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poffible, when the fatal day arrived, which was the celebrated epocha of the downfal of the fyftem.

M. d'Argenfon, who had long been jealous that a foreigner fhould fupplant him in the confidence of the Regent, not only fa voured the fyllem no longer, but was alfo endeavouring to open the eyes of the Prince refpecting it. It was with much difficulty that he prevailed, and he was obliged to call in the affiftance of the other intimate confidants of his R. H. the Abbé Dubois, Minitter of Foreign Affairs, and M. le Blanc, Secretary at War, to concur with him feparately in this patriotic work. Sometimes the Regent feemed inclined to expel the author of a revolution fo extraordinary and fo fatal. One day he even told the Keeper of the Seals, who was fpeaking to him in a stronger manner than ufual, that he might fecure Law's perfon; but when the chief magiftrate required an order in writing for this purpose, he could not obtain it. He was therefore obliged to have recourfe to artifice, and to make the new Comptrollergeneral himself, the accomplice of his own deftruction, and of that of his fyftem. In a committee holden between the Regent, himself, the Abbé Dubois, M. le Blanc, and the Minifter of the Finances, he obferved, that a violent crifis muft neceffarily have a fhort termination; that the prefent crifis, which was now arrived at its acme, muft confequently decline; that its object being now fulfilled-which was to make all the fpecie, and even all the materials of gold and filver in the kingdom, return by extraordinary means into the hands of government-it was now neceffary to prevent the public from collecting the precious harveft; that the moft certain method of effe&ting this, would be to begin, by reducing the mafs of paper; the confequence of this would be, that the people, either not diminishing the confidence they had in it, would keep it in hopes that the reduction would be only temporary, and from the fear that they should at once lofe a great part of their capital; or that the paper failing into dif credit, they would crowd in to get rid of it. In the first inftance, the government would have it in their power to fettle any operations they pleased; and in the fecond, they might avail themselves even of the confufion and diforder which would refult from this breaking up, to establish fome troublesome, but neceffary formalities, by which, in appearing to concur with the wishes of the bearers of the paper, one might delay the effect of them; and thus time might be gained to proceed to fome alterations, expedient for liberating the state.

All this was more fpecious than folid; but it was especially a deteflable piece of Machiavelifm. It gives us the idea of a fet of thieves at the corner of a wood, confulting about the best method of levying contributions on the paffengers. It must, however, be acknowledged, that there are cafes in which the imperious claims of neceffity become the only law of the flatefman, and France was now in this ftate of fubverfion; the helm of finance was flipping out of the hand of their adminiftration, and even out of thofe of the Regent. In this embarrafiment, Law thought himfelf fortunate, to be furnished with the means of getting out of the labyrinth into which he had thrown him

The Council had been fuppreffed in 1718, and the Secretaries of State re-established at the head of the departments.

REV. Sept. 1781.

felf,

felf, and he was the foremost in deftroying his own work, by confenting to a decree, which reduced the Bank bills, and the flares of the Company, to one half of their value.

It is impofiible to defcribe the confternation with which the city of Paris was ftricken at this news. It foon was converted into rage; feditious libels were pofted up, and were fent in hand-bills even into the houses. The Duke of Bourbon, the Prince of Conti, and Marfhal Villeroi, who had not been fummoned to the committee in which the decree had been iffued, protested against it, and pretended that it was furreptitious, fince it had not been fubmitted to the examination of the Council of Regency. The Parliament, which had not hitherto interfered in the affairs of the Bank, and had always been in oppofition to it, by one of thofe contradictions too frequent in their conduct, now exerted them felves to fupport it. The First Prefident, whom they fent to the Royal Palace, was very well received. The Regent, in his prefent embarraffment, was not difpleafed at this ftep. He did not conceal his fatisfaction from the Head of their Company, and answered him, "Sir, I am very glad that this circumftance gives me an opportunity of being reconciled to the Parliament, whofe "advice I will follow in every thing."

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Six days after the publication of the decree of reduction, that decree was revoked by another, which reftored the paper to its value, but did not reflore the confidence of the public, more efpecially as payment was at the very fame time flopped at the Bank. This was done upon the pretence of examining the knaveries. Commiffaries were fent to feal up the chefts, and make up the accounts. Some of the Clerks, and especially thofe whofe bufinefs it was to make up the fignatures, were difmiffed for a fortnight, with the prohibition of quitting Paris. So that this fecond decree did more harm than the first, by throwing again into the channel of commerce things that had been difcredited; and with which fraudulent debtors paid and ruined their lawful creditors.

Among these fharpers tricks, that of the Prefident de Novion deferves an exception, as being very laughable at leaft, if not more honeft than the reft. He had fold to Law one of his eftates, and, notwith landing the prohibitions, ftipulated the payment of it in gold, to which the Scotchman readily confented. The fum was from eight to nine hundred thousand livres t. The magistrate's eldeft fon availed himself of the right of redemption, and repaid the purchafer in bills.

To put a stop to this confufion, after having exhaufted every refource of finance that was thought capable of reftoring the illufion, it was at last found necessary to put an end to the matter, by stopping

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One of the hand-bills was conceived, according to the Memoirs of the Regency, in the following terms: "Sir, and Madam, this is to give you notice, that a St. Bartholomew's day will be enacted again on Saturday or Sunday, if affairs do not alter. You are defired not to ftir out, you nor your fervants. God preferve you from the "flames. Give notice to your neighbours. Dated Saturday 25 "May, 1720."

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Between thirty and forty thousand pounds.

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the courfe of the Bank-bills, and bringing back money into trade. Thus was Law's fyllem diffolved, the refult of which was the doubling of the national debt, inftead of diminishing it, as he had given reason to expect. Independent of the debts contracted under the reign of Lewis XIV. which still fubfifted, there remained to pay off to the amount of eighteen hundred millions of this paper, of which two thousand fix hundred millions † had been diftributed among the public.

The author of this deteftable fyftem foon experienced the kind of treatment that perfons of his stamp ufually do: he was hooted by the populace, who wanted to pull him to pieces; his coach was broken; and he himself escaped only by the activity of his horfes, and the boldnefs of his coachman. He immediately refigned, into the hands of the Regent, his appointment of Comptroller-general. He was not lefs the director of all the operations of the fame year 1720. He had not yet loft the confidence of his R. H. who had always a fecret inclination for the fyftem, which Law flattered him might be reftored again; and the Prince did not give it up till Law had in vain exhausted all the refources of his imagination. He was difmiffed filently, and every one knows that he died of poverty at Venice.'

Some farther extracts from this entertaining work, chiefly refpecting the principal fubject of the Hiftory, will find a place in a fubfequent Article.

Seventy-five millions sterling. + Above one hundred million

fterling.

R

ART. III. WALKER's Elements of Elocution, concluded.

E..

EFERRING our Readers to this Author's explanation of the general theory of inflections given in our laft Review, we fhall now proceed to lay before them fome fpecimens of the ufe which he makes of his theory, in feveral of the practical rules which he deduces from it; firft premifing, that in the examples here given, the rifing inflexion is denoted by the acute accent, thus(); the falling inflexion, by the grave accent (`).

Every direct period fo conftructed, as to have its two principal conftructive parts connected by correfpondent conjunctions, requires the long paufe with the rifing inflexion at the end of the first principal constructive member.

EXAMPLES.

As we cannot difcern the fhadow moving along the dial plate, fo the advances we make in knowledge, are only perceived by the distance gone over.

As we perceive the fhadow to have moved, but did not perceive it moving; fo our advances in learning, confifting of infenfible steps, are only perceivable by the distance.

As we perceive the fhadow to have moved along the dial, but did not perceive it moving; and it appears that the grafs has grown, though nobody ever faw it grow: fo the advances we make

in knowledge, as they confift of fuch minute fteps, are only perceivable by the distance.

Each of these three fentences confifts of two principal correfpond. ent parts; the first commencing with as and the laft with fo; as the first member of the first fentence is fimple, it is marked with a comma only at dial plate; as the fecond is compounded, it is marked with a femicolon at moving; and as the latt is decompounded, it is marked with a colon at grow: this pun&tuation is according to the general rules of paufing, and agreeable to good fenfe; for it is certainly proper that the time of the paufe fhould increase with the increafe and complexity of the members to which it is annexed; as more time is required to comprehend a large and complicated member than a short and fimple one; but whatever may be the time taken up in paufing at the different points, the inflexion annexed to them must always be the fame; that is, the comma, femicolon, and colon, must invariably have the rifing inflexion.'

Every direct period confifting of two principal conftructive parts, and having only the first part commence with a conjunction, requires the rifing inflexion and long paufe at the end of this part.

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Examp. As in my fpeculations I have endeavoured to extinguish pallion and prejudice, I am till defirous of doing fome good in this particular. Spectator. Here the fentence divides itfelf into two correfpondent parts at prejudice; and as the word fo is understood before the words I am, they must be preceded by the long pause and rifing inflexion.'

Direct periods which commence with participles of the prefent and past teníe, confift of two parts; between which must be inferted the long paufe and rifing inflexion.

Examp. Having already shown how the fancy is affected by the works of nature, and afterwards confidered in general both the works of nature and of art, how they mutually affift and complete each other, in forming fuch fcenes and profpects as are most apt to delight the mind of the beholder'; I shall in this paper throw together fome reflexions on that particular art, which has a more immediate tendency than any other, to produce thofe primary pleafures of the imagination, which have hitherto been the fubject of this difcourfe. Spectator, No. 415.

The fenfe is fufpended in this fentence till the word beholder, and here is to be placed the long paufe and rising inflexion; in this place alfo it is evident, the word now might be inferted in perfect con. formity to the sense.'

A loofe fentence has been shown to confit of a period either direct or inversed, and an additional member which does not modify it; or, in other words, a loofe fentence is a member containing perfect fenfe by itfelf, followed by fome other member or members, which do not reftrain or qualify its fignification. According to this definition, a loole fentence must have that member which forms perfect fenfe detached from thofe that follow, by a long paufe and the falling inflexion..

As in fpeaking, the ear feizes every occafion of varying the tone of voice, which the feafe will permit; fo in reading, we ought as much as poffible to imitate the variety of speaking, by taking every

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opportunity of altering the voice in correfpondence with the fenfe; the molt general fault of printing, is to mark thofe members of loofe fentence, which form perfect fenfe, with a comma, instead of a femicolon, or colon; and a fimilar, as well as the most common fault of readers, is to fufpend the voice at the end of these members, and fo to run the fenfe of one member into another; by this means, the fenfe is obfcured, and a monotony is produced, inftead of that dif tinctness and variety, which arifes from pronouncing these members with fuch an inflexion of voice as marks a certain portion of perfect fenfe, not immediately connected with what follows; for as a member of this kind does not depend for its fenfe on the following member, it ought to be pronounced in fuch a manner, as to fhow its independence on the fucceeding meniber, and its dependence on the period, as forming but a part of it.

In order to convey precifely the import of thefe members, it is neceffary to pronounce them with the falling inflexion, without fuffering the voice to fall gradually as at a period; by which means the paule becomes different from the mere comma, which fufpends the voice, and marks immediate dependence on what follows; and from the period, which marks not only an independence on what follows, but an exclufion of whatever may follow, and therefore drops the voice as at a conclufion. As this inflexion is produced by a certain portion of perfect fenfe, which, in fome degree, feparates the member it falls on, from thofe that follow, it may not improperly be called the disjunctive inflexion. An example will affitt us in comprehending this important inflexion in reading:

Examp. All fuperiority and pre-eminence that one man can have over another, may be reduced to the notion of quality`; which, confidered at large, is either that of fortune, body, or mind: the firft is that which confifts in birth, title, or riches; and is the most foreign to our natures, and what we can the leaft call our own, of any of the three kinds of quality. Spectator, No. 219.

In the first part of this fentence the falling inflexion takes place on the word quality; for this member we find contains perfect fenfe, and the fucceeding members are not neceffarily connected with it; the fame inflexion takes place in the next member on the word riches; which, with respect to the fenfe of the member it terminates, and its connexion with the following members, is exactly under the fame predicament as the former, though the one is marked with a comma, and the other with a femicolon, which is the common pun&tuation in all the editions of the spectator: a very little reflexion, how. ever, will fhew us the necellity of adopting the fame paufe and inflexion on both the above-mentioned words, as this inflexion not only marks more precifely the completeness of fenfe in the members they terminate, but gives a variety to the period, by making the firit, and the fucceeding members, end in a different tone of voice,'

• Every member of a fentence immediately preceding the laft, requires the rifing inflexion.

Examp. Aristotle tells us, that the world is a copy or transcript of those ideas which are in the mind of the First Being; and that thofe ideas which are in the mind of man are a tranfcript of the world`: to this we may add, that words are the tranfcript of thofe

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