Page images
PDF
EPUB

seem to pervade the whole, and to have been the leading objects of the parties. Reciprocity is the grand principle of the treaty; and it feems to have been intended on both fides, that no conceffion fhould be made on either, which was not balanced by a fuppofed equivalent on the other. It is fcarcely within the verge of poffibility, that men fhould not differ in their estimate of thefe equivalents. A vaft reduction was made on the duties laid on the wines, brandies, and vinegars of France, upon their importation into England; oil, and fome other ftaple commodities, were to be admitted upon the fame footing with thofe of the most favoured nations. Similar conceffions were made by France, with respect to the hardware, and other great manufactures of England; reciprocality, and a free and eafy intercourfe between the parties, being the ground-work of all thefe arrangements.

What is more particularly interefting to humanity in general than mere commercial regulations, which always look to intereft as their object, is, that France has upon this occafion freely facrificed her ancient civil and religious prejudices, which feemed fo clofely interwoven in her nature and conftitution as to appear almoft infeparable. She allows the English refiding in her dominions the most perfect liberty in religious matters; instead of being compellable to attend the public fervice or worship of the country, they are authorized in the full exercife of their own religious rites, only fubject to the reasonable condition of their being performed privately, and within their own honfes. The fhameful, odious, and inhuman prac

tice, of refufing the rites of fepulture to the bodies of fuppofed hereticks, is likewife done away by this treaty. Several other wife and humane regulations, tending to the eafe, advantage, and fecurity of individuals, and to the promoting of the most free and friendly intercourfe and connection between the nations, are alfo contained in it. Though thefe were apparently mutual and reciprocal, yet their benefits refted almoft entirely with the English: the free laws and government of that people, with the equal and liberal course of their justice, not admitting of those reftrictions to the perfons or property of foreigners, to which they had been themselves fubjected in France. Thus the property of British fubjects who die in France is now fecured to their heirs, without lett or moleftation, directly contrary to former ufage. Upon the breaking out of a war between the two nations, it was cuftomary for the English in France to be obliged to quit the country at a very fhort notice, and frequently to the great detriment of their affairs but now they are permitted to refide in it, and to purfue their refpective avocations with the fame freedom as at home, under the fimple and equitable condition of conforming to its laws. It was likewife cuftomary to commit them to the Baftile, upon even flight fufpicions of their public conduct; but now, in that cafe, they are allowed twelve months to remove their perfons and property out of the kingdom. It was hitherto the custom that they could not quit Paris without a licence from government; they are now to have the fame liberty of free egrefs and regrefs

;

through.

through and from every part of the kingdom that they could enjoy in their own country. The examination of letters, and other difficulties attending a correfpondence in France, were a great grievance not only to merchants, whofe private and moft fecret affairs were thus expofed, but to literary men, and even to common friends. This evil is now removed, and the most perfect fecurity afforded, particularly to merchants, who are admitted to carry on their correfpondence in any language or idiom they fhall think proper, without any molestation or fearch whatfoever.

We shall referve any farther obfervations on this treaty to another feason, when its difcuffion will appear in the proper place.

France through the courfe of this year paid the most marked attentention to every department of her marine, and to the promotion of every part of her commerce both foreign and domeftic. With a view to future wars, fhe likewife endeavoured to increase the number of her naval arfenals and ports on the ocean (in which fhe is by nature fo defective) for the reception of fhips of the line, and the station of warlike fleets.

The port of Cherburgh, on the coaft of Normandy, from its vicinity to England, and lying directly oppofite to the coaft of Hampshire, feemed directly calculated for this purpofe; and undoubtedly, if its natural defects could be remedied by art, it would prove a moft advantageous ftation to the French fleets in a war with England, and could not fail to become an exceedingly painful and dangerous thorn in the fide of that power. The

fcheme was accordingly adopted with great spirit, and carried on at an immenfe expence. For the road being about a league and a half in length from east to west, notwithftanding the cover in part of a low ifland, which confiderably ferves to break the violence of the waves, is ftill much expofed to the north and north-west winds; to remedy which it was propofed to cover the road entirely by a fucceffion of moles on that fide, leaving only two fufficient openings, one for the paffage of thips of the largeft fize, and the other for trading veffels. One of thefe moles was to be carried through the island (which was moftly overflown in fpring tides) and the others were to have their foundations laid, and fuperftructure raised, in a deep and boisterous fea. The labour was vaft, but the object was highly inviting; for if the fences. could be compleated, large fleets, compofed of the most capital fhips, might lie fecurely at anchor within them in all weather. Forts, with batteries of the heaviest cannon, were to be erected on the different moles in fuch fituations as to be themfelves impregnable, and to render the approach of an enemy utterly impracticable. A capacious bafon, with docks, and all the other appendages to a great naval arfenal, were to be conftructed in and adjoining to the harbour and town. The number of hands employed in this mighty defign were fuited to its magnitude and importance; and the removal and placing, by any number, of thofe immenfe maffes of folid rock, which, in fo turbulent a fea, could alone lay the foundations of fuch ftupendous piles of building, would have appeared impoffible to

any

any, who had not before feen or heard of fimilar grand exertions of human labour and art.

This Herculean labour was deemed of fuch national importance, that the king, who had never before been at any confiderable diftance from Paris, took a journey on purpofe to behold its progrefs. Even now, as it might be laid in its infant ftate, he could not behold without furprize the itupendous parts of that future giant which were already in profpect. The fupporters of the mole were to be in the form of cones, and were of fo prodigious a bulk, that the timber caffoons in which they were enclosed were fixty French fathoms in diameter at the bottom. One of these was fuccefsfully launched in the June zzd, 1786. king's prefence, an e vent which perhaps fcarcely afford ed greater joy to the architect, than fatisfaction to the monarch, who did not endeavour to conceal his aftonishment at this incredible exertion of human power.

ea

While the king was at this place he was feized with a ftrong defire of feeing those ancient domains of the dukedom of Normandy, the islands of Jersey and Guernsey; and actually embarked in a frigate, with a view of vifiting the former; but a fudden fquall arifing when he was about half way over, fome of the nobility in his train diffuaded him from proceeding any farther.

Religious prejudices are happily wearing fast away in France, and without fome extraordinary and unfortunate intervention, it may be hoped that it will not require a very long fucceffion of years for their entire exhausture. Inftead of the crown iffuing perfecuting edicts a

I

gainft its own fubjects, as formerly, on that account, this year has been fignalized by an arret, inviting ftrangers of all chriftian nations and religious periuafions whatever to fettle in the country, enabling them to purchase lands, and to enjoy all the common rights of citizens.

It afforded a fingular object of moral and political confideration, to behold fourteen veffels from North America arrive together in the harbour of Dunkirk, freighted with the families, goods, and property of a colony of quakers and baptifts, (the moit rigid, perhaps, in their religious principles of any among the reformed) who are come to fettle at that place, in a Roman catholic country, and under the government of the French monarch; two circumstances the moft directly oppofite to their ancient fentiments, whether political or religious. Thefe people amounted to about a hundred families, and are deftined to the profecution of the whale and other fisheries, in which they had long been fuperiorly eminent at home. M. de Calonne had the honour of forming the fcheme, of inviting them, and of giving them every encou ragement they could defire; particularly in every poffible fecurity for the prefervation of their civil rights and religious freedom. The ruin which befel the American oil trade, and confequently fisheries, through their unhappy feparation from England, afforded the occafion on one fide, and laid the neceffity on the other.

Another arret was iffued about the fame time as the former, for the encouragement of artists and manufacturers of all nations to fettle in France, by allowing them the fame privileges

Privileges which they enjoyed in their native countries, with exemptions from all duties, for a limited time, on the importation of the raw materials used in their manufactures, as well as from the payment of taxes, and all perfonal duties to themfelves and their workmen; on thefe conditions they were bound to continue for a given number of years in the kingdom, and for the greater fecurity were not to form their fettlements within feven leagues of the frontier; but at the expiration of the prescribed term they were to be at full liberty to depart, when, and in whatever manner was moft convenient to them, and to remove their property as well as their perfons wherever they fhould think proper; the king giving up the droit d'aubaine entirely in their favour.

It would have been a ftrange folecifm in policy to encourage and allure foreign proteftants to fettle in the kingdom, without reftoring the numerous natives of that profeffon in fome confiderable degree to the rights of citizens. Indeed the king and the government feem to hold difpofitions very favourable to the granting of every indulgence to the native proteftants, which they could well with propriety expect. But there are great and numerous difficulties in the way to their full eltablishment in all thofe rights, which they would have poffeffed if they had adhered to the public religion of their country. The clergy in France are a very great and powerful body, and befides their ufual influence upon the people, are fo interwoven with the nobility, as not, in the prefent order of things, to be feparable. Such an union must be treated with great tenderness and

caution by the crown, even in France.

The Gallican church, by ever keeping itfelf diftinct, and nobly fupporting its rights against the encroachments of the fee of Rome, has thereby acquired a degree of weight, dignity, and character, which no other of the fame perfuafion poffeffes. The parish priests likewife in France have long been celebrated for general humanity and benevolence, care of, and tenderness to, their flocks, irreproachable lives, and the general excellency of their character. All these concurrent circumftances ferve to give such a firmnefs to the whole establishment, that it could not without great difficulty be fhaken.

Indeed it never will be found eafy to draw fo ftrait and equal a line between the public religious establishment of any country, and that which is only tolerated, as can afford full fatisfaction to both the parties. The one will ever regard whatever is granted either as an encroachment on, or as endangering its own rights, while the other is apt, on every new indulgence or favour, to grow the more impatient for greater, and even to long for the forbidden fruits of church emolument, in proportion as they become nearer in view.

Something was, however, done in favour of the native proteftants in France, though probably not so much as was wifhed, or even intended, The legitimacy of their marriages is to be admitted, and the rights of inheritance confequently established, under the condition of the former being registered in an office ap pointed for the purpose at the Hotel de Ville. They are likewife to be

admitted

1

A

admitted to inftitute places of public worship, but they muft bear only the outward appearance of private houfes; in these they will be entitled to the free exercise of their religious rites, fubject to the fingle reftriction of keeping the doors fhut during the fervice. Their paftors are

of course éxonerated from all the penalties prescribed by former laws.

Thus has fome confiderable opening been made towards affording relief to fo numerous a body of the people, who after all the loffes they had fustained by wars, emigrations, and punishments, and the long and continued oppreffions they have endured, still amount to a fifth or fixth of the whole inhabitants of the kingdom, the lowest estimates rating their numbers at four millions.

Some indulgences have been extended to the peafantry this year in France; that most valuable order of men, who are the foundation of ftrength, wealth, and power in every community that poffeffes them, and who have been too long most shamefully and unwifely defpifed and oppreffed, not only in France, but in moft other countries. They are now relieved from that intolerable bondage and continued oppreffion to which they had fo long been fubjected, under the arbitrary domination of inferior mercenary officers, with refpect to the heavy labour to which they were bound in the repair and conftruction of the roads; these petty ministers of the civil power, either grinding them by the moft fhameless extortion of money, which their poverty could fo ill fpare, or tyranically compelling them to attend with their carts and draught

cattle to the duty of the roads, at the moft diftreffing and critical feafons of their agriculture. A new fyftem is adopted with respect to the roads; the farmers are to be discharged from the duty, and the work to be done by labourers hired at the public expence.

An edict was likewife paffed this year which affords a fecurity that was greatly wanting to the community in general, but more particularly to the trading and manufacturing part, with refpect both to their perfons and property. Many cities and corporations poffeffed the municipal authority of arrefting the perfons and detaining the property of ftrangers who came tranfiently within their jurisdiction, for real or pretended charges of debt laid againft them by perfons at any dif tance, and fometimes in the remoteft provinces. The most doubtful documents were received as fufficient grounds for these actions; and the general neceffary confequence was, that the defendant, if far from home, and no powerful connection within reach, was totally ruined, at the fuit perhaps of an unknown and unheard of plaintiff, before he could find means to extricate his perfon or property. The enormity was fo glaring, that its exiftence for any length of time would appear almost incredible, if fimilar inftances of the long fufferance of evil, through the fupineness of rulers, and the defect of fpirit or power in the injured, had not been obfervable in all countries: it is now, however, abolished, and this crying grievance effectually redreffed.

If it may not be confidered as a revolution in the hiftory of mankind, it may however be admitted as a fingular

« PreviousContinue »