: -. 



CftAJTOB, 



FRANCE. 



1071 



proper defence of tills quarter howerer la not Uie Rhine but tiio 

 Veen* Mountain*) are the fortressea of Haguenau, Stnwbonrg, 

 MkeWadt, and Nonf Brisucti ; Wfort, Bonneon, and the Fort de- 

 1'Kcluse command the approaches from Switzerland : toward* the 

 Alps and the Sardinian frontier are On-noble and Brioncon ; the 

 Pyreoean pi*sai are defended by Perpignan, Bellcgarde, Mont Louis, 

 St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, and Bayonne. lu the interior many of thu 

 town* are strongly fortified, but Part*, with it* continuous wall and 

 detached forts, U the moat important in every point of view. The 

 detached fort* erected in recent time* round Lyon, also render that 

 city a very important military position. The great naval dock- and 

 building-yard* are Bre*t, Toulon, Kochofort, Cherbourg, ami Lorient. 

 Sloop* of war are built al*o at Bayonne, Nantes, and St-Son-an, 

 a suburb of SL-Malo. 



OoftritmaU. The constitutional monarchy and representative 

 gOTemment which had prevailed in France under King Louis Philippe, 

 the head of the younger branch of the Bourbons, were abolished by 

 the republican revolution of 1848. A republic in form, governed by 

 a president and a national assembly, the members of which were 

 elected by ballot, with a suffrage all biit universal, succeeded. 



On December 2, 1S51, Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, president 

 of the republic, issued a decree dissolving the Legislative Assembly, 

 establishing universal suffrage (the assembly had considerably restricted 

 the suffrage), proposing a president for ten years, and a second cham- 

 ber, or senate. On the 20th and 21st of December the French people, 

 by 7.439,216 affirmative votes against 640,737 negative ones, adopted 

 a ' plebiscite,' or decree of the people, maintaining the authority of Lonia 

 Napoleon Bonaparte, and delegating to him the powers' necessary for 

 establishing a constitution on the bases proposed in the above procla- 

 mation. The power thus conferred upon the president resulted iu 

 the important state paper issued January 15, 1852, which contains 

 the constitution under which France has been since governed. 



According to this proclamation the president, while he wisely 

 retained that title, assumed more than royal authority. He is 

 responsible to the people alone, who had elected him, and not to 

 a national assembly : the command of the loud and sea forces, the 

 exclusive initiation of new laws, the right to declare the state of 

 liege, were among his leading attributes. A Seuate was appointed, 

 whose number was not to exceed 150, the members to be named for 

 life by the president, who may also grout thetu salaries. A lower 

 chamber, called the Legislative Body, consists of 261 members, one 

 fur every 35,000 electors, and chosen for ten years by universal 

 suffrage, but without the ballot. The sittings of both chambers to 

 be private ; official reports only of the proceedings to be published. 

 No member of either chamber has the power to originate any law; if 

 amendments are adopted they must be sent to the council of state, 

 and cannot be discussed if not also adopted by this body. The 

 president convokes, adjourns, prorogues, and dissolves the Legislative 

 Body. In case of a dissolution a new one is to be convoked withiu 

 six months. The session of the chambers to lost three months. 



A council of state, composed of 40 or 50 salaried members, nomi- 

 nated and presided over by the president, draws up the projects of 

 all laws. The Senate is not to be transformed into a court of justice. 

 K..r .-rimes against the chief of the state and the public safety a high 

 (a* above explained) is appointed. Ministers cannot be mem- 

 ber* of the legislature. Petition! may be addressed to the Senate, 

 but none to the Legislative Body. The mayors of communes are 

 appointed by the executive. 



In this draught of the constitution the name of republic was 

 retained, and the title of president; but on December 2, 1852, in 

 accordance with a decree of the Senate dated November 7, 1852, and 

 plebiscite carried by 7,839,552 vote* against 254,401, the name of the 

 government was changed, the empire was re-established, and Louis 

 Napoleon Bonaparte became emperor of the French under the title 

 of Napoleon III., the throne being hereditary to his legitimate male 

 descendants, failing which, the succession rests in Prince Jerome 

 Napoleon Bonaparte and hi* direct legitimate descendants in the male 

 line by order of primogeniture. Since the establishment of the 

 empire aome very alight modifications have been made. 



Anwwe, t'spt<kt*re, <*. The general revenue of France is 

 derived from direct and indirect taxes, and from customs ami import 

 duties. The budget of the minister of finance having been vote. I l.y 

 the chamber* the amount of the direct taxes is distributed among the 

 M department* of France according to their extent, industrial pro- 

 gross, population, and presumed degree of prosperity. The prefect, 

 aided by the council-general of each department, allot* to each 

 rlisMOiont it* share of the amount imposed on the whole 

 department; the rab-prefrct, hi concert with the council of 

 flMMliieil, divide* this quota among the cantons and communes ; n<l, 

 finally, the mayor, with the aacwtaoce of the municipal or communal 

 council, a*aigns to each inhabitant the amount he lias to pay. The 

 indirect taxation comprise* tad and a*Me*ed Uxea, tho duties on 

 wines and *piriU, the navigation of river*, tithe of the octroi duties 

 us, licences, itatnps, sale of state property, port-office and mail 

 enricr, import and export duties, profit* from tho tUte forest*, Ac. 



According to the budget for 1864 the total receipU amounted to 

 1,620,639,672 francs; and tho expenee* voted to 1,516,820,450 francs. 

 The expenditure i* thu* distributed > Interest on the public debt, 



896,503,439 francs; expense of the chambers, 36,604,180 francs; 

 credit* to minister*, 756,078,254 franc* ; expense of collecting tuxes, 

 Ac., 151,973,334 franc* ; drawback*, 4c., 86,106,242 francs; extraordi- 

 nary expense* for public works, Ac., 89,560,000 francs. 



The budget for 1855 estimate! the receipt* at 1,566,012,213 francs ; 

 and the expenditure at 1,502,030,308 francs. The expenditure include* 

 the following grant* : 



Ministry of State . . 

 Justice .... 

 Foreign Affairs . 

 Finance . . . 

 Interior . . . 



Marine '. '. '. 



Public Instruction 

 and Public Wor- 

 ship .... 



Agriculture, Com. 

 merer, und Pub- 

 lic Works . . 

 Interest on New Loan 



The total receipt* of customs duties in France were: In 1846, 

 158,958,908 francs; in 1847, 134,117,730 francs; and in 1S4S, the 

 year of the revolution, only 80,448,458 franc*. 



Tho amount of indirect taxes (which supplies a certain test of 

 the condition of the people) iu 1848 was 676,000,000 franas; in 

 1849, 707,407,000 francs. From the lost year they increased to 

 846,000,000 francs in 1853. 



The imports and exports of France hi 1851, 1852, and 1853 were 

 as follows : 



l.M It.lou fr. or 311,650 tc. more than in 1854. 



37,449,360 fr. or 802,600 fr. more than In 1851. 

 9,621,600 fr. or 391,000 fr. more than in 1854. 

 711,964,019 fr. or 20,584,201 fr. more than in 1854. 

 190,991,220 



815,897, 791 (toother, 16,933,145 fr. more than in 

 127,602,402 / 1854. 



65,719,722 fr. or 90,586 fr. more than In 1854. 



156,735,242 fr. or 5,400,000 fr. lew Uun In 1854. 

 15,407,933 fr. 



Imports 

 E* purls 



1851. 



1,157,700,000 fr. 

 1,629,700,000 fr. 



1852. 



1,438,200,000 fr. 

 1,681,500,000 fr. 



185S. 



1,630,000,000 fr. 

 1,866,800,000 fr. 



Totals . 2,787,400,000 fr. 1,119,700,000 fr. 8,497,400,000 fr. 



The ships employed in the import trade in 1853 numbered 20,779, 

 measuring 2,750,699 tons : of these vessels 9210 were French, c:u 

 1,005,688 tons; and 11,509 foreign, carrying l.OSS.Oll tons. The 

 imports by sea were valued at 1,U28,400,000 frolics; by Liu.l, at 

 602,200,000 francs. 



Tho export trade in the same year employed 15,341 ships, measuring 

 1,854,605 tous, and including 0025 French and 8S56 foreign vessels, 

 carrying respectively 790,350 and 1,058,316 tons. 



The total* of. the imports and exports given above, wlicn ' 

 into English pounds sterling, are 111,496,0002., 124,7h> 

 189,896,0002. respectively. This lant sum shows an excess over 

 of 15,108,0002., aud over 1847, the year before the revolut. 

 35,480,000*. 



The tonnage representing the arrivals and departures of 1 

 vessels by sea engaged in the foreign trade amounted to 4,t!n.. 

 or 303,000 tons more than in Ib52, aud 308.0UO tons more than in 

 1847. Froui this, and the preceding paragraph, it appears that v.Uue 

 has increased more than tonnage, showing a great increase in the 

 commerce over tho laud frontiers of France, consequent tin the 

 extension of railway oznmunioatian. 



Of the imports into France in 1853, valued as above (in i 

 money), at 05,224,000?., to the amount of 4.4,120,0002. were for 

 consumption. Of the exports, tin- value of which in pounds sterling 



.(172,0002., 54,620,0002. represent French produce; th 

 exceeding 20,000,0002., shows the importance of thu tr.iii u ti 

 France. 



The principal articles of import and export during the last three 

 years are given in the following table, with thu values of each ill 

 pounds sterling : 



1851. 1852. 1853. 



Imports. Breadstuff! .... 80,000 200,000 3,840,000 



Coal l,IMi,mio 1,520,000 1,1.. 



Iron 2iMi,iioo ,1100 II . 



Cotton 4,l(iii,iiiiti 5,120,000 5,3- 



Raw Silk 3,680,000 5,3Gn 



Wool 1,300,000 2,600,000 l,720,(ilili 



Export". MrcutUtuffn .... S.soo.ooo i>,.',i;ii,omi 1,11, 



facturcs . 0,600,000 o,oo(i,"(iii (!,:.;. 



Kill; manufacture.. . . 8,120,000 



W.Hillra niantiriirlurrj ,'i,iMl,000 5,120,000 5,81 



I.incn manufactures . 1,080,000 I,.'OII,IHIII i,.i. 



W iin 3,200,000 3,400,000 3,0:: 



Gloves and hokicry . 1,480,000 1,4*0,000 1,800,000 



Tho cnn.".' -o on the 1st of January, 1851, 



:Mii..iiul.cd to a total of 6,346,637,360 francs. Deride* this, the float- 

 ing debt, according to a report of tho finance minis!' T, in l-Yln-nary, 

 1868, amounted to 690,000,000 francs : this sum included the <! 

 in savings banks (190,000,000 francs), deposits of commune* an 1 

 public cntablislimrutH, security money of the receivers general of the 

 taxes, 88,000,000 francs deposited by tin' I'MIM I.yon railway com 

 122,000,000 treasury bills and other items. Th. amount, applied as a 

 Kinking fund amounted at the same date to 37,9GO,3<>0 francs. 



Thu consolidated debt has been increased iu consequence of the 



