244 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



to disperse. But in a very little 

 time a large party returned. 



When count Fersen went to the 

 house just mentioned, he was ac- 

 companied, or straightway follow- 

 ed by Silversparre, and some 

 otliers, who wished to save him 

 from the fury of the mob. Silver- 

 sparre, seeking to pacify them, 

 Iiarangued them from the window, 

 but in such a mean and fawning 

 style, as encouraged them with in- 

 creased fury and imprecations to 

 demand their victim. They rushed 

 into the house and the chamber 

 where lie was ; and while they 

 poured the most horrid impreca- 

 tions and abusive language, strip- 

 ped him of his sword, the insignia 

 of the orders he wore, his watch, 

 his money, and a medal hung 

 round his neck, and of his coat, 

 which they tore in pieces. These 

 spoils they threw to the rabble out 

 at the window. In the mean 

 time, baron Silversparre continued 

 to harangue the mob, whom he at 

 length prevailed on to agree to 

 what he prayed for; whicii was, 

 that the count should be sutt'ered 

 to go to prison without being in- 

 sulted, to be tried, and condemned, 

 if he should be found guilty. The 

 leaders of the mob promised to let 

 him go quietly to the Town-house, 

 on condition that the life-guards, 

 which by this time had come up, 

 should be sent back. Silversparre 

 had liie unheard of stupidity to 

 trust to their word. The count, 

 in his waistcoat, left the house 

 where he had remained for a 

 quarter of an hour, and proceed- 

 ed to the place of confinement 

 through a crowd of people, agi- 



tated by passion, over which there 

 was not any curb : yet they made 

 way for the unhappy count to 

 pass through them, as he advanced 

 to the Town-house, near which 

 there was drawn up for his protec- 

 tion, a regiment of guards. When 

 the rabble, pressing hard on the 

 footsteps of the grand marshal, 

 came up to the guards, the sol- 

 diers, of their own accord, with 

 fixed bayonets, overawed and kept 

 them in check, and gave the mar- 

 shal a momentary respite. But in 

 a little time they shouldered arms, 

 (some say by order of their com- 

 manding officer) which embold- 

 ened the mob to advance through 

 two ranks of soldiers, in order to 

 shut up the high marshal in a cel- 

 lar, under the flight of stairs lead- 

 ing up to the Townhall. The 

 count, however, with the assist- 

 ance of some faithful and intrepid 

 friends, made his way into tlie 

 guard-room. The mob, for about 

 ten minutes, paused;but at length, 

 perceiving that they had not any 

 resistance to encounter, they burst 

 into the guard-room, seized count 

 Fersen b}' the legs, threw him on 

 the ground, took the rings out of 

 his ears, and cut off his hair:* they 

 then dragged him out, and, in the 

 presence of the regiment of guards, 

 drawn up in parade, but with their 

 arms laid on the ground, murder- 

 ed him, by the mere dint of re- 

 peated strokes with staves and 

 umbrellas. Flis body was stripped 

 naked, and left all day to the out- 

 rages of the rascally populace. It 

 was not till the evening, when the 

 insurgents were dispersed by the 

 fire of the troops, that any one 



• A usual preliminary to execution among the French, in the days of the Revo- 

 lution, 



