66 EMPLOYMENT OF THE PLEBISCITE C364 



Thus, on October 14, 1792. the citizens of all the com- 

 munes except three still occupied by the Piedmontese,'* 

 gathered in the churches and elected by universal suffrage 

 the deputies who were to decide the future of their land. 

 A large number of the communes left the form of govern- 

 ment to the discretion of their representatives. Of the total 

 of 655,^^ not less than 610 instructed them to vote for union 

 with France.*". 



The deputies assembled on October 24 and expressed 

 "the general wish [z'oc»] of the free and independent 

 nation of the Allobroges to be united to France as an in- 

 tegral part."*^ A Savoyan deputation transmitted a demand 

 for annexation to the French National Convention on No- 

 vember ii.*- Another deputation, charged by the Savoyan 

 National Assembly with the transmission of their request 

 for incorporation, appeared before the Convention nationalc 

 on November 21.'*^ After a prolonged debate^* the French 

 Republic annexed Savoy as the 84th department on Novem- 

 ber 27, 1792." 



In a communication dated October 28, 1792, the Corps 

 administratif of the united city and former county of Nice 

 informed the French National Convention of the unanimous 

 wish [z'o^«] of their fellow-citizens to be united with 

 France. Here, too, occupation by French troops had pre- 

 ceded the formulation of the request, as is shown by a 

 communication of October 21 which states that "since the 

 arrival of the French . . . the flag of liberty adorns all 

 public places."*^ A letter of the Provisional Judges of the 



'* Ibid., pp. 506-507. 



** Ibid., p. 506. The total obtained by addition of the numbers 

 given for the various provinces as found in the extract of proceed- 

 ings of the second meeting of the representatives is 685 (Arch, 

 pari., ser. I, vol. liii, pp. 506-507). 



^"^ M. Gregoire gives this number as 580 (Arch, pari., ser. I, vol. 

 liii, p. 611). 



*i Soliere, pp. 44-49; Arch, pari., ser. I, vol. liii, pp. 506-507. 



*2 Arch, pari., ser. I, vol. liii, p. 357. 



*^ Ibid,, pp. 506-507. 



** Ibid., pp. 507-510; 610-617. 



*'• Ibid., p. 617. 



*^ Ibid., pp. 25, 146. 



