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