X.] THE CHANGES SINCE THE REVOLUTION. 205 murdered in her bed-room. Her husband was tried and found guilty, but he killed himself in prison, and many believed that his suicide had been allowed out of tender- ness to his birth. The death of Madame Adelaide too was a great disa-ter to the king, for her influence had always been for vigour aad uprightness. 6. The Revolution of 1848. — All this while the country Vits in mmy ways flourishing. Trade increased, and railways and other improvements were brought in. But there was a strong spirit of disaftection throughout the country, especially in Paris and the other great towns. Cn the one hand, the legitimists still clave to the grand- son of Charles X. as their lawful king. This was Henry, Duke of Bourdeaux, but who now called himself Count of Chmnbord. On the other hand, besides political repub- licanism, socialist doctrines had widely spread. Above all, the narrow franchise shut out the mass of the people from any share in elections. The cry for parliamentary reform was general, but both the king and his minister, M. Guizot, set themselves obstinately against all reform. The Chambers of Peers and Deputies met on the 2Sth of December, 1847, when the kin<^'s speech declared that " the present institutions unchanged were quite sufficient. " An amendment to the address led to debates which lasted, all through the month of January, in which M. Guizol's whole policy, foreign and domestic, was fiercely attacked. The whole country was in a seething state of discontent, which poured itself out in speeches at banquets or political dinners, and the debates whether these should be permitted of course only made the public more bent on them. An immense banquet was fixed for the 20th of February, 1848, to be given in tents in one of the great avenues of Versailles. More than 100,000 persons were to take part in it, many belonging to the National Guard, and it was understood to be a manifestation against the king and Guizot. The banquet was forbidden by the police and was given up. An attempt was made in the Chamber of Deputies on the 22nd to impeach the ministers, but it was rejected by a large majority. The people began to assemble in great numbers on the 22nd, many of them unaware that the dinner was not to take place. The next day, when the National Guard was called on to disperse the people, it not only would not fire on them, but joined with them. Guizot now sent in his resignation, and it was hoped that peace was restored. A chance shot was
