The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-16 00:00:00

nesses.

The elections were approaching. The factions
which wished to overthrow the Government of the
moderate Republic, and to confiscate the Republic to
the clubs, and to the dictatorship of certain con-
spirators who employed those clubs as their
instruments, began, after a few days, to
meditate a most desperate adventure. A hundred
thousand men, under their immediate direction,
began to assemble upon the Champ-de-Mars, prepa-
ratory to marching in a dense mass upon the Hotel
de Ville, for the purpose of expelling from the Pro-
visional Government those members who resisted
the domination of the clubs, of proclaiming a Com-
mittee of Public Sgfety, of inaugurating a Dictato-
rial Government—a reminiscence of the Despotism
of the Convention—a parody of the 31st of May
against the Girondists. We were informed of these
preparations. We bad already made the most pa-
thetic appeals to the populace, with the intention, if
possible, of deadening the menaces of this insensate
attempt against the sovereignty of the people, and
especially at the very moment when that sovereignty
was on the eve of evidencing its existence through
the exercise of universal suffrage. We did not suc-
ceed in our endeavour. The coup d'etat of the clubs
was inexorably resolved upon. We were only ig-
norant of the day upon which it was to be adven-
tured.

At six o'clock in the morning some zealous men,
having escaped with difficulty from the very midst of
the conspirators, came to inform me that the direc-
tors of the clubs had passed the night in deliberation ;
that they had declared themselves in permanence;
that they had, above all things, and at all price, de-
cided upon my ostracisnz ; that they were furnished in
abundance with arms and cartridges ; that sentinels
were posted at the doors to prevent ingress and
egress; that a committee of public safety had been
proclaimed, a committee composed of certain members
of the Provisional Government, designated on their
subjugation, and of other names which were already
invested with a certain degree of influence in
promoting agitation. They added that these
clubs and their affiliated accomplices had ar-
ranged to place themselves at the head of the
workmen who were to assemble fur the purpose of
some elections on the Champ-de-Mars, to lure them to-
wards the Hotel de Ville, and there to consummate their
enterprise against my collet sues and myself. Thence
they were to proceed against the club of Blanqui,
and to defeat that rival for the dictatorship over the
people which he disputed with themselves, and which
thereby caused extraordinary embarrassments to their
plans. It will be seen later why it was that Blanqui
stood thus alone against all, and why it was that all
were on the other hand leagued against Blanqui.
I took, on the instant, those few defensive measures
of which the crisis of the moment still admitted. The
National Guard, at that time hardly reorganized, had
not as yet been once re-assembled under arms. I
communicated at once with certain chiefs and
agents devoted to my policy in the, faubourgs of
Saint-Antoine and Saint-Merceau. They held
themselves ready to call together the workmen
of those quarters, men admirably intentioned in their
opinions, and to hasten at the first signal to the de-
fence of the Hotel de Ville. For the facilitation of
this project I had placed videttes on the look out upon
the Place de Greve. Those of my colleagues who
had been warned like myself took past in these dif-
ferent measures. At eleven o'clock, at the very
moment when I had completed all the foregoing ar-
rangements, the Minister of the Interior was an-
nounced. He informed me of all those circumstances
which were already known to me in regard to the
conspiracy. He added that the conspirators had so
far injured him that they had inscribed his name
among the members of the Committee of Public
Safety, but that he was resolved never to betray his
colleagues, and that he came to concert with me
those measures which were most advisable to be
taken to oppose the insurrection. We convinced
ourselves in a few words that it was incum-
bent upon him as Minister of the Interior
to order the rappel to be beaten, whilst I proceeded
to General Duvivier to obtain four battalions of the
Garde Mobile, and to hurry them immediately to the
Place de Greve. " I will hold out three hours at
least in the Hotel de Ville," said I to my colleague,
" and if by that time the National Guard has not
responded to the call fur their assistance, I will suc-
cumb. If, on the contrary, the National Guard
rises, it will come forthwith to the deliverance of the
seat of Government; and the Republic, surrounded
by such an imposing force, will be definitively con-
stituted."
The Minister of the Interior then departed ; he
went himself to cause the rappel to be beaten. I also
left the Hotel de Ville at the same moment. I went
to the residence of General Duvivier. The Gene-
ral was absent. The principal officer of his staff,
his chief secretary, and myself then selected
the four battalions; we wrote out the necessary
orders, and dispatched them to the various bar-
racks therein indicated. At this instant General
Duvivier returned. I caused him to participate in
my arrangements, which he thereupon slightly modi-
fied. I inquired of him whether the battalions were
supplied with cartridges, and found that they were
entirely destitute of them. I then took upon myself
the responsibility of seeking out the principal staff of
the National Guard. Gen. Cour tais:arrived there at the
same time that I did myself. He came to give, with-
out any hesitation whatever, the necessary order for
the sounding of the rappel. It was about half-past
twelve. I hurried on foot to the Hotel de Ville to
await and dispose the battalions.
While I was thus taking every measure of defence,
Gen. Changarnier, who had been only a few days pre-
viously appointed the Ambassador to Berlin, reached
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to acquaint me with
all the intelligence which he had acquired as to the
progress of the insurrection. Rumour had informed
him of much that was passing, and had incited him to
seek me at the Hotel de Ville, in order to place at
my disposal as an additional defence the concurrence
of a brave and experienced warrior. We encoun-
tered each other at the official residence of the Mayor
of Paris. The Mayor of Paris and myself at once
author:se d the General to take upon himself
officially the direction of the forces which were
about to arrive. We were just then informed that
the rappel had not yet been beaten in all the quarters.
We dreaded lest a counter-order might have been
issued. In consequence of this the Mayor of Paris
instantly wrote out a new order of an urgent cha-
racter. We sent this order to the Carrousal. It was
this second order which General Changarnier caused
to he enforced, and which order might, without doubt,
have been rendered unnecessary if the first order,