372 



FRANCE. 



inches caliber. The Foudroyant, Devastation, 

 and Caiman have the same thickness of armor, 

 the first two carrying, like the Duperre", four 46- 

 ton guns, besides four of 28 tons, the Devastation 

 being armed in addition with six smaller guns. 

 The Caiman, like the sister ships Indomptable 

 and Terrible, which have 13-inch plates, is 

 armed with two 72-ton guns and four small-bores, 

 the latter carrying also four machine-guns each. 

 The Furieux has 15-inch plates and carries two 

 46-ton and four revolving guns. The Fulminant 

 and Tonnerre, armed with two 28-ton, besides 

 smaller guns, have ll|-inch armor. There 

 were building in 1884 the Formidable and 

 Amiral Baudin, monster ironclads, with armor 

 17 to 21 inches thick, carrying three 100-ton 

 guns each, besides smaller ones; the Requin, a 

 turret-ship with guns mounted en barbette; 

 and, in a less advanced state, 6 other first-class 

 ironclads, besides 2 of the second class and 8 

 armored gunboats, 3 cruisers, 12 torpedo-boats, 

 and other vessels. 



Finances. The revenue from the various 

 sources is given in the budget estimates for 

 1885 as follows : 



The above sum does not include the budget 

 pour ordre, consisting of the expenditures for 

 the special services of the mint, the national 

 printing-office, the Legion of Honor, the ma- 

 rine invalids, and the state railroads. An ex- 

 traordinary budget for public works, war, and 

 marine and colonies was subsequently intro- 

 duced, amounting to 209,994,496 francs, mak- 

 ing the total expenditures 8,861,133,867 francs. 



The revenue and expenditure for the five 

 years preceding were as follow, in francs ; the 

 actual receipts and expenditures being given 

 for the first two years, the provisional returns 

 for the next two, and the revised estimates for 

 1884: 



Revenue. 



18SO 

 1881 



1882. 

 1883, 

 1884. 



8,689,409,791 

 8,654,268,289 

 8,668,853,016 

 8,854,785,178 



Expenditure. 



3,864,577,728 

 8,582,416,878 

 8,684,677.869 

 8,714,478,125 

 8,385,409,496 



The practice of showing a small surplus in 

 the estimates, which turns into a large deficit 

 in the final accounts, has been followed by all 



RECEIPTS. Francs. the Governments of France. In presenting 



V.V.V.::::::::::::::" "SSSSB the supplementary budget the minister said 



Domains and forests, France 58,018,300 that the heavy charge for public works would 



Domains and forests, Algeria 8,022,784 be reduced each year, as it had been in the 



stampr" ! 1 :::::::::::::: W$M$ budgets for ISM and isss. The construction 



Customs . 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 .\\\\" 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 812,148,000 of railroads was severely criticised, and the sug- 



8 8g8jB g estion was made ^ Opposition deputies that 



Tobacco I III 879,051,000 the state lines, which were mismanaged and 



Various indirect taxes ?}'5i!'S22 their patronage abused for political purposes, 



wf n a e r ::::::::i::::::i:::::i::::::. ::::::':::: ISSS should be sold. The war expenditures also 



Posts 188J88/)00 should grow much lighter after the comple- 



2SS?tato't^:::\\\\\'::::::::::::::: 2 8 ffi$2 tion of the military reorganization and the 



Personal property-tax, France 49,945,000 fortifications of the frontier. Ihe detlCltS 



01 IM? from the beginning of the century down to 



^888 issi amounted to 809,214,661 francs; since 



that year and down to 1884 an additional de- 

 Total ordinary revenue 8,048,720,927 fi n ; on/ , v ~f 001 R'7'7 QQn franna hnrl nviepn Tn 



Budget of special receipts 469,746,475 "Ciency of o81, 877,99 francs Had aiisen. 



July, 1885, a bill was passed authorizing the 



TotaL - f 3,518,467,402 issue of 319,000,000 francs in treasury bonds, 



The disbursements under the various heads running thirty years, the proceeds to be ex- 

 are set down as follow : pended on schools and parish roads. 



EXPENDITURES. Fmncs The public debt in 1885 amounted to 19,- 



Public debt and donations 1,825,178,244 656,045,076 francs, consisting of 12,023,256,- 



General service of ministries 20,145,970 -, fifi fror^a of 3 -npr ppnt rpntP fi YSQ T8^ 75B 



Collection of taxes, etc 185530288 lb " Irancs IT CM* ri lie, D, <oy, <OO, IOO 



Repayments, etc I ..... II .... 1 1 1 1 .... I2',886,ooo f rancs of new 4 per cent., 831 ,850,755 francs 



$Sp ii'M of old 4i per cent., and 11,152,400 francs of 



Foreign Affairs .' .' .' .' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14 607400 4 per cent, funds. The conversion of 5 per cent. 



Ministry of the interior 66,587,694 ren t e into 44 per cent, rente, effected in July, 



SSE^Sra**^"- ' 14&888 1883, reduced the annualinterest by about 25,: 



Ministry of war 596306.230 000,000 francs. The interest charge in 1885 



OttrtuS&:: ' UlJS&OOO was 706,116,867 francs. Besides the consoli- 



instraction 1 1 1 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 137,548.523 dated funds there is a floating debt, amounting 



.MTnlstryofCommerce ilKs to ^095,733,100 francs on Jan. 1, 1884, and 



Ministry of Agriculture .'.'.".' 4$B28)698 other redeemable obligations, requiring an ex- 



pnK- c wv 8 ' w lna ^ 8ervice 101.867,165 penditure of 404,588,451 francs in 1885, and 



Pubic Works, extraordmary service 35,235,213 i nnuitieg reqilir i ng 166,401,735 francs. The 



BKS^^ffi^: 8 ' 48 ' 544 ' 744 rente was held by nearly 4,100,000 indmduals 



Ministry of Finance 183,424,005 in 1883. 



8S@SS% "SJJfSoo ommeree.-The value of the general imports 



various expenditures.. :::::: ;.::". ::;;;;..:; JuBS in isss was $1,136,133,100, of the special im- 



Total !!.'.....' 8,518^291^219 ports $927,229,900; of the general exports 







