NECKER. 



167 



des Grains (ill 5) attracted great attention, and was 

 violently attacked by the Economists (see Physiocra- 

 tic System), as it was in favour of some restrictions 

 on the exportation of corn. In spite of an inflated 

 and incorrect style, and a vagueness of thought, his 

 writings pleased the mass of readers, on account of 

 the popular manner in which he treated affairs of 

 finance, fie gained the marquis of Pezay, who car- 

 ried on a secret correspondence with Louis XVI., 

 to his views, and, through him, transmitted to the 

 king a memorial, in which he drew an altogether too 

 favourable picture of the resources of the state. This 

 measure accelerated his elevation. Towards the end 

 of 1776, he was joined with the controller-general 

 Taboureau as director of the royal treasury, and, in 

 eight months after, took Taboureau's place. Mau- 

 repas, who, notwithstanding his great age and ap- 

 parent indifference, was fond of the exercise of 

 power, favoured Necker's advancement, in the 

 expectation of finding a submissive servant in a man 

 whose birtli and religion would create him enemies 

 among the nobles and clergy. Necker assumed his 

 post in a difficult moment. Malversation, under the 

 preceding reign, had caused a great deficit, to which 

 the American war made great additions. New taxes 

 would have been unpopular, and Necker endeavoured 

 to meet the exigency by loans and reforms But the 

 partisans of Turgot, whom he had alienated by his 

 sentiments relative to the corn traue, found fault 

 with his innovations. Turgot himself took part in 

 the controversy: Necker was accused of an excessive 

 preference for the caisse d escomte : the abolition of 

 the office, of receiver- general was blamed as an act 

 of had faith, calculated to place the king under the 

 dictation of the financiers ; that of the director of the 

 treasury, us the revival of a project of Law, whose 

 name awakened the worst recollections, &c. The plan 

 of convoking provincial assemblies displeased the 

 parliaments, which it threatened to reduce to mere 

 judicial tribunals. Necker, however, found many 

 defenders, particularly among men of letters. In 

 1781, he published his Comte rendu au Roi, relative 

 to his administration : more than 200,000 copies of 

 this pamphlet were circulated. He was not, how- 

 ever, admitted to the common deliberations of the 

 ministers, and Maurepas, who was jealous of Nec- 

 ker's reputation, succeeded in frustrating his plans, 

 although they were approved by the king. Necker 

 (lieu demanded the entree au conseil, as it was called. 

 Some objection being made on account of his religion, 

 IK- threatened to resign his place, and was not a little 

 astonished to receive permission to retire (May, 1781). 

 He went to Switzerland, where he purchased the barony 

 of Copet, and published his work Administration des 

 Finances (3 vols.), of which 80,000 copies were sold 

 in a few days. His enemies accused him of under- 

 mining the foundations of the monarchy, by exposing 

 the secrets of government, and of exchanging the 

 character of counsellor of his prince for that of a 

 tribune, by appealing from the king to the people. 

 The errors and prodigality of Calonne increased 

 Necker's reputation : the latter returned to France, 

 in 1787, wrote against Calonne, who had accused 

 him of being the author of the deficit, and was exiled 

 in consequence. But, in 1788, when the attacks 

 upon the minister of finance, Brienne (see Lomenie 

 de Brienne), began to alarm the court, Necker was 

 recalled as controller general, and accepted the post 

 on condition that he should not be obliged to trans- 

 act business with the premier. His convictions led 

 him to support the convocation of the states-general, 

 which was i.lie wish of the nation. His report (of 

 Dec. 27, 1788) on this subject may be considered the 

 spark which kindled the pile. He was also in favour 

 of the double representation of the third estate (see 



France), but neglected to regulate the mode of 

 deliberation and of voting. In 1789, his enemies 

 accused him of having contributed to produce the 

 famine, by the expression of unfounded fears. They 

 maintained that, of thirty-nine millions of francs 

 expended in the purchase of corn, twenty-eight mil- 

 lions had been replaced by its sale, and that of this 

 sum he had given no account. He was even charged 

 with having applied it to the furtherance of his own 

 ambitious views. May 5, lie delivered a long .speech, 

 on the opening of the states-general, and laid down 

 a plan for the labours of that body, which he expected 

 to yield at his will. When the government deter- 

 mined to take measures against the increasing troubles, 

 Necker, who opposed the adoption of those measures, 

 was dismissed, mainly through the influence of baroii 

 Breteuil, and ordered to leave the kingdom within 

 twenty-four hours. No sooner was his removal 

 known than all Paris was in a ferment. The storm- 

 ing of the Bastile followed, and the symptoms of 

 popular violence became so alarming, that the king 

 found himself compelled to recall the banished minis- 

 ter. Necker received the news of his recall at Basle, 

 and determined to comply with it : his return to Paris 

 resembled a triumphal procession. His first object 

 was to restore tranquillity, and security of person and 

 property. But, as minister of finance, he was obliged 

 to propose measures which could not be acceptable 

 to the populace. His moderate opinions, in regard 

 to the administration of government, did not keep 

 pace with the wishes of those who dictated to the 

 people. Mirabeau, in particular, whose character 

 rendered him more fit to rule the popular will, under- 

 mined Necker's influence. In the deliberations on 

 the plan of a new constitution, he defended the royal 

 veto, and opposed the abolition of titles of nobility : 

 lie also proposed the establishment of a national bank. 

 When the national assembly made public the contents 

 of the red book (the private list of the royal pensions 

 and grants), Necker declared warmly against this 

 measure, and defended the list. These opinions 

 exposed him to the charge of being an aristocrat : 

 his personal security was threatened, and his influence 

 annihilated. His plan of a loan at four and a half 

 per cent, failed. Under these circumstances, he 

 wrote to the assembly, in September, 1790, request- 

 ing his dismissal. He offered to place in their hands 

 the two million livres which he had advanced to 

 government, together with his house and appurten- 

 ances, as a pledge of his integrity. His offer was 

 received without any marks of regret, and he left 

 Paris with the mortification of seeing his plans and 

 brilliant prospects fail. His daughter, madame de 

 Stael, has given the most favourable view of his 

 character as a statesman in her Considerations ; but 

 Baillful in his Examen critique of that work has 

 demonstrated the feebleness Of Necker's policy. He 

 returned to Copet, amidst the insults of the people, 

 and his chagrin was heightened by domestic calami- 

 ties. After the loss of his wife (see Nee/car, Susan- 

 na), to whom he was much attached, he occupied 

 himself in writing a defence of his administration, 

 Sur V Administration de M. Necker par lui-meme. 

 In his work Reflexions adressees a la Nation, he 

 defended the king. His essay Du Pouvoir exicutif 

 dans les grands Etats (2 vols. 1792) is approved 

 even by those who are not favourably disposed to- 

 wards him. His De la Revolution Francaise (1796, 

 4 vols.) is a work of much interest ; and his Cours de 

 Morale religieuse (1800, 3 vols.), and De I' Importance 

 des Opinions religieuses (1788), are not destitute of 

 eloquence. He died at Geneva, in 1804. 



NECKER, SUSANNA, wife of the minister, daughter 

 of a clergyman of the canton of Berne, by the name 

 of Curehod, received an excellent education, and, in 



