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Updated: July 18, 2025


As minister of a constitutional monarchy, M. de Villèle has furnished France with one of the first examples of that fixity of political ties which, in spite of many inconveniences and objections, is essential to the great and salutary effects of representative government.

Villele will have nothing to do with the Government under this House of deputies, which declared his administration deplorable. He seems to stipulate for their dissolution. Halil Pacha takes to Petersburg fine presents for the Emperor and Empress, and other presents he is to distribute 'selon son gré et en son nom' which are enough to bribe all the ladies in Europe.

Political events of great importance attract his attention. He calls with Mr N. M. Rothschild on Prince Esterhazy, who says that Canning and Villele are trying every means to settle a representative constitution for Spain. October 22nd. The entry states, "Received an express that the differences between the Russians and Turks are amicably settled." October 29th.

As soon as he ascertained that M. de Montmorency had promised at Verona that his Government would take such steps at Madrid, in concert with the three Northern Powers, as would infallibly lead to war, M. de Villèle submitted to the King in council these premature engagements, declaring at the same time that, for his part, he did not feel that France was bound to adopt the same line of conduct with Austria, Prussia, and Russia, or to recall at once, as they wished to do, her Minister at Madrid, and thus to give up all renewed attempts at conciliation.

A few days after the audience at which this promise had been given, the Duc de Barry was assassinated; the Marsan clique carried the day; the Villele ministry came into power, and all the wires laid by the Troisvilles were snapped; it became necessary to find new ways of fastening them upon the ministry.

If the King and the right-hand party felt themselves in danger, it was themselves, and not M. de Villèle, whom they ought to have accused. Nevertheless M. de Villèle, on his part, had no right to complain of the injustice to which he was exposed.

At the close of this sitting, M. de Villèle assuredly had good reason to be satisfied with his position and himself.

The event had long been foreseen, and M. de Villèle had skilfully prepared for it: he was as well established in the esteem and confidence of the new monarch as of the sovereign who had just passed from the Tuileries to St. Denis; Charles X., the Dauphin, and the Dauphiness, all three looked upon him as the ablest and most valuable of their devoted adherents.

His favorite minister, M. de Villele, was not one of the great nobles, and the men who were to take the chief parts in the consecration were of plebeian origin. The impartial historian of the Restoration, M. de Viel-Castel, remarked it:

Chateaubriand himself, though better placed than the rest of us to make himself a niche in the Governmental Olympus, was turned out of doors one morning by a concise little note, signed Joseph de Villele, dismissing him, as was proper, to Rene, Atala, and other futilities.

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