Ot) Charles Kuhluiann 



motion the next day it passed by an overwhelming 

 ma jorit3^ ^ 



With this method of disposing of the difficulty the con- 

 scientious Pellerin was not satisfied. (3u July 22, he wrote 

 to his municipality stating that the clauses of his instruc- 

 tions forbidding him to consent definitely to any imposts 

 affecting Bretagne or to surrender any of the rights 

 and privileges of his province were inconsistent with the 

 powers of the assembly to legislate for the whole of France. 

 But, as he also wished the preseri'ation of the provincial 

 privileges, he had prepared a resolution asking the assem- 

 bly to assure to Bretagne these privileges, by which the 

 effect of the imperative mandate would be remove'd by re- 

 moving its object. When, however, he asked the deputies 

 of the province to support this measure, some had an- 

 swered that he ought to submit to the opinion of the ma- 

 jority of the deputation, and since nearly all were with- 

 out such instructions they did not see the necessity of 

 any declaration. Others had replied that they had asked 

 of the assembly a new constitution and that, hence, they 

 ought not to seek to preserve their own, of which the en- 

 tire Third Estate of the province complained. Still others 

 had said that they ought not to speak of the reservation 

 of their rights until the close of the assembly. He, there- 

 fore, asked that the electors of his scjiccJiausseG be assem- 

 bled to send him definite instructions as to the course he 

 should pursue,^ 



Undoubtedly the events which had intervened in the 

 two weeks since they had been instrumental in defeating 

 Tallyrand's motion contributed much to cause this change 

 from a local to a national sentiment. At the former pe- 

 riod, the devolution was under the cloud preceding the 



^ Point du Jour, I, No. XIX, p. 140, gives the vote 731 to 28. 

 ^Letter of July 22, published by Bord. 



272 



