50] 
the States General,* which it was 
promised should be assembled. 
In the second period of revolu- 
tion we behold an Assembly of 
Notables, determining the form in 
which the meeting of the States 
General should be held; deciding 
that the Third Estate should have 
as many representatives as the other 
two orders of Nobility and Clergy 
together; tlie States assembled, and 
the Third Order out-voting the 
other two; a contest between the 
Third Estate and the other two re- 
specting the verification of the pow- 
ers of all the Deputies of the three 
Orders by all the Orders in com- 
mon, or as one body; the court 
attempting to support the clergy 
and noblesse by a military force, 
but compelled to give way to the 
superior force of the people; a 
majority of the two higher orders 
consenting to coalesce with the re- 
presentatives of the people as one 
National Assembly; and a new 
constitution formed by this As- 
sembly, accepted by the King. 
During this period, we wonder to 
see the enlightened and ingenious 
French nation precipitated from one 
difficulty and danger into another, 
by the immoderate vanity, self-con- 
ceit, and presumption of a foreign- 
er,t and a protestant whom they 
idolized; while he opposed and 
frustrated the plans of a profound 
financier and statesman of their 
own country one day, andadopted 
those very plans another. 
_, 14th September 1791. In the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1792. 
third period of revolution we see the 
royal prerogative restrained by the 
new form of government within too 
narrow bounds, while many circum- . 
stances concurred to extend,beyond 
all possibility of controul,the preten- 
sions and power of the people. The 
King could not propose any new 
laws; nor did he possess the power, 
in case of any violation of the con- 
stitutional laws on the part of the 
Legislative Assembly, to dissolve 
them, and to appeal to the people: 
but, on the other hand, a simple 
and unsupported accusation by the 
Assembly was sufficient for the ar- 
restation and imprisonment of any 
of his Majesty’s ministers. 
As the Constituent. Assembly 
prepared the fall of the monarchy 
by an excessive reduction of the 
power of the crown, and augmen- 
tation of that of the people, so 
also they laboured for the same end 
when they decreed their own ineli- 
gibility either to the administration 
of government, or to the second, or 
Legislative Assembly. Whether 
they were actuated by a desire of 
displaying disinterested zeal for the 
public welfare, or that they de- 
clined the odious task of executing 
and enforcing the Jaws that they 
had-established, the effect was the 
same:—they who were the best 
qualified to direct, at a most criti- 
cal time deserted the helm. And 
lastly, what gave immediate and 
full activity to all those prejudices 
and passions that disorganized the 
new constitution, and completed the 
. * This wasa virtual acknowledgement of the legislative power of the people, 
and ceuld not but imflame the pride and arrogance of the philosophers, who had 
already formed themselves into a party, in opposition to the court. 
+ M. Neckar, 
+ If the scheme of M. de Calonne for taxing the lands of the nobility and clergy 
had been adopted aad carried into execution, they would not have been seized as 
they were some time after, for the payment of assignats; and consequently there 
would not have beena revolution. 
91! 
Tuin 
