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Foreign News
July 31, 1790
Gazette Of The United States
New York, New York County, New York
What is this article about?
Paris, March 23, 1790: Mr. Barnave presents instructions to the National Assembly for implementing the decree on colonies, particularly St. Domingo. Details procedures for governors to notify assemblies, form parochial assemblies, elect deputies, and organize colonial assemblies with specific electoral rules.
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FOR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES.
PARIS.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE COLONIES,
Presented to the National Assembly, in the name of the Committee appointed for that purpose, the 23d March, 1790.
By Mr. Barnave, Deputy from Dauphiny.
CONTINUED,
ARTICLE FIRST.
1st. The decree of the 8th of this month, respecting the Colonies, and the present instructions having been sent by the King, to the governor of the colonies of St. Domingo, the governor shall be bound immediately after their reception, to communicate them to the colonial Assembly, should one exist already formed; to notify them in like manner to the provincial Assemblies, and to give legal and authentic knowledge of them to the inhabitants of the colony, by proclaiming and fixing them up in all the parishes.
2d. If a colonial Assembly exists, it may if it pleases declare that it judges the formation of a new colonial Assembly more advantageous to the colony than the continuation of its own powers, and in this case, they shall immediately proceed to new elections.
3d. If on the contrary, it conceives its continuation most advantageous to the colonies it may commence its operations according to the mode pointed out by the National Assembly; but without being capable of using the power granted to the colonial Assemblies to execute certain decrees, until the intention of the colony with respect to its continuation has been proved, agreeable to the forms hereafter set forth.
4th. Immediately after the proclamation and fixing up the decreed institutions in each parish, every person who shall have attained the full age of 25 years, proprietors of real estate, or for want of such property, shall have been settled in the parish for two years, and paid taxes; shall assemble together to form the parochial Assembly.
5th. The parochial Assembly being formed, shall commence by taking into full consideration, the decree of the National Assembly of the 8th inst. and the present instructions, to proceed in the execution, in the manner following.
6th. If no colonial Assembly antecedently elected, should exist in the colony, or if that which existed has declared that it judges it most expedient to form a new one, the parochial Assembly shall immediately proceed to the election of deputies to the colonial Assembly.
7th. For this purpose, there shall be made out a statement and an enumeration of all the persons of the parish, absent or present, possessed of the qualities expressed in the 4th article of the present instruction, to determine in proportion to their number, that of the deputies which ought to be sent to the colonial Assembly.
8th. This enumeration being made, the number of the deputies to be nominated, shall be determined, at the rate of one for one hundred citizens; observing, 1st, that the last hundred shall be judged complete, if it amounts to the number of fifty citizens, so that for 150 citizens there shall be two deputies; for 250 citizens, three deputies, and so on. 2d, That no regard shall be had in the parishes where there shall be more than 100 citizens, and the fractional number below 50, so that for 149 citizens, there shall only one deputy be appointed, and so on. 3d, In the parishes where there shall be less than one hundred citizens, a deputy shall nevertheless be appointed, however small the number of citizens shall be which may be found therein.
9th. After having determined the number of deputies which they have to nominate, the parochial Assemblies shall proceed to this election, in the manner which shall appear most suitable to them.
10th. The parochial Assemblies shall be at liberty to give instructions to their deputies, but they cannot charge them with any orders tending to constrain their opinions in the colonial Assembly, and still less to insert any clauses tending to withdraw them from the sense of the majority; if a parish should give such orders, they shall be deemed null, and the colonial Assembly shall pay no regard to them, but the elections of the deputies shall not be invalidated.
11th. The deputies elected by the parochial Assembly, shall immediately repair to the town of Leogane, and shall there determine the place where the colonial Assembly ought to sit.
(To be continued.)
FOR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES.
PARIS.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE COLONIES,
Presented to the National Assembly, in the name of the Committee appointed for that purpose, the 23d March, 1790.
By Mr. Barnave, Deputy from Dauphiny.
CONTINUED,
ARTICLE FIRST.
1st. The decree of the 8th of this month, respecting the Colonies, and the present instructions having been sent by the King, to the governor of the colonies of St. Domingo, the governor shall be bound immediately after their reception, to communicate them to the colonial Assembly, should one exist already formed; to notify them in like manner to the provincial Assemblies, and to give legal and authentic knowledge of them to the inhabitants of the colony, by proclaiming and fixing them up in all the parishes.
2d. If a colonial Assembly exists, it may if it pleases declare that it judges the formation of a new colonial Assembly more advantageous to the colony than the continuation of its own powers, and in this case, they shall immediately proceed to new elections.
3d. If on the contrary, it conceives its continuation most advantageous to the colonies it may commence its operations according to the mode pointed out by the National Assembly; but without being capable of using the power granted to the colonial Assemblies to execute certain decrees, until the intention of the colony with respect to its continuation has been proved, agreeable to the forms hereafter set forth.
4th. Immediately after the proclamation and fixing up the decreed institutions in each parish, every person who shall have attained the full age of 25 years, proprietors of real estate, or for want of such property, shall have been settled in the parish for two years, and paid taxes; shall assemble together to form the parochial Assembly.
5th. The parochial Assembly being formed, shall commence by taking into full consideration, the decree of the National Assembly of the 8th inst. and the present instructions, to proceed in the execution, in the manner following.
6th. If no colonial Assembly antecedently elected, should exist in the colony, or if that which existed has declared that it judges it most expedient to form a new one, the parochial Assembly shall immediately proceed to the election of deputies to the colonial Assembly.
7th. For this purpose, there shall be made out a statement and an enumeration of all the persons of the parish, absent or present, possessed of the qualities expressed in the 4th article of the present instruction, to determine in proportion to their number, that of the deputies which ought to be sent to the colonial Assembly.
8th. This enumeration being made, the number of the deputies to be nominated, shall be determined, at the rate of one for one hundred citizens; observing, 1st, that the last hundred shall be judged complete, if it amounts to the number of fifty citizens, so that for 150 citizens there shall be two deputies; for 250 citizens, three deputies, and so on. 2d, That no regard shall be had in the parishes where there shall be more than 100 citizens, and the fractional number below 50, so that for 149 citizens, there shall only one deputy be appointed, and so on. 3d, In the parishes where there shall be less than one hundred citizens, a deputy shall nevertheless be appointed, however small the number of citizens shall be which may be found therein.
9th. After having determined the number of deputies which they have to nominate, the parochial Assemblies shall proceed to this election, in the manner which shall appear most suitable to them.
10th. The parochial Assemblies shall be at liberty to give instructions to their deputies, but they cannot charge them with any orders tending to constrain their opinions in the colonial Assembly, and still less to insert any clauses tending to withdraw them from the sense of the majority; if a parish should give such orders, they shall be deemed null, and the colonial Assembly shall pay no regard to them, but the elections of the deputies shall not be invalidated.
11th. The deputies elected by the parochial Assembly, shall immediately repair to the town of Leogane, and shall there determine the place where the colonial Assembly ought to sit.
(To be continued.)
What sub-type of article is it?
Colonial Affairs
Political
What keywords are associated?
French Colonies
St Domingo
Colonial Assembly
Parochial Assembly
Elections
National Assembly
Deputies
What entities or persons were involved?
Mr. Barnave
King
Where did it happen?
St. Domingo
Foreign News Details
Primary Location
St. Domingo
Event Date
23 March 1790
Key Persons
Mr. Barnave
King
Outcome
establishes procedures for notifying colonial assemblies, forming parochial assemblies, electing deputies at one per 100 citizens with provisions for fractions, and convening in leogane.
Event Details
Instructions presented by Mr. Barnave to the National Assembly outline the implementation of the March 8 decree for St. Domingo colonies: governor notifies assemblies and inhabitants; existing assemblies decide on continuation or new elections; parochial assemblies form from qualified males over 25, consider decree, elect deputies proportionally; deputies proceed to Leogane to set meeting place.