THE LAST DAY AT VERSAILLES.

15 when the National Guards had fired. I could learn nothing farther.

I had scarcely reached my house when I heard the drums beating. On inquiry, I found that the National Guard of Paris was approaching, with M. de la Fayette at its head. A grenadier in one of the Paris battalions, who was a friend of my father, came to see us, and quieted our apprehensions as to the aim of this disturbance. He said that the two churches of Versailles had been assigned as quarters to the different battalions, but that he had preferred asking us for a night's lodging. We made him welcome, and I went to bed. It was then midnight.

At seven in the morning, October 6, I heard the drums beating. I arose in haste, and made my way towards the Palace across the gardens. In the courtyards I saw the vanguards of the battalions of the Parisian National Guard, which were arriving in good form, and falling successively into order. M. de la Fayette was at their head. While these troops were advancing and occupying different posts, I ascended the marble staircase and entered the interior of the Palace, all the intricacies of which I knew perfectly. The posts generally occupied by the Body Guard and the Hundred Swiss were vacant; the guard-room and the antechambers leading to the Queen's apartment were deserted; there were stains of blood on the floor and on the stairs. The greatest disorder prevailed; men clothed in rags and armed with pikes were hurrying down the steps which I had ascended; the doors of the Queen's apartment lay open; not a servant was to be seen, either man or woman; the furniture, including even the Queen's bed, was knocked about or moved from its place. From all this it was plain that the rooms had been forcibly entered, that the Body Guards, no more numerous than usual, had been taken by surprise, and that, after having defended the entry, they had been obliged to yield to force and retreat; and also that several of them had shed their blood in making a hopeless resistance.

The King's apartment, on the contrary, was closed. I returned by the same way I had come, and then I beheld the National Guard of Paris, in the courtyards, in line of battle, with flags flying and in perfect order. A crowd of people, and numerous groups of men and women, strangers to Versailles, were pressing behind the troops, uttering shouts and howls, and brandishing their pikes, on some of which were human heads. It was a horrible and revolting spectacle ! The furious mob was, however, kept in check by the presence of the National Guard, and a portion of it, even, seeing there was nothing more for them to do, began to return along the road to Paris, whither they bore their bloody trophies.

Lost in the crowd, and dumb with horror, I was contemplating

this fearful scene, when another of a more imposing kind presented itself. The windows of the balcony of the King's apartment, looking on to the inner courtyard, called the Marble Court, were thrown open. The King appeared on the balcony, accompanied by the Queen, by his children, and by the Princesses.* Their appearance was saluted by cries of "Vive le roi vive la famille royale!" M. de la Fayette and M. Necker stood near the King and Queen, and behind them was a group consisting principally of Body Guards, disarmed and bareheaded. The King seemed to

be begging that his faithful servants should be spared, by placing them, in some sort, under the protection of the Parisian National Guard, and M. de la Fayette was endeavouring to explain the meaning of the King's gestures. I was at too great a distance to hear distinctly the words that were used, but the National Guard replied by cries of assent! Then the Body Guards, throwing their sashes and white cockades over the balcony, received in exchange tricolor cockades and caps belonging to grenadiers of the National Guard. They fastened in the cockades and put on the caps. After this kind of treaty of peace, confirmed by loud shouts, I heard some voices, at first few in number, but afterward becoming more and more general, and proceeding from every rank in the National Guard, demanding that the King should come to live in Paris. At first these cries seemed to receive no attention, but the clamor soon became so loud, and was mingled with so many threats, that it was impossible to evade a reply. The King and Queen were in consultation with M. de la Fayette and M. Necker on the balcony, and at last, after a quarter of an hour's indecision, the latter came forward-a profound silence prevailed-and I distinctly heard the Minister announce that the King consented to proceed to Paris, and to take up his abode there for the future.

M. de la Fayette confirmed this resolution by voice and gesture. A transport of joy impossible to depict or to express instantly pervaded the crowd, salvos of musketry were fired, and shouts of "Vive le roi !"' resounded on every side. When the tumult had somewhat subsided, the King retired with his family into the private apartments, and it was announced that the Court would leave Versailles at one o'clock in the afternoon. It was then about 9 A. M.

The National Guard of Paris piled their arms in the courtyards of the Palace, and dispersed about the town, while awaiting the hour fixed for the King's departure, when they were to resume them, and escort the Royal travellers. The greater part of the crowd of men armed with pikes had already set out for Paris, followed by some of the women. In the meantime, the National

* Madame Elisabeth and the aunts of the King.

THE KING'S DEPARTURE.

17

Guard of Versailles was assembling on the Place d'Armes, by order of its commanding officers, and I, having put on my uniform, hastened to join the ranks. The Guard was to line the way when the King passed, and as nothing more than a ceremonial parade was in question, there was a numerous muster, and all was in good order.

At about one o'clock the cortege began to move. A strong advance guard was formed of several battalions of the National Guard of Paris. Tipsy women were seated on the gun-carriages, singing and waving aloft boughs which they had torn from the trees. But I did not see the heads carried on pikes, of which mention has been made in certain narratives. The men who took those horrible spoils of a night of crime back to Paris were already far away. The King's carriages came next; they were surrounded by several of the Body Guard; some seated on the box, or on the shafts of the coaches, and looking much more as though they had sought a refuge there, than as though they were occupying a post of defence. A great many of them still wore the grenadiers' caps, and all displayed the tricolored cockade.

As I have already said, we lined the way, and from my position in front of the men I could easily observe everything. The King's face was quite unchanged, but the countenance of the Queen betrayed agonizing grief, notwithstanding the strong efforts which she made to repress the outward signs of her feelings. Monsieur's carriage followed that of the King, and the others were occupied by persons of the household. There were ten or twelve carriages in all. M. de la Fayette was on horseback, now at the side of the King's carriage, anon riding forward to give orders. Two ranks of National Guards marched in parallel lines with the carriages ; the remainder of that numerous body formed the rear-guard. I followed this strange procession with my eyes until it reached the turn into the Avenue de Paris, where at length it disappeared.

During the rest of the day I wandered about the deserted gardens and palace, and through the streets of the town, where the silence was broken only by the wheels of the carriages in which the Deputies and Ministers, all eager to leave Versailles, were setting out for Paris. All night the town was patrolled. This was an unnecessary precaution, perfect quiet reigned everywhere. I was at the head of one of the patrolling parties, and this was the last turn of duty I did with the National Guard of Versailles. Two days later I resigned, and set out for Paris, whither I had been summoned by M. de la Tour du Pin, who was still Minister of War.

CHAPTER II.

The 10th of August, 1792-The Author escapes a decree of accusationM. Lacuée provisional Chief of the War Department-Joseph Servan, Minister-The Author ceases to be Chief of Division at the Ministry, and enters the Administration of Military Affairs as Comptroller-General-Servan is succeeded in the Ministry by Pache and Hassenfratz, who disorganize its administration-Pache is dismissed, and succeeded by Beurnonville-The Author resumes his former post at the Ministry -Bouchotte succeeds Beurnonville-The Author is made SecretaryGeneral in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Deforgues-Sketches of some of the leaders of the Terror-Fall of Deforgues, who is succeeded at the Foreign Office by a schoolmaster named Buchot-The Author, denounced as a " Moderate," is placed under a decree of accusation, together with MM. Otto, Colchen, and Reinhart-They are saved by the 9th Thermidor-The Author is appointed Commissioner of Foreign Affairs-His communications with the Committee of Public Safety-Treaties of peace with Tuscany and Prussia.

I HAD been settled in Paris since October 1789, and I continued in the service of the Military Administration which I had entered at Versailles. I occupied at first the post of "Chief of the Bureau," and afterwards that of "Chief of Division," under the different Ministers who succeeded each other at the War Department up to August 10, 1792.

I was included at this period in the proscription which fell upon a great number of Government employés, and I was to have been arrested and thrown into prison, where I should probably have been one of the victims of the massacres of the 2d of September. But, fortunately as it turned out, I was anxious about the health of my wife and daughter, then at Versailles, and on the very morning of the 10th of August I had left Paris by the Clichy Gate, and had made my way to Versailles, across the plain of Sablons, the Bois de Boulogne, St. Cloud, and the woods above the ancient palace of our Kings, the pathways of which were perfectly familiar to me. During my progress, the noise of cannon and musketshots in Paris caused me terrible anguish of mind; but I only hastened the more quickly on my way, and reached Versailles about noon, trembling with apprehension, ignorant of what had taken place in Paris, and unable to reply to any of the questions put to me. In the evening the details of that terrible day became

CHANGES IN THE WAR OFFICE.

19

known. I concealed myself carefully on the morrow, fearing to be arrested as non-domiciled, and on the succeeding day (August 12) I took my place in one of the little carriages that for some time had been running between Versailles and Paris. We passed with

out difficulty through the gates, which were closed against all who wanted to leave the city, but freely open to all in-comers. On reaching my father's house I found that a warrant for my arrest had been issued, and that a search had been made for me, in order that it might be put in force. I also heard that my brother-inlaw, M. Arcambal, Commissioner-Director of War and SecretaryGeneral of the Ministry, and my uncle, M. Vauchelle, chief Clerk of Artillery, had already been arrested. After acquainting me with this sad news, my father added that he had stated that he did not know where I was, but that I might be heard of at the residence of the War Minister.

Thereupon I quickly decided on my course of action, which was to proceed to the War Office. I learnt there from my fellowclerks that emissaries of the Commune had in fact come on the previous day to arrest me; that, not finding me, they had left one of their number behind to seize me on my return, and enforce the warrant against me, but that the individual, weary of waiting to no purpose, had departed, and had not since reappeared. The Legislative Assembly had appointed M. Lacuée, one of its members, to administer the department until the arrival of the new Minister of War. I thought it right to wait upon him, and found him, wearing a tricolor sash, and installed in the Minister's cabinet. I told him that I presented myself, in order that he might not suspect me of trying to escape the search now being made for me. He received me politely, said he had no orders to take any steps against me, but that, on the contrary, he requested me to return to my work, and to assist him in the difficult position in which he found himself. He complained of the excesses of the Commune in Paris, which had disorganized every official department by its arbitrary arrests; and in fact he was equally indignant at the acts of that seditious authority as he was powerless to repress them. I therefore resumed my usual occupations, expecting every instant to be arrested at my desk. But I was not arrested; either it was believed that the warrant had already been executed, or I was forgotten; at all events, I remained at liberty. I even had the very great happiness of saving one of our friends, M. Jullien, who took refuge in my house, and of aiding with him in the release of my uncle and my brother-in-law, whom I have mentioned above, and who were, marvellous to relate, set at liberty a few days before the 2d of September.

Meanwhile the Legislative Assembly had appointed Joseph Servan