autobiography-第19部分

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e　oppressions　of　the　tythes；　of　the　tailles；　the　corvees；　the　gabelles；　the　farms　&　barriers；　the　shackles　on　Commerce　by　monopolies；　on　Industry　by　gilds　&　corporations；　on　the　freedom　of　conscience；　of　thought；　and　of　speech；　on　the　Press　by　the　Censure；　and　of　person　by　lettres　de　Cachet；　the　cruelty　of　the　criminal　code　generally；　the　atrocities　of　the　Rack；　the　venality　of　judges；　and　their　partialities　to　the　rich；　the　Monopoly　of　Military　honors　by　the　Noblesse；　the　enormous　expenses　of　the　Queen；　the　princes　&　the　Court；　the　prodigalities　of　pensions；　&　the　riches；　luxury；　indolence　&　immorality　of　the　clergy。　　Surely　under　such　a　mass　of　misrule　and　oppression；　a　people　might　justly　press　for　a　thoro'　reformation；　and　might　even　dismount　their　rough…shod　riders；　&　leave　them　to　walk　on　their　own　legs。　　The　edicts　relative　to　the　corvees　&　free　circulation　of　grain；　were　first　presented　to　the　parliament　and　registered。　　But　those　for　the　impot　territorial；　&　stamp　tax；　offered　some　time　after；　were　refused　by　the　parliament；　which　proposed　a　call　of　the　States　General　as　alone　competent　to　their　authorization。　　Their　refusal　produced　a　Bed　of　justice；　and　their　exile　to　Troyes。　　The　advocates　however　refusing　to　attend　them；　a　suspension　in　the　administration　of　justice　took　place。　　The　Parliament　held　out　for　awhile；　but　the　ennui　of　their　exile　and　absence　from　Paris　begun　at　length　to　be　felt；　and　some　dispositions　for　compromise　to　appear。　　On　their　consent　therefore　to　prolong　some　of　the　former　taxes；　they　were　recalled　from　exile；　the　King　met　them　in　session　Nov。　19。　87。　promised　to　call　the　States　General　in　the　year　92。　and　a　majority　expressed　their　assent　to　register　an　edict　for　successive　and　annual　loans　from　1788。　to　92。　　But　a　protest　being　entered　by　the　Duke　of　Orleans　and　this　encouraging　others　in　a　disposition　to　retract；　the　King　ordered　peremptorily　the　registry　of　the　edict；　and　left　the　assembly　abruptly。　　The　parliament　immediately　protested　that　the　votes　for　the　enregistry　had　not　been　legally　taken；　and　that　they　gave　no　sanction　to　the　loans　proposed。　This　was　enough　to　discredit　and　defeat　them。　　Hereupon　issued　another　edict　for　the　establishment　of　a　cour　pleniere；　and　the　suspension　of　all　the　parliaments　in　the　kingdom。　　This　being　opposed　as　might　be　expected　by　reclamations　from　all　the　parliaments　&　provinces；　the　King　gave　way　and　by　an　edict　of　July　5。　88　renounced　his　cour　pleniere；　&　promised　the　States　General　for　the　1st。　of　May　of　the　ensuing　year：　and　the　Archbishop　finding　the　times　beyond　his　faculties；　accepted　the　promise　of　a　Cardinal's　hat；　was　removed　＇Sep。　88＇　from　the　ministry；　and　Mr。　Necker　was　called　to　the　department　of　finance。　The　innocent　rejoicings　of　the　people　of　Paris　on　this　change　provoked　the　interference　of　an　officer　of　the　city　guards；　whose　order　for　their　dispersion　not　being　obeyed；　he　charged　them　with　fixed　bayonets；　killed　two　or　three；　and　wounded　many。　This　dispersed　them　for　the　moment；　but　they　collected　the　next　day　in　great　numbers；　burnt　10。　　or　12。　guard　houses；　killed　two　or　three　of　the　guards；　&　lost　6。　or　8。　more　of　their　own　number。　The　city　was　hereupon　put　under　martial　law；　and　after　awhile　the　tumult　subsided。　The　effect　of　this　change　of　ministers；　and　the　promise　of　the　States　General　at　an　early　day；　tranquillized　the　nation。　　But　two　great　questions　now　occurred。　　1。　　What　proportion　shall　the　number　of　deputies　of　the　tiers　etat　bear　to　those　of　the　Nobles　and　Clergy？　And　2。　shall　they　sit　in　the　same；　or　in　distinct　apartments？　　Mr。　Necker；　desirous　of　avoiding　himself　these　knotty　questions；　proposed　a　second　call　of　the　same　Notables；　and　that　their　advice　should　be　asked　on　the　subject。　　They　met　Nov。　9。　88。　and；　by　five　bureaux　against　one；　they　recommended　the　forms　of　the　States　General　of　1614。　wherein　the　houses　were　separate；　and　voted　by　orders；　not　by　persons。　　But　the　whole　nation　declaring　at　once　against　this；　and　that　the　tiers　etat　should　be；　in　numbers；　equal　to　both　the　other　orders；　and　the　Parliament　deciding　for　the　same　proportion；　it　was　determined　so　to　be；　by　a　declaration　of　Dec。　27。　88。　　A　Report　of　Mr。　Necker　to　the　King；　of　about　the　same　date；　contained　other　very　important　concessions。　　1。　That　the　King　could　neither　lay　a　new　tax；　nor　prolong　an　old　one。　　2。　It　expressed　a　readiness　to　agree　on　the　periodical　meeting　of　the　States。　　3。　To　consult　on　the　necessary　restriction　on　lettres　de　Cachet。　　And　4。　how　far　the　Press　might　be　made　free。　　5。　It　admits　that　the　States　are　to　appropriate　the　public　money；　and　6。　that　Ministers　shall　be　responsible　for　public　expenditures。　　And　these　concessions　came　from　the　very　heart　of　the　King。　　He　had　not　a　wish　but　for　the　good　of　the　nation；　and　for　that　object　no　personal　sacrifice　would　ever　have　cost　him　a　moment's　regret。　　But　his　mind　was　weakness　itself；　his　constitution　timid；　his　judgment　null；　and　without　sufficient　firmness　even　to　stand　by　the　faith　of　his　word。　　His　Queen　too；　haughty　and　bearing　no　contradiction；　had　an　absolute　ascendency　over　him；　and　around　her　were　rallied　the　King's　brother　d'Artois；　the　court　generally；　and　the　aristocratic　part　of　his　ministers；　particularly　Breteuil；　Broglio；　Vauguyon；　Foulon；　Luzerne；　men　whose　principles　of　government　were　those　of　the　age　of　Louis　XIV。　　Against　this　host　the　good　counsels　of　Necker；　Montmorin；　St。　Priest；　altho'　in　unison　with　the　wishes　of　the　King　himself；　were　of　little　avail。　　The　resolutions　of　the　morning　formed　under　their　advice；　would　be　reversed　in　the　evening　by　the　influence　of　the　Queen　&　court。　　But　the　hand　of　heaven　weighed　heavily　indeed　on　the　machinations　of　this　junto；　producing　collateral　incidents；　not　arising　out　of　the　case；　yet　powerfully　co…exciting　the　nation　to　force　a　regeneration　of　it's　government；　and　overwhelming　with　accumulated　difficulties　this　liberticide　resistance。　　For；　while　laboring　under　the　want　of　money　for　even　ordinary　purposes；　in　a　government　which　required　a　million　of　livres　a　day；　and　driven　to　the　last　ditch　by　the　universal　call　for　liberty；　there　came　on　a　winter　of　such　severe　cold；　as　was　without　example　in　the　memory　of　man；　or　in　the　written　records　of　history。　　The　Mercury　was　at　times　50；dg　below　the　freezing　point　of　Fahrenheit　and　22；dg　below　that　of　Reaumur。　　All　out…door　labor　was　suspended；　and　the　poor；　without　the　wages　of　labor；　were　of　course　without　either　bread　or　fuel。　　The　government　found　it's　necessities　aggravated　by　that　of　procuring　immense　quantities　of　fire…wood；　and　of　keeping　great　fires　at　all　the　cross…streets；　around　which　the　people　gathered　in　crowds　to　avoid　perishing　with　cold。　　Bread　too　was　to　be　bought；　and　distributed　daily　gratis；　until　a　relax…ation　of　the　season　should　enable　the　people　to　work：　and　the　slender　stock　of　bread…stuff　had　for　some　time　threatened　famine；　and　had　raised　that　article　to　an　enormous　price。　　So　great　indeed　was　the　scarcity　of　bread　that　from　the　highest　to　the　lowest　citizen；　the　bakers　were　permitted　to　deal　but　a　scanty　allowance　per　head；　even　to　those　who　paid　for　it；　and　in　cards　of　invitation　to　dine　in　the　richest　houses；　the　guest　was　notified　to　bring　his　own　bread。　　To　eke　out　the　existence　of　the　people；　every　person　who　had　the　means；　was　called　on　for　a　weekly　subscription；　which　the　Cures　collected　and　employed　in　providing　messes　for　the　nourishment　of　the　poor；　and　vied　with　each　other　in　devising　such　economical　compositions　of　food　as　would　subsist　the　greatest　number　with　the　smallest　means。　　This　want　of　bread　had　been　foreseen　for　some　time　past　and　M。　de　Montmorin　had　desired　me　to　notify　it　in　America；　and　that；　in　addition　to　the　market　price；　a　premium　should　be　given　on　what　should　be　brought　from　the　U　S。　　Notice　was　accordingly　given　and　produced　considerable　supplies。　　Subsequent　information　made　the　importations　from　America；　during　the　months　of　March；　April　&　May；　into　the　Atlantic　ports　of　France；　amount　to　about　21；000　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　15　sous　a　day。　Inflamed　at　once　into　rage；　&　without　inquiring　into　it's　truth；　they　flew　to　his　house　in　vast　numbers；　destroyed　everything　in　it；　and　in　his　magazines　&　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　100。　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；　altho'　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　Mr。　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　s