The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 3 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 3 (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
The King stopped
at the Hotel de Ville. There Monsieur Bailly presented and put into his
hat the popular cockade, and addressed him. The King being unprepared
and unable to answer, Bailly went to him, gathered from him some scraps
of sentences, and made out an answer, which he delivered to the audience
as from the King. On their return, the popular cries were "_vive le roy
et la nation_." He was conducted by a Garde Bourgeoise to his palace at
Versailles, and thus concluded such an _amende honorable_, as no sovereign
ever made, and no people ever received. Letters written with his own
hand to the Marquis de La Fayette, remove the scruples of his position.
Tranquillity is now restored to the capital: the shops are again opened;
the people resuming their labors, and if the want of bread does not
disturb our peace, we may hope a continuance of it. The demolition of the
Bastile is going on, and the Milice Bourgeoise organizing and training.
The ancient police of the city is abolished by the authority of the
people, the introduction of the King's troops will probably be proscribed,
and a watch or city guards substituted, which shall depend on the city
alone. But we cannot suppose this paroxysm confined to Paris alone. The
whole country must pass successively through it, and happy if they get
through it as soon and as well as Paris has done.
I went yesterday to Versailles, to satisfy myself what had passed
there; for nothing can be believed but what one sees, or has from an
eye witness. They believe there still, that three thousand people have
fallen victims to the tumults of Paris. Mr. Short and myself have been
every day among them, in order to be sure what was passing. We cannot
find, with certainty, that anybody has been killed but the three before
mentioned, and those who fell in the assault or defence of the Bastile.
How many of the garrison were killed, nobody pretends to have ever heard.
Of the assailants, accounts vary from six to six hundred. The most general
belief is, that there fell about thirty. There have been many reports
of instantaneous executions by the mob, on such of their body as they
caught in acts of theft or robbery. Some of these may perhaps be true.
There was a severity of honesty observed, of which no example has been
known. Bags of money offered on various occasions through fear or guilt,
have been uniformly refused by the mobs. The churches are now occupied in
singing "_De profundis_" and "_Requiems_" "for the repose of the souls
of the brave and valiant citizens who have sealed with their blood the
liberty of the nation." Monsieur de Montmorin is this day replaced in the
department of foreign affairs, and Monsieur de St. Priest is named to the
home department. The gazettes of France and Leyden accompany this. I send,
also, a paper (called the Point du Jour), which will give you some idea of
the proceedings of the National Assembly. It is but an indifferent thing;
however, it is the best.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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