Notable Events of the Nineteenth Century | Page 4

"Three Days of July," 1830, have
witnessed a bloodless revolution in Paris, in which the House of
Bourbon was finally overthrown and blown away. On the second of

August, Charles X. gave over the hopeless struggle and abdicated in
favor of his son. But the Chamber of Deputies and the people of France
had now wearied of Bourbonism in all of its forms, and the nation was
determined to have a king of its own choosing.
The Chamber set about the work of selecting a new ruler for France. At
this juncture, Thiers and Mignet again asserted their strength and
influence by nominating for the throne Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans,
representative of what is known as the Younger Branch of the Bourbon
dynasty. The prince himself was not loath to present himself at the
crisis, and to offer his services to the nation. In so doing, he was
favored greatly by his character and antecedents. At the first, the
Chamber voted to place him at the head of the kingdom with the title of
_Lieutenant-General_. The prince accepted his election, met the
Chamber of Deputies and members of the Provisional Government at
the Hotel de Ville, and there solemnly pledged himself to the most
liberal principles of administration. His accession to power in his
military relations was hailed with great delight by the Parisians, who
waved the tri-color flag before him as he came, and shouted to their
heart's content.
At this stage of the revolution the representatives of the overthrown
House and of the Old Royalty sought assiduously to obtain from Louis
Philippe a recognition of the young Count de Chambord, under the title
of Henry V. But the Duke of Orleans was too wily a politician to be
caught in such a snare. He at first suppressed that part of the letter of
abdication signed by Charles and Angoulême in which reference was
made to the succession of the Duke of Berry's son; but a knowledge of
that clause was presently disseminated in the city, and the tumult broke
out anew.
Then it was that a great mob, rolling out of Paris in the direction of the
Hotel Rambouillet, gave the signal of flight to Charles and those who
had adhered to the toppling fortunes of his house. The Chamber of
Deputies proceeded quickly to undo the despotic acts of the late king,
and then elected Louis Philippe king, not of France, but of the French.
The new sovereign received 219 out of 252 votes in the Deputies. His
elevation to power was one of the most striking examples of personal
vicissitudes which has ever been afforded by the princes and rulers of
modern times.

THE COUP D'ETAT OF 1851.
With the overthrow of Louis Philippe in 1848, what is known as the
Second Republic, was established in France. On the tenth of December,
in that year, a president was elected in the American manner for a term
of four years. To the astonishment of the whole world, the man so
elected was Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, who had since the downfall of
Napoleon been prisoner, exile and adventurer by turns. In the course of
President Louis Napoleon's administration, matters came to such a pass
between him and the National Assembly that one or the other must go
to the wall.
In the early winter of 1851, a crisis came on which broke in a
marvelous manner in the event called the Coup d'Etat. The President
made up his mind to conquer the Assembly by force. He planned what
is known in modern history by pre-eminence the stroke. He, and those
whom he trusted, made their arrangements secretly, silently, that the
"stroke" should fall on the night of the second of December. On that
evening the President held a gay reception in the palace of the Elysee,
and after his guests had retired, the scheme was perfected for
immediate execution.
During the night seventy-eight of the leading members of the
Opposition were seized at their own houses and taken to prison. The
representatives of the people were hurried through the streets, and
suddenly immured where their voices could be no longer heard. At the
same time a strong force of soldiers was stationed near the Tuileries.
The offices of the liberal newspapers were seized and closed, and the
Government printing presses were employed all night in printing the
proclamation with which the walls of the city were covered before
morning. With the coming of daylight, Paris awoke and read:
1. The National Assembly is dissolved;
2. Universal suffrage is re-established;
3. The Elective Colleges are summoned to meet on December 21;
4. Paris is in a state of siege.
By the side of this proclamation was posted the President's address to
the people. He proposed the election of a president