‘My dear R.,—As you probably have not often received letters from correspondents under Martial Law, I write you this. The état de siége was proclaimed in this department two days ago, to the great delight of all the inhabitants who had anything to lose, and of many who had even their lives to lose, for nothing can exceed the ferocity of the Socialist mobs wherever they have had the upper hand. I am sorry to say our department (the Var) has been very bad, most of the towns having for a day or two been in possession of the Sovereign People, with mayors and other functionaries in prison; in some places pillage, murder, and all kinds of violence were committed. But the troops very soon defeated them, and after some attempts to escape and carry off the chief people in the places as hostages, to-day we find that they have everywhere failed, and the hostages have been recovered. It is curious to see how completely the fear of these Socialists and their madness and villainy has reconciled the country to the most outrageous act that ever was done. And it will make that act perfectly successful, at least for the present, I suppose.
‘L. N. [Louis
Napoleon] is ready to prove that there was a general conspiracy
against all society by the Rouges and the Socialists. If he cannot prove that,
it will be impossible to defend his conduct or to bear with
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‘I shall remain here till things are quiet. We have had two threatenings here, but both failed. In the next department they are far from being in a quiet state.
