530 
Rural Economy of France since 1789. 
sixth, and the nobles, the bourgeois, and the peasants, pretty 
equally divided the other half. 
In 1815, after the Church had been robbed of her property, 
and the greatest portion of the aristocracy's lands had been 
brought under the revolutionary hammer, the territory was 
divided as follows :* — 
21,45G families owning an average of 2200 acres. 
108,645 „ „ 155 „ 
217,817 „ „ 55 „ 
256,533 „ „ 30 „ 
258,452 „ „ 20 „ 
361,711 „ „ 12i „ 
567,687 „ „ 7J „ 
851,280 „ „ 3 „ 
1,101,421 „ „ 1 „ 
In all 3,805,000 proprietors, owning about 111,875,000 acres. 
Since 1815 this minute division seems to have greatly in- 
creased. M. de Lavergne, from a careful examination of the 
Land-tax Schedules, at the present time thus describes the division 
of landed property : — 
50,000 large proprietors owning on an average 750 acres. 
500,000 middle-class proprietors „ 75 „ 
5,000,000 small proprietors „ 7*5 „ 
In all 5,550,000 proprietors for about 112,500,000 acres. This 
extent of cultivated land, as compared with what it was in 1789, 
presents many a cheering sign of progress. 
According to Arthur Young's calculations, slightly modified 
from other sources of information, the land in 1780 was thus 
distributed : — 
Arable land 62,500,000 acre.<!. 
Gardens and orchards 3,750,000 ,, 
Vineyards 3,750,000 „ 
Woods and forests 22,500,000 „ 
Meadows 7,500,000 „ 
Waste lands 25,000,000 „ 
Total 125,000,000 „ 
According to the last official statistics it is now distributed as 
follows : — 
Arable land 65,000,000 acres. 
Gardens and orchards 5,000,000 „ 
Vineyards 5,000,000 „ 
Woods and forests 20,000,000 „ 
Meadows 10,000,000 „ 
Wastelands 20,000,000 „ 
Total 125,000,000 
* M. Rubichon, ' Du Mecanisme de la Societe en France et en Angleterre, ' 
p. 31. 
