On the Conflict of Parties in the Jaeobin Club 13 



from the standpoint of principle, but argued that expediency was 

 the guide for statesmen, and that expediency in this instance 

 called loudly for a continuation of the trade; for, were it to be 

 abolished, France, through the intrigues of England, favored by 

 the resulting disorders, would lose her colonies. He therefore 

 asked the society to declare, among other things, that it did not 

 intend to extend its decrees to the colonies, in order to reassure 

 the colonists by allowing them the initiative in legislation/ 

 Mirabeau answered De I'Aunay the same evening, opposing the 

 slave trade, but with what success is not known, nor do we know 

 what action, if any, was taken by the society.- 



That slavery and the slave trade were inconsistent with the 

 principles of the National Assembly announced in the declaration 

 of the rights of man was immediately apparent to everyone, and 

 was freely admitted by De i'Aunay, and it was the constant fear 

 of the colonists and of those in France directly interested in the 

 colonies that the assembh' would prove consistent. But many 

 deputies preferred being inconsistent to being the cause of imme- 

 diate disaster to France. Tallyrand, as president of the assem- 

 bly, replied to a deputation which had asked for a continuation of 

 the slave trade, slavery, and the prohibitive regime in force with 

 regard to the colonies, that the assembly would know how to 

 "conciliate the rules of prudence and justice with the principles 

 of liberty."-'' The subject came up in the assembly on March 2 

 when Gregoire, one of the most ardent Amis des noirs, read some 

 papers from Martinique in his capacity as member of the com- 



'Aulard, 1,9-17. 



-This subject had long been agitated in tlie press, and many pamphlets 

 and letters had been published upon it. De I'Aunay was a " depute extra- 

 ordinaire du commerce de Nantes," to the National Assembly, and he and 

 his five colleagues applied to LeRoulx, deputy of Lorient, to present them 

 to the Jacobins in order to read their address. Lorient being greatly inter- 

 ested commercially, Le Roulx readily gave liis aid. This attempt was made 

 toward the close of January, but for some unexplained reason, the reading 

 of the address was postponed after permission had been received from the 

 club. Even here "philanthropic ideas" w.re advanced against the grant- 

 ing of permission to read the address. Letter of Le Roulx January 23, 1790. 

 MS. Arc/lives de Lorient. 



^ Correspondance de Breta^ne {oi the deputies of Rennes), No. 1, Febru- 

 ary 25, 1790. 



241 



