meetings. This publicity is very inconvenient. My house is always at your service; but really it is too near the Ministers. I must, therefore, request you to fix upon some other; because you

see"

"Certainly, certainly," said M. Sebastiani; "especially if affairs unfortunately become more serious."

"Well, then, Gentlemen," said M. Audry de Puyraveau, "my house is ever at your service; and rest assured that you shall be safe there, for I promise you a guard.”

The deputies quitted the house of M. Casimir Perier with great precaution, stealing out, in general one by one, occasionally arm in arm.

PRIVATE MEETING OF THE

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DEPUTIES*

AT M. AUDRY DE PUYRAVEAU'S, JULY 28.

On the morrow, before noon, the court and offices of the house of M. Audry de Puyraveau were filled with citizens, many of them armed. The deputies arrived slowly. Many of them, before they entered, conversed with the surrounding groups, who urged them to second the people. There had been some sharp fighting on the previous evening.

There was at length a tolerably numerous assemblage of deputies. M. Dupin was no longer present. Casimir Perier and Sebastiani insisted upon the exclusion of the Press. "I wish I could let you in," said Audry to a complaining journalist; "we want a little gunpowder; but they insist upon being private.”

"Gentlemen,

M. Mauguin opened business. you wished yesterday to await the progress of events. Well, events have progressed; and I think they speak a sufficiently plain language. They fought all yesterday evening. They have

been fighting this morning ever since dawn. Even now you can hear the thunder of the artillery, and the volleys of the platoons. You must have observed in your way masses of indignant citizens ready to take up arms, and march to battle. The people are awake, Gentlemen, if There is no question now as to our course. Here is a revolution, and we must conduct it"

you are not.

Agitation, interruption,- MM. Sebastiani and Villemain speaking at the same time.

"Yes, Gentlemen!" exclaimed M. Mauguin, raising his voice above the storm; "Yes, Gentlemen, I repeat, a revolution; and we must side either with the guards or the people." M. Charles Dupin (jumping up).

"If you

de

cide upon any conduct which the least impugns our legality, I, for one, retire."

M. Sebastiani." And I also. "And I also. We are not

here to fight, but to maintain order."

M. Lafayette (with a smile).- "I confess that I have some difficulty in comprehending the legality of yesterday's Moniteur, and the fusillades of the last two days."

M. Guizot. "What I have to observe I shall divide under two heads. With regard to the first,

compromise ourselves by the slightest imprudence; that, as statesmen, we should not, for a moment, deprive ourselves of the strictly lawful position which we have assumed. With regard to the second, far from perceiving the necessity of our siding either with the guards or with the people, which has been urged by our honourable colleague, it appears to me that our office is to place ourselves as mediators between both. Now, to fulfil such an office, it is of the first importance that we should not in the slightest degree overstep the ascertained boundary of legal order. Let us explain to his Majesty in what degree he has been misled by his Ministers; and let us, at the same time, arrest the popular movement."

At this moment, a young man rushed to the door, calling for M. Audry de Puyraveau. The host went out, and the deputies could distinctly hear the excited messenger announce that the populace had taken the Hôtel de Ville.*

"Well!" said M. Audry, when he had returned

*This report, which was, we shall see, repeated, was unfounded: the people never took the Hôtel de Ville till the morning of the 29th, when they took entire possession of it, the troops having evacuated it in the night. These reports were, no doubt, occasioned by the people's obtaining possession of the Place de Grève, which they did two or three times.

and formally apprised them of the event; “I think we may now venture to give up writing a respectful letter to Charles."

M. Guizot. "We will substitute for it a protest; I have here a slight sketch."

"Let us see it! let us see it!

M. Guizot then produced that protest which has been since published in Le Temps, with the formula of fidelity to the King, &c. A few deputies, Daunou, Lafayette, Mauguin, Audry, La borde, considered it too weak, and conceived that it must be ineffective.

M. Lafitte." We must ever remember, Gentlemen, that the demands of the people must proportionately increase with bloodshed. This protest would have answered yesterday; to-day it is insufficient."

M. Sebastiani.

" What is it to us what the people think? Our business is to maintain our perfectly lawful position."

M. Perier. Gentlemen, one thing is more urgent than all others. We must stop the effusion of blood. If we are to negotiate, we must secure a hearing. You see Paris is a camp. Marmont commands the place: let us, therefore, endeavour to obtain a truce from him, while we