28] 
successful competitor for the may- 
; oralty of Paris. Certain it is, that 
whatever were the secret motives 
of his conduct, he neither possessed, 
nor seems by aught that has ap- 
pear ed in his life, to have deserved 
such a reputation fer decision, or 
even consistency and probity of 
character, and promptitude and 
intrepidity of action, as to inspire 
either his friends with confidence, 
or his enemies with terror. His 
declamations, and distant threats, 
served only to convince the Jaco- 
bins that it was in this manner, 
and not by the silent and reserved 
mode of combination and action, 
that he meant to give vent to his 
feelings. Though the discourse of 
the General was as strong as the 
circumstances required, he was 
heard withapplause by the tribunes, 
and invited by the Assembly to the 
honours of the sitting, But scarce- 
ly had he taken his seat when his 
conduct was severely arraigned by 
Vergniaud, Gaudet, and others of 
the Girondists, in quitting his army 
without leave, and attempting to 
govern the Assembly by intimida- 
_tion. In reality, he exposed him- 
self fairly to such censures, by as- 
suming the. character of a deputy, 
not only from the army, but from 
all people of character and honour 
in the nation. <¢ If”? said Vergni- 
aud,” Fayette be the representative 
_of all men of character and honour 
in the nation, whose representa- 
tives are we ?” 
During these  declamations, 
which were also applauded by 
the audience in the galleries, 
the General remained silent and 
passive; and thus permitted all 
the effect of the bold step he had 
taken to be completely annihilated. 
He thought the best thing he 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 17092. 
could do was, to make his escape 
from Paris that very night, and to 
join the army. He was not, how- 
ever, wholly repulsed by the ill 
success of his appearance at the As- 
sembly: he wrote a long letter 
to M. Lally Tollendal, in which 
he proposed a plan for opening a | 
way to the King through his ene- 
mies, and to establish him in safety, 
either at Compeigne, or inthe north 
part of France, surrounded by his 
constitutional guards, and by his 
faithful army. All this was to be 
done constitutionally. The King’s 
distrust of Fayette was considerably 
abated: but he could never believe 
that he had it in his power to re- 
store the monarchy. He therefore, 
through M. Lally, sent the fol+ 
Jowing obliging, but negative, an- 
swer: “ Let him know that I am 
sensible of his attachment, in pro- 
posing to incur so much danger; 
but it would be imprudent to put 
so many springs in motion at once. 
The best way he can serve me is, 
to continue to make himself a ter- 
ror to the factions, by ably per- 
forming his duty as a General.” 
M. de la Fayette, having been 
advised by his friends at Paris of 
what was intended, that commissa- 
ries were to be sent to arrest him; 
immediately sent orders to the ma- 
gistrates of Sedan to arrest the com- 
missaries as soon as they should en- 
ter the town. He represented what 
had happened at Paris, as the tem- — 
porary insurrection of amob, which 
would soon be quelled; and by 
this means, prevailed on the magis- 
trates to arrest and imprison them 
as impostors, But finding, how- 
ever, no disposition in his army to 
adhere to him; but, on the con- 
trary, that many of the officers, and 
almost all the soldiers, were deter- 
mined 
