Meeting of the Estates-General, 1789. 125 
kindled and innumerable rockets fired in front of the Palais 
Royal and the Controle-général, while neighboring houses were 
illuminated. Any one who dared to criticize the demonstrations 
or to utter a word against the third estate was likely to suffer 
at the hands of the crowd.’7 An abbé who criticized the third 
estate was made to ask pardon on his knees and to kiss the 
ground and then apparently was soundly cudgelled. Desmoulins 
tells of others who were caned or chased from the Palais 
Royal.'® 
Another favorite method of expressing popular sentiments 
was through placards. The writer of the Bulletins reported 
that on the morning of June 25 a placard posted on the door of 
the Controle-général proclaimed the admiration of six thousand 
French citizens for Necker, ‘‘the new Sully, the guardian angel 
of France, the restorer of the country, the helm of the nation.”’ 
A similar placard, lauding the Duc d’Orléans for his popular 
virtues and invoking his protection for the people was on the 
door of the amphitheatre at the Palais Royal. Our informant 
adds that this was printed immediately and widely distributed 
to increase the strong sentiment in favor of the duke.? Appar- 
ently as he was in the habit of doing at intervals, the duke 
visited the Palais Royal only the evening before the placard 
17 Correspondance d’un député . . . avec la Marquise de Crequy, Revue de 
Ja rév., Il, 36; La révolution francaise, XXIV, 69-70. 
18 Tbid., 71; Desmoulins, II, 84. 
19 Bulletins d’un agent secret, La rév. frangaise, XXIV, 69-70. He gives 
the text as follows: ‘‘ Vous, illustre descendant du plus chéri des Rois, august 
rejeton d’Henri IV, votre zéle patriotique vous confirme 1l’immortalité. que 
votre ame élevée vous a déja assurée. Comme guerrier, vous vengez la patrie 
opprimée; comme excellent prince du sang royal, vous soutenez la classe 
infortunée de la nation, et un concours de cinq a six mille citoyens du troisiéme 
ordre et de cette méme classe viennent aujourd’hui dans votre palais vous 
prouver, avec une effusion de coeur, que le nom frangais garantit combien 
ils sont respectueusement reconnaissants de |’intérét que vous avez pris a 
établir son bonheur. Veuille le ciel perpetuer vos illustres rejetons! Daignez, 
grand prince, appuyer la nation de votre puissante protection: elle en portera 
le souvenir jusqu’a la postérite la plus reculée. 
Oh! grande et verteuse princesse! digne épouse d’un prince chéri de la 
nation, daignez partager ces voeux, ils sont purs et sans melanges. Vive 
monseigneur le duc d’Orléans! ” 
239 
