, : '■:; -'^ LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 332 B875 . v.l CENTRAL CIRCULATION AND BOOKSTACKS The person borrowing this material is responsible for its renewal or return before the Latest Date stamped below. You may be charged a minimum fee of $75.00 for each non-returned or lost item. Theft, mutilation, or defacement of library materials can be causes for student disciplinary action. All materials owned by the University of Illinois Library are the property of the State of Illinois and ore protected by Article 1 6B of Illinois Criminal Law and Procedure. TO RENEW, CALL (217) 333-8400. University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign '3UN When renewing by phone, write new due date below previous due date. ^ ^ ^"^ L162 STATE OF THE FINANCES oi FRANCE, LAID BEFORE / THE KING, By Mr. NECKER, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF the FINANCES, In the Month of January, 1781. TRANSLATED FROM THE PARIS EDITION Printed by Order of his Most Christian Majesty, LONDON, Printed forG.KEARSLEY,T.BECKET, J.Walter, J.RiDLEY, J. ROBSON, R. FaULDER, J. DUBRETT, J, StOCKDALE, W. Flexney, andT.SEWELL. ^ M DCC LXXXl TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART I. r» Page iyTATE of Finance i — — —.6 On Public Credit — — — 14 Anticipations — — — -— 19 Method of keeping the Booh in the different Departments 21 Difcounting Bank — — — i2 PART II. Bounties^ Croupes, and Penjions — ^-25 The Profit of Financiers reduced -r- r- 29 Treafurers — — — "^ S^ Receivers General — *— — ^4 Receivers General of the Demefnes and Forefls — 36 Pay-maflers of the Rents on the H6tel-de-Ville i— 38" The Colle^ing of all kinds of Duties divided between ihre» Companies — — ,— Ibid. Expences of the King's Houfehold ^- .— 43 The King's Demefnes — — — 45 Forejls — — • ,-*--. 50 The Mint — — — 53 PART III. Comite Contentieux, or Law Committee * — 6a Intendants of the Finances — — — 63 Vingtiemes, or Twentieths — — 64 Land Tax, and the Capitation^ fubjoined to the Land-Tax^ and levied in a like proportion — — -—67 Capitation, or Poll-Tax — -—71 ♦ Thefe Committees correfpond exaftly with thofe of our Houfe of Com- mons : their decifions are framed into a King's Edi^, or Arret> but have 119 relation whatever with the Cmman La'vi, iv TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page Corvees, Average^ or mending the Roadi* — — 7a Provincial Adminijlrationi — — 74 Stamp' Duties — — — 83 Gabclles, or Excife upon Salt — — 84 Traites, or Duties on Exports from Province to Province^ and Peages, or Tolls — — — — — — 91 Aides, or Excife on Liquors — "^93 Parties Cafuclles, or Efcheats — "^94 Mont-de-Piete, & Confignations ; or Public Loans on Dcpofits — — — — 95 Manufaifures — — — 96 IFeights and Meafures — — ~- 99 Grain — - — . — — 100 Main-morte, or Mort-main \ - — 10 1 Hofpitals and Prifons -r — — 1 02 Exaif State of the Receipts carried to the Royal Treafury 107 Ditto of Expences paid by the Royal Treafury — 1 1 2 General Table of the f aid Receipts and Expences — 1 16 Detail of the Reimhurfements included in the State of Expences — — -^ -»- 117 Chart of the Gabelles, Chart of the Traites, • This is a fpecles of Statute-labour, performed by the Country people, wha are compelled to work on the Repair of the Roads, without any recompence, twelve days in the year. ■J- Is the right which a Lord polTefTed, according to the Feudal laws, to fue fi)x, and inherit, the property of his Villain, or Vaffal, when he happened to die without heir direct. SIRE, XlAVING entirely devoted my time, and my abili- ties, to the fervice of your Majefty, fince you have called me to the poll I occupy, it is doubtlefs to me a fource of fupreme complacency, that I have to render to your Majefly a public account of the fuccefs of my labours, and of the adtual ftate of your Finances. But, whatever value a faithful Servant ought to fet on fuch adifclofure of his conduct, I had however renounced this fatisfadion, I had made this one facrifice more, after fo many others, if I had not thought that the opennefs and the authenticityof fuch an account might tend infinitely to pro- mote the welfare of your Majefty's affairs, I do not know, even, whether fuch an inftitution, rendered permanent^ might not be a fource of the greatell advantages. The firil fteps to be taken by aMinifter of the Finances, in the career which he has to run, would be influenced by the obliga- tion he would lie under of bringing into open day-light the whole of his adminiflration. Darknefs and obfcurity .are favourable to indolence : a public difclofure of our condudl, on the other hand, can only become an honour and a recompence to us, in proportion as we have felt the importance of our duties, and have determinately fulfilled them. Such a flatement of accounts mi^ht likewife put every perfon who is concerned in your Majefty's counfels, in a fituation to ftudy and to attend to the ftate of the Finances ; a fpecies of knowledge im- portant in itfelf, and having either conne6lion with, or relation to, all deliberations of moment. A At ^^,,. ._ [ * .] :_ At the fame time, an eye to fuch future account would increafetheindifFerencetothofeobfcurewritings»bywhich attempts arc made to difturb the repofc of a Minifter ; the authors whereof, certain that a man of an elevated foul will not dcfccnd to enter the lifts of competition with them, avail themfelves of his filence, in order by falfe- hoods to ftagger the opinions of others. In fhort— and this is a confidcration worthy of the uioft ferious enquiry— fuch an inftitution might have the greateft influence upon public confidence. Inde'ed, if we fix our attention on the immenfe credit which is enjoyed by England, and which conftitutes at this day her principal force in the war, we (hall not be ha% in attributing it intirely to the nature of her go- vernment ; for, whatever be the authority ot the Monarch of France, as his interefts, rightly underftood, will al- ^ wavs reft upon the bafis of fidelity and juftice, he would find it eafy to extlnguifti the idea, that it is in his power to regulate himfelf on co'ntrary principles: and it is to your Majefty that it belongs, on account both of your charaaer and your virtues, to make this truth experi- mentally felt. But another caufe of the great credit of England, is, indubitably, the public notoriety to which the ftate of her finances is fubmitted. This account is every year prefcnted to Parliament, and afterwards printed ; and the Money-lenders, being thus regularly made acquainted with the proportion maintained between the receipts and dilburfements, are not rendered uneafy by thofc chimerical * A very acrimonious fatirical piece has within a few months paft )iCcn thrown out againft Mr. Neckcr. [ 3 ] chimerical fufpicions and fears which are the infeparablv concomitants of a more difguifed condua. In France the ftate of the Finances has oonftantly been made a matter of myftery ; or, if it was fometlmes fpolceo of, it was in the preambles of Edi&, and always at the mo- ment when there was occaCon to borrow : but thofe .n^nua- tions, too often repeated to be always true, muft necefiar.ly have loft their authority; and experienced men no longer credit them, but under the fecurity (if I "^^^r ^e ?l!owed the expreinon) of the moral charaaer of the Mm.fter of .the Finances. It is of moment to fix this confidence upon a more folid bafis. I agree, that in fome c.rcurn- Ifences, advantages have been derived from drawmg the veil over the ftate of the Finances, in order to obtain, in the midll of diforder, a moderate degree of unmerited credit ; but this tranfitory advantage, though it has kept up a dangerous illufion, and favoured the indifference o Adminiftratlon, has been foon followed by unfuccefsfu operations, the ImpreiTion of which yet remains, and will not in a (hort time be effaced. It is only then at the firft moments of derangement in a "great State, that tne diffufion of light on the fituation of its Finances becomes embarraffing: if the neceffary difclofuro were made pre- wous to the diforder, what fervices might it not effedt ! The Sovereign of fuch a kingdom as France may al- ways, at his pleafure, maintain the balance between his ordinary expences and revenues : the diminution of the former, ever feconded by the public wifli, is in his own hands ; and, when circumftances require it, the augmen- tation of the imports is fubmitted to his power: but the tnoft dangerous, as well as the moft unjuft of all refources, is that of feeking temporary aids in a blind confidence, and en<^aging for loans, without having, either by an A 2 ' augmen- [ 4 3 augmentation of the revenue, or by a retrenchment of expences, provided for the interefts. Such an Adminiftration as fcduces, by procraftinatlng the moment of embarrafTment, only increafes the evil, and makes farther advances in undermining the preci- pice; whilft a different conduct, more fimple, and morfc liberal, would multiply the refources of the Sovereign, and perpetually reftrain him from every fpecies of Tn- Juftice, It argu'es, therefore, great forefight, on the part of your Majefty, that you have permitted a public account of the i^ate of the Finances to be laid before you : and I wifh, for the profperity and the power of the kingdom, that this happy inftitution may not be a tranfitory one. Ah ! what indeed is to be feared from fuch a public account, if, to make it the foundation and fupport of credit, no- thing more is neceffary, than what the fimpleft rules of morality would require of a Sovercign,-to proportion hrs exp'ences to his revenues, and cffeaually to fecure the Lenders, at all times when, under the exigencies of State, recourfe is had to their confidence ? I fiiall divide this account, which Ihave your Majef- ty's permiiTion to lay before you, into Three Parts. TheFirft will concern the aftual ftate of your Finances, and all the operations which relate to the Royal Treafury^ and to Public Credit. The Second will unfold the operations which have united important meafures of Economy with great ad- vantages in Government. In [ 5 ] In the third, I fhall give your Majefty an account of thofe general difpofitions which have had for their objea only the welfare of your People, and the profperity of the State. ^ This divifion intimates, at £rft fight, that there are two principal departments in Adminiftration committed to the hands of the Minifter of the Finances; and un- hapily the principles of thofe two departments, as weJl as the attamments and genius which they require, have no relation one with the other : if, however, they are not both equally -attended to, miftakes and mifcarriages of every kind will become the neceflkry confequence. To little purpofe would a Control er- General con- ceive excellent defigns as a Minifter; he would not re- main long in place, he would find all his good intentions and his talents ufelefs, if in a Miniftry aaive like his, and efpecially in thfe raidft of diiEcult circumftances, he could not by wife combinations, and neceiTary refources, maintain punauality in payment, and give ftabiiity to credit. ^ If, on the contrary, a MInifter of the Finances, pofTef- fing this laft fcience in an eminent degree, was yet remifs in the other, it would be regretted that circumftances had made ,t neceiTary to leave in his hands an Adminiftration, which, whilft it is bufied about the prefent moment, ought never to facrifice thereto the fources of public profperity; and which, whilft it applies itfelf, in the midft of war, to find refources neceflkry to the defence of the State, and to the power of the Sovereign, (hould never neglea the happinefs of his fubjeas, to the fupport of which that power is deftined* PART I 6 1 PARTI. State of the Finances. WHEN your Majefty confided to me the Admini- flration of your Finances, I made it my duty, .n fettmg !X carefully to inveftigate the ftate of the ord.nary re- venues and expences ; and to do this wth P-.fon, -fed „,e no inconfiderable toil. By formmg, what never be ^foreexifted, complete tables, -^ layn^g down the prn ciples requifite to the eafy attainment of every particular r &g the ftate of the Finances, 1 (hall have fa^ed I'fucceffor much trouble. The laft account, fubm.ed ■toyour Majefty's infpeaion by M. de Clugny, announced Vdeficit of twenty-four millions received, on a balance agltft the ordinary expences. This -o"nt^ je-d to me fufceptible of many obfervat.ons, wh.ch I la,d befo e °our Majefty at the time. Thinking .t unnecefTary here Tenter igi into that difcuffion, I fhall dechne part.- culars, in order in the following pages to lay open the prefent ftate of your Finances. It is fufficient to take notice, that a material difference ■between the annual expences and revenues -^ ^ " ^e Leaded with the greateft inconveniences; fmce .t can on V be fupplied by loans, or extraorduury operation, The'>nter.ft of which becomes a daily augmentat,on of the evil. But 1 perceived at the firft glance, that it would be no difficult matter to balance this deficiency between the o finary Txpences anJ receipts, and I had already d.fco- : td wi h pleafure, means, fucceffively to be employed If fe;u" n. a furplus, fuch as might prove the fource of ix S breffings V Majefty wifhed to d.ffufe amongft your people. I could not, however, long Indulge my felf in thefe pleafing expeaations, finding foon after, that the ftate of Politics laid your Majefty under the neceffity of making very great exertions to form a refpeaable Marine; fo that from the beginning of 1777, and even from the end of 1776, it was necelTary to apply to feek extraordinary re- fources, as well for the accomplifhment of that great end, as to prepare confiderable armaments in your ports. Thus the year 1777, with regard to the Royal treafury, was efFeaively aycar of war. I perceived in like manner, fuc- ceffively unfolding itfelf, the urgent neceflity, not only of putting your ordinary expences and revenues on an exad balance,' but, further, of procuring to your Majefty a fur. plus of revenue, in order to eflablifti Funds, dilmcum- bered, for paying the intereft of the Loans which the exigencies of the war rendered indifpenfible. Independent of this talk, fo painful to accomplifh, It was befides neceffary to procure large fums, by engaging the confidence of Monied Men;— to carry this point too, in fpite of the lapfe of public credit, attacked, nay almofi: deftroyed, by the feveral retrenchments both o£ principals and interefts, and by every procraftination of payment, which had been experienced during the peace. Having perceived the two^fold objea which I had to piopofe to myfelf, I prefently fawthat the fame meafures and the fame principles would affift me in attaining it : I accordingly began (if I may be allowed the exprefTion) to hunt out all abufes, and all ufelefs emoluments : I have introduced economy into the more important, and the more minute concerns; I have feconded your Majcfty's gracious difpofition to ufe moderation in the.difpenfation of favors; and in (hort have earneftly applied myfelf to efta^lifh that exaa and pofitive order, which, throwing light on the fituation of affairs, fhews at afl times what it is, and how it may be improved. [ 8 ] It is not pomble to entertain a doubt tharthefe reforms and improvements were the firft refources to be fought after ; and I am firmly of opinion, that never, till thefe ihail have been exhaufted, will a faithful fervant pre- fume to propofe to your Maje% the expedient of new impofts. Be this as it may, the plan which I have juft delineated was likely to meet with various obftacles : the conception ofitwasfimple, but the execution difficult ; for it was neceffary to proceed to great changes, without afFedlina the public opinion; and not to be terrified by a multitude of reclamations, dilated fomctimcs by private intereft, fometimes, with more candour, by attachment to old cuftoms. I inftantly perceived, that the ordinary account of the Finances formerly contained a prodigious accumulation of expences, which were not fixed, but which by daily eafe of accefs, by bounties, donations, and expenfive fcafts, had been annually repeated. The order eflablifned in this re- fpea, is in a great meafure the work of your JVIajefty, whofe turn of mind and found rcafon have exceedingly diminifhed expences of this kind, of which indeed many are totally aboliihed. Your Majcfty has in like manner fupported me in the oppofition I have made to thole multifarious demands of Gratifications, Indemnities, Exchanges, Con; celTions, and- many other modes of encumbering the Roval treafury, whichfacility of accefshadintroduced,lnd which, in the courfe of the three hundred and fixty.five days of which the year confifts, formed, by their regular return, a charge, annually recurring, which was properly placed in the clafs of Ordinary expences* I have, finally, examined the feveral branches of col- leaion, whic}\ are diftributed amongft a great number of Receivers, or Companies, and which the neceffity of immediate [ 9 ] immediate fuppHes, had fucccffively Introduced, not only to the great detriment of the Royal revenues, but alfo at ttie expen-ce of the beft rules of Adminiftration. From this fcrutiny, and from this plan of condudl, haye arifen all the fucceilive reforms, and all the reductions which I have propofed to yoiir Majefty, both in the num- ber of agents, and in the diminution of emoluments. Thefe different and numerous operations have been en^- joined, fome by the Declarations or Arrets of your Ma- jefty's Counfel, the reft by refolutions without formality. I fhall not dwell on thofe which had merely economy for their objeftj but intend to recite, in the coyrfe of this Me.» morial, thofe inftitutions which are of the greateft moment, and of which the utility is conned:ed with the principles of a wife adminiftration. I now haftcn to acquaint your Majefty, that, as well by the refult of my cares, and the various reforms to which your Majefty has confentcd, as by the improvement or tjie natural iucreafe of your revenues, — and, laftly, by the extin6lion of certain Annuities and Reimburfement§, the prefent ftate of your Finances is fuch, that in fpite of the deficit in 1776, in fpite of the exorbitant expences of the war, and in fpitc of the interefts of the Loans contrafted to carry it on, your Majefty's ordinary revenues do, at this jun6lure, exceed the ordinary expeaces, by Ten milr lions two hyndred thoufand Jivres, The more extraprdinary fuch a refult may appear, the more neceflary it is to juftify it, and to render its princi- ples obvious : and this is what I have attempted to do by the account I here prefent to your Majefty, and by the youchers with which it is accompanied. There are two methods of ftating the accounts of the Finances. B The [ 10 ] The one, which at the firft glance might feem prefer- able, would confift In fhewing the totality of the ordinary revenues, and in like manner the totality of the ordinary cxpences ; I mean, fuch as they would be in a ftate of peace : but an account of this kind would be very liable to errors; and the examination of all the articles of which it ftiould be compofed, would be attended with great embarralTmcnt. In fliort, fuch an account ought to con- centrate, under one fuigle denomination, all obje6Vs of any one kind : but, as the payment of them is divided between different treafuries, both at Paris and in the pro- vinces, it would not be poiTible to judge of the exa(Slnefs of the calculations ; at leall, it could not be done without immenfe trouble. . I have thought proper therefore to adopt a clearer and more fimple plan, compofing the chapter of revenues only of all the monies which are carried to the Royal treafury, from the different offices, after dedu<5i:ing the expences in- cumbent on them to pay ; and placing, in like manner, in the column of expences, only thofe articles which are paid by the fame Royal treafury. For inftance, the Twentieths, the Land-tax, and the Ca- pitation-tax, (impofts collected by the Receivers general) amount to about a Hundred and forty-nine millions 5 but by the accounts annually allowed by your Majefty's Coun- cil, the expences payable out of this receipt amount to about Twenty-nine millions : the moft fimple mode then, is to carry to the net difponible revenue, no more than the furplus tranfmiffible to your Royal treafury by the Recei- vers general. What I fay of the revenue produced by the General receipts, is equally applicable to the rent of the General Farm, to the Demefnes, to the Poft-offices, to the Pays d'Etats, &c. Each of thefe important branches confifts alfo [ " ] alfo in an afcertained produce, upon which the annual expences are fettled, and the furplus is remitted to the Royal treafury. With regard to the expences paid by the Royal treafury, as they are compofed chiefly of fixed funis deftined for the feveral departments, or of other objefts eafy to be afcer- tained ; this fecond branch will be alike fhcltered from objection or obfcurity. The account of your Finances, Sire, ftated in thi^ form, prefents to the Royal treafury a receipt of nQ more th^n Two hundred and fixty-four millions, whilft your revenues exceed Four hundred and thirty millions ; but the furplus* is confumed, either in charges allowed upon the General receipts, or in Annuities upon the H6tel-de- Ville, and other obje£ls afligned upon the General farms, f or in expences (the payment of which is indicated) upon the Demefnes, on the produce of the Re^ies,^ on the Impofts of the Pays d'Etats, &c. I will add, that this manner of fl-ating the account of the Finances, approaches nearly to the form adopted in England, where, fetting afide all that part of the revenues which is applied to certain fixed charges, they'prefent only that which is deftined to expences fufceptible of Va- riations. I have * The grcateft part of this furplus is employed in paying ofF the in* terefts ot tornier Loans, &c. f By General Farm^ in France, is underftood, the contrail entered ipto by a numerous Body of Men, for the colleftion of feveral Duties and Taxes ; for the whole of which they engage to pay a fixed Ann for fix years, truftlng to the produce for thejr returns. For the fum ftipulated they give fecurity, each to the amount of about 75,000 li- vres ; and retain the intereft in their own hands at five per cent. § Regie is a term fignifying the colleftion of certain Rights and Dwtles, by perfons who-engage to pay into the Treafury the whole of t'^;e produce, for which they receive a regular falary, and have, be- fides, aneventual intereft in the produce when it exceeds a certain fum. [ t^ ] I have now to intreat your Majefiy, that yoU yr'iU vouchfafe to author! fe me to communicate to fome perfons of your Councils, convened atthejhoufe oftheKeeperof the Seals, or of the Count de Maurepas, all the particulars ad- duced in fupport of the punduality of the account which I fubmit to your Majefty's infpc-£lion : not that I doubt for a moment your Majcfty^s confidence -, or, that I am not equally confcious of deferving it ; but becaufe it iseflen- tiallyneceflaryto the end yourMajeftypurfucs by the publi- cation of this account, that it fhould be attentively exa- mined, (a) I fee with fatisfa6!ion, that fuch a requeft on my part may become the bafis of a permanent good, becaufe I daFC believe, that after a man of my characSter fhall have de- fired fuch an examination, there is no perfon after me who can feel himfelf hurt by a fubmiffton to the fame regula- tion ; and I atn pcpfuaded, that if, ev^ry five years only, a like account were ftated in a manner equally authentic, fuch an inftitution would fuffice to fulfill the important end which your Majefty ought to keep in view. Exclufive of the many particularobfervations annexed to the account of youjT Majefty's Finances,' thete is an effi^ih- tial one to be made : it is, that in the ordinary expences are included Seventeen millions three hundred thoufand livres employed in Reimburfements. What is applied to Reimburfements ought however to be conhdered properly as (a) The publieation of this atcovmt, is, befrJes, the beft proof which coukl be given of the confit.lence entcitainctl of its exaflnefs j for it confifts of i'uch articles only as a very great number of perlbns are in a fuuatioB to form a judgiTient of : J ke Receivers goneral can afcertain. the produce of the Impolls, the Fanners general that of the Farms, the RegiJ/'furs that of the Rf'gi'is, &'c. :md the Miniiters of the feveral dtpartmcnts, the;r firit Cierk.s, tiie Treaiuiers, the Keepers of the Royal trcafiiry, can all ecjiially verify the jaftnefs of almoft all ihe objfiSts of expcr.cc. — .S'ft? ibe Account at- J he end of the Memorial.'— Or'ig. .. C 13 ] as a furplus, as it is the fum in which the ordinary re"-* venue exceeds the ordinary expence ; which overplus is employed for the benefit of the Sovereign, in extinguifhing the capital fums with which he is charged : Thus adding thefe Seventeen millions three hundred thoufand livres of Reimburfements to the Ten millions two hundred thou- fand livres of the furplus which refults from the account of your Majefty's Finances, it may be advanced on a certainty, that at this juncture, your ordinary revenues furpafs your ordinary expences, in the fum of Twenty- feven millions .five hundred thoufand livres* It is further to be obferved, that there is an annual de- creafe of your Majefty's charges, by the extinction of Life annuities, which amount to Fifty millions, and are an abfolute dedu£i:ion from the revenues of your General farms. There are, befides. Twenty-eight millions, in Pen- fions, pafTed amongft the ftanding expences. In a word, your Majefty has not yet attained the ex- tent of favings and improvements, in various ways, which may be fuggefted. There are already feveral more pre- pared in my department, which I fhall fubmit, one after another, to your Majefty's infpe<^ion, (b) In afturing your Majefty that there is abfolutely no Sovereign in Europe who could exhibit a like plropor- ' t'lOJt (if) The augmentation of the revenue, which will refiilt from the Law which has juft appeared concerning the engaged Uemefnes, ' is not included in the prefent itate of the Finances. — ^ Orig. [Engaged Dtmefres are Inch of the King's Eftates, (enjoyed by per- fonal right) as are engaged by him to any of his fubje6ts, whether hy favour, or forfei-vices performed, for annual confiderations, or for fwms advanced, &c. — This engagement expires upon the demife of ths Prince of whom fuch eftates are held, and is renewable only at the option of his Succeflbr.J E 14 ] tioh between His ordinary revenues and eXpehces, I run no rifque : in this view, the finances of England, in parti- cular, are far from being in a fituation to bear the com- parifon. She has not failed indeed to cfl:ablifh new duties to balance the interefts of the new Loans : but it has been.apparent for Ibmetime paft, that the deficit of thofe Impofts, I mean, what they produce lefs than had been calculated upon th^m, is included in the extraerdinaries of the year following; jand this dificity concealed or con- founded in what is at this time improperly called the Sinking fundy is balanced by Loans j fo that the fecurity of the creditors. is really infuffici^nt. . On Pnhlic Credit, IT fhould feem, at firft view, that the confolatory account I have juft fubmitted to your Majefty's infpec- tion, might be fufficifent to remove every idea of ernbar- raflrnent, and to difpofe you to the enjoyment of the moft perfe£l tranq^uillity ; but fuch is the iip portal) ce and the neceility of credit at extraordinary periods, that if this Credit did not exift, if it were even circumfcribetl within too narrow limits, difficulties would arife on all fides, and confufion might fpring up at a time when the Fi- naces appeared in the moft promifing ftate. It is eafily conceived, indeed, that an exa6t balance between the revenues and the expences is all that isnecef- fary to a kingdom enjoying the blefling of peace: fuch a kingdom is not forced to have recourfe to Loans, be- cawfe its revenues are adequate to its necellities j and it might therefore hold public confidence in a degree of indif- ference : but, when it is conftrained by a ftate of war to fjjek extraordinary fuccours, funds iViuft be eftabliftied equivalent thereto s and, circumflanccs being arbitrary, if t ^5 ] if Credit falls, perplexities arife, — orte forced operation leads to others, — the exigences of the moment counter- vail thejuftice of the Sovereign, — government, is difr turbed, — and the efFeds of difcredit may fometimes bear n momentary refemblance, not only to a diford^ed ftate, but even to h total fubverfion, of the Finances. Butif the fupport of Credit is intereftingto the creditors of the State, if it is of confequence to the power of the Sovereign, it is equally dear to thofe who bear the burthen of the taxes, fmce it is' by credit that they are fecured from thofe impofls, too heavy for their ftrength, which neceflity perhaps might fubje<^ them to, and this, unhap- pily, in the midft of circumftances under which there would be the greateft caufe to fpare them, fmce war is in itfelf a kind of impoft, on account of the flagnation of commerce, and the diminution of the demands for the national produce. Your Majefty's kingdom is doubtlcfs, of all the king- doms in Europe, that in which the moft ample means of furnifhing thofe extraordinary and temporary impofls are centered j but even thi^ fuperiority is but a feeble refource, contrafted with thofe which credit and confi- dence afford, when thefe means fubfift in their full vigour. I will obferve further, that when the fituation of the Finances is a matter of profound fecrecy, and a Hundred and fifty millions are to be provided for extraordinary expences, the means, I believe, are not very obvious, of eftablifhing Twenty or Thirty millions of taxes, of the nature of thofe which, terminating with the war, are not applicable to the intereft of the Loans j for thofe temporary levies are not an equipoife to the injury they do to Credit. The Public, for want of information on the fituation of affairs, confider thofe taxes, in fuch a .'cafe. t 16 3 cafe, as a fignal of diftrefs : On the contrary, in pro* portion as this refource lies dormant, and is made as \t were a corps-de~referve^ its extent is unknown, the idea of it is exaggerated, and the minds of the people are lefs difturbed. And it is thus that myftery and fecrecy con- cerning the ftate of the Finances, oblige Government inccffantly to pratSlife upon the imagination, and to place part of its flrength in appearances ; whereas opennefs ^nd candour, in addreflin^ the underftanding alone, give a more faithful and mojre affured fupport to the con- iidence of the public. It is by having conftantly purfued fuch maxims, that England, even at prefent, is able to raife Three hundred millions annually ; and that fhe difplays a degree of exertion, and of power, which is in no proportion with her numerary wealth, and her population. The importance of public Credit, then, has never been evinced in a more ftriking manner than at this day. The introduction of this means of force is not of very greaf antiquity ; and it were perhaps to be wifhed, for the fake of humanity, that it had never been known at all. — It is by this means that Nations have been enabled to bring together, in an inftant, the efforts of feyeral generations ;. it is by this means, that, accumulating ex- penccs, they have carried Armies to the extremities of the globe, and have leant to add to the ordinary and diverfified diftrelTes of war, the rapid devaftation of burn- ing climates. J^e this as it may, this new kind of competition^, thefe new means of predominating, having been once introduced, it is eflential to the power of a Sovereign to acquire them, ?ind to employ them to the beft advantage j in like manner as he is obliged to keep on foot large difciplined Armies, when the Neighbours who furround him, make a like difplay of their military force. [ 17 ] Having then felt all the importance of Credit in France, it was the duty of my ftation to give the greateft attention to it. I could not but perceive, that fince the laft peace, everything has been done that was neceflary to the deftruc- tionof public confidence; although, inthatlong interval of tranquillity, it would have been eafy to efface the remem* brance of the burthenfome operations of the lafl war, and to eflablifli that order and regularity in the Finances, which would haveprocured to your Majefty the means of extraor- dinary power rbut this favorable opportunity has been loft; and the expences having conflantly exceeded the amount of the revenues, it has been neceflary to fupply the defi- ciency by Loans, and immoderate circulations, the weight of which has ultimately brought on all the fufpenfions of payments, and all the redu61:ions of interefls, which hap- pened in 1771. Credit was moreover fo afFe£led by it, that when I entered into office, men of property could j>lace their money at an interefl of Six and two thirds per cent, in Perpetual annuities, as the Contrails upon the Hotel-de-ville, bearing Four per cent, interefl, wq;e worth only Sixty j and it was at this very period, that the war, or the preparations for it, commenced. What difference between this ftate of Credit, and the price of the public funds at the commencement of the preceding war ! Opportunities could fcarcely then be found of placing money at Four and a half per cent. ; and the contrails upon the Polls, which bore only Three per cent, interefl, were up at Eighty: however, in 1.759, three years only after the war, the payment of Refcrip- tions was fufpended, that of Wages v/as flopped, and individuals were induced to carry their plate to the Mint, to be converted into fpecie. » I prefume, therefore, that I may intimate to your Ma- jefly, as a mark of merit, or as an inflance of good fortune, C D that C '8 ] that after fetting out in a fituation very different from that of 1756^ and after four years of either adtual war, or pre- paratives for it. Credit has not fufFcred the lead blemifh, though your Majefty has made a very liberal ufe of it: it may even be faid with truth, that this Credit has, on the contrary, alTumed frefh vigour, as may fenfibly be per- ceived by the price of the public funds. In the month of September, 1776, upon mere political rumours, the old Refcriptions were inftantly lowered to Twenty-three per cent, lofs, and India Actions fell to Sixteen hundred : * whereas, at this inftant, only Seven and a half is loft upon the one, and the other are at Nineteen hundred and forty. It may be farther obferved, that all the Loans made in the midft of this war have been done on much more fa- vourable terms than they ever were during the peace. The Lottery opened two years ago was calculated on the foot of Five per cent, intereft ; and though in 1771, in the bofom of peace. Life annuities were negociated which coft Eleven, Twelve, and even Thirteen per cent, intereft upon one life, your Majefty has hitherto borrowed only at Nine, and at a proportionate intereft on a greater number of lives. But I am of opinion. Sire, that cir- cumftances demand of your wifdom, that the conditions of the next Loan f Ihould be more favourable to the Lenders. On the other hand, I have greatly reduced the price of Anticipations, as I ftiall explain in a feparate article. In * India ^ftions were originally of the value of 2,500 livres j and when the relmburfcment of part of them is made by Lottery, it is done at that rate ; though, when brought into market, they are tranf- ferred at a lower price, according as they fluftuate in value. f The new Loan here fpoken of has already taken place, at Tea per cent, upon one life, and in proportion on a greater number. C 19 ] In (hort, your Majefty has juft engaged for a Loan re- deemable in nine years, which is done at Six per cent. and which has been eafily filled, though in 1757, one year after the war, a Loan of the fame kind was fet on foot, much more advantageous to the Lenders, but which however was never complete. This flattering picture is greatly owing to the order which your Majefty has reftored to your affairs ; for if the happy choice of the moment, the quantum of the Loan, its form more or lefs engaging, are circumftances eflential to the propofed fuccefs, it muft however be confeffed, that in every thing which relates to credit and confidence, the genius of Adminiftration confifts chiefly in wifdom, regularity, and candour. But it is perhaps yet an addi- tional merit, to have a ftrong perception of the effeft of fimple truths, and never to facrifice them to the allure- ment of ingenious conceits, and to the vanity of new fyftems : To adopt economy, therefore, to reform abufes, to improve the revenues, and thus to fecure the interefts of the Loans, without violence, and without new bur- thens to the People — this is what at once conftitutes the fecurity, and engages the confidence, of the Lenders: And your Majefty, having adopted this plan of Admini- ftration in the midft of war, a plan abfolutely the reverfe. of what had been followed during the peace, defervedlyi enjoys, under circumftances fo extremely diflicult, thof« ' advantages of opinion to which this very con^udt en- titles you. Anticipations. Anticipations are a difpofition of your Majefty's revenues, made in advance by the negociation of Re- fpriptions or AflTignments for a longer or fliorter term. Perfons who wifli to place their money only for a time, feek thefe kinds of fecurity; fo that, even in times of C 2 peace. [ ^-o ] peace, it would be of ill confequcnce to fupprefs entircjy this mode of tranfa6ting bufincfs, becaufe perhaps it would keep out of circulation too much of that fpecie which it would be convenient to retain in it : but at the fame time it cannot be denied, that it is a mode of borrowing, which it is both eafy and dangerous to abufe. ^he temptation to extend it, is, that it requires no for- mality, and that it may be conducted with fecrecy. The removal of a prefent embarrailment is the firft motive ; the hope, that at the expiration of the Aflignments deli- vered out, others will be negotiated to replace them, is ian encouragement to proceed ; a circulation too extended takes place; and the fupport of this circulation depend- ing abfolutely on opinion, the Minifter of the Finances, who conceives the. danger of it, lives in a ftate of per-^ petual difquietude. It was in the midft of fuch circumflances that the an- cient power of a Court Banker originated. Chofen as the intermediary of thefe negociations, the firft condition he prefcribed was, that he fhould ftand alone in the di- rection ; and this rule being fubmitted to, he had the power of dilating what others he pleafed ; for thence- forward he held in his hands the moral life of a Con- troler-General. In fhort, if the renewal of the Antici- pations depends, every month, on his confidence or his good-will, the fear of fudden difcredit, with which he is inceffantly threatening the Minifter of the Finances, gives the Court Banker the authority of a Mafter over him. There arc two methods of extirpating the evils I have been defcribing : the one is, to limit the Anticipations to a fum fo moderate, that the Controler-general may fee without concern the temporary diminution of public con- fidence which may fometimes happen ; and then this bu- fmefs may be executed fimply by the Royal treafury: but I "-I ] but when circumftances oblige to give this kind of Loan a greater extent, three or four intermediate perfons muft be employed, in order to avoid the tyranny of one ; but it is necefTary to make choice of Financiers the moft diftin- guillied for their moral character and their capitals. This is the fyftem which I have purfued j and hitherto expe- rience feems to have juftified my theory : for, though the exigencies of the v/ar may have induced me to keep up the Anticipations at a higher fum than I had at firft pro- pofecl to myfelf ; yet, having never pafied certain bounds, and having always kept the Royal treafury difencum- bered, I have rendered thefe fervices a defireable object, and have been able fo to fix the terms of them, that the Loans are furnifhed to your Majefty at only Six per cent, per annum, all expences included 5 a price very different from that of former tirnes ; and I am perfuaded that 1 fhould have kept it at Five and a half, as I had for a long time been enabled to do, if tlie abufe wnich has been made of the Treafurers' Bills* had not given to the 'rate of intcrefl, a fl:ab which it has not been in my^ower entirely to remedy. Rules for Jlating the Accounts. I HAVE already propofed to your Majefty one Regula- tion on this, head, which will procure the means of knowing, with facility, at all times, what were the re- venues and expences, ordinary or extraordinary, of the State, in every year ; an elTential arrangement, but which has never taken place, by reafon of the divifions eftablifhe4 Ih * The many Treafurers employed in the feveral Departments were iifed formerly to iflue their own private Bills for large Turns, for the life of their refpe«5live departments ; and a certain allowance per cent, ■was made to thera for their trouble in putting them in circulation. Thefe Bills, with the Intereft upon the fame, were afterwards paid out of the fums afTigned to each department, and at the difpofal of the Minifter of that department. It is particularly to fuch Bills, in the Marine department, under M. de Sartine, that M. Neckcr here al- ludes. [ " ] in the ilatcmeDt of x^ccounts, and for want of havino- made the Royal trcafury a common centre to which all the radii fhould converge. This regulation, if it meets your Majefty's approba- tion, will be followed by a fecond, which is now in communication, and which farther difclofes the fimple and prudent plan which your Majcfty is fceking to eiiablifh. Difco tin ting Bank. Much has been fliid of the Difcounting Bank : fome- times it has been confidercd as one of the principal re- fources of the Adminiftration of the Finances ; fometimes attempts have been made to av/aken public fears concern- ing its operations : but the moft fuperficial knowledge of this eftablifliment niio-ht have fufliced to fhew how far o the matter has been miflaken in thcfe different con- jedures. The Difcounting Bank is formed of an effedive fund of Twelve Millions, fupplled by the flock-holders; and this fund is employed by their agents, to difcount, at the rate of Four per cent, per annum, Bills of exchange at two or three months date. Such an Intereft, from which many expences, an4 fometimes lofTes, are to be dedu6led, would have been infufficient for the Proprietors ; but they have entertained liopes, that as in the cafe of an ancient Difcounting Bank, eftablifhed by the India Company, their Bills would for mere convenience be taken as cafh, if the payment of them at the moment of exigency were well afcertained ; and as the principal Bankers in Paris, and fome Financiers, are at the head of this eftablifliment, they have had it in their power to give an increafed cir- culation to their Bills, by a reciprocal agreement to take thenij without hefttationj in the refpedive payments which they [ 23 1 they fliould have to make : and, in imitation of their example, others have voluntarily admitted their Bills in circulation, to the amount, nearly, of Twelve Millions. This fum, added to the Twelve Millions of real ftock fupplied by the Proprietors, has doubled the capitals applicable to the Difcounts ; and the produce divided amongft the Proprietors has procured them an intereft of about Six per cent, per annum upon the capital fund they at firft advanced. In this, therefore, confifts the benefit of the Proprie- tors; and this benefit muft vary according as the Dif<* counts are quicker or flower in fuccellion, as lofTes are incurred or avoided, and as the Bills are more or lei's in circulation. As to Government, it muft fee with plea- fure, that the intereft of Bills of exchange has continued at Four per cent, in time of open war ; fmce this is an advantage to Commerce, and an additional means of keeping upon a moderate footing, the intereft of other public Bills in circulation. In (hort, if it be acknowledged, that the money carried about every day, in the ftreets of Paris, from Bank to Bank, is a ftock not abfolutely dead and fruitlefs ; the fupplying, in part, thefe daily transfers by negociablc Bills, is drawing that money from a ftate of inaction ; and un- der this point of view it is a fervice rendered to cir- culation. Nobody however has caufe to complain, fince thefe Bills are only paid to thofe who prefer them, and fince the value of them in cafli may be received at any time; for the capital which they reprefent is always in bank, either in Specie, or in Bills of exchange payable at afliort date, and which may be eafily realized ; and there is al- ways, befides this capital, that of Twelve Millions fur- nifhed by the Proprietors, and that part of the profits which they leave to accumulate. C 24 ] The Dircounting Bank has never been in advance on account of Government : on the contrary, as the Royal treafury has conftantly a capital in Bank, your Majefty has often permitted fome millions to be employed in Bills or Acknov/ledgements from the Difcounting Bank, payable at plcafure, in order to put in circulation part of the dead ftock of the Royal treafury. It is evident, then, that this Bank has not been of any dired utility to the Royal treafury, and that the intereft of the Government in the fuccefs of this eftablifhmcnt, has been no other than the profpcrity of Commerce, the moderation of the intereft of money, and a greater a6livity of circulation. But if it be carrying the matter too far, to fuppofc other advantages in the Difcounting Bank, it is a yet greater miftake to entertain the fears that fome perfons would wifh to excite, v^^ho pretend that an improper ufe might be made of the Bills of this bank, and the public one day conftrained to take them in payment. It is eafy to be perceived, that if ever your Majefty {hould adopt a fyftem fo dangerous and fo fatal to France, and to her credit, as that of the creation of Paper-money, it is not tke adtual cxiftcncc of thefe Banking Bills which would favour fuch an idea : on the contrary, the utility to be drawn from a Difcounting Bank reftrained v/ithin proper 430unds, would be only one more advantage to be facrificed, amongft fo many others, to the falfe conception of Coined Bills ; and it is certainly not the fimple refemblance of two bits of paper, that can confound, in the eyes of men of fenfe, the enormous difference which exifts between a Bank Paper voluntarily received, and reprefenting a real depofit, and a Bill purely fictitious, taken by compulfion. inftead of money. But your Majefty's opinion on this matter, and your perfect juftice, much more than a chain of arguments, ought to remove the fear of ever feeing the rf production of a fyftem of Paper-money, the inefEciencv of which has been fully evinced bv fatal expeiience. [ ^5 3 PART II. What I have faid hitherto concerns only the ftate of the Finances, the royal treafury, and the public credit. I (hall not enter into a detail of favings and reforma- tions which can prove important only from their confe* quences: but it is my duty to lay before your Majefty a circumflantial account of thofe operations, which have not only increafed your royal revenues ; but are intimately connected with the principles of a wife ad- miniftration. Order and ceconomy in general have been productive, in this refpedl, of feveral advantages^ exclufive of an increafeof your Majefty *s revenues : for it is incredible how far, in an extenfive adminiftration, thofe principles militate againft vice and promote mo* rals : becaufe they are awakened by the facility of the various abufes ; and it Is a want of proportion betweert the fervicc« and the rewards that difcou rages real merit, and multiplies the claims of mere pretenders. It muft beconfefied that whllH the love of lucre predominates in every department, the fault is in fome refpecSt charge- able to the heads of adminiftration j for men are open to other encouragements which coft nothing, and are of more real value : The moft commendable ceconomy is to know the art of beftowing them in a proper manner. Bounties f Croupes (a) and P enjions , As I proceed with the account which 1 am to give your Majefty, I cannot help refletSling on the wif- E dom (a) This word means a gratuitous intereft, in any money matter, granted to one whofc llock is merely noir.inaW [ 26 ] dom of your regulation concerning penfions, and ex* prelTmg a wifh that it may be generally and ftri(Sly ob- ferved. Experience has convinced me more and more how ufeful it was to fix one particular time for their being diftributed. By this method the whole amount is at once laid before the Sovereign, who fees the full extent of them, and is thus enabled to compare the de- mands with his means to anfwer the fame. Befides I have obferved that feveral of thofe demands, which derived great weight from the moment in which they were urged, did not make fo forcible an impreffion when their merit had been canvafTed at leifure. Your Majefty has alfo adopted, on this fubjefl, a very ufeful law, by enafting, that all penfions and annual bounties, aligned upon feveral departments, (hould be iflued out of the royal treafury only ; including in one and the fame patent all grants of any denomination whatever beftowed on one fingle perfon, the better to guide your Majefty in dealing juftice impartially, and ordering all fuch penfions to be regiftered in your court or chamber of accounts. Thefe and other precautions recommended by your Majefty will obviate a world of abufes. The various operations, calculated to promote the execution of thofe plans, are now nearly compleated : they have fervcd at the fame time to difcover the extent of annuities, known under the name of penfions, an- nual bounties, falaries continued, fuftenances, and other denominations : even your Majefty was amazed to find that, on this account, your Finances were an- nually charged with near twenty-eight millions of li- ures. I much queftion whether all the Sovereigns in Europe [ 27 ] Europe put together lay out in penlions more than one half of the above fum. Nay fuch kind of charge is unknown to feveral dates: this object, from its extra- vagant increafe, deferves of courfe the moft ferious at- tention. As foon as I am able to afTertaln the exa6t amount of thofe penfions, and clafs them properly, I fhall propofe to your Majefty a law and fome regulations by which a gradual increafe of fuch unheard of charges ~j- may be effected. 1 am confcious that I never was in- ftrumental in increafing them. Having, on the con- trary, withftood, in the beft manner, all demands which were not founded on a previous engagement, or any former and eminent fervices done to the country. Were this latter confideration conftantly attended to, in the diftribution of favours, theexpence could never be great ; or were it fo under fuch reftridions, it would prove a blefling to the ftate : but when penfions are the confe- quence of favour, it is impoflible to fix their limits. There was another fort of bounty which had been (hamefully proftituted ; I mean the intereft in the Fin- ances, a cuftom which had crept in by degrees, owing to fome particular circumftancet. The confufion of ranks occafioned by intermarriages, the rapid progrefs of luxury, the value fet on the gifts of fortune, and above all, cuftom, that great difpofer of all things, had caufed the favours flowing from the throne, to be looked upon as a common refource ; the purchafingof employments, fchemes of marriages and education, lofTcs unforefeen, difappointed hopes, and all other events of that kind were become a fufficient plea to folicit the Sovereign munificence. One would have thought that the Royal Treafury was to conciliate cve;:y thing, remove all difficulties, and make good every £ 2 lofs r 28 ] lofs : and as the refource of penfions, though extended beyond all bounds, could not fuffice to anfwer every pretenfion, or iVtisfy the cravings of (hamelefs cu- pidity ; other means vj^ere devifed, and new ones muft have been daily contrived. Interefts in the (a) Fermes^ or their adminiilration, in the Eiapes^ (b) feveral depart- ments of the Finances, purveyorfhips, bargains of 7^\ kinds, not even excepting the contrails for ferving the hofpitals : all was welcome and reputed worthy the attention even of thofe who, from their fituation in life, were often moil unfit to meddle with fuch affairs. J^xclufive of the above object, intercft was made to ob- tain fome parts of your Majefty's domains 'y(c) exchanges prejudicial to the intercft of the cmwn, a favourable af- felTment of landed eftates infra valorem^ or the grant of fome forefts, which were faid to be abandoned ; next c^me partial payments of arrears on penfions^, the ac-r quital of old debts, fometimes purchafed at a very reduced price, their being admitted into the loans, and fo many other methods pra£lifed, which were the more dangerous, that the Sovereign's confent was deemed unneceflary : fince, under colgur ofjuftice, or of a miniflerial arrange^ ment, the Minifter alorie could determine the matter. Yet it is eafily imagined how far thefe meafures were acceptable, when once admitted. The obfcurity of the tranfadlion pregWded ajl complaints from the public: nay, the (a) The duties, &c are parcelled out, and let upon leafr, under the name of Farrns ; vvhepce the leflees are called Fermiers, or Farmers-General, fh) Military Staples. ( gj Dcmain or DcmefnCj are the King's inh^ritfinc^. [ 29 ] the appearance of mutual conveniency freed the perfon obliged from the bonds of gratitude. To this unfathom- able abufe, therefore, I have thought it my duty^to op- pofe the flrongeft obftacles. The difpofition of your mind makes fuch matters fo eafy to an honeft Minifter, that the only merit I can claim is that of having feconded the intentions of your Majefty. THoe Profit of Financiers reduced. It had been for a long time the inceffant complaint that the Financiers were too many in number, and their emoluments too great. I am at a lofs to account for their conftant triumph over fuch cenfure. The above truth had at one time been overlooked, at another the abufe was countenanced for feme private confideration, and fometimes alfo the minifler, after a ferious attention to this important obje6l, was difljeartened by the many difficulties. Neverthelefs this interefting plan I have Jaid down, prelTed its execution with eagernefs, aijd have carried it, I truft, nearly to its perfection. This was done during the war, hitherto accounted the Financiers harveft; and fuppofed to be an improper time for an un- dertaking of that kind. On the other hand, it was alfo obfcrved that nothing fliould be attempted againft them when peace was reftored, in ordir to find them again at the breaking out of a war: no reformation had taken place, and thefe projeh afTe^tion nor gratitude, but only according as the means are fecure and convenient. I therefore thought that the main point was carefully to ftrengthen the confidence diie to the flatc, and that, by invigorating the body of the tree from whence all the branches derive their fubftance, it would prove the means of introducing, without in- conveniency, all fuch reformations and fupprelfion that might appear evidently ufeful : fince the advantage being obvibus, the eagernefs of the money-lenders would increafe : the event has proved that the idea was not injudicious. Some of the Treafurers, before their number was reduced, and themfelves were made dependant of the Finance, had entered into unlimited engagements. It was in the midft of thefc operations that I propofed a re- formation of infinite advantage to your Majefty*s in- tereft : far from proving an impediment, it has given pew activity to the circulation. The reunion of all the Receivers-General to one fingle adminiftration, and limitting to three companies the' gatherings of all duties, is a matter of great importance, and which had been confidered as teeming with the greateft difficulties. Thefe and feveral other fc hemes have been executed with eafe and pun£tuality. Yet, ac- cording to a long received opinion, to introduce theleaft alteration in the firme gencrah, or even in the forms of the money bills and receipts, was to meddle with the ark of the coyenant, and the attempt could not but fraggcr public confidence. Experience has evinced the falfity of fuch affertions : however, as there is no ancient prejudice, but what has fome kind of foundation, I have efldeavourei to account for it, and this has occurred to me ; When [ 3t 1 When confidence cannot be inforced by reafoningj when owing to the bad ftate of affairs, it is obtained by illufory means, and thus becomes the mere eStc^ of habit ; then the leaft alteration in the very forms muft prove dangerous ; it quickens reflection, and miftruft cnfues : but where affairs are in perfect order, wherp prudence guides adminiftration, and the latter finds its advantage in being watched and having its operations ex- plored : then it ftands in no fear of any bad eft*e(Sl refult- ing from an awakened attention ; nor from the confequence of a narrow inveftigation. Thus whilft a kind of aw^ and ill grounded fears have kept up fo many abufes in the very bofom of peace j it is in the midft of a war, and by giving new life to the national credit, that the greateft alteration in all the departments of the Finances have been effeded by your Majefty. Treafurers. Exclufive of the favings that arife to your Majefly from having reduced the number of Treafurers, and their Exchequer fees \ this operation offers fome adr vantage to adminiftration. In the fiirft place it is of great benefit in general to leffen the number of treafury- boards ; becaufe there is not one but occafions the finkr ing of funds, and this muft of courfe preclude the cir- culation. Befides by multiplying the number of Trea- furers, the rilk, and the neceifuy of infpeftors, muft in- creafe. On the other hand, neither infpe£tion, nor controul can be fufEcient fecurity, when the perfon who is accountable is inclined to abufe his truft, and itudies every art to fecure to himfelf the enjoyment of the public money. In effe£V, a fum given on account of an alignment remaining in the bearej-'s hands, a re- ceipt t 32 ] ccfpt obtained on a fimplc note, &c. from the board, and many other methods are fufficient to miflead the moft vigilant comptroler. It is therefore of the utmoft im- portance that the moral condudl of the truftee be the foundation of public confidence. And as it is ianpofliblc for adminiftration to keep a watchful eye on the private tranfadions of a great number of perfons, it highly concerns the King's intereft that aMinifter of the Finances may have his attention limited to a fmall number of accountables, and thefe be diftinguiflied by their fituation and fortune; fuch as the Keepers of the King's Treafury, one Treafurer for the war department, one for the navy, and one for the King's houfliold. In fine, your Majefty, making the Treafurers de- pendent of the Minifter of Finances, meant to pre- vent their making a bad ufe of their perfonal cre- dit; and in order to do it more effectually, I have jufl propofed that fuch of the Treafurers notes as your Ma- jefty might permit them to negociate, be previoufly checked by the firft clerk of the finances. By thefe means the extent of fuch a circulation will be deter- mined, and it will be in the power of the Minifter of the Financees to keep up that kind of credit, which might be deftroyed by notes of the Treafurer's being given to the contrad fuch a§ required from the heads, or the clerks, the fame kind of knowledge. The profits allowed to the Fermiers have been moder rated, not fo far however, as to damp the fpirit excited by perfonal intereft, which it is important to keep up. I have had the good fortune to meet with the greateft fa- cility in treating of thefe conditions ; and the members of thofe companies, who' being for the beft part highly im- proved by education, are not like former Financiers, readily acceeded to the wife "and prudent meafures which I laid before them in the name of your Majefty. I have [ 40 ] I have alfo taken care, in fettling this matter, to afk ofthemfuch good-will, for the renewal of their leafe, as did not expofe them to any evident ri(k : but, in order that your Majefty fhould lofe nothing by this conven- tion, they are to reckon their right to a {hare in the benefits, from a given fum exceeding by fome millions the price of their leafe. By purfuing this new method, I have freed your Majefty from the neceffity of granting thofe demands which fubjects have a right to make to their fovereign ; when the latter will have them to anfwer at the rifk of their fortune, for events which are beyond their forecaft and influence, ' It is for the like reafons, and in order to fave the heavy charges attending a guaranty j that 1 advifed your Majefty not to rent out the duties of the aides (excife^ &c.) as their produft is fubje6l to great variations ; but to unite this part to fome other of the fame nature, un- ^er the direction of the general adminiftration. The fecurity entered into by private perfons, in mat* ters of public concern^ does not extend to fuch accidents as might endanger their fortune : and of courfe, the chance attending the produce from the duties, can never make it convenient for the Sovereign to give up any important point, with a view of converting probable events into certainties : but the want of fore-fight is the bane of calculations ; and however confiderable the finances intrufted to a Minifter may be, if he limits his attention and folicitude to the month or week ; his fun£lions appear trifling in his eye, and all the fcheme's he purfues build on that narrow principle, Befldes, it can hardly be conceived how detrimental has been a^t all times the want of a certain eafe in the Royal Trea- fury. f 41 3 fury ; afi^ itis unaccountable that it never occurred how eafy it was to procure it in time of peace : fince I have been able, even during the virar, to bring it about. It is by Tuch means that I have fteered clear of the neceility of facrificing to momentary exigencies: whilft it is well known, that formerly for wane of having adopted ex- tenfive and anticipated meafures, that force of circum* ftances Was heavily. f^ltj and a train of expenfive opera-? tions proved the coufequence : for monied people keep a watchful eye over the Exchequer^ and they eafily make their own termsy whenadniipirtration grows neg* leclfulj and is loft to all ordjer and forecaft* ^ It has been rather painful tpme that the circumrtan* ces have prevented the ^educing- of the money advanced by the Farmers-General. But Care has been taken to enable your Majefty, to do it^ by making payable a( pleafure that part of their advance which bears 7 pet* cent, intereft. The fame precautions have been ufed in regard to the adminiftrations j and thofe relmburfements once made good, lam of opinion that the capital required for thofe various places, will not exceed the bounds of reafon. The neceffity of laying dovv'n too exorbitant a.fum of money, may oblige even the rich fubje6l to keep at a diftance, and raife new difficulties at the expiration of a leafe : yet I think that the other extreme fliould be as carefully avoided, and that it is ufeful for the fervice of your Majefty, that thofe departments fliould not fall to t^e fhare of common men : for, whilft the multiplicity of duties, .the intricate mazes of the laws by which they are to be regulated, and the diverfity of local cuftoms, G liiak® [ 4^ ] make the colle£lIng of them in fome refpe^l arbitary : it it is of great importance, that the prudence of the adminiftrator fhould come in fupport of the fpirit of the law. I fhall not run over the other parts of ihe reformations in the Finances, and think it heft to leave afide all thofe which tend to enforce order and ceconomy, without of- fering any new thoughts concerning adminiftration. Amongft the former may be clafTed the altertions that have taken place in regard to the poft-ofRce leafe ; the management of lotteries, the contradors for military ftaples and convoys, with many others. There ftill edified, however, an eflential defe6b of adminiftration, in the terms granted to the contractors for military ft^ples, who were to (hare the benefits proportioned to the amount of the expenditure, the very oppofite to what fhould have been the aim of the Minifter. This is now altered, the croupers are fet afide, and by means of a particular attention payed to that department, there has been made in the very firft year a faving of the greateft importance. The leafe of the falt-pits of Lorrain has alfo been made a private affair, and out of the '35 y^//, allowed to the Farmers -General, nineteen are divided amongft ufe- lefs croupers. This abufe will ;be put to >n end by means of a plan of union and ceconomy which I intend to lay foon before your Majefty. Nay the very O^roys (grants) of Lyons had been put by favour into the hands of contrai^ors, and your Ma« jefty [ 43" ) jefty has juftly fatisfied the claims of the General Hofpital in that city, by granting for its fupport the be- nefits hitherto (hared amongft the croupers. Several ether departments were alfo become obje£ls of liberality and munificence. Your Majefty being informed of it, has remedied the evil. The only de- partment of Finances^ where I could find no abufe of that naturv^, is the gunpowder-Oifice, the terms of which' were fettled by Monfieur Target. When I look back on all'the objects of oeconomy which have engrofled my attention, from tb: Ferme^ OeneraU down to the mcl: trifling expence, I readily confefs that feveral matters muft have efcaped my no- tice, and ftrength failed me in the immenfuy of details : But I have endeavoured to fill with the fame fpirit thofe whom I had chofen to aililc me : their care, zeal, and activity having anfwered my irripulfe, I had nothing more to do than to give the firit motion, for every part of rny department to be thoroughly inveftigated, and pro'* perl'y enquired into. Expences of the Kings Hoiijhold. No fooner had your^Majefty granted me leave than I fet about examining all the reafonable favings that could be propoied to your Majefty in your civil lift: and I foon perceived that the firft ftep to be taken, in order to attain a compleat knowlege of it, was to tem- per the authority given to each particular officer; and that, without diminifhing the fplendor and dignity of their high offices, it waseflential that all money-mattes G 2 fhould [; 44 ] {hould be referred to thq Minifler of your houfhold and the Minifler of ypur Majefty's Finances. The firft thought, thougl) plain and rational, appeared rather bold. 1 don't know whether it created me any enemies; for thofe private conabinations never ftayM my atten- tion. I have alu'ays thought that the only manner iq which your Majefiy (liould be ferved, and the only one alfp- it. becomes me to fijllow, was to mind my duty and fulfil it: that all other method Was unworthy of a man in a high poft, ^"^ beneath' an elev?ited mind'; and as fuch motives have ever influenced my conduct, J have fluttered myfelf that at one time or. other juftice would be done ,to it, and that people v/ould know how to diftinguiih between that plain firmnefs, which leads the fteps of a jVlinifter whenever any good is to be done, from the childifh fpirit of pretenfion whicfi pants after authority, for the' Vain purppfe of difplay- ing it* ' Mean while, after having thrown over the adminiu i(>ration of the Finances a light of which it was dcr prived, for want only of even a fuiHcient power to pror cure information, care was taken to examine that moft effential department of the houfhold, knov/n by the name oi Chamhre des denier s^ (money board) and it foon appeared, that the number of tables, their regulation, '>nd that of the oiHcers and kitchen, were, in every re- '^i^^c\^ a model of ufelefs and intricate expences. A •crowd of officers were at the fame time purveyors, 'peckers- -a'nd guefts ; an extravagant expenditure was -t^econfcquence ; and thence alfo pnoceded a number 'of prFvilcg^s burdenfome to your provinces : but what ^^fidvantage could refult from this knowledge, and from '^'hofe plaiis of refornutioft fo often laid down and re- je<3ed| [ 45 ] jelled, without your Majefty's peculiar notion of ordef and true grandeur ? You have examined all, and feen every thing with your own eyes : you have given your approbation to a fimple and eafy plan, which, without preventing the fervicefrom being done with punctu- ality, without interfering with its external pomp, will fave one half of the expences, and greatly benefit the adminiftration ; by the fuppreffion of privileges and ufelefs employments. In the mean time this plan of reformation was contrived with fufficient attention to extort the applaufe even of the parties concerned, who could not but fubmit to that fpirit of juiftice which ac- tuated your Majefty. There remain ftill feveral articles of expences, relative to your Majejfly's houfliold, which will be laid fuc* cefTivcly before you, that your Majefty may determine what you may think mbft convenient, * T!he Kings Demefnes. - The Ldrdihips and the various Demefnes, which fofr ^merly conftituted th^ principal revenues of the Monarch, fbave been alienated by degrees, and eftranged from the -Crown, by gifts or fales under price ; as alfo by the fel- ling of appennages, prejudicial exchanges, and even •ufurpation : fo that this part of your Majefty's revenues is •now reduced to one million and a half of livres, exclufive of the produce of the Royal Forefts. The recovering of that part of the Pemefnes which had been purchafed, or ceded by favour, has often been propofed as a confiderable refource ; Louis XIV. in -|l)e year 1667,. made ^'law to that purpofej and the ia«>e [ 46 ] fame plan was purfued by your MajefTy's auguft grand- father, in 1719 ; but thefe regulations, as they enforced thedifpofleffingof perfons equally powerful bytheirbirth and intereft, met with obftacles which prevented their beinrr put into execution. It has fince been attempted to reach that end by other means ; but abufes diametri- cally bppofite to the principles of a wife adminiftration, have been the refult. Every fubjea, of any condition whatever, was empowered to require that fuch or fuch Demefne, in the poflTefirion of a mortgpgee,' fhould be put lip to public fale j upon a provifo that the claimant Ihould, at the firft hand, bid a higher price for the fame : but a law by which one fubjefl is entitled to fue ^rmther, to pr>y into his engagements, and infped his rent-rolls, could be complied with only by men whp cared little for the good opinion of the public. The confequence was, that they tj|g?pered with the mort- gagees, offering to drop their claim for a pecuniary con- ftderation. The new adjudications then became illu- five, and it has been proved by experience, that thecon- fequences of fuch inftitutipns were more detrimental than advantageous to the Exchequer. Such a proceeding, wherein government hefitates or dreads to (hew itfclf, appeared to me beneath the dignity of a Sovereign ; it is the p^rt moft worthy of a Prince to explore. in his wifdom what he can and eught to do ; and retain within himfelf the power of execuing fuch plans as may have been approved of by his jufticp.. ; I thought it needlefs alfo to propofe to your Majefly the renewal .of the laws enafted in 1667 and 171,9 ;' for fear of being once more unfuccefsful by having the fameabaacles to encounter: bcfides, juftice would re- . .. ^uire [ 47 1 quire a prompt reimburfement of the monies laid dowti by the mortgagee : and, fuppofmg that it could be done, the mere difpoflelling of the occupiers (a grievous cir- cumftancc for them) could be efFeded only by trufting to the agents of adminiftration the improving of thofc lands, which, in the hands of private perfons who have the intereft of their property at heart, will ever prove more beneficial to the ftate. It was therefore my opinion. That your Majefty ought to give the preference to a plan lefs advantageoufe in appearance, but eafier and more certain in its execu- tion : fuch is the courfe your Majefty has taken, as ap- pears by the ed\£t in council lately publifhed on this matter : you were pleafed to require only of the mort- gagees to give an exad ftate of the Demefnes they are poflefTed of, and alfo of the revenues arifing therefrom* In confequence of fuch information, the Adminiftrators- General of the Demefnes will examine with attention what rent the former may be charged with annually, in order to ftrike a more even balance between your Finan- ces and the produce of your Demefnes. The aforefaid adminiftrators will have it in charge to adjuft the matters amicably with the mortgagees; that equity, more than the rigour of the law may determine the caufe, in cafe any difficulty fhould arife, a cQmmiJfion from your council is appointed to fettle the matter, Neverthelefs your Majefty does not infift on the mort- gagees fubmitting to the award of the commiflioners, if the former fhould think proper to require th^e reim* burfement of the purchafe-money, and give up the mortgaged Demefnes, ^ Thofc [ 48 ] Thofe mortgagees, on the contrary, who will fubmlt to the payment of the rents, at which they may be aflefled, will continue in pofleflion during the reign of your Majefty ; fo as not to be difturbed upon any pre- tenfe what ever : and this quiet pofleflion, in which they are to be maintained, and which may be renewed in all the fuccceding reigns, will prove a frefn en- couragement to agriculture as the mortgagees will then think it their intereft to improve the Demefnes in their pofleflion. People who are converfant in this matter have been of opinion thatj befides an incre»fe of revenue, which mufl: gradually refult from your lafl: Edi6l, the regula- tions therein fet forth would prove of infinite utility, wfere it but to point out the ufurpations, and prevent their future increafe. In efte6t, your Majefl:y enadts that the mortgagees (hall be obliged to make a return once at leaft during your reign of the real ftate of their 'Demefnes: all former laws had ordained fuch an ac- count to be given every five years; but evafions were frequent, and the fupinenefs of adminiftration in this re* fpe6t is one of the principal caufes of the confufion which at this day prevails in a matter fo important to your Royal interefl, and the rights of your crown* There remains a moft ufeful improvement to be made in the Demefnes of your Majefty, great part of which is . Iubje6l to coftly repairs, whilft others are negledled^ And this (hould not be wondered at; for whatever may be the folicitude of thofe, who, by your Majefty, arc appointed to manage this department, it is impoflible for them to equal in a fqu...f, iS Icet to th; pcisiji. it [ S3 J it would, perhaps, be very advantageous for your Ma- jefty to yield them up ; which might be efFc(R:ed by granting leafes, fubjeft to a rent charge, to be paid in grain, requiring, withal, a moderate good-will by way of fecurity, fo as to conciliate the rights of de- meCiie with the fafety of the leafe, the intereft gf your Majefty, and the increafe of national produ6lions. The choice of ways and means, and the inveftigation of tlie necefTary precautions, are infeparable from the very eflence of this plan j fo that my thoughts on this matter cannot be fixed 'till it has been laid before people well verfed in thefe matters. The grand objects of ad- miniftration are made up of fo many confiderations, that partiality to any one particular plan, before its merit has been fufficiently canvaflcd, is the fureft way to be mifled ; whereas nothing is foreign to a man who can but give a fcope to other people's ideas, and rife fuperior to them by a jufl comparifon, which is the true fource of knoifr- Icdge for a man of difcernment. "the Mint. A cuflom, very prejudicial to the interefl: of the Sovereign, has prevailed for a long feries of years, namely, that of giving up, to private perfons, the emokiments arifmg to the King, in France, from the coinage of mo;iey. The benefit is indeed moderate ; but [ 56 ] but it rifes, conf.derably, when applied to a fum total ; as the coinage, in time of peace, amounts to 40 or 50 millions per annum. I know not by what art, feveral perfons, at different times, had found means to perfuade adminiftration that, by their being granted the fa- vour they folicited, they would import great quantities of gold and fiiver; and the Minifler of the Finances who, with great reafon, highly valued the multiplying of the fpecie, thought fomething might be facrificed to fo important an objea. This proceeded Only from a .rok ignorance ; but, as it is conneded with a tram of confiifed ideas, I think it important to clear it up, that miniflers may not fall again into an error fo very preju- dicial to the intereft of your Majefty. If there be fome favourite fubjeas who, upon the me- tals they bring to the mint, are allowed one or two per Cent, above the price fettled for the public ; they may, by giving up one half per Cent, of their profit, become agents or brokers; through whofe hands will pafs, of eourfe, all the gold and filver whlcli, without their in- terference, would have been carried to the Mint. But, becaufe there exifts fuch an intermediate agency, equally ufelefs and expenfive, that ftands between the Merchants and the "overeign, it fnould not be inferred, that it is, in the leaft, inftrumental in importing thofe metals into the kingdom ; thefe are procured by the powerful means of foreign trade, and an exchange of commodities ; when the fubjtas of France have fold, to other na- fK,ns, «ore goods than the former have occafion to purchafe, the balance in their favour muft he ^ paid [ 57 1 paid in money : therefore the wealthieft financier, and moft expert bankers, or any other intermediate agents, can no more increafe the importation of gold and fdver into this kingdom, than it isi n their power to diminifh it : Nay, their influence in this matter, is lefs than that of the meaneft manufaclurer of Locleve, or Louviers'^^^ who by his induftry adds one fingle bale of cloth to the fo- reign trade of this country. In confequence of this obvious remark, I have admit-^ ted no one to a fhare of the proiits accruing to yoUr Ma- jefty from the coinage of money : and this principle cannot be too ftrongly inforced • that the revival of former meafures would prove a ufelefs burthen to the Exchequer. I advifed your Majefty to enatSt a law to bring the Directors of the Mint to Account. This ftep was very neceflary, as it had not been looked into'Cnce the year 1759, ov/ing to a queflion which had been debated upon, concerning the manner in which they v/ere to ftate the accounts of their operations. Thefe are indeed fubjecl to various diiEcuIties, and eafily perplexed ; however, the utmoft order feems now to prevail in this department. There was another grievance generally complained of ; I mean the prevailing cuftom of giving in payment foU tied up in bags, by which means a good deal of bafe money was eafily put ofFj and this abufe, carried to its height, required a fpeedy remedy. Your Majefty has * Thcfe are tvvo towns in Francs \ the former, noted for its woollen- clcth, and hat manufaclory, is fituated in the province of Languedoc, 444 miles S. W. from Paris. Louviers is a fmall town fituate in Nor- mandy, 66 miles N. W. from tlie capital, and famous for a very corJide- labis manufaftory of wccilen cloth. I put [ 58 ] put a ftop to it by your late ordinance, and this coin will now be put to its proper ufe. Your Majefty promifed at the fame time, to fix the rate at which that bullion (which is a mixture of filver and copper fhould be taken at the mint; in order to eafe thofe of your fubjeds who have too much of it. But as the whole amount of that fmall coin throughout the kingdom, is valued at no more than ten or twelve milli- ons of livres, and that what remains of it in your Ma- jefty's Exchequer is to be fupprefied, the overplus will in all probability continue in circulation amongft retailers, till your Majefty thinks proper to order the whole to be melted down for a new coinage. I mufl obferve on this occafion, that the putting off too long the renewal of the current coin, teems with many inconveniencies ; becaufe their weight decreafmg gradually, by conflant ufe, and by the length of time, a confiderable lofs muft enfue, either to the Prince, or his fubjeds, when, the impreffion being totally effaced, fuch a meafure becomes unavoidable. PART III. I now proceed to expofe the principal regulations of ndminiftration, laid by me before your Majefty, and which, having no immediate relation to the increafmg -of the royal revenues, concern the happinefs of your fubje(3:s alone. In the firft place, I might obferve, that the Introdu- cing of reformations, and the propagating of ceconomy, ■ by "eftablifhing good order, and redrcffing grievances, concur [ 59 ] concur In a very fenfible, though indirea manner, to promote that happinefs. Your people muft have felt very forcibly, the truth of this remark, had the continu- ation of the peace enabled your Majefty to enjoy the fruits of fo much care, by lightening the burthen of their taxes, moderating thofe which are indifpenfible,leiren- ing the national debt, by reimburfing the loans, open- ing canals, encouraging trade, and, in fine, multiplying thofe bleffings of various kinds, w^hich daily occur to the Minifter when it is in his power to make trifling facri- fices, or deal encouragement around : and if I may be permitted to mix a private fentiment to thofe great and important objeds, it would have been to me a heartfelt happinefs. After fo many toils, could I have but en- joyed that pleafmg fatisfaftion, I fhould have thought myfelf rewarded to the full extent of my wiflies. But Providence ordered it otherwife. In the eyes of a judi- cious man, 'no doubt, a minifter will appear — perhaps equally deferving to have prefcrved the ftate during the war from a new permanent taxation, or to have eafed the people ii\. time of peace from their burthens. But how differently this matter is viewed by the multitude ! the being merely preferved from evil, is but a tranfitory impreflion, which is foon effaced : they are moved by nothing fliort of a total change in their fituation. Hov/ great alfo the difference for the minifter ! for who would have blamed the rigour of his proceedings, or dared to murmur at fo many reformations, if at each innovation, your Majefty had fuppreffed an impoft, remitted it in part, or founded fome new and ufeful efta-o bliftimcnts in your kingdom ? But I turn from a pidure v^hich will long be painful to my remembrance -j nor will I I 2 aggrieve [ 6o J aggr.evp the noble and feeling heart of your Majeftv, by rccountmg all the blemngs you have loft. Let me rather ca.l yoyr attention to the good you have endeavoured to Comtte Contentieux f . One of the nrft regulations which I propofed to your Maj,fty proves a favour conferred on your fubjeL • I mean the committee of magiftrates appomted to ex-' mme that multitude of contentious caufes, which we;e h.reto ore fuomated to the fole arbitration of the Comptroller General. Whoever is well informed of the vaft tram of occupations that fill up every moment of a comptroller's time, muft readily acknowledge that his who.e hfe can hardly fuffice to tlK. infpeffion, which the affairs alone of his adminiftration require. This depa-t ment IS now infinitely more extenfivc than i: ufed to be- becaufe the taxes have increafed immenfelv,. and are fixed en fo many different objeas. Your fubjeas at this dav pay nearly 500,000000 to the profit of vour M.ieftv that of cities, hofpitals, and corporations; and ;..:; n-,ethod has been tried to leuin the burthen. How can one man be equal to fuch a tafe ? How can he, mor.- 9ver, g,ve his attention to other ol-jea., fuch as fufie nances, highways, trade and m.anufaaures ? How ftall he keep a watchful eye over all the proceedings of tl=e Exchequer } The fimpie nwving of io complicawd a t. Coiittnliou ;, or v;!hcr law-comiuirtCK. m;x.hinc. [ 6i ] machine, is not proportioned to his ftrength. But when the circumftanccs, and the love of duty, oblige him to fingle out, and redrefs grievances, at the end of a toil- fome day he experiences nothing but a painful fenfatioji of having left many things undone, and only beftowed on the objeds of his moft funguine purfuit, an imperfect degree of attention. What vi^as It then, when to this tide of afFaIrs were added, the decifion of all litigious matters, which al- though fuppofed to be determined by the Royal Council of Finances, ^ are in reality fettled by the £ngle award ;of the Comptroller General ? Was It morally poiTible for him to pay the neceflary attention, with- out lofmg fight, intirely, of the immediate objeds of admlniftration ? But the love of authority, the fear of dividing it, and often inconveniences arihng from fuch a divifion, had no doubt prevented former financiers frora feeking out an efFedual remedy to this evil : hence, how frequent the complaints againft the fuppcfed determina- tion of the Council, given by the Minifter of the Finances. Such decrees fell Into difcredit with the other courts of law, and v/as the fource of endlefs diffi- culties. At prefent, three Counfellors of State, equally dillinguifhed for their knowledge and charader, compofc a committee, and before them the Mafters of t?he Re- quells are to lay contentious matters refpedlng the finan- ces. They are determined by flated rules, and as moil of thofe litigations are connected with the rights of the crown, and with adminiftration in general, the young maglflrates, whofe bufinefs It is to report fuch caufe., are thus early inftruaed in a bufmefs which will one day • engrofs [ 62 ] engrofs their attention when they aft as Provincial In- tcndants. , ru Thefe committees fit continually, and are fcldom or never adjourned. The Chairman is Monf. D, Beaumont J, one of the beft ornaments of your counol, llriaiy attached to his duties, and worthy on this ac- count of a particular diftinaion from your Majefty. N6f a caufc comes before the Committee, but what .s inquired into with the greateft care, and w.th an im- partiality and jaft.ce which are reverenced by every rank of people. Meanwhile, the greateft difpatch is ufed in thefe affairs. This could not be the cafe, when the whole matter was left to the decifion of one mmifter, whofe attention was divided by fo many other cbiefts. Since the eftabllfliing of the Committee, aoove 2,000 fentences have been awarded ; befides a great many dif- ficulties of a private nature, which the Commiffioners have willingly compromifed, or on which they have fa- voured me with their advice. Thus, attention, fpeed, and fafety, have been the refult of this inftitution, which may be ranked among thofe few, whofe ufefulnefs is clear and uncontradifted. 1 ThU Is the gtorious affcrtor of the infuited rights of hum^mty. To fum up all his praifes in a few worJs-ti,o noble, hmr.anc, and d,l. >nt-.rcrted advocate of the unfortunate family of Cnhu Jntouhnis [ 63 ] Intendanfs of the Finances. My intention is not to claim any merit from the fup- preflion of thofe Intendants, as this matter may be viewed in different lights ; but, from my experience, •and the refledlions it has fuggefled, I argue in the fol* lowing manner. According to my notions, great ftatefmen are fo fcarce, fo much indeed, that it is throwing great obfta- -cles in the way of a minifter of the finances, to limit him in the choice of thofe whom he intends to employ under him. Indeed, after the niceft fearch, after look«- ing every where, it may be accounted fortunate enough to meet with, and make fure of a man, who to a great love for bufinefs, join acutenefs, judgment, activity, and prudence. How then can one flatter himfelf, that four perfons, (the number of Intendants,) who ac- quired their employment by mere dint of favour, or hoJd it by right of inheritance, fhall unite all the above quahties ? Such are, 1 think,, the reflections which may be made by a Minifter of the Finances who knows the extent of his adminiftration, and wifhes to fee every thing him- felf. But a Comptroller-General, perfedtly free from that folicitude, who holds his place as a fmecure, and with an intent rather to enjoy it Idng and quietly, than to di- ftinguifh himfelf, will certainly prefer to be fenced round • by his intendants who, by their rank and outward ap- pearance in the world, are fufficient vouchers to an ad- miniftration which he leaves to their management. Vlngtiemes t 64 1 Vingtiemes. -^ This tax was the firft obje£l which I was compelleJ ta iook into ; becaufe your courts of jujflice challenged the eftimates taken in the different parifties, and infifted, that the quota of the contributarles fhould never undergo any alterations. There had already been inhibiting fen- tences awarded, and other fteps taken which had deferved to be reprobated by your Majefty. In fhort, this quef- tion, an obje£l of great perplexity, had been carried and oppofed by turns. Indeed, this affair offered very juft ground of difcuf- fion. It was painful to fee that effential' department di- vided into fo many hands ; and, from the infignificant falaries annexed to the offices, given up to men who could be chofen only from the common rank of fociety ; and, therefore, no ways inacceffible to thofe paffions which militate againft the fpirit of impar- tiality. But, in order to remove the nuifance, to fix invariably the quota of each contribdtary, and make it a ftanding rule, that no augmentation whatever fhould take place, .whilft fucceftive events, of various natures, occafion a partial diminution in the produce of the above tax, would have, of courfe, expofed your Majefty 's re- venues to an inceffant flu<9:uation. Moreover, in the midfl of eftimates and furveys, taken many years ago, to ena£l, at once, that all the quotas fhould continue in Jlatu quo J would have been ading inconfiftently, and f Ttucntkth, a tax fo called, as being the Sol in the LIvre, 0^ Shil- ling in the pound. f 65 ] encouraging the moft palpable injuftlce. Then the in- habitants of the furveyed parifhes would have had a right to exclaim, on the levying of any new taxes, " thefe new burthens, of which we are to bear our fhare, might have been fpared, or diminifhed j if the Fingtieme, paid by our neighbours, had been regulated like our own. The time is then come when we muft fmart for the par- tial lenity which was fhewn to them, and refufed to us." Thus it ever happens, that every exception and favour proves, at one time, an injuftice done to fociety at large. In order, therefore, to find a proper medium between thofe numerous inconveniences, your Majefty was ad- vifed to order the eilimates to be continued ; but you were, at the fame time, folicited to determine, by a po- fitive law, that all the regifter-books of the Vingtiemey which had been ballanced in any one of the parifhes, from a given time, fhould remain in the fame ftate, for* twenty years to come, without any variation. That perfect tranquillity, fecured for fo long a time, cannot but prove fatlsfadory to every fenfible man of property. And yet, this regulation does not, in the leaft, afFe6l the finances of your Majefty, not only, b«^ caufe the value of landed eftate cannot vary, fo as to be- come an obje(5t, in a fhorter interval than that pre- fcribed ; but alfo, becaufe the furvey of a province re- quires almoft that number of years; efpecially when fuch operations are attended to with that nicety and pru- dence which your Majefty does infift upon. Befides, your Majefty has given a frefli pledge of your royal protection to thofe of the contributarie$ who are i lefs [ 66 3 Icfs able. to defend their own rights, by forbidding of the quota of any owner, in particular, being raifed ; and re- ferring the infpedtion of that matter, to the time fixed for the furvey of each parifh. The uniformity of pro- ceedings, which muft then by force be adopted, and of which, each contributary may be a witnefs, will ferve to protect the people againfl all manner of oppreffion ; and to quafh all the unjufl pretenfions of wealthy and pow- erful opponents. I make no doubt, therefore, that, by adhering ftridly to that wife regulation, and taking the furvey s only once in the courfe of full twenty years, this important mat- ter will never be again a fubje(^ of contention and dif- cord. It was upon my intimation alfo, that your Majefty remitted that part of the Vingtieme called, of Induftry^ to the inhabitants of country-towns and villages, through- out your dominions. Your revenues have fuffered but a very trifling lofs.; and yet your Majefly's provinces have felt fenfibly, and experienced the value of your royal beneficence ; for a tax does not always appear grievous or alarming, merely on account of its extent, but, fometimes, from the difficulty of making a proper alTeiT- ment, or by the arbitniry mode of inforcing it. This was the very inconvenience attending the Vingtiemes of .Induftry, which your Majefliy has abolifhed.. And, in- deed, in mod cities, the companies of tradefmen and ar- tificers have the power of afleiHng that tax ; or, at leafl:, . the repartition is made on their report ; but country- towns and villages are deprived 'of thefe benefits, and growing induftry, which it is fo important to promote in the country, has often been difcouraged by the undifcern- ing authority of an ignorant allcflbr. Land I i 67 ] Lmd-T'ax, and the Capitatio?t (Poll-Tax J liable to the for?ner. The proppfal made to your Majefty, that ypu would be pleafed to fix by law, the Land and Poll-tax, and every other impoft that relates to the latter, is, it is prefumed, a -meafure of the higheft importance to the welfare of your people. I could perceive that this tax, the moil grievous to the inhabitants of the country, had rofe in a greater proportion than all other impofts, and that it increafed every year. The reafon I eafily found out, by obferving, that it was the only tax that could be ralfed in a clandeftine manner, or at leaft without going through any troublefome formality, and by means only of a decree from the Council, often publiftied without the knowledge of the Sovereign. It is then eaijjy ima- gined, how, upon any fcarcity of money, and this has been conftantly the cafe in France for many years paft, the above refource was employed as moil convenient ; whilil, had the forms been the fame for every tax, other means might have been preferred. I look upon this nev/ law, therefore, as a bulwark raifed for the prote6lion of the hufbandmen, and your Majeily has conferred a very high favour, by ena6ling> that the increafmg of the above taxes fhould be fubjecl to the formalities pradlifed in regard to the other impoils. Your Majeily was not Ibrtled by the confideration of ilibje^ling what ufed formerly to be ordered by a fimple decree of your Council to be enregiilered, like all other l;i\vs, in your courts of juilice. Aud, in this a6l of true [ 68 ] magnanimity, your fubje£is have eqYially admired" your* jiiflice and your power. Meanwhile, owing to this humane regulation, a mi- nifter of the finances, who may find himfelf obliged to increafe the revenues of your Majefty, fhall not be deter- mined in the choice of means, by any confideration fo- reign to the good of your people. Befidcs, the encreafc of the Land-tax, however confiderable it may have been in procefs of time, is only a momentary and inadequate re- fource ; and no great value can be fet upon it, but by a minifter of tlie finances, who, having no forecaft, leaves the Exchequer, in time of peace, in the greateft confufion. After having efFeded the above alteration in the re- fpe6i:ive generalities^ there will remain a further and very great improvement to accomplifh, and v/hich mufl alfo be the work of power and juftice; namely, to endeavour to eftabUfh a more equal proportion between the provin- ces : And it is already obvious, how far the regulations concerning the Poll and Land-tax will facilitate this en- terprize, as it will be carried on with that confidence which is fo necefiary to infure fucceft. In fa61:, how is it poiTible to evince the jufcice of an afieiTment, whilft the amount of the tax is either arbitrary, or fubject to alterations ? There would be no means left, by which the public might be convinced that the increafe laiii on one particular province, fliould be ballanced by an equi- valent diminution in favour of another j and thus the King's intentions could not be clearly underftood, and might become an object of cenfurc. I think it cannoi be too often repeated, — one muft either give up grc;u things, or bring them about by fair and open means. Men, ( 69 ) Men, efpeclally the contributaries, have been Co often deceived, that nothing but a long and well fupported opcnnefs and fiicerity, can overcome their fufpicions and miftruft. Another obje<5l that much concerns your Majefty, and deferves the attention of your Minifters, is the indi- vidual repartition of the land-tax j an attempt of that kind has been made within the generality of Paris, and ma) be fufceptible of improvement, as it feems founded on rational principles. This new method chiefly con- fifts in taking, firft, an information and furvey of ail lands that are cultivated in one pariih ; they are next divided into clafTes, and the proportionable quotas af- fefTed by the contributaries themfelves : Then every one gives in a declaration of the numbers of acres in his pof- feiTion, or by him cultivated j and, as any falfe return is an injury done to the whole, every one in that cafe rifes againft the delinquent, and the truth is afcertaitied by the moft fimple and poy/erful motive— that of per- fonal intereft. Finally, when any difpute arifes be- tween the company, and one of its members, a fur- vey is ordered, and the expences paid by the party or parties whofe pretenfions were ill-founded : that is to fay, by the contributary, if he has concealed his real number of acres, or by the parifh, if they have been wrong in challenging the truth of the former's declara- tion J thus a trial is made, without any conllraint, or heavy charge, by the mere efFe61: of a wifh for equality. The repartition being once fixed, the proportion* "between parifhes would foon be regulated ; fmce new Jciiowledge would be acquired in thefe matters, by com- paring t 70 J paring the fum paid in difFerent places, for an acre of a fimilar produce. Exclufivc of the tax called r^«/, and Jie tax upon cul- tivated lands, which may alfo be afTefled upon a fure principle, there is another, termed perfonal^ and which liepends not upon landed, but upon other property be- longing to the fubje6t. This indeed cannot be fo eafily regulated, whatever care may be taken, whatever be the modification one may have recourfe to. The repartition of this tax, can be determined only by the opinion of a man more or lefs judicious. It were to be wifhed, that fuch a tax could be laid afide intirely, or another devifed in its ftead : for we muft confider, as ini- mical to good order, and to the public welfare, fuch taxes as are arbitrary in their extent or proportion. But when taxes are numerous to an excefs, when caution is re- quired in every department,— one muft wait for a time of quietnefs and eafe to undertake great alterations, however preffing they may appear to the difeerning eye of reafon. It might be further added, that whenever the Irate is known to be in fome extraordinary want, every operation fet on foot by government, is readily afcribed to the fituation of affairs : So that, in fuch circum- ftances, the modification of the taxes, however uncon- nected it may be, with pecuniary views, would in gene- ral be mifreprefentcd ; fufpicion, and miftruft, would be the confequence. AH thofe well-concerted plans would have been eafily carried into execution, had not fo many favings and improvements been v/aflcd by the inevita- ble expences of the wr.r: I'his is always, and at every inftant, tlie painful reflecHon I am forced to make. Neithij: r 7x 3 Neither conqueft or alliances can prove To valuable to your Majelly, as what you may derive one day from your own power. The improvements in hufbandry, and in the national credit, by a prudent adminiftration, and the encouragement of induftry, are the only things wanted to ftrengthen a kingdom, where there are 24 millions of inhabitants, and two thoufand millions in fpecie. Capitatiotiy fPoll-TaxJ The capitation liable to a land-tax, which contain three-fourths of what is termed Capitation, is aflefled ac- cording to the rate of land-tax, and is but one and tlie fame thing with the latter : So that the fame obferva- tions are applicable to both. But in the provinces where there is a real land-tax, the capitation is in proportion to the faculties of the inhabitants. There exifts, be- fides this, another capitation, which is paid even by per- fons privileged ; I mean thofe who are free from the Land-tax either by their birth, or on account of the pre- rogatives of their office, or by their dwelling in free <:ities.: this kind of capitation, is alfo fubjeft to an ar- bitrary alFeflment ; for it cannot be ktihdi otiierwife, than by wliat comes to our knowledge, or by the opini- ons we may frame of private fortunes. Yet, means have been tried, efpecially in Paris, to fettle this matter, by afcertaining the number of fervants, equipages, the price given for houfes, &c. Endeavours have alfo been uied, to reduce to fome certain rules, the aiTeiTments laid upon corporations : yet there ftill remains a nu- merous clafs of fubjeas, wholb capitation not being ^ founded [ 7^ ] founded on a fixed principle, occafions often great diffi- culties, and grievous complaints. My opinion is, that with a very trifling lofs to the Exchequer, the Capita- tion in Paris, might be altered to fome other tax, fub- jea to no arbitrary interpretation ; fuch, for inftance, as a moderate addition to the Houfe-tax, or an impoft laid on fome objeds of luxury : but it is ncceffary to wait for a better opportunity ; becaufe, as long as the war continues, one can never be certain that the new duties, calculated to be fubftituted to the prefent ones, will not be wanted to anfwer the future exigencies of the ftate. ' Corveesy Average, or mending the Roads. This matter has fo often been difcufTed before your Majefty, that I need not enter into particulars ; I Ihall only fay, that the more I have looked into it, the more I am convinced that the means of fuppreffing it (hould be encouraged. The queftion in itfelf, is a de- bate between the poor and the rich; for it is eafily feen, that the fupprciTion of averages, would turn in- tirely to the advantage of the former. A pauper, or journeyman, who is compelled to give up feven or eight days yearly, for this purpofe, would not have above l^ or 15 fols to pay for his quota of a tax on the roads, rf the fame was aflelTed according to the rate of land-tax ; and this triflin- ^,un would be amply made up to him, by new improvements, in wlilch he might be employed and paid for. No one, therefore, can doubt of the averages being evidently oppoiite to the intereft of that ° part C 73 ] part ofyourfubje(5ls5 towards whom the benevolent hand of your Majefty ought ever to be ftretched, in order to temper as much as pollible the overbearing fway of the rich and powerful. Befides, the repartition of a money-tax is fubjeded to certain rules j whereas,- the dividing the averages, and the neceffity of having overfeers, can ferve only to encreafe arbitrary decifi- ons and punifhments, and put a confiderable power into the hands of fubalterns. Neverthelefs, for every objed of adminiftration fhould be confidered in all its extent, as the diverfity of duties and taxes facilitate their in- creafe, an impoft upon handy-craft, under the name of Corveey is, perhaps, a good pecuniary devife, or, in other words, is a new way of multiplying in the hands of the Sovereign, the efforts and facrifices of his people : but as fuch confideration cannot be agreeable to your Majefty, your firft wifh being to make ufe of your au- thority to forward the happinefs of your fubje£ls, I thought, that by fuppreffing in part the Corvies^ I fliould a£t in conformity to your intentions. Wherever they ;ire praftifed, I have exhorted the intendants to watch carefully, that they be impartially divided, and to fpare no pains, in order to bring this matter under fome fixed and fettled rule. In fine, in feveral of the generalities, the inhabitants are permitted to chufe the manner of re- pairing the highways, either by paying, or working : but this option, which appears fo equitable at firil fight, is not free from inconveniences, as thofe who are fup- pofed to make it are fo much divided in intereft. But as general lav/s on this fubjea have fo often met with infuperable obflacles, flow, but healing meafures, are preferable, however imperfe^St they may appear. In order to attain thofe objef!:s, which require a ge- neral confent, and abound with difficulties, I thought L it [ 74 ] it was expedient to eftabllfh a board of adminiflration, abje to affift, and bring to perfeaion, the benevolent in- tentions of your Majefty, and this refleaion leads me to expofe the motives that made me propofe to your Majefty to inftitute provincial adminiftrations. Provincial Adminijl rat ions. 1 could not fix my attention on the imperfea ftate of the taxes, laid upon your provinces, and on the great improvements that may be efFeaed, without wondering at the little progrefs made in this matter. I obferved, that in each province, one man alone, fometimes abfent, fometimes on the fpot, was appointed to fettle the moft weighty concerns of the ftate ; that he muft needs be well verfed in thefe matters, when his life had been em- ployed in acquiring a knowledge foreign to his depart- ment ; that, by being often removed from one generality to another, the local knowledge he had acquired became ufelefs to him ; and that, in fine, a feat at the Council Board, which he looked for as a recompence, induced him to quit the field of adminiftration at the very time , when his notions of the matter, ftrengthened by experi- ence, enabled him to be more ufeful. The multiplicity of affairs, v/hich divide the attention; of a minifler of the finances, being next the objea of my contemplation, I could not compare the extent of his duty with the mcafurc of his ftrength, without feeling fenfibly, that there exifts a real difproportion, between the funaions of adminiftration, and the ability ot the; Minifterj and I even queftion much, whether a v/eak man, pronouncing from his clofct upon a rapid furvey on fo many intercfting mattersj can appeal" blameless in; his [ 75 ] his own eyes : he cannot, at leall, be without feme uh- eafinefs, which muft greatly affed his peace of mind. The Intendant, no doubt, is the firft to be confulted ; granted. But if the complaints fall on his adminiftra- tion, if the condu(5l of his deputies is arraigned ; if thofe very plans are propofed wliich he had rejed:ed, and yet, if all the accounts which may throw a fufficient light over thefe matters, can be afked of him only, does it not argue clearly, that this conftitutlon has fome defedl, which all the attention of a Minifter of the Finances , cannot make up ? Shall, therefore, the latter, on fuch conditions, think himfelf perfectly equal to the manage-* ment of the divers concerns entrufted to him ? By no means ; and the moft important fervice he can do, the firft duty he has to fulfil, is to fliew how unequal the faculties of one man are to fuch talk ; and pour, as it were, the fecret into the ear of his mafter, This fad profpe<5t muft, no doubt, have afFe^led me, had I not obferved, at the fame time, that things might be fo ordered as to prevent thofe intricacies, and make the happinefs and profperity of your provinces much lefs dependant on the ftrength and abilities of a Minifter of the Finances. It was from this confideration that I propofed to your Majcfty, to try what could be efl:ccled by means of pro- vincial adminlftrations, compofed of men of property of various conditions, who fhould meet every two years ', and, during the recefs, be reprefented by deputies of their own chufing. The bufmefs of thofe adminlftra- tions is limited to the afieffing the taxes, making, to your Majefty, propofals the moft confonant to your equity, hearing the grievances of the contributaries, diredting the repairing of the roads in the eafieft manner L 2 for [ 76 J for, the people, and, finally, feeking out every new method of forwarding the property of a province, and li\}-ing the whole before your Majt^fty. . All the above fundions are now entrufted individually to a commiilioner. One nnian, if endowed with proper qualities, may, after a long experience, be preferable to a colleclive adminiifcration ; as the choice of delibera- tion, or the contrail of opinions, does not retard his n>arch, the unity of thought and execution, procure a more rapid fuccefs : but at the fame time that 1 believe as much as any one in the a6ling powers of a man who is intelligent, fteady, prudent, and vlrtuour, I know alfo, that fuch men are fcattered about the world, and that we cannot flatter ourfeh^es to find them in fufHcient numbers among that clafs of inhabitants who are marked out by cuilom for fuch employments. It is not, there- fore, with men of fuperior genius, but with the greateil njumber of thofe whom we know or have known, that it is fit to compare a provincial auminiflration ; and in this cafe, the latter will certainly deferve the preference. As it is eflabiifhed in a permanent manner, its members have time to fee, inveftigatc, try and purfue ; united knowledge, and a fuccciiion of ideas, give a confiflency to mediocrity itfelf; the concourfe of mutual intcreft quickens the underllanding, the publicity of fuch delibe- rations compels to be honeft, and if the good LfFcds advance fiowlv, they do advance at lea.ll, and once ob- tained, they remain fecure from caprice ^ind viciir.tudc'= The Intendant, confultsd on the plan? propofed by th. : adminiflration, or on the complaints againfl its proceed- ings, enables government to judge with fplidity, and a ufeful contradiction prevails, which docs not cxiii in the prcfent eflabliihment. In [ 77 ] In a kmgdom like this, compofed of 24 millions of fubjedis, inhabiting different foils, and ruled by various cuftoms, it is next to an impoflibility to efta- blifli the fame regulations in regard to the taxes, and fix them by a fimple r^ad general law : and where there mufl: for ever be exceptions and modifications, how is it poflible to govern, direft, and prefcribe, in fo many cafes, and that by the authority of one man, and from a place where information can be got only by diilant re- ports, where one man's word is taken on all fubje6ls, and where there is no time to examine the affairs with a proper degree of attention ? How wide the difference between the important toils of fuch an adminiflration, and the tranquillity and confidence refulting from a pro- vincial one ! Befides, if the beft conftitution ca^mot guard againft all encroachments from men in power, and if it be in our nature to look upon a fevere execution of the ordinal law, as an injuflice, is it not fortunate that fuch murmurs and complaints fhould be dire6ted to the reprefentatives of the province, and that the name of your Majefly, ever beloved, be pronounced only as aa exprefTion of comfort and of hope ? Finally, ai^d this is a weighty obfervation, it muft be confefied j that improvements have often been delaycil, through the timidity and diffidence of the minif- teis who planned them. In the beft inftitutions of ad- minirtration, we often fee nothing but obflacles in the beginning, and the advantages which they are intended to produce, appear at a diftance, but darkened by the cenfure and paflions of fome men. It is therefore of the firft importance, that all ufeful alterations be countenanced by the public's opinion, and this is the very confequence atiending the deliberations of a provincial afiembly. The [ 78 ] The minlfter receives their propofals, already ftrength- cned by a fan6lion which infures fuccefs, and he has hardly any thing more to do, than to run them over in a cnrfory manner. The fear of encountering obftacles and oppofitions, can no longer influence his determination, and he readily adopts, what he would not have dared to propofe. There have been, no doubt, changes efFecled in France, by fome minifters, but, upon the whole, thefe alterations, as often as they clalhed with private in- tereft, were the efFe61: of a fimple caufe j fuch as autho- rity, religion, the ruinous ftate of the finances; and this fimple caufe, having once received the Royal appro- bation, the Sovereign could not refufe his afiiftance to remove all obftacles. But the modification, or aflefT- ment of taxes, and all the good done by adminiftration, however important it may be, feldom proceeds from a fimple caufe : it is on the contrary, for the moft part, the refult of a great number of controverted points ; und it is nearly impolEble for a minlfter of the finances to be fo fecure of his mafter's implicit confidence, as to hope that his arguments will for ever poife the efFecSls of complaints, and murmurs which are fet up on the firft innovation, introduced by adminiftration : and it is a very difficult tafk to fupport for any length of time, any private idea againft incefFant clamours, or to perfiff, obftinately, in being backed by the fupreme power. I only give here, an abftra6t of the motives that have induced me to propofe to your Majefty the eftablifn- ment of provincial adminiftration. They have been ex- plained more at large, in a memorial prefcnted by me to your Majefty. I thought it became your royal wifdom, to proceed flowly in thofe affairs, tiiat experience «ilght ftrengthen reafonin^^. TUe t 79 ] There is, it is true, no human inftitution intirely free from inconveniences. Men, affembled for public affairs, and under the very eye of their fellow citizens, are not always influenced by the love of order, and general good. Private intereft, and partiality, ftand in their way. But is not a fingle man equally fwayed by his own paffions ? Are the intendants deputies free from them ? And have not the great and powerful, a degree of influence over the former f And in the career of his am^ bition for preferment, has he no reafon to indulge them ? In all cafes, intereft or vanity often alter that impartiality fo neceflkry in a public man : but, if the adminiflratioa is in the hands of a collective body, private views have too many obftacles to encounter j one cannot avoid being feen, neither can reproaches be flighted, or filenced by authority. Some objeaions have been ftarted againft the admiflion of the clergy into thofe aifemblies, under pretence, that being free from vingtiemes, and from Lhe capitation of privUeged perfons, they could have but little concern in the manner of aflefling the people. But, fmce they con- tribute to the Poll and Land-tax, by me?jis of their tenants, tlie clergy bear their fliare of thofe taxes, which are to be rated by the provincial clergy. Befides, it ihould be obferved, that in an aflembly which is not to debate on the taxes, but to make of them an impartial .repartition, it is not the amount of property, but rather the love of order andjuftice, impartiality and knowledge, that fhould be confidered as the ci/ief qualifications. If fo, can we refufe to the clergy in general that confidence they merit ? Have not thoie of that body, who prefide in the afl'emblies of the dates, (in thofe provhices where they are eftabliflied by law,) convinced the world by their condua, that there are few Qien more {Irsnuous to fupport^ r So ] fupport, or folicitous to promote the welfare and redrefs of the provinces ? Your Majefty, however, has re- duced to one fifth, their number in the provincial aflem- blies ; whilft, in all the Pays d'Etat §, they conftitutc I-4th, and infome, i-3d of the members. I do not mean to enter here into a difcuiTion of other obje£l:ions which might be urged againft the manner of regulating thofe aflemblies ; becaufe, as they immediately depend on your Majefty, you may at plea- fure remove all fuch nuifances as experience may point out hereafter. All necelTary precaution have been carefully taken, that thofe adminiftrations fhould always be fenfible how much it concerns them to deferve your Majefty's confi- dence, from which alone they derive their confequence ; they cannot meet without leave, nor can they nomi- nate the members of the committees to fit during the re- cefs, or the Attorney -fyndic^ without your Majefty's ex- prefs approbation : they cannot difpute the amount of the taxes, as regulated by law ; finally, by the fame commiffion that empowers them to afTefs the taxes, yearly, they are fuperfeded in cafe of any demure, by the com^miffioner appointed. Thefe are not, therefore) wtw Jlate-provlnces^ pleading antient privileges, but only a number of adminiftrators, whom your Majefty is pleafed to honour with your confidence. They muft be ftriclly kept within thefe bounds j fince this is all that is required for the happinefs of your people* Why then fliould it infpire the fupreme power wixh ^ Provmces governed by the afienably of their f^ates, fuch is Ercta2ne, Artois, and others. [ 8i ] With any miftruft or jealcufy ? The authority alluded to, does not (hew itfelf in all and every particular : it equally exifts ; nay, it fhines more confpicuous when, by a prudent arrangement, and by receiving the firft impulfe, whofe effedh it inforces, it is not compelled to continue for ever in a6tion. It is the power of laying taxes that conftitute the eflence of fupreme autliority : their repar* tition, and other executive parts, are fo many ftreams that flow, as it were, from the confidence of the Sove- reign : no matter on whom it is beftowedj and thofe of his own fubje6ls, who arebeft qualified to difcharge fuch a truft, recal more forcibly to the people's mind the wakefulnefs of a good PrinCe. But there is another confideration which I think I fhall be able to lay before your Majefty -Honour un- doubtedly is Sufficient to animate the French nation to adlions of danger and glory; it is a precious refource, which merits the moft delicate and fpecial c?.re> how- ever there is ftill another incentive, which, tliough it aich will be general an4 eafy, Mont-de-Piete- — ?§ Confignations. (Public Loans on Depofts.J The Mont de Piete eftablifhed in 1777, had the fuc- cefs that was expected from it, it lent upon pledges at the rate of ten per cent, and by obferving prudent and moral precautions, which ought to regulate a public adminiftra- tion ; it has deftroyed thofe obfcure nefts of ufury and rapine, where avaricious and bafe men, abufed without reftraint, the power which a moment of diffipation, and neceffity, gave them over youth. I am at this inftant confiderlng whether it would not be proper to pour into this coffer the money of the con-^ iignations, and to ftipulate that it fhould be returnable on demand. A depofitary who only lends on pledges, and that under the infpedion of the magiftrates, is certainly the moft refponfible obje6l ; and confidering the advan- tageous ufe that this fund makes of its money, it would not be under the neceffity of borrowing fo much from the public^ and would be able to infinitely alleviate the diftreffes of deb tors, whofe goods were feized, and alfo of creditors. [ 96 3 creditors, by paying four per cent, inhered for the fund proceeding from the confignations. Manufaulures. A great queftion relative to manufaftures has for a number of years perplexed adminiftration, and the mer- cantile world, and is undoubtedly a moft important one. Monfieur Colbert, who was the chief mover in the eftabliflimcnt of manufadures in France, and whohaftened their progrefs, thought it neceflary that the manufacturers fhould be guided by regulations ; and as we generally attribute all great efFecSs rather to the arrangements of men, than to the nature \oi things, whofe influence is much greater, tho' lefs vifible, the fuccefTors of Monfieur Colbert having looked on thofe regulations as the principle caufe of the flourilhing flate of the manufactures \\\ France ; they thought that they would do right to extend them ftill further, to multiply them, and to enforce obe« dience to them with great rigour. But thofe reftraints that were ferviceable to manufactures in their infancy, became hurtful in proportion as their regulations became complex, and efpecially, as the variety of tafte, and changes of fafliions, called forth the genius of induftry to greater liberty and independence,— then the barriers of regulations were often leaped over, and when their rigour was once experienced, people immediately flew into theoppofite extreme, and an unreftrained liberty was looked upon as the only reafonable idea. Sometime after, the regulations recovered their advan- tages, and pending thefe ftrugglcs of different durations, commerce and manufactures were in a continual ftatc of difquietude. One circumflance aifiongfl others hurted the manu- factures, which was, that the fame leading and the fame marks [ 97 ] marks ferving to regulate the manufaaure, and as a national approbation of it, thofe manufaaurers who would not fubmit to the prefcribed regulations, were obliged to forego the advantages of thofe marks, and by that means expofe their commodities to the danger of being feized as contraband, and when in the foreign markets being deprived of a national mark, our manu- faaures were confounded with thofe of other countries adminiftration was very defirous to mitigate by its decifions the rigour of the laws, but commerce was neverthelefs liable to flria examinations and delays. On the other hand, to fmooth allthefe obftacles, and abfolutely to abolilh by a pofitive law, every fpecies of regulation, of marks, and of examination, would tend toriik the reputation of the French manufaaures ; it would deprive the confumers, ftrangers, as well as na- tives, oftheground work of their confidence; it would run counter to the ideas of the antient manufaau^prs who had fcen their manufaaures, and thofe of their fathers flourilh under the proteaion • of the law of order. It was in the midft of this confufion, and the jarring of thefe oppofite principles, that I employed myfelf along with the Intendants of Commerce, to find out means to fmooth thefe difficulties, and to reconcile the different views of adminiftration; it was imagined we had fucceeded, when your Majefty's Letters Patent appeared in the month of May, 1779: ^11 the regula- tions in which tended to preferve to the inventive genius of the manufaaurers, its utmoft aaivity and freedom, without depriving the fluffs which fhould be fabricated according to the old rules, of the feal which attefled them. It was alfo thought effential to fimplify thofe [ 98 ] thofe rules, in order that the obfcrvatioft of them might be more eafy and lefs difputable ; and this was carried into execution by different laws which followed the Letters Patent which I have before mentioned. At the fame time that I paid a general attention to the fundamental laws of manufactures, I endeavoured to encourage thofe that were ftill wanting in France ; and 1 can afTure your Majefty, that the genius of your fubjefts is fo well adapted to arts, and manufactures, that the administration will have no occalion to make any great facriiices to caufe the indultry that is ftill wanting, to flourifh in the greateft perfection through- out the whole extent of the kingdom ; but the molt effential part of the tafk is to proteft that induftry, by duties which are favourable to commerce. It is not however expeCted that the difTerent fpecies of manufactures Ihould be extended equally- through your Provinces ; this uniformity is not neceflary, per- haps inconveniencies v/ould arife from endeavouring by extraordinary encouragements, to eftablilli in certain places the fame manufactures, which profper naturally in others ; it would excite jealoulies, and fubjeCt admi- niltration to continual exertions. I have had the pleafurc to perceive great emulation to arife from your Majefty's having inftituted an annual prize to be beftowed on the moft ufeful invention in commerce and manufactures : glory of every kind is the happy motive that excites Frenchmen, and every ad- miniitration can derive great advantages from this noble and brillijnt charaCtcr. There are diftinguifhing arts which do not come within the department oS Finances, hxLt they are ex- treamly C 99 ] treamiy inttrcfting by their influence on commerce and manufadures ; befides, it is partly the fame and perfec- tion of the arts, that attracts travellers and ftrangers : I fhall be free to fay, that the money expended by foreigners in your ftates, is one of the befl branches of commerce of your kingdom. It is imagined that in times of peace, the money fpent by foreigners, pours into France annually the immenfe fum of thirty millions. I therefore think fit that it nearly concerns the prof- perity of the ilate, that diflinguifhed talents fhould be called forth and encouraged, and more efpecially at this day, when men of fuperior talents are rarely to be met with, and the arts are fo near to perfeftion, that it is difficult for a man to raife himfelf above the ordinary level : your Majefty will be able at a very fmall expence to procure for your kindgoms all the eclat that can aiife to it, from uniting the talents of men of abilities. Weights and Mea/ures. I have employed myfclf in inveftigating the means by which it would be neceflary to ufe to render weights and meafures uniform through the nation ; but I am ftill^ in doubt if the utility arifing would be propor- tioned to the difficulties of every kind that this meafurc would occafion, confidering the changes of valuation which it would be neceflary to make in a multitude of contrafts for rent, feudal fervices, and agVeements of every kind ; however, I cannot as yet entirely renounce this project, and I have feen with fatisfaftion, 'ihat the aflfembly of la haute Gulenne has taken it into conlidera- tioB : it is in reality a fpecies of improvement of which wc may have a partial experience, and the happy fuc- P cefs [ 100 ] ccfs of an example in one of the provinces, would cf- fcntially influence public opinion. Grain. All the queftions relative to the exportation of corn have been fo often treated on, that I (hall not expatiate on this fubjedl : I ihall only obferve that experience has confirmed me in the opinion that we muft not give into any extreme; nor fubjedt this branch of commerce to a fixed and general law> we muft authorife and protc6l the greateft internal freedom, but the exportation never can be permitted at all times, and without reftraint we muft never loofefight of a peculiar circumftance attending this commodity, that it is the only one, v/hich by improvi- dence, affe6ls the fubfiftence of the people, and the public tranquillity ; therefore, at the fame time that go- vernment ought to permit and encourage its free exporta-^ tion in times of plenty, government fhould not hefitate either to fufpend or to put a total flop to the exportation, whenever any danger is to be a}>prehended. I will further fay, that it is only in books of theory that a controverfy on this fubjedl can ftill fubfift, for the inquietudes which arife, when a province is alarmed for its fubfiftence, are of fuch a nature, that the minifter of the finances, the moft determined to adhere to his fyftem, and to rely on the efFedts of freedom of trade, would not delay having recourfe to precautions, when h(? conf^dered that he w:;s refponfiblc for the events. And fuch is, and always will be the weaknefs of ab- ftradl ideas, when they are obliged to ftruggle againft the exigence of the inftant, and the imminence of tht danger. There [ IQI ] There have been very critical moments, and very great difquiets in the f^^uthern parts of the kingdom, during the year 1778, and had it not been for the iblicitude and afHftance of your Majefty, I do believe that great evils muft have arifen ; every year fmce the harvefts have been good, and exportation has been fuccellively permitted fiom almofl all your provinces j hut the interruption of navigation, and the fmall demands of neighbouring coun- triesj has occafioned a great llagnation in the exportation of corn to foreigners. Main-morte (morter-maine) a Tax on the trans- fer of Property. Your Majefty has releafed the mainmortables in your domains and lordfhips, you have alfo abolifhed in your kingdoms, le droit de fuite, that is to fay, the right by which the Lords of Fiefs in the different Provinces claim the inheritance of a man born within their lordship, al- though he had been long abfent, and had been domici- liated in a free place. The law which your Majefty iffued on this fubje£t, was received with gratitude; feveral Lords in imitation of your Majefly freed their vaffals, and at that very time the Chapter of Saint Claude^ conformable to your Ma- jefty's plan, gave liberty to their mainmortables in con- fideration of a fmall tribute, equivalent to that which was fined throughout your domains. I have cited this ex- ample on account of the noife which the law-fuit made, that this Chapter fo long carried on ; but after having refufed what was demanded of them as a right, and hav- ing been authorized in fo doing by a fentence of the Parliament of Befan9on, thig fame Chapter determined to yield to conciliation, and a refpedtful deference to the defires of your Majefly. P 2 Ho/pitals [ 102 ] Hofpitals and Prtjbis. I cannot conclude this memorial better, than by re- minding your Majefty of the cares which you have taken, even in the midft of a war, to alleviate the lot of the moft wretched of your fubjedls ; you thought, if I may fo exprefs myfelf, that you could not defer until to- morrow, your afliftance to the prelling calls of fuffering humanity. There arc few hofpitals in your kingdom polTefTed of a fufficient revenue ; I propofed to your Majefty to urge them to fell their real eilates which brought them but a very fmall mcome, and to open for them a place for their capital in the fund of the dernier vingt, which produces five per cent, and may increafe ; every pollible precaution has been taken to infure the confidence of the public, and the profperity of this fcheme. There came every year to Pari.; two thoufand found- lings from the moil diftant Provinces, fcarcely a tenth part of the number efcaped death, or lived to the age of fix months ; I propofed to your Majefty to put a ftop to thofe inhuman tranfportations, by an a»Si of your Coun- cil, and by providing an immediate fund for thefe hap- lefs beings in the different Generalities v/liere they were born to forvvard them to Paris, which was formerly done without any precaution, and moll commonly by the pub- lick conveyances. The Intendants have taken care to obfervc thefe benevolent regulations, and I hope in a lliort time, that there will be no abufe of your orders. Your Majefty has befides defired that frefh endeavour fhould be made to feed the children with cow's milk, and great care has been taken to prepare the execution of this charita- [ 103 ] charitable and political attempt ; the fuccefs of the fcheme will be more precious, when the corruption of manners fliall have extended its pernicious confequences through the Provinces. The hofpitals of Paris, thofe receptacles of all kinds of wretches, prefentyour Majefly with many opportunities of doing good offices ; the paralytic, thofe affefted by cancers, and other difgufiing maladies, who for a long time were cooped up promifcuoufly in places which could fcarcely be approached, now live feparately, and in great order, a larger place is allotted to them, and each of them is allowed a bed. This great improvement which is but little known, becaufe it has been executed in the afylum of grief, from which the public turn their eyes, is one of the great charities which your Majefty alone could carry into execution : bcfides preparations are making to augment the buildings which are neceflary to prevent the mad women from being expofed to the inju^- lies of the air ; and agreeable to the orders of your Ma- jefty, infirmaries are eflablilhing in all the hofpitals de- llined for the fick poor, fo that the moment they are attacked by any diforder, there will be no neceflity to carry them to the Hotel Dieu, The Gonfiderablc expence of this laft Hofpital, and the fight of fo many invalids crowded into (he fame beds, has deeply engaged my attention. If a plan has not as yet been propofed to your Majefly for the amendment of this evil, it was not for want of endeavours to fulfil the fenti- ments with which your Majefty is animated ; but on ac- count of the various difficulties that prefented themfelves, and which we have not as yet been able to furmount : it ii^ a work of too interefting a nature to be abandoned, and I have even now the greateft hopes that I fhall foon obtain the fuccefs fo long wifhed for. Your Majefty by ordering two IC4 ] two years ago that an hofpital fliould be eftablifhed in the parifh of St. Sulpice, had it principally in view to be in- formed with precilion and by experience, of the expence which the care of the fick in Paris, who were provided with fingle beds, and treated with all poffible care, would daily amount to. Thefe calculations for the firft year have been printed, and thofe for the fecond year will foon appear ; the refult of the whole is, that all the expences included, a ficlc perfon does not quite amount to fcvcnteen fous each day, whilft the expences in the Grand Hofpital of Paris, amount to four or five and twenty fous per head. I have alfo called the attention of your Majefty to the ftate of the prifons ; it will fcarcely be believed that in a kino-dom fuch as France, the poverty of the finances fliould be fo great, as conftantly to prevent fufficient funds from being deftined for humane eftablifliments, whilft there are fo many monuments of apparent luxury and riches. I ima- gined, notwithftanding the war, that I ought to propofe to your Majefty, to furnifti from your Royal Treafury dif- ferent fums to enable the cities to improve their prifons. This extraordinary help, however, would fall far ihort of the money that would be neceflary; neverthelefs, your Majefty has ordered new prifons to be built in Paris, for the purpofeof feparating individuals confined for debt, from thofe fhut up for mifdemeanors or crimes. The plan which your Majefty has adopted, will nearly fulfil every thing that can be expelled in this particular, and your orders arc carrying into execution without intermiflion. The infirmaries of the Conciergerie were fo difgufting from noxious air and want of room, that thofe people whofe -tirnployment obliged them to enter that place, either for the purpofe of attending the fick, or who came to confoie them, and to fulfil their holy fundions, counted the mi- nutes, with pain, they were force to remain there, and quitted [ los ] quitted the place as foon as poffible, To much was their health afFe£ted by the putrid air. There has been prepared by the orders of your Majedy, a new infirmary, very con- venient, and very airy, and an unfeen but dreadful evil has been thereby remedied. At the fame time, all thefe arrangements have been made at a fmall expence, and doubtlefs the munificence of a Monarch is doubly merito- rious, when his a£ls are attended by oeconomy, for thus he is able to extend and multiply the benefits arifing from his virtue. In recounting to your Maiefty a part of the charitable arrangements that you have ordered, may I be permitted, Sir, to point out, without naming, a female endowed with the rareft virtues, from whom I have received the greateft afliftance in carrying your Majefly's wifhes into execution ; and although in the midft of the vanity of high ftation, her name has never been pronounced in your prefence, it is juft. Sir, that you fliould knov/, that that name is fami^ liar, and often invoked in the obfcureft retreats offufFer- ing humanity. It is a valuable acquifitionfor a Minifter of Finance to find in the partner of his life, an afiiftant in many circumftances of charity and good offices, which his attention and his powers cannot reach — driven by the hur- ricane of great affairs, often obliged to facrifice the fen- fibility of the private citizen to the duties of a public ftation, he ought to think himfelf happy, that the parti- cular complaints of poverty and mifery, may fall to the care of an enlightened perfon, who fliares with him the prin- ciples and toik of his duty. Alas ! when the hand of time or the vanity of a fucceiTor fliall have deftroyed or changed the arrangements of an adminiftration, on which he had placed his affedtions and his glory, it is with the recollec- tion of the private good which he has been able to efFedl, that he confoles himfelf, and lives happy in his retreat. Here [ io6 ] Here I finifli the account which I propofcd to myfelftd lay before your Majefty ; I have been obliged to run rapid- ly over the greatcft part of this fubjed, but it is an account given to a great Monarch, and not a treatife on the admi* niftration of finance. I knov/ not whether I {hall be found to have followed the right road, I certainly have fearched for it, and my whole life has been devoted without intermilHon to the exercife of the important functions which your Majefty has entrufted to my care ; I have neither facrificed to reputation, nor to power, and I have difdained the trappings of vanity ; I have renounced even the deareft private fatisfadlion, that of ferving my friends, or obtaining the gratitude of thofe who furround me. If any perfon owes to my (ingle favour, either a penfion, a place, or an employment, let him be named. I have had no other object than my duty, and the hopes of meriting the approbation of a mafter, new to me ; but my devotion and zeal for his fervice fhall not be exceeded by any of his fubje^ts ; and I alfo avow, that I have proudly relied on the public approbation, of which wicked men have endeavoured to defpoil me, but in fpite of their efforts, juftice and truth will prevail. Sfate [ I07 ] »«tLit„lilHiMHi,IJiiJiML.«Mi STATE of the ARTICLES of RECEIPT carried to the Royal treafury^for the ordinary year, --^ >npHE Taxes colle. The annual (urn paid for the department of Foreign aii^airs, the Swifs league included, is 8,525,000 7. Total expence of the whole eftabiifhment of the King's and Queen's Houfehold, that of the King's Daughter, of Madame Elizabeth, and of the King's Aunts, including the palaces, office-fees, falaries, and maintenance of diffe- rent people concerned in the Court 25,700,000 S. Sum annually paid out of the Royal treafury for the Houfehold of Monfieur and Madame, and for that of the Count and Countefs d'Ar- tois — 8,040,000 9, Annuities to the Arrearage-Office 20,820,000 jp. The amount of the Pcnfions is not yet exadlly afcertained ; but the general preparation of the Brevets is fo far advanced, that this annual Expence may be eflimated, almoft on a cer- tainty, at the enormous fum of 28,000,000 J I. The fum difburfed by the Royal treafury to the Office for Bridges and Highvv^ays^ exclufive of the parts annually affigned upon other Offices 5,000,000 12. The fums furnifhed by the Royal treafury for putting a flop to Beggary, amount to 900,000 13. The payment of Interefls and Reimburfement of Anions of the India Company, by the Sieur de Mory, and other expences, after dedu6ting the revenues of indulto and feizures which arc paid to him, amount to 4,600,000 14. The annual reimburfement of former Rcfcrip- tions amounts to ^-^ — 3,000,000 [ "4 ] 15. The Interefts of that part cf thefe fame Refcrlp- tions which is not yet reimburfed, amount to 2,084,000 l6^ The Intercfts and expences of Anticipations, about - ■■ • 5,500,000 17. The Interefts of a Loan cf Six millions, con- tracted at Genoa 300,000 18. Thcfc of another Loan, contracted Mkcwife at Genoa, by the former Regie* of the Mejfa^rri^s 70,000 19. Thofc of the laft Loan made by the city of Paris 600,000 20. The Interefts and Reimburfement of the Loans of the Order of Saint- Efprit^ and the other charges of the Order aiTigned upon the office of Marc d'Or^ \ amount to 1,770,000 From which deducting, for the produce of the Marc d'Or dcftined to thofe payments, and received by the fame Treafurers 1,300,000 Inhere remains, to be carried to the Expences 470,000 21. Interefts payable to fundry Proprietors of QiHces abolifhed. Two millions three hundred and fixty-feven thoufand livres 2,367,000 22. Interefts of Sixty millions borrowed by way of Lottery, as well in 1777 as in 1780, efti- mated, notwithftanding the reimburfements already made, at • — 3,000,000 Note. The other Reimburfements have been pafled amongil the annual charges; but thefe noc being the fame every year, it has been thought more proper to put in the cUfs of Perpetual charrres, only the intereil of the capital which would at present fuffice to extinguish thefe two Loans. * A public Company had undertaken this fcrvicej but not being able to jierfor-n it, the Kin^ took it upon himfelf. + \ he Marc iVOr i> a duly levied upon the fale and transfer of certain offices held by patent. E i\s ] 23. Annual fum (till 1784) for the Reimburfement of Bills of exchange from the iflesof Ffance and Bourbon — Liv, T. 1,000,000 24. Sum to be reimburfed, annually till 1784, to the Prince of Conti — — 553>ooo 25. Annual Reimburfement to perfons who had the management of the Paper and Pafteboard of- fices ; which will end in 1787 — 68,000 26. Salaries for the Offices of the Court of Ho- nour* — — — 275,000 27. Appointments included in the lift of the falaries of the Council, deducting what is affigned for them upon other private Offices — 1,379,000 28. Occafional gratuities by private ordinances 664,000 29. Annual Interefts for liquidating the engagements of Demefnes, for debts due to different Con- tradors, and for other arrangements 1,271,000 f Sum paid for the Salaries of offices in Brit- tany, over and above thofe paid diredly by that Province into the hands of the Re- ceiver-general — — . Iiiem, for thofe of Touloufe — ^ ' ' Idem^ for thofe of Montpellier — Ide7n^ for thofe of Burgundy • -*- Idem^ for thofe of the offices of Pro- vence -^ — » Idem^ for thofe of Navarre and Beam 31. Annual Supply for the Civil expences of Corfica. 250,000 32. Academies, Academicians, and other Men of Letters — ^ — 269,000 33. The King's Library — — 89,000 34. The Royal Printing-Office, every year, on an 35< 177,000 122,000 240,000 92,000 326,000 36,000 average. ibout — — 100,000 The Royal Botanical Garden, and Cabinet of Natural Hiftory — — 72,000 * Thei'e offices are fubordin.ite to the tribunals of the Mar/hals of France, where all matters ol contention between Military men are adiuiled. R [ ii6 ] ' ' 36- * Expcnces of the Police, Lighting and cleanfing oi Paris, Fire-engines, &c. Liv, T. 1,400,000 37. Watching and guarding the city of Paris 660,000 38. Marechaujftes of the Ifle of France* 195,000 39. Salaries, Interefts of Finances, Poundage, Emo- luments of the Chamber of Accounts, and all expences in general (both in Paris and the Pro- vinces) of the Keepers of the Royal treafury, of all the other Trcafurcrs, of the new Admi- niftration of General receipts of the Finances, and of the Commiflaries at the General Office for the King's Houfehold expences 2,900,000 40. Prifoners in fundry Caftles, the payment of which is made at the Royal Treafury 82,000 41. Aids to the Jefuits, to Hofpitals, to Religious Houfes, &c. — — 800,000 42. AfTiftance to Acadian families — 113,000 43. Ordinary Indemnities and Expences of various kinds — — 1,412,000 44. Expences of the Ecoles Veterlnaires\ 59,000 45. Expences for the encouragement of Mining and Agriculture — — 26,000 46. .Expences formerly paid out of the revenues of the principality of Dombes — 74,000 47. Appointments and Salaries of the King's Go- >, vernors and Lieutenants, and other Salaries included in the ordinary accounts of the Gar- rifons — — 1,527,000 48. Allowances made to the Pcys d'EtatSy on different occafions, eltimated, on an average, at 8co,ooo 49. Sum for the difcharge of unforefeen Expences exceeding the pofTiblc extra Receipts mentioned in the laft article of the Revenues, as per Me7norandu7n — — 3,000,000 * Bv the IJle of France is only meant a circuit of fome few leagues round Paris. t Ecoles Veterihaires are inftitutions eftablifhed by Government in every Piovihce in France, in each of which is employed a number of men who h ivc itvidied the anatomy of Hories and other Cattte, and m.ide experiments in the cure of their difeafcs. [ 117 J OKKM DETAIL of the REIMBURSEMENTS mentioned in the Chapter of Annual Exp e7ices . A HE Sum deftined to the reimburfement of Refcriptions ,-.. ' JLiv.T. 3,006,000 That deftined to the reimburfement of the Bills of the Farms, which make part of the charges of the. General Farm; which reimburfement will terminate in 1785 — 3,600,000 That deftined to the payment of Bills of ex- change from the Ifle of France and Bo;Ur- bon, and which will end in 1784 '-. 1,000,000 That deftined to the reimburfement of India Actions. It is entered here as on the fame footing it was upon in 1780 — 730,000 That deftined to the reimburfement of the Duchy of Mercoeur, and of the Foreft of Senonches, and which will end in 1784 553,000 That deftined to the payment of the Paper and Pafteboard Offices; and which will end in 1787 _ _ 55,000 Sum retained by the Treafurer of the States of Languedoc, from the Royal Treafury, to be applied in reimburfcments — 4,092,000 In this fum of Four millions ninety-two thoufand livres is included that portion of reimburfement which will be required by the hil Loan of Ten millions, now open. I3j043»OCO t "8 ] Brought forward y — Liv, T. 13,043,006 Sum retained by the Treafurer of the States of Brittany — — 202,000 Sum deftined at prefent (fubje