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374 England could, had she chosen, have absolutely forbidden the passage of French troops, and those which were already landed would have been starved into surrender between the rebels on land and the fleet at sea. So obvious were these considerations, that it was believed in Paris that the English fleet had already received orders to sail.

"Everybody but those of the Duke of Choiseul's party were in the greatest alarm for fear of a war, and besides a notion prevailed of a general bankruptcy taking place. It was certain that the ordinary annual expenditure exceeded the receipts by 30,000,000 French livres. A war would increase the expenditure by 80,000,000 more, and by the best calculations the Revenue by doubling and tripling the vingtième would not be increased above 80,000,000." "A particular attention," said Rochfort, "to their public credit at this moment would give more light into their politics than any other observation." The passage of the French troops into Corsica went on but slowly, and active hostilities were not as yet begun. The departure of Chauvelin, the French Commander-in-chief, was put off till July 25th.

The temerity of the French Minister had placed his country in a difficult position. His enemies openly expressed their exultation; but he was extricated by the party divisions of English politics, on which with true prescience he had reckoned from the beginning.

The party of Bedford had been overruled in the Cabinet, but, unwilling to accept his defeat, Weymouth never ceased assuring the Ambassadors of the Great Powers that nothing would induce England to go to war for Corsica. These indiscreet utterances did not fail to reach the ears of the watchful du Châtelet. He left M. Frances in charge of the French Embassy, and himself hurried over to Paris to assure Choiseul that he could pursue his schemes in security. He received support from an un-