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                      [3]

       (From the "City Gazette," of Thursday, May 11, 1826.)

    The following numbers were published in the Southern Intelligencer in 1822. 
The list of families given in the fourth number, has enabled a Descendant of one
of them to trace out a branch of the family remaining in France.  This
circumstance has led to an agreeable reciprocation of civilities and has
increased the interest naturally attaching to so curious a document.  In order
to obtain for them a more extensive circulation, and that they may be more
generally seen and perused, by the descendants of the French Refugees, these
numbers are now published at the request of this gentleman.

        From the Southern Intelligencer.

             THE FRENCH REFUGEES.

                    NO. I.

    The invention of Printing, and the early efforts of the Reformers, found the
general mind fettered by ignorance and debased by superstition.  While however,
its latent energies were roused by the one; the other contributed to its
enlightenment; and a great moral revolution was their necessary consequence. 
But important changes in the moral, like those in the material world, are
attended by those deep and convulsive throes, by which Providence awakens the
slumbering fears and affections of man.  We are not then to be surprised at the
eventful history of the revolution in religion and morals, which began to
exhibit itself at the time alluded to.  The gleams of a light but partially and
imperfectly diffused, afforded an unfavorable medium through which to view the
feelings, the motives and the objects of those who promoted the reformation. 
Where doubt exists of the tendency of new propositions, apprehension throws its
weight into the scale, and determines us to the support of received opinions. 
Men of ordinary discernment, could scarcely fail to see in the reformation an
engine of too much power to be disregarded.  The opinions of the Reformers were
therefore in the sober judgement of many, and through 

                      4

the fears of more, dreaded as subversive of all the institutions of society;
while bigotry and interest, fanaticism and superstition, magnified the evils, of
which the new-born spirit of the times was deemed the prolific parent.  "An
opinion prevailed which had been zealously propagated by priests and implicitly
received by sovereigns, that heresy was close-connected with rebellion, and that
every great alteration in the church, involved a like revolution in the civil
government."
    But opposition is the parent of zeal; persecution, of manly independence and
perseverance.  Efforts to counteract the new opinions, contributed in general to
their progress and influence, - Inquiry was excited - intellect roused - and an
impatience of that thraldom to which mankind in general had been subjected,
became more and more apparent.  The new opinions spread from town to town, from
district to district, and from kingdom to kingdom, until their influence was
felt throughout the whole civilized world.
    France participated largely in the civil commotions of which the reformation
was so prolific.  The opinions of the Reformers had made their way into France,
and had encountered persecution in the reign of Francis the 1st, who came to the
throne in 1515.  Henry 2d, his son and successor, in 1559, issued an edict
inflicting the penalty of death on dissenters, with an order to the judges "not
to mitigate the punishment as had hitherto been the practise;" and it is said to
have been "a point of honor, whether the one sect could exercise, or the other
suffer most barbarity."
    On the death of Henry 2d this violence was greatly moderated, yielding to
the natural influence of the steadfast and virtuous course pursued by the
champions of the new doctrines - But in the subsequent reign, that of Francis
2d, (the first husband of the celebrated "Queen of Scots"), the execution of the
penal statutes was revived; and several distinguished personages headed the
Protestant party, among them the king of Navarre, the prince of Conde, and
admiral Coligni, who, at much personal risk, gave a respectability and character
to the party, which contributed not a little to increase its numbers.
    The first civil war between the Catholics and Hugonots took place in 1562,
in the reign of Charles 9th, and after a very sanguinary conflict at Dreux, a
peace was concluded in terms favorable to the latter.

                      5

    A few years afterwards, the Queen Regent concluded with Philip of Spain,
"the league of Bayonne," the object of which was the universal extermination of
the Protestants by fire and sword.  Conde and Coligni, having obtained
information of the league, resolved to strike the first blow; and the battle of
St. Dennis and the seige of Chartres produced an accommodation.  In consequence,
however, of a plan then formed to seize the prince and admiral, they escaped to
Rochelle, and the war was renewed.  In the battle of Yarnec, in 1569 Conde lost
his life; and Coligni placed at the head of the Hugonots, the young prince of
Navarre, (afterwards the celebrated Henry 4th).  In this contest the fortune of
war seemed against them, but such was the elastic spirit by which they were
animated, that when Charles thought them almost annihilated, they presented
themselves in formidable array in another quarter.  Paris was threatened, and an
accommodation concluded, by which liberty of conscience was allowed to the
Hugonots.
    This accommodation was the basis of one of the most detestable and
disgraceful instances of perfidy and cruelty which history records.  Charles
seemed studious to show that he was sincere in the arrangement with the
Hugonots.  He punished all who infringed it - and proposed a marriage between
his sister and Henry of Navarre.  A few days after the marriage, when many of
the nobility whom the solemnity had brought to Paris, were still there, a
general massacre took place by order of the king, who "himself (says Hume), in
person led the way to the assassinations.  The hatred long entertained by the
Parisians against the Protestants, made them second without any preparation the
fury of the court; and persons of every condition, age and sex, suspected of any
propensity to that religion, were involved in an undistinguished ruin."  "The
streets of Paris flowed with blood, and the people more enraged than satiated
with their cruelty as if repining that death had saved the victims from farther
insult, exercised on their dead bodies, all the rage of the most licentious
brutality.  About 500 gentlemen and men of rank perished in the massacre, and
near 10,000 of inferior condition.  Orders were instantly dispatched to all the
provinces for a like general execution of the Protestants; and in Rouen, Lyons
and many othes cities, the people emulated the fury of the capitol."  Many of
the Protestants who lived near the frontier fled into England, Germany and 

                      6

Switzerland, while those who lived in the interior escaped to the garrissons of
their party.  The Hugunots, the victims of a base and perfidious policy, though
sad were unsubdued.  they possessed at this time nearly one hundred cities,
castles and fortresses, and in a short time had an army of 18,000 men.
    This massacre is called the massacre of St. Bartholomew, as it took place on
the feast of St. Bartholomew, 24th August, 1572.  Coligni, so long the vigilant
supporter of the cause of the Hugonots, fell a victim to this barbarous policy. 
Henry, prince of Conde, and Henry, of Navarre, were spared, but were obliged to
recant their tenets.
    In 1574  the war was renewed by Henry 3d.  Henry of Navarre again joined the
Hugonots, and strengthened their cause by the influence of his character and
virtues.  The Hugonots received an important accession of force from a German
army under Conde, to the raising of which Elizabeth of England had contributed
considerable sums.  The fifth peace was concluded in 1576, and on better terms
for the Hugonots than any former one.  This peace, the result rather of the
policy, than the sincerity of Henry, produced great discontent among the
Catholics - "The holy league" was now formed to prevent the increase of any
other than the established mode of worship.  France now exhibited the strange
spectacle of a nation divided into three parties, for though the king was a
member of the league, the duke of Guise was its efficient head, and strengthened
by the powerful pretext of religion, it became formidable to the throne itself;
and the very existence of the league was inconsistent with the terms of
pacification made with the Hugonots.  Thus the Royalists, the Leaguers and the
Protestants were armed against each other; the first party headed by the king,
the second by Henry, duke of Guise, and the last by Henry, king of Navarre. 
This civil war has consequently been termed the war of the three Henries.  On
the death of the duke of Anjou in 1584, Henry of Navarre becoming heir
presumptive to the throne, the league declared him incapable of the succession;
and their army having entered Paris, the king sanctioned this declaration.  The
king, however, perceiving that the throne was the great aim of the policy of the
duke of Guise, caused him and his brother to be assassinated; but this
disgraceful act aroused the vengeance of the league against him and a decree of
the Sorbonne re-

                      7

leased his subjects from their allegiance.  In this state of things, Henry 3d
joined the Protestant party, but soon afterwards while beseiging Paris he was
assassinated by James Clement, a young Dominican friar, who led on by
fanaticism, at the risk and expense of his own life, entered the Protestant camp
for the purpose.  It has been said of Henry, "that he spent his whole life in
making war against the Protestants, and, at last he was murdered by the
Catholics."
    Henry, king of Navarre, a Bourbon, was now the heir of the crown, but
acknowledged by only a part of the nation.  A war was conducted with various
success, and Henry concluded at length to end it by what seemed the only means
of obtaining a full recognition of his title - by the renunciation of the
Protestant faith.  He accordingly made a formal abjuration of it in the year
1593.
    The Edict of Nantz which guaranteed to the Protestants the full enjoyment of
their faith and worship, the glory of this reign, was made in 1598.  It was now
upwards of 80 years since the bigotry of the times evincing its jealousy of the
Protestant faith began to follow with bitter persecution those who embraced it! 
For the first 50 years, they groaned under hardships which it was probably
imprudent to resist.  General, open and decided resistance, as we have seen,
first took place in 1562, and from this time to the issuing of the edict of
Nantz, a period of only 36 years, France had experienced no less than six civil
wars, founded on differences in religious faith.
    Although there must have been much of devoted attachment to the doctrines
and establishments of religion, to render the feeling connected with them so
powerful an engine, we are not to attribute these civil wars to motives merely
religious.  Religion furnished a ready pretext to ambitious men, which bigotry
rendered subservient to their views.
    The period which elapsed from the passage of the edict of Nantz to its final
revocation was about 87 years.  But party spirit had excited too many prejudices
and animosities on both sides, and the active efforts of the Hugonots had made
them too secure to allow an empire under such circumstances to remain in
uninterrupted peace.  No very general serious disturbance took place till 1621 -
when the Hugonots, offended at the court, held a consultation at Rochelle, the
result of which was a civil war of a year's duration, which ended in merely a
confirmation of the edict of Nantz.  The profess-

                      8

ed object of this revolt was nothing less than to make France a republic - an
object too serious and alarming in its nature to allow the government to remain
satisfied, while a numerous party, discontented both from principle and habit,
upon those subjects too, by which the spirit of revolt was most easily roused,
were so powerful at least for defence.  The state of the party was inconsistant
with enlightened policy; it being in many respects imperium in imperio.  It was
therefore one of the objects of the celebrated Richelieu, who became the
minister of Louis 13th in 1624, to reduce the power of the Hugonots.  Rochelle
was their strong hold.  In 1627 this city was beseiged.  But it being impossible
to take it, while the communication with the sea remained open, Richelieu
constructed an immense mole across the harbour, a mile in length, and thus
reduced the city to famine.  After a fourteen months seige it surrendered on
condition that the inhabitants should retain their property and the free
exercise of their religion.  The cardinal had the fortifications demolished -
after which the other fortified places successively yielded to the power of the
government.  Thus was the great object, fully accomplished.  The Protestants
were no longer an independant and distinct people in the kingdom.
    Louis 14th was like his predecessor, fortunate in having another Richelieu
in Cardinal Mazarin, who maintained the tranquility of the empire and increased
the power of the monarch.  He was also much indebted to the genius of Colbert,
whose financial efforts multiplied the resources of the government.  Under his
care and patronage, commerce and manufactures flourished.  The Protestants, many
of whom were engaged in manufactures, participated in his favour.  But soon
after the death of this great man who so well understood the true happiness of
his country, Louis in 1685 revoked the edict of Nantz; and the horrors of
persecution were again the disgrace and the scourge of France.
                          A Descendant of the Refugees.


[to be continued ...]

-------
Spelling and capitalizations all sic, forgiving any transcription errors.

Transcribed by Steven James Coker from a copy of an original in the holdings of
the Caroliniana Library in Columbia, South Carolina. 

Catalog number:
s.c. 
p975.793
R19l
1868

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