270 ORIGIN OF THE WAR OF 1S53 chap. Baudin fell dead, his head being shattered by more XIV ' than one hall. One other was killed by the vol- ley ; several more were wounded. The book of the Constitution had fallen to the ground, and the defenders of the law recurred to their firearms. They shot the officer who had caused the death of their comrade and questioned their major premiss. There was a fight of the Homeric sort for the body of Charles Baudin. The battalion won it. Four soldiers carried it off.* Plainly this attempted insurrection in the Faubourg St Antoine was without the support of the multitude. It died out. Barricades The Committee of Eesistance now caused bar- parfs n ra ricades to be thrown up in that mass of streets between the Hotel de Ville and the Boulevard, which is the accustomed centre of an insurrection in Paris ; but they were not strong enough to oc- cupy the houses, and therefore the troops passed through the streets without danger, and easily took every barricade which they encountered. "When the troops retired, the barricades again sprang up, but only to be again taken. This state of things continued during part of the 3d of De- cember; but afterwards the efforts of the troops were relaxed, and, during the night and the whole forenoon of the next day, the formation of barri- cades in the centre of Paris was allowed to go on without encountering serious interruption.f
- Xavier Durrieu, pp. 23, 24.
t Magnan's Despatch, given in the ' Moniteur.'
