In consequence of a change of the British ministry, France found that a peace was more practicable than for merly, while she herself, as well as Spain, were more sin cerely disposed towards it : negociations, therefore, were carried on at Fontainebleau, and on the third of November 1762, the preliminaries were signed there. On the 16th of February, in the following year, the definitive treaty was signed at Paris. By this treaty France agreed to cede to Britain, Canada, in its utmost extent, with the islands of Cape Breton and St John, and all that part of Louisiana which lies on the side of the Mississippi, except the town and territory of New Orleans. The French were permit ted to fish, under certain limitations, on the banks of New foundland : the islands of Martinique, Guadaloupc, St Lu cie, Goree, and Belleisle, were restored to them ; and the French East India Company were placed in the same situa tion in which they were at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, by the restitution of Pondicherry, &c. ; but they were not to erect any forts in the Province of Bengal. France agreed to cede to Great Britain the forts and factories she had lost on the river Senegal, the island of Grenada and its depen dencies, and to give up all claim to the neutral islands of St Vincent, Dominica, and Tobago ; she also consented to destroy the harbour and demolish the fortifications of Dunkirk.
France had much need of repose ; for, not only were her finances in a very dilapidated condition, but disputes be tween the King and the parliaments agitated the minds of all : these disputes have been already noticed. And as the parliaments felt their own power and importance, while the King became sensible of the necessity of curbing them, they every day became more serious. The parliament of Paris refused to register several of the royal edicts ; and the parliament of Brittany, determined to manifest that they also were adverse to the King, refused the crown a gift of 700,000 livres, in consequence of which they were dissolved. But Louis, afraid of creating still greater dis turbances, published a general amnesty, and wished them to resume their functions. The parliament, however, con vinced by this that the King was intimidated, and their cause was popular, refused to accept his iiroffered clemency. The indignation of the King was now extreme ; and he or dered such of the councillors of the parliament of Brittany as had refused to resume their functions, to be included in the list of those who were to be drafted for the militia ; and such as were drafted were actually obliged to join their re giments, while the rest were incorporated in the city guard. The severity of this conduct appeased the stub born spirits of the parliaments for some time ; but the calm was not of long duration. In the midst of these convul sions, which extended to nearly all the parliaments in France, the Dauphin died, in the 37th year of his age ; and the Duke of Berri, his eldest son by his second marriage with Maria Josepha of Saxony, was created Dauphin in his stead.
As soon as Louis had in some measure quieted the par liament, he turned his attention to the acquisition of Corsica. This island had for some time resisted the tyranny of Ge noa, which claimed the sovereignty by right of conquest : At last the Republic, unable to support her pretensions, transferred them to France, on condition that Louis should put her in possession of the island of Capraria, which the Corsicans had lately reduced. Louis thought that the sub jection of the Corsicans would be easily and speedily ef fected ; but he found himself much mistaken, as the Cor sicans defended themselves with great intrepidity ; and two campaigns, with the loss of several thousand men, were necessary to bring them under the power of France.
The finances of the counts y were at this period, A. D. 1768, 1769, very inadequate for the support even of such a trifling war as that in Corsica. The East India Compa ny were absolutely bankrupts ; numbers of the most re spectable merchants were exposed to every species of failure and distress. Such a state of things required the measures of a man of talents and experience ; whereas the Duke of Choiseul, who was minister, was neither, and by attempting to remedy, he actually increased the evil : he reduced, at once, the interest of the public funds one half ; and, as if this were not sufficient to injure public credit, lie took away the benefit of survivorship in the tontines. The king at last was under the necessity of banishing him ; but, instead of remedying the evils by the restoration of public credit and confidence, and by calling in to his assistance the advice and authority of the parliaments, Louis again involved himself in disputes with them. As he bad no idea of carrying his measures calmly, he resolved to banish the parliament of Paris, which had given the tone to the others ; and, soon after this was done, several of the pro vincial parliaments were dissolved. It was necessary, however, to appoint new parliaments ; and though the peo ple did not view them with their accustomed respect, the King received from them unlimited obedience.
In the midst of these disputes, which would scarcely be worthy of notice did they not point out the causes of the Revolution, the Dauphin was married to Maria Antoniette, sister to the Emperor of Germany. At the splendid en tertainment and shows given on this occasion, a dreadful accident happened : the crowd, hastening to be the spec tators of the fireworks, pressed on one another in such a tumultuous manner, that several hundreds perished in the Confusion.