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第103章

the origins of contemporary france-4-第103章

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the3 large towns where tens of millions were raised in three…quarters

of the districts; Cambon; three months after Thermidor; could not yet

obtain; I will not say the returns; but a statement of the sums

raised。  The national agents either did not reply to him; or did it

vaguely; or stated that in their districts there was neither civic

donation nor revolutionary tax; and particularly at Marseilles; where

a forced loan had been made of four millions。  … Cf。  De Martel; 〃

Fouché;〃 P。245。  (Memorial of the central administration of Nièvre;

Prairial 19; year III。) 〃The account returned by the city of Nevers

amounts to eighty thousand francs; the use of which has never been

verified。  。  。  。  This tax; in part payment of the war subsidy; was

simply a trap laid by the political actors in order to levy a

contribution on honest; credulous citizens。〃 … Ibid。; 217。  On

voluntary gifts and forced taxation cf。  at Nantes; the use made of

revolutionary taxes; brought out on the trial of the revolutionary

committee。



'113' Ludovic Sciout; IV。; 19。  Report of Representative Becker。

(Journal des Débats et Décrets; p。743; Prairial; year III。) He returns

from a mission to Landau and renders an account of the executions

committed by the Jacobin agents in the Rhenish provinces。  They levied

taxes; sword in hand; and threatened the refractory with the

guillotine at Strasbourg。  The receipts which passed under the

reporter's eyes 〃presented the sum of three millions three hundred and

forty…five thousand seven hundred and eighty…five livres; two deniers;

whilst our colleague; Cambon; reports only one hundred and thirty…

eight thousand paid in。〃



'114' Moniteur; XXII。; 754。  (Report of Grégoire; Frimaire 24; year

III。) 〃Rascallery … this word recalls the old revolutionary

committees; most of which formed the scum of society and which showed

so many aptitudes for the double function of robber and persecutor。〃



'115' Archives Nationales; AF。; II。; 107。  (Orders of Representatives

Ysabeau and Tallien; Bordeaux; Brumaire 11 and 17; year II。) … Third

order; promulgated by the same parties; Frimaire 2; year II。;

replacing this committee by another of twelve members and six

deputies; each at two hundred francs a month。  Fourth order; Pluvi?se

16; year II。; dismissing the members of the foregoing committee; as

exagérés and disobedient。  It is because they regard their local

royalty in quite a serious light。…Ibid。; AF。; II。; 46。  (〃Extracts

from the minutes of the meetings of the revolutionary committee of

Bordeaux;〃 Prairial; year II。) This extract; consisting of eighteen

pages; shows in detail the inside workings of a revolutionary

committee the number of arrested goes on increasing; on the 27th of

Prairial there are 1524。  The committee is essentially a police

office; it delivers certificates of civism; issues warrants of arrest;

corresponds with other committees; even very remote; at Limoges; and

Clermont…Ferrand; delegates any of its members to make investigations

or domicialiary searches; to affix seals; and it receives and

transmits denunciations; summons the denounced to appear before it;

reads interrogations; writes to the Committee of Public Safety; etc。

The following are samples of its warrants of arrest: 〃Muller; a

riding…master; will be confined in the former Petit Seminaire; under

suspicion of aristocracy; according to public opinion。〃 … Another

example; (Archives Nationales; F。7; 2475。  Register of the procès…

verbaux of the revolutionary committee of the Piques section; Paris;

June 3; 1793。) Warrant of arrest against Boucher; grocer; rue Neuve du

Luxembourg; 〃suspect〃 of incivisme and 〃having cherished wicked and

perfidious intentions against his wife。〃 Boucher; arrested; declares

that; 〃what he said and did in his own house; concerned nobody but

himself。〃 On which he was led to prison。



'116' Archives Nationales; AF。; II。; 30 (No。105)。  Examination of Jean

Davilliers; and other ransomed parties。



'117' Berryat Saint…Prix; 313。  (Trial of Lacombe and his accomplices

after Thermidor。)



'118' Archives Nationales; AF。; II。; 46。  (Letter of Julien to the

Committee of Public Safety; Bordeaux; Messidor 12; year II。) …

Moniteur; XXII。; 713。  (Report by Cambon; Frimaire 6; year III。) At

Verins; citizens were imprisoned and then set at liberty 〃on

consideration of a fee。〃 … Albert Babeau; II。; 164; 165; 206。  (Report

by Cambon; Frimaire 6; year II。) 〃Citoyenne (madame) Deguerrois;

having come to procure the release of her husband; a public

functionary demanded of her ten thousand livres; which he reduced to

six thousand for doing what she desired。〃 … 〃One document attests that

Massey paid two thousand livres; and widow Delaporte six hundred

livres; to get out of prison。〃



'119' Mallet…Dupan; 〃First letter to a Genoa merchant;〃 (March I;

1796); pp。33…35。  〃One of the wonders of the reign of Terror is the

slight attention given to the trafficking in life and death;

characteristic of terrorism。  。  。  。  We scarcely find a word on the

countless bargains through which 'suspect' citizens bought themselves

out of captivity; and imprisoned citizens bought off the guillotine。

。  。  。  Dungeons and executions were as much matters of trade as the

purchase of cattle at a fair。〃 This traffic 〃was carried on in all the

towns; bourgs and departments surrendered to the Convention and

Revolutionary Committees。〃 。  。  。  。  〃It has been established since

the 10th of August。〃 〃I will only cite among a multitude of instances

the unfortunate Duc du Chatelet: never did anybody pay more for his

execution!〃 … Wallon; 〃Histoire du Tribunal Revolutionnaire de Paris;〃

VI。; 88。  (Denunciation of Fouquier…Tinville; signed Saulnie。)

According to Saulnie he dined regularly twice a week at No 6 rue

Serpente; with one Demay; calling himself a lawyer and living with a

woman named Martin。  In this death…trap; in the middle of orgies; the

freedom or death of those in prison was bargained for in money with

impunity。  One head alone; belonging to the house of Boufflers;

escaping the scaffold through the intrigues of these vampires; was

worth to them thirty thousand livres; of which one thousand were paid

down and a bond given for the rest; payable on being set at liberty。

… Morellet; 〃Memoires;〃 II。; 32。  The agent of Mesdames de Bouffiers

was Abbé Chevalier; who had formerly known Fouquier…Tinville in the

office of a procureur an Parliament and who; renewing the

acquaintance; came and drank with Fouquier。  〃He succeeded in having

the papers of the ladies Bouffiers; which were ready to be sent to the

Tribunal; placed at the bottom of the file。〃 … Mallet…Dupan; 〃

Memoires;〃 II。; 495。  〃Fouquier…Tinville received a pension of one

thousand crowns a month from Mesdames de Bouffiers; the ransom

increased one quarter each month on account of the atrocity of the

circumstances。  This method saved these ladies; whilst those who paid

a sum in gross lost their lives。  。  。  It was Du Vaucel; fermier…

general; who saved the Princess of Tarente 。  。  。  。for five hundred

louis; after having saved two other ladies for three hundred louis;

given to one of the Jacobin leaders。〃



'120' 〃Tableau des Prisons de Toulouse;〃 324。  Coudert; of the

Municipal Council; shoemaker; charged with the duty of taking silver…

plate from the accused; did not know how; or was unwilling; to draw up

any other than an irregular and valueless procès…verbal。  On this; an

accused party objected and refused to sign。  〃Take care; you;〃

exclaims Coudert in a rage; 〃with your damned cleverness; you are

playing the stubborn。  You are nothing but a bloody fool! You are

getting into a bad box! If you don't sign; I'll have you guillotined。〃

Frequently; there are no papers at all。  (De Martel; 〃Fouché;〃 p。236。

Memorial by the authorities of Allier; addressed to the Convention;

document 9。) October 30; 1793。  Order of the revolutionary committee

enjoin

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