The New York Journal, And Weekly Register

FRANCE.

Arret du Conseil, dated June 20.

His MAJESTY's ORDINANCE.

Declaring the protest and deliberations of Parliaments and Courts, seditious and libellous.

IT having been represented to the king that several writings had been clandestinely published, and that his indulgence had been much abused by no notice having been taken of them. That besides, factitious signatures have been made use of to give them consequence:—

These and other weighty reasons have determined his wisdom to prohibit and suppress them. Those writings under the title of Resolutions, or Protests of different bodies and communities, carry with them an air of disobedience and revolt, contrary to the duty of subjects, and especially of the officers of those bodies, whom the king forbids to hold any farther assembly or deliberation, and from whom alone they hold the authority of exercising their professions.

These writings are in their form, illegal; in the effect they are intended to produce, fallacious; their contents are equally reprehensible, and assume a superiority over the royal authority. Some declare the King's acts absurd in their form, despotic in their principles, tyrannical in their effects, destructive of monarchy, and the rights and capitulations of provinces.

It is his Majesty's wish to hold out to the nation its true interest, in the same manner to bring it back to its proper powers.

His goodness has delayed him hitherto from taking notice of those writings, hoping that his subjects would reflect and repent of their errors, and induce his Majesty to forget their past conduct. His Majesty owes his own authority; he owes it to his faithful subjects; he owes it to the people at large, to prevent for the future such acts, which, made without power, out of the places of the ordinary sittings, against the express command of the King, escape the notice of a formal proceeding to annul them, by the very vice of their formation, since to annul them would be to suppose they had a regular existence; but which, spread abroad as they have been, to mislead the nation from the true intentions of his Majesty, the King being in his council, orders, that the deliberations and protests of his courts and other assemblies, made since the publication of his law of the 8th of May last, and tending to prevent their execution and effects, are and shall remain suppressed as seditious, treasonable to the royal authority, made without power, and with a design to mislead his people;

defends all persons, particularly officers of the courts, or other judges, to assist in future at such assemblies, or make such protests, on pain of forfeitures and loss of estate, commission, civil or military appointment, against all those who shall sit at, or sign them. Defends in like manner, and under the same penalties, all and every officer in the different tribunals throughout the kingdom to pay any regard to such decrees and protests, or the impressions they may have made.

His Majesty declares likewise, that he will take under his special protection, for the present and to come, all those tribunals and others of his subjects, who, submitting to such laws, stand forward to put them in execution, and holds himself to guarantee them, on every occasion, against any feeble and seditious menaces which might alarm their fidelity. Commands in the same manner all officers and commandants of provinces, to pay strict attention to the execution of the present ordinance, which shall be printed and stuck up wherever it shall be found necessary, and notified, by the express order of his Majesty, to all the grand bailiwicks and presidencies throughout the kingdom.

Made at Versailles, the 20th of June, 1788.

(Signed) BARON DE BRETEUIL.