HISTORY OF EUROPE. [25 



decree, that the troops now in this 

 commune, form a part of your 

 guard ; and that a message be sent 

 to the council of ciders, inviting 

 them to make a decree for sending 

 back the councils to Paris." This 

 motion was supported by a very 

 general acclamation. Crochon 

 having, with much difficulty ob- 

 tained a hearing, " declared him- 

 self against so precipitate a mea- 

 sure as that just proposed. The 

 decree of the elders, appointing 

 Buonaparte to the command of the 

 troops, he maintained, was not an 

 unconstitutional act ; as it decreed 

 the translation of the councils, it was 

 necessary to appoint a general for 

 carrying their decree into execu- 

 tion." The motion for a message, 

 of the above purport, to the elders, 

 was agreed to, and, after a very 

 warm debate, the question for de- 

 claring the troops at St. Cloud a 

 part of the legislative guard was 

 going to be put, when Lucien Buo- 

 naparte demanded, " that, before 

 taking such a measure they should 



genei'al.' 



A 



number of 

 ■'We do not 

 be the g-cne- 



call the 



members cried out, 

 acknowledge him to „^ ^..^ ^ 

 ral." — " I will not insist," said the 

 president, " any farther. When 

 tranquillity shall be restored to this 

 house, you will, when the passions 

 are silent, do every one justice." — 

 The agitation and noise being still 

 continued, he put off his robe, and 

 laid it on the table, declaring that 

 he thus laid aside the office of their 

 president. A number of the mem- 

 bers called loudly to Lucien Buo- 

 naparte to resume his robes and 

 office, and several coming up to 

 him in the midst of the hall, pre- 

 sented pistols to him, as if to force 

 him to do it. In the midst of this 

 uproar, u party of grenadiers under 



the command of an officer, was 

 sent into the hall, by the general, 

 for the rescue of his brother. The 

 soldiers surrounding him, con- 

 ducted him safely out of the hall, 

 and placed him in the midst of 

 their own ranks, in the court of 

 the palace. 



General Buonaparte, on his re- 

 turn from the council of five hun- 

 dred, had harangued the soldiers, 

 informing them of the danger ho 

 had escaped, and that he, whom 

 the combined kings of Europe had 

 not been able to reach with their 

 armies, was at this moment threat- 

 ened with outlawry, by factious as- 

 sassins. The soldiers listened to 

 him with attention, and manifested 

 a disposition to stand by him, and 

 serve him. This disposition was 

 fortified, and in some measure le- 

 galized, by the presence of the pre- 

 sident, who, mounted on horseback, 

 rode from one regiment to another, 

 speaking to them in favour of his 

 brother. He told them, in a very 

 animated manner, and tone of voice, 

 that a great majority of the council, 

 at the moment he was speaking, 

 was under terror, from a handful 

 of members armed with poniards, 

 who were besieging the tribune, 

 and threatening their colleagues 

 with death: that these ruffians 

 had put themselves in a state 

 of rebellion against the coun- 

 cil of elders, and had dared to 

 threaten the general, who was 

 ordered to carry their decree, for 

 translating the councils to St. Cloud, 

 into execution. But it was those 

 furious men themselves, he ob- 

 served, who had, in fact, put them- 

 selves out of the law by their at- 

 tempts against the liberty of the 

 council. He confided, to the war- 

 riors whom lie addressed, the de« 



