opening of States General of i/8g 77 



that it had been customary in former times for the deputies of the 

 states general to send a formal deputation to the king soon after 

 they were assembled, for the purpose of paying their respects to 

 him and assuring him of their loyalty and devotion. He sug- 

 gested that deputies be sent to the third estate and to the nobility 

 to arrange for carrying out this ceremony.-*- The decision of the 

 clergy was that, instead of sending this deputation to the king, the 

 president should inform his majesty of the desire of the members 

 of the clergy to pay their respects to him in a formal manner.-*^ 

 Vallet adds that the wish of the clergy to perform this act of 

 homage was to be entered on the register of the order and that the 

 president was to assure the king that the delay in this matter had 

 been the result of the desire of the clergy to bring about a union 

 of the orders, in order that the three orders together might show 

 their gratitude for the convocation of the estates.^** 



It was on this same day, if we may believe the account of the 

 Abbe Coster, that a motion was made that the conciliatory con- 

 ferences be abandoned, because of the apparent opposition of the 

 third estate and of the nobility.-*^ These various motions and 

 suggestions made in the sessions of the clergy, indicate that cer- 

 tain members were becoming impatient and apparently were not 

 at all sure of the outcome of the conferences. 



On May 15, after the president had reported concerning his 

 mission to the king,-**^ the clergy decided to take up the provi- 

 sional inspection of the cahiers,-*^ the purpose of this being, 

 according to Vallet, to aid later in drawing up a single cahier for 

 the states general.-*^ On May 16, while they were preparing to 

 carry out this decision for the inspection of the cahier s, the 

 deputies from Hinault protested against this action, stating that 

 their credentials had instructed them to turn over their credentials 



242 Thibault, 194, 195 ; Vallet, Rccit, 26, 27. 



243 Ibid. 



2*4 Vallet, Recit, 27. 

 2*5 Coster, 14 mai. 



246 Thibault, 19S, 196 ; Coster, 16 mai ; Vallet, Rccit, 28. 



247 Vallet, Recit, 28 ; Thibault, 195 ; Jallet, 57. 



248 Vallet, Recit, 28. 



279 



