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the origins of contemporary france-2-第25章

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1789)。  〃Ravages du Maconnais。〃   Arthur Young; July 27th。  …

Buchez and Roux; IV。  215; 214。   Mercure de France; September 12;

1789。  (Letter by a volunteer of Orleans。) 〃On the 15th of August;

eighty…eight ruffians; calling themselves reapers; present

themselves at Bascon; in Beauce; and; the next day; at a chateau in

the neighborhood; where they demand within an hour the head of the

son of the lord of the manor; M。 Tassin; who can only redeem himself

by a contribution of 1;600 livres and the pillaging of his cellars。



'44' Letter of the Count de Courtivron。  …  Arthur Young; July 31st。

…  Buchez and Roux; II。  243。  …  Mercure de France; August 15; 1789

(sitting of the 8th; discourse of a deputy from Dauphiné。)  

Mermet; 〃Histoire de la Ville de Vienne;〃 445   〃 Archives

Nationales;〃 ibid。  (Letter of the commission of the States of

Dauphiny; July 31st。)  〃The list of burnt or devastated chateaux

is immense。〃 The committee already cites sixteen of them。  

Puthod de la Maison…Rouge; ibid。  : 〃Were all devastated places to

be mentioned; it would be necessary to cite the whole province 〃

(Letter from Macon)。  〃They have not the less destroyed most of the

chateaux and bourgeois dwellings; either burning them and or else

tearing them down。〃



'45' Lally…Tollendal; 〃Second Letter to my Constituents;〃 104。



'46' Doniol; 〃La Révolution et la Féodalité;〃 p。60 (a few days after

the 4th of August)。  …  〃Archives Nationales;〃 H。  784。  Letters of

M。 de Langeron; military commander at Besan?on; October 16th and

18th 。   Ibid。  ; D。  XXIX。  I。  Letter of the same; September

3rd。 Arthur Young (in Provence; at the house of Baron de la Tour…

d'Aignes)。  〃The baron is an enormous sufferer by the Revolution; a

great extent of country which belonged in absolute right to his

ancestors; has been granted for quit…rents; ceus; and other feudal

payments; so that there is no comparison between the lands retained

and those thus granted by his family。  。  。  。  The solid payments

which the Assembly have declared to be redeemable are every hour

falling to nothing; without a shadow of recompense 。  。  。  The

situation of the nobility in this country is pitiable; they are

under apprehensions that nothing will be left them; but simply such

houses as the mob allows to stand unburned; that the small farmers

will retain their farms without paying the landlord his half of the

produce; and that; in case of such a refusal; there is actually

neither law nor authority in the country to prevent it。  This

chateau; splendid even in ruins; with the fortune and lives of the

owners; is at the mercy of an armed rabble。〃





CHAPTER IV。  PARIS。



I。



Paris。   Powerlessness and discords of the authorities。  The

people; king。



THE powerlessness; indeed; of the heads of the Government; and the

lack of discipline among all its subordinates; are much greater in

the capital than in the provinces。  Paris possesses a mayor;

Bailly; but 〃from the first day; and in the easiest manner

possible;〃'1' his municipal council; that is to say; 〃the assembly

of the representatives of the commune; has accustomed itself to

carry on the government alone; overlooking him entirely。〃 There is a

central administration; the municipal council; presided over by the

mayor; but; 〃at this time; authority is everywhere except where the

preponderating authority should be; the districts have delegated it

and at the same time retained it;〃 each of them acts as if it were

alone and supreme。   There are secondary powers; the district…

committees; each with its president; its clerk; its offices; and

commissioners; but the mobs of the street march on without awaiting

their orders; while the people; shouting under their〃 windows;

impose their will on them;  in short; says Bailly again;

〃everybody knew how to command; but nobody knew how to obey。〃



〃Imagine;〃 writes Loustalot'2' himself; 〃a man whose feet; hands;

and limbs possessed each its own intelligence and will; whose one

leg would wish to walk when the other one wanted to rest; whose

throat would close when the stomach demanded food; whose mouth would

sing when the eyelids were weighed down with sleep; and you will

have a striking picture of the condition of things in the capital〃



There are 〃sixty Republics〃'3' in Paris; each district is an

independent; isolated power; which receives no order without

criticizing it; always in disagreement and often in conflict with

the central authority or with the other districts。  It receives

denunciations; orders domiciliary visits; sends deputations to the

National Assembly; passes resolutions; posts its bills; not only in

its own quarter but throughout the city; and sometimes even extends

its jurisdiction outside of Paris。  Everything comes within its

province; and particularly that which ought not to do so。   On the

18th of July; the district of Petits…Augustins'4' 〃decrees in its

own name the establishment of justices of the peace;〃 under the

title of tribunes; and proceeds at once to elect its own; nominating

the actor Molé。  On the 30th; that of the Oratoire annuls the

amnesty which the representatives of the commune in the H?tel…de…

Ville had granted; and orders two of its members to go to a distance

of thirty leagues to arrest M。 de Bezenval。  On the 19th of August;

that of Nazareth issues commissions to seize and bring to Paris the

arms deposited in strong places。  From the beginning each assembly

sent to the Arsenal in its own name; and 〃obtained as many

cartridges and as much powder as it desired。〃 Others claim the right

of keeping a watchful eye over the H?tel…de…Ville and of

reprimanding the National Assembly。  The Oratoire decides that the

representatives of the commune shall be invited to deliberate in

public。  Saint…Nicholas des Champs deliberates on the veto and begs

the Assembly to suspend its vote。   It is a strange spectacle;

that of these various authorities each contradicting and destroying

the other。  To…day the H?tel…de…Ville appropriates five loads of

cloth which have been dispatched by the Government; and the district

of Saint…Gervais opposes the decision of the H?tel…de…Ville。  To…

morrow Versailles intercepts grain destined for Paris; while Paris

threatens; if it is not restored; to march on Versailles。  I omit

the incidents that are ridiculous:'5' anarchy in its essence is both

tragic and grotesque; and; in this universal breaking up of things;

the capital; like the kingdom; resembles a bear…garden when it does

not resemble a Babel。



But behind all these discordant authorities the real sovereign; who

is the mob; is very soon apparent。   On the 15th of July it

undertakes the demolition of the Bastille of its own accord; and

this popular act is sanctioned ; for it is necessary that

appearances should be kept up; even to give orders after the blow is

dealt; and to follow when it is impossible to lead。'6'  A short time

after this the collection of the octroi at the barriers is ordered

to be resumed; forty armed individuals; however; present themselves

in their district and say; that if guards are placed at the octroi

stations; 〃they will resist force with force; and even make use of

their cannon。〃   On the false rumor that arms are concealed in the

Abbey of Montmartre; the abbess; Madame de Montmorency; is accused

of treachery; and twenty thousand persons invade the monastery。  

The commander of the National Guard and the mayor are constantly

expecting a riot; they hardly dare absent themselves a day to attend

the King fête at Versailles。  As soon as the multitude can assemble

in the streets; an explosion is imminent。  〃On rainy days;〃 says

Bailly; 〃I was quite at my ease。〃  It is under this constant

pressure that the Government is carried on; and the elect of the

people; the most esteemed magistrates; those who are in best repute;

are at the mercy of the throng who clamor at their doors。  In the

district of St。  Roch;'7' after many useless refusals; the General

Assembly; notwithstanding all the reproaches of its conscience and

the resistance of its reason; is obliged to open letters addressed

to Monsieur; to the Duke of Orleans; and to the Ministers of War; of

Foreign Affairs; and of the Marine。  In the committee on

subsistence; M。 Serreau; who is indispensable and who is confirmed

by a public proclamation; is denounced; threatened; and constrained

to leave Paris。  M。 de la Salle; one of the strongest patriots among

the nobles; is on the point of being murdered for having signed an

order for the transport of gunpowder;'8' the multitude; in pursuit

of him; attach a rope to the nearest street…lamp; ransack the H?tel…

de…Ville; force every door; mount into the belfry; and seek for the

traitor even under the carpet of the bureau and between the legs of

the electors; and are only stayed in their course by the arrival of

the National Guard。



The people not only
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