HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



[19 



village of St. Cloud, were filled with 

 troops and spectators from Paris. 

 The cry of vive Biiunctparle ! was 

 every where heard, and re-echoed 

 both by the soldiery and people. 

 At half an hour past two, the coun- 

 cil of elders, formed in the cham- 

 ber called the gallery, by a great 

 majority, was opened. The resig- 

 nation of Barras was received, and 

 ordered to be sent to the council of 

 five hundred. A motion was made 

 by Savary to inquire into the rea- 

 sons that had determined the com- 

 mittee of inspectors to remove the 

 legislature from Paris to St. Cloud. 

 This motion was seconded by 

 Guomard, and supported by Co- 

 lombel, who further proposed that 

 a secret committee should immedi- 

 ately be appointed for tliat purpose. 

 Fargucs, a member of the commit- 

 tee, vindicated its proceedings, and 

 hinted at certain propositions 

 which had been made to Buona- 

 parte, and of which we sliall pre- 

 sently be informed from the gene- 

 ral's own mouth. A debate on these 

 points was superseded by a motion 

 made by Cornudet, and carried, for 

 suspending all business until mes- 

 sages should have been sent to the 

 directory, who, by the constitution, 

 must reside in the same commune 

 witli the legislature, and to the 

 council of five hundred ; acquaint- 

 ing them that the council of elders 

 was constituted in due form. 



A .short time after the messages 

 agreed on had been dispatched, a 

 letter was received from tlie secre- 

 tary-general Lagarde,informing the 

 council, that four of the directors 

 bad given in their resignations, and 

 that a fifth was under tlie guard of 

 general Bu(mai)arte ; so that, as 

 there was \w h)nger any directory, 

 lie could not receive their messase. 



Lagarde's letter was transmitted 

 to the council of five hundred. 

 At this instant Buonaparte entered 

 the hall, and the whole council, 

 eager to hear him, kept profound 

 silence. " Your solicitude," said 

 the general, " for the salvation of 

 your country, has called me to 

 come before you. I will not dis- 

 semble, for I will speak always 

 with the frankness of a soldier ; 

 you stand on a volcano, but, you 

 may depend on our devoted attach- 

 ment. I have come here with my 

 brave companions in arms. Crown- 

 ed as they are with victory, they 

 present to j^ou that security which 

 is the result of the services they 

 have done their country. To what 

 purpose is it to talk of Csesar or 

 Cromwell, and of a military govern- 

 ment ? If we are invited by your 

 confidence, we shall know how to 

 justify it. It is also necessary to 

 declare to you that vigorous mea- 

 sures are necessary. Plots are at 

 this moment carried on. Crimes 

 are hatching ; nor are your dangers 

 those alone with which you are im- 

 mediately threatened. The minis- 

 ter of police has just received the 

 most disastrous news from La Ven- 

 dee, announcing the progress of the 

 rebels, and the reduction of several 

 towns. Let us not be divided. 

 Associate your wisdom to the force 

 that surrounds me. I will be no- 

 thing but the devoted arm of the 

 republic." A member, anxious to 

 push the general to a declaration of 

 the full extentof hispolitical system, 

 added, in a very audible tone of voice, 

 "And of the constitution." "The 

 constitution !" resumed Buonaparte, 

 with vivacity : "does it become you 

 toinvokethecimstitution? Have you 

 not trodden it under your feet on 

 the eighteenth of Fructidor, on the 

 [Ca] 



