438 MEMOIR OF DANIEL TREADWELL. 



and order maintained without any real efficient law ; but things go on from tlie old impulse, as a 

 body iu the physical world continues to move from its inertia, until opposing forces bring it to 

 rest. The same must happen in the world of men. Every day the old impressions of the neces- 

 sity of order, and the habits of obedience to some rules of regard for the rights of others, will 

 become weaker ; and unless some government of real power is established, neither persons nor 

 property will be safe. Not that I believe the frame of things will be disjointed forever, but that 

 a state of lawless anarchy will be introduced, and will continue some time before the great class 

 who are always in favor of law and order, but who are always timid, shall see the necessity of a 

 decided course to put things right, and to that end are obliged to resort to force. 



Nobody yet knows into wiiat parties the National Assembly will divide. The members all 

 cry, "Vive la Republique ! " but it is said tliat many of the members ai'e Royalists; some for 

 Henry Y., and some — a mucli smaller number — for the little Comte de Paris, with his mother 

 for Regent. Royalism, however, if it exists, is entirely smothered in the enthusiasm for the 

 Republic, and the great present struggle is between the National, or Moderate Republicans, and a 

 mass of opponents made up of Democrats, Communists, and all sorts of impracticables and 

 Utopians, who carry the mob of Paris, and consequently have a physical strength that keeps the 

 sober-minded in constant awe. 



May 16th. 

 We yesterday had a decided outbreak, of which although you will have enough in the news- 

 papers, I will put down a short account. The ultra democrats, of all kinds, have for some time 

 been excited by their clubs to unite and overawe the National Assembly to make war for 

 Poland. The leaders seem to have taken this as a rallying point of opposition to the moderate 

 party, and from it they hoped to break down the National Assembly. After three or four pre- 

 liminary meetings in the Place dc la Bastille, they yesterday assembled there, in full force, to 

 carry petitions for the Polish war to the Assembly. Our lodgings are on the Boulevard Mont- 

 martre, and we saw from our balcony the procession pass to the chambers. I believe tliat it 

 consisted of a hundred thousand persons:. About three quarters of them wore blouses; many 

 of the remainder had the uniform of the National Guard. There were some dress-coats, and 

 some — perhaps in all more than a thousand — tvornen. None were armed externally, though it 

 ■was said that most of them had concealed weapons. They had hundreds of banners, and tliou- 

 sands of them were singing the Marseillaise and other choruses. Tlie crowd upon the Boulevards 

 and at the windows did not salute them or answer their shouts. They went directly to tlie 

 National Assembly, where the leaders obtained forced admission, the commander of the Na- 

 tional Guard, General Courtais, having neglected his duty and the orders of the President of the 

 Assembly to oppose them by force. They broke through the doors and inundated the halls and 

 galleries. They dispossessed the members of their seats, overturned the President's chair, the 

 tribune and clerk's tables, and put an entire stop to the government for many hours. In the 

 mean time another party went to the Hotel de la Ville, and, taking possession of it, proclaimed a 

 provisional government of some eight or ten of the most furious demagogues. Towards night, 

 however, the tables were turned, the rappel was beat, and the National Guards assembled from 

 all quarters. Masses of them went down the Boulevards, in sight of us, shouting, " Vive I'As- 

 semblee Nationale ! " The shout was answered with enthusiasm from the people in the streets, 

 and from the windows and balconies of the houses, accompanied with waving of handkerchiefs 

 and all other signs of approbation, which contrasted strongly with the silence in tlie morning 

 during the passing of the hundred thousand Blouses. The National Guard soon cleared the hall 



