fretnaire; the
: winter months—Nivos, Pluvios, Ven
tos; the spring months—Germinal,
j Floreal, Priam!; and the summer
, months —MelliJor, Herbidor, Fructi
! dor. ‘Fhe days of each decade are—
i Primedi,Duodi,Tridi, Qurtridi, Quin
: ticli, Sextedi, Septidi, Octodi, Nunodi,
Deeadi. Fhe live days lately called
complementary? are to be called the
Sans Culotides, and are to be dedicated
to the feftivals of Virtue, Genius,
Labour, Opinion, and Rewards !
October 26.
The minister ot war communicated’
the following letter from general Car
teaux, dated October 17.
* On the 14th inst. at four in the af
ternoon, the enemy presented them
lelves in five columns, to the number
of from 4 to 5000 men, just after vve
had fiuilhed our rejoicings for the news
ot the taking of Lyons. I marched in
the centre on the road leading to Tou
lon, fending citizen Dalmerals, mv ad
jutant general, with 300 grenadiers, to
Support my right. 1 font a reinforce
ment of 500 men to defend the gallics
near the Fort des Pomtnelles. The
enemy wilhed to cut us oft on two
sides at the fame time ; but the bravery
of our troops forced them to retreat,
after an aCtion of two hours, in which
50 fateilites of the crowned tyrants
were killed, and 250 wounded ; and
they were compelled to re-enter Toulon
quicker than they cams out of it. I
do not alk for rewards for such noble
exploits, ior it would be neceiury to
bestow them on every one of the
soldiers whom I have the honour to
command.
• You may allure the national con
vention, that this day is one of the
happiest: for the republic; for the
enemies have been handled in so rough
a manner, that they will have no mind,
I believe, to renew their visit for a long
time. This day is the more glorious,
tince it is to be remarked that fevetal
, battalions, which only arrived the day
before, attacked the enemy vvab
courage equal to veteran troops. ] 0r “
ly loft fix men killed, and 26 wounded
The fete which vve gave made ever*
soldier an hero. I ordered our bands
of mulic to be in the centre, and ihe
soldiers changed the enemy, crying
• long live the republic, long live iR
national convention.’
* With refpecl .to our batteries,they
produced the belt pollible ‘efF ct, p,/.
ticularly the battery Des Sans Culottes.
This is at Notre Dame de Brer
which is in the middle of the little hail
hour of Toulon, projecting direCtlv to
wards the sea, opposite the G:-;
Tower. From time to time it carries
away fome malts, and damages the
enemy’s frigates. The other batteiy
on the right of the Sine, opposite t-j
one which is eroded by the E igiilh
in the island of La Seine, will have a
very good effect. A third batten,
which is in a second line, at the Four
Mills behind the Seine, will fvveeptHc
entire plain. The belt proof w Inch I
can give you (.{'the good efFeCt of the
battery Des Sans Culottes, is, that f nr
of the enemy’s veftels arc already
careening, having been damaged by
our lire.’
November 2.
Citizens of the department of Nieyre
came to present the fruits of their re
searches in that department. They
delivered seventeen trunks filled with
gold, silver, money and plate, amount
ing to several millions. Three of these
citizens carried erodes of silver, a iowtk
a fun of gold, surmounted with the
cap of liberty, and a fifth a ducal
crown ot silver, gilt. The crown was
ordered to be trodden under foot by
the Huiffiers, a ceremony which was
performed amidst Ihouts of vive ia re
publique, and ihe whole o.dered to the
mint.
November 4.
Andre Dumont p-efentecl 61,283
livres in gold and silver, found in pci
,fefiion ot the monks in the department
of la Somme. ‘ They wanted, (Caul
he) to persuade people that I had quar
relled with my religion, but every Wf
will think othervvife, when it is known,
that between 4 and 500 fiiver faints,
which I now bring you, came forth at
my bidding.’
November ‘.
Lequinto and Latgneiof, representa
tives of the people at R*chetprt, write,
that eight conftilutiona! priests and a
protestant minister, liad abjured their
errors in the temple ot truth, ci devant
the parilh church, and had promised
to teach nothing but found morality,
and the hatred of all political and re
! ligious tyranny. I hey confirmed their
oath by burning their letters of ordina
tion, amidst the mixed acclamations
both of the catholics and protestants,
who all swore to drop all religious
hatred ; and there is to be in future in
tli.-s town but one church, and a copy
of the Rights of Man, and the cenln
tutional add, is deposited ia the taber
nacle.
{ icneral Carteax, very desirous not
to leave the brave soldiers with whom
he so often conquered the rebels, rc
monftrates against his nomination to
the command of the army of Italy.
1 I am,’ fays he, ‘ the fun of a dragoon,
and have attained the molt honourable
situation by military labours alone. I
know how to command as well as to
obey. I depart, in virtue of your de
cree, to join the army in Italy. I leave
my comrades with infinite regret; I
1 nail, notwithstanding, endeavour to
merit the confidence which the con
vention places in me. The port of a
republican is every where. Be fatisfie I
with regard to Toulon ; the infamous
ruffians which this city contains, can
not escape the national vengeance
which surrounds them on every quar
ter.’ Referred to the committee of
public fafety.
A odember 9.
A long latter was read from general
Delaage, which announced the entry of
the Freach into Catalonia, after a very
obstinate engagement.