278 
' «© Remark of Lewis XVI. 
«© That would be perhaps the way to ob+ 
tain nothing. Our parliaments are ‘’accus- 
tomed to grantall that is required of them at 
the expence of the people: but they are also 
in the habit of refusing every thing, and of 
suflering themselves to be exiled, when they 
are to establish any tax to their own personal 
prejudice, To assemble the men of property 
‘In my kingdom for the purpose of levying 
taxes, is taking the very means of rendering 
them averse to the tax demanded, The Abbé 
Terray has fully proved that there is no cer- 
tainty of raising a tax, except when it is le- 
vied by order of him who does not pay, or 
who pays the least part of it. ‘The idea of 
forming perpetual states-general is subversive 
of the monarchy, which is only absolute be- 
cause its authority is not divided. The mo- 
ment they are assembled, there exists no 
longer any thing intermediate between the 
‘ing and the nation, except an army ; and it 
is grievous to confide to the military the de- 
fence of the authority of the state, against 
the French people assembled. The system 
of M, Turgot isa fine dream; it is a particu- 
lar species of Utopian government, coming 
from a man whose views are good; but who 
would overthrow the actual state of things. 
The ideas of M. Turgot are extremely danger- 
ous; and resistance must be made to their 
novelty. 
«¢ All this,’says M. Turgot, * may be done 
this year, or the beginning of the next: but 
it is not until the first days of October, after 
the last harvests, that the municipal elective 
assemblies could be held.’ 
* Remark of Lewis XVI, 
« Here thenis 4 new Fraace speedily rege- 
nerated, and assembled: but, in the mean 
time, old France, that is, the great of the 
kingdom, the parliaments, the provincial as- 
semblies, the échevins, the prévdts des mar- 
chands, the capitouls, would hold their sit- 
tings also, and perhaps put themselves in in- 
swrrection, desiring to know by the commis- 
sion of what crimes they had merited being 
deposed, 
«« After a few years, your majesty would 
have a new people, and the first of people. 
« Remark of Lewis AVI, 
} 1) 
OLICE 
ab 
sad,’ says M. 'Tutgot, * of the cor- 
yuption, the meanness, the intrigues, and ra- 
acity, whieh generally prevail, .your ma- 
jesty would meet at every step with yirtue, 
‘disinterestedness, honour, and zeal,’ 
« Remark of Lewis XVI. 
§* Lam ignorant whether Fyance, adminis- 
‘teyed by persons chosen by, the:penple, and 
by the most wealthy, would be more virtu- 
ous than iy-is, administered -by the right of 
HISTORY, POLITICS, AND STATISTICS. 
birth, and the choice of kings. I find, in the 
succession of admivistrators named by my 
ancestors, and in the chief families of the 
robe, and even of finance, in my kingdom, 
Frenchmen whose names would reflect ho- 
nour on any nation. The passage from the 
state of things abolished, to that which is now 
proposed by M. Turgot, merits attention ; 
since we see plainly what is, but only see In 
theory what is not; and dangerous enter- 
prises ought not to be undertaken, unless we 
lees their tendency.—Feb. 15th, 1738. 
“« Observation. 
«« At the time this memorial was written, 
Lewis the X VIth. was strongly imbibed with 
the philosophical and revolutionary ideas of 
M. 'Turgot. Twelve years had now elapsed 
since the dismissal of that minister, when the 
monarch, finding that those opinions had 
spread among the people, turned back to the 
cause of the evil, which he appears to have 
found in the porte-feuille in hich were de- 
posited M. 'Turgot’s regenerating notes and 
observations. 
*© It is on the present memorial, contain- 
ing certainly the genuine principles of the re- 
volution which ‘took place in the following 
year, that the monarch fixed his particul-r at- 
tention. The remarks on the disposifions of 
this note are judicious: but M. Turgot’s 
ideas had taken too deep root in the mind 
of the natian, to be now eradicated. The 
germs of the revolution, fostered by a ge- 
nial ray from the western hemisphere, had 
already sprung up ; and the king might make 
comments, if he pleased, on their mischiev- 
ous properties : but it was too late to arrest, 
with a feeble hand, the progress of their 
mighty vegetation.” 
The translations of these letters are 
executed with the ease, the elegance, the 
idiomatic ambidexterity of a patriot of 
both countries. ‘They will be appealed 
to by future grammarians, to decide con-” 
troversies of language, and to assist in. 
et 7 . . 7 
ascertaining the shades of meaning which 
separate synonymous parallelisms. They | 
constitute in their present form a book 
remarkably well adapted to assist young 
persons in the acquirement of French. 
All the letters are given first in the ori- 
ginal language, and next in a skilful and 
close version. 
The commentaries are in general per, 
vaded by an humane and equitable spirit, i 
favourable to liberty, to morality, and 
to rational religion. The insincerity of 
Lewis is indeed arraigned; but it is 
there. The Girondist party is indeed 
applauded; but it has exalted claims to 
admiration. Some historical criticisms 
are interspersed of solid value; such are 
the observations on the sixty-fourth let. 
ter; yet we could have wished for the 
1 
: 
