1 
738 KoRthlbig 
Bat there is another Method of computin-g, which will 
prove more fatisfa6iory than this to the intelligent 
Reader. according to the exa^left Computation, 
contains about a twentieth Part of Europe, and is cer- 
tainly much better peopled than Spain, Italy, Rujfta, 
Sweden or Denmark, but is not near fo populous as 
Holland, England, or fome Parts of Germany. If we 
could depend upon the French Accounts, we iliould 
reckon there are in it twenty Millions of People, but 
it is very certain that they are apt to ftretch in their Com- 
putations, and that according to the eftablifhed Rules of 
political Arithmetick, we cannot affirm the Number of 
its Inhabitants to be above fourteen Millions, and, in my 
own Opinion, even this Calculation is rather too high, 
confidering that according to their own Reckoning, 
the Number of Perfons in Religious Houfes, that is to 
fay, both Men and Women, amount to four hundred 
Thoufand. As to their Secular Clergy, I never faw any 
juft Computation, but I think there cannot be much 
fewer, and if we take in thofe, who from other Confi- 
derations lay themfelves under Obligations of leading 
fingle Lives, the ISTumber will not fall much ffiorc 
of a Milion, which muft be a prodigious Drawback on 
their Increafe as a People. 
This great Country is divided into thirty fix Govern- 
ments, of which that of Paris is efteemed the firft, that 
is to fay, diftinguiffiing it, and the Diftrid dependant 
upon it, from the Ifle of France. It is faid to contain 
fifty One Pariffies, fifty two Monafteries for Men, fe- 
venty eight Convents for Women, fixteen Hofpitals, 
fifty Hotels, five Royal Palaces, fifty Colleges, twelve 
Suburbs, and fix hundred and fifty fix Streets. 2. The 
Ifte of France, which is generally fpeaking a good 
Country and well inhabited. 3. Picardy, a very fine 
Province, yielding Plenty of Corn and Fruits j the Ca- 
pital of which is Amiens. 4. Champagne, famous for 
Corn, Cattle and Wine ; its Capital is Froie. 5. 
Burgundy, a very large, and very fertile Country, its 
Capital Dijon. 6. Dauphine, fomewhat mountainous, 
but generally fpeaking well cultivated, and the Valleys 
very fruitful ; the Capital Grenoble. 7. Provence, 
which though it cannot boaft of producing much Corn 
or Grafs, it is remarkable for its Wines, Oils, Saffron, 
and a great Variety of Fruits ; the Capital is Aix. 8. 
Languedoc, is the largeft and by many accounted the 
beft Province in the Kingdom, producing great Quan- 
tities of Cam, Fruit, and Wine •, the Capital is Fou- 
louze. 9. La Foix, fo called from its Capital, is nei- 
ther large nor Fruitful. 10. Bern and the lower Na- 
varre are accounted but one Province •, the Capital of 
the former is Pau, and of the latter St. John Pie de 
Port. 1 1 . Guiene, is a very fine, and a very rich Pro- 
vince ; the Capital of which h Bourdeaux, 12. Saint- 
onge and I'Angoumois make but one Government, tho’ 
it has two Capitals, viz. Saintes and Angoulefeme. 13. 
The Country of Aunis is very fmall, but very fertile 
and well peopled ; the Capital u Rochelle. 14. Poitou is 
a very large Province, about 180 Miles from Weft to 
Eaft, but not the fineft Country j the Capital isPoiSiiers. 
15. Britanny is very fertile in Corn and Paftures, has in 
it many rich Mines, and is well feated for Trade ; the 
Capital is Rennes. 16. Normandy, which once belong’d 
to us, is one of the faireft and fineft of the French Pro- 
vinces, though it produces no Wines ; the Capital is 
Rouen. 17. Havre de Grace, a very fmall Government, 
taken out of Normandy purely on- the Score of the im- 
portant Port which gives a Name to it, and is its Ca- 
pital. 18. Maine and Perche’, the Capital of the for- 
mer is JSanlz, of the latter Mortagne, paffable Coun- 
tries both, but nothing extraordinary. 19. Orleanois, 
famous for its Wines ; the Capital is Orleans, which 
gives the Title of Duke to the fecond Son of France. 
20. Nivernois, a very fmall Country feated on the 
Loire, and confequently both fruitful and pleafant : 
There are alfo fome Iron Mines in it 5 the Capital is 
Nevers. 21. Bourbonnois, a good Country, which is 
alfo full of Wines, and famous alfo for its Baths near the 
Caftle of Bourbon ; the Capital is Moulins. 22. Lion- 
fiois, a rick and noble Country j its Capital is the fa- 
mous City of Lyons, remarkable on many Accounts, 
H ’ s Fravets Book If ii 
but chiefly for its being the Seat of the Silk Manufac- 
ture. 23. Auvergne, a large Province, in which are 4 ] 
found all the Neceffaries of Life j and the Inhabitants' || 
of which are confidered as the beft Fanners in France ; ' 
the Capital is Clermont. 24. The Limoujin, a barren 
mountainous Country^ the Inhabitants of which how-t 
ever are very induftrioLis ; the Capital is Limoge. 25. 
Marche, a fmall, well watered Country; the Capital j 
of which is Gueret. 26. Berry % it is faid to have the , 
fineft Meadows and Paftures in France ; it produces a 
great deal of Wool, and therefore moft of the Cloth \ 
Manufactures are in this Country. 27. Fouraine, com- |^j 
monly called the Garden of France : Few Provinces \ 
boaft of better, and none has fo little bad Land ; tho i 
Capital of it is Fours. 28. Anjou, a very fine well wa- ^ 
tered Country •, the Capital of which is Anglers. 29. 
The Saumurois, taken out of Anjou, a fmall Country, r 
the Capital of which is Saumur. 30. French Flanders, ^ ; 
the richeft and fineft Province belonging to the French ' 
Crown; the Capital is 31. Dunkirk ihisTov^n. a;' 
and Diftridl makes a Government, ever fince it was fold 
by us in 1662. 32,. Metz Verdun the former is T* 
fituated at the Conflux of the Seille and the Mofelle, and " 
is now one of the ftrongeft Fortreffes in Europe. Ver-- 
dun upon the Meufe is large, populous, and well for- « j 
tified. 33. Foul upon the Mofelle this, with the other ■ ® 
two Cities before mentioned, are commonly ftiled the ' ‘ 
three Bifhopricks, and were taken out of Lorrain be- 
fore the Whole of that Country became a Sacrifice to 
the French Ambition. 34. Alface, a large, fruitful and 
rich Country, torn from the Empire with little or no ; 
Pretence, and kept, as it was got, by Force; its Capital 
Strasbourg. 35. Franche Comte, or, as it is commonly 
called, the County of Burgundy, fruitful inWine, Corn and 
Wood ; another Conqueft without Right ; the Capital of |'5 
which is Bifancon. 36. Roufillon, a mountainous and, 
barren Country, the Capital of which is Perpignan. 
Thefe Governments were thus eftabliflied in 1698. 
by Louis XIV. They have fuffered fome Alteration 
fince, and are liable to the like Changes from the 
Will and Pleafure of the King, who may if he pleafes 
join two of them together, or feparate them if he 
thinks fit. The Reafon we have mentioned them fo 
particularly is, that we may ffiow how they are go- 
verned ; and by that Means how much France is 
changed from what it was, and how effedlually the 
Power of the Crown is eftabliflied. In every Province 
there is a Governor, who is a Perfon of the firft Rank, 
and his Poll is generally for Life ; but as it is fuppofed 
that he cannot always attend the Fundtions of his Of- ' 
fice, the King appoints a Lieutenant General if it be a 
fmall Province, if a large one, two or three, each of 
which has his particular Diftridt, in which his Power is 
independant. Befides thefe Lieutenant Generals, there 
are alfo the King’s Lieutenants, who have fmaller Difi* 
tridls *, and the Governors of Towns are likewife ap- 
pointed by the Crown, and are independant of the 
other Officers. In Places that have Citadels, thofe have 
likewife their Governors independant of the Governor 
of the Town, and by the Help of thefe Checks it is 
impoffible for thofe Difturbances to happen, which were 
fo frequent in every Reign before the laft. Hereto- 
fore it was common for the King to grant the Survi- 
vorfliip of the Government to the Son or next Relation 
of the Governor ; but now another Method is taken, 
for the Father adlually refigns to the Son, who has the 
Title, but the Exercife of the Office is referved to the 
Father by a Brevet, which gives him likewife the Power 
of refuming the Title, if his Son dies before him. The 
Adminiftration of Juftice in the Province is vefted in 
the Parliament to which it belongs, in which the Go- 
vernor has a Seat, which however is a mere Point of 
Honour, and, gives him little or no Power. As this 
creates a new Diftribution of the Kingdom, with ref- 
pedf to Parliaments, fo there is alfo a Third in refe- 
rence to Taxes, by wliich it is diftinguiflied into Gene- 
ralities and Eledlions ; and at the Head of thefe are 
the Intendants. By this Kind of Policy, which was 
invented tiy Richlieu, and perfedted by his Succeffors, 
every Part of the Kingdom is immediately under the 
Power 
