76 Eihel Lee Howie 



True the president was from a privileged order, but the commons, 

 as has already been shown, had agreed that the honorary pre- 

 rogatives would be followed in this, but at the same time they 

 insisted that the third estate should have its turn at the presi- 

 dency. The unification as well as the organization of the as- 

 sembly had been further helped along by the establishment of 

 committees. Four of these on verification, rules, redaction and 

 subsistance, had been created on June 19. Each of these had 

 been originally composed of members of the third estate, but as 

 the other orders joined the assembly representatives of the privi- 

 leged orders were added. 



As one of the most vital questions confronting the assembly, 

 one which had been the real cause for the convocation of the 

 states-general, concerned finance it was quite natural that a com- 

 mittee of finance should be established. This was proposed by 

 M. Bouche on July 10^^^ and had for its object to prepare in 

 advance "material on this subject so essential to the administra- 

 tion."^^* This work should be divided between two committees^®^ 

 composed of twenty members each f^^ the first to get " informa- 

 tion on the state of the national finances, of the product of taxes 

 and subsidies, debts of all kind, pensions, etc., in a word of all 

 which is the object of revenues and expenses of the state" f^'^ the 

 second, which will get " information of the actual condition of 

 the national treasury and which will faithfully inform the as- 

 sembly of the means which the government has to make good 



3S3 proccs-vcrbal, I, No. 20, 2; Point dii jour, I, 156; Courrier de 

 Provence, I, 19th letter, 4; Bulletins de I'assemblee nationale, July 10; Du- 

 quesnoy, Journal, I, 182; Assemblee nationale, I, 448; Biauzat, Sa vie et sa 

 correspondance, II, 172; Journal de Paris, No. 193, 871, July 12. 



^^^ Point du jour, I, 156. 



385 Biauzat, Sa vie et sa correspondance, II, 172; Assemblee nationale, 1, 

 449; Bulletins de I'assemblee nationale, July 10; Proces-verbal, I, No. 20, 2. 



^^^ Bulletins de I'assemblee nationale, July 10; Biauzat, Sa vie et sa cor- 

 respondance, I, 172; Assemblee nationale, I, 449; Duquesnoy, Journal (I, 

 182), states that Bouche desired that two members should be chosen in 

 each of the thirty bureaus. Duquesnoy evidently erred in this statement. 



^^"^ Assemblee nationale, I, 449; Bulletins de I'assemblee nationale, July 

 10 ; Biauzat, Sa vie et sa correspondance, II, 172. 



