CHAPTER XXII.
THE LAST SESSION OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES.
The usual hour for the opening of the Chamber of Deputies was threeo'clock; but the startling events of the last two days, and especiallyof the last two hours, demanded that it should be convened earlier.
At one o'clock the President of the Chamber, Sauzet, took the chair. Onthe left bank of the Seine all the approaches were open, save thebridges of the Place de la Concorde, where strong detachments of cavalrywere posted on guard.
Within the Chamber all was solemnity. About three hundred members werepresent. The opposition seemed joyous and confident, though anxious. Theconservative party was troubled. The Ministerial benches were deserted.
At half-past one the President turned round in his chair, and kept hiseye fixed upon a side door, as if expecting some one to enter. Suddenlya bustle was heard in that direction, and the Duchess of Orleans, indeep mourning, attended by her two sons and followed by the Dukes ofMontpensier and Nemours, entered. The latter was received with markedexpressions of dislike. The Count of Paris, garbed in complete black,was conducted through the crowd to the space in front of the President'schair; the Duchess followed and seated herself in a fauteuil upon thesame spot. On each side of her was one of her sons, and behind her stoodher brothers, the Dukes of Nemours and Montpensier. This position wassubsequently changed for one more distant, but otherwise remainedthroughout relatively the same.
Being seated, the Duchess rose and bowed repeatedly to the assembly. Atthe same moment an immense multitude of National Guards and the peoplerushed in through the passages, and despite the shouts of the officers,"You cannot enter!" the space beneath the tribune was instantly anddensely thronged. At the same time the public tribunes were invaded by asecond body of the people.
For some minutes the greatest uproar prevailed. At length itcomparatively ceased, and, in a moment of quiet, M. Dupin, who hadaccompanied the Duchess of Orleans to the Chamber, ascended the tribune.The stillness was instantly as great as had been the previous agitation.
"The King has abdicated," said M. Dupin. "The Count of Paris isnominated as his successor and the Duchess of Orleans as Regent."
"It is too late!" shouted a man from the gallery of the people.
"The Count of Paris is proclaimed King by the Chamber and the Duchess ofOrleans Regent!' exclaimed the President.
"No--no--no!" was the almost unanimous shout that now rose in theChamber.
"I demand," cried M. Lamartine, "that the Royal family withdraw!"
The question was put, and the Duchess and her sons, after greathesitation, were drawn away to a side door, at the further end of thehall. At the same moment a new crowd of the people rushed in and tookseats beside the opposition members, by whom they were welcomed.
"I demand to speak!" cried M. Marie. "By the law of 1842, the Duke ofNemours is Regent. How can the King abrogate that law? I demand aprovisional government!"
"A provisional government!" cried M. Cremieux. "We made a mistake in'30. Let there be no mistake in '48!"
"A provisional government," said the Abbe Genoude, a Legitimist; "butit must be the will of the people!"
M. Odillon Barrot, who had been long expected, now entered andimmediately mounted the tribune.
"The crown of July rests on the head of a woman and a child!" cried thegreat lawyer.
The Duchess of Orleans instantly rose, as if about to speak, but, at theurgent solicitation of those around her, resumed her seat.
"I call on the country to rally around this woman and this child," criedM. Barrot, "the two-fold representative of the principles of July, '30!"
The voice of the speaker was drowned in shouts of dissent and of "Vivela Reforme!"
"I dissent from the opinion of M. Odillon Barrot!" cried the Marquis dela Rochejacquelin. "If he is right, the people are nothing!"
"Order--order!" cried the President, putting on his hat, but he was atonce induced to remove it.
At this moment another vast crowd burst into the Chamber, garbed in astyle so heterogeneous as to be grotesque--some with blouses--some withdragoon helmets on their heads, some with weapons and many with flags.
"Down--down--down with the Throne!" was the terrible cry of thisinfuriated mass.
"I demand that the sitting be suspended!" cried M. de Mornay.
"There can be no session at such a moment," said the President, puttingon his hat.
"Off--off--off with your hat, President!" cried the populace; andseveral of their muskets were at once pointed at the President. The hatwas removed.
The scene was chaos!
"Beware!" shouted M. Chevalier, editor of the Historical Library."Beware how you make the Count of Paris King! A provisional governmentwe must first have!"
"What right have you to speak?" shouted a man. "You are not a deputy!"
"In the name of the people, silence!" roared a terrific voice thatdrowned every other.
It was the voice of Ledru Rollin.
Many of the deputies now withdrew, and their places were filled by thepeople. The Duchess of Orleans sat calmly amid the uproar, and the Dukeof Nemours with equal calmness stood behind her chair.
"The throne has been tumbled from the windows of the Tuileries and isnow burning in the Place de la Bastille!" cried M. Dumoulin, whocommanded the Hotel de Ville in July of '30, displaying the tri-colorflag.
"No more Bourbons! Down with the Bourbons! Down with the traitors! Aprovisional government!" shouted the people.
"Aye, a Republic!" cried M. Chevalier.
Cremieux, Ledru Rollin and Lamartine were at the same time in thetribune.
"In the name of the people, silence!" again roared the awful voice ofLedru Rollin.
"A provisional government!" shouted one of the people.
"You shall have a provisional government!" exclaimed M. Maguin.
"In the name of the people--in the name of the people of Paris in arms,"again began Ledru Rollin, "I protest against this King and this Regency.The constitution of '9 demands the will of the people to fix a Regency.Yet the law of '42 makes the Duke of Nemours Regent, and now it is theDuchess of Orleans. I protest against it all! I demand a provisionalgovernment!"
"Question--question!" shouted M. Berryer. "A provisional government!"
"In 1815," continued Ledru Rollin, "Napoleon abdicated in favor of theKing of Rome. The King of Rome was refused. In 1830, Charles X.abdicated in favor of his grandson. The grandson was rejected. In 1848,Louis Philippe abdicates in favor of his grandson--the Count of Paris!"
"Question--question!" again vociferated M. Berryer. "We all know thosehistories!"
"In the name of the people," continued Ledru Rollin, "I demand aprovisional government, named by the people--not by the Chamber--but bythe people!"
Tremendous shouts followed, and M. Lamartine, who had stood besideRollin in the tribune, now took his place amid renewed shouts.
After an eloquent speech on the same side as his friend, he concluded bydemanding a provisional government, with an appeal to "the people--theentire people--all who by the title of man have rights as men."
While Lamartine was yet speaking, a violent knocking was heard at thedoor of the Chamber, which was forcibly burst open and a vast crowdrushed in.
"Down with the Chamber! Down with the Deputies!" shouted the populace,and muskets were instantly leveled at Lamartine, and, also, at the Royalparty.
"It is Lamartine! it is Lamartine!" was the cry of terror that rose fromhis friends.
The muskets were lowered.
The Duchess and her party were at once withdrawn from the Chamber by aside door, and having first retired to the Hotel des Invalides, nextfled to the Rhine; the Duke of Nemours fled to Boulogne and thence toEngland.
"Silence--silence--silence!" shouted the President, violently ringinghis bell. But the uproar only increased. "I pronounce this sessionclosed!" cried the President, and putting on his hat he instantly leftthe chair.
Here ends the Chamber of Deput
ies.
A large number of the members withdrew with the President, but theopposition remained, and with them the people and the National Guards.
After the noise incident to this departure had subsided, the venerableM. Dupont de l'Eure, a gray-headed old man of eighty, was, by unanimousacclamation, placed in the President's chair. Lamartine still remainedin the tribune, and repeatedly strove to make his voice heard, but invain.
"In the name of the people, silence, and let Lamartine speak!" at lengthwas heard in the thunder tones of Ledru Rollin, rising above all othersounds.
Silence for a moment being obtained, Lamartine exclaimed:
"Citizens!--a provisional government is declared! The names of themembers will now be announced by the President!"
Lamartine then descended from the tribune; applause and uproarsucceeded.
"The names of the members nominated for a provisional government I willnow read to you," said the aged President, rising and displaying apaper.
The following names were then read, and were repeated as they came oneafter the other from the speaker's mouth by the reporters in loud tones:Lamartine, Ledru Rollin, Arago, Dupont de l'Eure, Marie, GeorgesLafayette; all were received with general approbation.
"The members of the Provisional Government must be conducted by thepeople to the Hotel de Ville and installed!" cried a voice from thecrowd.
"Let us adjourn to the Hotel de Ville, Lamartine at the head!" said M.Bocage.
Immediately Lamartine, accompanied by a large number of citizens,withdrew. But a great multitude still remained upon the benches and inthe semi-circle of the Chamber.
"Citizens!" cried Ledru Rollin, "in nominating a provisional governmentyou perform a solemn act--an act which cannot be performed in a furiousmanner. Let me once more repeat to you the names you have chosen, and asthey are repeated, you will say 'yes' or 'no,' precisely as they pleaseyou; I call on the reporters of the public press to note the names andthe manner in which they are now received, that France may know what ishere done."
The names of Dupont de l'Eure, Arago, Lamartine, Ledru Rollin, Cremieux,Garnier Pages and Marie were then read out, and all, except the lasttwo--which were received with a few negatives--were confirmed byunanimous acclamation. The names were then engrossed in capitals on asheet of paper and borne around the Chamber on the bayonet of a NationalGuard that all might read for themselves.
"I have one more word to say," cried Ledru Rollin. "The ProvisionalGovernment has immense duties to perform. We must now close thismeeting, that the Government may be able to restore order--stanch theflow of blood, and secure to the people their rights."
"To the Hotel de Ville!--to the Hotel de Ville!" responded the people ina tremendous shout. "Vive la Republique!--to the Hotel de Ville!"
Headed by Ledru Rollin the excited multitude withdrew, and at fouro'clock all was as silent in the Chamber of Deputies as if not a voicehad resounded or a footstep had echoed within its walls for centuries.In the distance, however, could be heard the repeated shout:
"Vive la Republique!--to the Hotel de Ville!"