Paris 1 37 



De les reconnoitre, de leur continuer les memes litres qu'il leur 

 adonnes jusqu'a present ? En fin, etnpecherez-vous la nation 

 d'appeller le clerge, le derge, la noblesse, la noblesse ? 



To the royal society of agriculture, where I gave my vote with 

 the rest, who were unanimous for electing General Washington an 

 honorary member; this was a proposal of Monsieur Broussonet, 

 in consequence of my having assured him that the general was an 

 excellent farmer, and had corresponded with me on the subject. 

 Abbe Commerel was present; he gave a pamphlet of his on a 

 new project, the choux ajauche, and a paper of the seed. 



19^/f. Accompanied Monsieur de Broussonet to dine with 

 Monsieur de Parmentier, at the liotel des invalids. A president 

 of the parliament, a Monsieur Mailly, brother-in-law to the 

 chancellor, was there; Abbe Commerel, etc., etc. I remarked 

 two years ago that Monsieur Parmentier is one of the best of men 

 and beyond all question understands every circumstance of the 

 boidangerie better than any other writer, as his productions 

 clearly manifest. After dinner to the plains of Sablon, to see 

 the society's potatoes and preparation for turnips, of which I 

 shall only say that I wish my brethren to stick to their scientific 

 farming, and leave the practical to those who understand it. 

 What a sad thing for philosophical husbandmen that God 

 Almighty created such a thing as couch (triticum repens). 



20th. News! — News! — Every one stares at what every one 

 might have expected. A message from the king to the pre- 

 sidents of the three orders, that he should meet them on Monday; 

 and under pretence of preparing the hall for the seance royale, 

 the French guards were placed with bayonets to prevent any of 

 the deputies entering the room. The circumstances of doing 

 this ill-judged act of violence have been as ill advised as the act 

 itself. Monsieur Bailly received no other notice of it than by a 

 letter from the Marquis de Breze, and the deputies met at the 

 door of the hall without knowing that it was shut. Thus the 

 seeds of disgust were sown wantonly in the manner of doing 

 a thing which in itself was equally unpalatable and uncon- 

 stitutional. The resolution taken on the spot was a noble and 

 firm one; it was to assemble instantly at the Jeu de paume, and 

 there the whole assembly took a solemn oath never to be dis- 

 solved but by their own consent, and consider themselves and 

 act as the national assembly, let them be wherever violence or 

 fortune might drive them, and their expectations were so little 

 favourable that expresses were sent off to Nantes, intimating that 

 the national assembly might possibly find it necessary to take 



