Let us consider this general dissolution on the spot， and take up a case in detail. On the 18th of January 1790， the new municipal authorities of Marseilles enter upon their duties. As is generally the case， the majority of the electors have had nothing to do with the balloting. The mayor， Martin， having been elected by only an eighth of the active citizens.[27] If， however， the dominant minority is a small one， it is resolute and not inclined to stop at trifles. "Scarcely is it organized，"[28] when it sends deputies to the King to have him withdraw his troops from Marseilles. The King， always weak and accommodating， finally consents； and， the orders to march being prepared， the municipality is duly advised of them. But the municipality will tolerate no delay， and immediately "draws up， prints， and issues a denunciation to the National Assembly" against the commandant and the two ministers who， according to it， are guilty of having forged or suppressed the King's orders. In the meantime it equips and fortifies itself as for a combat. At its first establishment the municipality broke up the bourgeois guard， which was too great a lover of order， and organized a National Guard， in which those who have no property are soon to be admitted.
"Daily additions are made to its military apparatus；[29]
entrenchments and barricades at the H？tel-de-Ville， are increasing， the artillery is increased； the town is filled with the excitement of a military camp in the immediate presence of an enemy." Thus， in possession of force， it makes use of it， and in the first place against justice. -- A popular insurrection had been suppressed in the month of August 1789， and the three principal leaders， Rebecqui， Pascal， and Granet， had been imprisoned in the Chateau d'If. They are the friends of the municipal authorities， and they must be set free. At the demand of this body the affair is taken out of the hands of the grand-prév？t and put into those of the sénéchaussée， the former， meanwhile， together with his councilors， undergoing punishment for having performed their duty. The municipality， on its own authority， forbids them from further exercise of their functions. They are publicly denounced， "threatened with poniards， the scaffold， and every species of assassination." [30] No printer dares publish their defense， for fear of "municipal annoyances." It is not long before the royal procureur and a councillor are reduced to seeking refuge in Fort Saint-Jean， while the grand-prév？t after having resisted a little longer， leaves Marseilles in order to save his life. As to the three imprisoned men， the municipal authorities visit them in a body and demand their provisional release. One of them having made his escape， they refuse to give the commandant the order for his re-arrest. The other two triumphantly leave the chateau on the 11th of April， escorted by eight hundred National Guards. They go， for form's sake， to the prisons of the sénéchaussée but the next day are set at liberty， and further prosecution ceases. As an offset to this， M. d'Ambert， colonel in the Royal Marine， guilty of expressing himself too warmly against the National Guard， although acquitted by the tribunal before which he was brought， can be set at liberty only in secret and under the protection of two thousand soldiers. The populace want to burn the house of the criminal lieutenant that dared absolve him. The magistrate himself is in danger， and is forced to take refuge in the house of the military commander.[31] Meanwhile， printed and written papers， insulting libels by the municipal body and the club， the seditious or violent discussions of the district assemblies， and a lot of pamphlets， are freely distributed among the people and the soldiers： the latter are purposely stirred up in advance against their chiefs. - - In vain are the officers mild， conciliatory， and cautious. In vain does the commander-in-chief depart with a portion of the troops. The object now is to dislodge the regiment occupying the three forts. The club sets the ball in motion， and， forcibly or otherwise， the will of the people must be carried out. On the 29th of April， two actors， supported by fifty volunteers， surprise a sentinel and get possession of Notre-Dame de la Garde. On the same day， six thousand National Guards invest the forts of Saint-Jean and Saint-Nicolas. The municipal authorities， summoned to respect the fortresses， reply by demanding the opening of the gates to the National Guard， that it may do duty jointly with the soldiers. The commandants hesitate， refer to the law， and demand time to consult their superiors. A second requisition， more urgent， is made； the commandants are held responsible for the disturbances they provoke by their refusal. If they resist they are declared promoters of civil war.[32] They accordingly yield and sign a capitulation.
One among them， the Chevalier de Beausset， major in Fort Saint-Jean， is opposed to this， and refuses his signature. On the following day he is seized as he is about to enter the H？tel-de-Ville， and massacred， his head being borne about on the end of a pike， while the band of assassins， the soldiers， and the rabble dance about and shout over his remains. - " It is a sad accident，" writes the municipality.[33] How does it happen that， "after having thus far merited and obtained all praise， a Beausset， whom we were unable to protect against the decrees of Providence， should sully our laurels？
Having had nothing to do with this tragic affair， it is not for us to prosecute the authors of it." Moreover， he was "culpable . . ..
rebellious， condemned by public opinion， and Providence itself seems to have abandoned him to the irrevocable decrees of its vengeance."- As to the taking of the forts， nothing is more legitimate. "These places were in the hands of the enemies of the State， while now they are in the hands of the defenders of the Constitution of the empire.