were employed for his destruction. It is evident that
Lajolais, who had passed from London to Paris, and from Paris to London,
had been acting the part of an intriguer rather than of a conspirator;
and that the object of his missions was not so much to reconcile Moreau
and Pichegru as to make Pichegru the instrument of implicating Moreau.
Those who supposed Lajolais to be in the pay of the British Government
were egregiously imposed on. Lajolais was only in the pay of the secret
police; he was condemned to death, as was expected, but he received his
pardon, as was agreed upon. Here was one of the disclosures which
Pichegru might have made; hence the necessity of getting him out of the
way before the trial. As to the evidence of the man named Rolland, it
was clear to everybody that Moreau was right when he said to the
President, "In my opinion, Rolland is either a creature of the police,
or he has given his evidence under the influence of fear." Rolland made
two declarations the first contained nothing at all; the second was in
answer to the following observations: "You see you stand in a terrible
situation; you must either be held to be an accomplice in the
conspiracy, or you must be taken as evidence. If you say nothing, you
will be considered in the light of an accomplice; if you confess, you
will be saved." This single circumstance may serve to give an idea of
the way the trials were conducted so as to criminate Moreau. On his
part the general repelled the attacks, of which he was the object, with
calm composure and modest confidence, though flashes of just indignation
would occasionally burst from him. I recollect the effect he produced
upon the Court and the auditors at one of the sittings, when the
President had accused him of the design of making himself Dictator. He
exclaimed, "I Dictator! What, make myself Dictator at the head of the
partisans of the Bourbons! Point out my partisans! My partisans would
naturally be the soldiers of France, of whom I have commanded
nine-tenths, and saved more than fifty thousand. These are the
partisans I should look to! All my aides de camp, all the officers of
my acquaintance, have been arrested; not the shadow of a suspicion could
be found against any of them, and they have been set at liberty. Why,
then, attribute to me the madness of aiming to get myself made Dictator
by the aid of the adherents of the old French Princes, of persons who
have fought in their cause since 1792? Y