Upon his return, he commenced immediately with the execution of his plan. Royal committees were formed in St. Malo, Dol, Rennes, Fougères and all the principal towns. Accurate lists of such as had lost by the new order of things were made, for the purpose of exciting them to join the confederates. Throughout the whole province, emissaries devoted to the monarch found their way into the ports, custom houses, forts and arsenals, in effect, into all the departments and public establishments of the new government. Regula-tions civil and military were discussed and adopted at secret meetings of the conspirators, and everything was arranged for systematic action. Each commander of a district had under him subordinate chiefs who were charged with the military organization of the respective cantons confided to them; while La Rouërie, the soul who gave life to this vast complot, consecrated to it his days and nights, his fortune and his faculties. At length when all things were in readiness for a general outbreak, he became suspected by the new authorities who appeared unexpectedly at his chateau, every part of which was searched by a detachment of four hundred national guards, while the confederates escaped by subter-raneous passages known only to themselves. After this occur-rence he placed himself in a position to resist any unauthorized attack from the violent republicans who threatened his residence and property with destruction. For this purpose he drew around him a band of devoted followers whom he trained in military exercises on foot and on horseback, causing