that if England had really interfered, which appeared to me incredible, it was to beprefumed, that it would have been, either in the line of her fuppofed filtered, or in thatcf the King’s fnppofed inclination ; - that thefe happened to-be exactly the fame, and ifmoney were remitted from that kingdom, mod alluredly it would be to fupport the fall-ing intereft of the crown, and by no means to detach from it any force whatever ; infuch a cafe remittance from Eng'and might go to Metz, for keeping troops to theirdutv, but would never be fent to Bred to corrupt them, the idea of which was grofslyabfurd. All leemed inclined to admit thejudnefs of this remark, but-they adhered tothe two facts, in whatever manner they might, or might not, be connected. At thisdinner, according to cudom, mod of the deputies, efpecially the younger ones, weredrelied an polifcn , many of them without powder in their hair, and fome in boots ; notabove four or five were neatly dreffed. How times are changed ! When they had no-thing better to attend to, the falhionable Parifians were corredtnefs itfelf, in all that per-tained to the toilette, and were, therefore, thought a frivolous people ; but now they havefemething of more importance than drefs to occupy them; and the light airy characterthat was ufually given them, will have no foundation in truth. Every thing in this worlddepends on government.
The 13th. A great commotion among the populace late lad night, which is faid tohave arifen on two accounts—one to get at the Baron de Befneval, who is in prifon, inorder to hang him ; the other to demand bread at if. the pound. They eat it at pre-fent at the rate of twenty-two millions a-year cheaper than the red of the kingdom, andyet they demand a farther reduction. However, the current difeourfe is, that Favras ,an adventurer alfo in prifon, mud be hanged to fatisfy the people; for as to Befneval,the Swifs cantons have rernondrated fo firmly, that they will not dare to execute him.Early in the morning, the guards were doubled, and eight thoufand horfe and foot arerow patrolling the Itreets. The report of plots, to carry off the King, is in the mouthof every one; and it is faid, thefe movements of the people, as well as thofe at Ver-failles, are not what they appear to be, mere mobs, but indicated by the aridocrats ;and if permitted to rife to fuch a height as to entangle the Paris militia, will prove thepart only of a confpiracy againd the new government. That they have reafon to bealert is undoubted ; for though there fhould actually be no plots in exidence, yet thereis fo great a temptation to them, and fuch a probability of their being formed, thatfupinenefs would probably create them. I have met with the lieutenant-colonel of aregiment of horfe, vho is come from his quarters, and whoafferts, that his whole regi-ment, officers and men, are now at the King’s devotion, and would march wherever hecalled, and would execute whatever he ordered, not contrary to their ancient feelings;but that they would not have been inclined to be lb obedient before he was brought toParis ; and from the converfation be has had with the odicevs of other regiments, hebelieves that the fame fpirit pervades their corps alfo. If any furious plans have beenlaid for a counter-revolution, or for cairying od" the King, and their execution has been,or (hall be prevented, poderity will be much more likely to have information of it thanthis age. Certainly the eyes of all the fovereigns, and of ail the great nobility in Eu-rope, are on the French revolution; they look with amazement, and even with terror,upon a dtuation which may poliiblv be hereafter their own cafe; and they mud ex-pert, with anxiety, that fome attempts will be made to reverfe an example, that 'willnot want copies, whenever the period is favourable to make them. Dine at the PalaisRoyal, with a i'eled party ; politicians they mult be, if they are Frenchmen . Thequedion was difeuffed, Are the plots and confpiracies of which we hear fo much atprefent, real, or are they invented by the leaders of the revolution, to keep up the
7 Xpirits