1789. 17. bly and in of the guillo tine. Nov. 9. Dec. 10. CHAP. had commenced its sittings in the Riding-School Hall, VI. (Salle du Manège,) near the Tuileries, between that palace and the Palais Royal, where the Rue de Rivoli is New Hall of now situated; and the memorable scenes of that body, the Assem- of the succeeding Assembly, and of the Convention, troduction took place in that room. The parties took their seats on the right and left, as they had done in the Salle de l'Archevêché. The centre, or "plain," as it was called, became at the same time a place of importance, as the members who sat there clearly held the balance between the extremes on the right hand and the left. Shortly after, Dr Guillotin brought forward a long and laboured motion for the reformation of the penal code; and proposed that, instead of the axe of the executioner, or any other kind of death, one uniform mode of punishment should be adopted in all capital cases, which should consist of a heavy knife, descending in a frame on the neck of the condemned person. This proposal was adopted by the Assembly, and the new machine obtained the name, from its inventor, of the GUILLOTINE. "With the aid of my machine," said M. Guillotin, "I will make the head spring off in the twinkling of an eye, and the victim shall feel nothing." But the researches of men of science since that time, and the ample experience of its effects which the Revolution afforded, have suggested a doubt, it is to be feared on probable grounds, whether this supposed humanity is really as well founded as the friends of lenity in punishment would wish. There is reason to fear that the head, in some cases, may retain sensation, and even recollection, for some minutes, even as much as iii. 307, 447. ten, after it has been severed from the body. Melancholy examples of this will occur in the sequel of this work.1* 1 Hist. Parl. Meanwhile an investigation was commenced before the * It has been demonstrated by modern physiologists, that the heads of animals sometimes hear, see, and feel, for ten, fifteen, and even eighteen minutes, after being severed from the body.-(See, in particular, Jegallon's experiments.) The same has been observed of human beings; it having been ascertained that decapitated heads have given unequivocal signs of a retention VI. 1789. 18. the Court of rages of 5th Above and 6th Oct. course Dec. 1. at Versailles. High Court of Châtelet, at the instance of the Procureur CHAP. du Roi, on the information of the public prosecutor of the city of Paris, as to "the authors of the troubles of the 5th and 6th October." Though the greatest pains were Inquiry at taken to stifle this inquiry, and direct it from its proper Châtelet inobject, yet it went on, and the evidence and revelations to the outwhich it brought out soon attracted general notice. two hundred witnesses were examined during the of many months, and at length it was clearly proved, that the Orleans conspirators had taken advantage of the excitement in Paris, owing to the high price of provisions, to direct the vehemently excited mob to Versailles, in the hope that the King would take to flight, and the Duke of Orleans might be declared lieutenant-general of the kingdom. The proceedings, however, were found to implicate too many persons of importance to permit of their being followed out. Mirabeau, in particular, was so clearly pointed at in the evidence, that M. Chabroud, who drew up the report, alluded in its commencement to the "great criminals whom it involved." After a vehement debate, in which that great orator exerted all his talent, and evinced all his influence in his own defence, the Assembly, fearful of implicating so many of its members, determined that there was no ground for ulterior proceedings. No one was surprised at this result-it had been distinctly foreseen throughout. But the magnanimity which the proceedings brought to light on the part of the Queen, excited universal admiration in every generous breast. When pressed by the committee of the municipality of Paris, and also by a deputation from the Court at Châtelet, to state what she knew or had seen on the occasion, she answered, "Never will I become an informer against 332, 347. the subjects of the King: I have seen everything, known vii.336,339. everything, and forgotten everything." of will, by fixing their eyes on loved objects, or moving the lips as if in an effort to speak; and this is particularly the case with those who die with most courage and resolution.-See Histoire Parlementaire, iii. 447, 448; and Journal de Progrès des Sciences Médicales-Essai sur le Système Nerveux. 1 Bert de Moll. iii. Hist. Parl. VOL. II. B CHAP. VI. 1789. 19. embarrass finances. The constant embarrassment of the finances next occupied the attention of the Assembly. All the measures taken for the relief of the public necessities, since the conExcessive Vocation of the States-general, had proved utterly unavailment of the ing. The nation, in truth, was subsisting entirely on borrowed money: the revenue had almost everywhere failed, and the public debt had increased in the last three years by the enormous amount of 1,200,000,000 francs, or nearly £50,000,000 sterling." Matters had at length reached a crisis: the capitalists, so long the ardent supporters of the Revolution, had become sensible of its tendency, and would not advance a shilling to the public service. The contribution of a fourth part of the revenue of every individual, granted to the entreaties of Necker and the eloquence of Mirabeau, had produced but a momentary relief; it had proved, from the general emigration of the noblesse, and universal stagnation of commerce, much less productive than had been expected. The confusion of public affairs rendered all sources of revenue unavailing, and some decisive measure had become indispensable, to fill up the immense deficit which the Revolution had produced. In this emergency, the iii. 147, 152. property of the church was the first fund which presented itself, and it was sacrificed without mercy to the public necessities.1 1 Hist. Parl. Deux Amis, iv. 1, 2. Talleyrand, bishop of Autun, proposed that the ecclesiastical property should be devoted to the support of the ministers of religion, and the payment of the public debt. In support of this spoliation he argued: "The clergy are not proprietors, but depositaries of their estates; no "Il fallait donc de nouvelles ressources, et elles étaient toutes épuisées : il fallait du crédit, et il était anéanti-cependant l'infâme banqueroute était là: il fallait l'écarter à l'instant, ou souiller de la tache la plus honteuse la gloire Française."--Deux Amis, iv. 2. VI. 1789. 20. of Tally church 2d Oct. individual can maintain any right of property, or inheri- CHAP. tance in them; they were bestowed originally by the munificence of kings or nobles, and may now be resumed by the nation which has succeeded to their rights. It Argument is not necessary to destroy the entire body of the clergy, who are required for the purposes of worship; but it is favour of alike just and expedient to extinguish those ecclesias- spoliation. tical incorporations, those agglomerations of property which are useless and hurtful. The enjoyment of this power by the nation gives its representatives an equal title to interfere with the present distribution of church property. All the benefices without charges attached to them may immediately be confiscated to the profit of the nation; and even in regard to those to which duty is attached, it is clear that the only portion of their funds which is really sacred is what is required for the decent support of the incumbent, or maintenance of the hospital or college to which it belongs. By undertaking the burden of these, therefore, the nation may now, with perfect justice, appropriate the whole ecclesiastical estates."1 Deux This proposal, seconded by Thouret, was supported by 4, 5. Hist. Mirabeau, Barnave, Garat, and the whole strength of the 151, 152. Revolutionary party. 1 Amis, iv. Parl. iii. 21. the Abbé To this it was replied by the Abbé Maury and Sièyes : "It is an unfounded assertion that the property of the Answer of church is at the disposal of the state; it came from the Maury and munificence or piety of individuals in former ages, and Sièyes. was destined to a peculiar purpose, totally different from secular concerns. If the purposes originally intended cannot be carried into effect, it should revert to the heirs of the donors, but certainly does not accrue to the legislature. This great measure of spoliation is the first step in revolutionary confiscation, and will soon be followed up by the seizure of property of every description; and it is, in truth, a sacrifice of the provinces, and their estates, to the capitalists of the metropolis who hold the public debt, and the vociferous mob who rule the counsels VI. 1789. CHAP. of the Assembly. The clergy have enjoyed their possessions for a thousand years-is there a noble or proprietor in the land who can exhibit a title as ancient? Are the immense sacrifices of their possessions the clergy have already made their junction with the Tiers Etat, which first gave victory to the cause of the Revolution—to go for nothing? Is destitution, confiscation, and beggary, the reward which France reserves for the first, the most important, the most valued friends of freedom? The benefices, in some cases, are without cures-pray, what are the fortunes of the nobles, the wealth of the capitalists? A thousand francs a-year would maintain every one of these gentlemen; the rest, according to your argument, is at the disposal of the nation. Have they a cure attached to them? And are you prepared to apply a 1 Moniteur, test to property, as liable or not liable to confiscation, to 2d Nov. Which would at once place within the former category Parl.iii.256, the whole property of the nation, above what was necessary for the bare subsistence of its possessors?"1 30th Oct. 1789. Hist. 22. But it was all in vain. The property of the church Confiscation was estimated at two thousand millions of francs, of the property of the £80,000,000; this appeared a fund sufficient, at least church. 2d Nov. Mig. i. 104. for a considerable time, to maintain the clergy, endow the hospitals for the poor, defray the interest of the public debt, and meet the expenses of the civil establishment. To a revolutionary government, overwhelmed with debt, the temptation was irresistible; and, in spite of the eloquence of the Abbé Maury and the efforts of the clergy, it was decreed, by a great majority, that the eccleToul. i. 170. siastical property should be put at the disposal of the 194. Cha- nation. The funds thus acquired were enormous; the Etud. Hist. church lands were above a third of the whole landed Hist. Parl. property of the kingdom. The clergy were declared a iii. 256,258. burden upon the state, and thenceforward received their iii. 20, 21. incomes from the public treasury. But the Assembly Th. i. 195. made a wretched provision for the support of religion. Th. i. 193, teaubriand, iii. 284. Deux Amis, Lac. viii. 24. The income of the Archbishop of Paris was fixed at £2000 |