34* FRANCE. 



lions of people. They also manufacture gloves and stockings from 

 spider-silk. On the other hand, the French woollen cloths and stuffs, 

 more especially at Abbeville, Amiens, and Paris, are said now to be 

 little inferior to those of England, and have greatly injured them, 

 particularly in the Turkish market, assisted by the clandestine im- 

 portation of English and Irish wool, and workmen. 



In manufactures, the French have always been distinguished for 

 their invention, and the English for their superior improvement* 

 Abbeville is famous for cloth, linen, sail-cloth, and soap ; Auvergne 

 for fine thread, lace, stuffs, and paper ; Nismes for fine serges ; 

 Cambray for cambrics ; St. Quentin for lawns ; and Picardy for plate 

 glass. 



Mr. Anderson gives the following account of the trade of France 

 before the revolution : " Her land trade to Switzerland and Italy is 

 by way of Lyons ; to Germany, through Metz and Strasburg ; to the 

 Netherlands, through Lisle ; to Spain (a most profitable one) through 

 Bayonne and Perpignan. As for her naval commerce, her ports in 

 the Channel, and on the Western Ocean, are frequented by all the 

 trading nations in Europe, to the great advantage of France, more 

 especially respecting what is carried on with England, Holland, and 

 Italy. The trade from her Mediterranean ports (more particularly 

 from Marseilles) with Turkey and Africa, has long been very consi- 

 derable. The negro trade from Guinea supplies her sugar colonies, 

 besides the gold, ivory, and drugs, got from thence." 



The exports are wine, vinegar, brandy, oil, silks, satins, likens, 

 woollen, cloth, tapestries, laces, gold and silver embroideries, toys, 

 trinkets, perfumery, paper, prints, books, drugs, dyes, Sec. The im- 

 ports are hardware, earthen-ware, cottons, metals, hemp, flax, silk, 

 wool, horses, East and West India goods, Sec. Before the revolution 

 France employed one million tons of shipping, with near 50,000 sea- 

 men ; the imports were valued at 9,583,333£ the exports at 12,500,000^. 

 and the nation had a balance of trade of more than two million in its 

 favour; but its manufactures have since greatly declined, and its fo- 

 reign commerce was totally annihilated during the last war with 

 England, the superiority of the British navy scarcely suffering a 

 French vessel to appear on the ocean. The restoration of her colo- 

 nies, and her present friendly understanding with England, will no 

 doubt revive the commerce of France. 



Constitution and government. ..France, by the revolution in 

 1789, founded a new constitution, upon the principle that all men are 

 free, and equal in their rights. After the death of the king, in the 

 year 1793, another constitution was framed, and adopted, which was 

 again succeeded by another, usually called the constitution of the 

 third year. By this constitution the government was vested in a di- 

 rectory of five members ; and a legislative body composed of a coun- 

 cil of ancients, of two hundred and fifty members, and a council of 

 five hundred. 



But in Novembei*, 1799, this constitution was likewise overthrown, 

 and a new form of government erected, consisting of what is called 

 a conservative senate of eighty members ; a tribunate of one hun- 

 dred ; a legislative body of three hundred ; and three consuls, nomi- 

 nated for ten years and indefinitely re-eligible. The first consul, 

 which office was held by general Bonaparte, possessed all the real 

 powers of government. Bonaparte soon procured himself to be de- 

 clared consul for life ; and afterwards assumed the title and authority 



