The New Hampshire Gazette

Of French Internal Affairs.

NATIONAL CONVENTION.

6 Nivose, (26 Dec.)

CLAUZEL—'Fathers of the country, to speak of the dangers that threaten you, to descant on the means of extricating you, is necessarily the way to occupy your whole attention.

'I proved to you, last decade, that the principal leaders of the Robespierre faction, of that of Chaumette, Vincent and Hebert are still in existence: that they have defended those men at this tribune, and that they had always acted in concert with that tyrant, till a happy misunderstanding between them convinced you, that you should get rid of them altogether.

'We must acquaint the people, that while the national convention is occupied in framing plans of their happiness, the men of terror are again seeking to prepare, and to foment a revolt, in order to bring about the system of pillage and of blood, in which they coalesced for more than fifteen months. We must teach good citizens the means with which these revolters contrived to undo liberty, that has cost us so many sacrifices, and this handful of ruffians will disappear at the first glance of the people, as the pygmies vanish at the sight of Hercules.

'Monsters, your hour of domination is passed away; our armies know you; you are the execration of nature: all France, except a handful of rogues, abhor you! What family is there, whose blood you have not shed? From Antibes to Cherbourg, from Cherbourg to Bayonne, all ask why the masters of Carrier have not yet partaken of his fate? Let the Committees print the letters which you wrote to authorize the murders of the atrocious Lebon! Let them tell us whether, since the 27th of July, all the satellites of the Army of Robespierre have not been under your rebellious standards?

'We know that some days before the 9th of Thermidor, Robespierre contended with his accomplices who should hold the reins of despotism. We know well, that the surviving decemvirs, terrified at the superiority which Robespierre held over them, not in perfidy, but in popularity, sought a compromise with him in the right of tyrannizing over their country.

We have not forgot, that the division did not really happen between the parties, before the morning of the 9th of Thermidor, when the eleven tyrants saw that the arch-tyrant had signified to the Jacobins his firm resolution to annihilate them, and no longer to suffer them to partake of his power. Thus, in outlawing even of the Decemvirs, the chief error of the conspiring Commune seems to have been thinking the party of Robespierre stronger than that of Billaud and his accomplices; for no one now doubts that there were two conspiracies to destroy the national representation, and with it the Republic.

'One was composed of the members of the commune, the other of the decemvirs, themselves divided into two parties.

'The weakest, or the most timid, necessarily fell the first: the second, finding itself unmasked, naturally declared itself the mortal enemy of its rival. This is the ordinary method of proceeding with all conspirators who endeavour to secure to themselves arbitrary power.

'Thus falls to the ground all the support which the eleven* hope to derive from the decree of outlawry, pronounced against them by the rebellious commune.

'Representatives of the people, is it not evident to you as well as to the whole republic, that the accomplices, the perpetuators of Robespierre still infest France? Call to mind that they wished to be continued in their functions, after the death of their chief: that Billaud found fault with the repeal of the decree, which conferred on them the right of arresting us; and that, imitating the expressions of the fallen tyrant, he was heard to cry out in this assembly, "I hear a murmur!"

'How can you expect that all the powers of Europe will sue you for peace and alliance, if you suffer to remain in the Senate the Chiefs of that faction which has lacerated the Republic? Who could assure their reciprocity in their engagements? But perhaps you will say, with Combeceres, that all the factious men, who combine in the Convention, will find their tomb in it.

'These men will never be corrected. Look into History, and you will find, that once seated in power, tyrants will never quit it, till they descend into the grave.

'Representatives of a great nation! Is your solicitude for Liberty less ardent than that of the States of the ci-devant Languedoc for the inhabitants of Gevaudan?

'A wild beast had devoured a woman and two or three children; scarcely had the news arrived at Montpellier, before the commandant ordered three regiments to go and destroy it.

'Thousands of victims have been immolated by the fury of the Decemvirs; all France was covered with mourning and consternation during their tyranny: The greatest of all crimes, the usurpation of the sovereignty of the People, has been committed. So many atrocities will not remain unpunished.—No—for you are just.

'I propose, 1. That your Committees tomorrow make you a report on the Representatives denounced by Lecointre and by all France.

2dly. 'That the committee of Legislation present you to-morrow with the project of a law, tending to confirm the powers of the Revolutionary Tribunal; but at the same time to keep out all the Judges and Jurors who had acted before the 10th of Thermidor.'

The propositions of Clauzel were adopted in the midst of the loudest plaudits.

Several Voices—'Let the speech be printed.'

Duhem—'I desire to be heard.'*

Barrere, Billaud, Varennes, Collot d'Herbois, Venlard, Amar, David, and Vadier.

Several Members—'To the Tribune.'

Duhem—'I will not go there; I will not submit myself to be agonized by your follies.'—(Murmurs.) The tribune of a free man is wherever he may happen to be.

'I think that the principles and the decrees of the Convention will be found to oppose the printing of this speech, as they might the delivery of it (Murmurs) and I will prove it. A great number of persons know, and particularly my Colleagues who are Members of the Committees, that these Committees are occupied day and night in discussing this affair. The denunciation bears as much upon thirty or forty other Members, as upon the seven accused.

'I only invoke justice, and that all parties may be heard. Doubts have arisen on the manner in which I voted in the affair of Carrier.—I voted according to my conscience, and I would do the same in this affair. The Committees are inquiring into it, and if Clauzel, whom I consider as an infamous calumniator'——(Violent murmurs.)

CLAUZEL—'I desire to be heard in answer to Duhem.'

Duhem—'If Clauzel, who has the audacity to tell me to my face, that I held a correspondence with the Emigrants in Switzerland, does not prove the fact, I declare that I will myself assassinate him.'

The Assembly, and all the Tribunes, manifested symptoms of indignation.

Duhem takes off his cravat.

A Member—'I vote that Duhem, the assassin, be called to order.' (Loud plaudits.)

Several Voices—'To the Abbey! To the Abbey!'

DE WARS—'A man who declares himself an assassin, ought not to sit in the Convention.'

Duhem—'You shall not with impunity assassinate the people.'—(Hisses prevent him from proceeding.)

De WARS—'I think that a Representative of the People, who had the atrocity to declare himself an assassin, ought to be excluded from this Assembly, at least for three months, and sent to the Abbey. (Loud plaudits.) We have known for a long time, that assassination was your favorite expedient, which you never failed to put in execution to attain your ends. You dare to say that you will assassinate the French people! Have you not already done it, in putting to death their Representatives? Are you not satisfied with the blood of 40 or 50 of your Colleagues? (Duhem smiles.)' I propose that Duhem be committed to the Abbey!'

A great number of voices—'To the Abbey, to the Abbey!'

The President then put it to the vote, and a great majority was for Duhem's being sent to the Abbey. (Loud Applauses.) However,

Legendre—moved the order of the day.

CLAUZEL—'I support the proposition of Legendre for the order of the day. Duhem pretended, that I had accused him of a correspondence with the emigrants of Switzerland: there was lately an explanation on this subject at the Committee of General Safety; many of my colleagues confessed, that there had been read in the United Committees a paper which proved, that the Jacobins had held a correspondence with the Emigrants in Switzerland; but I never said that any of my colleagues, Duhem or any other, had any part in that correspondence.'

Bourdon de l'Oise—'I move that we put to vote the order of the day, in order to end a debate, which must be afflicting to all true patriots.'

The Convention passed to the order of the day.