the tower was not safe [...]. It was a stupid thing to do, what he has done, he was not well liked anywhere in the country, now the people are saying: "See now what sort of a Father he is, he abandons his children and takes what does not belong to him."
Attempts were made to get the Prince-Abbot to return; he refused, but sent word that the concessions made by his predecessor should be printed and distributed, and that a council of 51 men should be elected, and they might name it as they wished. Schlatter comments: "That is just as much as one might expect and demand, but many peasants were mad with rage and wanted a Landsgemeind where they might take all the powers away from the prince and his monastery." Rioting continued. "The speakers' platform was in the churchyard [...] there were about thirty watchmen with fixed bayonets, but they were not enough. The peasants stormed in on both sides, and those in front climbed onto the platform and shouted at the top of their voices "We will and we must have a Landsgemeind, before we give way we'll be torn in pieces." Künzle appealed to the Schirmorte delegates, but they replied that setting up a Landsgemeind was not within their legal powers - in other words they stopped short of granting complete independence. Eventually Künzle persuaded the mob to disperse.
The Landrat of St. Gallen met for the first time on 16th August, an oath was administered to the 51 members, after which (according to Schlatter) some "Turkish music"
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was played. The Chronik [p 447] records that the abbey had now become a constitutional monarchy. But Schlatter was not optimistic that this settlement would last long: "The prince may return when he likes, but nobody thinks that the peasants will swear the loyalty oath [...] the monastery will be obliged to elect another prince if they want peace and security".
Two days later another unsuccessful attempt was made to persuade the Prince-Abbot to return; the delegates decided to leave him to his fate. Schlatter reports that "the five Ämter [district] assemblies have passed off, four of them peacefully, only the one at Weil was something of a riot, there were a few blows exchanged, but for the peasants a few blows are nothing". On the 21st the Schirmorte representatives went home, sped by grateful cheers from the populace.
The inhabitants of the Alte Landschaft did not enjoy this new dispensation for long. Schlatter describes the final stages of the Revolution, when they were seeking help in resistance to the French by sending envoys to Luzern, Zug and Zürich. In a letter written on 25th March 1798 Schlatter records: "Zunftmeister [guild master] Halder [one of the envoys to Luzern, etc.], returned on Thursday evening from his embassy to the inner cantons [...] they were everywhere received in a friendly manner, and all are resolved not to accept the new constitution. They have written to General Brune, and pointed out to him that their cantons have been democratically governed for many years [...]. The abbot of St. Gallen wants to take up the spiritual and temporal government again. That will bring new scenes with the peasants [...]. They told the abbot that according to the new arrangements in Switzerland his land and the Tockenburg and the town of St.
Gallen are joined together and the chief place is the town, he wished them luck with it and that the harmony between them should last long, but in his heart he wished the opposite.
Yesterday, a little before twelve o'clock, the famous embassy arrived from Basel [...], the concourse was so great that in a short time over two thousand persons were assembled before The Ox inn. Then came Stehelin
[one of the envoys]
to the window and spoke in a loud voice to the people, trying to gain favour for the new constitution, and saying that no-one should express hostility towards the French, yes, moreover, he held all the contingents
[of soldiers]
who had advanced on the French, as servants of the aristocrats and bad people."
[This did not go down
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Turkish music appears to have been noisy military music with some exotic instruments. Simond [pp 191-2] mentions it in Bern: "the clumsy roar of the Turkish drum and gingle
[sic]
of the Turkish bells, exclude altogether both melody and harmony..."
