In  a  country  such  as  this, — not  indeed  in  any
country  possessing  an  estabhshed  svstem  of
government,  and  much  less,  iu  such  a  coun«(
(ry  as  this,  where  the  opinions  of  the  people
are  made  up  upon  the  wisdom  of  that  go*
veriwient,  and  are  attached  to  it  by  die'
surest  of  all  ties, — if  the  magistrates  are
active  in  the  execution  of  their  duty,  it  i9
not  to  be  expected  that  any  such  meeting  as
this  would  directly  avow  an  attempt  to  sub-
vert the  government,  or  constitution  of  this
country ;  you  may  rest  assured  you  will  rU
ways  find  some  pretext  or  other  held  fortlx
to  cloak  their  proceedings,  till  the  moment
shall  come  when  they  shall  think  it  safe  to
avow  them.  Had  we  at  present  been  trying
the  condact  of  this  man,  by  any  thing  which
passed  in  the  four  first  days  of  this  conven-
tion, before  they  assumed  that  name  whicli
they  have  taken  to  themselves,  and  before
they  came  to  those  resolutions,  which  I  shal!
in  tlie  sequel  read  from  the  minutes,  we
should  have  had  such  a  case  before  us  that
you  would  have  had  to  decide  whether  they
were  really  and  truly  meeting  for  the  purpose
of  a  reform,  or  whether  tney  were  acting
under  a  mask  for  the  purpose  of  destroying
the  government  of  the  country.  But  from
the  date  of  the  assumption  of  this  name,
and  during  the  subsequent  week,  or  ten  days,
these  gentlemen  have  done  away  even  Ihe
shadow  of  a  mask  over  their  proceedings ;
in  every  mode  of  their  proceeding,  every  re*
solution  which  they  adopt  is  framed  directly
and  positively  upon  the  model  of  the  Frencn
convention;  and  I  desire  you  to  take  thi»
along  with  you,  when  you  consider  this  sub-
ject, that  although  this  meeting  was  illegal
in  every  part  of  it,  yet  the  main  point  of  my
charge  acainst  them  is  this,  that  bein«;  a  con*
vention  formed  upon  the  model  of  that  now
at  this  moment  existing  in  France,  and  a
nation  with  which  we  are  at  virar :  the  panel
who  wes  their  tecretary,  and  all  those  iA»


Mq


A.  a  17M.
