Popular History of England Volume 7 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1861 Excerpt: ...closed in June, there were parties existing in France of equal strength. The Girondins occupied Lyon, Bourdeaux, and other places; the Royalists possessed La Vendee. The Convention not only quelled all internal insurrections, but defeated their foreign enemies. What, he asked, is the inference?" That there is no probability, nor even possibility, of overthrowing the Jacobin government of France in another campaign, nor in another after that." The minority in both Houses constantly alleged against Mr. Pitt, that the establishment of monarchy in France was the object which he wished to effectuate. They might have reproached him more justly that, if he really had this object at heart, he lost the only real opportunity of giving an energetic support to the loyal and religious spirit which had been awakened in a portion of France; and had neglected thus to oppose a definite principle to the ferocious domination of the Jacobin government. It has been said of Mr. Pitt by one who, looking calmly upon the past, is not carried away by any auti-democratie prejudices, "If it was impossible to preserve peace, he should have adopted the only policy which could lead to victory. He should have proclaimed a Holy War for religion, morality, property, order, public law, and should have thus opposed to the Jacobins an energy equal to their own." J In March, 1793, the people of Brittany and La Vendee rushed into such a Holy War; and during the whole of that year they were fighting with an energy which at one time appeared not unlikely to hurl back the Jacobin tyranny to its chosen seat of Paris, and give the provinces a chance of escape from the Reign of Terror which had established itself after the fall of the Girondins. The efforts of the poor Vendeans are...