The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 1 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 1 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
France, amount to about twenty-one thousand barrels of flour, besides
what went to other ports, and in other months; while our supplies to
their West Indian islands relieved them also from that drain. This
distress for bread continued till July.
Hitherto no acts of popular violence had been produced by the struggle
for political reformation. Little riots, on ordinary incidents, had
taken place as at other times, in different parts of the kingdom, in
which some lives, perhaps a dozen or twenty, had been lost; but in the
month of April, a more serious one occurred in Paris, unconnected,
indeed, with the Revolutionary principle, but making part of the
history of the day. The Fauxbourg St. Antoine is a quarter of the
city inhabited entirely by the class of day laborers and journeymen
in every line. A rumor was spread among them, that a great paper
manufacturer, of the name of Reveillon, had proposed, on some occasion,
that their wages should be lowered to fifteen sous a day. Inflamed
at once into rage, and without inquiring into its truth, they flew
to his house in vast numbers, destroyed everything in it, and in his
magazines and work-shops, without secreting, however, a pin's worth
to themselves, and were continuing this work of devastation, when the
regular troops were called in. Admonitions being disregarded, they were
of necessity fired on, and a regular action ensued, in which about one
hundred of them were killed, before the rest would disperse. There
had rarely passed a year without such a riot, in some part or other
of the Kingdom; and this is distinguished only as cotemporary with the
Revolution, although not produced by it.
The States General were opened on the 5th of May, '89, by speeches from
the King, the Garde des Sceaux, Lamoignon, and M. Necker. The last
was thought to trip too lightly over the constitutional reformations
which were expected. His notices of them in this speech, were not
as full as in his previous 'Rapport au Roi.' This was observed, to
his disadvantage; but much allowance should have been made for the
situation in which he was placed, between his own counsels, and those
of the ministers and party of the court. Overruled in his own opinions,
compelled to deliver, and to gloss over those of his opponents, and
even to keep their secrets, he could not come forward in his own
attitude.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account