The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

116 LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
Their whole system was a castle in the air, and counters and tills. Five sections were under arms
when it vanished they could only sit down and la- and ready to act. Not one of the girondist party
ment over it. On the other hand, it must be allowed seems to have even attempted to point out to them,
to the girondists, that the inefficiency and imbecility that by an exertion to preserve the independence of
of their conduct was not to be attributed to personal the Convention, they might rid themselves for ever
cowardice. Enthusiasts in their political opinions, of the domination, under which all who had prothey saw their ruin approaching, waited for it, and perty, feeling, or education, were rendered slaves
dared it; but, like that of the monarch they had by these recurring insurrections. This is the more
been so eager to dethrone, and by dethroning whom extraordinary, as RaGti, the commandant of tile
they had made way for their own ruin, their resola- section of La Butte-des-Moulins, had actually
tion was of a passive, not an active, character- marched to tile assistance of the Convention on the
patient and steady to endure wrong, but inefficient 10th of MIarch, then, as now, besieged by an armed
where the object was to do right towards themselves force.
and France. Left to themselves, the sections who were in
For many nights these unhappy and devoted arms to protect order thought it enough to provide
deputies, still possessed of the ministerial power, against the main danger of the moment. The sight
were so far from being able to insure their own of their array, and of their determined appearance,
safety, or that of the country under their nominal far more than their three-coloured cockades, and
government, that they had shifted about from one cries of Vive la Re6subliqste, were sufficient to
place of rendezvous to another, not daring to occupy make the insurgents recognize those as good citizens,
their own lodgings, and usually remaining, three or who could not be convicted of incivism without a
ibur together, armed fobr defence of their lives, in bloody combat.
such places of secrecy and safety as they could They were, however, at length made to compredevise, hend by their leaders, that the business to be done
It was on the night preceding the 30th of May, lay in the Hall of the Convention, and that the
that Louvet, with five of the most distinguished of exertions of each active citizen were to entitle him
the girondist party, had absconded into such a re- to forty sous for the day's work. In the whole affair
treat, more like robbers afraid of the police than there was so much of cold trick, and so little popular
legislators, when the tocsin was rung at dead of enthusiasm, that it is difficult to believe that the
night. Rabaud de St-Etienne, a protestant clergy- plotters might not have been countermined and
man, and one of the most distinguished of the blown to the moon with their own petard, had there
party for humanity and resolution, received it as a been active spirit or practical courage on the side
death-knell, and continued to repeat, Illa suprenma of those who were the assailed party. But wve see
dies. no symptoms of either. Thl-le Convention were surThe alarm was designed to raise the suburbs; but rounded by the rabble, and menaced in the grossest
in this task the jacobins do not seem to have had terms. Under the general terror inspired by their
the usual facilities-at least they began by putting situation, they finally recalled the Commission of
their blood-hounds on a scent, upon which they Twelve, and set H[bert at liberty;-concessions
thought them likely to run more readily than the which, though short of those which the jacobins had
mere murder or arrest of twenty or thirty deputies determined to insist upon, were such as showed
of the Convention. They devised one which suited that the power of the girondists was entirely deadmirably, both to alarm the wealthier citizens, and stroyed, and that the Convention itself rlig-ht be
teach them to be contented with looking to their own overawed at the pleasure of whosoever should conIsafety, and to animate the rabble with the hope of mand the mob of Paris.
plunder. The rumnour was spread, that the section The jacobins were now determined to follow up
ot La Butte-des-Moulins, comprehending the Palais their blow, by destroying the enemy whom they
Royal, and the most wealthy shops in Paris, had had disarmed. Trhe 2d of June was fixed for this
become counter-revolutionary-had displayed the purpose. Louvet, and some others of the girondist
white cockade, and were declaring for the Bour- party, did not chase to await the issue, but fled
bols. from Paris. To secule the rest of the devoted
Of this not a word was true. The citizens of the party, the barriers of the city were shut.
Palais Royal were disposed perhaps to royalty- On this decisive occasion the jacobins had not
certainly for a quiet and established government- trusted entirely to the efficiency of' their suburb
but loved their own shops much better than the forces. They had also under their orders about two
house of Bourbon, and had no intention of placing thousand federates, who were encamped in the
themn in jeopardy either for king or kaisar. They Champs Elysees, and had been long tutored in the
heard with alarm the accusation against them, mnus- part they had to act. They harnessed guns and
tered in defence of their property, shut the gates of howitzers, prepared grape-shot and shells, and acthe Palais Royal, which admits of being strongly de- tually heated shot red-hpt, as if their purpose had
fended, turned cannon with lighted matches upon been to attack some strong fortress, instead of a
the mob as they approached their precincts, and hall filled with the unarmed representatives of the
showed, in a way sufficient to intimidate the rabble people. Henriot, commander-general of the armed
of St-Antoine, that though the wealthy burgesses force of Paris, a fierce,'ignorant man, entirely deof Paris might abandon to the mob the care of killing voted to the jacobin interest, took care, in posting
kings and ~hanging ministries, they had no intention the armed force which arrived from all hands around
whatsoever to yield up to them the charge of their the Convention, to station those nearest to the