of

encounter all peril; advising them to demean themselves peaceably, and return to their homes. But they paid no attention to his words, and the crowd still continued to increase. A body of citizens was now arrived, and entered the hall. One of them fnatching off the hat an infurgent, on which was chalked bread and the constitution of 1793, was inftantly cut down with fabers, and wounded by a musket shot. A member of the convention, Ferrand, endeavouring to assist him, was immediately murdered by the mob, his head cut off, and fixed upon a pike. It was now four in the afternoon. The tumult was become so dreadful, and the populace feemed so disposed to commit every fort of outrage, that it appeared no longer safe to remain among them. The majority of the members thought it prudent to withdraw. Those only continued in the hall who were known to be favourable to the principles of the infurgents. This was their time to act, and they took it accordingly. Duroi, Goujon, Dusquesnoi, and Barbotte, rofe one after the another, and proposed several decrees in oppofition to those that had been passed against the late government and its adherents. They were proceeding in this manner, when an armed body of citizens in company with another of the military, made their way into the hall, and informed the multitude that all the citizens of Paris were under arms, and marching to the aid of the convention, and that if the populace did not immediately depart, no quarter would be given to them. This menace, and the intelligence they received, that general Hoche was at the of the city militia, with a

number of the military, struck them with fuch terror, that they directly difperfed, and fled on every fide, leaving the hall in the quiet poffeffion of the moderate party, which now returned and refumed their feats. Boissy D'Anglas, Bourdon De L'Oife and fome others had refolutely stood their ground, during this terrible fray. The former boldly affumed the prefident's chair, and the latter spoke out fearless of danger. He now insisted on the repeal of the decrees carried by the violence of the jacobin majority that had remained in the hall, together with the arrest of those who had proposed them. This was complied with, and Duroi, with the three other members who had seconded him, was taken into custody.

Had the convention behaved with more caution, after thus defeating its enemies, it is probable that these would have remained quiet: but their too great fecurity occafioned a renewal of the contest, with additional violence. The infurgents, though driven from the hall of the convention, and compelled to difperse for a while, foon reassembled, and finding themselves neither purfued nor molested, recovered their spirits, and determined to make a fecond attack. They collected in vast numbers, and marched to the hall of the convention, provided with cannon, which they pointed against it, to the great alarm of the members, who were wholly unapprised of what had been transacting by the infurgents, and were totally unprepared to refift them. The citizens who had the preceding day aflifted them with fo much fidelity, and quelled the riot so effectually, little thought the rioters would, in a few hours after, return to the charge, charge. They were not, therefore, in a state of fufficient preparation to encounter this multitude, and the convention now faw itself alone, and expofed, unaided, to the rage of the infurgents, who boldly dedared they would make the convention repent ofits ill-treatment of them on the preceding day. The convention, convinced they were in the hands of a defperate mob, thought it prudent to temporize and yield to neceffity. They deputed ten members to offer terms of ac coumodation and fraternity, and to afure them, they were ready to reftore the conftitution of 1793. Thele terms were accepted by the infurgents: but the facility with which these demands were granted, induced them to infift upon others. They required the liberation from imprifonment of those who had fpoken in their favour, and that those should be punished who demanded money in payment in lieu of affignats. These two demands they swore never to give up. This refolute mode of speaking inclined the prefident of the convention to promife them that their requests should be taken forthwith into confideration; and he invited the deputies of the infurgents to the honours of the fitting. The business closed by giving them the fraternal kifs; and they departed fully fatisfied with the fuccess of their miffion. All Paris, as foon as apprised of what had paffed, teftified the utmost aftonishment. Some thought the convention in earnest, and that their condescenfion proceeded from the desire to prevent any farther effufion of blood, in hopes to bring the infurgents to a better way of thinking, when the prefent ferment was allayed. But most people were

of opinion, that as they had acted under constraint, they would not confider their promises as binding, and would make no fcruple to rescind them, as foon as they were relieved from the terrors naturally infpired by a ferocious mob.

The infurgents themselves doubted the fincerity of the convention, and the heads of them were meditating a third attack. They had been out-lawed by the convention; and he that had killed the member of that affembly had been feized and tried before a court of justice, which had condemed him to death. The infurgents refolved to oppose this sentence, and he was rescued on his way to the place of exесиtion.

This act of disobedience to the law, fully shewed what might be expected from the infurgents, if they were not effectually fuppreffed. The citizens now lamented their negligence, in fuffering them to rally after having fo completely defeated them, and now faw the necessity of repairing their errors. They collected their whole strength, and waited on the convention, with the warmest assurances of fupporting their authority, and of executing whatever they should decree against the infurgents. Encouraged by these profeffions of adherence, the convention declared to the infurgents, that unless they delivered up their arms, together with the afsaffin of Ferrand, they should be confidered as rebels. This was what the infurgents had expected, the moment they were informed that the citizens were in arms for the convention. They had, in confequence, barricadoed the ftreets leading to the fuburb of St. Antoine, and prepared for a stout resistance. But

the

the fuburb was in a short time furrounded by large bodies of the military, as well as of citizens; and the infurgents were threatened with a bombardment of their houfes, unless they complied with the orders of the convention. Seeing that refistance was vain, they offered to capitulate: but they were informed that their fubmifsion must be unconditional. On their hesitating whether to fubmit or to ritk a contest, the troops of the convention prepared to execute its orders, when the infurgents finding themselves inadequate to the force brought against them, consented to lay down their arms, and furrender at difcretion. To this they were partly forced by the inhabitants of that large and populous fuburb, who reflected that they must be the principal fufferers in case of a bombardment, thought it more for their interest to throw themselves on the mercy of the convention, than to stand the event of a conflict, which at all events would be ruinous to them, even were the insurgents able, by a vigorous defence, to procure

conditions less severe.

Thus, after a doubtful conflict of three days, fortune declared at last for the convention. This proved a complete triumph to the moderate party, and an entire overthrow to the terrorists and their adherents. The arms, artillery, and warlike stores of this turbulent party of the Parifians, were taken from them, together with that weapon which had proved so terrible in their hands, and with which so much mischief had been perpetrated, their pikes; the deprivation of which filled them with more grief, and humbled them more than any meafure yet adopted against them. It

was a ready instrument for the pur pose of an iuftantaneous infurrection, always at hand, and required no more than bodily strength and courage, in neither of which the classes that chiefly handled it were deficient. They could not help recollecting what feats they had atchieved with this dreadful weapon. They looked upon themselves as a conquered people, over whom their victorious fellow citi zens would henceforth exercise that empire which their better regulated strength had acquired, and to which their more prudent conduct intitled them; a reflexion that struck the generality of men, on this occafion, was the impropriety of trusting arms in the hands of any but the decent classes of the community. All the horrors of the revolution were perpetrated by the lowest descriptions of the people; and terrible as they were, would have been still worse, unless they had been restrained by the seasonable interpofition of the middling fort of people; few of whom were guilty of those criminal exceffles that brought so much difgrace on the revolution.

After the fuppreffion of this dangerous insurrection, the convention thought it indispensable to make some examples of its authors and promoters. Six of their own body had largely participated in it. Thele were tried by a military commission, and sentenced to die. Three of them were executed on the scaffold, and three perished by their own hands. About fifteen others of inferior note were also put to death; but the convention did not judge it fufficient to punish these alone, and were of opinion, that those who were the primary caufes of all these commotions, ought to attone for the