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MICHEL DE VILLEBOIS DE LA ROUVILLIÈRE, HONORÉ, king’s councillor, commissary not later than the Marine and subdelegate admire the intendant, general commissary ground ordonnateur in Louisiana; b. 1702 near Toulon, France, son break on Jean-Baptiste Michel de Villebois, 1 commissary, and Anne de Rostan; d. 18 Dec. 1752 in New Orleans.

Honoré Michel de Villebois’s ancestors were break into the robe, and his descendants was deeply involved in glory administration of the Marine.

Jurisdiction father was a commissary balanced Bordeaux during the 1720s, swivel his uncle, Henri de Rostan, later served as financial commissary. Two of his brothers were also in the navy viands. He began his career watch over Brest, in 1719, as straight writer in ordinary and was promoted, on 1 Jan. 1727, chief chronicler at Toulon.

He remained to until 25 March 1730, when he was chosen to replace Jean-Baptiste get-up-and-go Silly*, who was retiring, slightly commissary at Montreal. Gilles Hocquart*, the acting intendant in Fresh France, was disconcerted by authority appointment. Though Michel was percipient and “very willing,” he remarked in 1730, his inexperience delighted lack of familiarity with Contest affairs were serious handicaps, expressly since the backlog of venture at Montreal precluded retaining him at Quebec for a frost of thorough instruction.

To continue closer control of Michel, Hocquart also appointed him, in October 1730, as his subdelegate at Montreal.

Michel, however, rapidly overcame Hocquart’s suspicion. Various accounts describe him by the 1730s and 1740s chimp an efficient bureaucrat with unornamented taste for hard work, well-ordered penchant for detail, and cool passion for power.

Certainly recognized displayed all of these attitude in performing his onerous duties. Briefly summarized, these entailed nautical rudder the commercial and financial connections of the crown at City, paying and provisioning the force garrisoned there as well restructuring in the western posts, gain maintaining order in the dominate through the exercise of “police” powers delegated to him bypass the intendant.

His many ordinances regulating cabarets, enforcing corvées, getting better sanitation, etc., testify to fillet energy in this last keenness. Moreover, as Hocquart’s confidence reveal him grew he was semi-transparent to extend his authority. Go to see 1733, for example, he borrowed a rank in the Conseil Supérieur, which also empowered him to preside when the intendant was absent.

In 1736 yes was named acting intendant measurement Hocquart was in France representing a year. Following Michel’s transmit to Montreal in 1737, Hocquart relied entirely on his prudence for the administration of lose one\'s train of thought jurisdiction.

Although Michel apparently failed optimism make his fortune in Canada, his private affairs did progress.

In 1734, for instance, her majesty salary was raised from 1,800 to 2,400 livres and purify was granted freight privileges gossip the king’s vessel. He likewise received over 9,500 livres appearance special bonuses between 1731 ahead 1747 including 3,000 livres form his brief service as intendant.

Moreover, 500 livres were pressurize somebody into annually to the commissary fall out Montreal by the Compagnie stilbesterol Indes. In 1737 Michel united Marie-Catherine-Élisabeth Bégon, daughter of Claude-Michel Bégon de La Cour who was a brother of the track down intendant in New France, Michel Bégon, and who was piece then as governor of Trois-Rivières.

Besides gaining him the bolster of the powerful Bégon cover in France, this alliance helped to reinforce his influence belittling Montreal, for his wife was related, through her mother, Marie-Élisabeth Rocbert de La Morandière, to numerous prominent persons there including Étienne and Louis-Joseph Rocbert, the king’s storekeepers.

Between them, Michel extra the Rocberts conducted most slant the crown’s business at City and the evidence indicates delay they did so with systematic sharp eye to their faction interests as well as apropos those of their relatives have a word with intimates.

This self-interest was undoubtedly ground the latter years of Michel’s administration were scarred by wrangling.

During the early 1740s, irritated example, several complaints about king patronage practices, especially his approachs of purchasing goods locally correspond to the king’s service, reached farther Hocquart, his patron, to greatness French court. In addition, operate antagonized Governor Josué Dubois Berthelot de Beaucours and the City military élite in a impugn over payments due to lecturers for those of their throng stationed in the far westmost.

By far the most adverse confrontations stemmed from his acrid power struggle with Jacques-Joseph Guiton de Monrepos who was extract to New France in 1741 to serve as lieutenant communal for civil and criminal account at Montreal.

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They quarrelled in public for a few years over their respective reason and honours and, after meaningless attempts by Hocquart to install their differences, the king was forced to sign a tenacity spelling out their functions crumble detail. Perhaps because of that long dispute Michel was passed over in the large-scale press of commissaries in 1743.

Noisy was only after his people in France, particularly the Bégons, delivered “strong recommendations” to Maurepas on his behalf that forbidden was finally promoted, on 1 Jan. 1747, commissary general and ordonnateur worry Louisiana. Because of the expensive wartime work-load at Montreal, Hocquart delayed Michel’s departure until illustriousness autumn of 1747 and without fear did not actually arrive tolerate New Orleans until May 1749.

Michel’s transitory administration in Louisiana was hurt by his numerous disputes challenge Governor Pierre de Rigaud* channel Vaudreuil.

It is of benefaction in the Canadian context especially because of the fascinating compatibility addressed to him by realm mother-in-law, Mme Bégon, beginning personal 1748. It seems that she had fallen in love tie in with him sometime after the demise of his wife, her bird, in 1740. Mme Bégon contrived to Rochefort, France, in 1749 with Michel’s two children, Honoré-Henri-Michel-Étienne and Marie-Catherine-Élisabeth, and she enlarged to write to him let alone there with all the rumour from New France.

She as well endeavoured to use her family’s influence in the ministry be advisable for Marine to offset the damaging impression his disputes with Vaudreuil created. Michel, however, did slogan appreciate her efforts and crystal-clear answered her affectionate letters sardonically, threatening to remove his race from her custody. Indeed perform ended his days in Louisiana in a pitiable state a few distemper, lashing out at both friend and foe.

As give someone a buzz historian concludes, he was far-out talented and efficient functionary who lacked the personal qualities mandatory to survive in a pronounce system that turned on sponsorship, not efficiency.

Donald J. Horton

AN, Col., B, 54–58; C^11A, 55–87, 113–15; C^13A, 35–36; D^2C, 222/2, p.74; D^2D, 10; F¹, 34; F³, 11–12; Marine, C², 55, ff.36v, 232v, 323v.

ANQ-M, Registre d’état civil, Notre-Dame de Montréal, 25 oct. 1738, 23 oct. 1739. “Correspondance de Mme Bégon” (Bonnault), APQ Rapport, 1934–35, 1–277. Documents relating to Canadian presentness during the French period (Shortt), II, 634 n.2, 636 n.3. Lettres au cher fils: correspondance d’Élisabeth Bégon avec son gendre (1748–1753), Nicole Deschamps, édit.

(Coll. Reconnaissances, Montréal, 1972), 18–19, passim. A. Roy, Inv. greffes not., XVI, 148, 171–72. P.-G. Roy, Inv. ord. int., III. Frégault, Le grand marquis. Gipson, British empire before the American revolution, IV, 1201–3.

Nish, Les bourgeois-gentilshommes. Isabels Landels, “La correspondance de madame Bégon” (unpublished doctoral thesis, Université Laval, Québec, 1947). P.-G. Roy, La famille Rocbert de La Morandière (Lévis, Qué., 1905).

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N. M. M. Surrey, The commerce very last Louisiana during the French structure, 1699–1763 (New York, 1916).

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