STATE PAPERS. 
household for him out of France ; 
and these facts were known for 
more than six months before the 
King, whose public declarations, 
whose remonstrances with foreign 
powers might have hindered the 
success of these measures, had dis- 
charged the duty imposed upon him 
by the constitution. 
It was on motives thus powerful 
that petitions, sent from a great 
number of the departments, the 
wish of several sections of Paris, fol- 
Jowed by the general expression of 
the wish of the whole commons, 
solicited the forfeiture of the King, 
or the suspension of the royal pow- 
er; andthe National Assembly could 
no longer shrink from the examin- 
ation of this grand question. 
It was their duty not to decide 
but after a mature and well-consi- 
dered examination, after a solemn 
discussion, after having heard and 
weighed all opinions. But the pa- 
tience of the people was exhausted ; 
all at once they appeared united as 
one man in the same. will; they 
marched towards the place of the 
King’s residence; and the King 
came to seek an asylum in the as- 
sembly of the representatives of the 
people, whose seat he knew that the 
fraternal union of the inhabitants 
of Paris with the citizens of the 
departments, would always render 
an asylum inviolable and sacred. 
National guards had been charg- 
ed with defending the residence 
which the King had abandoned ; 
but with them Swiss soldiers were 
stationed, The people had long 
seen, with painful surprise, Swiss 
battalions sharing the guard of the 
King, although the constitution did 
not allow him to have a foreign 
ard. Jt had long been easy to 
esee that this direct violation of 
269 
the law, which by its nature con- 
stantly obtruded itselfon every eye, 
would, sooner or late, occasion 
great misfortunes. The National 
Assembly had neglected nothing 
to prevent them. Reports, dis- 
cussions, motions made by individ- 
ual members and referred to com- 
mittees, had apprized the King se- 
veral months before of the necessity 
of dismissing from about his person 
men, whom everywhere else the 
French always regarded as friends 
and brothers, but whom they could 
not see retained about a constitu- 
tional King, in direct contradiction 
to the constitution, without sus- 
pecting that they had become the 
instruments of the enemies of their 
liberty. 
A decree had ordered their re- 
moval: their commander, support- 
ed by the ministry, demanded 
changes in that decree: the Na- 
tional Assembly consented to those 
chauges. A part of the soldiers: 
was to remain near Paris, but with- 
out doing any duty that might re- 
new disquiets ; and it was contrary 
to the sense of the National Assem- 
bly, contrary to the law, that on 
the 10th of August they were em- 
ployed on a service, from which 
every motive of humanity and of 
_ prudence ought to have kept them 
away. They received orders to 
fire on the armed citizens, at the 
instant when the latter were invit- 
ing them to peace—when unequi- 
vocal signs of fraternity announced 
that peace was going to be accepted 
—at the instant when a deputation 
of the National Assembly was seen 
advancing in the midst of arms to 
speak the words of peace and conci- 
lation, and prevent carnage. Then 
nothing could stop the vengeance 
of the people, who had thus proofof 
anew 
