THE COLTON PAPERS. 345 



the numbers of the assailants who fell. The approaches to this mas- 

 sive building were not made by trenches and parallels ; they had no 

 artillery to breach its walls, no petards to force its gates : determina- 

 tion, courage, and impetuosity were substituted for batteries, and a 

 recklessness of life, a sublime contempt of danger, supplied the place 

 of those murderous inventions. We must now turn to the attack 

 made from the place of St. Germain 1'Auxerrois, nearly opposite to 

 the centre of the eastern front of the palace. The attack from this 

 point was ordered by General Gerard. Every precaution had been 

 taken, the preceding evening, by the Duke of Ragusa, for the de- 

 fence of the palace, which, from its strength, might almost be termed 

 the citadel of Paris. The connection of the building with the Tuil- 

 eries rendered it of such importance, that, if taken, the troops had no 

 place of retreat left, but must evacuate the metropolis. Two regi- 

 ments of the Swiss formed its garrison, detachments of whom were 

 placed in the court, in the Garden of the Infanta, and the neighbour- 

 ing gardens ; they were amply provided with field-pieces, and am- 

 munition of various kinds, for the contest. 



At an early hour the citizens advanced at a quick step, General 

 Gerard himself taking the command, with several other officers, and 

 some of the brave youths of the Polytechnic School, and, having sus- 

 tained some murderous discharges from the garrison, established 

 themselves in all the different houses of the place of St. Germain 

 1'Auxerrois, and in every position within view and gunshot of the 

 object of attack. The church afforded a commanding situation for 

 the besiegers, from whence they fired at every aperture, and at 

 every point, where a ball was likely to take effect. To a citizen 

 named Rouvat, the people were indebted for the first idea of the oc- 

 cupation of the towers, and the galleries of the church, from whence 

 their fire did tremendous execution upon the Swiss. Ihe first tri- 

 coloured flag which floated over its ancient towers, built by the 

 English during the regency of the Duke of Bedford, was hoisted by 

 an old trumpeter of the chasseurs of the Royal Guard. In accom- 

 plishing it he was slightly wounded in the hand. For some hours, 

 the fire was kept up with vigour and effect on both sides, but soon 

 after eleven that of the besieged began to slacken. At that period, 

 M. Langon, formerly a captain in the army, arrived at the head of 

 fifty men, and having killed several Swiss with his own hand, assisted 

 in the storming of the palace. Three columns now attacked it nearly 

 simultaneously, one by the Pont des Arts, another by the Quai de 

 1'Ecole, and a third by the colonnade, from the Place St. Germain 

 1'Auxerrois, and Rue des Poulies, already mentioned. The assailants 

 rushed forward, notwithstanding the terrific fire to which they were 

 exposed, to the gate, and after a brisk discharge, the last heard in 

 this part of the building, entered in triumph at precisely a quarter to 

 twelve, amid loud shouts of Vive la Charte ! The first column that 

 advanced consisted of about two hundred ; they were of course 

 speedily followed by thousands ; the contest, however, was not yet 

 ended, for the troops still retained possession of the gate opposite the 

 Rue du Coq and other parts of the edifice, which they defended 

 until their retreat towards the Tuileries. 



