190 ‘ BAILLY. 
the country, could find time to write the very long letters 
against the old official adversaries of his bad experiments, 
his absurd theories, his lucubrations devoid both of erudi- 
tion and of talent; letters in which the Monges, the La- 
places, the Lavoisiers are treated with such an entire 
neglect of justice and of truth, and with such a eynical 
spirit, that my respect for this assembly prevents my 
quoting a single expression. 
It was not then only the Mayor of Paris whom the 
pretended friend of the people persecuted; it was also 
the Academician Bailly. But the illustrious philosopher, 
the virtuous magistrate, gave no hold for positive and 
decided criminations. ‘The hideous pamphleteer under- 
stood this well; and therefore he adopted vague insinua- 
tions, that allowed of no possible refutation, a method 
which, we may remark by the way, has not been without 
imitators. Marat exclaimed every day: “ Let Bailly 
send in his accounts!” and the most powerful figure of 
rhetoric, as Napoleon said, repetition, finally inspires 
doubts in a stupid portion of the public, in some feeble, 
ignorant, and credulous minds in the Council of the 
Commune; and the scrupulous magistrate wished, in 
fact, to send in his accounts. Here they are in two 
lines: Bailly never had the handling of any public funds. 
He left the Hotel de Ville, after having spent there two 
thirds of his patrimony. If his functions had been long 
protracted, he would have retired completely ruined. 
Before the Commune assigned him any salary, the ex- 
penses of our colleague in charities already exceeded 
30,000 livres. 
That was, Gentlemen, the final result. The details 
would be more striking, and the name of Bailly would 
ennoble them. I could show our colleague entering only 
