FRANCE, 623 
country, could not fail to ineréase the commotion, and _ History. 
and efficient footing, was more properly to let the people feel too sensibly their own weight and 
ee Dutch, for the purpose of placing the French army on 
goa 
laid out. 
‘As the internal resources of France were the only 
gmented, it 
g 
x 
s8 
is subject, strong and unfounded prejudice bore 
with Gown calm and clear inv on; but, In some re- 
England, spects, it must be admitted, that the framers of the 
A. D. 1786. treaty did not sufficiently advert to the nen which 
the weak and infant manufactures of ce required, 
: 
to enable them to rise to-an equality with those 
|, or, at least, to meet the lish manufac- 
tures in the markets of France. 
The mind was now in such a state of discon- 
irritation, that the smallest evil made it break 
out into bitter complaints against ment. It may 
therefore well be conceived, that edict at the end of 
the year 1785, for registering a loan of the enormous 
amount of £3,333,000 sterling, produced violent mur- 
murs. When this edict was presented to the parliament 
anddisputes of Paris, they selected a deputation to wait on the King 
between the with their remonstrances ; but he informed them, that 
Parliament he cet miey wen Donte mere obeyed ; and 
and King. the ceremony of registering took place the next day, ac- 
companied, erovar; with a resolution, that public eco- 
nomy was the only genuine source of abundant reve- 
nue, and that without it, the necessities of the state 
could not be ied, nor public credit and confidence 
restored. This was highly displeasing to the 
King; he ordered the records of rliament to be 
brought to him, and erased the resolution with his own 
hand ; at the same time , that-he in 
future they would communicate, in a 
ful manner. 
ing the measures of that minister, which were not to be 
‘consequently, the distracted state of the country 
influence; in the second place, the deliberations of 
such an assembly would necessarily be tedious, and, 
would 
be prolonged. But the circumstance which weighed 
with the minister most powerfully against calling out 
the States-general; was the apprehension that they 
would be disposed to the reform much farther 
‘than he wished ; and the impossibility of foreseeing 
what would be the consequence of putting power into 
their hands. The Notables, therefore, an assembly 
which had been occasionally substituted in the room 
of the States-general, was preferred by Calonne. ~ It 
consisted of a number of ‘ons from all parts of the 
kingdom, ered selected rom the higher orders of the 
state by the King himself. This mode of selection 
would render the delegation of power to them perfect- 
ly safe, it was expected; while their deliberations 
would be shorter, and more easily managed by royal 
influence. The writs for calling together this assem 
bly were accordingly issued on the 29th of December 
1786: they were addressed to seven princes of the 
blood, nine dukes and peers of France, eight field mar- 
shals, twenty-two nobles, eight councillors of state, 
four masters of requests, eleven archbishops and bishops, 
thirty-seven heads of the law, twelve deputies of the 
pays delats, the lieutenants-civil, and twenty-five ma- 
gistrates of the different towns in France. The total 
number was 144 ; and the opening of the assembly was 
fixed for the 29th of January 1787. 
It ought to have been the leading object of the mi- 
nister, to have laid before this assembly his plans as 
soon as possible, and immediately after their sanction 
of them to have dismissed them. This, at any pe- 
riod, would have been the wisest method ; but it was 
more icularly required at a time when Paris was 
filled with discussions on points that went far beyond 
the mere re-establishment of the finances, or the re- 
form of acknowledged and gross abuses. When the 
day of meeting came, however, the minister was not 
3 it was therefore put off till the 7th of Fe- 
; but, before this day arrived, Calonne fell sick, 
and the Count de Vergennes died. The loss of this 
statesman was severely felt by his colleague, as he had 
entered fully and warmly into all his plans, whereas 
the keeper of the seals was his avowed enemy, and the 
minister of the marine department was ally at- 
tached to Neckar. The for the household 
was the creature of the Queen, and, consequently, at- 
tached to what was called the Austrian system. 
At length, on the 22d of February, the first meeting Their first 
and plans now went far beyond the measures he had at of the assembly of the Notables took place. Calonne ™*¢ting, 
first and it was proper they should laid before it his plan for re-establishing the fisted as ate 
be s2 a ermanertas, asw —_ and ‘seca credit of the kingdom, which he pre-  '’°” 
than parliament. e€ was convin faced, inti t the it CAs 6 
that the state of the kingdom was such, both with re- ¥ pointing out the necessity of adopting it, or 
some other. He stated, that when he was appointed Calonne’s 
e to the office of comptroller-general of the finances, P!#”. 
litical re- the deficiency of the public revenue amounted to 
£3,330,000 sterling. is, it was evident, must be 
made up, as well as prevented in future, if the finances 
SP uAna  icahdianeraiea to a proper state: 
or purpose he proposed, that a terri impost, 
from which no olay or order of suet doth ‘be ex- 
empted, should be sanctioned by the assembly ; that 
the clergy, hitherto not considered liable to pay taxes, 
gem peace at a fair proportion to the exigencies 
ent and receipt of the 
taxes already existing, should be the subject ‘of minute, 
