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opened on the garden, and where he had to encounter an oppofition of a far more ferious nature than what he had met with in the council of elders.

The procefs-verbal of their preceding meeting being read,

Gaudin, having briefly reprefented the dangers which threatened the country, from a rapid return to the principles of monarchy on the one hand, and the fury of demagogues on the other, moved that a committee of feven members fhould be chofen, who fhould make a report on the actual state of the nation, and propofe, at the fame time, fuch measures as they fhould think neceffary for the public intereft. These motions were feconded by feveral voices. But forthwith a very general cry was heard of the conftitution! the conftitution! the conftitution or death! No dictatorfhip! down with the dictators. We are not afraid of bayonets here, we are free.

Lucian Buonaparte, the prefident faid, "I am too fenfible of the dignity of my office longer to fuffer the infolent menaces of fome fpeakers. I call them to order.”

Grand Maison. Reprefenta tives, France will doubtless behold with aftonishment the council of five hundred, in confequence of a conftitutional decree of the elders, affembled in this place without being made acquainted with the imminent danger with which we are no doubt threatened. A committee has been moved for to inquire what is proper to be done. It would be better to inquire into what has been done. I demand to know the reafons of that decree which brought us here. What are the great dangers that menace the

conftitution I fay the conftitution. For as to a republic, which all the world may have in their mouths, the queftion is, what fort of a republic is understood? Is it fuch a republic as that of Venice? or of the United States? Is it pretended that a republic and liberty exift in England? Certes, it is not in order to live under fuch a government that we have, for the space of ten years, lavished our fortunes, and made all manner of facrifices. Į demand that all the members of this council be called on immediately to renew their oath of fidelity to the conftitution. I demand allo that a meflage be fent to the council of ancients requefting that they would fend us a detailed account of the vast confpiracy that was on the point of overturning the republic. Both thefe motions were feconded by a number of voices, and with the cries of vive la Republic! vive la Conftitution! The meffage propofed to the elders was agreed to. The motion for renewing the fidelity was alfo agreed to. This ceremony, which took up two hours, was performed by the moderate party, though they were all of them by this time more or lefs acquainted with the real object of their tranflation to St. Cloud, with the greatest fang froid, as well as by the Jacobins. When the fwearing was over, the fecretary read a letter from Bergoeng, a member of that houfe, refigning his function of a reprefenta tive of the people. Two melfages from the elders informed the council of five hundred of their being conftituted, and of their fufpending their deliberations till fimilar information fhould be received, by the elders, from the council of five hundred. A motion was next

made

made and adopted for an addrefs
to the French people, informing
them of the tranflation of the coun-
cils to St. Cloud. A motion was
allo made for fending a meffage,
with intelligence of the councils
being conftituted, to the directory.
On this, it was observed by Dar-
racque," that it would be very pro-
per to fend fuch a meffage, as was
propofed, to the directory, provided
they knew where to find them;
for his part, he did not know, if a
directory exifted: whither was the
meflage to be directed? It was ridi-
culous to propofe the fending of a
message to the directory in the pre-
fent circumstances." The motion,
however, was agreed to." Ber-
trand de Calvados confidered it as
a happy thing, that the members
had renewed their oath of allegiance
to the conftitution; and propofed
that mention fhould be made of it
in the address that had been voted
to the French people, to whom it
would be an affurance and pledge
of the maintenance of the confti-
tution, and the existence of the na-
tional reprefentation." A conver-
fation refpecting the manner in which
this notice fhould be worded, was
interrupted by a letter of refignation
from Barras." The glory," he faid,
"which accompanied the return of
that illuftrious warrior, to whom he
had had the honour of opening the
career to glory, the ftriking marks
of confidence repofed in him by the
legiflative body, and the decree of
the national reprefentation convin-
ced him, that, to whatever poft the
public welfare might in future call

him, the perils of liberty were furmounted, and the interefts of the army fecured. He expreffed his joy at returning to the rank of a private citizen: happy, after fo many tempefts, in remitting the deftinies of the republic, of which he had been one of the depofitaries, entire, and more respectable than ever.'

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The council were engaged, as a matter of course, in a conversation about the election of a fucceffor to Barras, when the door of the hall opened, and Buonaparte advanced, uncovered, followed by four grenadiers of the guard belonging to the national reprefentation, without arms. Anumber ofother foldiers, with fome general officers, remained at the door. The whole affembly was inftantly in an uproar : "Who is that? Who is that? Sabres here? Armed men? Outlaw! Outlaw! Down with the dictator!" A great number of members darted from their feats into the middle of the hall, and, feizing the general by the collar, began to fhake him, and push him toward the door. A dagger aimed at his breaft by Arena, a Corfican, or, as others affirm, by fome one elfe, was parried by one of the grenadiers, called Thomé, who accompanied him, and who was flighly wounded by it in the arm. On this, general Lefebre, at the head of a party of gre nadiers, rushed into the hall, with the cry of "live the general," and carried him out. The affembly remained for a long time in the greatest agitation. Some officers and foldiers who remained in the hall were bitferly reproached by several mem

Barras retired peaceably to the country, escorted by a detachment of cavalry, which the general fent him, for his perfonal protection. It is not to be doubted that Buonaparte, as he declared to Bottot, had, at bottom, a kindness for Barras, although, in the impetuofity of passion, and on a most critical occafion, he was hurried on to mention his name, in the manner we have feen in the council of elders.

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bers

bers for their conduct. The prefident, Lucian Buonaparte, having, at laft, after many efforts obtained a hearing, "admitted that the commotion that had taken place was natural, and that the feelings of the house, on the occafion of what had juft paffed, were in unifon with his own. But, after all, it was natural to fuppofe, that the general, in the ftep he had taken, had no other object in view, than to give an account of the state of affairs, or to communicate fomething or other interesting to the public; at any rate, he did not think that any member of that affembly should en tertain any fufpicions:"Here one member cried out, " Buonaparte has this day fullied his glory: another, Buonaparte has conducted himfelf like a king: a third, I demand that general Buonaparte be called to our bar to give an account of his conduct." Lucian Buonaparte now quitted the chair, which was taken by Chazal,

"Degnefle allowed that the council of ancients, in changing the refidence of the legiflature, had not exceeded their powers; but he demanded that they thould be called on to declare who were the heads and the agents of the confpiracy, forafmuch as it was neceflary to avert the dangers with which they were threatened. Above all, it was neceflary to provide for their own fafety; and for this end to afcertain, in the first place, the bounds to which their jurifdiction, in matters of police, extended."Thefe motions were feconded by a number of voices. great "Bertrand de Calvados obferved, that, when the council of ancients gave orders for the tranflation of the legiflature to that commune,

they had exercised only a conftituticnal privilege; but that, in the nomination of a commander-in-chief, they had ufed an authority to which they had no legal pretenfions. He moved that they fhould forthwith decree, that Buonaparte was not the general of the troops compofing their guard." This motion was alfo fupported by a great number of voices.

" Talot conjured the council to recollect the ftations in which they were placed, to be united and vigilant for the public fafety. He was perfuaded that the council of ancients, in adopting fo extraordinary and hafty a measure, did not intend that they fhould carry on their de liberations in a prifon, and at the point of bayonets What? the reprefentatives of the French people in a village furrounded by a military force, and this not at their difpofal? Not that I fear the foldiers. They have fought for liberty; they are our relations, our children. We have our felves carried arms in the fame caufe. I cannot dread the republican foldier whofe relations have honoured me with their fuffrages, and appointed me their reprefentative in the national assembly; but this I declare, that yefterday the conftitution fuffered violence. The council of ancients had no right to appoint a general; Buonaparte had no right to penetrate into our quarter without orders, that is the truth: as for you, you cannot long give your free votes in your prefent polition. You ought to return to Paris. Return thither clothed as you are in your official robes, The citizens and foldiers, affuming in an infant. a military attitude, will declare themselves the defenders of their country. I demand an immediate

decree,

decree, that the troops now, in this
commune, form a part of your guard;
and that a meflage be fent to the
council of elders, inviting them to
make a decree for fending back the
councils to Paris." This motion
was fupported by a very general ac-
clamation. Crochon having, with
much difficulty obtained a hearing,
"declared himself against fo preci-
pitate a measure as that juft pro-
pofed. The decree of the elders,
appointing Buonaparte to the com-
mand of the troops, he maintained,
was not an unconflitutional act; as
it decreed the tranflation of the
councils, it was necessary to appoint
a general for carrying their decree
into execution." The motion for a
message, of the above purport to the
elders, was agreed to, and, after a
very warm debate, the queftion for
declaring the troops at St. Cloud a
part of the legiflative guard was
going to be put, when "Lucian
Buonaparte demanded, that, before
taking fuch a meature, they fhould
call the general." A number of
members cried out, "We do not
acknowledge him to be the gene-
ral.""I will rot infift," faid the
prefident, " any farther. When
tranquillity fhall be restored to this
houfe, you will, when the paffions
are filent, do every one juftice."-
The agitation and noife being ftill
continued, he put off his robe, and
laid it on the table, declaring that
he thus laid afide the office of their
prefident. A number of the mem-
bers called loudly to Lucian Buo-
naparte to refume his robes and of-
fice, and feveral coming up to him
in the midst of the hall, pre-
fented piftols to him, as if to force
him to do it. In the midst of this
uproar, a party of grenadiers, un-
der the command of an officer, was

fent into the hall, by the general, for the refcue of his brother. The foldiers furrounding him, conducted him fafely out of the hall, and placed him in the midft of their own ranks, in the court of the palace.

General Buonaparte, on his return from the council of five hun-. dred, had harangued the foldiers, informing them of the danger he had efcaped, and that he, whom the combined kings of Europe had not been able to reach with their armies, was at this moment threatened with outlawry, by factious affaffins. The foldiers liftened to him with attention, and manifefted a difpofition to ftand by him, and ferve him. This difpofition was fortified, and, in fome measure legalized, by the prefence of the prefident, who, mounted on horfeback, rode from one regiment to another, speaking to them in favour of his brother. He told them, in a very animated manner, and tone of voice, that a great majority of the council, at the moment he was fpeaking, was under terror, from a handful of members' armed with poniards, who were belieging the tribune, and threatening their colleagues with death: that thefe ruffians had put them. felves in a ftate of rebellion against the council of elders, and had dared to threaten the general, who was ordered to carry their decree, for tranflating the councils to St. Cloud, into execution. But, it was those furious men themfelves, he obferved, who had, in fact, put themfelves out of the law by their at tempts against the liberty of the council. He confided, to the warriors whom he addreffed, the deliverance of the majority of their reprefentatives from the oppreffion they were under, in order that they

might deliberate peaceably on the deftiny of the republic." General, and you foldiers," faid he, raifing his voice, “ you will not acknowledge, as legiflators of France, any others than fuch as fhall rally around me; as for those who remain in the Orangery, let force expel them. Thofe ruffians are no longer the reprefentatives of the people, but the reprefentatives of the poniard." He concluded his harangue with the popular cry of vive la republique, which was reechoed by the foldiers and all the fpectators.

*

The general, animated by this alacrity, excited by the fanction of the prefident, ordered a corps of grenadiers to march forward, and he was inftantly obeyed. At the found of the drums beating the pasde-charge, the fpectators rushed out by the doors and windows. The deputies rofe up, crying, fome of them, vive la republique! others, vive la conflitution! The foldiers entered the hall, with fixed bayonets as ordered, and halted. A chief of bri

gade of cavalry faid aloud, "Citizens, reprefentatives, there is no longer any fafety in this place; I invite you to withdraw." This invitation was anfwered by a general. cry of vive la republique! On which the officer who commanded the grenadiers, mounting the tribune, exclaimed, " Reprefentatives withdraw: it is the orders of the general." Still the deputies kept their feats: the tumult waxed greater and greater, and fome of the members began to addrefs the foldiers: when another officer called out, "Grenadiers, forward." The drums beat to the charge, and the grenadiers advanced from the door to the middle of the hall, which was now cleared, amidst the noise of drums. The deputies, as they went out, cried, vive la republique! The greater part of them returned immediately to Paris: others remained to obferve the movements of the troops in the court of the caftle, and to fee the upfhot of this day's proceedings, at St. Cloud.

* An attack with fixed bayonets, and without firing,

CHAP.

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