then proposed, that a second message should * be sent, to invite ministers to the assembly. This was carried, with the observation, that invited should be changed into ordered. Another member advised some measures of personal security; saying, that the glory of perishing blindly was too common, and should have no charms for the man that ought to preserve himself for the safety of his country. This proposition, which sufficiently showed the apprehension of some members, was more clearly developed by M. Penières, who moved, that the command of the national guard, though in the hands of the Emperor, should be given, at once, to some one possessed of the confidence of the chamber. This motion was not carried; but at half after four, General Sebastiani proposed, that the legionary chiefs of the national guard should each put a battalion under arms for the protection of the national representatives and the town of Paris. This measure would have been adopted had not M. Garnier, from the commission of administration, announced that a battalion of the guard was then in service about the palace; and had not the president assured the assembly, that there was no sign of the public tranquillity being disturbed, nor the shadow of any commotion. Besides, General Durosnel, the actual commandant, was declared not to have forfeited his title to public confidence. The president now read this letter from the four ministers : "Mr. PRESIDENT, "Having been detained up to the present " time at the chamber of peers, and at council, "and having received almost at the same moment "your message and that of the peers, we are " about to present ourselves to the assembly. "We have the honour, &c, "CARNOT, "CAULAINCOURT, "DUKE OF Otranto, M. Felix Desportes had before partly allayed the impatience of the chamber, by telling them, that news had arrived from the Elysée that the ministers would arrive immediately. Shortly after, the four ministers, and Prince Lucien, entered the hall. The latter informed the chamber that he had been named extraordinary commissary by the Emperor, and required that a secret committee of the whole house should be formed, to give audience to the ministers. The galleries were emptied, and a message was then read from the Emperor, informing the chamber of the loss of the battle in all its extent; and of the nomination of the Dukes of Vicenza and Otranto, and Count Carnot, as commissaries, to treat of peace with the allies. The profound silence which reigned for some moments at the close of the message was interrupted by a member, Mr. M. H. L., who solemnly ascended into the tribune, and to the astonishment of the whole assembly (each individual of which had felt perhaps the necessity of the same boldness and decision), addressed himself to the minister for foreign affairs. "You talk of peace. What new means of com"munication have you in your power? What new "basis do you give to your negotiations! What " is it that you call the national independence? " Europe has declared war against Napoleon. Do you henceforward separate the chief from the "nation? As to myself, I distinctly declare that I "hear no voice but that of the nation; that I see " nothing but one man between us and peace. In "the name of the public safety, unveil the se"crets of your new policy; show us all the depth " of the abyss, and perchance there may be still "left in our courage some resources, and our 66 country will be saved." The remonstrance of the orator was applauded from all parts of the hall with an unanimity which left no doubt on the mind of Prince Lucien that the fate of his brother was decided: he resolved, however, to make one desperate effort, and addressed the representatives of the people in a speech which left untried no art of oratory. He appealed to their honour, to their love of glory, to their generosity, to their oaths; but here he was interrupted by M. de Lafayette, who exclaimed, "We have followed your brother to the sands of "Africa-to the deserts of Russia: the bones "of Frenchmen, scattered in every region, bear " witness to our fidelity." And at this moment, Messrs. M. N. and M. D., together with other voices, declared, that the alternative was inevitable; the requisite remedy was no less manifest than the calamity. The prince continued to harangue, and there were some moments when he seemed to threaten, and at others to implorebut in vain. The ministers were severally interrogated; the opinion of the chamber was pronounced with a gravity and order that gave a weight to their determination, and convinced the prince that in four and twenty hours the authority either of his brother or of the house must be no more: he retired, and the galleries were opened at half-past eight, when Mr. Girod proposed that a committee of five members should sit during the night, to concert with a commission of ministers, and of the house of peers, upon the state of affairs, and the necessary measures of public safety. They were proceeding to discuss the question, when the minister at war, Marshal Davoust, demanded to be heard, and said, "Gentlemen, "I learn that some malcontents have spread the " report, that I have ordered the advance of 66 troops for the purpose of surrounding the as"sembly. This report is injurious to the Emperor, and to his minister, who is a good Frenchman; it must have come from the same source 66 66 66 as the rumour of General Travot having arrived "at Paris." The house rung with applauses. The president, and four vice presidents, were named the members of the committee of safety, and the assembly adjourned until eight the next morning. The peers met at half-past one, the arch-chancellor presiding; and immediately after the procés verbal, the minister of the interior read the same bulletin, which had been communicated by M. Regnault to the representatives, and named four o'clock as the time at which a message would arrive from the Emperor. The declaration then arrived from the other chamber, and after some discussion, the three first articles were adopted, nearly in the same terms as those |