rans of this corps, three waggons loaded with ftraw were fet on fire under the walls, the fmoke of which interrupted the view, and confequently intercepted the aim of the befieged; while the affailants, being at a greater distance, were able to direct their fire to the battlements with an unerring aim. In the mean time the arsenal was formed, and a most dreadful havock was prevented there by the prudence and courage of M. Humbert, who firft mounted the towers of the Baftille: a hair-dreffer was in the very act of setting fire to the magazine of powder, when M. H. whole notice was attracted by the cries of a woman, knocked the defperado down with the butend of his mufsket-next, instantly feizing a barrel of falt-petre which had already caught fire, and turning it upfide down, he was happy enough to extinguish it.

Nothing could equal the ardour and spirit of the befiegers: an im menfe crowd, as if unconfcious of danger, filled the courts of the fortrefs in fpite of the unremitted fire of the garrison, and even approached fo near the towers, that M. de Launay himself frequently rolled large maffes of ftone from the platform upon their heads. Within, all was confufion and terror; the officers themselves ferved at the guns, and discharged their firelocks in the ranks. But when the governor faw the affailants take poffeffion of the firft bridge, and draw up their cannon against the second, his courage then was changed into defpair, and even his understanding appeared to be deranged. He rafhly fought to bury himself under the enormous mafs, which he had in vain attempted to defend. While a turnkey was engaged in diftributing wine to the foldiers, he caught the match from one of the pieces of cannon, and ran

to the magazine with an intention to fet it on fire: but a fubaltern of the name of Ferrand repulfed him with his bayonet. He then went down to the tour de la liberté, where he had depofited a quantity of pow der: but here alfo he was oppofed by the fieur Beguard, another fubaltern officer, who thus prevented an act of infanity which muft have deftroyed thousands of citizens, and with the Baftille would have infalli bly blown up all the adjacent buildings, and a confiderable part of the fuburb of St. Antoine. De Lau, nay at length propofed feriouly to the garrifon to blow up the fortress, as it was impoffible that they could hope for mercy from the mob. But he was anfwered by the foldiers, that they would rather perish than deftroy in this infidious manner fuch a number of their fellow-citizens. He then hung out a white flag, intimating his defire to capitulate; and a Swifs officer would have addreffed the affailants through one of the loopholes of the draw-bridge-but the hour was paft, and the exafperated populace would attend to no offer of capitulation. Through the fame opening he next difplayed a paper, which the diftance prevented the be fiegers from reading. A perfon brought a plank, which was rested on the parapet, and poifed by a number of others. The brave unknown advanced upon the plank; but just as he was ready to feize the pa per, he received a musket fhot, and fell into the ditch. He was followed by a young man of the name of Maillard, fon to an officer of the chate. let, who was fortunate enough to reach the paper, the contents of which were " We have twenty thousand pounds weight of gun-powder, and will blow up the garrifon and all its environs, if you do not accept the capitulation."-M. Elie,

an

an officer of the queen's regiment, who was invested with a kind of fpontaneous authority, was for agreeing to terms; but the people indignantly rejected the very word capitulation, and immediately drew up to the fpot three pieces of artillery.

The enemy now perceiving that the great bridge was going to be attacked, let down the fmall draw-bridge, which was to the left of the entrance into the fortrefs. Meffrs. Elie,, Hulin, Maillard, Reole, Humbert, Tournay, and fome others, leaped inftantly on the bridge, and, fecuring the bolts, proceeded to the door. In the mean time the French guards, preserving their habitual coolness and difcipline, formed a column on the other fide of the bridge, to prevent the citizens from rufhing upon it in too great numbers. An invalid came to open the gate behind the draw-bridge, and afked the invaders what they want ed?" The furrender of the Bastille," they cried, and he permitted them to enter. The conquerors immediately lowered the great bridge, and the multitude entered without refiftance the invalids were ranged to the right, and the Swifs on the left hand, and their arms piled against the wall. They took off their hats, clapped their hands, and cried out bravo as the befiegers entered. The firft moments of this meeting paffed in peace and reconciliation; but fome foldiers on the platforms, ignorant of the furrender, unhappily fired upon the people; who fufpecting a fecond act of perfidy, fell upon the invalids, two of whom, the unfortunate Beguard, who had prevented the governor from blowing up the Baftille, and another equally innocent, were dragged to the Place de Grève, and hanged.

The fieurs Maillard, Cholat,

Arné, and fome others, difpute the honour of having first seized M. de Launay. He was not in a uniform, but in a plain grey frock: he had a cane in his hand, and would have killed himself with the sword that it contained, but the grenadier Arné wrefted it out of his hand. He was escorted by Meffrs. Hulin, Arné, Legris, Elie, and fome others, and every effort was exerted by these patriots to fave his life, but in vain:

M.

they had fcarcely arrived at the Hôtel de Ville before his defenders were overpowered, and even wounded by the enraged populace, and he fell under a thousand wounds. de Lofme Salbrai, his major, a gentleman diftinguished for his virtues and his humanity, was also the victim of the popular fury. The marquis de Pelleport, who had been five years in the Baftille, and during that time had been treated by him with particular kindness, interpofed to fave him at the risk of his life, but was ftruck down by a hatchet, and M. de Lofme was inftantly put to death. The heads of the governor and the major were ftruck off, and carried on pikes through the treets of the city. The rage of the populace would not have ended here-the invalids who defended the fortrefs would all have been facrificed, had not the humanity of the French guards interpofed, and infifted on their pardon.

The keys of the Baftille were carried to M. Briffot de Warville, who had been a few years before an inhabitant of thefe caverns of defpotism; and a guard of 3000 men was appointed over the fortrefs till the council at the Hôtel de Ville fhould decree its demolition. the intoxication of fuccefs the pri foners were forgotten; and as the keys had been carried to Paris, the B 4

dun

dungeons were forced open-feven prifoners only were found, three of whom had loft their reafon, having been detained there as ftate prifoners from the reign of Louis XV.

Thus, by the irrefiftible enthusiasm of liberty, in a few hours was reduced that fortrefs which mercenary armies had confidered as impregnable, and which had been in vain befieged by the force of the great Condé for upwards of three weeks.

The fate of M. de Launay involved that of M. de Fleffelles, the prévôt de marchands. He had been long fufpected of a defign to betray the people; and all his manoeuvres evidently tended to that point. In the pocket of M. de Launay a letter from him was discovered, which contained thefe remarkable words" I will amufe the Parifians with cockades and promifes. Keep your ftation till the evening-you fhall then have a reinforcement." At the fight of this letter the unfortunate de Fleffelles was ftruck dumb-a voice was heard in the hall" Begone, M. de F. you are a traitor."" I fee," faid he, "gentlemen, that I am not agreeable to you-I fhall retire."-He haftened down the ftairs; but as he croffed the Grève, accompanied by a number of perfons to defend him, a young man, who had waited an opportunity, hot him with a piftol. His head was cut off, placed on a pike, and carried through the streets along with that of M. de Launay.

A tumultuous night fucceeded this wonderful day; and the fongs of joy and triumph which had celebrated the victory of the people, were converted into confufed murmurs expreffive only of anxiety and alarm. A report was spread that the troops were about to enter the city at the Barriere d'Enfer: thither the citizens crowded under the conduct

of the French guards, and preceded by a train of artillery-the body of troops, however, that appeared in that quarter were difperfed by a fingle volley. The alarm-bells were then founded; barricadoes were formed at the barriers; deep holes were dug in different parts, to prevent the approach of the cavalry; the tops of the houses were manned; a general illumination was ordered; and the filence of the night was interrupted by difcharges of artillery, and by the warning voice of the patroles-" Citizens, do not go to bed; take care of your lights; we muft fee clearly this night."

The first news of the taking of the Baftille was regarded by the court as an imposture of the popular party : it was, however, at length irrefiftibly confirmed. The firit refolves of the cabal are faid to have been defperate, and orders were iffued to the commanders to push the projected plot with all poffible vigour. In the dead of the night, marthal Broglio is faid to have arrived to inform them that it was impoffible to obey the mandate he had received of investing the hall of the national affembly with a train of artillery, as the foldiers would not comply with his orders." Prefs then the fiege of Paris," was the aufwer. The general replied, he could not depend on the army for the execution of that project.

The king was the only perfon in the palace who was kept totally ig. norant of thefe tranfactions. The duke de Liancourt, a diftinguifhed patriot, who was then mafter of the wardrobe, faved the ftate: he forced his way in the middle of the night into the king's apartment, informed him of every circumftance, and announced to the count d'Artois that a price was fet upon his head. The intelligence of the duke was

fup

its place; and to this office M. Bailly, who had been prefident of the tiers état, was called by the unanimous voice of his fellow-citizens.

In our detail of the late proceed ings of the national affembly, we omitted to notice, that the duc d'Orleans, having been elected prefident of that body, had declined the honour, and that the venerable archbishop of Vienne had been chofen in his room. During the laborious feffions which fucceeded the difgrace of M. Neckar, how ever, it was thought that his age and infirmities would fcarcely allow him to exercise fo difficult an office without the affiftance of a younger perfon, and the marquis de la Fayette was unanimoufly nominated viceprefident. A further diftinétion now awaited the difciple of Washington; and his fervices to the state, his difinterefted patriotifm, and his abilities, pointed him out to the citizens as the only man fit to be entrusted with the important commiffion of general and commander in chief of the national guard.

The troops, which had affembled on the Champ de Mars, had decamped during the night, leaving their tents and the greater part of their baggage behind them: but a spectacle itill more interefting to the citizens foon prefented itfelf:-this was a deputation of eighty-four of the molt diftinguished members of the national affembly, accompanied by an immenfe crowd, who covered the road from Verfailles to the capital, and loaded them with bleffings, and the most unequivocal proofs of prodigal affection. The furprife and exultation of thefe patriots muft have been extreme, when they be held more than 100,000 citizens transformed into foldiers, all of them armed and already trained to miliLary difcipline. On their arrival at

the Hôtel de Ville, the marquis de la Fayette, count Lally Tolendal, the marquis Clermont Tonnerre, the duke de Liancourt, and the archbishop of Paris, addreffed the people. From this place they adjourned to the church of Notre Dame, where Te Deum was fung in celebration of the happy and cheerful return of peace accompanied with liberty. As they returned from the church, the acclamations of the populace were occafionally interrupted by the expreffion of two further demands, the wifh of feeing their beloved fovereign in Paris, and the recall of the patriotic miniftry. The deputies returned in the evening to Verfailles.

Public tranquillity, however, when interrupted by circumstances of such importance as those we have juft related, is not fo cafily restored. It was natural that the people fhould be jealous fo. their newly acquired liberties, and fhould view with fufpicion tranfactions which in their intention were probably innocent. The miniftry, which had fhewn themfelves fo inimical to the caufe of the people, were not yet difmiffed, nor had the troops yet evacuated the environs of Paris: two fresh regiments had arrived at St. Denis; a ftrange and unfuccefsful attack had even been made on the Baftille, by a ferjeant and two companies of guards; and a convoy of flour had been intercepted by the orders of a perfon well known. The night of the 15th, therefore, was fpent with the fame anxiety, and with the fame warlike preparations, as the preceding; and in the morning a fresh deputation was fent to the affembly, entreating them to intereft themfelves in procuring the difmiffion of the miniftry, and the recall of M. Neckar.

After a fhort debate, which chiefly