GENERAL HISTORY. 



[fil 



of this paper, interesting not only 

 to France, but to all Europe. How 

 far they operated upon the minds 

 of the majority of the nation, we 

 have no present means to deter- 

 mine. Their importance in the 

 opinion of the chamber of depu- 

 ties was testified by a vote order- 

 ing, that the Re|)ort with its ac- 

 companying documents should be 

 printed, and six copies given to 

 each member. The same expose 

 being laid before the chamber of 

 peers on the 12th, was deliberated 

 upon, and a committee was ap- 

 pointed for drawing up an address 

 to the king on its contents. 



While attempts were thus mak- 

 ing to open the eyes of the nation 

 to the errors and vices of the late 

 government, the expedience of 

 preserving some of its popular 

 institutions, was manifested in a 

 royal ordinance confirming the 

 establishment of the Legion of 

 Honour. In the preamble, this 

 institution is praised as rewarding 

 in a way analogous to the manners 

 of France, every kind of service 

 rendered to the country, and as 

 furnishing the sovereign autho- 

 rity with the power of exerting 

 the noblest influence on the na- 

 tional character. By the articles 

 of this ordinance, the reigning 

 sovereign is declared chief and 

 grand master of the order, and 

 the privileges of its members are 

 preserved, excepting the right of 

 making a part of the electoral 

 colleges. The pensions assigned 

 to each rank in the legion are 

 maintained ; but it is declared, 

 that in future, till otherwise or- 

 dered, nominations and promotions 

 give no right to any pension. The 

 decorations of the order are to 

 iear the head of Henry IV. with 



the motto, " Honour and our 

 Country ;" and the oath to be 

 taken is, " I swear to be faithful 

 to the King, to Honour, and to 

 the Country." 



The opening of the French 

 budget in the Chamber of Deputies 

 on July 22nd, was attended with 

 such an effervescence of public 

 curiosity, that it was found impos- 

 sible to prevent the occupying of 

 the four upper benches assigned 

 to the Deputies, by a crowd of la- 

 dies, foreigners, and persons of 

 distinction ; and this disorder was 

 tolerated, though it is obvious that 

 such a laxity must be fatal to the 

 true dignity and consequence of 

 a popular assembly : but such is 

 the national character ! The Baron 

 Louis, minister of finance, was the 

 person who, accompanied by the 

 Abbe Montesquiou, minister of 

 the interior, and M. Ferrand, mi- 

 nister of state, harangued the as- 

 sembly on this momentous occa- 

 sion. It is not our business to en- 

 ter into the particulars of a French 

 budget, and we shall limit our 

 statement to a few of the most im- 

 portant results of the calculations. 

 The first point to which the atten- 

 tion of the assembly was directed 

 was the expenditure of the year 

 1814. It was laid at the sum of 

 827,415,000 francs, and the 

 amount of the probable means for 

 meeting it being only 520 millions, 

 the deficit incurred would exceed 

 307 millions. The expenditure of 

 1815 was calculated at 618 mil- 

 lions, which was to be provided 

 for by ways and means stated. 

 Among these it is observable, as a 

 proof of the ruin incurred by the 

 foreign commerce of France, that 

 nothing is assigned for the Customs, 

 which, says the minister, " »r« 



