 He was in favor of the constitutional movement, and on the great festival of federation (14 July 1790) he assisted Talleyrand, then bishop of Autun, to celebrate mass at the altar erected in the Champ de Mars.In 1792, however, he emigrated to England where he spent his time studying English institutions and especially the financial system of Pitt.Returning to France on the establishment of the Consulate he served successively in the ministry of war, the council of state, and in the finance department in Holland and in Paris.