of oivil war in that quarter; but how it was to
be averted was not so apparent, when the Roy-
alists had the majority in the Chamber, and had
proved themselves disposed to support any meas-
ures, however stringent, against the party from
which they had suffered so much. Both parties
thus I'elt that a change was necessary; and both
perceived, that whichever got the command of
the elections would be in a situation to carry
into execution their system of government. The
preparation of a law on the elections, therefore,
was eagerly undertaken by each. M. Vaublanc
was intrusted with it on the part of the govern-
ment, jNI. de Villele undertook it on the part of
the Royalist opposition. The subject became
the object of important debates in the Chamber,
fthich throw much light both on the state and
'Can. iv. 114 views of parties at the time, and
117; Lam. vi. the working of the new reprcscnt-
flli^S. ative system in France.'
"The situation of elector," said M. de Van-
Ill, blanc, " having become a species of
M. Vaublanc's fixed function, it has been found ne-
arKuir.erit in cessary in later tin;es to balance, bv
(avor of the / ,. . ■ ,, "
ministerial 3-1 cxtraorduiary measure, the inlui-
projec.t on the encc of some men, of whose princi-
elcciionH. p)(,g j.qq were not secure. But
that expedient, to which the king is entitled to
have recourse, ceasing with the circumstances
which produced it, it has become necessary to
recur to a fixed and stable law. Experience
has proved that the electoral power was subject
to grave inconveniences when all its exercises
were not regulated. Formerly there were three
steps — the Primary Assemblies, the Colleges of
Arrondisscments, and the Electoral Colleges of
De|)artmcnts. We intend to abolish entirely
the I'rimary Assemblies, whi(;h are liaitle to be
troubled by tumult and discord. It has been
proposed to establish a .system which has only
one »lep, wh'cb wa.9 quite simple — n 'mely, that
the Colleges of Arrondisscments, composed of
citizens who pay each 300 iVancs of direct taxes.
shflU name the deputies. That system is plau-
sible, but, when examined in detail, it will be
found liable to insuperable objections. In some
arrondisscments the number of citizens who pay
300 francs of direct taxes is not more than twenty
or thirty. The department of the Mouths of
the Rhone, of which Marseilles is the chief place,
would have only three deputies; that of the
Rhone, of which Lyons is the head, only two;
while those of the High and Low Alps would
have six. For these reasons we have rejected
the system of one degree, and are of opinion that
two degrees, wisely combined, would suffice.
We have selected sixty of the principal colleges
of arrondisscments, uniting them with the pres-
idents of the colleges of the first instance, the
procureurs-generaux, the presidents of the tri-
bunals of commerce, the justices of the peace,
the vicars-general and their curates. We must
all agree that it is desirable, when
the primary assemblies meet, that iitf"'^'
their choice should fall on such men.'
" The same principles are applicable to the for-
mation of the electoral colleges of the 112.
departments. We think they should Continued
be formed of the first ministers of religion, with
the addition of sixty of the principal proprietors,
ten of the chief merchants, and also, provided
they implement the conditions required by the
charter, the presidents of councils of the depart-
ments. When you consider this law, let me con-
jure you to reflect on what the interest of the
French monarchy demands. Never, perhaps,
was Assembly called on to decide such great
questions. You are placed between that ancient
monarchy, which has shone so long and with so
brilliant a lustre, and that new monarchy, which
has been inaugurated amidst so many storms,
under the auspices of virtue seated on the throne
Unite these, the past and the futiu-e ages. It is
to you that I address myself — you who have only
witnessed in your childhood the evils produced
by the social overthrow. Prepare the happiness
— prepare for yourself the honor of being able
to say to your descendants. We have
arrested in its march the terrible ]i^''''' *' ''
chariot of the Revolution.'"'
The object and evident tendency of this bill
was to tluow the whole electoral 113.
influence into the hands of the Gov- Project of the
ernment ; and, composed as the Royali-sis.
ministry now was, the Royalists were not pre-
pared to concede to them any such power. The
i'undamental princij)le of their policy was, " that
it is not possible to- arrive at a combination of
popular and aristocratic liberty but in descend-
ing to the lowest step of the social hierarchy,
and awakening its intinuicy with the aristoc
racy." Proceeding on this basis, the Roy-
alists had calculated, with great local kn(\wl-
edge and discrimination, the probable inllucnco
which might be sup|)i)s('d to liccome prevailing
in each dc])artmcnt. Above a mouth had been
passed in these intpiirics, nnd in ])reparing a
measure based upon their results, the object of
which was to secure the influence of the Roy-
alists in the clection.s — to cxcluile c
extreme democrats and the ministerial indiienec.
By this project tiicrc was to be established an
electoral assembly in each canton, composed of
90
lllSTDU Y OF KUROl'E.
[Chap. Ill
all ilomiciloil citizens ^pcl^ 25 ycnis coni])lcfc,
Biul payiiiij r)!) franis of direct taxes tiiiniially.
Tlio cloi-it>riil list. pr('|mi"i'(l by ft commission,
at ilie liouii of whii-li was ilio unilcr-prcroct, was
to bi- piiblislji'il ten days bi'r«iio tlio nu-i'tin
commimiil nssoniblies. The presidonts of col-
leires wore to be nominnteil by the kinii. Tiie
cloeloial oollejies in tiio doiwrtments were not
to be iMuicr ITiO, nor above 300; anil the lists of
these eleeloral collo<^cs were to be formed of all
the citizens of 30 years of a<;e, payiiir; 300 francs
of direct taxes; and if an adequate number
couKl not be trot, the derioicncy was to be sup-
plied by citizens payiii
and 30, or by citizens of 30 years, but not pay-
ing 300 francs. The number of the deputies
was to bo 402, and the lists were to be prepared
by a commission drawn from the fieneral council
of the department, of which the prefect was pres-
ident, which fixed the number of electors in the
department, the list of the persons eligible for
the electoral colleges, and of electors to com-
pose the electors of the department. The pre-
lect was to be ineligible in his department j ihe
1 Moniteur deputies were to be elected for five
Maroij 27. to years, or until the king, before the
30, lblO:Cap. cxpirv of that term, exercised his
iv. 120, 123. • ', ' ,- ,• , ,■ ,'
' nglit ot dissolution.'
These opposite projects were tb.e subject of
114. prolonged discussions in the Cham-
The project of bcr of Deputies during the whole
tlie Royalists of ^March. The parties chose as
IS earned in ., . , .., ', , ■
the D-piities their battle-ground, as usual in
and rejec»»d such cases, the details and separ-
in the Peers- ate points of the two measures;
Apri. i, 1M6. ^^j ^j^^j ^^.,^g jyj^g chiefly to conceal
the real motives which influenced each. These
were, on the part of the ministerialists, the de-
sire to augment as much as possible the influ-
ence of the Crown, by admitting the numerous
employes of administration in numbers to the
right of voting; on the part of the Royalist
opposition, to vest the influence in the small
proprietors and nobles in the provinc(^, whose
interests would lead them permanently to sup-
port the monarchical side, even when, as at pres-
ent, necessity or delusion might cause the Gov-
ernment to incline to the Liberals. The ministry
combated this project with all their power, but
they were defeated by a majority of 48, the num-
bers being ISO to 132. The whole Liberal
party voted with the Government against the
project of the Royalist majority' — so strangely
were parties dislocated in less than a 3'ear af-
2 Lac. ii. 54, ter the Restoration.' The Govern-
55 ; Cap. iv. ment, seeing their project defeated,
120, 146. g^pj j(^g^(- Qj- ^f, inflamed majority
substituted in its stead, had no alternative but
to get it thrown out by the Peers, which was
done accordingly, after keen debates, on April
3, by a majority of 32, the numbers being 89
to 07.
As the popular branch of the legislature was
115. now committed to open war with the
The Budget. Crown, on so important a point as the
representation of the people, ministers began to
suspect that it was impossible for the Govern-
ment to go on ; either they must resign, or a
coup d'elat to alter the composition of the Cham-
ber of Deputies be attempted. The former
would at once have been the course adopted in
England, where the usages of a lepresentaiive
government have come, from long usage, to l«
thoroughly iinderslood ; but the latter was decm-
ctl the most advisable in France, where the na-
tion had been so accustomed to acts of violence
since the commciiceuu'iit of the Revolution, that
all parties had come to regard them as a natural
and unavoidable step in the conduct of alfairs.
But several subjects for discussion remained,
which it was absolutely necessary to bring to a
close before the termination of the session. The
most important of these was the Budget, and
that was a subject beset with dillieuhics, be-
cause the enormous sums due under the treaty
of 20th Nov. LSI.'), rendered heavy taxes or ex-
tensive loans indispensable ; and the impover-
ished state of the nation appeared to render it
equally hopeless to attempt to levy the first, or
to have recourse to the last. After a long pe-
riod, however, and great eiTorts, the diinciillies
were surmounted; and the fact of their being so
is the strongest proof both of the almost inex-
haustible resources of France when enjoying
peace, and the improved credit which its gov-
ernment had obtained from tho re- 1 cap. iv. 190
storation of its legitimate line of 192; Lac. ii.
monarchs.' ■"^'
The budget was based on the following pro.
positions. The receipts of the nine jjg
last months of 1S15 amounted to Ministerial
533,715,940 francs (£21,350,000) ; plan on the
and the expenditure to 637,432,662 subject.
francs (£25,500,000) ; and for the whole year
the receipts were taken at 814,567.000 francs
(£32.000,000) ; and the expenditure at 954, 000,-
000 francs (£37,800,000). The extraordinary
tax of 100,000,000 francs (£4,000,000), laid on
to commute the contributions in kind to the al-
lied troops, was an additional burden to be made
good by certain additional per-centages, to be
levied monthly during the first eight months of
1810. Woods to the extent of 400,000 hectares,
or 600,000 acres, were permitted to be alienat-
ed to meet the exigences of the state. The
receipts of 1816 were taken at 800,000,000
francs (£32,000,000), and the expenditure at the
same sum. The receipts, however, both years,
fell short of what had been calculated, and the
budget, which became the subject of vehement
discussion and debate, both in the Chamber and
in the public journals, was considerably modified
before it was finally passed, on April 24, 1816.
The total receipts of 1815, as actually collected,
were 798,590,000 francs (£31,980,000), and the
expenditure the same ; the income being swell-
ed by a loan of 100,000,000 francs (£4,000,000,-
000), and 54,760,659 levied in anticipation or.
the taxes legally due in 1817. The receipts of
1810 were 895,577.205 francs (£35,800,000), and
the expenditure the same ; but in the former were
included nearly 200,000,000 francs (£8,000,000),
of extra charges, which weighed with excessive
severity on a country already wasted by ene-
mies' contributions, and a harvest uncommonly
scanty and deficient. It is greatly to the honor
of the French government that, when weighed
down by such an unparalleled load 2 Moniteur
of difiiculties, it honorably fulfilled Dec. 24, 1815,
its engagements both to foreign ?o,''„-^I^"' ^^■
states and its own subjects." and chives'^Diplo
not less so to the nation, that matiques, v.
when oppressed by such burdens, 288, 300; Cap
and only beginning to breathe after '^' ^^^' ^"''
1S16.J
HISTORY OF EUROPE.
a war of twenty years' duration, it not only fur-
nished its rulers with the means of niakinir
them good, but established a sinkingr fund of
20.000,000 francs, or £800,000 a year.*
The Government had the utmost ditRculty in
J J, carrying through the budget, so
Proposition of strenuous was the Royalist opposi-
the Chamber tion, and so numerous and harass-
regarding the ji^g jijg amendments they proposed,
e g}- They were obliged to abandon the
project of selling the woods of the state, from
the Royalist opposition. But a variety of other
subjects were at the same time broached in the
Chamber, which convinced Louis XVIII. that
the legislature had become unmanageable, and
that another session could not be ventured upon
without its dissolution. The ideas of the major-
ity wei-e firmly fixed on two objects, alike hos-
tile to the spirit of the Revolution and the pres-
ent frame of government, and these were to
augment the inlluence of the clergy, and to sup-
plant the action of the central government by
local influences in the provinces. There can be
no doubt that these were the only means by
which the course of events which the Revolu-
tion had prepared could havs been arrested;
whether it was possible to introduce them aftet
the entire destruction of the landed proprietors
vi'hich the confiscations of the Convention and
the new law of succession had ellected, an
the concentration of all power in the hands of
the executive at Paris, which had thence nee
essarily resulted, was a dillerent question, upon
which the heated Royalists never bestowed a
thought. Experience has shown that the ob-
ject they followed was a vain illusion, impos-
sible in the existing state of society; but it was
not thought so at the time, and it i Cap. iv. 257
is surprising with what persever- 259;Lac. ii.
ance it was pursued. ' ^^' '^''•
The miserable condition in which the clergy
had been left by the Revolution at- ,,„
tracted, as well it might, the early Amimeiit in
attention of the Chamber. Bereft favor of an en
of all its possessions by the very dowment of
first tyrannical act of the National
Assembly, the once richly-endowed Church oi
France had ever since j)incd in indigence and
obscurity, its clergy not elevated in cii'eumstan.
ces or consideration above the parochial school
* The receipts and expenditure of 1815 and 1S16 stood thus : —
1815.
Receipts.
Direct ta.xes, viz. : —
Land Tax, 172,132,000 j
50 per cent, additional, 86,0fi6,000 j
Personal Tax, 2T.26'.t,000
50 per cent, additional, 13,044,500 j
Doors and Windows, 12,692,000 j
Additional, 1,280,000 j
Patents, 15,410,000 i
Additional, 771,000 I
Francs.
258,198,000
40,933,500
14,161,000
16,187,000
329,409,500
Deduct cost of collection, &c., 9,499,500
320,000,000
Registrations and domains and woods,. .107,763,000
Customs and salt, 70,615,000
Tobacco and wines and spirits, 89,147,000
Lotterj', 7,857,000
Posts 8,830,000
Salt Mines, 2,400,000
Miscellaneous, 8,603,000
Loan, 92,062,000
In advances on 1817, 54,760,000
Total, 798,
EZPENEITURE.
Civil List, 25,
Koyal Family, 8
Peers, 1
Deputies, 2
Justice, 18
Foreign Affairs, 9
Interior, 53
War, 326
39,
1,
Ifi,
98,
8,
10,
<^niitributions to the. Allies, 180,
Navy, .
Police General,
Finance Minister,
Interest of National Debt,.
(Cautionary Interests,
Necotialions, .
Total, 798,590,859
Archives Diplo-nalvjws, v 288,300.
1816.
Receipts.
.172,132,000
. 75,779,980
. 27,289,000
. 12,892,000
. 1,280,000
. 6,446,000
. 15,416,000
. 17,805,000
771,000j
Francs
223,174,000
> 124,496,241
340,618,000
Deducting cost of collection and insolvents,
Registrations and domains and woods,. .168,815,000
Customs and salt, 70,526,000
Additional, 35,000,000
Tobacco and wine and spirits, 95,291 ,000
Lottery,.. ^ 9,171,000
Posts 11 ,798,000
.Salt Mines, 2,778,000
Miscellaneous, 3,371,000
Cautionary, 65,104,000
Tax on salaries, 12,054,000
Relincjuished by King 10,000,000
Do. by Royal Fannly, 1 ,000,000
Loan, 69,763,000
ForestaUed of 1817, 17,998,000
Total, 895,577,205
EXPENDITUUE.
Civil List, 25,000,000
Royal Family 9,()0(),000
Peers, , 2,000,000
Deputies, 700,000
.Justice, 17,580,000
Foreign Affairs, 11,620,000
Interior, 51,400,000
Department Expenses, 23,923,769
War, 218,600,000
Navy, 48,000,000
Police General, 1,000,000
Finance Minister, 15,300,000
Negotiations, 10,442,780
Interest of National Debt, 119,420,000
.Sinking Fund, 20,000,000
(Cautionary Interests, 8,000,000
Treasury Hills, 1,122,000
First War-contribution to Allies, 140,000,000
(Cost of 150,000 men, 138,000,000
Additional cost of Foreigners, 21 ,000.000
Interest on Advances, 6,360,896
Total, 893,577,203
99
IllSTOUY OF KURori:.
[liup. n:
mnstots in tliis rouiitry. Tho nrcliiiisliop of
Paris hail only £000 a year ; llio onliiiary I'isli-
•jps, £-200 ; llie parish priosts iVo n Xl'> to .£50
a year. This stalo of things was strongly and
paihtMii-allv insisted on iu the C'lianiher. '• Tra-
vel,'" said' ,M. Castelhajac and IM. St. CJcry.
" where you will in France, and you will shud-
der at the state of humiliation to which religion
has heen reduced. In many oi' the provinces,
iho temples, livinjj monuments of the faith of
our fathers, are aliandoncil, the hird ol' prey
lias established its abode where was formerly
the tabernacle; and where formerly the holy
strains resounded, is to be heard only the mourn-
ful exclamation of the pious inhabitant of the
iiclds, who iiazes on the ruins, and asks where
is now the abode of the God of his fathers.
This has all arisen from the confiscation of the
properly of the Church, and reiluoinn: its minis-
ters to the condition of salaried dependents on
the state. There is great inconvenience in
lowering the income of ministers of religion, if
you desire to re-establish the influence of mo-
rality and religion. Not to mention the invidi-
ous distinction between their salaries and those
of the civil servants of Government, it is evident
that, in the present state of society, influence
and importance depend on property, so that the
clergy can not resume the consideration which
they ought to possess in society but by becom-
ing proprietary. In principle, in a nation es-
sentially proprietary, the clergy should be in the
same situation.
" In what respect has the spoliation of the
clergy contributed to the well-being
Continued. °^ ^'^'^ people ? The wise administra-
tion of the ecclesiastics difTused ease
and contentment in the lands which belonged to
them ; and never were they wanting to the state
in its necessities. Let us restore to our de-
scendants an institution which was the source
of the happiness of their fathers. The Consti-
tuent Assembly, when it despoiled the clergy,
came under an engagement to provide them
wiih an income from the state of 82,000,000
francs (£3,280,000). What has been done as
regards that engagement, and how has it been
fulfilled? That income is the subject of a sa-
cred promise ; let us do what we can to redeem
it. In many places, possessions, the rents of
capitalists, have been withdrawn from the cupi-
dity of the Revolutionists, and put into the hands
of third parties as trustees. The successive
governments down to the Restoration have era-
ployed fraud, or encouraged informations, to
gain intelligence of these deposits, or get pos-
session of them. Why not address yourselves
to the consciences of the holders of these depos-
its, and encourage their application to the ob-
jects of the trusters, without requiring any ac-
counting for the past ? Without doubt, you
must sustain the public credit, and meet all
public engagements ; but the evils described
must cease if you would reconcile God with the
earth, the Almighty with France. Already the
t'udgment of Heaven appears upon us. What
»ut the consequences of perjury have assembled
us here in the midst of the mutilated remains
of the monarchy ? Is it not religion which fe-
strains perjury? The army has wavered in its
faith; can you therefore be surprised that the
God of batilea has deseri^d •* '-' What has be-
come of the glorious days when your standurdj
left our temiiles to bo carried into our camps,
and returned chargcil with victoric'i to adorn
our altars?' In pursuance of these princi|)les,
it was proposed as a law, " That the bisliops
and curates shall be authorized to receive all
donations of movables, heritages, and rents,
made to them by individuals for the support of
the ministers of religion, its seminaries, or any
other ecclesiastical establishment, and possess
thom. ihcy and their successors, for ever, under
the ohiigation only of applying them to the pur-
poses intended by the donors." In addition to
this, it was proposed by M. Piet to restore
to the clergy all the possessions belonging to
the Church which had not been alienated, and
that the keeping of the parish registers should
be vested in their hands. Finally, a commis-
sion, of which M. Laboire was the i Cap. iv. 260,
organ, reported that an annual in- 200, 2G'J;Lac.
crease of 20,000,000 francs (£800- jJitcVDec'"'
000) should be made from the funds 22, 16I5, Jan.
of Government to the support of 9, ibio, and
the Church.i Feb. 15, 1810.
Although these doctrines pointed not ob
scurely to an intention to resume at jgQ
no distant period the possessions, Answer oftliu
and restore the influence and con- niiiiisters,an(l
sideration of the clerjry, yet they "'^'.'" '^o""'*""
were so strongly rooted in the feel-
ings and wishes of the majority, that it was no
easy matter to combat them. The partisans of
Government, however, adopted the most ellect-
ual means of doing so, which was to appeal to
the selfish passions and fears of human nature,
by identifying such extreme proposals with a
great increase of the public burdens and an
eventual national bankruptcy. " Such a system
of reparation," they exclaimed, "is at variance
with the interest of the state, the public credit,
the engagements of the king, and the liberties
of the people. If we subject ourselves in this
manner to the influence of Rome, we shall find
ourselves constrained to submit to all the en-
croachments and demands of the Papal See.-
Why create a new injustice, when we are strain-
ing every nerve to wipe away the efl'ects of an
old one ? If we consider the new charges which
it is proposed to impose upon France in (avor ot
the clergy, and the enormous burdens fixed upon
it by the Treaty of Paris, the uncertainty of its
revenues, the nullity of its cnedit, what can be
expected as the consequence of such ill-timed
largesses ? — a second bankruptcy — a bankruptcy
under the Bourbons; a bankruptcy which will
svi-allow up the last and only remaining third of
the property of which two-thirds had been de-
stroyed by the Revolution, and which will re-
quire a loan of at least a thousand millions. Shall
the work of religion and bankruptcy be brought
for the first time into so strange and unholy an
alliance?" These considerations staitled the
Assembly; and the Chamber, as a oomproaiise,
adopted the principle which passed inio law, that
the clergy might receive gifts to the Church,
but only to the extent of 1000 francs (£40) year
ly, without the sanction of the king, ^ • . op 4
but above that sum only with the aou^'ilac ii.'
royal authority.* This was but a 44. 40 ; ^iol^i
feeble advantage to be gained ; but teur, March
it was a very important one, as de- \^' '\'?f,'^'l^??
■'. ' , ,,.'.. April I'J iMO
monstrating how the public opinion
MP.)
HISTORY OF EUROPE.
91
".iis liiiinn-; and niinisleis bhowctl their sense of
U by milling 10,000.000 iVancs (.£400.000) a year
to the I'uiid.s of the clergy.
The next and last important subject which oc-
.„, cnpied the attention of the Cham-
Argumont of l>er, before the prcrogation of the
M. Boiiald session was that of Divorce. The
against the deplorable state of general license
law of divorce. • ' i • i u i u i r. i
in which manners had been left by
the Revolution, had long rendered it evident that
some efiicient remedy was required in thi.-s re-