imself toward one
o'clock, he was carried through the doors by the surging mob which
invaded the palace, and in half an hour he shouted himself quite hoarse
in adjuring the crowds from the tribune to let the Assembly deliberate
in peace. But while he was literally croaking in his attempts to make
the people hear reason, news was brought to him that M. Blanqui and some
other adventurous spirits, taking time by the forelock, had repaired to
the Hotel de Ville, and were setting up a government of their own. Upon
this, Gambetta precipitately left the palace, jumped into a victoria,
and drove to the Hotel de Ville, amid a mob of several thousands of
persons who escorted him, cheering all the way. Before five o'clock the
deputies for Paris, with the exception of M. Thiers, had constituted
themselves into a government, which, at the suggestion of M. Rochefort,
took the name of Government of the National Defence; and M. Gambetta
received the appointment of Minister of the Interior. It may be remarked
in passing that on the day after these events, Judge Delesvaux, fearing,
perhaps needlessly, that some of the triumphant Republicans whom he had
so often punished would wreak vengeance upon him, committed suicide. On
the other hand, Gambetta's client in the Baudin affair--L. C.
Delescluze--came to him on the morning of September 5th, and reproached
him with much asperity for not having caused the empress to be arrested.
"We want no rose-water Republicans to rule us," said this honest, but
gloomy, zealot, who was shot a few months later during the extermination
of the Commune.

The siege of Paris brought M. Gambetta to the most romantic part of his
career. The National Defence Government had delegated two of their
members, MM. Cremieux and Glaiz-Bizoin, to go to Tours and govern the
provinces; but being both elderly men of weak health, they were hardly
up to their work; and early in October M. Gambetta was ordered by his
colleagues to join them. He had to leave Paris in a balloon, and in
going over the German lines nearly met with misadventure, through the
balloon sinking till it came within range of some marksmen's rifles. He
reached Tours in safety, however, and set to work at once with
marvellous activity to organize resistance against the invasion. He was
ably seconded by M. de Freycinet, and between them these two did all
that was humanly possible to perform; but from the first their task was
one of formidable difficulty, and a