Page:Life of Louis Philippe, late king of the French.pdf/20

20 and other places, where the journalists met to read them aloud, and comment on them. The seizure of the printing apparatus of one of the most energetic of the liberal papers by one of the police agents, served as a signal for revolt, and on the night of the 27th July, the streets and boulevards were barricaded, and the pavements torn up to serve as missiles. On the following morning all Paris was in arms. The national guard were in their old uniform, and the tri-coloured flag was displayed. The government, by a strange infatuation, had taken no precaution to support its measures by an armed force. The garrison of Paris, which had just been diminished, contained only 12000 soldiers, and instead of bringing an army to bear on the capital, the minister of war was occupied with other affairs; while M. de Polignac regretted the want of cash to invest in the funds. To add to the mismanagement, no rations were provided for the soldiers who were on duty in the streets.

The fighting on the 28th was considerable-the populace firing from house-tops, from windows, and from behind barrieades. Many of the troops were disarmed-others were unwilling to fire on their own countrymen, and some openly joined the citizens. On the 29th, the fighting was still greater; and on the 30th, the Parisians gained the victory. There were from 7000 to 8000 killed and wounded. The king having been thus in effect discrowned, and the throne vacant, it became necessary to determine what form of government should be adopted in place of that which bad been vanquished. Thiers, and other politicians who had taken the lead in the provisional government which had risen out of the struggle, looked towards the Duke of Orleans, whom they proposed to constitute lieutenant-general of the kingdom, and afterwards to become king. During the insurrection, the Duke of Orleans resided in seelusion at his