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my credit.” The very next day, as he must have known was the plan while engaging
in this chit-chat, Louis XVI and a large entourage fled from Paris in a carriage spe-
cially made in secret for the purpose (Tackett 2003). At Varennes, a few miles from
the Austrian border, the party was stopped to have their papers inspected. Something
aroused the suspicion of the locals (one story is that the King's profile was recognized
from a coin), and the party was asked to wait. A local judge also recognized him and
indiscreetly bent his knee in acknowledgement. The party was arrested and was
brought back to Paris under close guard.
The incident increased suspicion of the King and his motives in fleeing to a
foreign country. He had left behind a declaration against any form of constitutional
monarchy, which he had previously supported. The implication was that he was
going into self-imposed exile, to rally France against the revolution and return
triumphant when it was defeated. Indeed, by the summer of 1792 Austria and
Prussian armies were heading into France and towards Paris in order to rescue
and restore the monarchy. Convinced that the King was behind the invasion, ten
thousand revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries, killed hundreds of his guards and
set the royal palace on fire. The King fled for protection into the Assembly but was
handed over and taken into custody. As a result, the King was deposed and the
Republic of France was proclaimed on 25 August, 1792.
Delambre had arranged with Lefrançais that they should start the measurements
between the Observatory and Montmartre on 10 August, 1792, the day that turned
out to be that of the storming of the Tuileries. In making their plans, Delambre wrote
(Méchain & Delambre 1806-10), “we knew nothing of the one thing and another
that was happening at the Tuileries.” In those circumstances to light signal flares
from the most prominent hill in Paris would have certainly attracted attention and
may well have invited death at the hands of the mob; even to make the journey was
dangerous. Lefrançais gave up any idea of traveling out to Montmartre to light the
signals that evening and indeed would not have been permitted to leave Paris to do so.
In subsequent days Delambre tried to survey alternative locations around Paris,
but it had proved too difficult for him to carry out any kind of work in and around
the city. Fearful of putting a foot wrong, officials refused to act without permits,
and the authorities in the capital were fearful of issuing them. Delambre had to look
for an alternative place to start the surveying measurements and settled on the
Château de Belle-Assise, near Lagny to the north-east of Paris. In September 1792,
Delambre traveled there in his carriage, one of two (the other for Méchain) spe-
cially designed and built by Borda as mobile laboratories. There was a folding table
on which to lay out papers and maps, and in addition the seats were convertible to
beds if (as was often the case) it was necessary to sleep at a remote station where
there was no accommodation available. Also, there were storage compartments on
the walls for scientific instruments and long compartments on the ceiling for rolls
of maps and a large trunk on the back for the repeating circle.
With the help of three assistants Delambre set up his observing station at Belle-
Assise. He had completed three days of observations and was gathering his equipment
together to leave when he was interrupted by the local militia. Counter-revolutionaries
were gathering for action, the four men were strangers and, looking out with telescopes
