In later life he repeatedly disclaimed any such motive.

It was rather a longing for personal independence, for freedom from the trammels of a society in which he had little faith or interest.

Nor were his political opinions at this time matured.

He had a just pride in the Swiss Republic as a free State (Etat libre), and his personal bias was towards the "Negatif" party, as those were called who maintained the authority of the Upper Council (Petit Conseil) to reject the demands of the people.
To this oligarchic party his family belonged.

In a letter written three years later, he confesses that he was "Negatif" when he abandoned his home, and conveys the idea that his emigration was an experiment, a search for a system of government in accordance with his abstract notions of natural justice and political right.