GEN ERAL HISTORY 



165 



clesof which it consisted, and ex- 

 plaining the new financial system, 

 as had been done by the minister 

 of finance in the Chamber of De- 

 puties. For the purpose of prov- 

 ing the comparative lightness of 

 the burden to be borne by the 

 French people, he made the fol- 

 lowing calculation : — According to 

 the last census, the population of 

 France was 28 millions. Dividing 

 equally the annual amount of 

 the taxes, taken at 600 millions, 

 the quota paid by each individual 

 would be somewhat less than 22 

 francs. In England, the produce 

 of the taxes (not including Ire- 

 land) has of late years risen to 60 

 inillions sterling, which sura, di- 

 vided among twelve millions of in- 

 habitants, gives 51. or 120 francs 

 for each individual. The prince 

 then dwelt very forcibly on the ne- 

 cessity of a strict adherence to en- 

 gagements, in order to re-establish 

 the credit of the country ; and al- 

 luded to the advantage in this re- 

 spect afforded by the new consti- 

 tution, in terms which, from the 

 first minister of state, may be re- 

 garded as a pledge of the sincerity 

 ■of the crown in accepting it. *' It 

 must be acknowledged (said he) 

 'that the government in France has 

 derived very little power from fi- 

 delity to its engagements ; and in 

 this respect we must less accuse 

 men than the nature of things : 

 for the theory of a regular and 

 steady credit cannot be established 

 but under a representative and con- 

 ■ stitutional government, such as 

 that which the munificence of the 

 King has enabled us to enjoy for 

 the first time." 



; Two subjects of importance re- 

 lative to property and finance were 

 introduced to the Chamber of De- 



puties at the sitting of July 27th. 

 The first was in a report from the 

 Committee of Petitions, reciting 

 the substance of a petition deli 

 vered by a certain Dame Mathea, 

 which stated, that she had acquir- 

 ed by purchasing emigrant pro- 

 perty, which she was peaceably en- 

 joying, when two publications ap- 

 peared, one entitled, " A Letter 

 to Louis XVllI. on the Sale of 

 National Property," by M. Falco- 

 net, advocate ; the other entitled, 

 " The Restitution of the Property 

 of Emigrants considered," by M. 

 Dard, advocate; the effects of 

 which were, to excite doubts as to 

 the validity of her purchase; and 

 she therefore prayed the enactment 

 of a law to clear up this uncer- 

 tainty. The member who gave in 

 this report (which was probably a 

 contrivance) made a speech to 

 show the dangers that would accrue 

 from any attempt to infringe the 

 laws which had sanctioned and 

 confirmed the sale of confiscated 

 property; and concluded with 

 moving a resolution to the effect, 

 that the Chamber having heard 

 the report on the petition, and 

 considered the various (re 

 cited) laws by which such sales 

 had been confirmed, had decided 

 that the complaints of the peti- 

 tioner were unfoiinded. This 

 resolution passed unanimously, 

 and the report was ordered to be 

 printed. 



The other matter was the mo- 

 tion of a member relative to the 

 personal debts of the King. The 

 mover, after a reference to the 

 long-rooted attachment of French- 

 men to their kings, and the cir- 

 cumstances which had compelled 

 the present Royal Family to take 

 refuge in a foreign country, and to 



