affaffins; but his treacherous conduct, previous to the commencement of the fiege, irrefiftibly checks every fentiment of compaffion, and extorts an acknowledgment, that the punishment which rage inflicted, juftice must approve.

The executions did not end with the death of the governor. Monf. de L'Orme, the major, experienced a fimilar fate; and fome of the inferior officers were fufpended to the cords which fupport the lamps in the streets of Paris. Monf. de Fleffelles, the prevôt de marchands, the first municipal officer of the capital, being fufpected of maintaining a correfpondence with the court party, was feized in the council-chamber; and thofe fufpicions being verified by the interception of letters addreffed to him from Verfailles, he was first shot, and afterwards decapitated, on the Quai des Pelletiers. The bodies of thefe victims to popular fury were expofed in the Place de Grêve, but their heads were fixed on poles, and, after being carried through all the principal ftreets, were conveyed in triumph to the ftatue of Henry the Fourth, on the Pont-neuf.

The metropolis was now expofed to every fpecies of licentioufnefs which the ungovernable paffions of a mob, inflated with fuccefs, could fuggeft, aggravated by the rapacioufnefs of those dangerous plunderers who are ever ready to profit by the deftruction of order. All whom the fufpicious vigilance of public zeal, or the defigning rage of private intereft, held forth as objects of national refentment, were feized and imprisoned; while the manfions of fuch as had escaped the fury of the populace, were stripped and demolished. Even members of the national affembly, who had voted contrary to the wishes or whims of the people, were pursued with inve terate rancour, and every thing

feemed to portend a total diffolution of government.

;

The king had hitherto placed his chief reliance on the numerous bands of foreign mercenaries which France always maintained in her service: but his confidence was now proved to be fixed on a fandy foundation as, when the fidelity of thefe troops was put to the test, instead of refifting the irregular forces that were opposed to them, they betook themfelves to flight, and, almoft to a man, difperfed.

Marefchal Broglio, in the mean time, finding his army infufficient to withstand the people in a general attack, and probably fearing, that the fpirit of rebellion might spread, like a contagion, through the ranks, if he fuffered a diftribution of the troops, withdrew with his whole force, and entrenched himself at Verfailles, in the front of the palace, in order to protect the royal family, who now feemed to ftand in ferious need of protection.

On the morning of Wednesday (the fifteenth of June) the national affembly began to deliberate on the means of enforcing their request to the king for the recall of M. Neckar, and the difmiffion of the troops from the vicinity of Verfailles. But their difcuffions were interrupted by the arrival of the duke de Liancourt, who announced the intention of his majefty to pay them a vifit. Intimidated by the violent proceedings of the Parifian populace, and urged by the ftrenuous folicitations of this patriotic nobleman, he had confented to the adoption of a measure, which could alone tend to restore him to that place in the affections of his people, which he had hitherto enjoyed.

He accordingly came foon after, accompanied by his brothers, and being feated in a chair, placed for his reception in the center of the hall, made a fpeech, in which he ...obferved

intentions had been grofsly mifreprefented, and the most dangerous fufpicions artfully instilled into the minds of the people; he declared, that the reports tending to create a belief that the perfons of thofe who were members of that affembly were expofed to danger, were wholly deftitute of truth, and founded only in malice; that, feeling their interefts to be infeparable from his own, he came among them, with a full confidence in their zeal and attachment, to ask their advice, and encourage their future exertions; that, trufting to the love and fidelity of his fubjects, he had given orders that the troops fhould be immediately withdrawn from Versailles and the environs of Paris; and he concluded by requesting they would communicate this circumftance to the capital.

An univerfal filence now prevailed throughout the affembly for fome minutes; the feelings of the members were most powerfully interested; and their emotions, for a while, were too ftrong for utterance; at length, however, they found vent, and were loudly teftified by one general burft of applaufe. After this favourable fymptom of returning loyalty, the prefident returned thanks to the king for his friendly affurances, and promised, in the name of the affembly, that they fould be immediately taken into confideration. His majesty then withdrew, and was attended to the palace by the members, who joined the people in their acclamations of joy; while the queen,

cuffion of important subjects, in the abfence of the prefident, caufed the question of adjournment to be put and agreed to. The house, however, previous to the adjournment, appointed a deputation of eighty-eight members to repair immediately to Paris, and report the proceedings of the day.

The arrival of these deputies in the metropolis, by calming the minds of the people, produced a temporary restoration of order and tranquillity; and as the compliance of the king with the request of the national affémbly, was then deemed equivalent to a complete emancipation of the kingdom from thofe fhackles of defpotifm, which had been fo long, and fo paffively, borne, it was determined to celebrate the happy event, by a grand Te Deum, on the fucceeding morning, at the cathedral of Notre Dame, where the king's perfonal attendance was expected.

The king, however, was prevent ed, by indifpofition, from gratifying the wishes of his people; but the national affembly arrived on the morning of the fixteenth, and being received by the citizens under arms, proceeded to the cathedral, where the celebration of divine service was attended by a more numerous congregation than Paris had ever witneffed even in the brilliant days of the Fourteenth Lewis. Nor can this be a fubject of wonder; for, in those times, the Parifians were accustomed to join in mock praises to the Deity, for the rapid progrefs of thofe arms,

The national affembly having advanced thus far in the task of regeneration, now resumed their debates on the best mode of procuring the recall of M. Neckar. But, like men elated with unexpected fuccefs, they already began to overleap the bounds of moderation, and not content with having deprived the king (or, at leaft, of having paved the way for depriving him) of thofe prerogatives which were highly dangerous to the liberties of the fubject, they evinced a defire to ftrip him of rights which are not only effential to the prefervation of monarchical dignity, but highly conducive to the welfare of a state. It became a topic of difcuffion with men, who, like a herd of Afiatic flaves, were lately trembling at the frown of their defpotic mafter, whether, as reprefentatives of the people, they had not the exclufive right of chufing the minifters of the crown. Fortunately for themselves, (fince a contrary determination must have materially prejudiced the cause they had efpoufed) after very warm debates, a milder and more conflitutional method of proceeding was adopted; and an addrefs, propofed by baron de Juignè, being agreed to, was prefented to the king. It fet forth, that in confequence of the defire, which his majetty had been pleafed to exprefs, of conforming his fentiments to thofe of the national affembly, they bumbly advised him to recall M. Neckar,

who, in the prefent alarming ftate of the nation, was alone capable of reftoring peace and harmony, as he alone poffeffed the univerfal confie dence of the people.

On the receipt of this addrefs, the king, convinced of the inuti lity of farther refiftance, wrote a letter to that minifter, requesting that he would comply with the wishes of the nation, which were congenial with his own, and imme diately refume his office. And, in order to prevent any poffible fufpicions on the fincerity of his conduct, he fent the letter to the national affembly for their infpection.

When the news of this event was

conveyed to the metropolis, it was received by the people with inexpreffible joy; and information of his majesty's defign to vifit Paris in perfon the ensuing morning, tended greatly to heighten their pleafure and encreafe their confidence. The king accordingly came in his coach, accompanied by the duke de Villeroy, the marefchal de Beauveau, and the count D'Eftaing; preceded by four of his body guards, and escorted by the militia of Ver failles. As he approached the gates, he was met by M. Bailly, the newchofen mayor of Paris, attended by the municipal officers and the depu ties of each district. After the mayor had prefented him with the keys of the city, and addreffed him in a fpeech, neither remarkable for its eloquence nor its truth, he proceeded to the town-hall between two files of burghers, three deep, who lined the road, to the number of two hundred thousand men, armed with fuch weapons as they had been able to procure, and confequently exhibiting a moft motley appearance. Upwards of three hundred members of the national affembly walked before the royal coach, while the first nobles of the realm were indifcriminately mixed with men who

enjoyed

a few stale maxims, and hackneyed fentiments, display them on all occafions, without the smallest regard to fitnefs of time or propriety of application. But, unufed either to freedom of thought, or liberty of fpeech, it is not furprizing that truths, old as the univerfe, fhould, to them, have the appearance of novelty: M. Moreau de St. Mery concluded his harangue by fagacioufly obferving, that "the throne of a king is never fo folid as when it hath for its bafis the love and fidelity of the people;" from whence he inferred, that the throne of Lewis the Sixteenth (though then totter ing to its very foundation) was immoveable!

The king, unable to speak him felf, ordered the mayor to inform the people, that he had come to Paris with, the view of removing any doubts that might be enter tained of the fincerity of his conduct, and for the purpose of requesting that tranquillity might be reftored to the metropolis, and his fubjects return to their ufual occupations. This declaration was received with loud plaudits; and when his majefty had fufficiently fhewed himself to his people, he returned to Verfailles in the fame order, while, as he paffed, the burghers lowered their arms as the fignal of peace.

But though the people had difplayed the most unbounded fatisfaction at the profeffions of their fove reign, and a restoration of harmony

of provifions, by faying that if corn could not be had, its place might be fupplied with hay and thifiles. Aware of the general indignation which prevailed against him, he had, at the commencement of the disturbances, retired to his countryfeat; but the vigilance of an enraged populace was not eafily eluded; he was foon difcovered, and, on the twenty-third of July, conducted to Paris; where, without any previous interrogation, or form of trial whatever, he was put to death by the mob, with circumstances of peculiar cruelty; and his head, being fevered from his body, was fixed on a pole, and paraded in triumph through the ftreets of the city. M. Berthier, who had been feized at Compeigne, was brought to Paris the fame evening, and in his way to the townhall the brutal populace compelled him to kifs the lifeless head of his murdered father: he had not been long at the town-hall before they rushed in, and in fpite of every effort to allay their favage fury, dragged out their devoted victim; and after cutting off his head, opened his entrails, while they drew his mangled limbs, which they had torn from his body, about the streets; exhibiting his head on a pole, and his heart on the point of a cutlafs.

The fame ferocious spirit extended throughout the provinces, and numerous were the victims facrificed to popular rage: whenever the foldiers were called upon to appeafe the tumults, they made a merit of

lar party exerted their utmost endeavours to reprefs these diforders, and though their attempts proved of little avail, the failure could not poffibly be attributed to a want of ardour or fincerity in the zeal which directed their efforts.

As both the executive and legiflative authority, during this fpecies of interregnum, appeared to be exclufively vested in the national affembly, the fuppreffion of tumults feemed to be the first object that required their attention. Accordingly on the day after the above affaffinations at Paris, (for executions without trial are evident murders, both in law and fact) they took this important fubject into their ferious confideration. After a variety of plans propofed and rejected by various members, the following refoJutions (founded on a motion of M. de Lally Tolendal) were adopted, and accordingly entered on the regifters of the national affembly.The national affembly confidering, that, from the first moment of its formation, it has adopted no refolution but what gives it a juft title to the confidence of the people; that it has already established the first foundations on which the public liberty and felicity fhould reft; that the king has recently acquired a ftronger claim than ever to the confidence of his faithful fubjects; that he not only has himself invited them to demand their liberty and rights, but that, at the defire of the affembly, he has removed every fubject of diffidence capable of alarming the public mind; that he has removed thofe troops whofe prefence or approach had fpread terror through the capital; that he has difmiffed from about his perfon thofe counfellors who were objects of uneafinefs to the nation; that he has recalled thofe whofe return was fo anxioufly defired; that he has appeared in the national affembly with

the unreferved confidence of a father amidst his children, to request their affiftance in promoting the falvation of the ftate; that, actuated by the fame fentiments, he has repaired to his capital to affociate himfelf with his people, and, by his prefence, to repel every remaining apprehenfion; that in this ftate of perfect harmony between the chief and reprefentatives of the nation, and after the complete union of all the orders, the affembly is now occupied and will never ceafe to occupy itself, in the grand object of the conftitution; that any diffidence, tending to disturb the ineftimable harmony of the present moment, would impede the labours of the affembly, prove an obftacle to the execution of his majefty's intentions, and, at the fame time, give a fatal blow to the general intereft of the nation, as well as to the private interests of its component members; that not a citizen, in fine, but who fhould fhudder at the idea of troubles, which, in their deplorable confequences, would produce the difperfion of families, the interruption of com> merce, the privation of fuccour from the poor, a ceffation of labour for workmen and citizens; and, for all ranks, a total fubverfion of focial order: the national affembly, therefore, exhort all the nation to peace, to the maintenance of public order and tranquillity, to exert that confidence which is due to their fovereign, and their reprefentatives, and to fhew that refpect for the laws, without which no liberty can have existence. The affembly farther declares, with refpect to the agents of power, who fhall have. caufed, or, by their crimes, may caufe, the misfortunes of the people, that they ought to be accufed, convicted, and punished, but that only by the law, which fhould take them under its fafeguard, until the final decifion of their fate; that the pro, fecution