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well with the officers of the contingents who were among his audience]
: "Take that back on the spot and admit that you have lied, and have shown yourself to be a good-for-nothing, and apologise humbly for behaving so badly to citizens and country folk alike, or we'll throw the lot of you together out of the window."
[At this the speakers]
"shook with fear, like wet dogs". "Now Herr Wild took Stehelin by the arm and led him to the window and said "Speak loud". Then he had to apologise, he did not mean to say it and asked for pardon, and so on. The audience, however, after the speech: "Loud, clear and so that we understand! You spoke the slander loudly, it is your duty to make good your error in the same manner." In fear and trembling he obeyed directions and thought to have done his business, and started to draw back. "Stay there, you have made a long speech in all unfairness, which cost us trouble to hear. Speak your words so that we can enjoy hearing them". He said "I no longer know myself what I said, I am quite beside myself and don't know what I'm doing". A peasant called out: "Have the people of Basel no more sensible men left, that they have to send us donkeys and oxen like this, who don't know what they're saying?"
[The envoys were eventually released and escorted to the frontier].
"People who were present when they got into the coach bear witness that they never saw one filled so quickly."

[Bräker does not mention this scene though he was staying with Girtanner at this time.]

On 26th March a proclamation arrived in St. Gallen from General Brune, requesting acceptance of the constitution, and on the 29th General Brune was transferred to Italy and replaced by General Schauenbourg. On 13th April Schlatter records great confusion and some outbreaks of violence: "... the men of Herisau yesterday came in arms to Hundwil and Stein, and tried to compel the people to depose the old authorities, they had cannon with them, and firing was heard. As far as is known, there were a few dead but more injured."

Finally, on 29th April, the last meeting took place of the old citizens' assembly at St. Gallen, at which the Helvetic Republic's constitution was ratified. It is described by Elsbeth Schlatter, a relative of David, who was probably present. She writes: "On the 29th a courier came from Zürich with a letter from Zunftmeister Weber, asking that no more delay should be made concerning the constitution, as it could have evil consequences. On the same day at eleven o'clock a citizens' assembly was held in St. Laurenz's church, at which the draft of the new Helvetic constitution was read from the pulpit, and thereupon the acceptance of the same was ratified amidst the most moving silence of the whole citizenry...Solemn and most moving was this scene, every citizen had tears in his eyes."

A Tree of Liberty was set up in St. Gallen on May 8th. Although the Toggenburg and Weil had accepted the new constitution, Appenzell and other places were still resisting, and the peasants showed their hostility by cutting water supplies and not delivering milk. As Bräker mentions, from the 10th to the 12th May: St. Gallen was occupied by about 2000 French troops under General Lauer. Schlatter had to lodge a cavalry captain and his servant, but this was no great hardship: "If [he] had been with me six months I might have got quite fond of him, he was satisfied with everything and very good company". Most of the soldiers moved on to Lichtensteig in a day or two, but the city had to supply food and transport. Schlatter knows that other places have reason to dread a French occupation: "In Winterthur they had ten thousand of them, and, as I hear, they have marked out a camp. A squadron of Black Hussars are at Constanz, God preserve the people when they get there, and a thousand footsoldiers [...]. General rumour has it, and it is probable, that the French have carried off the Mother of God from Maria Einsiedln and were going to take her to Paris." This provoked violent resistance from the peasants. As soon as the French were gone, the people of St. Gallen "tore up their cockades, broke the Tree of Liberty in pieces and talk as they did before. These people deserve a severe punishment and will get one. Herr Lauer said that the troops would be here again at call".


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