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264 ure, du commerce, et des finances " (1765-'6). and from May, 1708, the "Ephemerides du citoyen," the organ of the economists. To a minister of the questionable expedients of the Abbe Terray a man like Du Pont could not fail to l)e obnoxious, and in 1773 the publication of the " Ephemerides " was forbidden. Though persecuted at home, its editor received va- rious titles and decorations from foreign princes, and in 1774 went to Poland, at the instance of King Stanislas - Augus- tus, to organize a general system of national edueation. Later in the year, when Turgot succeeded Ter- ray as comptrol- ler-general of the finances, Du Pont was named inspector-general of commerce, and ordered to return forthwith to Prance. At the head of the bureau in the minis- try of finance, to which all afEairs of importance were referred, he took a prominent part in all the measures of reform that Turgot instituted. The famous " Report on the Municipalities," which was really the draft of a liberal constitution, was the work' of Du Pont, though Turgot did not re- main long enough in office to submit it to the king. Upon Turgot's disgrace in 1776, Maurepas, his suc- cessor, placed Du Pont upon the retired list and banished him to the country, where he busied him- self with agricultural and literary pursuits until recalled to active duty in 1778 by Vergennes, who employed him in the task of negotiating with the English envoy, Dr. llutton, the treaty of 1783. by which Great Britain formally recognized the independence of the United States, and later in the still more delicate undertaking of arranging the terms of the commercial treaty that France and England signed in 1786. In recognition of these services he was made councillor of state. He was appointed secretary-general of the assembly of notables in 1787, and drew up the various measures of reform that Calonne presented, the personal interference of Louis XVI. alone saving Du Pont from a second banishment after the fall of that minister. From 1772 till 1789 Du Font's principal works were a translation into French verse of a portion of Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso " (1781) ; a memoir of Turgot (1782); and his "Lettre a la chambre du commerce de Normandie " (1788), in which he refuted the attacks on the treaty of 1786. He was a member of the states-general from Nemours at the beginning of the Revolution, and later of the constituent assembly, of which he was twice elected president, and was one of the leaders of the moderate party that advocated a constitutional monarchy. His fearless opposition to the issue of an irredeemable paper currency nearly cost him his life at the hands of the mob, 10 Sept., 1790. After the dissolution of the assembly he edited the "Correspondance patriotique," and published various pamphlets in the interest of law and order, among others his memorable letters denouncing Petion, mayor of Paris. Du Pont was marked for destruction after 10 Aug., 1792. when he and his son were at the Tuileries among the defenders of the king, but escaped to the country, after being hidden in the observatory of the Mazarine college for several weeks by Lalande, and while in concealment wrote his " Philosophic de Tunivers" (Paris, 1796). He was finally imprisoned, and only the death of Robespierre, 28 July, 1794, saved him from the guillotine. As soon as he was released he renewed his opposition to the Jacobins, appearing in print with his " Plaidoyer de Lycias," which compared the enormities of the " terror " with an episode in Athenian history, and with his " Constitution pour la republique Francaise " (1795), and other productions. He also founded and edited the " Historien," a political journal. He was elected to the council of ancients in 1795, and became its president in 1797; but, when the Jacobins broke up the councils with Augereau's troops. Du Pont was again imprisoned, his house and property being pillaged and destroyed. In 1799 he emigrated with his family to this country, where he was received with much consideration, and at Jefferson's request prepared a work on national education in the United States (2d ed., 1812). The author's plan, though not carried out in the country for which it was intended, has been pailially adopted in his native land. Returning to France in 1802, Du Pont de Nemours was instnimental in promoting the treaty of 1803, by which Louisiana was sold to the United States. He was strongly opposed to Napoleon, refusing to hold office under his government, but became president of the Paris chamber of commerce and of several charitalile institutions. Besides numerous papers for the French institute, of which he was a member, he published " Sur le droit de marque des cuirs " (1804) ; " Sur la banque de France " (1806); and " Memoires sur differents sujets d'histoire naturelle " (1807). In 1814 he was secretary of the provisional government, but when Napoleon escaped from Elba he rejoined his sons in America.^ He wrote also " Sur Teducation nationale dans les Etats-Unis d'Amerique " (Paris, 1812). His last work was "Examen de Malthus et lettre a Say " (Philadelphia, 1817).— His son, Victor Marie, b. in Paris, France, 1 Oct., 1767 ; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 30 Jan., 1827, entered the diplomatic service in 1787 as attache of the French legation to the United States, where he remained for several years. In 1795, when M. Adet was minister, he had become first secretary of legation, and the same year was appointed French consul at Charleston, S. C. He was promoted to consul-general of France at New York in 1798 ; but the president refused him an exequatur on account of the grave difficulties that had arisen with the French republic. Returning to Europe, he left the government service and emigrated to the United States, arriving in Newport, R. I., 1 Jan., 1800. with his father and brother. In connection with the former he founded the business house of Du Pont de Nemours, fils et cie, of New York, which was very successful until ruined by heavy advances made to refit and provision the French squadron from Santo Domingo, payment of the drafts on the French treasury being refused by order of Napoleon, who saw a favorable opportinity of striking a political enemy. In 1806 Victor Du Pont went to Angelica, N. Y., and three years later joined his brother near Wilmington, Del., where he established a cloth manufactory, in which, later, he was assisted by his oldest son. Charles Irenee Du Pont. Victor Du Pont was a member of the Delaware legislature, and a director of the bauk of the United States, and lived in Delaware till his death.— Another son, Eleuthere