The Sun.
London, England, 1804-05-04 00:00:00

LOUIS xyz.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE JOURNEY OF LOVIC
KING OF FRANCE, WITH THE ROYAL FAMILY,

FROM FAKI TO VARENNIES, AND CF THEIR RE.
TURN TO THE CAPITAL, IN JUNE 1791.
(C;ntinsted from our Parer qf Yesterday.)
The Royal Family at last arrived at Clermont en
Argone, v<here lay Monsieur's Regiment of Dra.
goons, commanded by M. de Damas.
Ore of the Officers came up to M. de Moustier,
and said, " Comrade, shall I order a patty to mount
and attend you ?" M. de Moustier declincll at.
cepting the offer, as it might have occasioned sonic
suspicion of the rank of the travellers ; saying to
the Officer, that he must surely be in a mistake re-
speding them, for that they were not accustomed to
travel with such attendants.
The Officer, either from prudence, or that he
feared he had been too rash, replied only that it
might be dangerous for persons of distinaion to
travel through the woods in the night.
M. de Moustier thanked him for his attention,
adding, that persons who travelled as they did, al.
ways conk care to be prepared against highwaymen,
car whatever other inconventencies they could exped
to encounter.
When the carriage had left Clermont, M. de
Damas ordered his Regiment to mount and march ;
hut instead of obeying, the men set up the cry of
n:ive la Nolen .1* and M. de Damas contrived,
though with much :lifficulty, and after being severe-
ly threatened by them, to nuke his escape out of
their hands, and repaired to the King, who was, by
this time, arrived at Varennes ; whither the Duke
de Choiseul had also repaired.
The carriage entered Varennes at a quarter, or
perhaps half an hour, past ten o'clock at night ; an
hour when the inhabitants of that place ought all
naturally to have gone to bed.
Here horses were expeaed to convey the Royal
Family to Steray.
M. de Bouiile, son of the celebrated General, the
Marquis de Bouille, and M. de Goguebs, were al_
ready at Varennes; hut unfortunately they were
posted at the farther extremity of the town, beyond
the bridge, over a small river that runs by it. This
bridge was afterwards found to be blocked up by
three waggons loaded with timber overturned on
it. Four pieces of cannon were also planted at the
gate of the place. These, however, could not have
occasioned much hindrance to the journey, as the
people could not have made use of them without
endangering their friends as much as the Royal
Family.

The night was extremely dark, and from the
hour, and the protound silence of cite place, the in.
habitants were supposed to be all at rest.
As the horses cspeCted from Stenay did not ap.
pear, i was proposed to the drivers to go on ano-
ther stage ; but this they positively refused to do,
pretending that they did not know the road. No..
Lhing, therefore, could induce them to proceed ;
not even the promise of fifty Louis.d'or, cn3dc to
them by M, de Malden.
In this dilemma, the King directed M. de Mou-
Stier to irvire for the road at a house on the right
hand of the street, nearly opposite the carriage,
and where, only, any ;fight had been observed.
The door, which stood open, was shut as soon
as M. de Moustier approached it ; but when he
pressed strongly against it, it was again opened, and
a gentleman within, in a night gown, asked him,
in a firm voice, what he wanted.
4, I only came /said M. de Moustier), to beg
you to 4:film me which is the road from this place
to S;enay
" I would do it (said the gentleman), most rea.
dity ; but if it came to h;.. known to the public that
I had done so, I should he ruined."
" What, Sit ! (replied M. de. Moustier), a lady
on a j .urney finds herself overtaken by the night,
and is an utter stranger to the country : you are
surely too well bred to refuse to point out her
road ?"

Nl, Sir, (said the gentleman again), this is no
La,ly ; we know who the travellers are,"
On this NI. de Moustier returned to the carriage,
and recounted what had passed to His Majesty, who
sent him back to desire the Gentleman to come to
the carriage.
NI. de Muustier went, and told himn that his
Mistress begged he would come out to her, to which
the Gentleman agreed, rut putting off his shoes, lest
his steps should be went to the coach,
where he cone-rsed some time with the King; and
then contlceiLd de Moustier to the lodgirigs
the comman,ling ificer of the hussars of Lauzun,
walking all the way without his shoes, and insist.
ing on absolute secrecy from M. de Moustier.
The commandant's Ldgiegs were rear, but he
was not to be ft.und. Tney only met with one of
the Lussars, who had been ordered, he said, to
carry the cilice:'s portmanteau to 1-.ln, if he did not
curie home between twelve and one o'clock in the

imornirg.
Ai-Ltr this the carriage moved onwartl9, through
\ramifies, fcr about two hundred steps, when it
was st,:pptd by a ci-cwd of national guards, filling
the street, and presenting their muskets at the driv_
ers, who, as tnay be supposed from their former be..
hatijour, were soon induced to halt 1-.
Two men staod;lig di;e(crtly opposite to the door
of the carriage, on the left side, pointed their mus-
kets against it, calling out, Fire ! M. de Moustier
pushed down one of the pieces, and seized the oth:. r
wilt une hand, while he clapped the other to his
hanger.