La Cecilia, and Dacosta, besides Cluseret, who claimed American citizenship.  Rochefort was the son of a marquis who had been forced to write for bread.  Deleschuze was an ex-convict.  Blanqui had spent two thirds of his life in prison, having been engaged from his youth up in conspiracy.  He was also at one period a Government spy.  Raoul Rigault also had been a spy and an informer from his boyhood.  Megy and Assy were under sentence for murder.  Jourde was a medical student, one of the best men in the Commune, and faithful to his trust as its finance minister.  Flourens, the scientist, a genuine enthusiast, we have seen was killed in the first skirmish with the Versaillais.  Felix Pyat was an arch conspirator, but a very spirited and agreeable writer.  He was elected in 1888 a deputy under the Government of the Third Republic.  Lullier had been a naval officer, but was dismissed the service for insubordination.

To such men (the best of them wholly without experience in the art of government) were confided the destinies of Paris, and, as they hoped, of France; but their number dwindled from time to time, till hardly more than fifty were left around the Council Board, when about two weeks before the downfall of the Commune twenty-two of this remainder resigned,—­some because they could not but foresee the coming crash, others because they would no longer take part in the violence and tyranny of their colleagues.  In seven weeks the Commune had four successive heads of the War Department.  General Eudes was the first:  his rule lasted four days.  Then came Cluseret; the Empire Cluseret lasted three weeks.  Then Cluseret was imprisoned, and Rossel was in office for nine days, when he resigned.  On May 9 Deleschuze, the ex-convict, became head of military affairs.  He was killed two weeks later, when the Commune fell.  Cluseret was deposed April 30,—­some said for ill-success, some because he was a traitor and had communications with the enemy, but probably because he made himself unpopular by an order requiring his officers to put no more embroidery and gold lace on their uniforms than their rank entitled them to.

Rossel, who succeeded Cluseret, was a real soldier, who tried in vain to organize the defence and to put experienced military men in command as subordinate generals.  To do this he had to choose three out of five from men who were not Frenchmen.  Dombrowski and Wroblewski were Poles, and General La Cecilia was an Italian.  On May 9, after nine days of official life, he resigned, in the following extraordinary letter:—­

CITIZENS, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNE: