A Political Diary, 1828-1830, Volume IIEllenborough, Edward Law, Earl of
History
A Political Diary, 1828-1830, Volume II
Ellenborough, Edward Law, Earl of
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1820-1830
At a quarter to four I called at the Treasury and found Rothschild had
received intelligence down to the 29th, at 4 P.M. Drummond showed me the
Duke's letter to Peel which contained this account:--That there was
fighting all Wednesday, the 28th, and Thursday, till 3 P.M. There had been
a terrible massacre, but the troops got the worst of it. The people were
led by the students of the Ecole de Droit, and of the Ecole Polytechnique.
The 53rd Regiment, which it was said yesterday had joined the people, had
in fact surrendered. The people had armed themselves at the Arsenal. On the
night of the 28th the Guards retook the Hôtel de Ville, but were driven out
again, and retired to the Louvre. The firing did not cease at the Tuileries
till past 3 P.M. The people pillaged it when the troops retreated, and the
tri-coloured flag was hoisted there, and on the column in the Place
Vendôme. The Ministers escaped by subterraneous passages from the
Tuileries, and were with the King, who had a great many troops about him at
St. Cloud. La Fayette commanded the National Guard, and was a member of the
Provisional Government. Generals Gerard, Lafitte, and Casimir Perrier were
the others. C. Perrier was deputed to the King at St. Cloud.
No couriers were allowed to leave Paris. These letters were sent by private
servants to the first stage.
I told all this to Henry, but he goes. So do many others. There were thirty
people applying for passports when he went for his. On the other hand many
English come away.
_August 2._
There is a great deal of information in the 'Times.' The result is, that
the King's offer to change his Ministers and to recall the Ordonnances was
not accepted, and the Duke of Orleans accepted the office of Lieutenant-
General of the kingdom. His address is quite in the spirit of the
Revolution.
The Guards are disorganised and desert.
The Swiss only are said to remain with the King, who it is thought is gone
to Nantes.
Lord Stuart says if the Royalists do not resist, the French will invade
Belgium in three months. The Deputies, at first in very small numbers, not
more than thirty, nor at any time much above sixty, seem to have been
irresolute. They were decided by others, and indeed the whole seems to have
been done by the people. There is no appearance of previous concert. If
there were leaders, they were the boys of the Ecole de Droit and the Ecole
Polytechnique. Polignac seems to have been firm after the beginning of the
fight, and when Lafitte and others went to Marmont at the Tuileries, in the
middle of the tumult, he declared concession impossible.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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