or ESTATES, a term applied to several orders or classes of people assembled to consult of matters for the public good.

Thus states-generals, in the old government of Holland, is the name of an assembly consisting of the deputies of the seven United Provinces. These were usually 35 in number, some provinces sending two, others more; and whatever resolution the states-general took was confirmed by every province, and by every city and republic in that province, before it had the force of a law. The deputies of each province, of what number ever they were, had only one voice, and were esteemed as but one person, the votes being given by provinces. Each province presided in the assembly in its turn, according to the order settled among them. Guelderland presided first, then Holland, &c.

States of Holland were the deputies of eighteen cities, and one representative of the nobility, constituting the states of the province of Holland; the other provinces had likewise their states, representing their sovereignty; deputies from which made what was called the states-general. In an assembly of the states of a particular province, one dissenting voice prevented their coming to any resolution.