52 Charles Kuhlmann 



have imagined that, if the States General were not. held, 

 the}' would cause all the odium of that rupture to fall 

 upon it, and that the Bretons, irritated by this supposed 

 maneuver, would persecute {poursuivraient) it to the last 

 extreme and end by annihilating it. Such is the proj- 

 ect of the deputation of Bretagne; we are assured of it 

 from a good source. This project has transpired. The 

 government ought to imitate the Chamber and second its 

 views." ^ To oppose this supposed project a meeting com- 

 posed of dei>uties of the Third Estate was called on May 

 30, at which twenty-five were present. Here it was re- 

 solved to watch closely the Breton deputies, to warn their 

 colleagues against their designs, and to league themselves 

 against all their motions. - 



By another element in the assembly and by the people 

 outside, the deputies of Bretagne were much better under- 

 stood. Bretagne had Avon the admiration of the people 

 of Paris and Versailles during its revolution, so that when 

 the deputies of Kennes entered at the opening session they 

 were singled out by the spectators as the mark of special 

 applause.^ In the assembly they had already won ^the 

 title, "Grenadiers of the States General."^ 



IV 



THE TRIUMPH OF THE BRETON CLUB^ JUNE 10-17 



Although the Breton deputies had found but little sup- 

 port when they attempted on the 28th of May to have re- 

 jected unconditionally the king's offer of mediation, when 



^La Revolution frangaise, vol. XXHI, p. 461. 



-Ibid. Letter of May 31 and June 1. 



"^ Revue des Etats Gcneraux d'aprcs des iournaux et des correspond- 

 ances incdites, by Pellerin, published by Bord with the correspondence 

 of Pellerin. 



'Letter of the deputies of Saint-Brieuc, May 19. Socictc d'Emula- 

 tion, XVI, 224. 



258 



