opening of States General of 178Q yi 



By May 18, the deputies seemed to have grown weary of the 

 long debates and endless discussions. Biauzat mentions two 

 different persons who complained of the "lack of brevity in the 

 remarks of the deputies, but who were themselves guilty of the 

 very thing which they condemned in others.^-- The writer says 

 that one of these gentlemen had to be silenced by " overwhelming 

 applause," the deputies not ceasing to clap until they saw him 

 take his seat. At last, however, the discussions were ended and 

 it came time for the final vote. 



Biauzat tells us that the " commissioners from the govern- 

 ments," probably meaning the twelve assistants that had been 

 chosen, retired to draw up the text of the motions.--^ They sub- 

 mitted them, according to this writer, in the following form : 



" First — Should commissioners be appointed to confer with 

 those of the clergy and of the nobility on the necessity of verify- 

 ing the credentials in common, with the prohibitioo to either treat 

 or confer on the distinctions of the orders, or the vote by head? 



" Second — Should a declaration be made relating to that which 

 has passed since the fifth of this month, with an invitation to 

 the clergy and to the nobility to come to the hall of the estates, 

 declaring expressly that we shall proceed in their absence as in 

 their presence, allowing it to be foreseen that the present assembly 

 believes that it is able to form the National Assembly ? 



" Third — By an amendment to the first motion, should com- 

 missioners be named with the restrictions explained in the motion 

 and with the condition that there shall be drawn up a Proces- 

 verhal of all that shall be said and done, in order to inform the 

 king, France, and especially our constituents of our past conduct 

 and of the motives O'f our future conduct?"--* 



Biauzat relates that when the call came for voting, certain 

 members refused to vote. Among them were Mirabeau and 

 Malouet. The reason given for the latter's action was that he 

 was annoyed because no mention was made of his motion, while 



222 Biauzat, II, 66. 



223 Biauzat. II, 66. 



-~^ Ibid., 67; Boulle, in Revue de la revolution, XI, 15, 16. Boulle gives 

 only a brief summary of these motions. 



275 



