HIS EXECUTION. 243 



to researches in and examination of old chronicles, is ap- 

 plied to making extracts from the registers relative to the 

 French Revolution, we shall certainly see many other 

 hideous circumstances that revolt the soul, disappear from 

 our contemporary history. Look at the massacres of 

 September ! The historians most in vogue report the 

 number of victims that fell in that butchery to have been 

 from six to twelve thousand ; whilst a writer who has 

 lately taken the trouble to analyze the prison registers in 

 the gaoler's books, cannot make the whole amount to one 

 thousand. Even this number is very large ; but, for my 

 part, I thank the author of this recent publication for hav- 

 ing reduced the number of assassinations in September 

 to less than a tenth part of what had been generally 

 admitted. 



When the discussion which I have here undertaken be- 

 comes known to the public, it will be seen how many and 

 how important are the retrenchments to be made from 

 that lugubrious page of our history. Another important 

 circumstance may be appreciated, which appears to me to 

 arise from all these facts. After having weighed my 

 proofs, every one I hope will join me in seeing that the 

 wretches around the scaffold of Bailly were but the refuse 

 of the population, fulfilling for pay the part that had been 

 assigned them by three or four wealthy cannibals. 



The sentence pronounced against Bailly by the Revo- 

 lutionary Tribunal was to be executed on the 12th of 

 November, 1793. The reminiscences recently published 

 by a fellow-prisoner of our colleague, the reminiscences 

 of M. Beugnot, will enable us to penetrate into the Con- 

 ciergerie, on the morning of that inauspicious day. 



Bailly had risen early, after having slept as usual, the 

 sleep of the just. He took some chocolate, and conversed 



