180 Jeanette Needham. 
and Bordeaux would be justified in asking for a great increase, 
while there would be no occasion for non-commercial Paris to 
have forty deputies.*” 
In the final decision of the matter, the assembly gave a un- 
animous vote for the admission of representatives from San 
Domingo and approved the validity of their elections and 
credentials.38 The question of the admission of ten or twenty 
was about to be put, when the assembly heard that the upper 
orders were on the point of joining the commons.*® 
37 Courrier de Provence, Lettre XIV, 6-8. 
38 Procés-verbal, No. 9, 5; Point du jour, 1, 65; Assemblée nationale, I, 262; 
Duquesnoy, I, 151; Jallet, 107. 
39 Procés-verbal, No. 9, 5, clearly states that they had been ready to vote 
on the second question: ‘‘On se disposait a aller aux voix sur le second 
point . . . lorsqu’il a été annoncé que ceux de MM. du clergé et de la noblesse 
non réunis, allaient se rendre dans |’assemblée; ce qui a suspendu la décision 
de ce second point.” This indicates that the assembly learned that the 
orders were coming. Biauzat, II, 147, agrees with the Procés-verbal as to 
the cause of interruption, but says that the assembly learned of the king’s 
letters, not that the orders were coming. Assemblée nationale, I, 262. This 
agrees that they were on the point of voting when it was learned that the 
upper orders were about to come. Jallet (107) does not indicate that it was 
for this reason that the meeting was postponed. He says: ‘‘ Trois heures 
vinrent, le président déclara la séance toujours tenante, mais renvoya a cinq 
heures l’appel des votants sur le nombre des députés de Saint-Domingue qui 
seraient admis. Beaucoup de députés allerent diner. La noblesse et le 
clergé mineur profiterent de ce moment et se rendirent a la salle.” Point 
du jour, I, 65. This account does not say that the assembly postponed the 
vote until the following Tuesday because it had learned of the coming of the 
upper orders. After having stated that it was carried over to a later session, 
Barere adds: ‘‘ Pendant que I’on agitait ces questions intéressantes de droit 
public, le roi écrivait en ces termes 4 . . . la minorité du clergé et la majorité 
de la noblesse.”” There is another idea of what was being done in the assembly 
in the Courrier de Provence (Lettre XIV, 9). Mirabeau indicates that the 
assembly had not settled the point of how many deputies were to be admitted 
and continues: ‘“‘ On allait s’occuper d’une adresse aux commettans; la motion 
en allait étre faite, et le projet soumis 4 l’assemblée, lorsqu’on a appris que le 
roi avait écrit dans la matinée 4 M. le Cardinal de La Rochefoucauld.” Later, 
he gives the speech that was to be delivered in support of the motion and 
the address itself. The Moniteur (I, 105), in compiling the account, ascribes 
the following speech to Mirabeau: ‘‘On vous a annoncé que le roi venait 
d’écrire 4 la majorité de la noblesse et a la minorité du clergé non réunis pour 
les inviter 4 se rendre enfin dans le sein de l’assemblée nationale. C’est sur 
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