The other discussions of the National Assembly were on subjects more practical, and therefore more fitted to their character and situation ; hut even these should have been postponed till they had proved their authority over the peo ple, by restoring order and tranquillity. The feudal sys tem, in all its hranches, was abolished ; the public burdens were equalized ; the most oppressive taxes were repealed ; the clergy gave up their territorial rights ; and a resolu tion was passed to inquire into the pensions granted by the court. As the King did not oppose these proceedings, he became popular for a short time, and was honoured with the appellation of the Restorer of the Liberties of France. Indeed, it was now evident, that if he did not yield to the storm, he would be overwhelmed by it, for be had no sup porters ; even the Swiss and French guards had deserted him.
could observation and experience have taught the Na tional Assembly the folly of their conduct, in not beginning by repressing the insurrectionary spirit of the people, they would have learnt wisdom by the events of each passing day. In Paris corn was still clear; and the people, let loose from all restraint, were still more goaded on to licen tiousness by this circumstance. In the provinces, the pea santry, taking advantage of the abolition of the feudal rights, plunged into the most dreadful excesses ; the nobility were murdered ; justice was set at nought ; and even the har vest, the means of their own future support, suffered from their blind and ungovernable fury.
If the revenue of the country was inadequate to its ex penditure, when every thing was tranquil, and when no corn was imported, the deficiency must necessarily have been augmented considerably, during the suspension of la bour, the importation of corn, and the defalcation of many of the taxes, payment of which was eluded or refused by the refractory populace. Neckar, therefore, found his diffi culties increase, while his means of removing them were diminished ; for he could not expect, in the disturbed and discontented state of the country, that any financial mea sures would be well received, or could be rendered pro ductive. He therefore thought it his duty, expressly to point out to the National Assembly, that, when he return ed, there were in the royal treasury only 400,000 livres ; that the expenditure immensely exceeded the revenue ; and that public credit was extinguished. In this state of things, he proposed a loan of thirty millions, at an interest of five per cent.; but the Assembly, in the foolish excess of their mistaken patriotism, decreed, that the interest should be only 44 per cent.; that no security should be given to the subscribers ; and that no period should be fix ed for reimbursement. The consequence was, that, in 20 days, little more than two million !lyres were subscribed ; the finances became still more embarrassed, and at length it was deemed expedient to vote a loan of 80 millions, at five per cent. to be redeemed in ten years. They thus went into the contrary extreme ; and, by the very favoura ble terms which they proposed, and the large amount of the loan, gave palpable proofs of the wants of the state, and of their knowledge or suspicion of the inability, or the unwil lingness of the moneyed men to supply those wants.
The next subject which occupied their attention, was the abolition of tithes. That they were a grievance, and detrimental not only to agriculture, but to the cause of re ligion, was acknowledged by almost all the members ; but they undertook to abolish them, before they had well con sidered by what means this could be effected, so as not to injure any party. They confounded the impropriate with those of the church ; that is, they confounded absolute property with what the state had set apart for the discharge of religious duty, and might therefore take away. The Alk6 Sieyes on this occasion, supported the rights of the clergy, and the Marquis de Mirabeau opposed them. The debates were long and eloquent ; at last, a few of the curet: having voluntarily surrendered their tithes, their example was by most of the clergy. This fund, thus sup plied, even if it could have been made immediately effi cient and applicable, was by no means adequate to the ne cessities of the state ; and Neckar beheld a national bank ruptcy approaching. To avert this, as all the regular plans of finance had utterly failed, he addressed himself to the patriotic enthusiasm of the people. The people were, iii general, willing, but their means were small, and they made no secret that they expected to be recompensed for their liberality, by a still further curtailment of the royal powers and privileges.
The committee which had been appointed by the Nation al Assembly to lay down the principles of a new constitu tion, expressly declared that the King ought to have an absolute veto on every law. This proposition met with vi olent and general opposition from the people ; and, while it was discussed in the Assembly, numerous guards of mi litia, and several pieces of cannon, were stationed in diffe rent parts of the capital. From the first meeting of the Assembly, all their debates had been carried on in a large hall, into which admission was perfectly free : the conse quences, as might have been foreseen, were absolutely de structive of freedom of discussion, as the members, either through fear, or the desire of popularity, were too general ly disposed to adopt that side of every question which they knew would meet the approbation of the multitudes who filled the galleries. The month of August was consumed in debates about the veto, which at length was indirectly negatived by the decrees that were passed for the forma tion of the constitution. These decrees were in some re spects rational and practical ; but they were preceded by a declaration of the rights of men and citizens, so specula tive and metaphysical, where it was well founded, as to be of no utility ; and in other points calculated to mislead and inflame the ignorant and already maddened populace. The decrees respecting the constitution, went to establish a li mited monarchy, and to separate completely the legislative from the executive powers : but it is unnecessary to give the details of this or of any other of the numerous consti tutions which were made in France ; it is sufficient to no tice the leading principles on which they were grounded.