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o'clock in the afternoon of the 21st Although M. de Nand M. de Goguelas had calculated that they would arrive about that hour, it was certainly their duty to remain there all that day with the detachment of hussars, the instructions to whose commanding officers bore, that the convoy they were to escort would pass in the course of that day nevertheless, when those two gentlemen saw no appearance of any courier, or of the arrival of the royal family, they left Sommeville at five o'clock in the evening, carrying the whole detachment from that important post, from whence the directions to all the others were to originate. It is to be hoped that those two officers had very strong reasons for conducting themselves in this manner, which, how ever, have never been fully made known. It has been said, that what chiefly determined them was certain marks of inquietude and commotion which began to appear among the people in the country, the consequences of which they thought might prove dangerous to the King and royal family.

Messrs. de Nand Goguelas withdrew the troops from Somme ville at five o'clock in the evening, and their majesties arrived there an hour after, finding neither the troops they expected, nor the two persons who had been entrusted with their instructions, who were to act as couriers, and to give orders, signals, and directions to the troops distributed at the different posts. Their majesties, however, proceeded without any retardment to St. Menehoult, while the detachment which bad left Sommeville fell back to Varennes. By a fatality that seems to have invariVOL. XXXIII.

ably accompanied the king, the commanding officer of the detachment, not choosing to return to St. Menehoult, where he had been ill-received the day before, instead. of keeping to the high road, by which means he would have joined the royal family, struck into a cross road, where he lost his way, as also did the two persons entrusted with the king's orders; so that none of them reached Varennes until an hour after their majesties had been arrested.

The royal family had come to St. M.nehoult without any preceding courier. When they stopped to change horses at the post-house the commanding officer of the detachment of dragoons, supposing that those were the carriages which it was his duty to escort, ordered the soldiers to mount, that he might fulfil the object of his mission. He met with a decided opposition from the inhabitants, and the stables were occupied and guarded by the national guards of the town.

The King not seeing those he expected, looked out of the carriage with the utmost uneasiness, and made many inquiries concerning the road. He was recognised by a postillion, who immediately ran and informed the post-master. The King's journey was not, however, stopped; he went on to Clermont, while the post-master of St. Mene. hoult dispatched his son to Varennes, to give notice of his majesty's approach, that measures might be taken to stop him. The King changed horses again at Clermont, and was suffered peaceably to take the road to Varennes. de Damas, who commanded the royal dragoons and those of mon

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measures were executed, the postmaster had full time to make all his criminal arrangements, without encountering the least obstacle.

Their majesties were very uneasy on being informed, on their arrival, that there were no horses in readiness and saw no appearance of the troops they expected for their protection. To add to their vexation, their postillions threatened to leave them. The queen alighted, and called at several houses to obtain information respecting the horses. Nobody knew her. She walked for some time in the ville haute with the king, in expectation that some person would appear who would give them the information they stood so much in need of, but all in vain. They were obliged to return to their carriage without the expected satisfaction; and all they could do was to intreat the postillions to proceed with the same horses. As they passed under an arch-way near the bridge, a band of ruffians, who lay in wait, stopped the carriages, seized upon the king, and forced him and his family to alight, and they were conducted prisoners to the house of the procureur de la commune. The king expostulated against this violence with equal firmness and dignity, but to no purpose. In a moment the streets were barricaded, the stables of the hussars surrounded, the national guards drawn up under arms, and the tocsin sounded to alarm the country. The young de Bouille and M. Raigecourt, on hearing the tumult, hastened towards the hotel of the commandant, but found the streets barricaded. They had time only to mount on horseback, to push through the

armed crowds that opposed them, and to go with all possible expedi tion to inform general de Bouille of what had happened.

In less than an hour after the king was stopped, Messrs.de N and de Goguelas arrived at Varennes with the detachment from Pontsommeville. At the gates of the town they found some pieces of cannon and a party of the national guards, who at first disputed their entrance. They desired to be made known to the sixty hussars in the town, who belonged to their regiment. M. Rodwell, who commanded those hussars, came to meet them alone. M. Boudet, the commanding officer of the detachment from Pontsommeville, informed him that the company which had been stopped was actually the king and the royal family, and ordered him to take every necessary measure for the defence and surety of their majesties: but Rodwell, in place of obeying his commanding officer, immediately left Varennes, on pretence that he must go and inform M. de Bouille of what had happened; and he left the command of this important post to one of the quarter-masters, who was extremely ill-affected to the king, as appeared by his keeping the hussars in total inaction.

The detachment of Pontsommeville being the only troops well disposed to the king in the town, reached the house where the royal family were detained, which they found surrounded by a number of national guards. M. de Goguelas, instead of attempting to disperse them by any orders to the detachment, addressed himself to the procureur de la commune, who still affected not to know who the peo

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ple he detained were, desiring to be introduced to them. He was introduced accordingly, and on his return assured the people that it was unquestionably the royal family. This information rendered the multitude more obstinate for detaining the royal family.

M. de Goguelas, wishing to ascertain whether the minds of the troops had not been corrupted by the town's people, during his absence, ordered them to prepare their arms, and then very inconsiderately asked whether they were for the king or the nation. They answered, Vive la nation! Nous tenons et tiendrons toujours pour elle." This answer, which the surrounding crowd had inspired them with, plainly shewed no assistance could be expected for his majesty in this seditious town. M. de Goguelas, therefore, seeming to adopt the prevailing sentiment, resolved quietly to wait the arrival of a sufficient force, to assist him in delivering their majesties.

While these events were passing at Varennes, M. de Bouille was extremely uneasy at receiving no intelligence. He had passed the night on horseback betwixt Dun and Stenai. At last he rode to the highway which leads to Montmidi, that he might be at hand to give assistance, if necessary.

He was at the gates of Stenai about four in the morning, when M. de Raigecourt, the chevalier de Bouille, and M. de Rodwell brought him the unwelcome news of the king be ing stopped. That instant, orders were given for the regiment Royal Allemand to mount, but the horses were not saddled, although their

commanding officer had received orders the preceding evening to hold himself in readiness by daybreak, and although it was known in the regiment that the king was to pass during the night. M. de Bouille sent, at the same time, to Montmidi, an order to M. de Klinglin, marechal de camp, to send one of the battalions of Nassau towards Dun, and to expedite orders to the Swiss regiment of Castellas, then on its march to Montmidi, to detach one of its battalions to Stenai, and there to attend his further orders. M. de Bouille also sent orders to the detachments of Mouse and Dun to march with all diligence to Varennes, giving them to know that he would soon follow with the regiment Royal Allemand, and enjoining them, immediately upon their arrival, to use every means in their power for the deli-. verance of the royal family.

M. de Bouille waited till the regiment of Royal Allemand were quite ready, and then put himself at its head; after which, that he might assure himself of its dispositions, he read the king's orders, informed the men of the occasion of this march, and distributed money amongst them. He found them extremely well disposed, and they followed him with an alacrity which promised success: but it was five o'clock in the morning when they set out.

Extract of M. de Long's report.

M. de Long, who commanded, at this time, the detachment of Dun, occupied, with his hussars, all