ABSTRACT
The commission was composed of representatives of governmental institutions and of deputies from various categories or classes of the population. Thus central governmental institutions, some social estates, non-Russian tribes, and places of residence were represented in the commission. According to the letter of the 'Rules of Procedure" for the town elections, all householders, who could be individuals of any rank, were to participate in them. The most important innovation of the Commission of 1767 was the instructions that the electors were required to provide to their deputies setting forth their "social needs and burdens", exclusive of private matters resolvable by a court. The commission's order of business corresponded to its complex organization. Rumors about the commission had created a ferment among the people, eliciting talk of changes in the laws, and at this point, by chance, the war with Turkey occurred, requiring those deputies who were in military service to return to the army.
