Let us enter the cabinet of Roland， Minister of the Interior， a fortnight after the opening of the Convention， and suppose him contemplating， some evening， in miniature， a picture of the state of the country administered by him. His clerks have placed the correspondence of the past few weeks on his table， arranged in proper order； his replies are noted in brief on the margin； he has a map of France before him， and， placing his finger on the southern section， he moves it along the great highway across the country. At every stage he recurs to the paper file of letters， and passing innumerable reports of violence， he merely gives his attention to the great revolutionary exploits.[52] Madame Roland， I imagine， works with her husband， and the couple， sitting together alone under the lamp， ponder over the doings of the ferocious brute which they have set free in the provinces the same as in Paris.
Their eyes go first to the southern extremity of France. There，[53] on the canal of the Deux-Mers， at Carcassonne， the population has seized three boats loaded with grain， demanded provisions， then a lower prices of bread， then guns and cannon from the magazine， and， lastly， the heads of the administrators； an inspector-general has been wounded by an axe， and the syndic-attorney of the department， M. Verdie；massacred. -- The Minister follows with his eye the road from Carcassonne to Bordeaux， and on the right and on the left he finds traces of blood. At Castres，[54] a report is spread that a dealer in grain was trying to raise the price， whereupon a mob gathers， and， to save the dealer， he is placed in the guard-house. The volunteers， however， force open the guard-house， and throw the man out of the first-story window； they then finish him off with "blows with clubs and weights，" drag his body along the street and cast it into the river. -- The evening before， at Clairac，[55] M. Lartigue-Langa， an unsworn priest， pursued through the street by a troop of men and women， who wanted to remove his cassock and set him on an ass， found refuge， with great difficulty， in his country-house. They go there for him， however， fetch him back to the public promenade， and there they kill him. A number of brave fellows who interfered were charged with incivism， and severely handled. Repression is impossible； the department writes to the Minister that "at this time it would be impolitic to follow the matter up." Roland knows that by experience.
The letters in his hands show him that there， as in Paris， murder engenders murder. M. d'Alespée； a gentleman， has just been assassinated at Nérac； "all reputable citizens formed around him a rampart with their bodies，" but the rabble prevailed， and the murderers， "through their obscurity，" escaped. -- The Minister's finger stops at Bordeaux. There the federation festivities are marked with a triple assassination.[56] In order to let this dangerous moment pass by， M. de Langoiran， vicar-general of the archbishopric， had retired half a league off； in the village of Cauderan， to the residence of an octogenarian priest， who， like himself； had never meddled with public matters. On the 15th of July the National Guards of the village， excited by the speeches of the previous night， have come to the residence to pick them up， and moreover， a third priest belonging in the neighborhood. There is nothing to lay to their charge； neither the municipal officers， nor the justices before whom they are brought， can avoid declaring them innocent. As a last recourse， they are conducted to Bordeaux， before the Directory of the department. But it is getting dark， and the riotous crowd becoming impatient， makes an attack on them. The octogenarian "receives so many blows that he cannot recover"； the abbé du Puy is knocked down and dragged along by a rope attached to his feet； M. de Langoirac's head is cut off， carried about on a pike， taken to his house and presented to the servant， who is told that "her master will not come home to supper." The torment of the priests has lasted from five o'clock in the morning to seven o'clock in the evening， and the municipal authorities were duly advised； but they cannot put themselves out of the way to give succor； they are too seriously occupied in erecting a liberty-pole.
Route from Bordeaux to Caen. -- The Minister's finger turns to the north， and stops at Limoges. The day following the federation has been here celebrated the same as at Bordeaux.[57] An unsworn priest， the abbé Chabrol， assailed by a gang of men and women， is first conducted to the guard-house and then to the dwelling of the juge-de-paix； for his protection a warrant of arrest is gotten out， and he is kept under guard， in sight， by four chasseurs， in one of the rooms.