GENERAL HISTORY. 



[65 



which had so long been suffered 

 to fall into neglect, the King, on 

 October 5th, issued an ordinance, 

 which permitted the archbishops 

 and bishops of the kingdom to 

 establish in each department an 

 ecclesiastical school, the masters 

 and tutors of which they may name, 

 and in which they shall educate 

 3'oung people intended forthe great 

 seminaries. When schools are si- 

 tuated in towns where there is a 

 lyceum or commercial college, the 

 scholars, after two years study, 

 are to take the ecclesiastical habit, 

 and thenceforth are to be excused 

 from attending the lectures of the 

 lyceum or college. When they 

 have finished their course of study, 

 they may present themselves to the 

 examination of the university for 

 the degree of bachelor of letters, 

 which shall be gratuitously confer- 

 red upon them. These ecclesias- 

 tical schools are allowed to receive 

 legacies and donations ; and it can- 

 not be doubted that their institu- 

 tion is an important step towards 

 retrieving the credit and influence 

 of the clerical body in France. 



CountBlacas,mini8teroflheRoyal 

 Household, presented to the Cham- 

 ber of Deputies, on October 26th, 

 the plan of a law relative to the civil 

 list and endowment of the crown, 

 for which the two Chambers had 

 addressed the king. By the first 

 article, the annual sum of 25 mil- 

 lions of francs was appropriated to 

 the civil list, to be paid in twelve 

 equal monthly payments. Then 

 followed a number of articles rela- 

 tive to the public domains or en- 

 dowments of the Crown, the con- 

 servation and administration of its 

 property, the King's private do- 

 mains, and the endowment of the 

 Princes and Princesses of the Royal 



Vol. LVI. 



family. For the latter purpose ttvc 

 annual sUm of eight millions of 

 francs is assigned to serve instead of 

 apanage. This law was adopted in 

 the Chamber of Deputies by n ma- 

 jority of 185 votes to 4. 



The same minister appeared be- 

 fore the Chamber on November 

 29th, to lay before it a statement 

 of the King's debts. Those of his 

 Majesty, and of the Princes of his 

 family, with those left by Louis 

 XVI. amounted to about 30 mil- 

 lions of francs, which he justly said 

 was no great sum, considering the 

 number of years during which the 

 principal and interest had been ac- 

 cumulating. The interest of these 

 debts the King offered to pay pro- 

 visionally out of the civil list, so 

 that no alteration would be required 

 in the budget. The Count then 

 alluding to the law which restored 

 to the companions of the King's 

 exile such of their property as was 

 not alienated, said, that his Ma- 

 jesty only felt the more strongly 

 the obligations which it laid upon 

 him to fulfil towards those who had 

 nothing to expect from the mea- 

 sures to which the legislative body 

 had been obliged to confine itgelf. 

 It belonged therefore to him alone 

 to succour the honourable indi- 

 gence of these persons ; and con- 

 fiding in the co-operation which 

 the generosity of this body pro- 

 mised him, he would endeavour to 

 discharge this debt contracted by 

 misfortune. The Count then read 

 the plan of a law presented to the 

 Chamber in the name of the King. 

 After stating the amount of the 

 debt, it proposed a commission to 

 be appointed by his Majesty to ex- 

 amine the titles of the creditors, 

 according to whose decisions they 

 should be inscribed in the book of 



