\ 



The Counter Revolution of June-July 7 



nobles could not change the established order. The union on 

 June 27 had been complete; its object had been deliberation in 

 common, and through this union, for the moment at least, the 

 distinction of the orders was eliminated. The commons, he 

 asserted, had not united with the nobles, but the nobles had joined 

 the assembly and by this step they could not pretend to make 

 any changes or to disorganize the assembly. Those representing 

 the privileged orders then asked for some mark of distinction 

 for their presidents and proposed that they might be given promi- 

 nent seats and have tables placed before them. Bailly opposed 

 this also, saying that in an organized assembly such distinctions 

 belonged to the officers of the assembly alone, and that the pro- 

 posed plan would not be in accordance with the wishes of the 

 assembly; that if such marks of distinction were insisted on an 

 appeal must be made to the assembly. At the close of the con- 

 ference, Bailly was persuaded that the others saw that their 

 demands could not be granted, and this was evidently the case 

 for no further attempt was made to remove Bailly from the 

 presidency.^" 



Again the action of the majority of the nobles and the minority 

 of clergy on the morning of June 30 shows that they were not 

 satisfied with existing conditions. In the session of June 27, the 

 president of the nobles announced a meeting of the nobles in 

 their hall at nine o'clock, June 30, an hour before the time agreed 

 upon by the presidents of the three orders for the general as- 

 sembly." This hour was apparently taken up by discussions of 

 their relation to the assembly and by the writing of protests stat- 

 ing what they believed this relation to the assembly was. Ac- 

 cording to the Proces-verhal of the nobles, fifty-two protests were 

 drawn up on June 30. Biauzat speaks of conferences being held 

 on this morning for the purpose of avoiding verification in com- 

 mon,^^ but a study of the protests shows that few of the nobles 

 mention the question of verification. They are concerned with 



1" Bailly, Memoires, I, 255-260. 



11 Proces-verbal de la noblesse, 304. 



12 Biauzat, Sa vie et sa correspondance, II, 149. 



289 



