350 THE COLTON PAPERS. 



tears of mutual joy, and congratulated each other on having so hap- 

 pily accomplished the deliverance of their country. 



"While these brilliant achievements were accomplishing in the vi- 

 cinity of the Louvre and the chateau of the Tuileries, achieve- 

 ments that could not be said to be finally terminated in favour of the 

 people till about three in the afternoon, the morning of this me- 

 morable day had been, if possible, still more eventful and glorious 

 in various other sections of the city. In the rue St. Honore, near 

 the extremity of the rue Richelieu, and also in the open square of 

 the place du Palais Royal, an early and ^tremendous conflict had 

 commenced between the national troops and a detachment of the 

 Garde Royale, composed in great measure of the Swiss. The con- 

 flict here was of the most sanguinary and murderous nature, inas- 

 much as every house was disputed story by story, and every position 

 inch by inch. It was a revival of the siege of Saragosa ; for the 

 Royal Guards, no less than the people, had intrenched themselves in 

 many of the adjacent buildings, and from this advantageous position 

 kept up a steady and destructive fire on their opponents. 



The military in this quarter, at the first appearance of dawn, had 

 thrown themselves into several of the houses in the Place of the Pa- 

 lais Royal, opposite the rue de Valois, and on the other side of the 

 square, and also in those facing, and at the end of the rue Richelieu, 

 the latter being completely commanded by a piece of artillery placed 

 in the rue de Rohan. Thus supported, and taking their stations at 

 the windows of the upper apartments, they seemed to set any at- 

 tempt of the citizens on this point at defiance. Their overwhelming 

 superiority in means and in position was however totally disregarded 

 by their gallant antagonists, and the battle fought on this spot was 

 one of the most obstinate and bloody that occurred during the con- 

 test of these three memorable days. In the early part of the morn- 

 ing the position occupied by the soldiery gave them decisive advan- 

 tages, which, under the exasperation of protracted conflict, they 

 used with tremendous effect. To appear within the reach of a 

 musket-ball was death. Still the assailants advanced; every dying 

 citizen supplied an unarmed fellow-countryman with a weapon for 

 the sacred cause, and the fight was continued with unabated fierce- 

 ness over the bodies of the wounded and the dead. At length some 

 of the doors of the Theatre Fran9ais were forced open, and numbers 

 of the populace flew to the balcony, from whence they could fire in- 

 to the apartments occupied by the Swiss. Several windows and the 

 roofs of many of the adjacent houses were also taken possession of 

 by the people, and the deadly combat now became more than equal. 

 At this crisis, that is to say, about noon, a proposition "was made, or 

 rather a boon solicited on the part of the royal troops, for a cessation 

 of arms for two hours, which being looked upon as a preliminary to 

 a final arrangement, that might put a stop to the effusion of blood, 

 was acceded to without hesitation by the citizens, who, far from 

 suspecting treachery at such a moment, at once turned to the melan- 

 choly task of removing' their wounded associates, and placing them 

 under surgical care. Hundreds of the populace unsuspectingly entered 

 the Place of the Palais Royal, and were already congratulating each 



