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XLVII.

1848.

Opposition, led by Garnier Pagès and Carnot. Of these CHAP. 2000 there were not more than 600 in Paris, and of these only 200 could be relied on in an actual conflict. The Réforme had 2000 subscribers, of whom 500 were in Paris, and they would turn out to a man. The two societies, des Saisons' and 'la Société Dissidente,' promised 1000 combatants, though it was doubtful if they could muster 600, though the latter embraced all the Communists in Paris. To these we must add 400 or 500 old conspirators, whom the first musket-shot would recall to their old standards; and 1500 Polish, Italian, and Spanish refugees, who would probably do the same, from the idea that it would advance the cause of revolution in their own countries. In all, 4000 in Paris, and that was the very utmost that could be relied on in the capital. In the provinces there was only one real secret society, which was at Lyons: Marseilles, Toulouse, and two or three other great towns, professed to have such, but no reliance could be placed on them. On the whole, there might be 15,000 or 16,000 Republicans in the depart-1 De la ments, and 4000 in Paris. In all, 19,000 or 20,000 out Hodde, of 17,000,000 of male inhabitants-a proportion so in- Sociétés finitely small, that it is evident they could never have 402, 403. overturned a strong government."1

Hist. des

Secrètes,

the Gov

and its

On the other hand, the forces of the Government were 50. much more considerable, and such as, if properly directed Forces of and supported by the National Guard, must have secured ernment, them an easy victory in any contest which might be ap- measures. proaching. The regular troops in Paris were 25,000 Feb. 21. strong; and they might in six hours be doubled by the troops in the neighbouring towns. Versailles had a strong reserve of cavalry, Vincennes of artillery. In a Cabinet council held on the afternoon of the 20th, when it was first known that the Banquet Committee had resolved to go on with the procession, it was determined to prevent it by force; and orders were given to have the whole military posts of the capital strongly occupied at seven

VOL. VII.

2 Z

XLVII.

1848.

CHAP. in the following morning. Had this resolution been adhered to, the demonstration might have been prevented, and the family of Orléans at this moment seated on the throne of France. But, unfortunately, in the course of the evening intelligence arrived of the Opposition deputies having declined to take part in the procession, and published an address, dissuading others from doing so, which appeared in the evening papers of the 21st at four P.M. This was immediately communicated to the Government, and they, deeming the crisis over, thought it advisable to do nothing which might provoke a fresh coli. 197, 200; lision, and accordingly determined to countermand the Regnault, troops. Orders to this effect were despatched in all Moniteur, directions from the Tuileries at eleven at night on the 1848. 21st; and, accordingly, on the morning of the 22d not a soldier was to be seen in the streets.1

iii. 397,399;

Feb. 22,

51.

the people.

Feb. 22.

The consequences of this unfortunate step were soon Aspect of apparent. The people, who were for the most part ignorant of the resolution come to at the eleventh hour by the Liberal committees to countermand the procession, and of the counter-orders in consequence given to the troops, assembled in great numbers in the principal streets at daybreak on the 22d, and seeing no attempts made to interrupt them, deemed it certain that the demonstration was to go on, and that the cause of reform had triumphed. They were not shaken in this belief by the addresses already given, which appeared in the morning newspapers of the same day, inviting the people not to attempt a demonstration. They still remained calm and motionless, in great crowds, in the Boulevard de la Madeleine, the Place de la Concorde, and the Champs Elysées, awaiting the course of events, and convinced that, before nightfall, something decisive would take place. The emissaries from the Réforme and the National gave this advice, which was implicitly obeyed. Meanwhile, the name of M. Guizot was in every mouth, and generally with the same execrations as that of M. de Polignac had been in

XLVII.

1848.

July 1830. As the afternoon approached, some bands CHAP. of students began to traverse the streets, singing the Marseillaise, and shouting, "Vive la Réforme !—à bas M. Guizot!" Still, however, there was no actual rioting till late in the evening, when, in consequence of the crowds. which still thronged the streets, some bodies of cavalry were stationed in the Rue de Rivoli, St Honoré, and the boulevards. They were pelted with stones in some places by the mob, and in the centre of the city some attempts were made to erect barricades. In consequence of this circumstance, it was resolved to occupy Paris in a military manner on the following morning, and according to constant usage since 1830, by joint detachments of the regular troops and the National Guard. Orders to assemble the latter force were accordingly sent out late at night on the 22d, and at seven in the morning of the 23d the générale beat in all the streets of Paris, and the Cassagnac, National Guard, in uniform, were everywhere to be seen Regnault, hastening to their rallying-points. To this resolution Moniteur, the fall of the monarchy is beyond all question to be 1848. ascribed.1

1

i. 201, 203;

iii. 401,403;

Feb. 23,

policy of the

The principal officers of the great civic force in Paris, 52. which for ten years had been worked upon by the Liberal Insidious press, and which had become extremely discontented in National consequence of its will not having in all cases been im- Guard. plicity obeyed by the Government, had a meeting at nine at night, on the 22d, in the office of the Siècle, to deliberate on the course which they should pursue in the crisis which was approaching. It was there resolved unanimously that they should take up arms and appear in their battalions with or without the orders of Government on the following day. They were to assume such an attitude as should convince every one that, however determined to displace the Ministry, they would not permit the overthrow of the Government. In a word, they were to interpose between the contending parties in such a way as should at once prevent the effusion of blood,

XLVII.

1848.

1 Recit. de

St Amand,

Cap. à la 4ieme Legion; Le

Cassagnac,

gnault,

Gouv.

53.

CHAP. force reform upon the Government, and hinder the throne being shaken. For this purpose they were to place themselves everywhere between the soldiers and multitude, and compel both to desist from conflict, while at the same time their voice and attitude should force a change of men and measures on the Executive. This plan of operations was openly expounded in a petition drawn up by the officers of the 4th Legion, and to which nearly all the others gave in their adhesion. Thus the National Guard of Paris assumed the functions of the Legislature, and aspired, like the Prætorians of Rome, not merely to give, as they Drame aux had done, a monarch to the throne, but to impose a policy Tuileries, 4; on his Government. Meanwhile their commander, General 1.20; Re- Jacqueminot, was so ignorant of its real disposition, that Hist. du he assured the Council that, with the exception of a few Prov., c. 3. battalions which were ill-disposed and known, the loyalty of the whole civic force might with confidence be relied on.1 It soon appeared how far the anticipations of General Jacqueminot were correct, and what support, in its last agony, the monarchy of July was to receive from the National Guard. The 23d February opened upon a city agitated but undecided, ready to obey the strongest impulse, to surrender the direction to whoever had the courage to seize it. The presence of the military in all the principal quarters sufficiently revealed the apprehensions of Government—the conduct of the civic force too clearly evinced to which side it would incline. At ten, M. Flocon, a determined Revolutionist, entered in haste the office of the Réforme, and exclaimed, "Quick, all clothe yourselves in the uniform of the National Guard: never mind whether they are your own or not intimate to all Patriots to do the same. As soon as you are dressed, hasten to the mayor's, calling out Vive la Réforme!' Directly you are there, put yourselves at the head of the detachments as they arrive, and interpose them between the soldiers and the people. Quick, quick! the Republic is to be had for the taking."2 These directions, emanating from the

The National Guard in effect join the insurgents.

2 De la

Hodde,

Soc. Sec., 442.

XLVII.

1848.

headquarters of the movement, were too faithfully adopted; CHAP. and the National Guard, timid, desirous to avoid a collision, and avert the shedding of blood, were everywhere too happy to follow them. The orders of Government being that all the posts should be occupied by the troops of the line and the civic forces jointly, the latter were everywhere on the spot with the soldiers, and, in conformity with their injunction, they constantly interposed between the military and the populace, so as to render any attempt to disperse the assemblages impossible, as no officer would incur the responsibility of openly engaging in a conflict with the National Guard of the capital. Several of the legions openly joined them, at least in words, and traversed the streets, crying out "Vive la Réforme !" The military, condemned to inactivity by this skilful policy, remained passive spectators of the increasing tumult; and the fact of their nowhere acting, spread abroad the belief that they too had become traitors, and that the whole military force of the capital was on the side of the Liberals. The revolutionary leaders were not slow in taking advantage of this auspicious state of things. Orders were immediately sent to the secret societies every where to 1 De la come forth, and bring with them the strength of the soc. Sec., faubourgs. The agitation rose to its highest point when 444, 445; these formidable bands, which recalled the worst days the first Revolution, began to appear at noon in the Rue gnault, iii. St Honoré; and in the centre of the city barricades were Hist. du hastily run up, and the gunsmiths' shops began to be Prov., c. 3. pillaged.1

Hodde,

Cassagnac,

of, 206, 207,

Great was the consternation at the Tuileries when

* "La Garde Nationale, appelée en effet le matin du 24 pour s'interposer entre le peuple et la troupe de ligne, répondait lentement et mollement à l'appel. Elle voyait dans le mouvement prolongé du peuple une manifestation antiministérielle, une pétition armée en faveur de la réforme électorale qu'elle était loin de désapprouver. Elle souriait en secret. Elle ne s'alarmait pas trop de voir ce peuple voter à coup de fusil contre le système usé du Roi. Ce Prince avait vieilli dans le cœur de la Garde Nationale, comme le chiffre de ses années. La sagesse paraissait aux Parisiens pétrifiée en obstination."— LAMARTINE, Histoire de la Révolution de 1848, i. 71, 72.

208; Re

402, 403;

Gouv.

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