subject to, there has been none in the diligence and industry which we have exerted in the discharge of our duty. The great and extraordinary affairs of War, Politics, or Revolution, which have agitated almost every part of Europe, neceffarily fwelled our History far beyond its proper and customary limits; while these, and other correfponding circumstances, rendered it, by many degrees, the most arduous task we had ever undertaken. Happy, however, fhall we always deem ourselves, and count all labours and difficulties light, if we continue to receive from the Public that favour and kindness which we have fo long experienced, and which it is our utmost wish and ambition to appear in fome degree worthy of receiving. With respect to gratitude and intention we shall never be found deficient! THE THE ANNUAL REGISTER, For the YEAR 1789. THE HISTORY OF EUROPE. CHA P. I. Ad Retrospective view of the affairs of France from the year 1787. Confidence of the parliament of Paris on their fuccefs in invalidating the royal edicts for the new taxes. Reimonftrance on behalf of their exiled members. Answer. Refolutions, in violation of the King's injun&ions. Confequences of the parliament's declaration of its own incompetence to lery, or to concur in levying taxes. Spirit of liberty general, and accompanied with a rage for innovation. Nothing but reforms heard. mirable reform in the codes of civil and criminal juftice. Edi&t in favour of the Proteftants, happily paffed. Flame already raised on the fubje&t of Lettres de Cachet, much increased, by the feizure and committal to prifon of M. de Catalan, prefdent of the parliament of Tholoufe. Long remonftrance from the parliament of Faris to the King, difcuffing many points relative to the conflitution. Some remarks on that piece, with an account of the origin of enregiftering edits, and of the cause and manner of holding beds of justice. Anfoer from the King to the remonftrance. Adminifiration deeply but fecretly engaged in framing a new conflitution. Some particulars of this fem, and of the form, ompofition, and nature of the new fupreme court, which was to fuper VOL. XXXI [A] jede fede parliaments in all matters relative to government. Silence, and apparent inactivity of the court, excite fufpicions, which are increafed to general apprehenfion and alarm, by circumstances obferved at the royal press in Paris. M. d'Espremenil, by indirect means, becomes mafier of the whole fecret, which he communicates to the parliament. Sudden meeting of that body; various refolutions passed; order copies of their proceedings to be tranfmitted to all parts of the kingdom. Meet again fuddenly on an attempt made to arrest M. d'Efpremenil, and M. de Monfambert. Strong protest ordered to be prefented by a deputation to the King. King refuses to receive the deputation, and the parliament are fuddenly furrounded by a regiment of guards. Commanding officer enters the assembly, and commands, in the King's name, the two obnoxious members to be delivered up. After a long filence, the prefident answered, that they were all Monfamberts and d'Espremenils; upon which the officer returning for fresh orders, the parliament continues locked up in its chamber for near twenty-four hours. On the officer's return, charging them, under the penalty of high treafon, to de- · liver up the two members, they fill continue filent, but the two gentlemen give themfelves up. Bed of juflice ordered to be held at Verjailles on the 8th of May. Protefls entered, and addrefs prepared by parliament. King feverely reprehends the conduct of parliament in his introductory Speech. Announces the new conflitution: Ordinances read and registered: Farther particulars of them. Strong protest of Parliament, dated at feven o'clock the following morning. Proteft feconded by a letter figned by a number of the peers, declaring their utter difapprobation of the reforms in government, and their determination to take no part in the functions affigned them by the new ordinances. Clergy no less difpofsed to adhere to the parliaments than the peerage. Another proteft and memorial from parliament, who order their proceedings to be sent to a notary, and effectual means used for their publication. Governor of Paris enters the chambers of parliament at the Palais Royal, feizes their papers and archives, then locks and feals up the doors. All the parliaments in the kingdom about the fame time fufpended. Chatelet fue a frong declaration against all thefe proceedings that were inimicable to the parliaments. Memorial of an extraordinary nature, figned by fortySeven peers and bishops, presented perfonally to the King. Alarming aspect of affairs. Seditious and treasonable papers continually pofled upon the gates and in the fireets of Paris. Publication of an incendiary libel of the most obnoxious and dangerous kind. Great diforders and tumults in the provinces. Bretagne. Count de Perigord, governor-general of Languedoc, bliged to fly from Tholoufe, and the troops to withdraw from that place. At Grenoble the exceffes carried to the highest pitch of violence; much blood faid to be fhed; Duke de Tonnere faves his life by furrendering the keys of the palace; his large and valuable cabinet of medals and curiofities plundered and defroyed. Arsenal and magazines feized by the riolers. Parliament of Britany meet in defiance of the King's King's exprefs command. Pafs violent refolutions. Are interrupted by the military. Great riots and confufion. Nobles of the province meet, and fend a députation to Verfailles, who are fent to the Bafile. Great and vifible agitation of the King's mind. Peculiarly unfortunate in the great facrifices which he made for procuring felicity to his government, and to afford eafe and content to his fubjects. Recapitulation of fome preceding events. Dreadful hurricane defroys the harvest and vintage in several of the finest parts of the kingdom. Great benevotences to the diftreffed people; and various measures purfued for their farther relief. Arret relative to the meeting of the fates general, caufes great joy, and occafions the florks to rife. King obliged to relinquish the new confli tution. Arret relative to payments at the treafury, caufes the greatest confufion in Paris, along with a violent run upon the bank. Minif try changed. Archbishop of Sens relires to Italy, and Mr. Neckar is placed again at the head of the finances. Great public joy: flocks fuddenly rife; and general good humour prevails. Measures purfued by the new minifter to fupport the public opinion. Parliament of Paris New altercations with the crown, relative to the profecution of the late minifters. Great riot in Paris, and feveral of the populace flain. Parliament publicly burn the King's arrets, Convention of the notables, in order to fettle the preliminaries neceffary to the meeting of the ftates general. Difireffes of the people greatly increafed by the extreme feverity of the winter. meet. TE have fhewn, in our hiftori 1787, the ftrong remonftrances made by the parliament of Paris to the king, towards the clofe of that year, in confequence of the, banifliment of the Duke of Orleans, and of the imprifonment of two of their members, on account of their conduct in the courfe of the great, debates which took place in the king's prefence, upon the preceding memorable 19th day of Novemnber. Although the king feemed to have given way in fome degree to their remonftrances, by alleviating the circumftances of feverity which in the firft inftance attended the imprifonment of the Abbe Sabatiere and M. Frenau, yet, as the banishment of the duke and the confinement of the two the principle of authority upon which both were founded till maintained, the parliament fhewed themfelves determined to preferve in their oppofition to and reprobation of the meafure, until they fhould finally fucceed in overthrowing the principle itfelf, and thereby procuring future fecurity to the perfons of their members, and an unlimited freedom to their deliberations and debates. They had already fucceeded in carrying a great point against the crown, and in eftablishing a precedent the most dangerous to its authority that could be conceived: a precedent without example in the hiftory of the French nation, or of its parliaments. This was the pro teft by which they in effect annulled the two edicts for raifing a tax upon territorial revenue (or, as we call it, a land tax) and another upon ftamps; they having in that piece declared, that all perfons who attempted to carry thofe edicts into execution fhould be confidered as guilty of treason, and regarded as enemies to their country. A vigorous government would have eafily fet afide the effect of this proteft; for the edicts had been enregistered according to the ufual forms in a bed of juftice, which, from the undifputed fanction of ages, conferred on them all the efficacy and force of laws; but the enfeebled ftate of the court, the want of vigour in its councils, along, probably, with an ill-founded hope, and ill-timed defire of accommodation, ferved all together to induce the king to fubmit to this dangerous inroad upon his authority, and to relinquish thefe decrees, which could alone have enabled him to conduct the bufinefs of government with fecurity and effect. After fuch a triumph over weakness and fear in fo recent an inftance, the parliament could not be much apprehentive of a failure of fuccefs in other matters, which, though of confequence to themselves, were of infinitely lefs importance to the crown. The laft anfwer received from the king, viz. "That they fhould not demand from his juftice what folely de"pended upon his will," was taken into confideration by that body foon after the opening of the new year, when they paffed feveratrefolutions, ftrongly enforcing and enlarging the principles laid down in their former remonftrances. They charge the Jan. 4th, 1788. king with departing from the profeffions held out in fome of his former declarations or anfwers. Their reprobation of lettres de cachet, places them in every point of view that could render them odious or terrible. They defcribe them as being the common inftruments of concealed views and private revenge; and they fcruple not to charge the monarchy with degenerating into actual defpotifm, through the nefarious abufe of the king's authority by minifters, in applying thefe letters, without any form of law, or colour of juftice, to deprive individuals of their liberty. They argued upon ftrong ground, that the fame power which arbitrarily deprives the firft prince of the blood and the two magiftrates of their liberty, might, undoubtedly, with greater eafe, attack that of all other citizens; and if the repeal of fuch arbitrary orders depends only on the monarch's goodness and pleafure, it must follow that no Frenchman has any fecurity for his liberty, that lettres de chachet are to have the effect of laws, and are to be confidered as necessary and effential parts of government. This principle they totally condemn, as fubverting the most facred foundations of the constitution. They declare, that they therefore cannot, and indeed that they ought not, to recur to the king's goodnefs in order to obtain the liberty of the duke and of the two magiltrates: fuch a ftep would be no lefs derogatory from the effential principles of the conftitution, and of public order, than from the generous fentiments of the sufferers themfelves. That, all his majesty's fubjects are equally interefted in preventing the fad effects of to dangerous |