vernment will propofe the refources which circumstances shall render neceffary. During the whole courfe of the ninth year, fcarcely were a few imperfect communications maintained between the mother-country and the colonies. Guadaloupe has preferved fome remnant of culture and profperity; but the fovereignty of the republic has received more than one outrage. In the eighth year, a fingle agent commanded there; he was banished by a faction. Three agents fuc ceeded him, two of them banished the third, and replaced him with a man of their own choice; another dies, and the two that remain inveft themselves folely with the power that should be exercifed by three. Under this mutilated and illegal agency, anarchy, and defpotifm, reigned by turns. The colonifts and the allies, accuse and charge it with errors and crimes. The govern ment tried to organize a new adminiftration. A captain-general, a prefect, a commiffary of juftice, fubordinate among themselves, but fucceeding each other as occafion may require, prefent a fingular power poffeffing a fort of check, but no rivalflip that could impede its action, or paralyfe its ftrength. This adminiftration exifts, and it will Yoon be known if it juftifies the hopes that have been conceived of it. From the moment of his arrival, the captain-general had to combat the fpirit of faction. He thought it his duty to fend to France thirteen individuals, contrivers of difturbance and promoters of banishments, The government conceived that fuch men would be dangerous in France, and ordered that they should be fent to any of the colonies that they may choofe, Guadaloupe excepted. At St. Domingo fome irregular acts have given alarm for its allegiance. The government has not chofen to fee under equivocal appearances any thing but that ignorance which confounds names and things, and ufurps, when it thinks it is only obeying; but an army and a fleet, which are preparing to fet out from the ports of Europe, will foon have diffipated all thefe clouds, and St. Domingo will return entirely under the laws of the republic. At St. Domingo and at Guadaloupe there are no longer any flaves, all are free, and all fhall remain free. Prudence and time will restore order in them, and re-establish cultivation and induftry. At Martinique different principles will prevail. Martinique has kept up flavery, and slavery shall still be kept up there. Humanity has already fuffered too much to attempt a new revolution in this part. Guiane has profpered under an active and vigorous governor; it will profper ftill more under the empire of peace, and by the addition of a new territory, which calls for cultivation, and promifes wealth. The ifles of France and Reunion have remained faithful to the mo ther-country in the midft of factions, and under an administration feeble and unfettled, fuch as chance made it, and which has received from the government neither her impulfe nor affiftance. These colonies, fo important, are confirmed; they no longer fear that the mother-country, by giving liberty to the blacks, will establish the flavery of the whites. In our foreign relations, the government will not fear to develop their principles and their maxims. Fidelity Fidelity to our allies, refpe&t for their independence, franknefs and loyalty towards our enemies; fuch has been the policy of government. Batavia reproached her political organization with not having been conceived for her. But for fome years that organization governed Batavia. The principle of the government is, that nothing is more fatal to the happiness of a people than the inftability of their inftitutions; and when the Batavian directory endeavoured to af certain their opinion refpecting alterations, they conftantly reminded them of this principle. But at length the Batavian people wifhed to alter their organization, and they have adopted a new conftitution. Government have acknowledged that conftitution; and it was their duty to acknowledge it, because it was the will of an independent people. Twenty-five thousand men were to remain in Batavia, according to the terms of the treaty of the Hague, until the general peace. The Batavians defired this force to be reduced; and in virtue of a recent convention, they have been reduced to 10,000 men. Helvetia has afforded, during the year nine, the spectacle of a people torn by parties, each of those parties invoking the power and fometimes the arms of France. Our troops have received orders to return to our territories; 4000 men alone ftill remain in Helvetia, by the with of all the local authori. ties who have claimed their remaining among them. Often has Helvetia fubmitted to the first conful plans for organization; often has the asked his advice; he has always recalled her to the recol lection of her independence: " Remember only," he has fometimes faid, "the courage and virtues of your fathers; have an organization fimple as their manners. Think of thofe different religions, and those different languages, which have their limits marked out; think of thofe vallies, of thofe mountains, that feparate you, of fo many recollections attached to their natural boundaries; and let there remain of all that an impreffion in your or ganization.-Above all, as an example to the people of Europe, preferve liberty and equality to that nation, which first taught them to be free and independent." These were but counfels, and they were coolly heard. Helvitia remains without a pilot in the midst of ftorms. The minister of the republic has been nothing more than a conciliator amidst the divided parties, and the general of our troops has refused to sanction the fupport of his force. The Cifalpine and Liguria have at length decreed their organization. Both fear, in the movements of the first appointments, the revival of rivalfhip and hatred. They have appeared to defire that the first conful fhould take these appointments upon himself. He will endeavour to reconcile this with of two republics fo dear to France, with the more facred functions which his office imposes upon him. Lucca has expiated, in the agonies of a provifionary regime, the errors that deferved the indignation of the French people. She is now employed in giving herself a defini tive organization. The king of Tufcany, tranquil upon his throne, has been acknow ledged ledged by great powers, and will foon be by all. Four thoufand French are guarding Leghorn for him, and will eva-, cuate it when he thall have organized a national army. Piedmont forms our 27th military divifion, and under a milder regime, forgets the miferies of a long anarchy. The holy father, fovereign of Rome, poffeffes his fiates in their integrity. Pefaro, Fano, Caftel St. Leone, which had been occupied by Cifalpine troops, have been reftored to him. Fifteen hundred French troops are fill in the citadel of Ancona, and in order to enfure the communication with the army of the South. After the peace of Luneville, France might have fallen with her whole weight upon the kingdom of Naples, have punied the fovereign for having first broken the treaties, and have made him repent the affront the French had received in the very port of Naples; but the government thought them felves revenged as foon as they had the power of being revenged; they felt nothing more than the defire and the neceffity of peace; to give it, they demanded only the port of Otranto, neceffary to their defigns in the Eaft, as Malta had been occupied by the British. Paul the First loved France; he wifhed for the peace of Europe; he wished, above all, for the freedom of the feas. His great foul was moved by the pacific fentiments which the firft conful had manifefted; it was afterwards moved by our fucceffes and our victories; and hence the first ties that attached him to the republic. Eight thoufand Ruffian had been made prifoners in fighting with the allies; but the adminiftration that then directed England had refuted to exchange them for French prifoners. The government was indignant at this refufal; they refolved to restore thole brave warriors, abandoned by their allies, to their country; they reftored them in a manner worthy the republic, of themfelves, and of their fovereign. Hence clofer ties and more intimate approximation. n a fadden Ruffia, Denmark, Sweden, and Pruffia united; a coalition was formed to guaranty the freedom of the feas; Hanover was occupied by the Pruffian troops; great and vaft operations were preparing; but Paul died fuddenly. Bavaria haftened to revive the ties that united her to France. That ally, fo important to us, has fuftained great loffes on the left bank of the Rhine; the intereft and the defire of France are, that Bavaria fhall obtain a juft and full indemnity. Great difcuffions have taken place at Ratibon upon the execution of the treaty of Luneville; but thofe difcuffions do not immediately concern France. The peace of Luneville, concluded with the empire, and ratified by the diet, has irrevocably fixed on that fide all the inte refis of the republic. If the republic fill take part in the difcuffions of Ratifbon, it is only as guarantee of the ftipulations contained in the 7th article of the treaty of Luneville, and for the purpole of maintaining a juft equilibrium in Germany. Peace has been figned with Ruffia; and nothing will hereafter difturb the relation of two great people, who, with fo many reasons for loving, have none for fearing each other; and whom nature has placed the two extremities of Europe, to be the counterpoife of the north and the fouth. The Porte, reftored to her real interefts, and her inclinations for France, has again found her moft faithful and ancient ally. With the united states of America, all difficulties have been removed. Finally, the preliminaries of peace with England have been ratified. Peace with England muft, have been the produce of long negotiations, maintained by a fyftem of war, which, though flow in its preparation, was infallible in its refult. Already the greater part of her allies had abandoned her. Hanover, the fole poffeffion of her fovereign upon the continent, remained in the power of Pruffia; the Porte, menaced by our important pofitions on the Adriatic had entered upon a private negotiation. Portugal remained to her; having been fo long under the influence of the exclufive commerce of the Englih, Portugal was, in fact, no more than a province of Great Britain. It was there that Spain was to find a compenfation for the ceffion of Trinidada. Her army advances; a divifion of the troops of the republic encamp upon the frontier of Portugal, to fupport her operations; but, after the firft hoftilities and fome light fkirmishes, the Spanish minifter ratifies feparately the treaty of Badajoz. From that time the lofs of Trinidada to Spain was to be predicted; from that time, in fact, England confidered it as a pol feffion acquired to her, and removed out of the negotiation every thing that could fuppofe the reftitution of it poffible. Before the ratification of the par ticular treaty. of France with Portugal, the government made known to the cabinet of Madrid that determination of England. England refufed, with the fame inflexibility, the refloration of Ceylon. But the Batavian republic will find, in the numerous poffeffions that are reftored to her, the re-eftablifhment of her commerce and her power. France has fupported the interefts of her allies with as much strength as her own: he has done it to the extent of facrificing greater advantages than the could have obtained for herfelf; but he was forced to ftop at the point in which all negotiation became impoffible. Her exhaufted allies afforded her no more refources for the continuance of war; and the objects, the reftitution of which was refufed them by England, did not balance to them the chances of a new campaign, and all the calamities with which it might overwhelm them. Thus, in all parts of the world, the republic has only friends or allies, and her commerce and her indufiry are returning to their accuftomed channels. In the whole courfe of the nego tiations, the prefent adminiftration of England have shown a frank defire to put an end to the miseries of war; the English people have embraced peace with enthufiafm; the hatred of rivalfhip is extinguisheds the emulation of great actions and ufeful enterprifes will only remain. The government have made it their ambition to replace France in her natural relations with all nations; they will make it their glory to maintain their work, and to perpetuate a peace which fhall conftitute their happiness happiness as well as the happiness acknowledged by the conftitution or of humanity. The first conful, Conftitution of the Batavian People. General Principles and Difpofitions. RT. 1. The happinefs of the whole is the firft of laws. Confequently, no member, nor any fection of fociety, can receive advantage by any particular law to the prejudice of others. 2. All the members of fociety are equal in the eye of the law, without diftinction of rank or birth. 3. Each citizen may do what he pleases; but remains refponfible to, and according to the law, both for his actions and the fentiments he propagates. 4. The law establishes the neceffary difpofitions for enfuring to every citizen an honeft fubfiftence, but all privileged bodies and exclufive affiliations are abolished. 5. Every inhabitant is maintained in the peaceable poffeffion and enjoyment of his property. No one can be deprived of any part of his poffeffions, unless the general good imperiously requires it; and in that cafe, he fhall receive a just and proper indemnity. 6. Every inhabitant is inviolable in his habitation; no one can enter it without his confent, and in virtue of an order iffued by the proper authority. 7. No one can be arrested but according to the law. No one can be tried or condemned but by the judge the law, and until after being fummoned agreeably to what they pre fcribe, and having obtained all the means of defence which they determine. 8. Every citizen must be heard in three days after he has been delivered into the hands of his natural judge. A copy of the motives of his arreftation cannot be refused to him: the law determines the pu nifhment of the judge who fall offend against thefe difpofitions. If the examination and motives of ar. reftation have not been communicated within the time above prefcribed, the prifoner has a right to be releafed, and without any delay. 9. All ufelefs feverity in the guarding of prifoners is forbidden. All violent means for extorting confeffion are abolished. 10. Every citizen has a right to addrefs, in writing, petitions, and propofitions to the conftituted authorities, provided they are figned individually; in any other cafe they cannot be made but by the bodies conftituted by the law, and must relate only to objects which have relation to the functions which they difcharge. 11. All religious focieties, which acknowledge a fupreme Being, and rendering homage to him, tend to favour virtue and good morals, are equally protected by the law. Every religious fociety publicly profeffes its opinions, and grants free accefs to the places confecrated to the exercife of its worship. 12 Every head of a family, and every independent perfon of either fex, who has attained to the age of fourteen, must inscribe their names in one of these religious focieties, |