I had now to wait patiently till a new opportunity should occur.  The Comte de Mirabeau, before the departure of the King, had moved and carried the resolution that “the Assembly was inseparable from his majesty’s person.”  It was expected, therefore, that the National Assembly would immediately transfer its sittings to Paris.  This took place on the nineteenth.  It was now more easy for me to bring persons together, than when I had to travel backward and forward to Versailles.  Accordingly, by watching my opportunities, I obtained the promise of another meeting.  This was held afterward at the Duke de la Rochefoucauld’s.  The persons before mentioned were present; except the Comte de Mirabeau, whose occupations at that moment made it utterly impossible for him to attend.

The Duke opened the business in an appropriate manner; and concluded, by desiring each person to give his opinion frankly and unequivocally as to what might be expected of the National Assembly relative to the great measure of the abolition of the Slave-trade.

The Abbe Syeyes rose up, and said, it would probably bring the business within a shorter compass, if, instead of discussing this proposition at large, I were to put to the meeting my own questions.  I accordingly accepted this offer; and began by asking those present, “how long it was likely that the present National Assembly would sit.”  After some conversation it was replied, that, “it would sit till it had completed the constitution, and interwoven such fixed principles into it, that the legislature, which should succeed it, might have nothing more to do, than to proceed on the ordinary business of the state.  Its dissolution would probably not take place till the month of March.”

I then asked them, “whether it was their opinion, that the National Assembly would feel itself authorized to take up such a foreign question (if I might be allowed the expression) as that of the abolition of the Slave-trade.”  The answer to this was, “that the object of the National Assembly was undoubtedly the formation of a constitution for the French people.  With respect to foreign possessions, it was very doubtful, whether it were the real interest of France to have any colonies at all.  But while it kept such colonies under its dominion, the Assembly would feel, that it had the right to take up this question; and that the question itself would naturally spring out of the bill of rights, which had already been adopted as the basis of the constitution.”

The next question I proposed was, “whether they were of opinion, that the National Assembly would do more wisely, in the present situation of things, to determine upon the abolition of the Slave-trade now, or to transfer it to the legislature, which was to succeed it in the month of March.”