The working of the Estates General led to an almost exclusive system of deliberation by committees. There were, it is true, solemn general sessions, called "séances royales", because the king presided; but at these there was no discussion. At the first, the king or his chancellor announced the object of the convocation, and set forth the demands or questions put to them by the Crown; at the other royal sessions each order made known its answers or observations by the mouth of an "orateur" elected for the purpose. But almost all useful work was done in the "sections", among which the deputies of each order were divided. At the estates of 1484 they were divided into six "nations" or "sections", corresponding to the six "généralités" then existing. Subsequently, the deputies belonging to the same "gouvernement" formed a group or "bureau" for deliberating and voting purposes. Certain questions, however, were discussed and decided in full assembly; sometimes, too, the estates nominated commissaries in equal numbers for each order. But in the ancient Estates General there was never any personal vote. The unit represented for each of the three orders was the "bailliage" or "sénéchaussé" and each "bailliage" had one vote, the majority of the deputies of the "bailliage" deciding in what way this vote should be given.