Count Mollien, councillor and Minister of the Treasury of Napoléon, was at the same time a theorist who extended Adam Smith's analysis of banknotes and a man of action who worked with success on the application of his ideas. He showed that the solidity of the banknotes relied on the quality of the discounted bills when they are put into circulation, and rejected the risk of excessive issue, thereby disseminating the real bills doctrine in France. Furthermore, he studied the conditions in which the issue should take place and put forward some proposals that led to the organisation of the working rules of Banque de France.