the origins of contemporary france-4-第142章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



food。　　A　good　many　women；　mothers　and　nurses；　have　been　found　in　their

houses　unconscious；　without　any　sign　of　life　in　them；　and　many　have

died　with　their　infants　at　their　breasts。〃　Even　in　a　larger　and　less

forsaken　town；　Saint…Germain；＇119＇　the　misery　surpasses　all　that　one

can　imagine。　　〃Half…a…pound　of　flour　for　each　inhabitant；〃　not　daily；

but　at　long　intervals；　〃bread　at　fifteen　and　sixteen　francs　the　pound

and　all　other　provisions　at　the　same　rate；　a　people　which　is　sinking；

losing　hope　and　perishing。　　Yesterday；　for　the　fête　of　the　9th　of

Thermidor；　not　a　sign　of　rejoicing；　on　the　contrary；　symptoms　of

general　and　profound　depression；　tottering　specters　in　the　streets；

mournful　shrieks　of　ravaging　hunger　or　shouts　of　rage；　almost　every

one；　driven　to　the　last　extremity　of　misery；　welcoming　death　as　a

boon。〃



Such　is　the　aspect　of　these　huge　artificial　agglomerations；　where　the

soil；　made　sterile　by　habitation；　bears　only　stones；　and　where　twenty；

thirty；　fifty　and　a　hundred　thousand　suffering　stomachs　have　to　obtain

from　ten；　twenty　and　thirty　leagues　off　their　first　and　last　mouthful

of　food。　　Within　these　close　pens　long　lines　of　human　sheep　huddle

together　every　day　bleating　and　trembling　around　almost　empty　troughs；

and　only　through　extraordinary　efforts　do　the　shepherds　daily　succeed

in　providing　them　with　a　little　nourishment。　　The　central　government；

strenuously　appealed　to；　enlarges　or　defines　the　circle　of　their

requisitions；　it　authorizes　them　to　borrow；　to　tax　themselves；　it

lends　or　gives　to　them　millions　of　assignats；＇120＇　frequently；　in

cases　of　extreme　want；　it　allows　them　to　take　so　much　grain　or　rice

from　its　storehouses；　for　a　week's　supply。　　…　But；　in　truth；　this　sort

of　life　is　not　living；　it　is　only　not　dying。　　For　one　half；　and　more

than　one　half　of　the　inhabitants　simply　subsist　on　rations　of　bread

obtained　by　long　waiting　for　it　at　the　end　of　a　string　of　people　and

delivered　at　a　reduced　price。　　What　rations　and　what　bread！　〃It

seems；〃　says　the　municipality　of　Troyes；　〃that＇121＇　the　country　has

anathematized　the　towns。　　Formerly；　the　finest　grain　was　brought　to

market；　the　farmer　kept　the　inferior　quality　and　consumed　it　at　home。

Now　it　is　the　reverse；　and　this　is　carried　still　further；　for；　not

only　do　we　receive　no　wheat　whatever；　but　the　farmers　give　us　sprouted

barley　and　rye；　which　they　reserve　for　our　commune；　the　farmer　who　has

none　arranges　with　those　who　have；　so　as　to　buy　it　and　deliver　it　in

town；　and　sell　his　good　wheat　elsewhere。　　Half　a　pound　per　day　and　per

head；　in　Pluvi？se　；　to　the　thirteen　thousand　or　fourteen　thousand

indigent　in　Troyes；　then　a　quarter　of　a　pound；　and；　finally；　two

ounces　with　a　little　rice　and　some　dried　vegetables；　〃which　feeble

resource　is　going　to　fail　us。〃＇122＇　　Half　a　pound　in　Pluvi？se　；　to　the

twenty　thousand　needy　in　Amiens；　which　ration　is　only　nominal；　for　〃it

often　happens　that　each　individual　gets　only　four　ounces；　while　the

distribution　has　repeatedly　failed　three　days　in　succession；''　and

this　continues。　　Six　months　later；　Fructidor　7；　Amiens　has　but　sixty

nine　quintals　of　flour　in　its　market　storehouse；　〃an　insufficient

quantity　for　distribution　this　very　day；　to　morrow；　it　will　be

impossible　to　make　any　distribution　at　all；　and　the　day　after　to

morrow　the　needy　population　of　this　commune　will　be　brought　down　to

absolute　famine。〃　…　〃Complete　desperation！　There　are　already　〃many

suicides。〃＇123＇　At　other　times；　rage　predominates　and　there　are　riots。

At　Evreux；＇124＇　Germinal　21；　a　riot　breaks　out；　owing　to　the　delivery

of　only　two　pounds　of　flour　per　head　and　per　week；　and　because　three

days　before；　only　a　pound　and　a　half　was　delivered。　　There　is　a　riot

at　Dieppe；＇125＇　Prairial　14　and　15；　because　〃the　people　are　reduced

here　to　three　or　four　ounces　of　bread。〃　There　is　another　at　Vervins；

Prairial　9；　because　the　municipality　which　obtains　bread　at　a　cost　of

seven　and　eight　francs　a　pound；　raises　the　price　from　twenty…five　to

fifty　sous。　　At　Lille；　an　insurrection　breaks　out　Messidor　4；　because

the　municipality；　paying　nine　francs　for　bread；　can　give　it　to　the

poor　only　for　about　twenty　and　thirty　sous。　　…　Lyons；　during　the　month

of　Niv？se；　remains　without　bread　〃for　five　full　days。〃＇126＇　　At

Chartres；　Thermidor　15；＇127＇　the　distribution　of　bread　for　a　month　is

only　eight　ounces　a　day；　and　there　is　not　enough　to　keep　this　up　until

the　20th　of　Thermidor。　　On　the　fifteenth　of　Fructidor；　La　Rochelle

writes　that　〃its　public　distributions；　reduced　to　seven　or　eight

ounces　of　bread；　are　on　the　point　of　failing　entirely。〃　For　four

months；　at　Painb？uf；　the　ration　is　but　the　quarter　of　a　pound　of

bread。＇128＇　And　the　same　at　Nantes；　which　has　eighty…two　thousand

inhabitants　and　swarms　with　the　wretched；　〃the　distribution　never

exceeded　four　ounces　a　day；〃　and　that　only　for　the　past　year。　　The

same　at　Rouen；　which　contains　sixty　thousand　inhabitants；　and；　in

addition；　within　the　past　fortnight　the　distribution　has　failed　three

times。　　In　other　reports；　those　who　are　well…off　suffer　more　than　the

indigent　because　they　take　no　part　in　the　communal　distribution；　〃all

resources　for　obtaining　food　being；　so　to　say；　interdicted　to　them。〃　…

Five　ounces　of　bread　per　diem　for　four　months　is　the　allowance　to　the

forty　thousand　inhabitants　of　Caen　and　its　district。＇129＇　　A　great

many　in　the　town；　as　well　as　in　the　country；　live　on　bran　and　wild

herbs。〃　At　the　end　of　Prairial；　〃there　is　not　a　bushel　of　grain　in　the

town　storehouses；　while　the　requisitions；　enforced　in　the　most

rigorous　and　imposing　style；　produce　nothing　or　next　to　nothing。〃

Misery　augments　from　week　to　week：　〃it　is　impossible　to　form　any　idea

of　it；　the　people　of　Caen　live　on　brown　bread　and　the　blood　of　cattle。

。　　。　　。　　Every　countenance　bears　traces　of　the　famine。　　。　　。　　Faces

are　of　livid　hue。　　。　　。　　。　　It　is　impossible　to　await　the　new　crop；

until　the　end　of　Fructidor。〃　…　Such　are　the　exclamations　everywhere。

The　object　now；　indeed；　is　to　cross　the　narrowest　and　most　terrible

defile；　a　fortnight　more　of　absolute　fasting　and　hundreds　of　thousands

of　lives　would　be　sacrificed。＇130＇　At　this　moment　the　government　half

opens　the　doors　of　its　storehouses；　it　lends　a　few　sacks　of　flour　on

condition　of　re…payment；　…　for　example；　at　Cherbourg　a　few　hundreds　of

quintals　of　oats；　by　means　of　oat　bread；　the　poor　can　subsist　until

the　coming　harvest。　　But　above　all；　it　doubles　its　guard　and　shows　its

bayonets。　　At　Nancy；　a　traveler　sees＇131＇　〃more　than　three　thousand

persons　soliciting　in　vain　for　a　few　pounds　of　flour。〃　They　are

dispersed　with　the　butt…ends　of　muskets。　　…　Thus　are　the　peasantry

taught　patriotism　and　the　townspeople　patience。　　Physical　constraint

exercised　on　all　in　the　name　of　all；　this　is　the　only　procedure　which

an　arbitrary　socialism　can　resort　to　for　the　distribution　of　food　and

to　discipline　starvation。







VII。　　Misery　at　Paris。



Famine　and　misery　at　Paris。　　…　Steps　taken　by　the　government　to　feed

the　capital。　　…　Monthly　cost　to　the　Treasury。　　…　Cold　and　hunger　in

the　winter　of　1794…1795。　　…　Quality　of　the　bread。　　…　Daily　rations

diminished。　　…　Suffering；　especially　of　the　populace。　　…　Excessive

physical　suffering；　despair；　suicides；　and　deaths　from　exhaustion　in

1795。　　…　Government　dinners　and　suppers。　　…　Number　of　lives　lost

through　want　and　war。　　…　Socialism　as　applied；　and　its　effects　on

comfort；　well…being　and　mortality。



Anything　that　a　totalitarian　government　may　do　to　ensure　that　the

capital　is　supplied　with　food　is　undertaken　and　carried　out　by　this

one；　for　here　is　its　seat；　and　one　more　degree　of　dearth　in　Paris

would　overthrow　it。　　Each　week；　on　reading　the　daily　reports　of　its

agents；＇132＇　it　finds　itself　on　the　verge　of　explosion；　twice；　in

Germinal　and　Prairial；　a　popular　outbreak　does　overthrow　it　for　a　few

hours；　and；　if　it　maintains　itself；　it　is　on　the　condition　of　either

giving　the　needy　a　piece　of　bread　or　the