132 Travels in France 



15/A. This has been a rich day, and such a one as ten years 

 ago none could believe would ever arrive in France; a very 

 important debate being expected on what, in our house of 

 commons, would be termed the state of the nation. Mv friend 

 Monsieur Lazowski and myself were at Versailles by eight in the 

 morning. We went immediately to the hall of the states to 

 secure good seats in the gallery; we found some deputies 

 already there, and a pretty numerous audience collected. The 

 room is too large; none but stentorian lungs, or the finest 

 clearest voices can be heard ; however the very size of the apart- 

 ment, which admits 2000 people, gave a dignity to the scene. It 

 was indeed an interesting one. The spectacle of the representa- 

 tives of 25,000,000 people, just emerging from the evils of 

 200 years of arbitrary power, and rising to the blessings of a 

 freer constitution, assembled with open doors under the eye of 

 the public, was framed to call into animated feelings every 

 latent spark, every emotion of a liberal bosom; to banish 

 whatever ideas might intrude of their being a people too often 

 hostile to my own country, — and to dwell with pleasure on the 

 glorious idea of happiness to a great nation — of felicity to 

 millions yet unborn. Monsieur I'Abbe Syeyes opened the debate. 

 He is one of the most zealous sticklers for the popular cause; 

 carries his ideas not to a regulation of the present government, 

 which he thinks too bad to be regulated at all, but wishes to see 

 it absolutely overturned; being in fact a violent republican: 

 this is the character he commonly bears, and in his pamphlets he 

 seems pretty much to justify such an idea. He speaks ungrace- 

 fully and uneloquently, but logically, or rather reads so, for he 

 read his speech, which was prepared. His motion, or rather 

 string of motions, was to declare themselves the representatives 

 known and verified of the French nation, admitting the right of 

 all absent deputies (the nobility and clergy) to be received among 

 them on the verification of their powers. Monsieur de Mirabeau 

 spoke without notes for near an hour, with a warmth, animation, 

 and eloquence that entitles him to the reputation of an un- 

 doubted orator. He opposed the words known and verified in 

 the proposition of Abbe Syeyes with great force of reasoning; 

 and proposed in lieu that they should declare themselves simply 

 Representatives du peuple Francoise : that no veto should exist 

 against their resolves in any other assembly; that all taxes are 

 illegal, but should be granted during the present session of the 

 states and no longer: that the debt of the king should become 

 the debt of the nation and be secured on funds accordingly. 



