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Meeting of the Estates-General, 1789. 17 
mental policy, Mirabeau took occasion, during the discussion 
over the troops, to attack the ministry whom he felt to be 
responsible for the military occupation of the hall. First he 
made a negative attack. He is.said to have proposed, to the 
extreme astonishment of the assembly, that a deputation be 
~ sent to compliment Necker and Montmorin, the popular ministers 
who had dared to oppose the reactionary schemes of their col- 
leagues. The assembly may well have been taken by surprise 
at the motion and have seen in it a humorous touch of Mirabeau’s 
sarcasm, for, personally, he despised Necker. But when it was 
a question of furthering the assembly’s policy of persistency 
against the court opposition, he could easily suppress any 
personal feelings.”’ 
Then came what promised to be a positive denunciation of 
27 Duquesnoy, I, 125-126; Assemblée nationale, I, 213; Journal of Abbé 
Coster, under date of June 24. (Quoted by Brette, in La révolution frangatse, 
XXIII, 74.) Duquesnoy says: ‘ Ce n’est pas sans un étonnement extréme 
que l’on a oui le comte de Mirabeau dire: L’opinion publique nous a appris 
hier, Messieurs, qu'il est deux ministres populaires, M. Necker et M. de 
Montmorin. Je propose de leur faire une députation pour les complimenter:” 
Then, he adds: ‘‘ M. Necker loué par Mirabeau! Certes, il faut croire au- 
jourd’hui 4 tous les événements.’’ The second source does not mention 
Mirabeau in connection with Necker: ‘‘ Les autres pour députer vers M. le 
directeur-général, et lui temoigner la reconnaissance qu inspire son dévouement 
et son courage pour salut de la patrie; pour le prier de ne pas donner sa démis- 
- sion.’”’ Only the Abbé Coster directly connects the affair of Barentin and of 
Necker, although the other two give the report concerning Necker, immedi- 
ately before the proposition relative to Barentin. So far as content is con- 
cerned, the proposal relative to Necker might have been made when Necker’s 
letter was read later. Abbé Coster wrote of the incident: ‘‘ Cette séance 
est remarquable par une motion singuliére de M. de Mirabeau. S’il n’était 
pas excessivemcnt probable, a-t-il dit, que mon trés cher et trés honoré petit 
cousin, M. de Barentin, garde des sceaux de France, sera renvoyé sous quel- 
ques jours, je prendrais la liberté de vous lire un projet d’adresse au roi pour 
demander la démission de ce cher petit cousin, et feliciter, en méme temps, 
Sa Majesté d’avoir enfin préféré les conseils de deux ministres patriotes (M. 
Necker et M. de Montmorin) 4 ceux de M. de Barentin.”’ 
Thus two of the accounts mention a deputation to Necker and one of 
these says Mirabeau made the proposal relative to such a step; the third 
says that if Mirabeau had not considered Barentin’s dismissal imminent, he 
would have proposed, not a deputation to Necker but the project of an address 
to the king to compliment him for keeping Necker. 
131 
