46 Jeanette Needham. 
that the rest of the minority would yield to the policy of the 
commons. But the addition of the larger part of the clergy to 
the national assembly gave to that body a strong majority of 
all the deputies to the estates-general. That very fact in itself 
was sufficient to make-the position of the non-united deputies 
less tenable and that of the third estate more firm. But, to 
increase still more the determination of the national assembly 
to persist in the execution of its policy there had come, just as 
the deputies were separating on June 24, the cheering announce- 
ment that the minority of the nobility would join them the 
following day.” 
VI 
The session of the nobility, on June 24, however, showed no 
indication of the impending defection of part of their members. 
The day passed without decisive action of any sort, although no 
meeting had been held since June 19. After the reading of the 
minutes of that date,! some time was devoted to a report by the 
president concerning a deputation to the king. The chamber 
had decided upon this some days earlier. An address, to be 
delivered to the king whenever he should see fit to receive the 
deputation, had been drafted and approved in the session of 
June 19.” ; 
The Duke of Luxemburg, president of the order, explained 
42 Duquesnoy, I, 127: ‘“‘ Au moment ot | assemblée se sépare, le comte de 
Clermont est entré et a dit au président que le lendemain 22 gentilshommes 
se joindraient 4 l’assemblée, et que peut-étre il y en aurait un plus grand 
nombre;’’ Lettre d’un membre de l’assemblée nationale, June 24, 1789, p. 39: 
“La séance a donc été levée, et une partie des notres étaient déja sortis lorsque 
le Comte de Clermont-Tonnerre est venu nous annoncer que le Duc d’Orleans 
et la minorité de la Noblesse feraient demain la jonction avec nous.’”’ Buauzat, 
II, 140, writing at midnight of June 24, said: ‘‘ J’ai appris que la minorité 
de la noblesse se rendra chez nous demain;’’ Branche, a colleague of Biauzat, 
wrote a letter June 24 (Biauzat II, 138-139) in which this is found: “ Je 
suis instruit que, demain, cinquante-deux gentilshommes viennent s’unir a 
nous.” Boullé, Documents inédits, Revue de la révolution, XIII, 74, says it 
was announced before the session closed that the minority of the nobles would 
unite the next day. 
1 Procés-verbal . . . de la noblesse, 249. 
2 Ibid., 239. The deputation was voted on June 17. 
160 
