46 Charles KuJihnami 



ceedings which the Third Estate might wish to publish 

 and send into the provinces to instruct the people of the 

 measures which had been taken to bring about the union 

 of the orders. This was an attractive proposition and it 

 seemed that the Breton deputies favored it at first, ^ but 

 as the discussion was not completed on the 20th, and hence 

 no decision reached, Laborde and Target on the 22d in- 

 troduced a new motion in which they asked for the publi- 

 cation of a journal of the proceedings of the assembly to 

 which was to be added an expose of motives.- But by 

 this time the Breton deputies had seen that such a step 

 would bring the Third Estate into fundamental contra- 

 diction with its assumed attitude, for an assembly which 

 published its proceedings could be considered as consti- 

 tuted.^ Thus, anxious as they were to explain to the 

 people their real position, they voted against the motion, 

 which was lost by an overwhelming majority.^ 



When on May 28th the Third Estate received the letter 

 of the king asking that the conferences be renewed in the 

 presence of the guard of the seals and the royal com- 

 missioners, the deputies of Bretagne were placed in an 

 extremely embarrassing position. The letter was a fresh 

 blow to their hopes, for to obey meant new delav, when 



^Le Roulx on May 22, as also Maisonblanche and the deputies of 

 Saint-Brieuc, favored the motion of Laborde. For Maisonblanche see 

 Kerviler, Recherches et notices, art. Maisonblanche. 



-The fullest account of the debates over these two motions is found 

 in the Correspondance de MM. les deputes des communes de la prov- 

 ince d'Anjou, I, 30-53. 



^Charnpeaux-Palasne wrote on May 24, relative to this motion: 

 "Comme, jusqu'au moment oil nous sommes constitues en corps de 

 nation, nous ne pouvous rien faire qui aient un air de deliberation 

 legale sans courir les risques qu'on nous objecte que nous admettons 

 la distinction des ordres, on sentit le piege, et la motion fut rejettee 

 a la pluralite de 387 voix contre 39." Socictc d'Emulation, XXVI, 227. 



■•Legendre and Moyot, May 22: "Et cette motion a 6te rejettee de 

 mon avis et de I'avis presqu'unanime de la province." MSS. Archives 

 de Brest. 



252 



