This atrocious conduct of the magistrates and their servile instruments afflicted us the more, from having a few days previous enjoyed the free expression of the feelings and enthusiasm of the American people, and which in spite of ourselves forced a comparison that was far from being favourable to our own country. The presence of Captain Morris and some of his countrymen who had accompanied him to Paris, added still more to our sorrow and embarrassment. We seemed to read in their stern expression, the feelings they experienced in seeing a people once so energetic in the cause of liberty, now timidly submitting to the despotism of bayonets. As soon as I found an opportunity of speaking to them for a moment, I hastened to tell them that they must not confound prudence and moderation with weakness, which was here only so in appearance. That, in this instance, the citizens could not have supposed that the local authorities would have been foolish enough to oppose the expression of sentiments so inoffensive and natural, and consequently no one had thought of making preparations for a resistance, whose necessity had not been foreseen. Some young men who were near us overhearing this conversation, added with warmth, “we hope our moderation will not be misinterpreted by those who know us, and that they will understand that we only submitted to be thus driven back by some gens d’armes, because we wished to spare our friend General Lafayette the chagrin of being the cause of a greater disturbance.” The American officers applauded the courage and delicacy of this feeling, and comprehended that under other circumstances, the triumph of the police and its gens d’armes over the citizens of Rouen would not be so easy.
The next morning, October 8th, the court of the hotel was filled by young men on horseback, intended as an escort to the general as far as the first post-house. Their countenances, and some words I overheard, proved to me that they were full of the scene of the evening before, and were firmly resolved that it should not be renewed with impunity. The posts of the infantry and gens d’armerie had been doubled during the night, as if the day was to be productive of great events; but the magistracy confined itself to those ridiculous demonstrations, and General Lafayette left the city in peace, receiving on his way numerous testimonials of the good wishes of the citizens.