(John Peter), the chief of the Brissotin or pure republican party in France, during the early stages of the Revolution, was born at the village of Ouaroille, near Chartres, in the Orleanais, on the 14th of January 1754. His father, who was a pastry-cook, gave his son a liberal education, and Brisot became an author when he had scarcely left College. He exhibited a decided predilection for politics, and displayed an early zeal for republican principles. The boldness of his writings against the inequality of ranks excited the displeasure of the Government, and subjected him to a prosecution and imprisonment in the Bastile. Having been restored to liberty through the influence of the Duke of Orleans, at the solicitation of Mad. de Genlis, he married one of the Duchess's women, and soon afterwards went to England, with secret instructions, it is said, from the Lieutenant of the police. Others assert that he came over to London, to avail himself of the freedom of the press in conducting a periodical publication, the design of which was to enlighten the people of France on the subject of civil liberty. It is certain that he endeavoured to maintain himself in London by his literary talents; but the failure of this attempt subjected him to embarrassments from which he was relieved by the liberality of a friend, and he then returned to his native country.

Having again rendered himself obnoxious to the government by an attack on the administration of the Archbishop of Sens, he escaped a second imprisonment by a journey to Holland. During a temporary residence at Mecklin, he published a periodical paper, called Le Courier Belge. In the beginning of the year 1788, he repaired to America; but, on the approach of the revolution, he returned to Paris, resolved to take an active part in the scenes which were just preparing. He commenced his revolutionary career in 1789, by the publication of some pamphlets, and particularly of a Journal, entitled Le Patriote Français. He belonged to the Representation des Communes, which was formed in the capital a short time previous to the memorable 14th of July. On the storming of the Bastile, the keys were deposited with him. He was elected President of the Jacobin Club; and, in consequence of his zeal and activity in the revolutionary cause, he was appointed by his colleagues a Member of the Comité des Recherches, which served as the model of all those Committees which were afterwards successively formed, under similar denominations, and with similar objects; such as the Comités de Surveil- Brissot. lance, de Surete Generale, de Salut Public, &c. Of this Committee Brissot was the president; and, while in this situation, he acquired a number of enemies. A French writer of the name of Morande published at Paris, in 1791, a periodical pamphlet, under the title of Argus, in which he assailed the character of Brissot with great bitterness, representing his conduct in the most odious colours, and even accusing him of robbery,—an accusation which, there is reason to believe, was utterly calumniouss.

On the flight of the royal family, in 1791, Brissot, in concert with the Chevalier de Laclos, drew up the famous petition of the Champ de Mars, demanding the abdication of the king, which became the signal for a dangerous insurrection, that was with difficulty quelled, by the interposition of the National Guard. This circumstance is said to have been the occasion of his quarrel with M. de Lafayette, to whom he had previously been zealously attached. At this period, the republican faction began to assume a consistent form, and to utter their sentiments with freedom and boldness. Brissot, who had been one of its first and most zealous apostles, was returned a Member to the National Assembly, in spite of the opposition of the Court, to whom he had become extremely formidable; and from this time he displayed an implacable enmity to the king. The National Assembly, attributing to Brissot talents which he does not appear to have possessed, appointed him a Member of the Diplomatic Committee, of which he became the habitual organ; and in this capacity he was the constant advocate of the most violent public measures, and never ceased to demand a declaration of war against all the powers of Europe. In order to attain this object, it was necessary to remove the ministers, whose dispositions were favourable to peace. Brissot, accordingly, attacked them all, but particularly M. Delessart, who was at the head of the department of foreign affairs; and, by repeated denunciations, he at length succeeded in obtaining a decree of accusation against him. His place was supplied by Dumouriez, under whose administration war was declared against the Emperor of Germany, on the 20th of April 1792. From this period, however, the political influence of Brissot began to decline. Robespierre, with whom he had previously been intimately connected, now declared himself his enemy, denounced him at the Jacobin Club as a traitor to his country, and an enemy of the people, and continued to persecute him with unrelenting rancour, until he finally effected his destruction. Alarmed at the storm which was gathering around him, Brissot, in concert with the other leaders of his party, attempted to form a reconciliation with the constitutional royalists; but this attempt having proved abortive, he reverted to his former opinions and line of conduct, and continued to denounce to popular vengeance all those whom he knew to be attached to the king. But although his writings may naturally be supposed to have excited those dispositions among the people which gave rise to the atrocities of the times, he had no direct influence on the revolution of the 10th of August, which appears to have been planned and directed by Danton, and the ferocious leaders of the Orleans faction. He was chosen a Deputy to the National Convention for the department of the Eure, where he played only an inferior part, and was continually exposed to the rancorous attacks of Robespierre. It was Brissot, however, who, as the organ of the diplomatic committee, obtained the declaration of war against England and Holland, on the 1st of February 1793. This may be considered as the last act of his political life; for, from thenceforth, he was only occupied in defending himself against his numerous enemies.

The party distinguished by the name of the Mountain had now acquired a complete ascendancy, and meditated the destruction of their opponents, the Girondists, to which latter party Brissot was attached. Having at length been proscribed, after the revolution of the 31st of May, he was arrested at Moulins, while attempting to make his escape into Switzerland, sent to Paris, subjected to a mock-trial before the revolutionary tribunal, and beheaded on the 31st of October 1793, at the age of thirty-nine.

Brissot was somewhat below the middle size, a little deformed, and of a feeble constitution. His countenance was pale and melancholy, and he affected an extreme simplicity in his dress. With regard to his intellectual character, his talents appear to have been much beneath his reputation, and he certainly possessed more zeal than judgment. Notwithstanding, however, the violence of his writings, declamations, and public conduct, he was not deficient in humanity; and, in the intercourse of private life, his manners are said to have been mild and accommodating. As an author, Brissot has not much merit; his style is monotonous, verbose, and tedious; and, upon the whole, it is wonderful, that, with such slender abilities, he should have acquired so great an ascendancy in public opinion. The best articles of his journal are said to have been written by his secretary, Dupré. The following are the principal productions of his pen:

1. Moyens d'Adoucir la Rigueur des Lois Penales en France, Chalons, 1781, 8vo. 2. Un Independant de l'Ordre des Avocats sur la Decadence du Barreau en France, 1781, 8vo. 3. De la Verite, ou Meditations, &c. 1782, 8vo. 4. Le Philadelphien a Geneve, 1783, 8vo. 5. Theorie des Lois Criminelles, 1781, 2 vols. 8vo. 6. Bibliothèque Philosophique du Legislateur, du Politique, du Jurisconsulte, 1782-1786, 10 vols. 8vo. 7. Tableau de la Situation Actuelle des Anglais dans les Indes Orientales, &c. 1784-85, 8vo. 8. Journal du Lycee de Londres, &c. published in monthly numbers, 1784, 8vo. 9. Un Defenseur du Peuple à l'Empereur Joseph II., sur son Reglement concernant l'Emigration, &c. 1785, 12mo. 10. Examen Critique des Voyages dans l'Amérique Septentrionale, par le Marquis de Chatelux, 1786, 8vo. 11. Voyages en Europe, en Asie, et en Afrique, translated from the English, with notes, 1786, and 1790, 2 vols. 8vo. 12. Nouveau Voyage dans les Etats-Unis de l'Amerique Septentrionale, 1791, 3 vols. 8vo. To the first volume of this work was prefixed the life of Brissot, which was translated into English, and published separately in 1794. Besides these works, Brissot wrote a variety of pamphlets, and articles inserted in periodical publications, which it is unnecessary to enumerate. See the Life of Brissot, above-mentioned, and the Biographie Universelle.