Revolution and Reaction - A (very) French Victoria II Interactive AAR

[Syriana]

((Private - Council of State))​

​

MEMORANDUM

FROM THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

FOR PERUSAL OF HIS MAJESTY'S COUNCIL OF STATE

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

​

Pursuant to the last memorandum regarding the civil claims made against France by foreign powers, the following recommendations are made to His Majesty's Government.

First, that a new convention on civil claims be contracted between France and Great Britain, in order to supersede and replace the prior conventions and remedy their obvious deficiencies and dysfunctionality.

Second, that a treaty of guarantee be contracted between France and Austria regarding the independence and constitutional character of the Papal States.

Third, that a new convention be agreed between France and the Papal States, so as to provide a final settlement regarding the status of the Catholic Church in France.

Please find annexed to this memorandum the drafted documents pertaining to these measures.

Spoiler: Appendix I: Convention between France and Great Britain (1817)

CONVENTION between His Britannic Majesty, George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland; and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre, whose ratifications were exchanged at London on DAY MONTH YEAR.


His Britannic Majesty, George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland, and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre, being animated to consolidate the peace and harmony which exists between them, and to extend the dividends of the aforesaid peace to their subjects, have resolved to promote such remedies as shall speedily restore the economic welfare of both kingdoms. Consequently, His Britannic Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland appointed as his Plenipotentiary, the Right Honourable Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Leader of the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled, his Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; and His Majesty the King of France and of Navarre, His Excellency, Monsieur René-Eustache, Marquis d'Osmond, Peer of France, his Minister-Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Envoy to His Britannic Majesty; who have concurred upon the following provisions:

Article I.
The Treaty of Navigation and Commerce, signed at Versailles on 26th September 1786 between His Britannic Majesty and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVI, consequently abrogated by the illegitimate regime, shall be restored in full.

Article II.
The Conventions denominated as VII. and XIII., annexed to the Definitive Treaty between Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and France, signed at Paris on 20th November 1815, shall be superseded and suspended by the effect of this Convention.

Article III.
In order to provide for the outstanding claims made against France under the aforesaid conventions, His Most Christian Majesty shall make available to His Britannic Majesty a capital sum of 5,600,000 pounds sterling, which shall be provided for by a fund inscribed in the Great Book of France.

Article IV.
His Britannic Majesty shall grant statute for the establishment of a commission of three persons (hereafter “the commission”), with purview over claims settlement and liquidation.

Article V.
Registration to the commission shall be made according to the same formula prescribed by the aforesaid Conventions, namely, that a claim was registered with the lawful authorities of Great Britain by 20th February 1815 (if the claimant resides in that territory), by 20th May (if the claimant resides abroad in the British overseas possessions of the Americas and the West Indies), and by 20th February 1816 (if the claimant resides in the British overseas possessions of India and the East Indies).

Article VI.
No claim shall be registered by the commission which has been transmitted by a claimant who is not a subject of His Britannic Majesty and who lacks nationality and citizenship thereof, nor any claim which is antecedent to the period of 1792 onwards.

Article VII.
The commission shall assay all claims and render final judgement with all possible swiftness and alacrity.

Article VIII.
The statutory authority of the commission shall elapse in 1825, and no reinstatement of the commission or further registration of claims shall be permitted after this period.

Article VIII.
Any remaining value of the sum undertaken by His Most Christian Majesty to His Britannic Majesty surplus to the requirements of liquidation of claims shall be transferred to His Britannic Majesty’s Treasury.


In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention and have thereto affixed the seal of their State. Done at London, DAY MONTH YEAR.


Signed,

VISCOUNT CASTLEREAGH.
MARQUIS D’OSMOND.

Spoiler: Appendix II.: Treaty of Guarantee between France and Austria

TREATY OF GUARANTEE between His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria; and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre, whose ratifications were exchanged in Rome on DAY MONTH YEAR.


In the name of the Most Holy and Indivisible Trinity.

His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria; and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre, being united in the fraternity of the Christian Faith, and equally desirous that the independence and integrity of the Papal States should not be compromised or challenged, whether internally or externally, have resolve to contract a treaty of guarantee for the Papal States. Consequently, His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty the Emperor of Austria appointed as his Plenipotentiary, His Serenity, Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein, his Minister for Foreign Affairs; and His Majesty the King of France and of Navarre, His Excellency, Monsieur Séverin Maximilien, Marquis de Valence, Peer of France, his Minister for Foreign Affairs; who have concurred upon the following provisions:

Article I.
The High Contracting Parties shall guarantee, in the most absolute and authentic manner, the independence of the Papal States and the preservation of its present form of government.

Article II.
In any future situation where the Papal States are threatened, undermined or confronted by aggression and subversion, whether external or internal, the High Contracting Parties undertake to immediately contact the other and achieve a united resolution.

Article III.
The High Contracting Parties shall guarantee to safeguard the conditions of peace, tranquillity and stability in the Italian States, so as to preserve the Papal States from the ill-effects of regional discord.

Article IV.
The present Pact shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged in the term of one month, or, if possible, from the day of signature of the said Pact.


In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Pact and have thereto affixed the seal of their State. Done at Rome, DAY MONTH YEAR.


Signed,
The FURST VON METTERNICH-WINNEBURG ZU BEILSTEIN.
The MARQUIS DE VALENCE.

Spoiler: Appendix III.: Convention between France and the Papal States

CONVENTION between His Holiness, Pius VII, the Supreme Pontiff; and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre, whose ratifications were exchanged at Rome on DAY MONTH YEAR.

In the name of the Most Holy and Indivisible Trinity.

The Supreme Pontiff, Pius VII and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre, being strongly desirous to erase the evils which have for so many years afflicted the Church in France, and restoring said Church to its former splendour and glory; and in recognition of the joyful restoration of the grandson of Saint Louis to the throne of his ancestors, and the occasion thereof for the final settlement of the ecclesiastical regime in France; have resolved to settle by mutual agreements the interests of the Catholic Faith. Consequently, His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff appointed as his Plenipotentiary, His Eminence, Ercole Consalvi, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Deacon of St Agatha ad Suburrum, his Secretary of State; and His Majesty the King of France and of Navarre, His Excellency, Monsieur Séverin Maximilien, Marquis de Valence, Peer of France, his Minister for Foreign Affairs; who have concurred upon the following provisions:


Article I.
The Concordat of 18th August 1516, negotiated between the Supreme Pontiff Leo X and King Francis I, shall be restored.

Article II.
As a consequence of the preceding article, the concordats of 15th July 1801 and 25th January 1813 shall cease to have effect.

Article III.
The so-called ‘Organic Articles’, which were made without the knowledge of the Supreme Pontiff and published without his consent on 8th April 1802, at the same time as the said concordat of 15th July 1801, are repealed in that they are contrary to the doctrine and Laws of the Church.

Article IV.
Of the seats which were suppressed in the Kingdom of France by the bull of the Supreme Pontiff of 29th November 1801, the following shall be re-constituted: the episcopal and archiepiscopal seats of Fréjus, Gap, Aibi, Castres, Rodez, Arles, Marseille, Aire, Auch, Tarbes, Orange, Belley, Saint-Dié, Verdun, Angoulême, Luçon, Périgueux, Le Puy, Tulle, Boulogne, Chalon-sur-Saône, Langres, Saint-Claude, Béziers, Narbonne, Nîmes, Perpignan, Blois, Chartres, Beauvais, Châlons-sur-Marne, Laon, Noyon, Reims, Moulins, Nevers, Sens, Montauban, Pamiers, Saint-Malo, Vienne and Viviers; and the episcopal seats of Aix, Aix-en-Provence, Digne, Cahors, Mende, Ajaccio, Bayonne, Avignon, Besançon, Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg, Agen, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Poitiers, Bourges, Clermont, Limgoes, Saint-Flour, Arras, Cambrai, Autun, Dijon, Lyon, Carcassone, Montpellier, Meaux, Orléans, Paris, Versailles, Amiens, Soissons, Bayeux, Coutances, Évreux, Rouen, Sées, Auxerre, Troyes, Toulouse, Angers, Le Mans, Nantes, Quimper, Rennes, Saint-Brieuc, Vannes, Tours, Grenoble and Valence, elevated to the archiepiscopal dignity.

Article V.
All the archiepiscopal and episcopal churches of the Kingdom of France, erected by the said bull of 29th November 1801, are preserved together with their present incumbents.

Article VI.
The dioceses of the present and of the newly constituted seats, having requested the consent of the present and the vacant seats, shall be demarcated in the manner best suited to their title.

Article VII.
All such seats, whether existing or re-constituted, shall be secured to the Government as soon as circumstances permit. The chapters, cures and seminaries, both of those existing and of those to be constituted, shall be endowed.

Article VIII.
The Supreme Pontiff shall issue a bull to proceed without delay to the erection and constitution of the dioceses.

Article IX.
His Most Christian Majesty, in testimony of His zealous faith, shall act in concert with the Supreme Pontiff to suppress and oppose the disorders and obstacles which challenge the Catholic Faith, and the execution of the laws of the Church.

Article X.
The territories of the ancient abbeys shall be united to the dioceses within the bounds of which they shall be enclaved.

Article XI.
The restoration of the Concordat, which was adhered to in the Kingdom of France until 1789, shall not regulate the abbeys, priories and other benefits which existed at that time. Those which are established consequent to this Convention, however, shall be subject to the regulations prescribed in the said Concordat.

Article XII.
The Supreme Pontiff shall undertake to promote the candidature of King Louis XVI in the Sacred Congregation of Rites for beatification and canonisation, owing to his most Christian martyrdom at the hands of atheist persecution.

Article XIII.
His Most Christian Majesty shall undertake to erect a shrine in Valence to honour the memory of His Holiness, Pius VI; the Supreme Pontiff shall commit to finance the construction, and to dispatch a representative to pass a blessing over the shrine, which shall be erected to Our Lady of Europe in the aspiration of peace in Christendom.

Article XIV.
No provision of this Convention shall be interpreted, or given the force of interpretation, as prejudicing the possession of properties entitled to the Kingdom of France, regardless of their original provenance; and this Convention shall not furnish grounds for legal disputation of the aforesaid possession.

Article XV.
The ratifications of this Convention shall be exchanged within one month, or sooner if possible.

Article XVI.
As soon as the said ratifications have been exchanged, the Supreme Pontiff shall confirm this Convention by a bull, and shall immediately publish a second bull to establish the constitution of the dioceses.


In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention and have thereto affixed the seal of their State. Done at Rome, DAY MONTH YEAR.

Signed,
Ercole, Cardinal CONSALVI.
MARQUIS DE VALENCE.

I present this memorandum for the consideration of His Majesty's Government.

Signed,

His Majesty's Minister of Foreign Affairs

Marquis de Valence​

 

[TJDS]

«Monsieur Président de la Chambre,»

«I rise to thank the Deputy of Seine for his support of my Electoral Bill. I shall however make the Government's position clear on this matter, moderation is our guide through the storms past and storms to come and we, in the interest of maintaining public peace and stability, shall in this reform maintain the endowement of electoral rights to those good citizens having payed 300 francs in direct taxes in the past year.»

Victor Durand,
Ministère de l'Intérieur

 

[TJDS]

Ministère Victor Durand de l'Intérieur:
​

«Monsieur Président de la Chambre,»

«I rise to address my colleagues in this Chamber on a number of matters vital to the continued prosperity and strength of the Kingdom of France. To assure this, I, as Minister of the Crown, do propose the Reform & Stability Bill, 1817, which shall not only address the unacceptable state in which many public buildings, public services and miles of Royal roads exist, but also the most shocking famines in urban areas across France.»

«Firstly, this Bill shall establish the Utility Workmen Service, a service for unemployed men of good moral character and of the age of sixteen or higher who shall be tasked with the physical contributing to the rebuilding, maintaining and construction of Royal Infrastructure, the Postal Network and other Public Institutions deemed to be contributive to French Society. The Utility Workmen Service shall not only help with great feats the reconstruction of France, it shall also enlighten good men of France through hard, but honest labour and an adequate compensation of their good work in the form of foodstuffs for themselves and their direct family, and thereby save them from pauperism.»

«Secondly, this Bill shall also address the food shortages in France both in the short and long term through the establishment of a Commission of Agriculture, which shall, under the guise of the Ministry of Finance, guarantee the supply of foodstuffs to areas of low foodstuff self-sufficiency, to prevent the deterioration of good food competition into violation of public peace and order through direct approaches such as transporting surplus foodstuffs to such demanding areas and selling them at acceptable prices and awarding the Ministry of Finance with invaluable insight regarding the regulation of foodstuffs and its future in a France where the correlation between foodstuff demand and supply has been temporarily but thoroughly disturbed.»

«Thirdly, the Bill shall also provide for the long term efforts of the Commission of Agriculture to administer and improve the yields of French agricultural production by investigating, suggesting and possibly implementing thorough reform of French agricultural practices and organisation if need be to secure both public peace and the return of the normal correlation between foodstuff supply and demand on the French marketplace.»

«Fourthly, this Bill shall further establish a Board of Trade & Banking, under the guise of the Ministry of Finance, which shall advise and work to return the workings of and trust in the French banking and trading merchants through the selling of low-interest government bonds to reputable banks and merchants to provide a trading fundament and encourage the return of normal practices of economic discourse. This is of importance to the Kingdom of France, not only because it shall return her prestige and prosperity, but these Banks can, as they have done in the past, provide a valuable asset in times of war, as they shall be able to sustain and assist the French war effort and other important venture in the national interest, and thereby increase the strength and abilities of the French Crown. On a more immediate note, however, this shall allow His Majesty’s Government to trade high-interest foreign loans from banks, whose relations to our Crown can only be described as vulturine, with low-interest government bonds to banks of French origin and truly loyal to the Crown.»

«Fifthly, this Bill, beside providing the Treasury and the French Society with man long and short term benefits, also ensures the burden brought upon the Treasury to implement these much needed reforms is undeniably within its means through the last measures of the bill, which I shall discuss. These measures include not only the encouragement to the Ministry of Finance to increase the surety of tax farmers who failed to adhere to their obligations to the Treasury, thereby incentivizing them to adhere to the demands of the Ministry, but also the increase of tariffs on foreign industrial goods, thereby increase government revenue and protecting the new and upcoming industries that are a source of great wealth and employment in many Departments, including the textile industry in my Nord Department, and also the introduction of a seigniorage, which shall create a new source of government revenue without warranting a large and counterproductive expansion of the civil list. All these measures shall contribute greatly to the minimization of the burden placed upon the budget and shall bring us closer to a balanced and working budget.»

«Thus, lastly, Monsieur Président, I can but only plea to the prudence of my colleagues on all sides of this Chamber to support this Bill and thereby working to fundamentally challenge the problems of France and see them defeated. Pour la France et le Roi!»

Reform & Stability Bill, 1817
A Bill advising His Majesty and His Majesty's Government to implement the following suggestions providing for the stability of Agricultural, Trade and Banking sectors of the economy and other relevant areas of French Society, pivotal to the general stability and prosperity of the Kingdom of France.​

AS a need exists for the expedient address of the status quo in which reform of and thereby restoration of stability in various sectors of the economy other relevant areas of French Society is undeniable, this Bill, seeking to encourage needed reform of the existing systems of economic discourse and thereby restore trust in trade practices and thereby growth in the economic systems, is hereby put to the Chamber for consideration:

§ I. Administration and Fiscal Appropriations
I. Roads in the Kingdom of France shall be divided into three categories; royal roads and infrastructure of general use, departmental roads, and local roads; the maintenance and construction of the first shall be the responsibility of the national government, the maintenance and construction of the second shall be the responsibility of the departmental government, the maintenance and construction of the third shall be the responsibility of the communal government.
II. A Seigniorage is to be established on all French currency and is to be levied and administered by the Ministry of Finance in the next Budget proposed by His Majesty’s Government.
III. The required surety to be payed by tax farmers if they fail to meet their obligations towards the French State, should, by act of the Ministry of Finance, be increased to incentivize adherence to the adhere to the demands and standards set out by the Finance Ministry.
IV. Tariffs on imported Industrial Goods produced in France shall be increased by the Ministry of Finance in the next Budget proposed by His Majesty’s Government.

§ II. Infrastructure and the Post Service
I. The Bridge and Road Service is hereby established under the purview of the Minister of the Interior and shall be tasked with the administration, construction and maintenance of Royal Roads and Infrastructure.
II. The Royal Postmaster is hereby encouraged to expand the Postal Service and Post Office establishments to all communes of France
III. The Bridge and Road Service is hereby encouraged to repair and reconstruct all Royal Roads and Infrastructure to acceptable levels for trade and regular use
IV. The Ministry of the Interior shall be authorized funds to be used for the purpose of repairing, refurbishing et c. bridges, docks, windmills, churches, water mills, granaries, government buildings, and bakeries in those regions, departments, and communes of France in which they are deemed necessary.
V. Utility Workmen Service shall be established under the purview of the Minister of the Interior and shall be tasked with administration and deployment of Utility Workmen for projects referred to in Articles II, III & IV of Paragraph II.
VI. Utility Workmen are unemployed men of good moral character and of the age of sixteen or higher who shall be tasked with the physical assistance of the Bridge and Road Service, Ministry of the Interior, and the Postal Service in (re)building, maintaining Royal Infrastructure and the Postal Network and other tasks deemed necessary and fruitful for the Utility Workmen and French Society by the Ministry of the Interior, supervised by specialists from the Bridge and Road, Ministry of the Interior and/or Postal Services with their tasks, until the full professionalisation of the Bridge and Road Service Construction Corps and new addition in Post Network and Post Offices has been completed and the Departments and Communes are able to bring construction and maintenance projects to a successful end.
VII. All Utility Workmen must be resident in the Department in which the work is taking place at the time that such works begin
VIII. Utility Workmen are paid in adequate food stuffs for them and their direct family for every day of work deemed adequately completed, the Utility Workmen who have completed all 6 workdays of the week adequately and have admirably completed their tasks shall be awarded a sunday wage of 2 francs.

§ III. Board of Trade & Banking
I. The Ministry of Finance shall establish a Board of Trade & Banking with its own responsible Undersecretary. It shall include respected Representatives from the Trade and Banking sectors.
II. The Board of Trade & Banking shall be charged with working to restore the workings of and trust in the aforementioned economic sectors.
III. This Board of Trade & Banking shall, with the consent of the Ministry of Finance, sell stable low-interest government bonds to reputable banks and other lending institutions to provide a trading fundament for those aforementioned institutions and exchange unfavourable state loans with such bonds.
IV. The Board of Trade & Banking shall advise the Ministry of Finance on the matters of import and export duties and tariffs to award the Ministry invaluable information on such matters and improve their ability to implement such measures.
V. The Board of Trade & Banking shall advise the Ministry of Finance on matters concerning the Compagnons du Tour France and shall investigate whether legislation is required and of what nature such legislation should be on the matter.

§ IV. Commission of Agriculture
I. The Ministry of Finance shall establish a Commission of Agriculture, until the food supply and food competition are restored to acceptable and stable levels in France.
II. The Commission of Agriculture shall be charged with the supplying areas of low food-self sufficiency in times of high food competition with enough foodstuffs to restore acceptable correlation between foodstuff supply and demand, thereby guaranteeing public peace & order.
III. The Commission of Agriculture shall advise the Ministry of Finance on matters of import tariffs on food stuffs, in order to prevent uncertainties and natural phenomena disturbing public peace & order through destruction of the status quo of peaceful food competition and the correlation of supply and demand of foodstuffs of French origin.
IV. The Commission of Agriculture shall also gather and disseminate through the Kingdom the best practices related to agriculture and the production of foodstuffs.
V. The Commission shall include administrators named named by the King and be selected from the merchant class, the farming estate owners, the clergy and the military.
VI. The Commission shall be tasked with the creation of maintenance of a Registre Agricole de France, which shall document the state of agricultural estates and fields.
VII. The Commission shall head inquiries in the various courts of Europe to find the most promising agricultural practices.
VIII. The Commission shall commission a report on the possibilities for the conversion of unused lands in the Kingdom toward agricultural production. The report shall be presented to the King no later than the fall of 1820.

((Sorry Lochlan, did not want the update to be wrong))

 

[ThaHoward]

"President of the chamber, your Majesty King and honore deputies,

I agree on the need for economical reform. However we need to be faced with the economic realities that restrict us. What would the expendentirues of such a reform be? And how is it to be financed? Don't get me wrong I am for many projects, such as direct government investment in the infrastructure, government aiding failing bussinesses in order to not face bankruptcy and to give subsidues to industries who will provide housing for their workingmen. But now we need to focus on paying off our debts and to end the famine. How are we supposed to finance all these reforms? I support great investments in our economy, but to do so we need to actually have the funds and hand and to be able to make investments and reforms in earnest.

I say we first stabilize our economy before we go on vast undertakings. Now I also believe we should impose tarrifs and tolls, but those should mainly be used as a form of income rather than keeping foreign markets out of us. I wonder how much are the tarrifs to be raised? And I will also make the unpopular claim to say that perhaps we should, for the time being, reduce tarrifs in agriculture. In that way our agriculture sector will recover on the long term, and we will get much needed relief from foreign markets to our famished population.

I thank you for your time and hope you will take my questions into consideration".

Lothaire then sat down as he had a pounding headache and were not in a mood for debate or fights. He would then write a letter to Durand, give it to one of his secretaries and instruct her to give it to him. He would then continue to write another to the Bishop of Gers.

((Private letter to @TJDS ))

Your excellency,

I hope you have not been disheartened by my latests adresses. I commend you for your proposals, but I am concerned that such an undertaking may be premature at the time being. I also have to pardon for my poor writing and debate skills right now, but my head is in great pain.

Now for the electoral bill I get that the ministry may not want such a proposal at the time being, but I believe lowering the tax requirements for voting will secure our position in the long run. Not only will the Doctrinarie faction(s) prove that we are crafty, but it will also secure our position as those who pay between 200-300 francs in taxes are well educated and indeed reformist. I would then ask if you would support me if I outside of the current proposal, proposed to lower the income tax level. We can of course negotiate for the exact level, I am willing to stretch myself and 200 francs is not a set level.

For the economy I have also several other proposals. First I will adress governmental salaries. Perhaps further cuts are in order? All in the name of gaining financial stability and/or to fund the new projects. This include bueracrats and Church employees. However it shall not make so that groups who could previously vote would no longer vote. Another radical proposal would be to tax the estates of the aristocracy further.

Now a bitter pill to swallow might be that of trade. There is no secret that the British financial system is much more sophisticated than ours and that their investors long to come to the French market as a newly wed couple wish to consumate the marriage. Perhaps we should consider to lower our common tarrifs with them? In that order we will get a greater influx of goods into our great nation which in turn will help our brothers and sisters who can no longer afford the most basic of commodities. Remember that a starving man is the most revlutionairy one. Now if we also engage in bilateral with the British we will also make them more economically and in turn politically tied to us. That will be benefitial for our negotiations for our national debts, war reperations and the occupation and make future wars even more unthinkable. Perhaps we might also strike a deal to turn some of our debt to them into British investments? This will of course upset the middle and lower class in the short term, but once they see that it help combat the famine I am sure they will support it, not to speak of that our economy will prosper.

For now the last thing I wish to speak of is the taxes on tobaccoo, salt and wine. These taxes are unpopular among the masses and the middle class. So unpopular the the people of Bordeaux revolted. And now the foreign import taxes on wine make those classes, especially in Bordeaux, even more restless and angered. If we are to remove those taxes we are surely to win the goodwill of the masses. It will be a popular undertaking, and they will look more favorable on the current government. Something that is especially important now as that we face a famine and economical crisis. That only anger and frighten the masses, and we now what they do when they are angry and hungry! And they are already rioting in many places, give them bread. I doubt they care if the bread is French or English in the end.

I hope you take my arguments into consideration and look forward to your opinion on them and what you would support and to what extent.

-Capitaine and Deputee Lothaire Lécuyer.

((Private @ThaHoward ))

Letter from the Bishop of Montauban to the Deputy for the Seine​

Dear Captain,

Let me first congratulate you on your electoral success and wish you the best for the momentous task ahead of the great gentlemen of your ideology who know find themselves in control of all levers of power under the King. The responsibility to heal the wounds of the Kingdom now befalls on your colleague and I certainly hope that the next few years will prove beneficial to the realm.

For myself, having been re-elected by the good people of the Gers, I shall certainly continue to carry their voice and concerns in the Chamber, and I look forward to collaborate with the Government on many issues of importance, such as a proper recognition of the work done by the clergy.

On the matter of the wages to be paid to the clergy, I am adamant to the belief that the benefits will outweigh the costs, for the brave clergymen of France are skillful and perform many tasks, from educating the younger minds to tending to the sick and destitute.

I hear your proposal to lower the wages of the Bishops and Archbishops, which could only be construed as the desire for a public gesture of humility. However, I find little fiscal merit in it, on behalf of the simple facts that follows.

First, it is necessary to remember that the number of sees in the Kingdom have been thoroughly reduced, from 136 under His Majesty King Louis XVI, to 60 as stipulated by the Articles organiques attached to the Concordat of 1801. Every bishop and archbishops therefore must tend to the needs of the faithful on a territory which is more than double the historical mean.

Moreover, should we, for the sake of exploring the argument, reduce the wages of the prelates by a ludicrous amount, let us say 50%, the impact on the wages of the 36,000 clergymen would amount to a meagre 13 francs per year.

It is, of course, without counting the fact the many of the prelates actually donate a large amount of their wages to charitable causes, parishioners in need and someone to the purchase of food for the hungry. The proposed diminution would reduce the net amount divested to those noble purposes in an equivalent manner.

Therefore, you will certainly convene with me that a reduction in the wages of the épiscopat can be construed as a gesture, but not be counted upon to affect the fiscal situation of this whole issue in any significant way.

Over the course of the present legislature, I shall certainly have the pleasure to formulate more elaborate thoughts on the matter. I shall without a doubt confide in you and discuss the minutia of my proposals to seek a common ground which shall please a frank majority of the Chamber.

Avec vous dans la Foy,

Henri-Charles Victorin du Bourget
Bishop of Montauban

((Private letter to @Eid3r ))

Reveered Bishop and Deputy,

I thank you for your letter, and pardon that I have not replied. I have been laying in bed due to a headache, perhaps God is punishing me for former sins, or the tolls of politics are paying it's price. Nevertheless I thank you for oyur congratulations and would do the same.

Now on to bussiness. Yes of course I do not expect the slicing of wages to Bishops and Arch-Bishops will make up as a whole for the increase in salaries to priests. But it would be a good first step and if we all give some efforts to pull a burden, we will all benefit from it in the long term. It may be said to be symbolic, but often symbolic gestures lead to great things. That way other liberals will look more favorable at the church as they will give concessions for the greater good of France and other will follow your example.

But as I said this is only one of many aspects that can be used to pay the priests and to ease the burden of the famine. There is other more pressing issues that would be terrible for our fincances, such as the indemnities and if the King wish to grant all of his peers estates. I hope that we can reach a compromise on this matter. If we can not, I am afraid I have to look to the left rather than the right.

I would like to hear from you and what your opinions on this are for us to end the famine and recover our economy.

-Capitaine e Deputee Lothaire Lécuyer.

 

[Cloud Strife]

((A private letter to Lécuyer from Saint-Cyr. @ThaHoward))

I will come to the point; it is not my practice to involve myself in political debate thus far beyond generalities and questions of over-all direction. While I appreciated your invitation of some weeks ago to visit the Veteran's League, I felt it would be improper to attend given the charged political climate. Nevertheless the public have begun to see me as one of the leaders of the left-wing of the Doctrinaires and I find myself increasingly drawn into politics beyond the War Ministry. It is with this in mind that I invite you to discuss matters one-on-one at my townhouse here in Paris. Many are afraid of the League you lead but I also remember many whom I personally commanded, of whose character I can and will gladly vouch for, are members of his society. I want to hear for myself, from the horse's mouth, why such a society exists in these times.

There is no need to stand on ceremony, I do not intend to keep any aide memoire of such a discussion. I'd like an honest chat, between men such as you and I who have seen our fair share of human failings over the past decade or so.

Sincerely,
M. Saint-Cyr

 

[Syriana]

((Private - @99KingHigh ))

Addressed to His Eminence, Monseigneur Ercole, Cardinal Consalvi,
Secretary of State to His Holiness, the Supreme Pontiff;​

Your Eminence,

Motivated as I am by the common desire of all the faithful for the fulfilment of the mission of the Church, I hope you shall receive this correspondence in the intended spirit of Christian fraternity. I am writing to you as Minister for Foreign Affairs of His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre.

As you shall be aware, the true connection and unity of the Church and France have been lately severed by the atheistic regimes of Jacobinism and Bonapartism, the twinned snakes which have ensorcelled Frenchmen away from the true path in the pursuit of iniquity. Just as His Most Christian Majesty has been restored to his throne, once occupied by Saint Louis, so now may the ties between the Royal House and the Catholic Church be bound once more. For it is these two pillars that uphold the entire foundation of France.

Therefore, I write on behalf of His Christian Majesty to petition His Holiness to receive myself, as an authorised plenipotentiary, for the purpose of contracting a new convention between the Crown and the Church. This convention shall act to supersede the arrangement made by General Bonaparte of infamous memory. It is my great satisfaction to be selected for such a task, for indeed, I have more than an official connection to this matter. The predecessor of His Holiness, Pius VI, alas met his end in the Babylonian captivity of Bonaparte, in my very town of Valence. Although only coincidentally connected to this impious affair, I am nonetheless stirred by the want of expiation.

Should such a proposition be well received by His Holiness, I should gladly offer my personal attendance at Rome for a special conference to formulate this convention.
​

I beg to remain, Monseigneur, your most humble and obedient servant,

His Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs

Marquis de Valence​

---

Addressed to His Serenity, Clement-Wenceslas-Népomucène-Lothaire, Prince de Metternich-Winneburg et Beilstein,
Minister of Foreign Affairs to His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria;​

My dear Clement,

It is hoped that you shall not forebear a personal gloss on official correspondence. I am writing to you in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

When last we spoke in person in Paris, we discussed several matters of common interest to France and Austria. In particular, I would draw your attention to our considerations regarding Italy. Although there was no time to properly discuss such matters, given the overwhelming demands of the peace conference, I am eager to revisit them now that the immediate survival of France is no longer in question.

As such, I wish to declare, on behalf of His Most Christian Majesty, my willingness to enter into an agreement with His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty’s Government regarding the Papal States. We believe these States to be the bellwether of the new order in Italy. As a pious and Christian nation, we are especially desirous of the preservation of His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff, as well as his rightful government. Bonaparte’s adventures in Italy have left the entire region shaken to its core; it is the duty of the Great Powers to ensure that she be given adequate time to heal and repair, her security and stability externally guaranteed.

I am due in the coming months to attend a conference in Rome. I would be most delighted if the Prince, or an authorised plenipotentiary of his choosing, would be able to entreat me with during this time and reach an agreement regarding the Papal States. As I have said to the Prince many times before, the mission of the new government is to behave as a responsible partner in Europe, and to secure the settlement agreed upon at Vienna.

P. S. I understand that His Imperial Majesty the Russian Emperor, or at least certain elements of his court, have come under the impression that His Majesty’s Government harbours a hostile intention towards their country. I cannot speak to the origins of such an impression, but I can only address and assure them to the best of my ability. His Majesty’s Government has neither the means nor the intention to threaten the Russian Empire. In fact, His Most Christian Majesty is most interested in the confederation lately contracted between Austria, Prussia and Russia, the so-called ‘Holy Alliance’. It was not our hostility to this Alliance, but rather the contrary, which prevented our earlier interest. If I might implore the Prince, perhaps he might speak to his Russian counterpart on our behalf and assure them of our good intentions towards them, as well as our interest in their European construction?
​

Please receive, Sir, this expression of my sincere sentiments,

His Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs

Marquis de Valence​

---​

Addressed to His Excellency, Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh,
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to His Britannic Majesty, George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland;​

Your Excellency,

Engaged in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs for His Most Christian Majesty, the King of France and Navarre, I am writing to you regarding a matter of common concern.

Permit myself to commence this correspondence with a flight of reflective fancy. It has been several years since our last encounter in Paris, during the peace conference. Though our countries have lately been estranged by direst conflict and suspicion, alleviated by barely a year’s worth of peace, I must confess an affinity which now exists between us based on mutual desires. I believe that the fates of France and Britain are now intimately intertwined. As I write to you now, I urge you to recall our sojourns to the Champs-Élysées and the Jardin des Tuileries, as well as the beautiful sights thereof, and thereby move yourself to a love of France.

To the matter at hand. I am writing to you regarding the system of management of civil claims against France, emanating from the relevant annexations to the Treaty of Paris, of 20th November 1815. I must now be manifest to you, Sir, that this system is utterly unworkable. The caseload of the commissions has been overwhelmed by the endless sea of obscurities and vexations, as well as the eternal shuffling of correspondence, witnesses and so forth between London and Paris. As there is so much speculation regarding what the final sum of the claims shall be, the confidence in the public finance are severely shaken, undermining the public credit and threatening to delay or even jeopardise the restitution of indemnities owed to Great Britain and the other States.

It is not just the financial health of France which is undermined by this system. At the present rate, it shall be decades before British subjects entitled to restitution shall ever see their case adjudicated, let alone liquidated. In the past three years, the commissions have managed to liquidate just three-hundred and eight claims. By our estimation, more than triple that number remain to be adjudicated, so that the process of liquidation may extend even to 1830. It shall do no good to His Britannic Majesty’s Government if the dividends of liquidation shall not be enjoyed until long after its duration. In summary, the present system is deleterious, slothful and dysfunctional.

Therefore, I propose to you, Sir, that a new convention be contracted between His Most Christian Majesty and His Britannic Majesty, so as to provide a new basis for the settlement and liquidation of claims. As opposed to the infinite and open-ended system which now exists, the new system would involve the direct allocation to His Britannic Majesty’s Government of a total capital sum to provide for all cases. His Britannic Majesty would then appoint at his pleasure three commissioners to manage the cases, who would then award liquidation on the basis of due process. Any surplus of the sum which remained at the conclusion of liquidation would be retained by His Britannic Majesty’s Treasury. In our estimation, such a system shall provide for the speedy liquidation of all remaining cases without unduly impairing confidence in His Majesty’s Government.

Moreover, we propose that such a convention be contracted alongside the renegotiation of the Treaty of Navigation and Commerce, lately lapsed during the period of the illegal regime. It is our desire to stimulate trade and commerce between France and Great Britain, so as to promote the economic recovery of the continent. It is further my belief that the bonds of trade fostered between us shall act as a strong shield against any future resumption of hostility.

Should these propositions prove agreeable to His Britannic Majesty’s Government, His Majesty’s Government would be willing to authorise their ambassador to London to contract such provisions as to bring them into law.​

Please deign to accept, Sir, this expression of my distinguished considerations,

His Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs

Marquis de Valence​

 

[TJDS]

«Monsieur Président de la Chambre,»

«I can assure this Chamber that the fiscal implications of the Reform & Stability Bill are within the means of the Royal Treasury and the French economic reality, indeed, as I set out in my speech before introducing the bill, I made it clear that this was one of the principal aims of the Bill, since this bill is meant to free, not restrain, both the Royal Treasury and the Kingdom of France in their abilities and strength.»

«This is to be achieved, as I have also touched upon in my speech introducing this bill to the Chamber, through the introduction of a seigniorage, which shall create a new source of government revenue without warranting a large and counterproductive expansion of the civil list, the increasing of sureties of tax farmers who fail to adhere to their obligations to the Royal Treasury, the increasing of tariffs on foreign industrial goods which shall, besides encouraging domestic production and prosperity, also increase Government revenue in the short and long term, of which the value of the Deputy for the Seine also observed in his speech.»

«Furthermore, the Bill shall shall allow His Majesty’s Government, through the newly established Board of Trade & Banking, to trade high-interest foreign loans from banks, whose relations to our Crown can only be described as vulturine, with low-interest government bonds to banks of French origin and truly loyal to the Crown.»

«All these measures seek to and shall minimize the burden placed upon the Ministry of Finance by this bill, if not entirely abolish it. Thereby allow His Government to address the glaring problems facing the Kingdom at this very moment through prudent, moderate and gradual measures.»

Victor Durand,
Ministère de l'Intérieur de l'Intérieur

Letter to Deputy of the Seine, Capitaine Lothair Lécuyer
Private - @ThaHoward ​

Respected colleague, Monsieur Cpt. Lécuyer,

I am most saddened to hear of these physical circumstances you find yourself in, I can but only hope you recover soon. Although I am most interested in your sentiments regarding the electoral bill, I cannot say that I share them at this momement, as I have been tasked by His Majesty to write this bill and have humbly followed his sentiments and good convictions to the letter. There may come a time where the circumstance shall lend itself to more thorough reform of the franchise and the electoral law, but the status quo cannot be described as such a moment, I therefore reiterrate the need for the Moderates in the Chamber of Deputies not to be blinded like Icarus and through unhealthy, unneeded and greedy legislation bring down themselves and this most promising and innovative bill.

Regarding your sentiments on my economic proposals. I must state that any change to government salaries shall not fundamentally or even statistically change the financial situation of the Kingdom of France, while it would hamper, most certainly in the case of lower servants of state, the ability to sustain oneself on a government wage, something I believe should be unacceptable in a nation such as France. Regarding your proposals to increase direct taxes, I can only say that you cannot take blood from a stone and we should consider very carifully if the implications of these proposals would be acceptable; the consensus in the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of the Interior is that is not the case.

Regarding your proposals about the British, this solidly falls in the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and I am therefore not able to help you any further with these proposals.

Please deign to accept, Sir, this expression of my most humble sentiments,

Victor Henri Marie Louis Durand,
Ministère de l'Intérieur et Député du Nord
​

 

[Shynka]

The return of Saint-Germain

The state of exile shook the Count deeply. Although accustomed well to the activity of fleeing France, the circumstances of this departure were altogether different. Betrayed by the government, the King and all allies, he initially believed himself to be merely one of the first few ‘new exiles’; when no other exiles (Except his elder son and wife) came, he realised that there was no new revolution. No one followed him abroad and no one would fight for him to come back. Terribly distraught, he reluctantly settled in his old manor in Buckinghamshire, where he isolated himself from everyone and everything. When his elder son, Charles, drowned drunk in a canal, the Comte decided to leave Europe altogether.

Using the remainder of his wealth to purchase a small plantation in North Carolina, he undertook the long journey across the Atlantic and settled in a dilapidated wooden house. Still connected to French politics through a few associates in New York, the Comte reacted to every event late and with nearly no meaningful information. Most of his companions lucky enough to remain in France would ignore the letters of the rambling old man, who day by day mentally decayed further. The climate of the New World soon caused his health to collapse, with terrible illnesses raging through his body. Depressed and suffering, the Comte was a wreck.

The news of his pardon did not lift his spirits. At first he was hesitant to return to France at all; along with news of his forgiveness came dire retellings of electoral disaster for the Ultraroyalists. Would they blame him? Was he being forgiven only so he could come back and serve as an object of mockery? Returning to France would mean a return to his ruined enterprises, to his traitorous son and to the unwelcoming gazes of everyone in the North. His failed plots had not only caused many of his companions to lose their heads, but also contributed to the host of economic problems now ravaging the area. He had no more interest in Politics, or in France itself.

The Counts mind was changed, as he understood it, by God. The almighty creator clearly had no more plans for him on earth, beckoning for Saint-Germain to join him in Eternal Life. His weak body was struck by a terrible pestilence, and all the new world doctors agreed that soon enough it would be time for his departure to the ethereal house. He had no wish to be buried in this strange land; he would rest, alongside his son, near the estates where he spent the best parts of his life. Barely surviving the transatlantic voyage, the Count summoned Jean Paul at once, fearful that he would die before he could caution the boy. Lecturing the disappointing boy for the last time, he found himself frequently getting lost in his own words. His strengths and wits had well and truly left him when the King sided with the revolutionaries. Having said his goodbyes, he commissioned for himself and Charles a great tomb and then, not wishing for it to remain underutilized, promptly died.

* ​

Name: Jean Paul, Comte de Saint-Germain
Born: August, 1798, London
Party: Independent
Profession: Sous Lieutenant ​

Biography:
Born in exile, Jean Paul is the younger surviving son of the recently deceased Comte de Saint-Germain. Always hidden in the deep shadow of his father, Jean Paul had no prospects of taking over the family business and rather quickly parted with the family household to join a military school. Thanks to his father’s connections with the Comte de Artois, Jean Paul leaped over more deserving class mates to the rank of Sous Lieutenant. The persistent thought that he was promoted as a result of his father’s political meddling brought him much distress; shortly before his father begun causing havoc in the north, Jean wrote him a letter petitioning for him to no longer use his influence to advance his career. Saint-Germain the elder was angry but nevertheless obliged, asking his son only to not bring disgrace to the name and to never lay any claim on the titles that would pass onto the elder brother, Charles Louis.
Upon the revelations of treason, Jean Paul had no doubt that his father was complicit. Although he doubted that the comte de Saint-Germain could outright plot to overthrow the King, he was certain of Saint-Germain’s complicity in shady deals. During his visits home it was not at all difficult to overhear the various conspiracies being shoddily plotted under the influence of wine. Jean and his brother were both rapidly pulled into the affair. The Sous Lieutenant had to move heaven and earth to not be forced out of France with his father and elder brother. The trials wrought havoc upon his career and prospects. Any hope of promotion was dashed, and as his father’s fortune disappeared he found it difficult to continue supporting his lifestyle. His only sources of income were now his salary and occasional donations from the mother’s side of the family – his aunt (Actually a cousin of his mother) offered twice for him to come and live with her in Hannover but Jean declined as politely as he could. He was shaken by the news of his brother, Charles, dying while in exile; he was now the heir to whatever wealth his father had taken with him to his place of hiding.
His father’s pardon proved bittersweet. On one hand, his mother would be coming back home with his dear brother’s ashes, but on the other his father would most likely be furious with him for not fleeing France. Saint-Germain saw his son’s choice to remain in France as cowardice and as a sign of subjugation to the ‘new revolution’. Jean, summoned to the family estate, was shocked to see the thin, frail and quickly decaying husk of his once stocky and muscular father. Uncomfortable silences plagued their meeting, as the young Lieutenant had no response to the various monologues his father conducted in his state of delirium. He left the estate after two short days to return to his duties, certain that it was the last time he saw the elder Saint-Germain. The news of the death came soon after. Now the sole heir to the remaining Saint-Germain enterprises and title, he would suddenly find himself in the public eye.

 

[ThaHoward]

"President of the Chamber, King and deputies,

I thank you for your answer your Excellency. But I have concerns about using seigniorage as a way to incrase our capital, but I'll be brYes we will get more notes, but this will reduce the purchasing power of the population of France. In a time of a declining economy and where most of the people can't afford bread, I say its a dangerous approach. If we increase their cost of living these uncertain times we might do a great mistake. Then it is the fact that the Bank of France is a collection of private banks, we can't know if they will do such a policy at all.

Also how much are the expidentures to incease in comparison to the income? I remain skeptical and believe we should stabilise the economy first and deal with the famine before we commence on projects to spend francs we do not have, and funding it by minting which will only increase inflation and where we do not know if the banks will agree".

 

[Firehound15]

"Monsieur le Président,

"I must admit myself to be the possessor of a great degree of disappointment. In the administrative roles of government, an individual who causes calamity by his character will be sentenced to expulsion. Indeed, were I to introduce any honest man to a character who, through his obstinance, led to the suffering of thousands of Christian men, would you not judge him as such? Is such a character, bathed in the blood of his own incapacity to reason and foresee change, not a figure deserving of a particular wrath? Indeed, I believe he is. Indeed, I believe he must be. Indeed, I believe that such a figure now continues to sit as président du conseil!

"When I served His Majesty as the Minister of the Interior, I had proposed directly to Monsieur Dhuizon two laws - both of which, if had been passed, would have allowed us to avoid this crisis in, at the least, its majority. Rather than concede to my judgment in regard to matters of the Interior, and allow for the construction of agricultural facilities, improved infrastructure, and the development of more efficient farming practices, Monsieur Dhuizon refused to allow any such legislation to even arrive in the presence of His Majesty. Whether, perhaps, he was motivated by his partisanship, or simply an unreasonable spirit, I can not ascertain.

"So, how is it that such a man, motivated by his own lack of vision and appreciation for those outside of his clique, should remain in such an important role? I say he should not! Dhuizon should be removed and replaced with an individual more committed to His Majesty and his subjects - and not to his own instruments. Indeed, while I agree substantially with Dhuizon the philosopher, it can not be overlooked that he has committed a great malfeasance, and that in so doing, has on his hands the blood of an ever-rising number of royal subjects. And that is a blood, Monsieur le Président, that no amount of reversals can wash clean!"


Alexandre de Berstett,
Député du Bas-Rhin

 

[TJDS]

«Monsieur Président de la Chambre,»

«I am saddened to see the Deputy for the Seine so... confused, seigniorage shall not encourage inflation, nor shall it have a meaningful negative effect on national prosperity. The seigniorage shall yield, however, a new source of revenue from the difference in face value and actual worth of the francs. If the Deputy wants further explanation on the implementation of the seigniorage and the effects of the proposal on the Royal Treasury and the National Prosperity of France, I would suggest a private explantation, rather than commenting such things that could be mistaken as... a disrupted cooperation between ratio and os in the official report of the verbatim in this Chamber.»

Victor Durand,
Ministère de l'Intérieur de l'Intérieur

 

[ThaHoward]

Letter to Deputy of the Seine, Capitaine Lothair Lécuyer
Private - @ThaHoward ​

Respected colleague, Monsieur Cpt. Lécuyer,

I am most saddened to hear of these physical circumstances you find yourself in, I can but only hope you recover soon. Although I am most interested in your sentiments regarding the electoral bill, I cannot say that I share them at this momement, as I have been tasked by His Majesty to write this bill and have humbly followed his sentiments and good convictions to the letter. There may come a time where the circumstance shall lend itself to more thorough reform of the franchise and the electoral law, but the status quo cannot be described as such a moment, I therefore reiterrate the need for the Moderates in the Chamber of Deputies not to be blinded like Icarus and through unhealthy, unneeded and greedy legislation bring down themselves and this most promising and innovative bill.

Regarding your sentiments on my economic proposals. I must state that any change to government salaries shall not fundamentally or even statistically change the financial situation of the Kingdom of France, while it would hamper, most certainly in the case of lower servants of state, the ability to sustain oneself on a government wage, something I believe should be unacceptable in a nation such as France. Regarding your proposals to increase direct taxes, I can only say that you cannot take blood from a stone and we should consider very carifully if the implications of these proposals would be acceptable; the consensus in the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of the Interior is that is not the case.

Regarding your proposals about the British, this solidly falls in the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and I am therefore not able to help you any further with these proposals.

Please deign to accept, Sir, this expression of my most humble sentiments,

Victor Henri Marie Louis Durand,
Ministère de l'Intérieur et Député du Nord
​

Your Excellency,

I thank you for your best wishes. Perhaps my physical issues affect my mental capabilities, so I'll retire for the day.

Yes I do agree upon that we need moderation and too not gap over more than we can chew. That is why I ask you here if you would accept such a proposal and to what extent you would do so. Also that is why I proposed it to be a seperate proposal, so that if one are voted down the other may be approved. However I am in no rush, and if there is no mood for it, then I won't propose it but at a later date.

Regarding economics I am not thinking of the lower paid government officials. Here I have in mind those who are at the top. It would send out a signal that all are to contribute to get us out of this crisis. If the King propose to give the Peers estates of great value, would you be for that or against it? Now I am still curious on your assessment of repealing the taxes on wine, salt and tobacco.

And yes it is under his juridstinction, but as you are a member of the Council you could present it to him. Or we could openly discuss it in the chamber.

If it is also of interest to you, I wish to share my longterm goals for our economy and hope you will share my vision.

• Earmark 5 million francs to subsidise public works - expanding and maintaining roads, Churches and so forth.
  
• Earmark 60 million francs for firms and bussinesses struggling, and partially invest in new projects.
  
• Government subsidues for industries who provide housing for their workers.

-Capitaine e Deputée Lothair Lécuyer".

 

[TJDS]

Letter addressed to the Secretary of His Excellency, Monsieur le duc du Plessis de Richelieu, Ministère des finances
Private - @99KingHigh
​

Your Excellency,

In eager hope of response, I wish to address you on the matter of a Deposits Fund for the French Government, which has been brought to my attention by a minor civil servant. Such an organisation would safeguard public funds, including civil servants' pension funds and retirement accounts and administer consignments; voluntary deposits from individuals or public bodies and funds from the legal professions. It could further be responsible for the payment of Compagnie des quatre canaux, the management of the accounts for the Legion of Honour and financial services for the army. Such a Fund could also use its funds mainly to purchase public annuities and thereby contribute to the funding of the French state.

Would Your Excellency be interested in establishing such an organisation, which would, undoubtedly, help the Kingdom of France and France Society at large.

Please deign to accept, Sir, this expression of my most humble sentiments,
​

Victor Henri Marie Louis Durand​

Ministère de l'Intérieur​

 

[99KingHigh]

((Private - @99KingHigh ))

Addressed to His Eminence, Monseigneur Ercole, Cardinal Consalvi,
Secretary of State to His Holiness, the Supreme Pontiff;​

Your Eminence,

Motivated as I am by the common desire of all the faithful for the fulfilment of the mission of the Church, I hope you shall receive this correspondence in the intended spirit of Christian fraternity. I am writing to you as Minister for Foreign Affairs of His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre.

As you shall be aware, the true connection and unity of the Church and France have been lately severed by the atheistic regimes of Jacobinism and Bonapartism, the twinned snakes which have ensorcelled Frenchmen away from the true path in the pursuit of iniquity. Just as His Most Christian Majesty has been restored to his throne, once occupied by Saint Louis, so now may the ties between the Royal House and the Catholic Church be bound once more. For it is these two pillars that uphold the entire foundation of France.

Therefore, I write on behalf of His Christian Majesty to petition His Holiness to receive myself, as an authorised plenipotentiary, for the purpose of contracting a new convention between the Crown and the Church. This convention shall act to supersede the arrangement made by General Bonaparte of infamous memory. It is my great satisfaction to be selected for such a task, for indeed, I have more than an official connection to this matter. The predecessor of His Holiness, Pius VI, alas met his end in the Babylonian captivity of Bonaparte, in my very town of Valence. Although only coincidentally connected to this impious affair, I am nonetheless stirred by the want of expiation.

Should such a proposition be well received by His Holiness, I should gladly offer my personal attendance at Rome for a special conference to formulate this convention.
​

I beg to remain, Monseigneur, your most humble and obedient servant,

His Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs

Marquis de Valence​

---

Addressed to His Serenity, Clement-Wenceslas-Népomucène-Lothaire, Prince de Metternich-Winneburg et Beilstein,
Minister of Foreign Affairs to His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria;​

My dear Clement,

It is hoped that you shall not forebear a personal gloss on official correspondence. I am writing to you in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

When last we spoke in person in Paris, we discussed several matters of common interest to France and Austria. In particular, I would draw your attention to our considerations regarding Italy. Although there was no time to properly discuss such matters, given the overwhelming demands of the peace conference, I am eager to revisit them now that the immediate survival of France is no longer in question.

As such, I wish to declare, on behalf of His Most Christian Majesty, my willingness to enter into an agreement with His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty’s Government regarding the Papal States. We believe these States to be the bellwether of the new order in Italy. As a pious and Christian nation, we are especially desirous of the preservation of His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff, as well as his rightful government. Bonaparte’s adventures in Italy have left the entire region shaken to its core; it is the duty of the Great Powers to ensure that she be given adequate time to heal and repair, her security and stability externally guaranteed.

I am due in the coming months to attend a conference in Rome. I would be most delighted if the Prince, or an authorised plenipotentiary of his choosing, would be able to entreat me with during this time and reach an agreement regarding the Papal States. As I have said to the Prince many times before, the mission of the new government is to behave as a responsible partner in Europe, and to secure the settlement agreed upon at Vienna.

P. S. I understand that His Imperial Majesty the Russian Emperor, or at least certain elements of his court, have come under the impression that His Majesty’s Government harbours a hostile intention towards their country. I cannot speak to the origins of such an impression, but I can only address and assure them to the best of my ability. His Majesty’s Government has neither the means nor the intention to threaten the Russian Empire. In fact, His Most Christian Majesty is most interested in the confederation lately contracted between Austria, Prussia and Russia, the so-called ‘Holy Alliance’. It was not our hostility to this Alliance, but rather the contrary, which prevented our earlier interest. If I might implore the Prince, perhaps he might speak to his Russian counterpart on our behalf and assure them of our good intentions towards them, as well as our interest in their European construction?
​

Please receive, Sir, this expression of my sincere sentiments,

His Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs

Marquis de Valence​

---​

Addressed to His Excellency, Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh,
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to His Britannic Majesty, George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland;​

Your Excellency,

Engaged in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs for His Most Christian Majesty, the King of France and Navarre, I am writing to you regarding a matter of common concern.

Permit myself to commence this correspondence with a flight of reflective fancy. It has been several years since our last encounter in Paris, during the peace conference. Though our countries have lately been estranged by direst conflict and suspicion, alleviated by barely a year’s worth of peace, I must confess an affinity which now exists between us based on mutual desires. I believe that the fates of France and Britain are now intimately intertwined. As I write to you now, I urge you to recall our sojourns to the Champs-Élysées and the Jardin des Tuileries, as well as the beautiful sights thereof, and thereby move yourself to a love of France.

To the matter at hand. I am writing to you regarding the system of management of civil claims against France, emanating from the relevant annexations to the Treaty of Paris, of 20th November 1815. I must now be manifest to you, Sir, that this system is utterly unworkable. The caseload of the commissions has been overwhelmed by the endless sea of obscurities and vexations, as well as the eternal shuffling of correspondence, witnesses and so forth between London and Paris. As there is so much speculation regarding what the final sum of the claims shall be, the confidence in the public finance are severely shaken, undermining the public credit and threatening to delay or even jeopardise the restitution of indemnities owed to Great Britain and the other States.

It is not just the financial health of France which is undermined by this system. At the present rate, it shall be decades before British subjects entitled to restitution shall ever see their case adjudicated, let alone liquidated. In the past three years, the commissions have managed to liquidate just three-hundred and eight claims. By our estimation, more than triple that number remain to be adjudicated, so that the process of liquidation may extend even to 1830. It shall do no good to His Britannic Majesty’s Government if the dividends of liquidation shall not be enjoyed until long after its duration. In summary, the present system is deleterious, slothful and dysfunctional.

Therefore, I propose to you, Sir, that a new convention be contracted between His Most Christian Majesty and His Britannic Majesty, so as to provide a new basis for the settlement and liquidation of claims. As opposed to the infinite and open-ended system which now exists, the new system would involve the direct allocation to His Britannic Majesty’s Government of a total capital sum to provide for all cases. His Britannic Majesty would then appoint at his pleasure three commissioners to manage the cases, who would then award liquidation on the basis of due process. Any surplus of the sum which remained at the conclusion of liquidation would be retained by His Britannic Majesty’s Treasury. In our estimation, such a system shall provide for the speedy liquidation of all remaining cases without unduly impairing confidence in His Majesty’s Government.

Moreover, we propose that such a convention be contracted alongside the renegotiation of the Treaty of Navigation and Commerce, lately lapsed during the period of the illegal regime. It is our desire to stimulate trade and commerce between France and Great Britain, so as to promote the economic recovery of the continent. It is further my belief that the bonds of trade fostered between us shall act as a strong shield against any future resumption of hostility.

Should these propositions prove agreeable to His Britannic Majesty’s Government, His Majesty’s Government would be willing to authorise their ambassador to London to contract such provisions as to bring them into law.​

Please deign to accept, Sir, this expression of my distinguished considerations,

His Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs

Marquis de Valence​

HIS EMINENCE Ercole Consalvi, cardinale di Santa Romana Chiesa, Secretarii Status de Sanctissimo Papa

​

Most High and Puissant Lord,

Your correspondence has been received warmly by His Holiness, and he is touched greatly by the recitation of your interaction with the Church. No doubt you are aware that I am ever eager to rekindle the happy marriage of king and Church after the ancient bond was severed by illegitimate usurpers of regal power. My own person has exerted all the energies requisite to uphold the providential purpose of His Most Christian Majesty, and thus it should be inspire no bewilderment that the nullification of the existing limits between our entities is the immediate motivation of His Holiness.

He would be most gracious to receive you at the Apostolic Palace sometime before the summer months, when His Holiness retires to Castel Gandolfo for prayer and reflection.

Veuillez agréer, très-haut et puissant Seigneur, l'expression de ma très haute considération,

Ercole Consalvi
Cardinale di Santa Romana Chiesa
Secretarii Status de Sanctissimo Papa
​

--
Wait for an Event.
--

HIS SERENITY Clement-Wenceslas-Népomucène-Lothaire, Prince de Metternich-Winneburg et Beilstein
Minister of Foreign Affairs to His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria

​

VALENCE,

It is never an unwelcome sight to accept your letters; I beg you cease from any impressions of polite atonement that too often prelude your introductions. Any matter of friendship should not, and shall not, be disdained from own person! Anyway, as you say, to the matters of the state. Delay does busy men little.

The correction of the Italian condition is a delicate matter, and His Imperial Majesty believes, with good sense, that the matters of the peninsula Ausonia, require the utmost tenderness to secure a durable tranquility. I should thus not find cause to send another when my confidence in my own capability is most assured. I will let anticipation be my acquaintance as I await our reconvention in Urbs Sacra.

I have other news to deliver, and it is of a most sensitive quality. There are whispers among the Quadruple Alliance, although none have committed, that a new Congress is to be called the next year. For my own purposes, I have every hope that we shall see the occupation terminated, and the Prussians and Russians returned homeward. Whatever designs you might execute regarding Alexander, it would be best to gather your cards and await convention with His Imperial Majesty. I imagine that his liberal constitution would allow no possession of grude, although perhaps it would be a shrewd course of action to take along that marionette, the comte Dhuizon, who I am told that Alexander finds him most agreeable. In fact, if it is your intention to make resolution with Wellington on the matter of claims, only Dhuizon, in my estimation, would allow the words of compensatory reduction to flow from St. Petersburg to the Duke of Wellington.

Usque Romae,
Metternich​

--
Wait.
--

The Right Honourable Viscount Castlereagh, KG

​

Your Excellency,

His Majesty's Government, of course, is more then receptive to treatise of commerce and exchange. I must confess, however, that as far as I am have been made aware by the Duke of Wellington, that the claims presented on the Crown of France are by the majority those of Prussian and Austrian origin, and that are own compensatory nature is a far minority as a share of the total. Nonetheless, it is certainly amicable to the Government that the relations between our state remain distant from the tradition of past, and so I shall give license to Sir Charles Stewart to review and produce a treatise that we would find in the advantage of our state.

But as for further concerns of claims, which I believe are in excess of 1,000 million francs, you would be well to seek out negotiation with Wellington, who in his capacity as commander of the occupation, is the imbued with the prerogative of decision on the conditions of the indemnity. My own person, regretfully, has little such authority on the matter.

Respectfully yours,

​

 

[TJDS]

Painting of le Salon blond d’Hôtel de Papineau, commissioned by V. Durand in 1819​

La Société Royaliste des Modérés​

The Société Royaliste des Modérés was a political group organised around moderate conservatives and moderates liberals in the French Parliament and Council of Ministers usually referred to as Doctrinaires. The Société Royaliste des Modérés was first established in the Salon of the Hôtel de Papineau, near the publishing house of the Doctrinaire newspaper Le Dioclétien during the Chambre Introuvable to organise and discuss opposition to petitions perceived as threats to public peace. For its entire existence the Société would meet in the Salon de Papineau to discuss the daily political & economic discourse in France, the conduct of His Majesty’s Government and international affairs.

Due to increased prestige of the Salon and the Société after the impressive Doctrinaire victory in the 1817 General Election and the appointment of prominent members to Cabinet positions, the Sociéte began to grow in influence both in- and outside Paris and her first departmental beneficiaries were established not much later in the Doctrinaire heartlands of Nord and Marseille. These Sociétés became the closest the Doctrinaires had to a centralized power structure and means with which to coordinate tactical efforts and regular correspondence with supporters.

As the Hôtel de Papineau became the de facto headquarters in the latter half of the second Dhuizon Ministry, the salons were divided into various classes. The Grand Salon became the normal reception of guests of arts, politics and the aristocracy and served as the main salon for the Parisian upper class of moderate royalist persuasion, while the Salon blond became the principal place of discussion and tactical coordination of the normal Doctrinaire deputies and Peers, wherein Ministers were always allowed entry and the right to speak, to strengthen the parliamentary influence in government and vice versa. Lastly, the third large salon was one unknown to the regular normal guest of the Hôtel de Papineau, it was the Petit Salon, - which was technically largely than the Salon blond - where only the most influential of Doctrinaires, Ministers, Peers, respected deputies and important financiers were allowed. Here, the most important business of state could be discussed far away from prying eyes and in the comfort and luxuries of the Hôtel. It was here that important bankers and financiers could be received by ministers seeking support, or ambitious deputies could be given an audience with the Doctrinaire leadership.

Although the Salon was dominated by the presence of the male Deputies, Peers, Ministers and other Doctrinaires of note, the fairer sex was represented in the salonnières and socialitès of the Hôtel, who were received with great respect by the male guests and often introduced subjects of discussion before transitioning into the role of judge of arguments and character after the guests traversed to the fields of rhetoric and discussion.

However, all good things must come to an end and so did the Hôtel de Papineau. The Hôtel was tied to the elitist French political culture of the 1820s and 1830s and the Doctrinaire movement in French national politics, which, when finally overturned by the French masses, was irreversibly changed. Although the Hôtel and her Salons still speak to the imagination of many, indeed, she has been included in many literary works about Paris in these decades, she shall, like the salon culture and the Doctrinaires, not return but in fiction.

Members of the Société Royaliste des Modérés:
Victor Durand, Minister of the Interior and Deputy of the Nord
Marquis de Valance, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Peer of France
OTBA

 

[99KingHigh]

WHEN IN ROME
(January 1818)

CONVENTION between His Holiness, Pius VII, the Supreme Pontiff; and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre, whose ratifications were exchanged at Rome 19th of January Anno Domini 1818.

In the name of the Most Holy and Indivisible Trinity.

​

The Supreme Pontiff, Pius VII and His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVIII, King of France and Navarre, being strongly desirous to erase the evils which have for so many years afflicted the Church in France, and restoring said Church to its former splendour and glory; and in recognition of the joyful restoration of the grandson of Saint Louis to the throne of his ancestors, and the occasion thereof for the final settlement of the ecclesiastical regime in France; have resolved to settle by mutual agreements the interests of the Catholic Faith. Consequently, His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff appointed as his Plenipotentiary, His Eminence, Ercole Consalvi, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Deacon of St Agatha ad Suburrum, his Secretary of State; and His Majesty the King of France and of Navarre, His Excellency, Monsieur Séverin Maximilien, Marquis de Valence, Peer of France, his Minister for Foreign Affairs; who have concurred upon the following provisions:
​

Article I.
The Concordat of 18th August 1516, negotiated between the Supreme Pontiff Leo X and King Francis I, shall be restored.
​

Article II.​

As a consequence of the preceding article, the concordats of 15th July 1801 and 25th January 1813 shall cease to have effect.​

Article III.​

The so-called ‘Organic Articles’, which were made without the knowledge of the Supreme Pontiff and published without his consent on 8th April 1802, at the same time as the said concordat of 15th July 1801, are repealed in that they are contrary to the doctrine and Laws of the Church.​

Article IV.​

Of the seats which were suppressed in the Kingdom of France by the bull of the Supreme Pontiff of 29th November 1801, the following shall be re-constituted: the episcopal and archiepiscopal seats of Fréjus, Gap, Aibi, Castres, Rodez, Arles, Marseille, Aire, Auch, Tarbes, Orange, Belley, Saint-Dié, Verdun, Angoulême, Luçon, Périgueux, Le Puy, Tulle, Boulogne, Chalon-sur-Saône, Langres, Saint-Claude, Béziers, Narbonne, Nîmes, Perpignan, Blois, Chartres, Beauvais, Châlons-sur-Marne, Laon, Noyon, Reims, Moulins, Nevers, Sens, Montauban, Pamiers, Saint-Malo, Vienne and Viviers; and the episcopal seats of Aix, Aix-en-Provence, Digne, Cahors, Mende, Ajaccio, Bayonne, Avignon, Besançon, Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg, Agen, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Poitiers, Bourges, Clermont, Limgoes, Saint-Flour, Arras, Cambrai, Autun, Dijon, Lyon, Carcassone, Montpellier, Meaux, Orléans, Paris, Versailles, Amiens, Soissons, Bayeux, Coutances, Évreux, Rouen, Sées, Auxerre, Troyes, Toulouse, Angers, Le Mans, Nantes, Quimper, Rennes, Saint-Brieuc, Vannes, Tours, Grenoble and Valence, elevated to the archiepiscopal dignity.​

Article V.​

All the archiepiscopal and episcopal churches of the Kingdom of France, erected by the said bull of 29th November 1801, are preserved together with their present incumbents.​

Article VI.​

The dioceses of the present and of the newly constituted seats, having requested the consent of the present and the vacant seats, shall be demarcated in the manner best suited to their title.​

Article VII.​

All such seats, whether existing or re-constituted, shall be secured to the Government as soon as circumstances permit. The chapters, cures and seminaries, both of those existing and of those to be constituted, shall be endowed.​

Article VIII.​

The Supreme Pontiff shall issue a bull to proceed without delay to the erection and constitution of the dioceses.​

Article IX.​

His Most Christian Majesty, in testimony of His zealous faith, shall act in concert with the Supreme Pontiff to suppress and oppose the disorders and obstacles which challenge the Catholic Faith, and the execution of the laws of the Church.​

Article X.​

The territories of the ancient abbeys shall be united to the dioceses within the bounds of which they shall be enclaved.​

Article XI.​

The restoration of the Concordat, which was adhered to in the Kingdom of France until 1789, shall not regulate the abbeys, priories and other benefits which existed at that time. Those which are established consequent to this Convention, however, shall be subject to the regulations prescribed in the said Concordat.​

Article XII.​

The Supreme Pontiff shall undertake to promote the candidature of King Louis XVI in the Sacred Congregation of Rites for beatification and canonisation, owing to his most Christian martyrdom at the hands of atheist persecution.​

Article XIII.​

His Most Christian Majesty shall undertake to erect a shrine in Valence to honour the memory of His Holiness, Pius VI; the Supreme Pontiff shall commit to finance the construction, and to dispatch a representative to pass a blessing over the shrine, which shall be erected to Our Lady of Europe in the aspiration of peace in Christendom.​

Article XIV.​

No provision of this Convention shall be interpreted, or given the force of interpretation, as prejudicing the possession of properties entitled to the Kingdom of France, regardless of their original provenance; and this Convention shall not furnish grounds for legal disputation of the aforesaid possession.​

Article XV.​

The ratifications of this Convention shall be exchanged within one month, or sooner if possible.​

Article XVI.​

As soon as the said ratifications have been exchanged, the Supreme Pontiff shall confirm this Convention by a bull, and shall immediately publish a second bull to establish the constitution of the dioceses.
​

In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention and have thereto affixed the seal of their State. Done at Rome, 19th of January Anno Domini 1818.
Signed,​

[X] HIS EXCELLENCY, the MARQUIS DE VALENCE, on behalf of his Most Christian Majesty, LOUIS XVIII.
[X] HIS HOLINESS, POPE PIUS VII.

-
@Ab Ovo will be doing, err, "man things" while reading this.

@Syriana you have a day with Metternich if you want anything else done with him about Italy or whatever.​

 

[Dadarian]

Les Hommes do their duty
​

The bread was bought at market in Catalonia or Navarra, then packed on mule until it crossed the border. It then would be put on a cart, protected by a small cadre of Les Hommes members, until such time as it was distributed to the poor and starving. While the government twittled their thumbs, Les Hommes spent their precious and limited treasury making sure that individual families could eat.

Although Les Hommes' dedication did not extend to such an effort which would bankrupt the society, they did what they could. For even Ultraroyalistes could care for the poor peasants and proletariat occupying the vast farmlands of France.

 

[Syriana]

((Private - @MastahCheef117 ))​

My dear monsieur,

It is my satisfaction to inform the Prime Minister that the discussions between His Majesty's Government and His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff have been fruitful. His Holiness has agreed to the proposed convention in all particulars, and the final document has been signed pending ratification. I shall dispatch a copy to His Majesty's Government with all haste. I shall be lingering on in Rome for another day for sensitive discussions with the Prince de Metternich, the outcome of which I shall inform you in due course.

Sincere salutations,

Valence​

---

Rome, la ville éternelle...

The Marquis de Valence was ensconced in the Palazzo Farnese. This palatial Renaissance estate residence to the Bourbons of the Two Sicilies, who had loaned its use to the mother dynasty for the occasion. Although France had its own properties in Rome, Valence thought it best to receive the Prince de Metternich in a suitably august fashion. Moreover, it was a sop to the Sicilian Bourbons, whose throne had been temporarily occupied by a Bonapartist usurper, a situation which had been almost allowed to stand in Vienna until the usurper rendered the matter moot by betraying the Alliance first. It was good to have an implicit reminder that the House of Bourbon was the custodian of half of Italy, yet was willing to cede Austrian primacy in Italian affairs. Stability and humility were the new watchwords of French foreign policy.

At last, Metternich and his entourage arrived - fashionably late, although that was to be expected in Rome. As the rest of the guests were sequestered away, Valence and Metternich retreated to the Sala d'Ercole, where they quickly got down to business.

"My dear Clement, it is ever the pleasure to be in your company. I must thank you again for personally attending to this affair. I trust the journey from Vienna was not too disagreeable."

"Now, aware as I am of the great effort which you have made to be here, as well as your limited time, I suggest we cut straight to the heart of the matter. It is no coincidence, of course, that we should convene in Rome. This city is the heart of Italy, and the Supreme Pontiff is the head of the Church. It is the desire of His Majesty's Government, having so recently contracted a new convention between ourselves and His Holiness, to render a firm foundation to this convention by establishing a treaty of guarantee for the Papal States. Such a treaty, as we envision it, would entail a commitment to safeguard the Papal States from external aggression, and also to uphold the Papacy from internal subversion. As Rome is the star round which the Italian satellites revolve, we believe that its security is integral to that of the entire peninsula."

"Given our close friendship with Austria, as well as common Catholic fraternity, we would be interested to hear the opinion of your government on such a treaty, and whether it would be willing to act as co-guarantor with France."​

 

[Dadarian]

l'Élan Journal
On the Risk of the Current Government
​

The current government of the comte de Dhuizon is one that seeks to embrace change and disingenuous actions. While neither are unique to France and l'Élan must warn it's readers as to the future of this nation should the government continue without moderation and careful planning. For there are two specific reasons, a pair of swords of Damocles that await the nape of this nation, that all should be aware of. It is the duty, the holy venture of l'Élan to inform and enlighten our readers to these dangers.

The first is that the government of the comte de Dhuizon is not led by the comte de Dhuizon. Widely reported and known expressedly as a shy, untoward man, the comte is not one that actively drives this nation. Nay, he is but a humble puppet, a modern Roman Senate to the twin Imperials of the marquis de Valence and the Préfet du Nord. These men, the former running the affairs of financial and foreign interest and the later running all other domestic affairs, are the true masters of the government. So when wishing to cast the stone upon the lackluster comte de Dhuizon, take heart and know that the man is not the origin of all of France's governance ills, rather it is to those biarchists.

To which, the men do not even attempt of hide their dominance of French affairs, having recently formed a secret society in the most boutique salons of Paris, the Société Royaliste des Modérés. It is this organisation, a modern Freemason cabal, that runs the nation. Do not let the drab name fool you, for the two men, the Dullards of the Tuilleries, are well known for using the fog of unassailable language to hide their motives and confuse the common man.

The second is that the government is in an active state of decay. The military's most prominent feat since the fall of Napoleon is a competition of plays under the latest Prince du Condé. The rest of the military rests upon their laurels, growing fat. Which is a shame, as the commoner starves. Only the Church and private interests have moved or have been active in these times of famine. The government, be it the lame duck of Dhuizon, the twins Valence and Durand, or even the Marshal Saint-Cyr, simply watch as famine crosses the nation like the horseman it is. The painful harbinger's scythe is felt everywhere except the salons of the Doctrinaires and the Société Royaliste des Modérés. Mayhaps, one day, the government will act, but until then the people can only rely on the generosity of the Bishop of Montauban.

In these days, all must pray for God's blessing. The most recent treaty with the Church is perhaps a coming of easier times, for the Lord will not forsake the most loyal of subjects.

 

[Marschalk]

"So, I have been a minister for a glorious year and a half." - the Duc de Saint-Aignan said to his wife, as they walked through the meadows of their manor in the Loir-de-Cher. While they were in the country, the Duke was still wearing a fine frock of brown velvet and his wife crinolines and a silk mantle. They were not the kind of people who would forget about discipline and appearances even far from the capital,

"Quite a record." - Anne answered with dry humor. He and her husband were a strange couple, talking with each other quite often in a sardonic fashion. Once their relationship was based on a mix of reason and desire, one created during the long balls in the Winter Palace. Now the desire has calmed - and there was only reason left. This is why their marriage was such a good political one.

"Well, at least I managed to reach most of my objectives. The ordinance on regicides, the lustration. The royal justice has taken place" - Saint-Aignan absent-mindedly touched a rose bush with his cane - it seemed to him that there was much less flowers than during the last time he visited. And also marks from the scissors? He decided that he would ask the gardener, Pierre, a question regarding that when they would return to the castle. If one of the servants have been stealing the flowers for some girl in the village, it would not do. Saint-Aignan was not greedy, but he hated larceny and lack of discipline.

"You still were not able to get the head of Fouche. The scoundrel escaped" - the Duchess de Saint-Aignan noted, chasing away a butterfly who sat on her petticoat with a glove. Unlike some dames who thought these insects to be very cute, she never liked them much. She preferred hounds - like the big black newfoundlander, called Hector, that was now tailing near them loyally. At a certain point the dog got bored and started jumping near its owners, butting its legs with its bushy intelligent head, as if beckoning them to play.

"Was exiled, you mean. And now is hiding aboard, his tail between legs. No, I am not talking about your tail, mon ami," - the Duc patted Hector and, swinging his cane, threw it far into the bushes. The newfoundlander, barking loudly, immediately rushed there, his short paws running at the top speed possible for such a massive body.

"Well, what are you planning now, Claude? When you and the other Ultraroyalists have left the governmental benches? To play with hounds here, like an idle rentier?" - Anne asked as the animal returned with the cane, carrying it in its mouth. Saint-Aignan only shook his head in silent amusement and the usual crooked humorless smile appeared on his lips. Then he took the cane, now sticky from saliva, from the dog and hurled it again, now towards the oak grove that has been planted during the times of his great-grandfather. "Do not you worry. I certainly would have affairs to attend to."

"Well, add one more to your list then" - the Duchess said quietly, watching Hector leap thread the meadow, his furry tail waggling. For a moment she hesitated, but then added. "It seems I am with child again"