e Duchess de
Berri.--Plottings.--The council of regency.--The last testament of
the king.--Unsatisfactory.--Sickness of the king.--The last
review.--Struggles against death.--Affects youthfulness.--Summons
a band.--Scene in the death-chamber.--The last offices of the
Church.--The king resigned.--Remorse of the king.--Energy of
fanaticism.--Deplorable condition of France.--Testimony of Thomas
Jefferson.--Napoleon.--Devotion of Madame de Maintenon.--Last
messages.--Melancholy spectacle.--The young heir to the throne.--Dying
advice.--The king blesses the dauphin.--Dying confession.--Scenes
of suffering.--Last words.--The death of the king.--Louis XV.
proclaimed.--Ignominious burial of Louis XIV.--Louis XV.--Louis
XVI.--The Revolution.

Upon the death of the king's son, the Duke of Burgoyne assumed the
title of Dauphin, which his father had previously borne, and became
direct heir to the crown. He was a retiring, formal man, very much
devoted to study, and somewhat pedantic. He was also religiously
inclined. In his study, where he passed most of his time, he divided
his hours between works of devotion and books of science. His sudden
advent to the direct heirship to the French throne surrounded him with
courtiers and flatterers. The palace at Meudon, where he generally
resided, was now crowded with noble guests.

He became affable, frequently showed himself in public, entered into
amusements, and was soon regarded as a general favorite. Taught by
Madame de Maintenon, he succeeded, by his marked respect for the king
and his submission to his slightest wishes, in gaining the good will
of the homage-loving monarch. The years had rolled rapidly along, and
the young dauphin was thirty years of age. He had three children,
and, being irreproachable in his domestic relations, was developing a
very noble character. The dauphiness had attained her twenty-seventh
year. She was an extremely beautiful and fascinating woman.

The dauphiness was fond of snuff. On the 3d of February, 1712, the
Duke de Noailles, a true friend, presented her with a box of Spanish
snuff, with which she was delighted. She left the box upon the table
in her boudoir. It was there for a couple of days, she frequently
indulging in the luxury of a pinch. On the 5th she was attacked with
sudden sickness, accompanied by shivering fits, burning fever, and
intense pain in the head. The attack was so sudden and extraordinary
that all the attendants thought of pois