Meeting of the Estates-General, 1789. 43 
By this time, the crowd had grown to huge proportions?’ and 
was besieging the door of the Mission. Their victim having 
escaped, they began to throw rocks at the windows of his apart- 
ment and broke some of the glass. Naturally, the disturbance 
brought troops to the scene. Some patrols are said to have 
appeared first, but no attention was paid to them. Then came 
two large detachments of French Guards, who took possession 
of the doorway of the Mission. They were followed by a larger 
number of Swiss Guards who drew up in order, loaded with ball 
in the presence of the people, and advanced to the support of 
the French Guards who had begun to repulse the crowd. At 
that moment, a squadron of mounted body guards galloped up 
and they also are said to have loaded in full view of the people. 
In spite of that fact, the crowd gave little heed to the troops 
and the latter manoeuvred for some time, evidently, without any 
result other than to increase the size of the crowd. Finally, 
however, passages were forced and the people began to scatter,*? 
but several witnesses ascribe this outcome to the influence of 
some deputies of the commons, aided, perhaps, by some curés. 
The whole demonstration lasted an hour, according to Branche, 
a deputy of the third estate who claims that he was one of the 
group of nine men who helped to quell the tumult.*! Fortunately, 
the affair ended without serious consequences. One young man 
received a slight wound from a blow by a sabre, given by an 
29 Saiffert, Revue de la révolution, VII, 71; Branche, footnote in Biauzat, 
II, 139.. The former estimates that there were three thousand people in the 
crowd. Branche says ten thousand, but certainly the latter number must be 
greatly exaggerated. 
80 Coster, Récit, 341; Boullé, Documents inédits, Revue de la révolution, 
XIII, 75; Saiffert, Revue de ia révolution, VII, 71; Branche, in Biauzat, II, 
footnote, 139; Lettre d’un membre de l’assemblée nationale, 42-43; Jallet, 102- 
103; Bulletins d'un agent secret, La révolution frangaise, XXIV, 70. 
31 Biauzat, II, 138; Brarche, in Biauzat, II, footnote, 139; Jallet, 102- 
103; Lettre d’un membre de l'assemblée, 43. Both of the first claim to have 
been among the deputies who talked to the crowd, and Branche adds that 
there were nine who assisted in restoring quiet. Jallet says that there were 
five or six Poitevins among them, and that some curés aided the deputies of 
the third estate. 
ey 
