1069 



FRANCE. 



FRANCE. 



10?0 



dignity ; four were united with others, namely, Aries and Embrun with 

 Aix, Vienne with Lyon, and Narbonne with Toulouse : the additiou of 

 Avignon makes the present number 15. Of the dioceses 49 were sup- 

 pressed at the first revolution'; the remainder, with the new sees of 

 Nancy, St. -Did, and Moulins, make up the present 65 bishoprics. 



In general throughout France a bishop's see is co-extensive with 

 the department in which the town ia from which he takes hid title. 

 In a few cases two departments are united under one bishop, and in 

 four instances (the archdiocese of Reims; the archdiocese of Aix, 

 Aries, and Embrun ; and the bishoprics of Chalons and Marseille) 

 the eee is less thau the department. In the articles on the episcopal 

 towns and the departments of France, the extent of each see is 

 expressly stated. 



We here merely name the dioceses, which, with the arch-see given 

 in italics, are comprised in each of the 15 ecclesiastical provinces of 

 France : 



1. Paris. Chartres, Meaux, Orleans, Blois, and Versailles. 



2. Cambrai. Arras. 



3. Lyon -et- Vienne. Autun, Langres, Dijon, St. -Claude, and 

 Grenoble. 



4. Rouen. Bayeux, Evreux, Sdez, and Coutances. 



5. Sens-et-Avxerrc, Troyes, Nevers, and Moulins. 



C. Reims. Soissons, Chalons, Beauvuis, and Amiens. 



7. Tours. Le-Mans, Angers, Renues, Nantes, Quimper, Vannes, and 

 St.-Brieuc. 



8. Bourges. Clerinout, Limoges, Le-Puy, Tulle, and St.-Flour. 



9. Alby.Rodez, Cahors, Mende, and Perpignan. 



10. Bordeaux. Agen, Angoulcme, Poitiers, Perigueux, La- 

 Rochelle, and Luson. 



11. Auch. Airo, Tarbes, and Bayonne. 



12. Toulouse-et-A'arbonne. Moutauban, Pamiers, and Carcassonne. 



13. Aix, Arlet., et Embrun. Marseille, Frc"jus, Digne, Gap, and 

 Ajaccio. Algdrie forms a bishopric of this province. 



1 4. Betanfon. Strasbourg, Metz, Verdun, Belley, St. -Did, and Nancy. 



15. Avignon. Nirnes, Valence, Viviers, and Montpellier. 



The French Lutherans, who are chiefly resident in Alsace, are under 

 the consistory of Strasbourg. The French Calviuists, a much more 

 important body, have meeting-houses in 51 departments, and are 

 governed by consistories, five forming a synod. 



Judiciary. The administration of justice in France is uniform. 

 As before stated each canton has its justice of peace, who is always 

 a professional man, and has summary jurisdiction in matters of less 

 importance, and all suits must come before him with a view to an 

 amicable settlement if possible ; failing which, they are carried before 

 a higher court. The mayors of communes also -act as inferior 

 magistrates. The large towns are divided into several cantons. In 

 each arrondiasement the tribunal of first instance takes cognisance of 

 civil and police causes, in accordance with the code and the laws of 

 the state ; and 26 high courts, formerly called royal courts (Cours 

 Royales), take cognisance of appeals against the judgments of the 

 tribunals in their respective jurisdictions. Before these courts are 

 tried all offences against the state. In cases of misdemeanour the 

 first jurisdiction rests with the justice of peace, who may send the 

 person or persons charged before the tribunal of first instance, which 

 then acts as a tribunal of correctional police ; from these the accused 

 parties may appeal to the high court. In matters of grave character 

 the criminal is finally brought before the court of assize (the judges 

 in which are one or more members of the high court), where he is 

 tried before a jury of 12, drawn by lot, from a list of the electors of 

 the department in which the assizes are held. Courts of assize are 

 held in the chief towns of the departments three or four times a year. 

 Commercial causes are carried before tribunals of commerce, the 

 judges in which are elected for three years by the leading merchants 

 of the arrondissement, subject to the approval of the central power. 

 In matters that involve amounts exceeding 1500 francs, an appeal 

 lies to the high court of the district. These courts exist with the 

 greatest advantage in nearly all the great commercial and industrial 

 districts of France. Where there are not tribunals of commerce their 

 functions are discharged by the tribunals of first instance. 



In the maritime and manufacturing towns there are besides councils 

 c,f Prud'-Hornmes ('experienced men'), with summary jurisdiction 

 in matters to the amount of 100 francs. If the amount in dispute 

 exceeds 100 francs, an appeal lies to the tribunal of commerce. These 

 councils are composed of master manufacturers and workmen elected 

 annually ; they do not suffer lawyers to plead in their courts : they 

 cit in the evening when the workpeople leave the shops and factories, 

 and take cognisance also of disputes between masters and apprentices, 

 manufacturers and their workmen. The council of Prud'-Hommes is 

 one of the most extensively useful institutions in France : in Lyon 

 alone above 5000 cases are decided annually, appeals are rare, and a 

 reversal of the decree of the council rarer stilL 



Finally, in each military division and naval head-quarters, councils 

 of war and maritime councils are held to decide (subject to a council 

 of revision) upon the offences of soldiers and sailors. 



The high court of appeal from all these courts and tribunals, and 

 for the whole of France, is the 'court of cassation,' which sits in 

 Paris, and the judges of which are appointed from amongst the most 

 diitinguwhed French lawyers. 



A high court of justice chosen from amongst the high magistracy, 

 and having as jury members of the councils-general of all France, 

 takes cognisance of all attempts against the chief of the state and the 

 public safety. 



The following is a list of the high courts, showing the departments 

 within the j urisdiction of each : 



1. Agen. Gers, Lot, and Lot-et-Garoune. 



2. Aix. Basses-Alpes, Bouches-du-Rhoue, and Var. 



3. A miens. Aisne, Oise, and Somme. 



4. Angers. Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, and Sarthe. 



5. Sastia. Corsica. 



6. Sesanron. Doubs, Haute-Saone, and Jura. 



7. Bordeaux. Charente, Dordogne, and Giromle. 



8. Bourges. Cher, Indre, and Nievre. 



9. Caen. Calvados, Manche, and Orne. 



10. Colmar. Bas-Rhm, and Haut-Rhin. 



11. Dijon. Cote-d'Or, Haute-Marne, and Saoue-et-Loire. 



12. Douai. Nord, and Pas-de-Calais. 



13. Grenoble. Drome, Hautes-Alpes, and Isere. 



14. Limoges. Correze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. 



15. Lyon. Ain, Loire, and Rhone. 



16. Metz. Ardennes, and Moselle. 



17. Montpellier. Aude, Aveyron, Hdrault, and Pyrdndes-Orientales. 



18. Nancy. Meurthe, Meuse, and Vosgcs. 



19. Nimes. Ardeche, Gard, Lozere, and Vaucluse. 



20. Orleans. Indre-et-Loire, Loiret, and Loir-et-Cher. 



21. Paris. Aube, Eure-et-Loir, Marne, Seme, Seine-et-Marno 

 Seine-et-Oise, and Youne. 



22. Pan. Basses- Pyrdndes, Hautes-Pyrdndes, and Landes. 



23. Poitiers. Charente-Iufdrieure, Deux-Sevres, Vendde, and Vienne. 



24. Sennes. Cotes-du-Nord, Finistere, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Infd- 

 rieure, and Morbihau. 



25. Riom. Allier, Cantal, Haute-Loire, and Puy-de-D6me. 



26. Rouen. Eure, and Seiue-Iuferieure. 



27. Toulouse. Ariege, Haute-Garonne, Tarn, and Tarn-et-Garonne. 



Military Divisions, <kc. By a decree dated December 26, 1851, 

 France is now divided into 21 Military Divisions, each of which 

 comprises one department or more. They are each named from the 

 chief town, which is the head-quarters of the officer in command of 

 the army corps of the division. These divisions, with the departments 

 included in each, are as follows : 



1. Paris. Seine, Seine-et-Oise, Oise, Seine-et-Marne, Aube, Yonne 

 Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir. 



2. Rouen. Seine-Infdrieure, Eure, Calvados, and Orne. 



3. Lille. Nord, Pas-de-Calais, and Somme. 



4. Ckdlons-fur-Marne. Marne, Aisne, and Ardennes. 



5. Metz. Moselle, Meuse, Meurthe, and Vosges. 



6. Strasbourg. Bas-Rhin, and Haut-Rhin. 



7. Eesanfon. Doubs, Jura, Cotes-d'Or, Haute-Marne, and Haute- 

 Saone. 



8. Lyon. Rhone, Loire, Sa<3ne-et-Loire, Ain, Isere, Hautes-Alpes, 

 Drome, and Ardeche. 



9. Marseille. Bouches-du-Rhone, Var, Basses-Alpes, and Vaucluse. 



10. Montpellier.- Hdrault, Aveyron, Lozere, and Gard. 



11. Perpignan. Pyrdndes-Orientales, Ariege, and Aude. 



12. Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, Taru-et-Garonne, Lot, and Tarn. 



13. Bayonne. Basses-Pyrdndes, Landes, Gers, and Hautes-Pyrdndes. 



14. Bordeaux.- Gironde, Charente-lnfdrieure, Charente, Dordogne, 

 and Lot-et-Garonne. 



15. Nantes. Loire-Infdrieure, Maine-et-Loire, Deux-Sevres, and 

 Vendde. 



16. Rennes. Ille-et-Vilaiue, Morbihan, Finistere, Cotes-du-Nord, 

 Manche, and Mayenne. 



17. Bastia. Corsica. 



18. Tours. Indre-et-Loire, Sarthe, Loir-et-Cher, and Vienne. 



19. P-ourges. Cher, Nievre, Allier, and Indre. 



20. Clermont-Ferrand. Puy-de-D6me, Haute-Loire, and Cautal. 



21. Limoges. Haute-Vienne, Creuse, and Correze. 



For purposes of naval conscription the territory of France is also 

 divided into maritime provinces, of which there are five, named from 

 the great naval harbours of France Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, 

 Roehefort, and Toulon. 



The territory of France is admirably defended by nature against 

 foreign enemies except towards the north-east. The Atlantic coast on 

 the north and west with few harbours of any depth, and those that are 

 deep being difficult of access or strongly defended, warn off the invader 

 by sea. The Pyrenees would be impassable in the face of united 

 France ; the eastern frontier with the wall of the Alps, the Jura, 

 and the Vosges equally so. But towards the north-east, on the Belgian, 

 Prussian, and- Bavarian frontiers, the country has no natural defence. 

 But in this quarter military science has done its utmost in constructing 

 fortresses to command all the loading approaches, and in no country 

 in the world are there so many strongly fortified towns in the same 

 extent of territory. Along this frontier are the fortresses of 

 Dunkerque, Lille, Douai, Cambrai, Valenciennes, Condd, Maubeuge, 

 Avesnes, Rocroy, Givet, Charlfcmont, Mdzieres, Sedau, Thionville, 

 Metz, Bitche, and Weissembourg. Along the Rhenish frontier (the 



