r HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
fearcity of bread in the late commo- 
tion, whether real or artificial, was 
now become too true, the princi- 
pal of the remaining leaders of the 
jacobins, who lay concealed in the 
obscurest parts of Paris, availed 
themselves of the ill temper of the 
hungry populace; and _ persuaded 
them that the want of provisions 
was due to the indolence of the 
convention, and their neglecting the 
proper means of providing supplies 
for the metropolis. Among those 
leaders were two members of the 
convention whom it had sentenced 
toimprisonment with several others : 
but they contrived to escape, and 
were now concealed in that most 
turbulent faction of all the metropo- 
lis, the suburb of St. Antoine. 
These were Cambon, the financier, 
and Thurot, men equally dangerous 
through their abilities, their resolu- 
tion, and their influence over the 
multitude. Through their machina- 
tions the pecple were excited to the 
most outrageous complaints and 
menaces against the government, 
and a determination taken to rise in 
arms agiinst the convention. 
The day chosen for this purpose 
was the twentieth of May. They 
prepared it on the preceding day, 
by distributing papers in the several 
_seétions, full of the most rancorous 
charges against the convention, and 
of exhortations to submit no longer 
to so weak and Incapable a govern- 
ment. Those measures produced 
their intended effect; 
bers of the convention were openly 
reviled in the streets, and compelled 
to withdraw to places of shelter; 
but this manifestation of popa- 
Jar fury contributed in the issue 
to their safety, Forewarned there- 
by of what was preparing, they 
had time fos taking precautions, 
the mem- 
[89 
In the inflammatory paprrs, circa. 
lated by the exciters of the, insur. 
rection, they recomm*nd-d ft une- 
quivocally, asthe dury of the people 
when they were aggrieved. They. 
advised the citizens of Paris, with- 
out distin@ion of age or sex, to re- 
p2ir to the convention, thers tode- 
mand bread and the constitution of 
1793, the dissolution of "he conven: 
tion, and the arrest of all its mem: 
bers, and ‘the immediate convoca. 
tion of the primary assemblies for the 
election of another. After these 
arrangements had taken place, and 
the multitude had been provided 
with pikes and other weapons, at 
the dawn of day the alarm bell was 
rung, and the drums beat to.arms in 
the suburbs of St. Antoine. The 
convention had, in the means 
while, assembled ; and after issuing a 
proclamation to the citizens to arm 
in their defence, passed a decree to 
outlaw every one that headed the 
insurgents: but these now sur- 
rounded the hall of the convention, 
and numbers of them rushing in, 
loaded the deputies ith abuse and 
insult. The tribunes being in pos. 
session of the populace, force be- 
came necessary to exp:l them, and 
a fierce contest ensued between 
them and the convertional guards. 
The crowd was every moment 
bursting into the hall, exclaiming 
bread and the constitution of 1793. 
It was with extreme difficulty the 
president could obtain a few mis 
nutes of silence. He told the 
crowd that the convention was an. 
xiously deliberating on the means of 
supplying them with bread; but, 
that unless they desisted from riot 
and disorder, none could he pro. 
cured. He firmly assured them, 
thut the convention was not to be 
intimidated, and would resolutely 
encounter 
