The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 3 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852Greville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 3 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901
returned to the Chamber and made the announcement, which was received
with astonishment and indignation by the Conservative deputies, who
crowded round him and enquired if he had resigned, crying out, 'Nous
sommes abandonnÈs.' He replied that he had not resigned, but had been
dismissed. From the Chamber he returned to the Tuileries, and told the
King what had passed there. The King said he had sent for MolÈ who had
undertaken to try and form a Government. Meanwhile affairs were getting
worse in the town, and the concession of the King had of course
encouraged the factious. Guizot, who could not return home, went to the
Duc de Broglie and went to bed. Not long after, at one in the morning,
he was called up by a message desiring him to come to the Tuileries
forthwith; he went, when the King told him he had just heard from MolÈ
that he had tried Passy, Dufaure, and Billault, who had all refused, and
consequently that he could not form a Government. His Majesty said that
he was now disposed to give the command of the troops to Marshal
Bugeaud, and that of the National Guard to LamoriciËre, and let them put
down the _Èmeute_. Guizot said it was the best thing he could do, and he
would sign the decree if he would make it. This was immediately done.
Meanwhile the King had sent for Thiers, who came, accepted the office of
forming a Government, but desired that Odilon Barrot might be joined
with him, to which the King agreed. Thiers and Barrot then insisted that
for some hours the military should not be allowed to act, and they
undertook to pacify the people and put an end to the _Èmeute_. The King
having consented to this, they mounted on horseback and went off in
different directions to harangue the people and announce their Ministry.
They were severally received with hisses, uproar, and in some instances
shots, and returned to the palace and announced their failure. By this
time there was an affluence of people at the Tuileries; the storm
without increased and approached; the military, who were without orders,
did nothing, and all was over. I asked Delessert whether the troops were
well disposed. He said, 'Perfectly.' Guizot said, 'My entire conviction
is, that if Bugeaud had acted the moment he took the command, everything
would have been over before nine o'clock.' When the King was pressed to
resign, Piscatory said to him, 'Sire, si vous signez votre abdication,
vous n'aurez pas rÈgnÈ.' Guizot told me that the Government had long
been aware of the secret societies, but never could ascertain who were
their chiefs; that their intention had been to delay their republican
attempt till the death of the King, but that they had changed this plan
on the Tuesday night, and resolved to seize the present occasion. I told
him we had always supposed the _bourgeoisie_ of Paris, composing the
bulk of the National Guard, to be disposed to order, and that they would
have maintained it. He said the great majority of them were so, but that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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