FRENCH CABINET INTRIGUE.

13

a credit of two millions of livres. With part of this money he was to buy up timber; part of it he was to keep for himself; and the remaining part he was to dispose of, in silencing such persons as might seem to know enough of the matter to make the circumstance public either in England or Holland. Beaumarchais accordingly bought up to the amount of £15,000 or £20,000 worth, which he got entered at London as bound for Portsmouth, but which in fact was sent to Havre de Grâce and Brest; and he left £1,000 more in the hands of a certain merchant, to dispose of in the same manner. He gave a good deal of it, in bribes, to Garnier, the French Chargé d'Affaires in London, &c. And this part of his commission he executed so well, that no discovery would have been made of the affair, had not a train of accidents led to it in France.

"The Duc de Bouillon has very extensive woods in Normandy, and about a year ago (1774) he sold timber from them to the Crown for ship-building, to the amount of £110,000. Although the contract was completed, and part of the wood was cut down, the money was not yet paid.

"As soon as this plan of buying English timber was adopted, De Sartine (Minister of War for Ma

14

THE DUC DE BOUILLON.

rine affairs) signified to the Duc de Bouillon that the King had little need of the wood bought of him, because the design of augmenting the Navy, for which it had been bought, was laid aside; and told him that his taking it back, and disposing of it, would be considered a favour.

"M. de Bouillon, who had been in some disgrace, and now wished to ingratiate himself, complied; he took the wood, and disposed of it at a loss of 100,000 crowns, which he certainly could ill afford. To his great surprise, last summer or autumn, being at his estate in Normandy, he heard of great augmentations making at Havre de Grâce, Brest, Rochefort, &c., in the Navy, and of great quantities of timber daily coming in there. This last circumstance incensed him against De Sartine, who had deceived him; and, on his return to Paris, he determined to inquire from whence this wood came. This he discovered by bribing a clerk in De Sartine's office. He immediately wrote to a person of his acquaintance in London, who had formerly been his secretary, informing him of the whole affair, as far as he knew of it, and begging he would inquire into it. He communicated the matter to M. de Choiseul, and to M. de Guignes, who had been ambassador

THE DUC DE CHARTRES.

15

in England, and to all the heads of the Queen's party; and, after long searches and inquiries, it was found that De Sartine had kept £70,000 to himself, and given £30,000 to Beaumarchais; that Maurepas, Miromesnil, and the Duc d'Aiguillon had one million and a half between them, and that the remaining unappropriated part remained in the treasurer of the Navy's hands.

"M. de Bouillon was for drawing up a memorial of the whole, and presenting it to the King, to expose to him the misconduct of the Ministry; but this was opposed by Choiseul, De Guignes, and the English gentleman, at least until some further discovery should be made." *

To return to our narrative: A sharp, but sanguinary conflict ensued between the French and English fleets, which had sailed out from Brest and Plymouth in 1778. The victory was undecided, but not positively to be beaten by Britannia on the waves, was a triumph to France. The Duc de Chartres, who had accompanied the squadron from Brest, was enthusiastically greeted upon his return to Paris.

With French sentiment the Duchesse de Chartres

* MS. (abbreviated) Mus. Brit. Ex Dono. Archdeacon Coxe,

Holland-England's neglected Defences-Lord Sandwich -French Camp and English Camp-Aspirants for glory at Versailles-Ireland-Lafayette returns to EuropeFate of the French and Spanish expedition against England-Return of Admiral d'Orvilliers to Paris-Te Deum at Versailles for successes in the Western hemisphereGeneral illumination in Paris-Admiral d'Estaing and Admiral d'Orvilliers-Lafayette's welcome at VersaillesTwo parties in the cabinet of Versailles-De Vergennes' stroke of policy-Declaration of d'Estaing to French Canadians-French Canadians halting between English gold and French faith-Original letter from French Canadians to the English governor-D'Estaing at Martinique-D'Estaing at Grenada-Admiral Byron pursued by d'Estaing -D'Estaing's fierce fight at Savannah-Original account of the siege of Savannah by Count d'Estaing and General Prevost-English flags in the church of Notre DameThe Count de Grasse-Success of Lord Cornwallis-Hardships of General Washington's army-Lafayette's subtle stroke of diplomacy at Versailles-French fêtes in honour of Lafayette, the American hero-America's presentation of a sword to Lafayette in France-Dr. Franklin's letter to Lafayette-Fête to the "venerable" Dr. Franklin at the Freemason's Lodge of the "Nine Sisters"-Liberty in the salons of Paris-The Chevalier de la Luzerne in America-American "filibustering" of the eighteenth century-American newspaper articles of the eighteenth century-Letter from General Washington in America to Lafayette in France-The Channel Islands defendedMrs. Anne D. Damer captured by the French-Horace Walpole on politics in 1779-Lafayette's scheme for increasing the French Navy-Dutch-bottomed American cruisers-American envoy to Holland taken prisoner by

the English-Severe Hardships of the American armyProvincial benevolence to American troops-Sharp skirmishes across the ice in America-Political pasquinades in Paris-Political lampoons at Versailles-The King and the young Count de Ségur-Lafayette's return to America. 106

CHAPTER IV.

Jean Baptiste, Count de Rochambeau-His early life in cloister, camp, and court-Count Rochambeau in America-Rochambeau, George Washington, and Lafayette -Rochambeau's letter to Lafayette-The Abbé Robin's description of Boston in the eighteenth century-Religious sects and the sabbath in Boston, 1780-Change in the War and Marine ministry at Versailles-Queen Marie Antoinette and Cabinet Ministers' wives-The Queen nominates a new War Minister-The Queen is opposed by Count de Maurepas-The Queen's complaint to the Duchesse de Polignac-The Queen opposes the King's Prime Minister-A short-lived strong government at Versailles-The Queen's Bonté Incorrigible— Necker's Reforms-Necker's "Account Rendered "Necker's enemies--Original pamphlet against NeckerThe Count d'Artois at the Temple-Turgot's letter against Necker-Charges against Necker-Necker resigns-Malignity of Maurepas-Necker exiled-Portraits of Necker, of his wife, and of his daughter, by Madame de Genlis Grand assembly of the clergy in Paris-Religious revivals in Paris-Pope Clement XIV. and Pope Pius VI.-Letter of Pope Clement XIV. to a Protestant minister-A Scotch fanatic's attempt to convert the Pope-Contemporary sketches of Pope Pius VI.-Voltaire's letter on