rrors. Justly irritated at the perfidious manoeuvres practised
against him by the keeper of the seals in secretly heading at the
Assembly of notables the opposition of the magistracy, Calonne had
demanded and obtained from the king the recall of M. Miromesnil. He was
immediately superseded by M. de Lamoignon, president of the parliament of
Paris and a relative of M. de Malesherbes. The comptroller-general had
the imprudence to push his demands further; he required the dismissal of
M. de Breteuil. "I consent," said Louis XVI. after some hesitation; "but
leave me time to forewarn the queen, she is much attached to M. de
Breteuil." When the king quitted Marie Antoinette, the situation had
changed face; the disgrace of M. de Calonne was resolved upon.

The queen had represented the dissatisfaction and opposition of the
notables, which "proceeded solely," she said, "from the mistrust inspired
by the comptroller-general;" she had dwelt upon the merits and resources
of the Archbishop of Toulouse. "I don't like priests who haven't the
virtues of their cloth," Louis XVI. had answered dryly. He called to the
ministry M. Fourqueux, councillor of state, an old man, highly esteemed,
but incapable of sustaining the crushing weight of affairs. The king
himself presented M. de Calonne's last projects to the Assembly of
notables; the rumor ran that the comptroller-general was about to
re-enter the cabinet. Louis XVI. was informed of the illicit manoeuvres
which M. de Calonne had authorized in operations on 'Change: he exiled
him to his estate in Berry, and a few days afterwards to Lorraine.
M. Necker had just published without permission his reply to the attacks
of M. de Calonne the king was put out at it. "The eye of the public
annoys those who manage affairs with carelessness," M. Necker had but
lately said in his work on financial administration, "but those who are
animated by a different spirit would be glad to multiply lights from
every quarter." "I do not want to turn my kingdom into a republic
screeching over state affairs as the city of Geneva is, and as happened
during the administration of M. Necker," said Louis XVI. He, banished
his late minister to a distance of twenty leagues from Paris. Madame
Necker was ill, and the execution of the king's order was delayed for a
few days.

Meanwhile the notables were in possession of the financial accounts,
but the satisfaction caused them by the disgrace of M. de Calonne wa