Onthe19thofDecembertheLegislativeBodywasconvoked.ItwasonaWednesday.M.LainewasVice—PresidentunderM.Regnier.AcommitteewasappointedtoexamineandreportonthecommunicationsoftheEmperor.
Thereportandconclusionsofthecommitteewerenotsatisfactory;itwasallegedthattheybetrayedarevolutionarytendency，ofwhichM.Lainewasabsurdlyaccusedofhavingbeenoneofthepromoters;butallwhoknewhimmusthavebeenconvincedofthefalsehoodofthecharge.TheEmperororderedthereporttobeseized，andthenadjournedtheLegislativeBody.ThosewhoattentivelyobservedtheeventsofthetimewillrecollectthestuporwhichprevailedinParisontheintelligenceofthisseizureandoftheadjournmentoftheLegislativeBody.Athousandconjectureswerestartedastowhatnewoccurrenceshadtakenplaceabroad，butnothingsatisfactorywaslearned.
Iconsideredthisagreatmistake.WhocandoubtthatiftheLegislativeBodyhadtakenthefrankandnoblestepofdeclaringthatFranceacceptedtheconditionsofFrankforttheywouldnothavebeenlistenedtobytheAllies？Butthewords，\"Youaredishonouredifyoucedeasinglevillageacquiredbya’Senatus—consulte’，\"always，resoundedinNapoleon’sears：
theyflatteredhissecretthoughts，andeverypacificproposalwasrejected.
ThemembersoftheadjournedLegislativeBodywentasusualtotakeleaveoftheEmperor，whoreceivedthemonaSunday，andafterdeliveringtothemthespeech，whichisverywellknown，dismissedtherebelswithgreatill—humour，refusingtohearanyexplanation.\"Ihavesuppressedyouraddress，\"hebeganabruptly：\"itwasincendiary.Icalledyouroundmetodogood——youhavedoneill.Eleven—twelfthsofyouarewell—