The Uprising of June 20, I/Q2 51 



of its chiefs and that the magistrates authorize the commandants 

 of the battalions to march with them."^^ 



Petion then returned to the leaders of the faubourgs and dis- 

 missed them saying he would inform them of the department's 

 answer. He asked them to write to their commandant and request 

 him to give them such instructions as he thought suitable. It 

 was now one o'clock in the morning of the 20th." Vigner on 

 his return at one-thirty reported that Roederer approved Petion's 

 suggestion and would assemble the directory to act upon it. 

 Petion, feeling sure that that body could not but approve his sug- 

 gestion, wrote to several of the officers to come to the mayoralty 

 at seven o'clock in the morning to bring him news. He then re- 

 tired."* Meantime Roederer wrote Petion requesting that he send 

 an administrator of police with a letter to the directory.'^^ Neither 

 Petion nor Roederer mention this letter in their reports and we 

 do not know Roederer's object in sending for the administrator 

 of police. 



In answer to Roederer's call the directory assembled at four 

 o'clock in the morning."'' After a lively discussion it was unan- 

 imously recognized that they could not receive in the ranks of 

 the national guard men almost wholly unknown, without recog- 

 nition, already in open rebellion, armed with all sorts of weapons, 

 who might sow the seeds of disorder in the military force and 



" The mayor and administrators of police, Petion, Sergent, Panis, 

 Vigner and Perron to the Directory, June 20, 1792 at midnight. 



""Rapport d'Alexandre" ; "Rapport de ce qui s'est passe dans le 

 bataillon du Val-de-Grace," Saint-Prix. 



" " Conduite tenue par M. le maire." 



" We have not this letter and neither Petion nor Roederer mention it 

 in their accounts, but Petion's letter to Roederer at five o'clock says he is 

 sending an administrator of police to the directory " in accordance with 

 the request of your letter" and in his letter to Sergent at the same hour 

 he says, " go immediately to the directory of the department at the request 

 of the enclosed letter." Petion to Roederer, June 20, 1792, five o'clock 

 a. m. Petion to Sergent, June 20, 1792, five o'clock a. m. Archives 

 Nationales, F^4774"'. 



'"Roedeier, Chronique de cinquante jours, 20. 



247 



