of Man was in the streets; the ex-constituent Beslay had assembled, in
the Passage du Caire, six or seven hundred workmen from the Marais, and
had posted them in the streets surrounding the Bank. New barricades
would probably be constructed during the evening, the forward movement
of the resistance was being precipitated, the hand-to-hand struggle
which the Committee had wished to delay seemed imminent, all was rushing
forward with a sort of irresistible impulse. Should we follow it, or
should we stop? Should we run the risk of bringing matters to an end
with one blow, which should be the last, and which would manifestly
leave one adversary on the ground--either the Empire or the Republic?
The workmen's societies asked for our instructions; they still held in
reserve their three or four thousand combatants; and they could,
according to the order which the Committee should give them, either
continue to restrain them or send them under fire without delay. They
believed themselves curtain of their adherents; they would do whatever
we should decide upon, while not hiding from us that the workmen wished
for an immediate conflict, and that it would be somewhat hazardous to
leave them time to become calm.

The majority of the members of the Committee were still in favor of a
certain slackening of action which should tend to prolong the struggle;
and it was difficult to say that they were in the wrong. It was certain
that if they could protract the situation in which the _coup d'etat_ had
thrown Paris until the next week, Louis Bonaparte was lost. Paris does
not allow herself to be trampled upon by an army for a whole week.
Nevertheless, I was for my own part impressed with the following:--The
workmen's societies offered us three or four thousand combatants, a
powerful assistance;--the workman does not understand strategy, he lives
on enthusiasm, abatements of ardor discourage him; his zeal is not
extinguished, but it cools:--three thousand to-day would be five hundred
to-morrow. And then some serious incident had just taken place on the
Boulevards. We were still ignorant of what it actually was: we could not
foresee what consequences it might bring about; but seemed to me
impossible that the still unknown, but yet violent event, which had just
taken place would not modify the situation, and consequently change our
plan of battle. I began to speak to this effect. I stated that we ought
to accept the offer of the associations, a