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MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS. OR, The Christian's Survey of the Political World.
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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/""^ REAT as have been the changes in the ^^ political world during the last twentyfive years , the events of the last month made a greater impression on the minds of men , than anything- that lias occurred in the French Revolution . Europe was prepared to receive the report of the Congress of sovereigns assembled at Vienna . The
results of their supposed wisdom and integrity and honour , were to be made known to the world . They who had entered France with the noblest declarations that were ever penned , who had overthrown a tyranny that threatened the whole worldw ith
subjection , were to conclude their labours hy settling- the freedom of Europe , releasing every coqntry from a base vassalage and establishing a system which should preserve the civilized world from the horrors it has suffered since the era of the
Reformation . All these promises holden out to nations were endangered from , an unexpected quarter , and the name of one man , aided by only a thousand troops , struck a terror in every court of Europe . Buonaparte quitted Elba , landed in France and reclaimed his sovereignty ! His proclamation did not
reach this country for some time , and his act was looked upon as that of a madman . The loyalty of the French to the Bourbons was declared to be universal by the Moniteur . Addresses poured in from all quarters ; proclamations were issued from Paris against the traitor and a reward offered for bis seizure . The troops were set
in motion , and every day it was expected that the daring invader and his little band of followers , had expiated their supposed crime by the usual military punishments . The king ' s brother and a marshal of France were sent to Lyons , and fame , with her hundred tongues , was so busy at work that the truth was not to be discovered . It was
soon seen that no dependence was to be placed on the Moniteur , and the Bourbons may learn one lesson from this attack , namely , that the freedom of the press is us beneficial to the sovereign as it is to the subject : nay , we might say more so to the sovereign , whether in times of peace or of actual rebellion . Had the press been free , all France would have known in a short
time the real state of the invasion , the trifling force of the invader , wild the loyal men would have encouraged each other with confidence in mutual support . But
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every account was penned from government in a mutilated patchwork manner and facts gradually displayed themselves ' which proved the little dependence to be placed on any thing that came from that quarter . _ Buonaparte landed with his small troop and inarched to Lyons the second city in
the empire . There , from the numLer of troops in g * arrison and the population of the town , it was to be expected that he would be seized 5 but he marched into the town and gave audience to the constituted authorities , settled every thing * for the future tranquillity of the town , and marched his increased army to Chalons . The
Moniteur acknowledged that some of the vilest populace had thrown up their caps for Buonaparte in Macon , Chalons and Dijon , but were s ? oon brought in order by the loyal military . Yet Buonaparte continued his tranquil march , and at Macon ' s
Chalons , An tun , was received with open arms . Symptoms of dissatisfaction were now visible at Paris 5 cannon was brought for the safety of the Thuilleries ; precious moveables were packed up . If the municipality of Bourdeaux offered a reward of two hundred thousand livies for the head
of the emperor , still there were sufficient grounds for belief that his adherents were every where numerous , and the marshal of France were evidently fearful of opposing * their troops to his , lest at the first onset the lilies should be forsaken for the eao-les .
A short time settled this question , ( or without firing- a shot , the eagles were restored to their places on the Thuilleries j Buonaparte entered Paris in triumph ; the unfortunate Louis fled from his capital , and met with no interruption on his road to England . The whole appears like a dream , and what new scenes are in reserve for Europe , time only can deveiope .
During this progress the chang-es m public opinion in England were rapid . ^ was said that the army was with Buonaparte , but all the better sort of peop le against him , that the Bourbon hud , » y his g-ood conduct , secured the love of tue people , and that his throne would he more securely fixed by this rash and mad attempt . On the contrary , doubts were excited by the consideration of some event * that had taken place on and since the Bourbon ' s accession to the throne . A vw-
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Monthly Retrospect Of Public Affairs. Or, The Christian's Survey Of The Political World.
MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS . OR , The Christian ' s Survey of the Political World .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1815, page 198, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1758/page/70/
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