arbitrary authority. The hall was furrounded with foldiers. The two privileged orders were feated; while the reprefentatives of the people were left without, expofed for more than an hour to the rain. M. de Mirabeau urged the prefident to conduct the nation immediately to the prefence of the king, or to demand at leaft that the gates fhould be opened -They were opened at length to the deputies, but not to the people. The throne was raifed upon a kind of flage or platform at the bottom of the hall; on the right the clergy were feated, and on the left the nobility. The four heralds, with their king at arms, were flationed in the middle; and at the bottom of the platform was a table, round which the minifters were feated: one chair however was vacant, which fhould have been occupied by Mr. Neckar; nor did any part of this ill-conduct ed business excite more general difguft than the absence of that favourite minifter.

The fpeech and declarations of the king were a fingular mixture of patriotiim and defpotic authority. He spoke of the favours which he conferred upon his people; and caufed to be read a declaration of his fovereign will, as if the legiflature were only called to confent to fuch laws as should be propofed by the executive power, without being competent to propofe any themfelves. He fuggefted a plan of government, in which the diftinction of orders was to be preferved, allowing them however occafionally to debate in common with the king's approba tion. Not a word was advanced on the fubje&t of the refponfibility of miniflers, nor on the participation of the flates-general in the legislative power. The odious tyranny of lettres de cachet was formally announced tobe continued, with only a few mo

difications. A guarded filence was obferved concerning the liberty of the prefs, and the pernicious tax of lotteries. In fine, the king declared all the deliberations and refolves of the 17th, and ordered the deputies immediately to feparate, and to appear before him on the following day.

When the king retired, he was followed by all the nobility, and by a part of the clergy. The deputies of the commons remained motionless on the benches, and preferved a gloomy filence. The marquis de Breze, grand-mafter of the ceremonies, entered the hall, and addreffing himfelf to the prefident-" You know, Sir, (faid he) the intentions of the king."-The prefident anfwered refpectfully, that the affembly was not conftituted to receive orders from any perfon; but the fervid Mirabeau, rifing from his feat, and addrefling himfelf to M. de Breze, replied-" The commons of France have determined to debate. We have heard the intentions which have been fuggefted by the king; and you who cannot be his agent at the flates-general, you who have here neither feat, nor voice, nor a right to fpeak, are not the perfon to remind us of his fpeech, Go tell your mafter, that we are here by the power of the people, and that nothing hall expel us but the bayo net. The cuthufiafm of the affembly feconded that of the orator, and with one unanimous voice they declared that fuch was their determination.

The grand-after retired, and a profound filence pervaded the hall. It was at length broken by M. Camus, who declaimed against the royal feflion, which he ftigmatized by the contemptuous appellation of a bed of juffice, and propofed a relolution declaratory of the affembly's adherence to their former decrees,

which he afferted no power could annul. He was warmly fupported by Mefirs. Barnave, Glaizen, Pethion, the abbé Gregoire, and many others. The abbé Sieyes only obferved-" Gentlemen, you are the fame to-day, that you were before." The motion of M. Camus was unanimously decreed: and was followed by another, which pronounced “ the perfons of the deputies inviolable."

Mr. Neckar had feveral times folicited his difmiffion, but was conftantly refused by the king. When his majefty returned from the royal feffion, he was followed by a crowd of more than 6 oo citizens, and the public difcontent was manifefted by murmurs and exclamations. The majority of the members of the affembly waited on Mr. Neckar, and conjured him to continue faithful to the nation and the king, and to remain in the miniftry. The confternation however became general, when, at fix in the evening, the queen fent for the dire&or-general of the finances, and through her apartments introduced him to the royal clofet. At about half paft fix the minifter came out of the palace on foot by a private door; but as foon as he appeared, there was a general fhout of Vive M. Neckar! Some of the populace proftrated themselves on their knees, intreating him to remain with them as their father and their guide. He fatisfied their importunities, by affuring them, that he would not abandon them; that he had pledged himfelf to the king, and was refolved to live or die with them.

The affembly met the next day, and were joined by the majority of the clergy; and on the 25th, fortynine members of the nobility, with the duke d'Orleans at their head, made their appearance in the affem

bly.

The rector of the university of Paris, and the prior of Marmontiers, came the fame day to augment the number of the patriotic clergy. In the mean time, the diffidents among the privileged orders continued in a violent ftate of agitation; and M. d'Efpremenil even accused the deputics of the tiers état of high treafon. The archbishop of Paris, preffed by his connections into the fervice of a party which in his heart he condemned, paffed at this period for one of the chiefs of the ariftocratic cabal; and his house had been attacked by a furious mob, who, however, were difperfed without mischief by a detachment of the guards. On the 26th he was introduced to the affembly by the archbishop of Bourdeaux. Some others of the fuperior clergy, and the count de Crecy, took their feats on the fame day; and even in the chamber of the nobles, the union was again deliberated up on, and with leis animofity than be fore.

In the midst of contending factions, which occafionally fported with his credulity or his fears, the king ftill preferved a genuine love of his people, and an unviolated regard to the claims of humanity. He felt himself unhappy at the divifions which exifted, and determined to end them if poffible at any expence. In a private converfation with the duke de Luxembourg, prefident of the chamber of nobles, he is faid to have urged his wilhes for a union of the orders. He was anfwered by that nobleman, "That the order to which belonged, were not contending for themselves, but for the crown-he reprefented that the nobility was the only body on which his majefty could depend to defeat the exorbitant claims of the people -that while the ftates-general con

tinued

tinued divided, the royal authority was fafe; but whenever the day should arrive that the itates fhould vote by numbers only, from that moment the monarch was at their mercy.""I conjure your majeay," continued the duke, "to condefcend to reflect upon what I have the honour to itate." M. de Luxembourg," replied the king with firmnefs," I have reflected, I am determined upon any facrifice; nor will I that a fingle man lofe his life in my caufe." In confequence of this determination, the king on the 27th fent a preffing letter to the prefident of the nobility, and to the minority of the clergy, intreating the union of the orders-The clergy obeyed without helitation; but it was not till after a very warin debate, that the nobility fubmitted to the mandate of the fovereign. At the firft news of this joyful event, Verfailles was tranfport ed with joy; the people ran in crowds to the palace, and demanded the king and queen. Their majefties appeared at a balcony, and the atmosphere re-ecchoed with the fhouts of Vive le roi! Vive la reine! A general illumination concluded the triumph of the day.

perate expreffion that efcaped in the affembly, was affiduouly conveyed to his ears, and its object even magnified. The turbulence of the metropolis was made an excufe for befieging it with mercenary armies. Thirty-five thoufand men had been gradually collected from the extremities of the kingdom, and ftationed in the neighbourhood of Paris and Verfailles. Camps were traced out for a ftill greater force; the lines of fortification were already diawn upon every eminence, and almoft every poft was occupied which commanded the city, or the roads which communicated with it. These ar rangements were made under the infpection and authority of Marshal Broglio, an approved commander, a man habituated from his youth to the fubordimation of a military life, and generally fuppofed to be completely devoted to the party of the court.

The union of the orders, however, inftead of terminating their machi'nations, ferved but to increase the fecret oppofition of those who were likely to be the only fufferers by the profperity of France; the courtiers and favourites who battened on its ruin. The diffolution of the affembly was now the only means which 'could restore to power these harpies of the ftate; and there is caufe to doubt that this was at least their firft object. Whether the king was acquainted or not with the project is uncertain, but probably he was not. His fears and his paffions were doubtless excited by the artful circle that furrounded him; every intem

It must be remarked, however, that if the enemies of the popular caufe were thus active, its friends (whatever might be their motives, whether felfish or patriotic) were not deficient in vigilance and forefight. A juft apprchenfion of what might happen, had certainly induced them to infert in the cahiers, or inftructions of the tiers état, a claufe infifting that the pay of the foldiers fhould be increated; and on the fame ground there is reafon to credit the reports of the ariftocratic writers, that the democrats had ta→ ken every means to ingratiate themfelves with the foldiery, and to perfuade them that in that capacity they did not ceafe to be citizens, but that on the contrary it was degrading and difhonourable to them to be confidered as mere automatons, as mere paffive inftruments in the hands of power. Among the ac tive apoftles of liberty, as they are termed, who preached with fuch fuc

cefa

eefs to the military, the marquis de Valadi, formerly an officer in the French guards, is particularly noted. It was indeed abfurd to fuppofe, that amidst the general fpread of information, the foldiery fhould either want means of acquiring it, or be callous to its influence. So early, therefore, as the 23d of June, two companies of the grenadier guards had refused to fire upon the populace in fome trifling riot. For this and other fymptoms of difobedience the troops were confined to their barracks; but on the 25th and 26th they were feen by hundreds entering into the Palais Royal, the theatre of popular politics, and joining with the crowd in houting Vive le tiers état! In the fame manner all the military that entered Paris were conducted to the Palais Royal; they -were loaded with favours and ca-reffes by the populace, and heard with an attentive ear the declamations against the bafenefs of imbruing their hands in the blood of their fellow citizens, and against the flavery of their prefent condition. The foldiers melted into tendernefs, exclaimed with ardour, Vive la nation! and returned to their camp to extend the conquests of democracy. An incident happened on the 30th of June, which, while it evinced the Hifpofitions of the nation and the foldiery, was probably not without its effects in attaching ftill more ftrongly the army to the people. About feven o'clock in the evening, a letter was brought to a coffee-houfe adjacent to the Palais Royal, intimating that eleven of the French guards were at that moment confined in the prifons of the abbey St. Germain, for having refused to fire on their fellowcitizens; and that the fame night they were to be transferred to the dungeons of the Bicetre, a place deftined for the vileft mifcreants.

Their caufe was prefently confidered as the caufe of the public; a mob was almost inftantly collected, the prifon was forced, and the dragoons and huffars which were called out to quell the riot grounded their arms. A foldier who had been committed for fome other crime, was reconducted to prifon by the populace, who declared that they would only take under their protection thofe who were the victims of patriotifa.

The eleven prifoners, who had been thus taken from the abbey, were conducted by the people to the hotel de Geneve, where they were kept, as they expreffed it, under the guard of the nation, while a deputation of twenty young citizens of Paris was dilpatched to the national affembly to folicit their pardon. Af ter fome deliberation, in which it was doubted whether the affembly ought to receive a deputation from perfons not appearing in a public character, a decree was paffed, recommending in ftrong terms to the citizens, a ftrict attention to peace and order, and promifing to apply to the king, to whofe province the matter in queftion entirely belonged, in favour of the foldiers. A deputation from the assembly accordingly waited on his majefty, who declared himself much fatisfied with the decree of the affembly, and granted a free pardon to the prifo ners.

In the mean time, Paris was not only threatened with the fword, but was actually vifited with one of the feverest calamities that can affect a country. A moft alarming fearcity pervaded the whole kingdom; but it may well be conceived that its effects were moft severely felt in the capital, which has no refources of its own, and in which the accumulation of human beings must neceffarily increafe the mifery. The gates

of