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very fortunate to have an office in which one may legitimately
accumulate the largest fortune in France。 〃 … Cf。 Rocquain; 〃état de
la France au 18 Brumaire。〃 (Reports by Lacuée; Fourcroy and Barbé…
Marbois。)
'18' Charlotte de Sohr; 〃Napoléon en Belgique et en Hollande;〃 1811;
vol。 I。; 243。 (On a high functionary condemned for forgery and whom
Napoleon kept in prison in spite of every solicitation。) 〃Never will I
pardon those who squander the public funds。 。 。 。 Ah ! parbleu! We
should have the good old times of the contractors worse than ever if I
did not show myself inexorable for these odious crimes。〃
'19' Stourm; ibid。; I。; 177。 (Report by Gaudin; Sep。 15; 1799。) 〃A few
(tax) rolls for the year V; and one…third of those for the year VII;
are behindhand。〃 … (Report by the same; Germinal I; year X。)
〃Everything remained to do; on the advent of the consulate; for the
assessment and collection of direct taxes; 35;000 rolls for the year
VII still remained to be drawn up。 With the help of the new office;
the rolls for the year VII have been completed; those of the year VIII
were made out as promptly as could be expected; and those of the year
IX have been prepared with a dispatch which; for the first time since
the revolution; enables the collections to be begun in the very year
to which they belong。〃
'20' 〃Archives parlementaires;〃 VIII。; p。11。 (Report by Necker to the
States…General; May 5; 1789。) 〃These two…fifths; although legitimately
due to the king; are always in arrears。 。 。 。 (To…day) these arrears
amount in full to about 80 millions。〃
'21' De Foville; 〃la France économique;〃 p。354。
'22' 〃The Ancient Régime;〃 p。 354。 (Laff。 I。 p。 263。)
'23' Necker; 〃De l'administration des finances;〃 I。; 164; and 〃Rapport
aux états…généraux;〃 May 5th; 1789。 (We arrive at these figures; 179
millions; by combining these documents; on both sides; with the
observation that the 3rd vingtième is suppressed in 1789。)
'24' Charles Nicolas; 〃les Budgets de la France depuis le commencement
du XIXème siècle〃 (in tabular form)。 … De Foville; ibid。; 356。In
the year IX; the sum…total of direct taxes is 308 millions; in the
year XI。 360; and in the year XII; 376。 The total income from real…
estate in France towards 1800 is 1;500 millions。
'25' It is only after 1816 that the total of each of the four direct
taxes can be got at (land; individual; personal; doors and windows)。
In 1821; the land…tax amounts to 265 millions; and the three others
together to 67 millions。 Taking the sum of 1;580 millions; estimated
by the government as the net revenue at this date in France; we find
that; out of this revenue; 16。77 % is deducted for land; and that;
with the other three; it then abstracts from the same revenue 21 % …
On the contrary; before 1789; the five corresponding direct taxes;
added to tithes and feudal privileges; abstracted 81。71 % from the net
income of the taxable party。 (Cf。 〃The Ancient Régime;〃 pp。346; 347;
351 et seq。 Laff。 I。 pp。 258; 259; 261 and following pages。 )
'26' These figures are capital; and measure the distance which
separates the old from the new condition of the laboring and poor
class; especially in the rural districts; hence the tenacious
sentiments and judgments of the people with respect to the Ancient
Régime; the Revolution and the Empire。 … All local information
converges in this sense。 I have verified the above figures as well as
I could: 1st; by the 〃Statistiques des préfets;〃 of the year IX and
year XIII and afterwards (printed); 2nd; by the reports of the
councillors of state on mission during the year IX (published by
Rocquam; and in manuscript in the Archives nationales); 3rd; by the
reports of the senators on their sénatories and by the prefects on
their departments; in 1806; 1809; 1812; 1814 and 1815; and from 1818
to 1823 (in manuscript in the Archives nationales); 4th; by the
observations of foreigners travelling in France from 1802 to 1815。 …
For example (〃A Tour through several of the Middle and Western
Departments of France;〃 1802; p。23): 〃There are no tithes; no church
taxes; no taxation of the poor。 。 。 。 All the taxes together do not go
beyond one…sixth of a man's rent…roll; that is to say; three shillings
and sixpence on the pound sterling。〃 … (〃Travels in the South of
France; 1807 and 1808;〃 by Lieutenant…Colonel Pinkney; citizen of the
United States; p。162。) At Tours a two…story house; with six or eight
windows on the front; a stable; carriagehouse; garden and orchard;
rents at £20 sterling per annum; with the taxes which are from £1;10;
to £2; for the state and about ten shillings for the commune。 …
(〃Notes on a Journey through July; August and September; 1814;〃 by
Morris Birkbeck; p。23。) Near Cosne (Orléanais); an estate of 1;000
acres of tillable land and 500 acres of woods is rented for nine
years; for about 9;000 francs a year; together with the taxes; about
1;600 francs more。 … (Ibid。; p。91。) 〃Visited the Brie。 Well cultivated
on the old system of wheat; oats and fallow。 Average rent 16 francs
the acre with taxes; which are about one…fifth of the rent。〃 …
Roederer; III。; 474 (on the sénatorerie of Caen; Dec。。 1; 1803): 〃The
direct tax is here in very moderate proportion to the income; it being
paid without much inconvenience。 … The travellers above quoted and
many others are unanimous in stating the new prosperity of the
peasant; the cultivation of the entire soil and the abundance and
cheapness of provisions。 (Morris Birkbeck; p。11。) 〃Everybody assures
me that the riches and comfort of the cultivators of the soil have
been doubled since twenty…five years。〃 (Ibid。; p。43; at Tournon…sur…
le…Rh?ne。) 〃I had no conception of a country so entirely cultivated as
we have found from Dieppe to this place。〃 … (Ibid。; P。51;; at
Montpellier。) 〃From Dieppe to this place we have not seen among the
laboring people one such famished; worn…out; wretched figure as may be
met in every parish of England; I had almost said on almost every
farm。 。 。 。 A really rich country; and yet there are few rich
individuals。〃 … Robert; 〃 De l'Influence de la révolution sur la
population; 1802;〃 p。41。 〃Since the Revolution I have noticed in the
little village of Sainte…Tulle that the consumption of meat has
doubled; the peasants who formerly lived on salt pork and ate beef
only at Easter and at Christmas; frequently enjoy a pot…à…feu during
the week; and have given up rye…bread for wheat…bread。〃
'27' The sum of 1 fr。 15 for a day's manual labor is an average;
derived from the statistics furnished by the prefects of the year IX
to the year XIII; especially for Charente; Deux…Sèvres; Meurthe;
Moselle and Doubs。
'28' 〃The Ancient Régime。〃 p。 353。 (Laff。 I。 p。 262)。
'29' Arthur Young; II。; 259。 (Average rate for a day's work throughout
France in 1789。)
'30' About 15 millions out of 26 millions; in the opinion of Mallet…
Dupan and other observers。 … Tow