34 MEMOIR OF FLEEMING JENKIN 



[At] ' ten minutes to ten ... I went a long way 

 along the Boulevards, passing by the office of 

 Foreign Affairs, where Guizot lives, and where to- 

 night there were about a thousand troops protecting 

 him from the fury of the populace. After this was 

 passed, the number of the people thickened, till 

 about half a mile further on, I met a troop of vaga- 

 bonds, the wildest vagabonds in the world Paris 

 vagabonds, well armed, having probably broken 

 into gunsmiths' shops and taken the guns and 

 swords. They were about a hundred. These were 

 followed by about a thousand (I am rather diminish- 

 ing than exaggerating numbers all through), indiffer- 

 ently armed with rusty sabres, sticks, &c. An 

 uncountable troop of gentlemen, workmen, shop- 

 keepers' wives (Paris women dare anything), ladies' 

 maids, common women in fact, a crowd of all 

 classes, though by far the greater number were of 

 the better dressed class followed. Indeed, it 

 was a splendid sight : the mob in front chanting 

 the " Marseillaise," the national war hymn, grave 

 and powerful, sweetened by the night air though 

 night in these splendid streets was turned into 

 day, every window was filled with lamps, dim 

 torches were tossing in the crowd . . . for Guizot 

 has late this night given in his resignation, and this 

 was an improvised illumination. 



' I and my father had turned with the crowd, and 

 were close behind the second troop of vagabonds. 



