第500章

During the night of the 9th and 10th of August their government forms itself for action， it has been set up as it will behave， with violence and fraud. i -- In vain have they annoyed and worked on the sections for the past fortnight； they are not yet submissive， only six out of forty-eight at the present hour， eleven o'clock at night， being found sufficiently excited or purged to send their commissioners forthwith， with full power， to the H？tel-de-ville. The others will follow， but the majority rests inert or recalcitrant.[67] -- It is necessary， therefore， to deceive or force this majority， and， to this end， darkness， the late hour， disorder， dread of the coming day， and the uncertainty of what to do， are precious auxiliaries. In many of the sections，[68] the meetings are already adjourned or deserted； only a few members of the permanent bureau in the room， with a few men， perhaps asleep， on the nearly empty benches. An emissary arrives from the insurgent sections， along with a company of trusty fellows belonging to the quarter， and cries out， Save the country！ The sleepers open their eyes， stretch themselves， raise their hands， and elect whoever is designated， sometimes strangers and other unknown individuals， who will be disowned the coming day at a full meeting of the section. There is no official report drawn up， no balloting， the course pursued being the most prompt. At the Arsenal section， six electors present choose three among their own number to represent 1，400 active citizens. Elsewhere， a throng of shrews， night-brawlers and dishonorable persons， invade the premises， chase out the believers in law and order， and win all the desired appointments.[69] Other sections consent to elect， but without consenting to give power of attorney. Several make express reservations， stipulating that their delegates shall act in concert with the legal municipality， distrusting the future committee， and declaring in advance that they will not obey it. A few elect their commissioners only to obtain information， and， at the same time， to show that they intend earnestly to stop all rioting.[70] Finally， at least twenty sections abstain from or disapprove of the proceedings and send no delegates. -- Never mind， they can be dispensed with. At three o'clock in the morning， 19sections， and， at seven o'clock， 24 or 25，[71] are represented one way or another at the Town-hall (H？tel-de-ville)， and this representation forms a central committee. Anyhow， there is nothing to prevent seventy or eighty subordinate intriguers and desperadoes， who have slipped in or pushed through， from calling themselves authorized delegates and ministers plenipotentiary of the entire Paris population，[72] and to operate accordingly. -- Scarcely are they installed under the presidency of Huguenin， with Tallien as secretary， when they issue a summons for "twenty-five armed men from each section，" five hundred strapping lads， to act as guards and serve as an executive force. --Against a band of this description the municipal council， in session in the opposite chamber， is feeble enough. Moreover， the most moderate and firmest of its members， sent away on purpose， are on missions to the Assembly， at the palace， and in different quarters of Paris， while its galleries are crammed with villainous looking men， posted there to create an uproar， its deliberations being carried on under menaces of death. -- That's why， as the night passes， the equilibrium between the two assemblages， one legal the other illegal， facing each other like the two sides of a scale， disappears. Lassitude， fear， discouragement， desertion， increase on one side， while numbers， audacity， force and usurpation increase on the other. At length， the latter wrests from the former all the acts it needs to start the insurrection and render defense impossible. About six o'clock in the morning the intruding committee， in the name of the people， ends the matter by suspending the legitimate council， which it then expels， and takes possession of its chairs.

The first act of the new sovereign rulers indicates at once what they mean to do. M. de Mandat， in command of the National guard， summoned to the H？tel-de-ville， had come to explain to the council what disposition he had made of his troops， and what orders he had issued.

They seize him， interrogate him in their turn，[73] depose him， appoint Santerre in his place， and， to derive all the benefit they can from his capture， they order him to withdraw one-half of his men stationed around the palace. Fully aware of what he was exposed to in this den of thieves， he nobly refuses； forthwith they consign him to prison， and send him to the Abbaye "for his greater safety." At these significant words from Danton，[74] he is murdered at the door as he leaves by Rossignol， one of Danton's acolytes， with a pistol-shot at arm's length. -- After tragedy comes comedy. At the repeated entreaties of Pétion， who does not want to be requisitioned against the rioters，[75] they send him a guard of 400 men， thus confining him in his own house， and， apparently in spite of himself.