For their only consolation Clugny opened to them the fatal and disgraceful chances of the lottery, which became a royal institution.

To avoid the remonstrances of Parliament, the comptroller-general established the new enterprise by a simple decree of the council.

"The entries being voluntary, the lottery is no tax and can dispense with enregistration," it was said.

It was only seventy-five years later, in 1841, under the government of King Louis Philippe and the ministry of M.Humann, that the lottery was abolished, and this scandalous source of revenue forbidden to the treasury.
So much moral weakness and political changeableness, so much poltroonery or indulgence towards evil and blind passions disquieted serious minds, and profoundly shook the public credit.

The Dutch refused to carry out the loan for sixty millions which they had negotiated with M.Turgot; the discount-fund (_caisse d'escompte_) founded by him brought in very slowly but a moderate portion of the assets required to feed it; the king alone was ignorant of the prodigalities and irregularities of his minister.
M.de Maurepas began to be uneasy at the public discontent, he thought of superseding the comptroller-general: the latter had been ill for some time, on the 22d of October he died.