Meeting of the Estates-General, 1780. 167 
Of the seventeen which were submitted on July 27,'8 five 
came from two bailliages in Franche-Comté, three of them being 
made by a group of alternates from Amont, and two by Grosbois, 
representative from Besancon.'® Matters of special interest to 
Franche-Comté were presented in two of them.2° These man- 
dates enjoined their bearers to register certain protests with the 
assembly. This action had been deferred, first, because the 
organization of the order had not been completed, and then, 
later, because of the importance of the work before the chamber. 
Evidently, they feared that the chamber was about to lose its 
_ identity in the general assembly, so hastened to fulfil the will of 
their constituents. Their first complaint was that the estates 
of their province had the right to elect their representatives. 
Apparently, their own selection had not occurred in that manner. 
Grosbois from Besancon protested against the insufficiency of 
the number of deputies from his district in view of its extent and 
population. The others protested against double representation 
for the third estate as an infraction of ancient law. They 
asserted that this change could not prejudice the rights of each 
of the three orders in the estates general or serve as an example, 
custom, or law.”! 
Two other declarations came from the sénéchaussée of Riom, 
one signed by four of the five members, the other by all.” The 
Marquis de la Fayette was the fifth signer. Despite his pro- 
fessedly liberal sympathies, and his desire to join the national 
assembly, he was restrained by imperative mandates. He had 
not joined in protests made by the other nobles from his district, 
but did sign the statement explaining that, although they had 
tried to execute the desires of their constituents, they yielded 
to the decision of the plurality of their order, an action in har- 
mony with their constituents’ will.” 
18 Procés-verbal.. . . de la noblesse, 304-315. The protests will be desig- 
nated by number. 
BOS OSn 1135/45. 7) Ts 
20 Nos, I, II. 
at Nos.''T,, 11. 
2 Nos. 9, 13. 
3 Jefferson, II, 486. In speaking of the union of the minority of the 
clergy, June 25, Jefferson wrote: “ The Marquis de LaFayette could not be 
281 
