Si DT {ACES POAT PLE RSS: 
are prefented, they: give only nomi- 
nal eftimates; but itis not with them 
that the public fervice can be main- 
tained.. Whatimports it, in reality, 
that the receipts amount to fifty 
miilions (if you, will) per month, 
if we muft deduét therefrom ten 
thillions’ remitted by orders of dif- 
charge, as many in bons de requifition, 
two millions ea cotte nationale, three 
millions in charges, which are reck- 
oned neither in the accounts of 
receipt nor expediture ; as then 
there: remain only twenty-five at 
difpofal. 
_ Jt has been complained,. that; in 
order to fuftain the public fervice, 
fons have been given, payable out 
of the. contributions to be levied; 
but withregard to fums failed, there 
refulted fome inconveniences. What 
meafure is exempted from: incon- 
venience, when the receipt is below 
the expenditure? The Executive 
Direory has endeavoured to: ftop 
this proceeding, by deciding that, 
in future, no order of payment fhall 
be delivered but ondifpofable funds. 
‘To commence putting this méafure 
in practice, there was of public:trea- 
Mure only 759,970 livres; it was 
neceffary, from the want of docu- 
ments, to confider as already col- 
leéted, all the prefumed. incomes of 
a whole decade. Making a due 
diftribution of this fum, there re- 
mains difpofable for the fervice of 
ten days, after deducting the pay of 
the fubfiftence of the army, the an- 
Duities, penfions, and indemnifica- 
tion of the legiflative body, only 
234,000 livres. ‘That fum being 
evidently infufficient, the commif- 
fioners of the treafury have been 
required to endeavour to procure 
00,000 livres by negotiation ; they 
replied, that they were unable to 
procure it; and if they had not 
295 
been able to announce, at’ ihe fame 
time, that we might calculate on 
400,000 livres, arifng from an an- 
terior operation, we fhiould haye 
found ourfelves under an impotii- 
bility of making fupplies which 
could not be fufpended without 
endangering the public fafety. 
The Executive Directory has often 
already fubmitted to you, Citizens 
Reprefentatives, its obfervations on 
this fubje&ts; it dreads: not making 
known the ftate of the public for- 
tune, becaufe it is convinced of 'the 
poflibility, of recruiting it; fo as to 
re-animate the confidence of good 
citizens, to {trike defpair into our 
internal enemies, to aftonifh our 
external, and finally to demonftrate 
that the revolution has not been 
-made in France to terminate» in 
that ftate of diftrefs which is now 
experienced in that country. 
You will obferve, Citizens Repre- 
fentatives, that we are reduced to 
re-aflefs the- landed. contribution 
which ought to have been leviable 
ten months ago; that the law'which 
was to produce fixty millions by 
the perfonal contribution of the 5th 
year, is not yet made; that ‘ the 
great communes have not:at their 
difpofition the fupplementary means 
which are neceflary for their local 
expences, and that we are under 
the neceflity of remitting to the 
commune of Paris, that it'may pro- 
vide -for -its local expences almoft 
all the taxes of the department of 
the Seine; that the indirect contri- 
butions announced fince the begin- 
ning of the year are not even yet 
put in a train of difcuffion ; thatthe 
amprovements which inay ‘be attain- 
ed from enregiftering ftamps, mort- 
gages, and pofts, are yet, but mere 
projects; that the’ refources which 
may be drawn from mortgaged lands 
T4 and 
