A curious view of the composition of the vast population of France is exhibited in the Duke of Gaëta's Memoires sur le Cadastre, 1818. His Tables present 10,414,121 taxable properties, great and small, forming so many separate items in the accounts (rôles) of the direct tax on real estate for 1815, as follows. 7,897,110 properties, rated at 21 francs a year or un der, producing 47,178,649 francs. (Average 6 fr. for each property.) 704,871 Do. rated 21 to 30 fr. producing 17,632,083) 10,414,121 sum tot. taxed proper- producing 282,935,928 fr. This statement does not give the number of proprietors, many of them holding properties in several communes, and being taxed in each. Mr de Gaeta, however, reckons that there are 4,833,000 individual proprietors; but as many of these are heads of families estimated at 5 persons, he gives 14,479,830 as the amount of the class of proprietors: According to this view, very nearly one half of the population of France belongs to that class. More than three-fourths of these 4,833,000 proprietors, say3,665,300 pay, upon an average, 12 francs yearly 88 tax upon their property or properties, re- 928,000 pay, upon an average, 92,78 fr. representing 212,636 pay, upon an average, 425,4% fr. representing a yearly income of 2127 fr. or 851. Sterling 4,805,936 carried over. fr. 47,178,649 86,043,089 90,411,706 Carry over 223,693,444 4,805,936 Brought over. Brought over 223,633,444 18,848 pay, upon an average, 1468 fr. representing 8,216 pay, upon an average, 3854 fr. represent- 4,833,000 27,653,016 31,649,468 fr. 282,935,928 The Agricultural class in France then consists, of 1,421,000 proprietors and their families, living wholly, or mostly, on the net proceeds of land, with an income of from two to twenty thousand francs a year for each family, (80%. Sterling to 800l. a year.) 13,059,000 proprietors and their families, of the class of peasants, living partly by their labour, with an income of from 64 to 464 francs a year for each family. 4,941,000 agricultural labourers, who are not proprietors. Therefore one half of the population of France is composed of proprietors great or small, and one-sixth of agricultural labourers; and altogether two-thirds are employed in agriculture. In Great Britain, on the other hand, proprietors and farmers together (the latter with us may fairly be rated among proprietors, having a large capital vested in stock and improvements on land) do not appear to amount to more than 2,975,000 individuals, and agricultural labourers to 2,654,142. Altogether not more than one-third of the British population (17,000,000) is concerned in agriculture. * * Colquhoun's Wealth and Power of the British Empire. London, 1814. p. 124. Freeholders of the better sort in Great Britain and Ireland, and their families, 385,000 Carry over 5,629,142 The remaining third of the population of France is composed of 4,309,000 manufacturing and commercial labourers without property; and 5,270,000 merchants, manufacturers, or individuals living on the interest of their capital, the emoluments of liberal professions, public offices, &c. The remaining two-thirds of the population of Great Britain are composed as follows 5,163,389 labouring workmen, employed in trade and manufactures; and 6,207,469 merchants and manufacturers, individuals living on the interest of their capital, professions, public offices, or in any other way not agricultural. In order to render this comparison clearer, we shall reduce the respective numbers to fractional parts of the same denominator (30,000). The proportion of landed proprietors appears from this statement to be nearly three times greater in France, than with us; (most of the French proprietors are labourers likewise); and the number of agricultural labourers also is something greater in France. Upon the whole, there appears to be in England a saving of about one half the labour bestowed upon land in France; and thus, owing to a better system of husbandry, larger farms, and more pastures, we can afford a double proportion of our population for commercial and manufacturing labours, the liberal and the useful arts, and a life of leisure and enjoyment: And yet, if we look to the result of this state of things in the two countries, for the last few years, we shall find no great reason to boast. In France, a whole army of more than 400,000 men was disbanded in 1816; the men originally raised by the conscription were most of them the sons of proprietors; they dispersed in all directions, each of them taking the nearest road to his native cottage; neither robberies nor assassinations took place, and travelling through all parts of the country remained perfectly safe. A general failure of crops occurred immediately after this, and the scarcity amounted almost to a famine. In several departments, this occasioned some trifling disturbances on market days; but the peace of the country was never seriously endangered. All Europe, and even the United States of America, have since experienced unexampled commercial and manufacturing distresses, and France has had her share; yet complaints were comparatively less there than anywhere else, and we have heard of no riots in that country. Taxes are no doubt high-that on land is equal to above one fifth of the net produce, yet they are punctually paid. We annex here an official statement of the number of trials, condemnations and acquittals for the whole kingdom (a population of 29 millions), from 1813 to 1818with which a similar statement, for the same years, in England, forms but a melancholy contrast. |