1S05.] 



Memoirs nf Mr. Necker, hy bis Daughter. 



537 



My father went to the Hotel de ViUe, in 

 the midft of thefe acclamations he deliver- 

 ed a fpeech, the only obje(5t ot which was, 

 to requeft favour towaids M. de Befenval, 

 and that the amnelty miglit be extended to 

 all perfons of his opinions. This fpccch 

 drew over the numeious auditors who lil- 

 tened to it ; a fentimmt cf pure enthufiafm 

 for virtue and goodnefc, a fenriment ex- 

 cited by no intereft, by no political opi- 

 nion, felzed on nearly two hundred thou- 

 fand French-men, who had aiTcmbled in 

 and about the Hotel de Ville. Ah ! who 

 would not then have pafTionately Invsd the 

 French nation ! Never did it prove (o 

 great as on that day, vvhtn its lole inirn- 

 tion was to be generous, ntver more ami- 

 able than on that day, wl'eii its natural 

 impetuoiity fprung freely towards a vir- 

 tuous end. Fifteen ytars have elaplid 

 fince that day, and nothing has enfeebled 

 its impielTiun, the lirongelt I have ever 

 experienced. My father alfi>, in the va- 

 rious events which liave huppcned fince, 

 has contin'jally felt at the name I'f Fiance 

 that indefinable emotion, which can only 

 be explained to Frenchmen ; not, in- 

 deed, that many of the events of the revo- 

 lution have tended to prelcrve I'.ch a con- 

 ftant efteeiii towards this great nation ; 

 but it is fofavouitd by Htav<.n, that it is 

 natural to expert it will one day merit 

 the hleffings it has received. 



Very tew women exilt who have had 

 the hai-pinefs to hear a whole people repeat 

 the name of the objeiSt of their tenderell 

 aifeftion, but they will not ct.ntradii't me 

 wiicn I aflert, that nothing can equal the 

 eiTiot:cn which th.e acclamaiions of the 

 multitude th.en excited. All ihofe looks, 

 which fttm for the moment aniinnied ■« i ii 

 th.e lame fentmcnt as yourown, thde nu 

 rasrous voices which vibrate in yi-ur 

 heart, that name which alcends to the 

 ficies, and fcems to return to Htaven, a'ter 

 having palt the homage of the earth ; tha' 

 ele^ricity altugetiier incoiiceiva'.ile, whicli 

 men communicate to each other, when 

 they feel together the fentimcnts ot truth j 

 all ihiife myfteries of nature and focietv, 

 added to that greeted: of myfteiies the len- 

 faiion of love, crovid on the ibtil, and it 

 finks under the ftren^ih of its emotions. 

 My father was at the lummit or his glory 5 

 a glory which he made fubilrvient 10 t'le 

 hopes he mtdt cherifhcd, to hum mity, to 

 indulgence; h;it from that day, evei nie- 

 nioralile to his f iinis and t - the nation 

 itfeW, commenced tht leveiTal of his def- 

 tiny. 



Almort all great men have an epocha of 

 profpeiity in their hiftoiy, which Items lv> 



MowiiiLY .Mac. No. J3jt 



have wearied fortune ; but might not one 

 who had never haiboured in his heart one 

 projt^iSt of perlonal benefit, one felfifh de- 

 fire, have hoped for a more conftant 

 profperity ? He did not obtain t ; Pro- 

 vidence did not guide the French i evolu- 

 tion in the path of jullice; my father, in 

 followinfr it, was of neceffityfi iled. The 

 very night of his tiiumph at the H>tel de 

 Ville, at the inftigation of M. de Miia- 

 beau,theamneliy pronounced m the morn- 

 ing was repealed in ihe feftions, and of 

 that gieat day all that leinained to my 

 father, was the pleaAire of having faved 

 the life of the old Bar.n de Be!cnval. 

 Still that was nui:h : alas! we are lij lit- 

 tle acquainted with the anguifli of a cruel 

 death, that to have averted it from a fingle 

 man w^s em ugh to prefcrve for ever in his 

 mird the inexhaiiirible Iblace of an ho- 

 nourable recolkdi in. An<l will it not 

 always be read in hiftory with pieafure, 

 that there exii'cd a gieat ftatcl'man, who 

 thought molality, fenfibilily, and go-.d- 

 nefs, peifeitly compatible with the ta- 

 lents necelTary for tie government of an 

 empire ; will it not be nioie pleafing to re- 

 flect that this man was acceilihle t. gene- 

 rofity, and to pi^'y, and thofe who iufjered 

 mifery of wha'ever del'crption in the vaft 

 country of France, could !av — if he knows 

 it, and can relieve us, we (hall be re- 

 lieved I 



A year of fcarcity, fuch has bad not oc- 

 cuircd fir near a century, coiiibined in 

 17X9 and 1790 v-ith the political trcuhles, 

 and Mr. Necker by multiplied carts, filent 

 but inccflaiit, by thole caieswhch produce 

 no b' illiant gloi y^ but which aie incited 

 by a fenfin-nt ot duty, (aved Paris and 

 ma- y odier ciries of Fi mce Ir in famine : 

 h>' procured Aipulcs of 2:riin from all - 

 paits yf the world, ea.pl ycd himleii r.lght 

 an.1 day on the ;tibjift,and orien regretted 

 the \mo' flibility of befi-owing on politics 

 all the time they required ; but fo great 

 was his ttrrLr leli Paiis ihoyl i be in want 

 of bread i.i the niidlf of a fdftion impatient 

 for hoitility, ihi. itoccafuned him a long 

 and dangerous tiilio'.is complaint, thefi;urce 

 ot lofi which uliimfitely ai-ridged his . 

 days i tor hit. aC'ecUons mingled with his 

 politics, and while he goveti-.ed men, he 

 loved them. 



I have read among his papers the letters 

 of the Commune of Paris and of the fiir- 

 loonding Comnuiiief, th .nl. ing him for 

 his fuccei'bfiil endeavours ic pitltrve them 

 from famine. How many addrtfTes of this 

 kind, on various occafions, have I found, 

 lent from all quarters of Fr. nee 1 Ho'» 

 aguniliiijj to cciiiemplate them, in fpite of 

 U u ' the 



