Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

History of the Girondists, Volume I - Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French Revolution by Alphonse de Lamartine
page 76 of 651 (11%)

After the receipt of these last orders, M. de Bouillé despatched the
Duke de Choiseul to Paris, with orders to await the king's instructions,
and to precede his departure by twelve hours. M. de Choiseul was to
desire his servants to be at Varennes on the 18th with his own horses,
which would draw the king's carriage; the spot where the horses were
placed was to be clearly explained to the king, in order that they might
be changed without any loss of time. On his return M. de Choiseul had
instructions to take the command of the hussars posted at Pont
Sommeville, to await the king, to escort him with his hussars as far as
Sainte-Menehould, and to station his troopers there, with positive
orders to allow no one to pass on the road from Paris to Verdun, and
from Paris to Varennes, for four and twenty hours after the king's
arrival. M. de Choiseul received from M. de Bouillé orders signed by the
king himself, enjoining him, as well as all the other commanding
officers of the detachments, to employ force, should it be necessary, to
rescue his majesty if the populace attempted to lay violent hands on
him. In case the carriage was stopped at Lyons, M. de Choiseul was to
give instant information to the general to assemble all the detachments,
and march to the king's rescue. He received six hundred louis in gold,
to distribute amongst the soldiers, and thus insure their fidelity, when
the king arrived and made himself known to them.

M. de Guoguelas left at the same for Paris, to reconnoitre the roads a
second time, passing by Stenay, Dun, Varennes, and Sainte Menehould, and
to explain clearly to the king the topography of the country; he was
also to bring back the latest orders for M. de Bouillé, and to return to
Montmédy by another route. The Marquis de Bouillé left Metz himself,
under pretence of visiting the fortresses under his command, and drew
near Montmédy. The 15th he was at Longwy, where he received a message
DigitalOcean Referral Badge