ee 
Meeting of the Estates-General, 1789. 107 
sented to the postponement only because, as president of the 
French nobility, he knew that a night would in no way alter its 
courage and firmness. 
Duquesnoy felt that the answer of Bailly was particularly 
inopportune because a considerable number of nobles were working 
to influence the entire chamber to join the third estate.? There 
is other evidence that the question of union was being agitated 
to some extent. The Marquis of Montcalm is reported to have 
said, apropos of this matter: “I have thirteen thousand livres 
income, but I would sacrifice half of it to secure this union so 
much desired, and my six children would not disavow my act.’’!° 
Duquesnoy believed that, had Bailly sent an urgent invitation 
to unite, instead of sharply rebuffing the overtures of the no- 
bility, at least twelve or fifteen members would have left their 
chamber at once to join the national assembly. After this 
affair he felt that all hope of such action was-lost. 
The remainder of the session of the nobility was devoted to 
matters of minor importance.'! Some nobles who protested 
against the election of the deputies from the bailliage of Aval 
were admitted to the bar of the chamber to read a memoir con- 
taining the reasons for their protests. Since the state of affairs 
was such that the chamber did not think of passing judgment 
in the matter, the memoir was turned over to the committee of 
verification to be used when circumstances demanded. The 
Baron de Poutet, deputy of the nobility of the city of Metz, 
had addressed a letter to the president asking the assembly 
to define his position in the body. Presumably on account of 
some irregularity in his election, he had been refused a seat in 
the chamber until the nobility of his bailliage had been con- 
voked again by the king. For reasons not stated in the minutes, 
he explained that he had not yet been able to take advantage of 
this solution of his difficulties. Until he could do so, he re- 
quested that the assembly grant him a provisional seat and 
9 Duquesnoy, I, 135. 
10 Le point du jour, I, 60; Histoire de la révolution, 1, 233. The Histoire 
evidently copied the statement from the Point du jour. 
11 Procés-verbal . . . de la noblesse, 298-299. 
221 
