they, are made only by minorities. It is the minority which has made the revolution of France; it is a minority which has made the people triumph. The Belgick provinces were not fufficient to fatisfy the voracious cravings of this financial fyftem. Cambon wanted to unite every thing, that he might fell every thing. Thus he forced the union of Savoy; in the war with Holland, he faw nothing but gold to feize on, and affignats to fell at par.* Do not let us diffemble, faid he one day to the committee of general defence, in prefence even of the patriot deputies of Holland, you have no ecclefiaftical goods to offer us for our indemnity.-IT IS A REVOLUTION IN THEIR COUNTERS AND IRON CHESTS, that must be made amongst the DuтCH. The word was faid, and the bankers Abema and Vanstaphorst understood it. *The fame thing will happen in Savoy. The perfecution of the clergy has foured people's minds. The Commiffaries represent them to us as good Frenchmen. I put them to the proof. Where are the legions? How, thirty thousand Savoyards are they not armed to defend, in concert with us, their liberty? Briffot. † Portefueille is the word in the original. It fignifies all moveable property which may be reprefented in bonds, notes, bills, stocks, or any fort of publick or private fecurities. I do not know of a fingle word in English that answers it; I have therefore fubftituted that of Iron Chefts, as coming nearest to the idea. Tranflator. Do you think that that word has not been worth an army to the Stadtholder, that it has not cooled the ardour of the Dutch patriots, that it has not commanded the vigorous defence of Williamstadt? Do you believe that the patriots of Amsterdam, when they read the preparatory decree which gave. France an execution on their goods; do you be lieve, that thofe patriots would not have liked better to have remained under the government of the Stadtholder, who took from them no more than a fixed portion of their property, than to pafs under that of a revolutionary power, which would make a complete revolution in their bureaus and ftrong boxes, and reduce them to wretchedness and rags?* Robbery, and anarchy, inftead of encouraging, will always ftifle revolutions. But why, they object to me, have not you and your friends chofen to expose these measures in the roftrum of the National Convention? Why have you not oppofed yourself to all these fatal projects. of union? There are two anfwers to make here, one general, one particular. You complain of the filence of honeft men! You quite forget then, honeft men are the objects of your fufpicion. Sufpicion, if it does not ftain * In the original, les reduire à la Sanfeuloterie. the the foul of a courageous man, at least arrefts his thoughts in their paffage to his lips. The fufpicions of a good citizen, freeze those men, whom the calumny of the wicked could not stop in their progrefs. You complain of their filence! You forget then, that you have often established an infulting equality between them and men covered with crimes, and made up of ignominy. You forget then, that you have twenty times left them covered with opprobrium by your galleries. You forget then, that you have not thought yourselves fufficiently powerful to impofe filence upon these galleries. What ought a wife man to do in the midst of these circumftances? He is filent. He waits the moment when the paffions give way: he waits till reafon fhall prefide, and till the multitude shall liften to her voice. What has been the tactick displayed during all thefe unions? Cambon, incapable of political calculation, boasting his ignorance in the diplomatick, flattering the ignorant multitude, lending his name and popularity to the anarchifts, feconded by their vociferations, denounced inceffantly as counterrevolutionists, thofe intelligent perfons who were defirous, at least, of having things difcuffed. To oppofe the acts of union, appeared to Cambon an |