FRANCE. 361 



France, have been already mentioned in the history of England, and 

 therefore need not be recapitulated here. 



Corsica, a small island in the Mediterranean, had long resisted with 

 manly firmness the oppressive councils of the Genoese, who claimed 

 the sovereignty over it by right of conquest. But, unable to support 

 those pretensions, Genoa transferred them to France, on condition 

 that Lewis should put her in full possession of the adjacent island of 

 Capraia, which the Corsicans had lately invaded had reduced. To 

 execute his engagements, powerful armaments were fitted out by- 

 Lewis, at Antibes and Toulon ; twenty battalions of French were 

 landed in Corsica ; and the natives, whose free suffrages had sum- 

 moned Paoli, one of their principal chiefs, to the supreme govern- 

 ment of the island, determined to defend their liberties to the utmost. 



A sharp and bloody war, such as suited the inferior numbers of 

 the inhabitants and the nature of the country, was carried on in all 

 the fastnesses and mountainous parts of the island ; and it was nottill 

 after the French had fatally experienced, in two successive cam-" 

 paigns, the enthusiastic courage which animates the champions of 

 freedom, that they overwhelmed, by their superior numbers, this 

 unfortunate people ; nor had Lewis much reason* to triumph in ant 

 acquisition, to attain which he had sacrificed several thousand of his 

 bravest troops, and only extended his dominion over a rugged and 

 unproductive island. 



The late unfortunate king, Lewis XVI., succeeded his grandfather, 

 Lewis XV. on the 10th of May, 1774. Several regulations were made 

 after his accession, highly favourable to the general interests of the 

 nation; particularly the suppression of the Mousquetaires, and some 

 other corps, which, being adapted more to the parade of guarding; 

 the royal person than any real military service, were supported at a 

 great expejise, without an adequate return of benefit to the state. 

 One remarkable circumstance which attended this reign, was the 

 placing of M. Necker, a protestant and a native of Switzerland, at 

 the head of the French finances, in 1766. Possessed of distinguish- 

 ed and acknowledged abilities, his appointment would have excited 

 no surprise, had it not been contrary to the constant policy of France, 

 which had carefully excluded the aliens of her country and faith from 

 the controul of the revenue. Under the direction of Necker, a ge- 

 neral reform took place in France, through every department of the 

 revenue. When hostilities commenced, in 1777, between France and 

 Great Britain, in consequence of the assistance afforded by the former 

 to the revolted British colonies in America, the people of France were 

 not burdened with new taxes for carrying on the war ; but the public 

 revenue was augmented by the economy, improvements, and reforma- 

 tion, that were introduced into the management of the finances. In. 

 consequence of this national economy, the navy of France was,also rais- 

 ed to so great a height as to become truly formidable to Great Britain. 



In the beginning of the year 1780, in consequence of the repre- 

 sentations of Mr Necker, a variety of unnecessary offices in the 

 household of the queen were abolished ; and sundry other important 

 regulations adopted for the ease of the subject, and the general be- 

 nefit of the kingdom. Could we implicitly credit his memorial, he 

 changed the excess of the disbursements (at least one million ster- 

 ling) of the year 1776, into an excess of revenue in the year 1780, to 

 the amount of 445,000/ But the measures of Mr. Necker were not 

 calculated to procure him friend* at court; the interested and the 



Vol. I. 3 A 



