HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
Queen spoke oftener, and with 
more complacency to the new 
guards than them. 
This new guard became an ob- 
ject of suspicion and terror to the 
inhabitants of Paris, who consider- 
ed them as aristocrats in disguise. 
The jealousies and squabbles he- 
tween this body and the national 
guards, added to the fable of the 
Austrian Committee, encouraged 
the Assembly to persevere in throw- 
ing out and circulating suspicions 
against the intentions of the King 
and the civism of his guards. 
When vague rumours and accusa- 
tions had thus worked up the minds 
of the populace to a state of anger 
and inquietude, the legislative as- 
sembly, under pretence of a plot 
that threatened its existence, with 
the safety of the country, declared 
itself permanent. By a decree of 
the assembly, the whole body of the 
life guards were dismissed, May 20, 
1792; and their commander, the 
Duke de Brissac, sent to the prison 
at Orleans. The Duke was unal- 
terably attached .to his Majesty: 
and it was a double advantage to 
send this gentleman to a distance ; 
and by confining him in prison to 
be tried at a future day, to keep up 
an appearance that some charges 
could actually be brought against 
him. The King was perfectly sen- 
sible that the motive of the decree 
for disbanding his guard was no 
_ other than to deprive him of the 
protection of men who would de- 
fend his life, at the hazard of their 
own. He was extremely agitated; 
and the morning after the decree 
passed, he sent for his ministers at 
an early hour, and communicated 
a letter to them, which he intended 
to send to the Assembly, announc- 
ing his refusal to sanction the de- 
Vou. XXXIV. 
[17 
cree: but they all refused to coun- 
tersign his letter; which conse- 
quently could not be sent. His 
Majesty then proposed to go in 
person to the Assembly, and pro- 
nounce a discourse, in which he 
would give his reasons for not 
sanctioning the decree. But the 
ministers assured him that the fer- 
ment of the people was so violent, 
that the sanction could not be de- 
ferred without exposing the guards 
and every person in the palace to 
the greatest danger. The unhappy 
prince, without farther resistance, 
consented to sanction that fatal 
decree. Nor was the Assembly 
satisfied with disbanding the body- 
guards, and dispersing the Swiss 
regiments of guards among the 
troops of the line. As it was pos- 
sible that the Parisian guards might 
be headed by a moderate man, 2 
decree had been passed that the 
commandant of the guard should 
be renewed every two months; so 
that there might be no time for 
any commander to gain any dan- 
gerous ascendancy over the minds 
of the officers and soldiers. Ac- 
cordingly (after La Fayette quitted 
the command ofthe Parisian guard 
for that of the army) six command- 
ants were appointed to relieve each 
other at the periods just mentioned, 
instead of one. 
The fund of the civil list was 
divided into twelve equal pay- 
ments, and placed in the chest of 
M. de Septreuil, who was at once 
the King’s valet de chambre and 
treasurer of the civil list. These 
payments were made in assignats, 
except the sum of seventy-five 
thousand livres, which the King 
desired he might have in specie. 
But towards the end of 1791, the 
commissioners of the natignal trea- 
{C] sury 
