256 The French Revolution of July, 1830. [SEPT; 



But the most serious rencontre of the day took place in the meantime 

 on the Boulevard, near the St. Denis gate. The crowd rushing from 

 the Palais-Royal in the beginning of the affray, poured down the Rue 

 Vivienne into the Boulevard. There they were met by the multitude 

 coming up from the Marais, and the Faubourg St. Antoine, the manu- 

 facturing quarters of Paris; whose artizans have been always formidable 

 in the French insurrections, and who having been dismissed by their 

 masters, and out of work all day, were ready for any desperate enter- 

 prize. This new current encountering the retreating crowd, forced 

 them back upon the military, and a conflict of some severity occurred ; 

 during which, artillery were fired, cavalry charged, and a considerable 

 number of lives were lost on both sides. But the people were still very 

 imperfectly armed ; the chief part having nothing but pikes, knives, or 

 clubs, and the greater part of the fire-arms being old muskets taken 

 from the theatres and warehouses, fowling-pieces from the gunsmith's 

 shops, and pistols belonging to private individuals, long unused, and 

 of course comparatively ineffective. But the crowd were daring, and 

 in the face of the soldiers posted in the Rue St. Honore, shouted out, 

 ' Vive la Charte /' the answer to which was generally a volley. The 

 garde-royale were the most active on the occasion. The troops of the 

 fine were evidently disinclined to come to extremities with the people, 

 though in various instances, when they were pressed upon, they fired. 

 The loss of life during the various skirmishes of the day was consider- 

 able, and the horrid spectacle of the dead and wounded carried home 

 by their friends with their wounds streaming, raised the rage of the 

 city to the fiercest determination. The day had been intolerably 

 sultry, and by some extraordinary neglect, the troops, already under 

 arms during twelve hours, seem to have been left almost totally without 

 food, of which they complained bitterly. 



The firing closed with the evening, and except an occasional shot, the 

 city seemed quiet. But the people stood at their doors in anxious 

 groupes ; men, women and children, talking over the events of the 

 day. Some in tears for the loss of their friends ; some in terror for the 

 military vengeance to come ; but all indignant at the king, the ministers, 

 and the Swiss Guards. 



The insurrection now seemed to have died away. But Marmont's 

 sagacity omitted no precaution : cannon were planted in the Place de 

 Carousel, and the Place Louis XV., commanding the front and rear of 

 the Tuilleries ; the Pont Royal to the south was guarded, and the 

 Boulevard on the north was planted with patrols. 



But in the midst of apparent quietude, this was the night of activity 

 on the part of the citizens, which decided the great contest. It is 

 probable that they were now for the first time joined by the leading 

 persons, who, both as deputies and soldiers, were marked for 

 ministerial suspicion, and who it may well be surmised, if the ministers 

 triumphed, would have been before now in chains or in exile. There 

 were evident symptoms of sagacious guidance in the conduct of the mul- 

 titude during the night of Tuesday, and the various struggles of the day 

 following. The pavements were dug up, and formed into piles across 

 the narrow streets, which were thus made impassable by cavalry, and 

 highly hazardous even to infantry. Stones were collected on the roofs 

 of the houses, and every contrivance was adopted that could make an 

 entrance into the interior of the city a desperate operation. 



