hone, Oct 29, and the Minister's answer
on the margin.]

[Footnote 32108: "Archives Nationales," F7, 3249. Letter of the
administrators of the Orne, Sept. 7, and the Minister's reply noted on
the margin.]

[Footnote 32109: "Archives Nationales," F', 3,249. Correspondence with
the municipality of Saint-Firmin (Oise). Letter of Roland, Dec. 3: "I
have read the letter addressed to me on the 25th of the past month, and
I cannot conceal from you the pain it gives me to find in it principles
so destructive of all the ties of subordination existing between
constituted authorities, principles so erroneous that should the
communes adopt them every form of government would be impossible and
all society broken up. Can the commune of Saint-Firmin, indeed, have
persuaded itself that it is sovereign, as the letter states? and have
the citizens composing it forgotten that the sovereign is the entire
nation, and not the forty-four thousandth part of it? that Saint-Firmin
is simply a fraction of it, contributing its share to endowing the
deputies of the National Convention, the administrators of departments
and districts with the power of acting for the greatest advantage of
the commune, but which, the moment it elects its own administrators and
agents, can no longer revoke the powers it has bestowed, without a total
subversion of order? etc."--All the documents belonging to this affair
ought to be quoted; there is nothing more instructive or ludicrous, and
especially the style of the secretary-clerk of Saint-Firmin: "We conjure
you to remember that the administrators of the district of Senlis strive
to play the part of the sirens who sought to enchant Ulysses."]

[Footnote 32110: Letter of the central bureau of the Rouen sections,
Aug. 30.]

[Footnote 32111: "Archives Nationales," F7, 3195. Letter of the three
administrative bodies and commissaries of the sections of Marseilles,
Nov. 15, 1792. Letter of the electors of Bouches-du-Rhone, Nov.
28.--(Forms of politeness are omitted at the end of these letters, and
no doubt purposely.) Roland replies (Dec. 31): "While fully admiring the
civism of the brave Marseilles people,... do not fully agree with you on
the exercise of popular Sovereignty." He ends by stating that all
their letters with replies have been transmitted to the deputies of the
Bouches-du-Rhone, and that the latter are in accord with him and will
arrange matters.]

CHAPTER III.

I.--The second stage of t