66 Laura B. Pfeiffer 



he said, if there was, the assembly should share it and so asked 

 for a deputation of sixty members to be sent to the king to 

 remain till the gathering was dispersed.^^^ 



Gilbert then said that he had no doubt that the greater part 

 of the citizens were well meaning but said the fact that they had 

 not obeyed Petion whose patriotism and influence were well 

 known and who had made every effort this morning to disperse 

 the gathering, proved that there were ill-intentioned ones among 

 them.^^^ He supported Vergniaud's motion.^-*' 



Thorillon then reported what has already been noted above as 



having occurred that morning in the section of the Gobelins. 



His speech brought out the fact that the people marched in 



spite of the protestations of the police and dragged cannon with 

 them.^21 



Dumolard rendered justice to the purity of the sentiments 

 which animated the citizens and said he was far from believing 

 that the majority of them had criminal intentions. But he 

 thought that in these critical circumstances the best of citizens 

 might become instruments of intrigues and manoeuvers with which 

 the assembly was besieged every day. He said the time had 

 come when they ought to place the constitution upon the respect- 



"* The points in this speech are supported by three daily newspapers, 

 Moniteur, XII, 714; Journal de I'assemblee nationale, XXI, 299; Journal 

 des debats et decrets. No. 268, p. 263; Three other dailies support a few of 

 the points, all agreeing upon Vergniaud's defense of the citizens' good in- 

 tentions and his request for a deputation to be sent to the king. Chron- 

 ique de Paris, No. 174, p. '690; Le patriote frangais, No. 1046, p. 690; 

 Annales patriotiques et litteraires, No. 173, p. 760; Proces-verbal de 

 I'assemblee nationale, 376, says Vergniaud asked that the citizens should 

 present themselves before the assembly and the king unarmed and that he 

 asked for the deputation to the king. 



^^^ Journal de I'assemblee nationale, XXI, 300; Journal des debats et 

 decrets. No. 268, p. 264; Moniteur, XII, 715. 



'^"Journal de I'assemblee nationale is the only paper making this direct 

 statement, but Gilbert's speech is plainly meant to show the importance 

 of Vergniaud's motion. 



^'^ Ibid., XXI, 351; Journal des debats et decrets, No. 268, p. 264; The 

 Moniteur does not give Thorillon's report of what occurred in the fau- 

 bourg but says the crowd refused to obey the police and dragged cannon. 



262 



