illustrious of the country, a preponderating power, guardian
of the fundamental compact and of public liberties.
The system created by the First Consul at the
commencement of the century has already given to France
repose and prosperity; and it would again guarantee
them to it. Such is my profound conviction. If you
share in it, declare it by your suffrages. If, on the
contrary, you prefer a government with strength,
monarchical or republican, borrowed from I know not
what past, or from some chimerical future, reply
negatively. Thus, then, for the first time since 1804, you
will vote with a knowlege of what you are doing, in
knowing well for whom and for what. If I do not
obtain the majority of your suffrages, I will then call
for the meeting of a new Assembly, and I will give up
the charge which I have received from you. But if you
believe that the cause of which my name is the symbol
—that is to say, France regenerated by the revolution
of '89, and organised by the Emperor—is still your own,
proclaim it by consecrating the powers which I ask
from you. Then France and Europe will be preserved
from anarchy, obstacles will be removed, rivalities will
have disappeared, for all will respect, in the decision
of the people, the decree of Providence. Given at
the Palace of the Elysée, this 2nd day of December,
1851."

The events of the preceding night became gradually
known to the astonished citizens. The President had
held a brilliant reception at the Elysée in the evening,
when he appeared more than usually gay. At an early
hour in the morning a number of the leading members
of the Assembly, among whom were Generals
Changarnier, Cavaignac, Bedeau, Leflô, and Lamoricière,
and Messrs. Thiers, Roger du Nord, Baze, Baune,
Greppo, Miot, Naclaud, Lagrange, and Valenten,—
were arrested in their beds and conveyed to prison.
The President's proclamations, printed at a private
press in the palace, were posted on the walls, and the
city was occupied by troops, before daylight. A line of
infantry extended from the Porte Royale along the
Quay d'Orsay, cavalry occupied the Place de la
Concorde; and at all the bridges were stationed batteries
of field artillery. The gardens of the Tuileries were
closed; and troops surrounded the Louvre, and occupied
the faubourgs. Meanwhile the representatives of
the people, hearing that some of their colleagues had
been arrested, hastened in great numbers to the hall of
the Assembly. They found the doors guarded by the
Chasseurs de Vincennes, a corps recently returned from
Africa. They nevertheless endeavoured to enter, having
one of their vice-presidents, M. Daru (M. Dussin, the
president, not having made his appearance) at their
head. M. Daru was violently struck by the soldiers,
and the representatives were driven back at the point of
the bayonet. Some of them were slightly wounded,
and others had their clothes pierced. Driven from the
doors of the Assembly, the deputies retired to the
Mairie of the 10th arrondissement. They were already
assembled to the number of about 300, when the troops
arrived, blocked up the approaches, and prevented a
greater number of representatives from entering the
apartment, though no one was at that time prevented
from leaving it. Every shade of opinion was represented
in this extemporaneous Assembly. Besides its
Vice-Presidents, the Assembly was accompanied by its
secretaries, its ushers, and even its shorthand writer.
Thus constituted, it voted the following decree:—

"In pursuance of Article 68 of the Constitution—
viz., the President of the Republic, the Ministers, the
agents, and depositaries of public authority are responsible,
each in what concerns themselves respectively,
for all the acts of the government and the administration
—any measure by which the President of the
Republic dissolves the National Assembly, prorogues
it, or places obstacles in the exercise of its powers, is a
crime of high treason. By this act merely the President
is deprived of all authority, the citizens are bound to
withhold their obedience, the executive power has passed
in full right to the National Assembly. The judges of
the high court of justice will meet immediately under
pain of forfeiture; they will convoke the juries in the
place which they will select to proceed to the judgment
of the President and his accomplices; they will nominate
the magistrates charged to fulfil the duties of public
ministers. And seeing that the National Assembly is
prevented by violence from exercising its powers, it
decrees as follows, viz., Louis Napoleon Bonaparte is
deprived of all authority as President of the Republic.
The citizens are enjoined to withhold their obedience.
The executive power has passed in full right to the
National Assembly. The judges of the high court of
justice are enjoined to meet immediately, under pain of
forfeiture, to proceed to the judgment of the President
and his accomplices; consequently all the officers and
functionaries of power and of public authority are bound
to obey all requisitions made in the name of the National
Assembly, under pain of forfeiture and of high treason.
Done and decreed unanimously in public sitting, this
2nd of December, 1851."

This decree was signed by the vice-presidents, the
secretaries, and two hundred and thirty members.
Another decree was unanimously passed naming General
Oudinot commander of the public forces, with M.Tamisier
as the chief of his staff. These decrees had scarcely
been signed, when a band of soldiers, headed by their
officers, sword in hand, appeared at the door of the
chamber. The Assembly awaited them in perfect silence.
The President alone raised his voice, read the decrees
which had just been passed to the soldiers, and ordered
them to retire. The men, apparently ashamed of the
part they were compelled to play, hesitated, and the
officers said they should go for further orders. They
retired, contenting themselves with blockading the
passages leading to the apartment. The Assembly,
not being able to go out, ordered the windows to be
opened, and caused the decrees to be read to the people
and the troops in the street below, especially that
decree which, in pursuance of the 68th article of the
constitution, pronounced the deposition and impeachment
of Louis Napoleon. In a short time the soldiers
reappeared at the door, preceded by two Commissaires
de Police, who summoned the representatives to
disperse. The President ordered them to retire
themselves. "We are here," he said, "the lawful authority,
and sole representatives of law and of right. We
know that we cannot oppose to you material force,
but we will only leave this chamber under constraint.
We will not disperse. Seize us, and convey us to
prison." "All, all," exclaimed the members of the
Assembly. After much hesitation, the Commissaires
de Police decided to act. The two Presidents were
seized by the collar. The whole body then rose, and,
arm-in-arm, two-and-two, they followed the Presidents,
who were led off. In this order they reached the street,
and were marched across the city to the barracks of the
Quai d'Orsay, where they were shut. Though night was
coming on, and it was wet and cold, they were left two
hours in the open street, there the representatives made
their last roll-call in presence of their shorthand writer,
who had followed them. The number present was 218,
to whom were added about twenty more in the course
of the evening, consisting of members who had
voluntarily surrendered themselves. Almost all the men
known to France and to Europe who formed the majority
of the Legislative Assembly were gathered together
in this place. There were present, among others, the
Duke de Broglie, who had come, though ill; the father
of the house, the venerable Keratry, whom it was
necessary to seat on a straw chair in the barrack-yard;
Odillon Barrot, Dufaure, Berryer, Remusat, Duvergier
de Hauranne, Gustave de Beaumont, de Tocqueville,
de Falloux, Lanjuinais, Admiral Lainé and Admiral
Cécille, Generals Oudinot and Lauriston, the Duke de
Luynes, the Duke de Montebello; twelve ex-Ministers,
nine of whom had served under Louis Napoleon
himself; eight members of the Institute; all men who had
struggled for three years in defence of law and order.
After having been kept two hours in the yard, they
were driven into barrack-rooms up stairs, where they
spent the night, stretched on the bare boards, without
fire and almost without food. They were then packed
into vans used for the conveyance of criminals, and were
carried to different prisons, Mont Valerien, Mazas, and
Vincennes. Two days afterwards, however, the government
found it necessary to set the greater number of
them at liberty. The Generals arrested in their own