112 Laura B. Pfciffcr 



been seen in public since about eleven o'clock in the morning, 

 when the decree legalizing the procession had been passed by 

 the municipality. Petion tells us that he remained at the city 

 hall until half past two o'clock and then he went to the hall of 

 the mayoralty. Here he received reports from the chateau through 

 municipal officers.'^® He had given no orders looking toward 

 the safety of either the assembly or the Tuileries. Two letters 

 written during the day, one from the directory of the department 

 and one from three members of the council of the commune, 

 show that these constituted authorities were very uneasy. The 

 letter from the directory was addressed to the municipality and 

 asked for a municipal officer to give them information. The other 

 letter was addressed to the mayor at half past four o'clock and 

 signed by three members of the council of the commune, who had 

 assembled at the city hall. They urged the mayor to send them 

 instructions.""''^ Petion did not leave the city hall until half past 



pal officer who helped clear the apartments, says (" Proces-verbal de 

 Champion") Petion arrived just before the deputation; and Blanc-Gilli, 

 a deputy who had been in the room since the entrance of the crowd, says 

 ("Lettre d'un depute de I'assemblee nationale") that Petion arrived at 

 the same time as the deputation of twenty-four; Borie states ("Proces- 

 verbal dresse par Borie") that he and his colleagues, Champion and 

 Leroux arrived at the chateau at five-thirty. These met the mayor on the 

 stairway. (" Proces-verbal dresse par Hu.") Still another way of fixing 

 the time remains. The king said to Petion on his arrival (see reference 

 below) that the invasion had lasted two hours and Azema, a deputy who 

 was present, also says ("Lettre d' Azema," in Revolution frangaise, 

 XXVII, 173) that the king endured this noise two hours. This again 

 points to the time of Petion's arrival as about five-thirty. 



"" " Conduite tenue par M. le maire " ; " Proces-verbal dresse par Ser- 

 gent." Sergent was at the Aiayoralty until three o'clock when he set out 

 for the purpose of getting information. He returned at four o'clock with 

 a report that he had heard it said that the people had entered the king's 

 apartments. 



■'"' This letter states that the three men who signed it had gone to the 

 city hall in response to a notice that each had received which read, 

 "The peril is urgent; quick to the Hotel de \^ille." They ask Petion if 

 this is his order and whether or not the council will meet today. Both 

 letters are printed in Ternaux, I, 208, note i. Petion did not answer these 

 letters but at some time during the day he took time to write a letter to 



308 



