Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1831-02-16

shown itself in the chamber of Deputies,
and all the purely liberal party has re-
tired. Dupont de PEure, Odellon Bar
rot and Treillard have relinquished Office
and with them General Lafayette; the
resignation Of the latter is thus announc-
cd in the Moniteur.
REPoRT TO THE KING.
Paris, Dec. IS. "Sir-M. lie Lafay-
ette has offered his resignation as Com
mandant- General Of the y ational Guard
of the Kingdom. Applications were
made to the General, that he should re-
nounce the resolution, which has aflec-
ted the heart Of your Majesty, and has
deprived France of his great services
The resolution of General Lafayette was
fixed; the admirable conduct of the Va
tional Guard of Paris in every circum-
stance where it had to defend the liberty
and public order, merits the praise of the
country.
81 have the honor to propose to your
Majesty to name Count Lobau, Lieuten-
ant-General, as Commandant- General OF
the National Guard of Paris.
(signed) "MoNTALIvET."
Extract, time will not permit us to
give the whole.)
Brave National Guards--Y ou will par
take ofmy regret i'll learning that General
Lafayette has given in his resignation
/ hattered myselfthat | should have seen
him longer at your head, and animating
your zeal by his example, and by the
great services he has rendered the cause
ofliberty. | feel his resignation the more
as he has but short time to live. This
brave General took a glorious part to
maintain order in the late agitation. |
find another consolation in naming Count
Lobau Commandant-Gencra of the Ma
tional Guards of Paris. He joined and
partook in your dangers and in your glo-
ry on the memorable days of July; his
brilliant military qualities and his patriot
ism rendered him worthy to command this
Citizen Militia, by which | am proud to
be surrounded; and have given me new
pledges of their confidence and affection.
PARIS, Dec. 26. LOUIS PHILIP.
The motives which led to this resigna
ton, are in one paper stated as follows:
The Chamber Of Deputies, apparently
alarmed for reform, passed vote enact
ing thatthe National Guards should not be
permitted to choose their own General.
The consequence Of this vote would
have been the removal of Lalay yette; but
this unpopular and perilous step was to
have been obviated by direct appoint
ment from the King. To this, however,
the patriotic General would not submit
The King subsequently sent for "his old
and attached FRIEND" and the invitation
was accepted.
Lafayette declared that he appeared
not as an unconnected individual, but as
a negotiator; and in reply to the King
earnest entreaty that he would re-acccpt
the command in chief of the Guards from
his hands, said he could never do so, with
out an infusion of popular strength into
his Majesty's present Councils, and the
introduction of such an electoral law as
would satisfy the people, and give solidl-
ty to the institutions Of the revolution.
The General himself, however, has Civ
en- the following explanation OF his resig-
nation in the Chamber.
Resignation of Lafayette. sitting
of the Chamber Of Deputies on the 9th
Dec. was numerously attended in conse-
quence Of the extraordinary degree ofin-
terest excited by recent occurrences The
Chamber was proceeding to the discuss
ion of the law relative to the National
Guard, when General Lafayette entered,
and was received with universal applause,
upwards of one hundred members going
up to him and shaking his hand The
General then went to the President, and
after a short conversation with him, ad-
dressed the Chamber as follows:
''In a neighboring nation it is the GUS
tom when citizen retires from dlstln-
guished Office, for him to come before his
fellow citizens, and explain the cause ,and
] am sure the Chamber will grant me the
same favor. / always have considered
that the post of Commander-in-Chief of
the National Guards of France was in
comparable with a constitutional monar-
chy, except under circumstances of the
most absolute necessity. 1t was this con-
victon that led me, in 1890, when ,OOO,-
me their commander, at the Federation
by $4,000 Deputies, to apply to the Con-
stituent Assembly, and urge them to is
sue decree in opposition to this desire.
Such still was my opinion when the Lieu
tenant General Of the kingdom, who has
since become our King, wished me to ac-
cept the same appointment, and felt my
self bound to accept it, but always retain
ing the intention oflaying it down, as soon
as | was satisfied that it was no longer
necessary for me to retain it, earlier if
peace remained unbroken, but at later