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a mass of misrule and oppression, a people might justly press for thorough reformation, and might even dismount their rough shod riders, and leave them to walk on their own legs. The edicts, relative to the corvees and free circulation of grain, were first pre sented to the Parliament and registered ; but those for the impot ter ritorial, and stamp tax, offered some time after, were refused by the Parliament, which proposed a call of the States General, as alone competent to their authorization. Their refusal produced a Bed of justice, and their exile to Troyes. The Advocates, however, refusing to attend them, a suspension in the administration of jus tice took place. The Parliament held out for a while, but the ennui of their exile and absence from Paris, began at length to be felt, and some dispositions for compromise to appear. On their consent, therefore, to prolong some of the former taxes, they were recalled from exile, the King met them in session, November 19, 87, promised to call the States General in the year 92, and a majority expressed their assent to register an edict for successive and annual loans from 1788 to 92 ; but a protest being entered by the Duke of Orleans, and this encouraging others in a disposi tion to retract, the King ordered peremptorily the registry of the edict, and left the assembly abruptly. The Parliament imme diately protested, that the votes for the enregistry had not been legally taken, and that they gave no sanction to the loans pro posed. This was enough to discredit and defeat them. Here upon issued another edict, for the establishment of a cour pleniere, and the suspension of all the Parliaments in the kingdom. This being opposed, as might be expected, by reclamations from all the Parliaments and Provinces, the King gave way, and by an edict of July 5th, 88, renounced his cour pleniere, and promised the States General for the 1st of May, of the ensuing year : and the Archbishop, finding the times beyond his faculties, accepted the promise of a Cardinal s hat, was removed [September 88] from the Ministry, and Mr. Necker was called to the department of finance. The innocent rejoicings of the people of Paris on this change, provoked the interference of an officer of the city guards, whose order for their dispersion not being obeyed, he charged them with fixed bayonets, killed two or three, and wound ed many. This dispersed them for the moment, but they collect ed the next day in great numbers, burnt ten or twelve guard houses, killed two or three of the guards, and lost six or eight more of their own number. The city was hereupon put under Martial law, and after a while the tumult subsided. The effect of this change of ministers, and the promise of the States General at an early day, tranquilized the nation. But two great questions now
