He married Louise Constantin (1827–1894) August 14, 1852, in San Francisco, and worked for a French language newspaper, L'echo du Pacifique founded by Étienne Derbec.

He accepted a position as translator to Louis Emile Perrin the Consul (diplomatic rank below that of ambassador) from France to the Kingdom of Hawaii.

he became friends with Scot Robert Crichton Wyllie who spoke several languages due to his travel throughout South America and the Pacific.

Varigny generally supported the new constitution, which gave both the king and cabinet ministers more power, and limited voters with property requirements.

[4] One of his first acts was to call off the efforts of John Bowring for negotiating a three-way treaty between France, Great Britain, and the United States.

[3]: 209 Charles Coffin Harris had negotiated a tentative treaty with American Commissioner Edward Moody McCook.

However, in the meantime the USS Lackawanna under Captain William Reynolds had arrived February 9, 1867, and refused to leave in response to rumors that France was going to take over the islands.

The Captain's clerk leaked letters to the Hawaiian government alleging a conspiracy for starting a rebellion.

He tried to negotiate treaties between Hawaii and European powers, but the conflicts leading up to the Franco-Prussian War prevented much progress.

[6] He also negotiated treaties with the North German Confederation and Denmark, but these were rejected by the Hawaiian government because they did not allow for any other reciprocity agreements.