1797. | 
nance, RAMEL, made a report to the 
Direétory on the ttate of the refources 
and revenues of the republic. This re- 
port merits the ferious attention of thofe 
who yet cherifh any hopes of afuccefsful 
‘termination of the prefent conteft, upon 
the fuppofed derangement of the French 
finances. The budget of RAMEL points 
out the means from which the Direétory 
(with the confent of the Council) can 
fupply chat extreme diftrefs which it 
deprecates. The different objeéts which 
it. difplays are great and fubftantial ob- 
jects of acknowledged efficiency: in poli- 
tical economy. It is remarkable that 
hardly any new impofts are: prepoled. 
The want which was held out to view 
evinced only the embarraffment of the 
fteward, not the dilapidation of the 
eftate. For the information of otir read- 
ers, we have feleéted the principal heads 
of..this report, by which they will have 
an adequate idea 
Of the Revenues of the French Republic, 
The Legiflative Body has fixed 
the total amount of direct 
taxes, confifting of land and 
fumptuary taxes, at 309 millions. 
Three additional fous are to be added 
to the land-tax, and five fous to the 
fumptuary tax. 
Regifiration,’meaning the duty — 
“levied upon the transiers of 
real property, produces 
Stamps will, im the courfe of 
the fifth year, produce almott 12 millions. 
They would produce 15 millions, if 
fome difpofitions and regulations were 
made. 
Mortgages, upon an average, 
produce- =e - 
Duties on regifteries, the ad- _ 
minittration of domains has 
adopted a new plan, which, 
60 millions. 
907,090 livres. 
if adopted, will produce 6,000,000 
Licences, in the courie of 
the fitth year, will pro- 
duce about - 18,000,000 
The cuftoms will produce one or two 
millions more than was calculated. Cir- 
cumftances require, that the. laws on 
this fubjeét fhould remain in their pre- 
fent fiate. 
Poftage and pofting, under 
fome regulations, would 
amount to = 
Powder and faltpetre, before 
the revolution, produced 500,000 livres, 
A Jaw has lately; been propofed upon 
this fubjeét, which would increafe the 
revenue. 
Naticnal domains eflimate 
at a revenue of ‘wee 30 millions. 
Rents in kind, and not feudal, r@ millions, 
MonTHiy Mac, Ne. XXI. 
I2 millions. 
State of Public Affairs HE rane “149 
The duty of land-rents in kind, nct 
feudal, may in’creafe the revenues of the | 
republic ro milhons; the price of their 
redemptioh, fays RAMEL, may extingaifh 
100 millions of intereft on the public- 
debt, and produce. x00 millions in dif- 
pofable values. a 
-In the beginning of Auguft, the coune 
cil of five hundred fignined their dif- 
_ pleafure, and even alarms at the marche 
ing of fome treops nearer to Paris than 
the conftitution allowed. ‘They came to 
feyeral retolutions upon this fubje&t, and 
called upon the Diretory for an expla- 
nation. ‘She Dire€tory returaed anfwers 
which the Legiflature deemed unfatil- 
factory ; at length, however, on the ioth 
of Auguit, they fent a meflage to the 
council of five hundred, by which it ap- 
peared, that the marching of the troops 
tco near the capital was entirely owing 
to inadvertence, without the leaf de- 
fign of violating the conftitucion. 
It appeared that general HOCHE had 
fent an order to general RIGHEPAUSSE, 
commanding a divifion from the army of 
the Sambre and Meule to march directly 
towards Breft; and it farther appeared, 
under the hand of general RICHEPAUSSE, 
that bemg totally ignorant of what had 
paffed in detail in Paris, during fome 
years’ abfence with the army, he had di: 
rected them by Ferté-Alais, without 
knowing that’ it was within the conftre 
tutional limits of Paris. The Direétory, 
after exculpating themfelves of this part 
of the chatge brought againft them by 
the legiflarure, next fpeak to the fubjeét 
of the army fending addreffes, They 
had written tothe general in chief, de- 
ploring the circumftances which had in- 
duced the brave republican foluiers to 
commit thofe aéts which he confidered 
irregular, and invited them carefally to 
avoid every thing which might in the 
leaft degree tend tothe infraétion or vio- 
lation of the conftitution. The Direc- 
tory attributed thefe proceedings on the 
part of the defenders of the country, to 
the general alarm and inquietude, which 
for fome months before had taken pof- 
feffion of all perfons—tothe defalcation 
in the revenue, which left all parts of 
the adminiitration in the moft de- 
plorable firuation, and deprived often of 
their pay and fubfiftence the men, 
who for years paft have fhed their blood, 
and facrificed their healths to ferve the 
republic—to the infolence of the emi- 
grants. and the refra¢tory priefts, who, re- 
called and openly favoured, appeared 
every where, kept alive the flame of dif. 
x . cord 

