opening of States General of i/8p 27 



posed to compromise between Malouet's proposal to send a depu- 

 tation and Mirabeau's policy of inaction, by postponing a final 

 decision until the next day, when they would be better informed 

 as to what had been done in the other orders. Biauzat says that 

 this proposition was carried by shouts of "a demain, a 

 demain!"-'^ 



Duquesnoy states that a proposition was made in this session to 

 determine some order of business — to establish a " reglement " — 

 but the proposition was not accepted.-^ Mirabeau says that it 

 was also in this first session that the suggestion was made that the 

 third estate should declare itself the national assambly.-^ But 

 the commons were by no means ready to take this step and be 

 responsible for all the consequences that might follow. Thus the 

 session ended. Nothing had been done that could in any way 

 compromise the third estate. The commons had met, had found 

 that their colleagues of the privileged orders were absent and had 

 taken the attitude that they were powerless to pass any decrees or 

 adopt any active measures until the absent deputies should be 

 present. 



In the account given in the Rccit, it is stated that before the 

 third estate adjourned, an announcement was made that the 

 privileged orders had decided to verify their credentials in their 

 respective orders.-' It may be imagined what the feelings of the 

 deputies were on hearing this and how eager they must have been 

 to know whether the report was true or not. Had the privileged 

 orders dared to place themselves squarely against the commons 

 and thus end all hope of a peaceful settlement of the issue? 



follow this plan, it is likely that Biauzat is correct in crediting him with 

 a speech. 



24 Biauzat, II, Z7- 



25 Duquesnoy, I, 10. 



26 Lettres du Conite de Mirabeau, No. 2, 16 ; BouUe in Revue de la revo- 

 lution, X, Documents inedits, 168. Boulle states that this was suggested in 

 case of a total defection on the part of the upper orders : " On s'arreta 

 done a temporiser jusqu'a ce que les intentions des deux autres ordres 

 fussent mieux connues, disait on, en cas d'une defection totale de leur part, 

 a ce constituer sans eux en corps de nation et a former seuls les etats- 

 generaux, parti extreme auquel on ne devait point d'abord recourir." 



2" Recit des seances des deputes des communes, 7. 



229 



