The Uprising of June 20, ijgs 59 



mayor's official message and asked them to listen to the adminis- 

 trator of police. Perron urged the people to obey the laws and 

 tried to induce them to lay down their arms and take the cannon 

 back to the guardhouse, but their murmurs became violent. The 

 people feared that their march would be stopped at the military 

 posts on the way and that they would be repelled by force from 

 the interior of the chateau. Consequently Perron could not 

 shake their resolution to carry out their idea. The people, how- 

 ever, did not appear hostile, but assured him that they had but 

 two objects, the first to pay their respects to the assembly and to 

 the king, the second to renew the oath of the tennis court and to 

 convince him of their good intentions they invited him to march 

 at their head. One of the volunteers said openly to Alexandre, 

 " Sir, you will be forced to march." Seeing that all their efforts 

 were unavailing, Alexandre asked Perron to report what had 

 happened here for the justification of both of them and Perron 

 returned to the municipality.'''^ Thorillon, a member of the 

 national assembly and a justice of the peace in the faubourg 

 Saint-Marcel, on hearing of the gathering went to the command- 

 ant and to the commissioner of police and finally to the committee 

 of the section. He learned of the people's determination to go in 

 spite of the remonstrance of the administrator of police who 

 reminded them of the law and of the decree of the directory. 

 While the commandant of the battalion was gone to join the 

 other officers the crowd possessed itself of cannon with a view 

 to beginning their march. The committee of the section, despair- 

 ing because of this disobedience, charged Thorillon with making 

 a report of the situation to the assembly and asking it to execute 

 the law.^^ 



At the time of departure the three municipal officers who had 

 been sent out by Petion at eight-thirty arrived. They had made 

 tlieir way through lines of curious spectators who were watching 

 for the procession. The officers met the procession, preceded by the 

 two cannon, opposite the hospital Saltpetriere. Soon they were 



*^ " Rapport d'AIexandre " ; " Proces-verbal dresse par Perron." 

 ^^ Journal des debats et dccrets, No. 267, p. 264; Journal de I'assemblee 

 nationale, XXI, 301. 



