98 UNIVERSALITY OF DEGENERATIVE EVOLUTION 



receipt of 1,956,000,000 francs. Later on, in 

 1884-1885, these revenues became rather larger 

 (principally owing to the purchase of the shares 

 in the Suez Canal which had belonged to the 

 Viceroy of Egypt), but the proportion remains 

 the same 22 to 23 millions in a budget of 

 2 milliards 300 millions. We see, then, that in 

 all the financial systems of modern Europe the 

 progressive evolution of the modern system is 

 taking the place of the more or less rapidly- 

 degenerating feudal system. 



2. Modification of similar institutions in different 

 social groups. 



According to the primitive constitution of things, 

 the land occupied by a tribe or clan was regarded 

 as res nullius, and consequently at the free disposal 

 of all the members of the community (the Feld- 

 Walt- und Weidegemeinscliaft of V. Maurer). 



With the increase of population, the value of 

 land rose, and the state of things became modified, 

 the rights of groups and individuals becoming con- 

 solidated and at the same time limited. Then arose 

 gradually or simultaneously the following various 

 forms of landed property : (1) Land held by 

 families ; (2) by villages ; (3) feudal property ; 

 (4) communal or public property ; (5) property 

 belonging to corporations ; (6) private property. 



Family, village, and feudal property represent, 



