7533. REVOLUTION (French), Necker recalled.—
The Archbishop [of Toulouse] has been removed * * * and M. Necker called
in as Director General of finance. To soften
the Archbishop's dismission, a cardinal's hat is
asked for him from Rome, and his nephew
promised the succession to the archbishopric of
Sens. The public joy, on this change of administration,
was very great indeed. The people
of Paris were amusing themselves with trying
and burning the Archbishop in effigy, and
rejoicing on the appointment of M. Necker.
The commanding officer of the city guards
undertook to forbid this, and not being obeyed,
he charged the mob with fixed bayonets, killed
two or three, and wounded many. This stopped
their rejoicings for that day; but enraged at
being thus obstructed in amusements wherein
they had committed no disorder whatever, they
collected in great numbers the next day, attacked
the guards in various places, burned ten
or twelve guard houses, killed two or three of
the guards, and had about six or eight of their
own number killed. The city was, hereupon,
put under martial law, and after a while, the
tumult subsided, and peace was restored.—
To John Jay. Washington ed. ii, 471.
(P.
Sep. 1788)
