Gazette Of The United States

PARIS, Dec. 7.

AMONGST the strongest instances of the fluctuation of popular opinion, may be reckoned the change of sentiment which has taken place with respect to M. de la Fayette. At one time the idol of the people, he is now the object of suspicion with many; and suspicion in certain situations is nearly equivalent to hatred!

Of this the Marquis has experienced a recent instance.

He was attacked on Tuesday last by 8 men armed when accompanied by only 2 of his guards de corps.—The latter were fortunately armed with pistols, by the discharge of which two of the assailants were wounded. After a short contest, these, with two others, were taken; the rest saved themselves by flight.

ARISTOCRATIC FINESSE DEFEATED.

The late overflowing of the rivers having in many places in France, retarded the arrival of the post, the Aristocratic Horde (as they are now politely called) enjoyed the triumph of a moment, by giving out that the National Assembly was dissolved; that Paris was given up to be plundered to the king's troops, and that all the patriots who refused laying down their arms, were butchered on the spot. The people believed the report, but instead of yielding to despair, or any other unbecoming weakness, they assembled, and repeated their civic oath, "to defend the constitution until death!" In many places in Languedoc the national cavalry were ready to fly to the assistance of the capital; their hangers were whetted in the presence of the preachers of slavery, who were given to understand that, on the first signal of a counter-revolution, they should be the victims of national indignation.

The Municipality of Paris went on Thursday to L'isle des Cygnes, to see a mill put in motion by a fire pump; it contains twelve mill-stones, which in twenty-four hours, grind seven hundred septiers of corn; [a septier is twelve bushels] this curious piece of mechanism, will be found wonderfully useful for Paris, as the Seine is frozen over every winter.

A new military body is established here, under the appellation of the federal club; the protection afforded to it by M. de la Fayette, the service the soldiers are employed in, being at the Louvre, give much food for conversation, and last week the whole was denounced at the Jacobins, as pregnant with mischief.

Virtue, modesty, and experience, will now occupy in the French Church, the dignified places, hitherto, too often usurped by ambition, intrigue, pride and ignorance; where the people have a bishop to name, their choice is worthy of the primitive church. A parish priest, of Sedan has been lately elected to fill the episcopal chair of that city; his elevation is the reward of beneficence, toleration, patriotism, in short every virtue.

National Assembly, Sunday December 5.

PUBLIC TREASURY.

M. Pinteville Cernon's statement of the public treasury afforded the greatest joy to the assembly.

Imposts are therein represented as much accelerated, and indeed settled. The public coffers full of bills and specie—last month there was only three millions, now there are twenty-six; and the value of specie considerably lower.

Monday, Dec. 6.

M. de la Rochefoucault presented his statement of the supplies for the year 1791, and with the most lively satisfaction, the assembly learned that the anterior contributions exceed now, by a hundred and sixty millions, the amount exacted by the expenses of that year, since their estimate was only 560 millions. When the reporter, however, stated, that 300 millions of this were to come from the landed property, long and loud murmurs proceeded from a great part of the members.